Cap’n Cats Clam Bar & Tavern

It was Father’s Day afternoon and we found ourselves along the Delaware River south of Philly with uhh … No plans for dad (me). Ok, I will take the blame for the timing problem but still what should we do.
Of course, I turned to Unilocal. Staring me in the eye and just a few miles from our location was this clam bar with great ratings. Might there be space …
Walking from the car to the front door the air’s scent changed to OLD BAY … made the mouth lust for seafood.
There was a big thumbs up when we went inside because there was not a long wait for the dining room or we could be immediately seated in the classic divey bar. It was Father’s Day so it was worth waitIng for a dining room table, which gave us the opportunity to check out the seafood to go section.
When I say this is a CLAM BAR you need to know that the good Cap’n even has portholes to look into the dining area. This is not eloquence friends this is a JERSEY CLAM BAR with seafood at a sea mariner’s price (INEXPENSIVE but please don’t tell them because this place just was permanently added to my GPS.). I frankly loved the wood interior, old signs, and a feel that I was in a place that many have felt comfortable eating in.
It’s a rather simple menu of broiled or fried seafood with a few chowders (Maryland Crab, Clam (either NE or Manhattan) or SNAPPER (Remember we are about 3 miles due east from Philly so Snapper is a classic.). A nice but limited selection of brews from the tap and friendly service made a sense of completion complete.
Started with the STEAMERS … Little necks 18 for $ 10. READ THAT AGAIN … And these were steamers done perfectly … No grit and so sweet add the butter and lemon oh my!!!
Megan (She treated for Father’s Day) went NE Clam Chowder and I chose the Maryland Crab Chowder. The Crab was fresh tasting, lots of crab and even a tiny shell bit or two for authenticity. The Clam Chowder was really tasty but there was floury texture that was noticeable.
Ahh the arrival of the seafood fest … First, the prices are amazingly low! If you go out for seafood within 50 miles of ATLANTIC CITY I can guarantee you’d be paying at least 50% more for the same meal. Our choices were: broiled tilapia, broiled scallops, and fried jumbo shrimp (less than $ 10). The meals included (Or so we were told) French fries or broccoli and coleslaw and for an up charge corn or asparagus. We did two fries and one broccoli.
SEAFOOD PERFECTION … Did I mention the great service? A very personable gentleman (The manager?) helped deliver the food, wishing me a Happy Father’s Day and checking on our happiness with the meal experience; very nice … I am not on be to order tilapia (I guess I have been influenced by this internet stories.) but Megan’s tilapia was so buttery and delicious that I wanted to sneak more than my one generously offered forkful of fish. The scallops were prepared the way that is so hard to replicate in the home kitchen … fresh and perfectly seared. My jumbo shrimp were jumbo, breaded perfectly and fried for exactly the right amount of time to result in sweet and tender shrimp!
The french fries were homemade and decent. The broccoli was prepared perfectly leaving crispness and flavor and good veggieness! The coleslaw was creamy deliciousness but one, two … Uh where was number three? The menu implied … The initial conversation hinted … Coleslaw comes with all platters but I guess the broiled scallops were not considered a platter. I have to say that when we pointed out the missing coleslaw to our waitress she apologized, said that the coleslaw did not come with the scallops but also offering to bring coleslaw at no charge (An offer we did not take her up on.).
I will admit that if we had half stars the coleslaw issue would have dipped this review to 4 ½ stars but my Father’s Day experience was definitely more than a 4 star meal of great food and service so FIVE STARS it is.
This will be a dive I come back to … Just hoping that no one tells them that they could up their prices 25% and it would still be a bargain!

Ordered Blacken Tuna Special. Bartender/​waitress did not ask me how I wanted it cooked. She ran off and put in the order then promptly left. End of her shift. 30 minutes later came off a tuna hockey puck Took one bite and chewed on it for 5 minutes. My gf ordered Maui Maui looked good. I send mine back. 30 minutes later after all the plates were cleared from table. Hockey puck two came out. Slightly less chewy but no were near MR that I ordered The server was busy but never came ask how it was. Seemed like I was bothering her. I never send anything back. Ended Up having fries for dinner. Stick with the fried food

This place took a HUGE dive! Went a few days ago for a couple of beers and oysters. 1970’s dark and dingy bar, sticky bar, sticky seats and dirty floors.
Daytime weather was 80 degrees outside. Walked in the bar no fans on, no AC. It was very hot and stuffy. Stinky too!
It must have been 95 degrees in the bar and high humidity mixed with seafood is NOTpleasant! None of the staff knew how to turn the fans on to circulate air in the place.
I complained several times until the bartender turned on the AC. Couldn’t eat.
The ladies room smelled like a urinal at a train station. Very dirty. Very out dated. Couldn’t even use it because of the stench of urine!
Drank 1 beer and left!
Won’t ever go back.
Too many other clean and well run taverns serving seafood to patronize. Can’t take a chance on the food.
I gave this place 2 stars because the tap beer was cold.
Place is a dump.

