Flo’s Clam Shack & Raw Bar

As authentic a clam «shack» as you’ll find. That it’s right on the water is a plus. The fried clams are scrumptious. I’m not much for wasting my appetite on clam cakes, but these are more than just dough and juice. There’s nothing fancy here except the shoreside setting. Lots of paper bags and plates, picnic tables and satisfied customers.

Flo’s is a summer tradition, often you’ll go by and find the line wrapped around the building. That tells me its a place worth visiting. for the people that complain about it just being a little shack, so what. the food and service is excellent, the prices are fair and its a tradition for many of us here on the island.
We try to get here every summer, but due to a busy summer we didn’t make it here until the middle of October, lucky for us they were still open on that chilly Sunday night. Service as friendly as always and faster than ever. We ordered 2 of the chowder (white of course!) and clamcake combo’s, about $ 16 total and it came with the drink of our choice as well. The clamcakes were PERFECT. as always, one didn’t make it home. had to try it while it was still piping hot and I wasn’t disappointed at all!
I’ve tried other things on the menu as well, the fries and onion rings are always perfect, can’t really go wrong with them and the fried clams were awesome the last time I had them. You really can’t go wrong here, they have some picnic tables set up, or you can walk across the street and sit on the seawall and enjoy your lunch or dinner, or if its cold, sit in your car with the heat on, which is usually what I end up doing!
Don’t pass this place without trying! and make sure you have cash since they don’t accept credit or debit. Trust me, its worth running to the ATM first, I did!

Crab cake sandwich was definitely frozen, and lobster seemed kinda fishy. They advertise that everything’s fresh, so they sometimes run out… But it didn’t taste that way. Lobster roll is a toasted bun, iceberg, and some heaped up chilled lobster with a self-​serve packet of mayo. Best thing was the onion rings — super crispy and perfectly breaded.

Great clam shack!
Not sure what the health inspector expected of a place with all outdoor tent seating.
My lunch, the crispy fish sandwich for $ 7 & change, with spicy fries and a soda, was fresh (all the fish is fresh) crispy, hot and delicious. Certainly no comparison to McDonalds! Next time I want to try the clear chowder, usually my fav.
Very friendly service!
A new fav.

One star for effort; worst lobster roll ever. Toasted roll with lettuce and ¾ dressed. Worst part is the filthy conditions. I’m a former food inspector and if it looks dirty on the outside the same is true in the kitchen. These owners are taking advantage of the paying public laughing all the way to the bank. Avoid, you were warned!

Every time we are in the area Flos is a must stop! The lobster rolls, clam cakes an chowder are amazing and made to order! They also have good seafood platter too! A great little casual place to grab a quick but yummy bite!

It’s fair to say that Flo’s in Portsmouth is a clam shack, perhaps even a shanty. You know it’s bound to be good when visitors and locals alike line up to get their fix. The sign says that they’re only open Thursday through Sunday, from 11am-​8pm. The hours are limited but it’s a testament to the fresh seafood product they serve.
My recommendation after ordering from here is to order the clam cakes. They are served in either ½ or full pint. The ½ pint had seven large clam cakes and I struggled to finish, even after sharing with two others. I also enjoyed a fried clam roll. The hotdog bun was jam packed with clam strips and the container was overflowing. The clams were cleaned and cooked well. (No sand. Not overly chewy.) I’m not one to leave food on my plate but there was no way I could eat the whole thing. Definitely worth the price.
There’s no seating on site but there’s a nice little public beach across the street and you can sit on the sea wall. It’s quite nice on a warm summer night because a cool breeze comes off the bay.

Very disappointing. The clam chowder was ok… only a step up from the can. The stuffed clams were spicy but was filled with breading we did not enjoy them. The crab sandwich had very much breading, it was on a roll with lettuce… not appealing. I would not go again. We could have had a better meal at McDonald’s.

If there were as many clams in the clam cakes as the chowder I would have given them five stars. had the white chowder which was chocked full of the briny little critters. The clam cakes were very fluffy, but just a bit sparse on the clams. Took our food to the beach right across the street which only added to the campy atmosphere. Will go back.

