Joe Fish Seafood Restaurant and Bar

Overall great experience. Went on a Tuesday night with a few friends. Nice upscale décor, somewhere between a seafood Shack and an upscale Steakhouse. Restaurant and bathrooms were spotless. Had oysters on the half shell, mussels and Portuguese clam chowder. Everything was outstanding! Friends were all satisfied with their selections. Price is what you’d expect from a nice seafood restaurant, but we’ll worth the price.

I have been here a couple of times, was always happy with sea food. Everything is good, really. Some vegetarian options, too. Large area, so they have enough space for everybody. However, the serving can be too slow during lunch time. My favorite is their salmon with veggies on a side.

First time dining tonight, and probably the last time.
Pros: Service was great, no complaints here. Waitress was nice and accommodating.
Reason for the two stars is for the pricing & food. Our party ordered three entrees:
Haddock Maria — was OK nothing too special from my point of view, $ 22, OK, i understand.
Joe’s Bouillabaisse — the seafood was all overcooked. Shrimp was overcooked, clams/​mussels were overcooked to the point where the clams had shrunk and it was hardly filling. For $ 22, we expected more.
Stuffed Shrimp — By far our biggest complaint. This dish is on the «special» menu and therefore the price isn’t displayed unless you ask. We figured the price would be about $ 25, considering everything else on the menu averaged around $ 25. My fiancé loved stuffed shrimps so she ordered it here to give it a shot. This dish basically consists of 4 grilled shrimps that sits on top of a small mound of crab meat. Not much of a presentation, not really a «stuffed shrimp», but it’ll cost you a whopping $ 35 for this.
So, even though we got a $ 10 off coupon for this restaurant for the overcooked dish, we sadly will not be coming back.

My husband and I have been to Joe Fish a number of times. It is my favorite local restaurant. The food is excellent and the service is exceptional. I haven’t had a bad experience in the number of times I’ve been there. The wait staff has always friendly and great at giving you recommendations. My current favorite app is the Fried Oyster Florentine — so good!

Very nice meals across the board for a party of four. Service was excellent. We were not rushed to leave our table as we caught up with old friends. Blackened Swordfish was very good.

Ate with my friend for lunch, I got the fried haddock and he got fish and chips, we both were content until we later got home. Then we had terrible stomach aches and I ended up puking. Note to the owners: get your fish fresh from the sea and change the oil you fry it in (cheapskates). Never going here again. Best leave the real seafood cuisines to Cape Cod and Maine.

Their oysters are really good. I have had good experiences with their entrees as well, but I do find them to be overpriced. I get paying for a good meal, that’s all well and good and really why we go there, but I have been to other seafood establishments that are just as nice in the Boston area and not as pricey. My only recomendation for them would be to come down a little on their entrees. They are never busy when I am there. I have never experienced a wait but that may just be the times I am there.

Always good, fresh and the variety is plentiful. Wait staff attentive and pleasant. One thing you can count on is consistency between the North Andover restaurant and this one.

My family and I randomly stopped in here for an early dinner, and I’m so glad that we did.
Our waiter was friendly, the rolls were hot, drinks were strong but yummy, and the seafood was obviously fresh and cooked perfectly; so in my book this makes an awesome dinner.
The garlic/​parmesean calamari was so delicious. Fresh and cooked perfectly… not chewy or anything. We all agreed it was probably the best calamari any of us had.
I got the fisherman’s platter for dinner and was really surpised. I’m used to going to that have really greasy/​bland fried seafood, but there’s wasn’t greasy and the breading had good flavor. There was also a lot more seafood than the fries/​onion rings so it made the market price worth it.
One thing I will say though is that one of the pieces of calamari on my plate tasted like the smell of the aquarium. I don’t know how else to explain it but it tasted revolting. Other than that I definitely would have given five stars and we will be back.

