The Pilot House

Our second visit to this place and the first time was fabulous. This time, not so much. Food was still good but the service outside was beyond terrible. Bartenders looked lost and confused. Went inside for a cocktail because we couldn’t wait any longer and young lady inside was fantastic behind the bar. Wish I could remember her name. Either way, May or may not be back, not because of the hour wait for drinks, but no apology from bartenders this place seems very inconsist

Great spot. As the Aqua Grill, it was mediocre at best. The carpet smelled bad and the porch was dark.
The new owners have redone just about everything. Best part is the outdoor eating and bar area. Quite nice vibe and views.
The food is also great. I’ve had the fried oyster poboy and the fried scallop plate (both for lunch). The scallop plate was only $ 12.99.
My friend had the lobster roll and said it was also great and large.
It’s also a nice «dock and dine» by boat. You have to call the Sandwich Marina and pay $ 20 for 2 hours, but if the bay is rough, it’s a nice ride up the canal and easy access to the Cape Cod beaches. A nice alternative to the Chartroom.

New name, new paint. It is a big old Cape Cod feeling place. There is a bar section with high tops and a large indoor eating area with booths and tables. A porch wraps around two sides with all tables. There is a new outdoor seating section. It looked very nice. We sat on the porch for the ac.
It has a nice location across from the marina and the canal and accessible from the bike path.
The food just didn’t make. My husbands swordfish was over cooked, served with oily mashed potatoes and green beans.
My seafood pot pie had lots seafood but was under seasoned and bland. And I hate plastic glasses. My tea came in plastic but the beer came in glass.
The silverware came in a paper napkin was wrapped by green paper tape.

Arrived and had a 40 minute wait time, which isn’t bad considering that it was a Saturday night. We had fantastic drinks at the outdoor bar, and then went to our table. Our server, Colleen, didn’t greet us right away, but stopped to mutter, «I’ll be with you in a minute. «Again, no problem considering how busy it was. She took our order and proceeded to ignore us. Our appetizers came out cold, so she brought them back to microwave them. As this is taking place, other tables are being sat, drinks and appetizers are being served. Thought it was a fluke until the entrées arrived, seafood pot pie was decent, but the steak tips were cold and marinated in a teriyaki/​Worcestershire sauce that was so salty, I couldn’t tolerate it. Other tables received proper service, including rolls brought to their tables and their bills dropped on a bill tray or in a book. Ours was dropped in what looked like a finger bowl. First time here and will never go back.

Food was blah and overpriced. Clam chowder was so thick and had no flavor and hardly any clams, I had a bowl and not even one potato. House salad was small and skimpy. Service was good but food is way overpriced and not even flavorful. I will not be back.

I liked the new expanded bar, menu is good, go for the fried scallops with fries, great deal. Staff is professional and attentive. Outdoor bar and table avail. Though on the water the view of the power plant is an eyesore to say the least.

Great view, seafood pot pie was good but the fried shrimp was just ok. Come for the drinks in the outdoor bar!

The food was delicious and well prepared, the service was amazing, and the restaurant was clean and inviting. I would definitely recommend The Pilot House to anyone looking for a great restaurant with reasonable prices.

Downhill. Service was ok. Lobster Roll was bland and dry. No flavor, tasted like it had been drying out for hours. Ordered the cole slaw instead of fries. A 1 ounce plastic cup. Seriously? The only decent thing were the oysters and beer. The steamers were wicked sandy even after a long bath. Been many times, may not return.

Not busy, service was not good and food was just meh. Waited about 10 minutes before being greeted. Sat with a child and did not get a kids menu. While ordering drinks and app we asked for a kids menu. Waitress came back to take out order. We had to ask for plates for our app and she still did not bring a kids menu. Finally received the menu with no crayons, etc. It might be a small thing but it’s annoying. Calamari app was bland and tasteless. They were out of the soup special. Just not a relaxing, enjoyable experience. We’ve been before and didn’t have any issues but might wait awhile before we try again.