Reliable summer time seafood favorite on the scenic waterfront shack. Nothing fancy but basic seafood fares, such as fried oysters, scallops, fish and clams, complimented by side orders of fries, clam cakes and onion rings. The freshness of the seafood is almost guaranteed as they do not have a big freezer to store any foods. The only way they get the seafood to serve is through daily delivery.
The only drawback of this tiny joint is that the wait can be long on weekend when the weather is good, and may run out of certain popular dishes.

Too greasy, too expensive and no way local fresh. My wife felt ill from all the grease and dough

Ordered pretty much everything on the menu! Fresh delicious fried seafood, how can you go wrong?!

On a July 4^th foray to Rhode Island, we were hankering or some fried mollusks. We were told that Fl’s «is the best in Rhode Island.» Well, if this is the best RI can offer, time to go somewhere else. It is a quintessential clam shack experience. The clams were fresh and tasty. I think the oil was bit under temperature because they were greasy and some what limp. the further done I went into the container, the limper they got. Glad we stopped but I’ll stick with my MA favorites… sorry little Rhodie!

I love this place. Get some delicious fried clams and clam cakes and eat them on the beach across the street or on the picnic tables. Open air dining at its finest.

Great lobster rolls, clam cakes and chowder. My family is happy to eat, then play on the sand. Quality is consistent, and always good.

The original Flos!
The chowder is pretty mediocre — we ordered «creamy» but the broth is very potatoey and not rich or creamy, but it’s passable.
The clamcakes are bangin — fluffy and crispy not at all greasy
And also it’s just fun to eat here on a summer night– sit outside– enjoy the breeze– watch the waves roll in.

I live in Virginia now and man do I miss Flo’s. Do you think they could deliver some fried scallops, chowdah, a stuffie, and several million clamcakes to me down here?
Don’t forget to bring cash!

There’s a lot of good and bad reviews on this place, but I found it middle of the road. Not amazing, but not thoroughly disappointing. Really depends on what you order. If you like fried food, the fried scallops are sweet and tasty (though mine were too greasy and heavy). The oysters were mostly tasteless, but oysters can be hit-​or-​miss.
The ambiance was a mix too. Some of the staff were cold and borderline rude, but the bartender upstairs was nice. Remember, this place is a seafood shack, so you kind of expect it.
One additional note: I’d recommend skipping the clam cakes. They sure sounded interesting, but they were big, fried balls of dough with tiny bits of clams here and there. Maybe they are good if you dunk them in the chowder (which we didn’t try), but I didn’t see the point otherwise.

After a recent family discussion about our complete disappointment in Flo’s I thought it was high time I wrote an update about this famed little shack across from «Portuguee Beach» in Island Park.
First off, I’m happy that a few people have had good experiences here. You guys should feel very special because that is NOT the norm! Every year, for nostalgia’s sake, I make a trip to Flo’s for clam cakes and chowder. And so reliably like year’s past, every year I vow to never go again.
Yes, it’s a cutey patootie little clam shack. And oh my lord, how cute are the little lobster shaped order buzzers (even though I much prefer the old school rocks). And ooh! ooh! let’s go eat on the sea wall! But the food? No thank you! If you can eat these clam cakes and not have your stomach wrench on knots from the grease, then I salute you and you are a better (wo)man than me because oh my god, yuck! And the chowder? Still just as brothy, salty, and clam-​less as ever before.
If you choose to try Flo’s for the sake of novelty then by all means go for itl! But please don’t let anyone fool you into thinking this is fresh or local seafood because it is neither of those qualities. Do you have any clue what you’d pay for a bag of a dozen clam cakes if they really used local clams? Come on, use your noggin’!

Great fried clams roll. The clams were fried to perfection! The split top bun was soft and grilled lightly.
The creamy clam chowder was hearty and delicious with a good amount of clams and it was served piping hot! Great on a cold New England day.
The stuffed quahog is stuffed with a mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning. I had to try a quahog where else can you find it.
My hubby had the fried cod sandwich which was moist and lightly battered and delicious.