So, i arrived to pick up my order and handed the girl behind the counter my card. She ran it 3 times and said. It was declinded. I called the back to confirm my account information and the told me it went through. Upon checking my pending transactions, it was confirmed has been taken out of my account. I showed the girl behind the counter and she said well, the balance due on this order is still the full amount. Then proceeded to ask me for another card. When i asked for a manager, they told me there wasnt one on duty. I expressed deep discontent and asked if they could find someone on staff to assist me in this manner. They retrived a young girl from the bar who explain to me that they could not get a hold of their manager and that my money could be refunded but it would take a couple days… now, explain to me if, they never received my payment how they could refund me my money. Anyways after an hours wait there was still no manager and they wouldnt let me go with my food. Though, this may be a computer error, the customer service is poor. Im writing my review from my car still waiting to hear from the manager who was located at another location. Needless to say im disappointed in the service and will not be a parton of this poorly run establishment.

Always a pleasure to visit the Captain. Great service, great seafood and happy hour that can’t be beat. We grabbed some take out for the kids. Awesome clam strips and the New England clam chowder was spot on!

This place serves a lot fried fish but the dungeons crab was great. We have eaten here a few times and it’s hard to find seafood this good at these prices just dont get the crawfish.
Also it’s kind of a dive atmosphere but if you want decent seafood for a reasonable price it’s a cool place.
BTW.i think they have a real fireplace. That’s always cool.

Food… Perfect! A little pricy but worth it! Bartender was amazing! Will be back soon!

Had heard many great things about this place and finally had the chance to try it out. It did not disappoint. It was delicious! The oysters were fresh and tasty and not overpriced like so many other places. We both had the fried seafood sampler and it was amazing. It was the best fried seafood platter I have ever had. It was plentiful and fried to perfection, not greasy at all. The service was quick and friendly. I accidentally ordered a beer that I didn’t like and it was happily corrected. We will definitely be back.

Amazing clam chowder. Awesome seafood combo. Cold beer. I can’t wait to go back. Seat yourself, relax and enjoy!

We’ve come here a few times and like the oysters and clams. On rare occasion the oysters or clams will have bits of shell in them but other than they’re pretty well shucked. Service is sometimes a bit slow and not too attentive. Overall it’s a pretty chill place.

Food is decent. We really enjoy their sweet potato fries and fish tacos.
Pretty good beer selection.
I don’t typically go on busy nights because I don’t like crowds but every time I’ve been there the groups of people have all been really chill.

Had dinner with friends on 8÷5÷15. Lou had Blackened Catfish. Steve & Barb had Fried Oysters I had Crabs (what else). We also had some good vegetables too. Steve does’nt usually like Cap’n Cats at other locations because they don’t have veggies but this location does, so we will be back

Crabs are too good. Super meaty and a pretty decent price! The Maryland Crab Soup also has a slight kick and is so delicious. Pitchers of beer are priced well also! Definitely will be back after my first stop

The seafood here is very good and very reasonably priced. The drinks are reasonable as well and they have a full bar. The Maryland crabs we small for $ 4 each but very tasty. The raw clams are especially tasty and fresh. I will definitely be back here soon.

Went here because of the reviews and it was a good spot for seafood. We had the raw oysters and their cocktail sauce is one of the best sauce I ever had because it’s spicy. The crawfish and mussles was dry and over cooked but the beer and Cosmos that my wife was good so over all it was a good experience. Gonna try the crab legs and crabs next time

A trip back to NJ during Summer vacation isn’t complete without a family dinner at Cap’n Cats. I have to get the Alaskan King Crab legs or I crave them when I return to the AZ desert. Beer is always ice cold, sea creatures are always cooked to perfection.

Very rustic interior. Nothing fancy here. The Crab soup is spicy and awesome. The sesfood combo is very good. Dad loves the fried scallops. Reasonable prices. Even a fireplace for those cold nights.

This is one of the better crabcakes I’ve ever had, maybe even top five (and that’s saying something.) The service here was great, the beer was cold and the atmosphere was fun. And despite my satisfaction with the crabcakes, I was somewhat disappointed that I didn’t go for some clams or oysters or steamed crabs, because I looked around at what other people were eating and it all looked really good.
If you’re looking for seafood around here, I’d start with Cap’n Cats.

Amazing seafood. We like to get a few things off the menu and share. The prices are very reasonable, beer cold and a plenty. So happy to live right up the street.
Try the dungeoness crabs, the clams casino and the fried scallops. Yummm

Bar food but ZOMG delicious Crab Cakes this far north of Maryland! Seriously. Also they don’t serve salad or vegetables. I asked if I could sub my fries for a salad or vegetables and the waitress looked at me very seriously and goes «We don’t serve vegetables»
But seriously best crab cakes in NJ.
Inside is totally lacking ‘fancy’ feel but it’s a nice dark bar. Cold beer and good food.