We are regulars here but very disappointed in the food. — over cooked, waitress was rude and didn’t care that we didn’t get our vegetable with our meal. Pie was cold and the best was the espresso shot — barely a sip. The cook needs lessons and the staff needs training in customer service.

Love the new renovations!!! The bar is beautiful with a wonderful atmosphere. The beet salad was perfect and the New Burger was excellent! We can’t wait to come back!

We have been here twice since it opened this spring. The place has been done over with a huge bar and great new décor. We ordered off the specials menu both times. Last night I had the chicken waffle slider with sweet potato fries. It was very good. My husband ordered the prime rib. It was the best prime rib he ever had. Maybe even more impressive was the size of the lobster sandwich that the person next to me had. Oh, and the clam chowder with fresh ground pepper, I had, too. They should enter it in the chowder festival! We are bringing eight friends back with us tonight. It’s that good.

Peel and eat shrimp are delicious. Greart place for dinner. A little pricey but worth the money. Service is great.

The location is amazing! You can watch boats floating down the canal as you enjoy your meal.
The food is delicious! I’ve been with my family a few times now and I’ve loved everything we’ve ordered. The kitchen has some creative items on the menu and clearly takes pride in their work.
The only downside I’ve found is the drink menu. I haven’t yet found a cocktail I enjoy, and I’m not generally picky with my cocktails. The first drink I ordered was so strong I had to ask for a new one… (I know, I know… Who complains about a drink being too strong, right? But seriously I tried to just drink it, but it was potent! A mojito shouldn’t burn!) The second drink that came out was equally as strong, which I thought odd since the waitress specifically mentioned the first was too much for me.
So… Long story short, I’ll just stick to beer or wine, but it’s worth a repeat visit since the food and atmosphere is so nice!

Mmmm I really like The Pilot House. The seafood is super fresh (the scallops… always the scallops), the drinks are strong, the view is nice, and I love the outdoor seating with the little tiki hut bar. It’s quite a big restaurant with a view of the water so if your dining companion is boring you at least have things to look at.
The service isn’t anything special… actually not that attentive… but come on now… we’re on Cape Cod time… it’s vacation right? Who’s in a rush? Well when I want another alcoholic beverage … me!
Biggest server mistake… letting the alcohol run dry.

While there were a number of bad reviews to make us think twice the pilot house was very convenient from the marina. The hostess station was a bit frazzled. 2 of them couldn’t sort out the few people waiting but after getting our name listed for an outside table west in the bar for the appointed time. Our table was attended to promptly. Gazpacho and little necks for apps were great. Fish tacos and scallop salad for mains were large portions and prepared well. Service was attentive. Glad we gave it a go.

Nice views, but food was so so. Nothing fancy, very casual. You can eat out in a porch like area or smaller inside area.
Very busy restaurant, reservations are taken.

Million dollar location! Restaurant and outdoor areas are lovely. Service was outstanding. We had steamers, baked scallops and fried clams. Everything was delicious. Can’t wait to go back!

Went there for lunch with 5 other. Food and service was good. I had fried oysters. Would probably have given them 4 stars but they gave away the table that we had reserved. We had checked in with twice during the week for the reserved table an they assured us no problem but they gave it to the group in front of us other than that everything was good.
Good luck getting in on weekend nights. Place is packed. Much quieter for lunch.

We had a really nice seafood dinner. The tuna was amazing. Sunset was a nice way to cap a dinner. Service was excellent. Parking was a little challenging. We’ll definitely go back.