We have been to Joe Fish 3 times and have always been very happy with both the food and the service.
It’s wonderful to have a restaurant we like in the town we live in!

appropriately priced, good food with good service.
its worth a drive.
Family friendly

Back for a second visit and it was delicious… Shrimp Poboy for lunch… Outstanding (I’ll nitpick though and say I missed the Remoulade sauce from New Orleans… didn’t necessarily like the whole mustard aioli that came on it) French bread was awesome…

Saw Joe Fish on the phantom gourmet. Listed in the top 8 lobster rolls in New England.
They have a nice variety of seafood on the menu, with a good range of prices to fit most budgets.
Three sizes of lobster roll. Priced as «market». Today, they were:
Small $ 18.99 (see photo)
Large $ 34.99
«Big Kahuna» $ 45.99
According to the phantom gourmet, the big kahuna is a monster size pile of lobster.
I ordered the small. It’s on a brioche, hot dog bun. Toasted and buttery. Big chunks of tender lobster with a hint of mayo and lettuce.
Had steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. It was all very good and very well made.
The service was friendly. The manager asked how we enjoyed the meal and gave us coupons for free chowder.
Overall, I thought Joe Fish was a comfortable, casual and clean place to get an above-​average lobster roll.

five of us went here for dinner one weekend night (had a reservation) and got a great table and great food and just loved the sassy waitress and overall fishy ambiance. We ate fish tacos, steamed halibut, baked halibut and other lovely things, including some very yeasty fresh baked rolls with large glasses of wine. It’s in an older building but ramped so it is wheelchair accessible (I didn’t check the bathrooms)

The lobster roll and lobster tacos were both very good. The service provided by our server Mary K was excellent and the food came out quickly. Great experience!

Celebrated my 40^th Wedding Anniversary with 20 relatives. The Appetizers were great. Shrimp cocktail, calamari and clams. Many had the Seafood Trio which is my favorite item here. All of us were very happy with our meals. Service by 2 young gentlemen was very professional and they were wonderful. Thanks Joe Fish for taking care of us.

I had the baked haddock at lunchtime. The fish and rice were cooked perfectly. Not the place to go for a fast lunch.
I would definitely recommend Joe Fish in North Reading. I have not been to the North Andover location.

The food the service was good. We were just passing through on a job and spotted this place. The crab cake was good the popcorn shrimp as well. Yes we went a little appetizer-​happy but hey we work hard!
Hun had the southwestern steak and shrimp he loved the steak, Warning the shrimp is HOT.
I had the baked seafood trio WOW…
The dishes were priced well and the portions were good.
We will return

I went to Joe Fish today for a couple reasons. One, it’s ridiculously close to my house, and Two the review on Phantom Gourmet seemed amazing. I work in the Seaport district so I’m a harsher judge of Seafood.
I came on a Sunday pre Patriots football game so the place was pretty quiet.
My server, Joey, was good… The hostess wasn’t the most welcoming but I don’t judge an establishment based on that. Joey was good with the adjacent table of picky old people… Who the hell gets decaf coffee when they go out for Seafood? He was pleasant throughout.
I started with the lobster bisque — it was average for the Boston area — given that the lobster rolls are so famous I thought there would be chunks of lobster in it but the menu does say minced and minced it is.
For the main course, I got the Haddock Maria… It didn’t disappoint. Good sized piece of fish. Good tasting. I was originally going to get the big kahuna lobster roll but the market prices were steep! I suppose that’s normal but I can get it cheaper in town.
On a side note, they have a gift card deal where you get 20% off your meal of you get a $ 50 gift card.
I liked it and I’d come again…

My friend Joe (no, not the owner) had recommended we try another place in Andover. But by the time I got to his house, that place had closed… so he suggested we ride on over to N. Reading. Ok, I love driving Rt 62 (NOT).
Checking the ratings on Unilocal… lots of 1 – 2 stars… kinda scary.
Anyways, we get there about 7 pm on a Sunday and the parking lot looks about ½ full. We walk in and there is no wait (this is not a good sign) and there are a few booths open, but we requested a table for comfort. The staff grabs two small tables and puts them together. Cool.
We ordered the Lobster Cherry Bombs for an app. Certainly looked good, but was a bit disappointing on taste. That sauce was tasty. No meat in those legs.
So the entrees arrived and here is where they hit the ball out of the park.
I had Joe’s Baked Seafood Trio. WOW! Lightly breaded and loads of scallops, shrimp and perfectly baked haddock. No shortage on portions either! The veggies and rice that came with it completed the meal, along with a diet pepsi (bleh). Also had a cup of clam chowder and that was great too.
My friend Joe and my sister both really enjoyed their meals as well. Only the app and diet pepsi (next time I’m going with a Sam Adams) cost them a 5 star rating.
Service was excellent.
We will be BACK!