7 Central

Made reservations for a Thanksgiving dinner 3 weeks ago. Went to the restaurant on Thanksgiving and they were closed. They never bothered to let us know they would not be open. Will never eat there again-​Thanks for ruining our holiday

Had our daughter’s rehearsal dinner here 8 years ago, have been back 3 times in the past year alone, since it was taken over by Paul Barclay. Love what they’ve done with the place! 7 Central is the only place to go while in Manchester-​by the-​Sea and is well worth the trip up from Boston, too. Great ambiance, excellent food with a unique recipes and impressive presentation! The renovation has completely changed the feel of this local restaurant – more of an upscale dining experience – but where casual beach goers are welcome as well. Anything goes. The back patio is an experience unto itself, great atmosphere in which to enjoy seafood in the fresh air, and 7 Central always has something fun happening. Ultra friendly, attentive staff makes you feel very welcome and special. Check their calendar and make a reservation!

Perfect meal, seared salmon was superb & scallops very tender! Awesome staff & owner has such a vested interest in his restaurant that he will seat you & treat you like family!

Love this place! Comfortable with a cool vibe and a coastal flare (perfect for an ocean town such as Manchester by the Sea ;)
The menu is diverse with the perfect combination of healthy and eclectic to some great comfort foods. Great wine selections with a full bar and entertainment. Nice to have a ‘go to’ place on the North Shore — management and staff are always welcoming.
A must go even if you don’t live in the area!

Food was very ordinary and not well presented

Their bread pudding dessert with caramel ice cream is the BEST I have ever had. Their menu is ok… I had a salmon special, which was really delicious. They nailed the leek sauce. The other time I got the Cod entrée, which was yummy, but I didnt like how it was floating in a bowl of broth. I like my fish seared, so I was expecting a little crust with sauce, not fish floating in a soup. Either way, it was really yummy. The best part — breading pudding!

Stopped in on a Sunday night right before they closed with my buddy. There was a young dude playing James Taylor songs acoustically — quite interesting.
The server was incredible, really friendly attentive, and gave good suggestions.
We both got (per her suggestion) the pork sandwich. As she described, it was almost turkey-​like in it’s whiteness. It was good, but I would’ve liked a bit more flavor/​spice to it.
We finished with the peanut butter brownie with ice cream. This is the reason I come back. It’s incredible! Gives Foreign Affair Bistro’s brownie dessert a run for it’s money!

Had lunch here several times recently. Cozy atmosphere inside; very nice, covered deck out back. Fish sandwitch was ‘different’…sliced jalapeño peppers were a bit too much for me but I’m sure you could choose to leave them off. Nonetheless, the fish was bland and the ‘toppings’ were minimal.
On my other visit, tho, the chicken wings were great! Nicely spicey, just like back in Buffalo !

Great Clam Chowder. Scrod was light fluffy and juicy but the steamed vegetables were perfect. Cheese cake was good not great.

This place has kept the same ambiance of years past. However, a better selection of tap craft beers is now available.
We had the potato chips with our beers. Excellent!
Looking forward to my next trip to Manchester.

My husband and I generally like 7 Central. We go there by boat during the summer months and drive over during the off season. Tonight we sat in the back bar as we have many times before. The bartender was rude, short and downright not very friendly. When my husband inquired to a dish that had been on the menu previously the answer he got was «Ya… not tonight. «There was another couple sitting at the bar that the bartender had an obvious relationship with. While they were talking old times we were basically ignored. We ordered a drink and an appetizer… had planned on staying for dinner until we received such rude service. We left and went to another restaurant where we received exceptional service… the bartender at 7 Central cost her bosses 2 customers tonight.

I was at 7 Central for an event. The service was not so great. Appetizers were sparse with no plates; drink service was ok until dinner. No water served, no more wine, hope you’re not thirsty. Scallops were good. Overall an ‘eh’ experience.

View from the back patio is beautiful with a river running by and water fowl surface and banks.
The food is relatively straightforward American. Nothing terribly wrong with it, but nothing terribly special either. It is a nice place to have a beer and some food after an afternoon/​day of beach walking. So, while I wasn’t wowed, I would go there again for the relaxation of a meal on their deck with a nice beer.