This review only pertains to the outdoor bar area, as I have not had the food here so cannot provide input on that.
The outdoor bar area is a great place for drinks during a late afternoon/​early evening. There is often live music during summer nights, but be aware that the entertainment ends early, at approximately 8:00 PM. I assume that this is so the rich people on their boats at the marina across the street are not disturbed while enjoying their wine and assorted cheeses.
There is a large grassy area with Adirondack chairs adjacent to the bar and the boats and ships can be seen passing through the nearby Cape Cod Canal. This is a good spot for catching a nice sunset as the sun dips below the trees on the other side of the canal.
Now for the bad. The bar tenders outside are overworked during busy periods and it is often a long wait to get their attention. They are so busy that they sometimes forget to add drinks to your tab and you have to tell them what you had when go to pay your bill before leaving. Which is another complaint I have, because like I said, waiting to get the attention of a bartender can be frustrating here. Even more so when you just want to pay for your drinks so you can get your credit card back and leave.

Be Aware!!!
Check your Credit Card Statements… They like to add their own tip! I guess they don’t think $ 4 was enough of a tip on two drinks, rather felt entitled to give themselves a $ 14 tip on two drinks.
Not only that, I went in to ask about the charges and they «yay-​yay, we, don’t stand for that behavior» and then never took my number to follow up on. I guess they don’t consider it stealing.
I wonder how much money they have stolen for their valued customers this weekend alone?
I wonder if the same bartender will be there this weekend, or do they take stealing seriously?

I went there with my mom and dad for Father’s Day. The food quality varies widely. For appetizers we had little necks, stuffed quahog and chowder. The first two were good, the chowder was horrible.
My parents each got swordfish for dinner, while I had the barramundi. The swordfish was certainly good, while the barramundi was mediocre at best. It was under-​seasoned and the corn, black bean and habanero salsa atop it was bland. Green beans were passable, rice was mediocre, and my mother’s baked potato was virtually inedible.
For desert, I had the coconut custard pie, which was great. My mother didn’t fare as well. She went with the crème brûlée. It was soggy and not particularly tasty.
What amazes me is that our meal came to $ 150. We would have had a much better bang for our buck at the Bog.

My wife and I went to the Pilot House for the first time on Saturday night, and was a huge disappointment. She ordered the reuben sandwich, and it was just OK. Fries were the fake coated kind, and were served warm. I ordered the clam chowder, and it was actually about the worst I have ever had in a restaurant. One small, rubbery piece of quahog clam, very thick soup, not at all flavorful, and load of potatoes. I also had the fish sandwich, which was not at all crispy, just soft and mushy, without much flavor. My fries were also just warm. Service was good, and the waitress did remove the charge for the chowder. She also offered desert to make up for it, but they were out of blueberry pie (at 5:30 PM) so we left. I’ll never go there again for dinner, maybe just drinks out on the patio. Shame, such a nice spot.

This was my first time visiting this location. Our waitress Christine came to the table very promptly. When she was asked about a starter course that she wasn’t familiar with, she asked a co-​worker for her advice which helped me make my decision. I had a half dozen oysters on the half shell, two different types. They came to the table promptly and were chilled to the proper temperature and correctly shucked, (not to mention a good size).
While waiting for our appetizers I decided to look up the reviews on Unilocal.To my surprise they were not all gleaming. I like to make my own decisions about my food and service though. I ordered the fried seafood sampler and my wife ordered a bacon wrapped salmon filet. The wait was no longer (nor shorter) than most any other restaurant I’ve eaten at. The food was IMPECCABLE. The variety of seafood on the plate was better than most restaurants I’ve been to and the SIZE was humongous. My wife salmon filet was also a good sized piece of fish. She was very pleased with the taste as well.
The outside surroundings were nice. A view of the harbor and canal out the windows. Outside there was a bar but I didn’t go outside. Over all, it was a lovely experience for a first time at a restaurant and I hope my server Christine reads this and remembers the tip I left her for making our first time there a memorable one. Thank you everyone on duty tonight.

Came here last Sunday because one of the people we were with wanted to head over. None of the service issues from previous reviews have been addressed, same absolutely terrible service. This time in addition to being slow, the waitress forgot the appetizers. She did offer to comp them, but we declined. Place is completely mismanaged, guess they are banking on people coming here just because of the view — they should look into how that worked out for Horizon’s. Was in the mood for a mixed drink, the margarita’s tasted like they were out of a pre-​mixed jug you would get at a liquor store. Amateur hour.
The lobster rolls hit the spot, but the potato salad which she highly recommended was garbage. There was only four of us and still the plates were mixed up when they came out, someone got the other person’s fries, in turn they got their salad. Additionally, a number of items on the menu were unavailable — we found out after we tried to order them.
I’m done with this place until I read up on some changes happening. If you’re going to come, order your drinks two at a time.

Second time to pilot house-​the outdoor seating and bar area is great. The service can be a little slow and frazzled but I would no say as poor as some other have commented (I haven’t seen to that level). Food is very good and I think it is better than hemisphere’s. Have had the seafood and it is always fresh and not reheated. We will be back.

Crispy seafood platter with a locally brewed IPA for me and fish taco with ice tea for her these meals were delicious. Very nice atmosphere with a window view of the Sandwich Marina. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive without being interpretive.

Pilot house has been recommended to me many times over the past few years since it got new ownership. Tonight we finally were able to try it out and were highly disappointed. Unlike many of the other reviews, our service was good and the food was subpar.
The drink we wanted which was featured on the menu wasn’t available because they didn’t have the ingredients which was our first disappointment. They don’t have an extensive cocktail menu so we made up our own drink which ended up being good. The clam chowder had the perfect creamy, thick consistency but was lacking any and all flavor. The blandness couldn’t be fixed by adding salt or pepper. For a well known seafood joint, bad clam chowder isn’t acceptable.
the Caesar salad had very little dressing on it which was easily fixed by asking for an extra side of the dressing and I overheard the table next to me asking for the same.
As entrees we tried the appetizer crab cakes and calamari which were both mediocre. The crab cake app is 1 crab cake which is skimpy for the 11 $ price. The batter on the calamari was floury and lacked crispness leaving the calamari soft and wet-​like.
We are hoping that we just came on a bad night, because the atmosphere is great and the potential is huge!

Even in the worst experience I try to find something positive to say about a restaurant but this one is tough. My one positive was that they make goods drinks other than that there is nothing else I could say that is good.
Our waitress was unattentive and frazzled, disappearing for long periods of time.
The food was terrible, the clam chowder lacked flavor, the tuna tartar special tasted like they had leftover tuna they needed to get rid of not fresh at all. The steak I ordered rare tasted like it was in the fridge for weeks and was cooked to a perfect medium well.
It was just a terrible meal.

Busy night last evening at the Pilot House. Bar was energized by the live music and very busy. The restaurant was very busy since this is the last holiday weekend of the summer on Cape Cod. Lots of folks looking for some good food and drink to celebrate the end of summer. The kitchen did not disappoint. The three of us had lobster, scallops and steak. Everything was fresh and tasty. The portions were a bit small for my liking and not what we typically see. Our reservation was not fulfilled in a timely fashion and the hostess claimed that folks lingered at their tables longer than expected. The service was mediocre and our waitress was less than attentive but assumed that was partially due to the crowd. Check it out, the food and view are terrific and we are normally much happier!

There are three parts to the restaurant — outdoors, indoor patio, indoors. Call ahead to make a reservation if you want to be seated outdoors or on the indoor patio. Indoor seats/​booths do not offer a view of the marina.
The food is great, service is lacking. We had to ask for bread a few times before she brought it out. And she did not bring it out with the appetizer or before the entrée, she brought the bread shortly after the entrée.
The lobster was fresh, as are most lobsters in the area… The shrimp and scallop scampi was tasteless. There was no taste of lemon, no taste of salt, no taste of pepper. It just tasted like butter. The shrimp and scallops weren’t seared either. It was just a plate of white goo.