The new ownership of 7 Central has infused a breath of fresh air into this Manchester-​by-​the-​Sea institution. A new executive chef is on board and the menu has been re-​vamped. The staff and customers seem invigorated about the changes and the positive energy from all the changes can be felt throughout the place.
7 Central offers two dining areas — a more serene dining room with an adjoining bar in the main restaurant space and a more casual pub with a beautiful fireplace in the front of the restaurant. My menu favorites (noting that I am vegetarian) include the Spinach Salad, the Vegetable Flatbread, the Nachos and the Grilled Cheese for grown-​ups. The homemade chips are also a great snack. I have also had Sunday brunch at 7 Central and the eggs benedict are delicious!
In addition to the food, there are lots of fun activities happening at 7 Central — Tuesday night Bingo, live music in the pub, and special events (like comedy and live music) in the upstairs meeting space.
The «new» 7 Central is fabulous and I highly recommend checking it out. It is definitely my new go to place on the north shore.

We received a wonderful response from the general manager at 7 Central.
It certainly satisfied our earlier review by addressing the issues straight on.
We will be visiting the restaurant again, hopefully in the near future! And I am sure the review will warrant a 5 star!

I have been dining at this restaurant since it was 7 Central, then when it was The Landing at 7 Central, and again, now that it is back to it’s original name, 7 Central. Under new ownership, and with a new executive chef, the menu offers an impressive selection of lite bites and heartier entrees.
The cobb salad and flank steak salad are 2 of my personal favorites, but you can never go wrong with the prime rib sliders, prime rib on weekends or any of the daily soup specials, especially the lobster bisque!
The live entertainment every Saturday in the pub always offers the best of regional performers with no cover, and the upstairs function room frequently hosts some some of the country’s best known comedians and musicians.
7 Central is a gem on Cape Ann.

Great management! Cozy atmosphere.

Great dinner here tonight (iceberg wedge salad, scallops and sirloin tips), great Ipswich on tap and acoustic tavern at 9 with perfect solo guitarist Josh Cassell who somehow had the same sensibilities we did. Highly recommend – cool regional maps and photos on wall.

Feels more like a private county club bar than a quality restaurant. The staff were generally green and food good — for a bar, but pricey. The food was generally of descent — not great — quality. For a place that is presenting as high end, they fall short of expectations.
If you are looking for a local bar with cache this is the place.

So here we go…
‘Was visiting my sister on the North Shore for New Year’s weekend and was driving back to Boston with hubby, our two little kids, and a very excitable 100 lb black lab in the back of our SUV. My sister tells me that Manchester is gorgeous and we should drive through and check out the area. Our babysitter back in Beantown calls us to say she has the flu, so we decide to find a place to eat dinner in Manchester. Unilocal says The Landing’s a decent choice, so we GPS it and arrive…
The host was nice, but I asked him twice to sit on the bar side because my little ones were cranky and they might get loud — didn’t want to disturb other diners. We told him we were really up for more pub grub than anything else. (We also had the dog in the car and I didn’t want to leave him out there for too long — it wasn’t really cold, though and he does have a fur coat!) The host said it was fine to sit in the dining room and order from the bar menu. Also, he said that because we were on the early side, there were no other diners to bother. (OK, host, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!). He made it sound like we would actually be doing him a favor to sit in the dining room because there was no one in there. OK, no problem.
Actually, the kids turned out to be not so bad after all. I cannot say the same for the onion soup, however. Bland, onions too raw, and really, we were underwhelmed. Same for the Thai roll appetizer. We are so spoiled being in Boston, I know, but it was pretty Ruby Tuesday’s. Expected a lot better on both BUT the clam chowder, and our dinners of shrimp scampi and salmon were fantastic! I do wish they had been a little more gracious with the basil and garlic on the shrimp but that’s just me. The service was wonderful and very attentive, overall, and the meals were served in very short order. The décor was cozy and sophisticated in that New England old style way.
Here’s the kicker, though, and why they didn’t get four stars. We did order from the pub menu from some items but were charged the dining room price, even though we had specifically asked for the «pub meal». When we received the check and asked the waitress about this, she said we would be charged the dining room price no matter what because that’s what the computer does with her name. Huh? We did explain the what the host said but noting came of this. Being in a relative hurry and us just basically being really beat, we let it go, but it was really annoying.
Would I ever go back there? Maybe, if we move to «Manchester-​by-​the-​Sea» but I’m in no rush, sadly.