Tommy’s Clam Shack

My daughter and I live in the Rocky Point area just a couple of miles from Tommy’s, so this is a great place for us to stop by on warm summer nights when we don’t feel like cooking.
We generally order the single steamed lobster (me) and the fish tacos (daughter). We both enjoy these dishes and have never been disappointed with the quality of the food.
So, why just 4 stars?
Three issues.
First, my daughter and I both use manual wheelchairs for mobility, and the gravel area where the picnic tables are located are extremely difficult for us to maneuver. We spoke with Tommy’s wife about this at our last visit to Tommy’s at the end of the 2015 season, and she assured us she would speak to Tommy’s about it. My (no cost) recommendation was to put one table on the (flat!) grassy area to the left of the walkway leading up to the shack. (FTR, the gravel is problematic for others with mobility issues, too — think elderly walking with a cane).
When we went to Tommy’s for the first time this year (just this week), nothing had been done and Tommy’s wife said she had spoken to him about the problem and that it was something they were working on (mentioned something about ‘pavers’). This is very disappointing to me as resolving the issue shouldn’t be such a big deal. Do something temporarily if you must; then work on a more permanent solution if the temporary fix isn’t to your liking.
To their credit, since wheeling over the gravel to get to any of the tables is such a chore, at least the staff does bring our food to us when it’s ready (trying to wheel over the gravel while carrying our food would be impossible).
The second issue is one that occurred at our most recent visit; when our dinners were delivered to our table, I opened mine and discovered the claws of my lobster had not been cracked. By that time, the guy who had brought our meals to our table had already walked away. Is it possible to crack open a lobster claw with a plastic fork or knife? No. It’s difficult enough to extract the lobster meat and cut it into manageable bites with a plastic knife and fork, but I digress. Thank goodness the aforementioned wife of Tommy was hosting a gathering at the next table; I asked her guests if they had anything to crack open the claws and one of them offered to take my dinner back up to the shack to have the job done. I would have been happy to do this myself if not for the darn gravel.
The third issue is a small one. The dinners include corn on the cob. But in my experience, the corn is watery and overcooked. My daughter isn’t fond of it, either. I do like the coleslaw, though. I ask to sub the coleslaw for the corn on the cob (they are the same price — 1.50 — on the menu), but they refuse to do this. I don’t like wasting food, so I’m forced to accept having to pay for the coleslaw (but they don’t have a problem with NOT serving me the corn). Would it be that difficult to offer customers a choice between two equally priced sides?

First time here. Went for lunch around 12:30 and just a few in line. Splurged and got the sea scallop dinner with fries (hold the slaw). It was $ 17.99 plus tax. The scallops were hot, delicious and perfectly cooked. The reason I didn’t give 5 stars is portion. There were only 6 scallops in my dinner! I think for nearly $ 20 there should be a larger portion. That was very disappointing. Other than that nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

Had a very nice experience at Tommy’s ! The grounds are clean, spacious & plenty of large picnic tables for seating. Oldies rock piped in at just the right volume & super courteous staff.
We stuck with the basics; savory white clam chowder, small clam cakes (of which I’m a fan because they’re more likely to be nice & crispy on the outside & moist but not doughy on the inside) & the fish & chips with a GIANT portion of fish — all DELISH! The kiddies hot dog meal of which my young dinner companion allowed me a bite, was a perfectly grilled dog & roll with 2 smartie loliops hidden under the fries. Attention to detail –nice!
I reserve a 5 star rating for when we try the pricier menu items, a return trip I’m looking forward to.

If you are in the mood for clamcakes and chowder, but don’t feel like waiting in a possibly hour long line at a nearby popular clamshack — Iggy’s — then you need to check out Tommy’s!
It’s incredibly easy to get to, and even though they do not have doughboys like Iggys, I think that their clam cakes, chowder, stuffies, steamed mussels, lobsters and more rival the quality of food.
This clam shack is no frills, incredibly efficient, has live music on certain days, and all outdoor seating — so don’t head here on a rainy day!
Being a native Rhode Islander, when I’m in the mood for clamcakes and chowder, I don’t want to have to wait in line while dodging seagulls who are trying to pluck out my eyeballs. I just want hot and delicious chowder — and fluffy clamcakes — and Tommy’s delivers!

Not as impressed this year. clam cakes are still amazing, great fish tacos, french fries are better but no longer offering twin lobster dinner and higher lobster prices in general. Also, once it hit october they were randomly closed at night if enough people didn’t show up earlier in the afternoon. Sad that I couldn’t get my dinner seafood fix during the fall before it closed.

Tommy’s Clam Shack opened in the fall of 2013 and the «World’s Famous» sign was there right from the beginning. Definitely a rather bold and curious statement. The shack is located right next to the Dockside Seafood Market that is owned by the same Tommy and that has been around for decades and is kind of locally if not world famous.
Rhode Island has a whole heap of seafood shacks and Tommy’s is similar to many of the others. Not necessarily a bad thing but there are only so many ways to make take out seafood.
Tommy’s is indeed a shack, in fact I’m not even sure it qualifies as a shack, I believe it’s actually some kind of trailer that was added on to. It doesn’t really matter, it’s a take out only place with a bunch of tables in front and even some music on the summer weekends. Definitely casual dining.
Tommy’s has exactly what you would expect from it’s appearance, stuffies, fish & chips, scallops, several types of chowder, kraken, clam cakes, fried clams and of course lobster. Even has the traditional snail salad and burger and dog things.
Like with most seafood shacks the food varies according to taste and the particular day you happen to be there but the prices are good, food tasty and service quick and efficient if not particularly friendly. I tend to doubt that Tommy’s will ever become «World’s Famous», but it is a cool place to get some quick take out seafood.

This is the only place in my 62 years of existence have I ever had «Clam cakes» with salt on them. I asked and told them I DID NOT WANT SALT on my Clam cakes and low and behold the MORONS PUT SALT ON THE CLAM CAKES! !!! I will NEVER go back there again!!!

Amazing meaty lobster with just a little mayo. I got to use my fork to eat most of it. Then enjoyed the rest in the roll. Lots of flavor! Since my review I could never find a lobster roll to compare.

Its August of 2015 and I’m still digesting the clam cakes I ate at Iggy’s last summer. So imagine my disinterest when my wife suggested we try Tommy’s.
Not that I don’t appreciate a menu which boasts a foot long hotdog as its healthiest option. Or the ambiance of a picnic table perched on gravel in a fish market’s parking lot. I mean, I’m not a snob.
There is something about a summer evening at said picnic table eating basic food, served piping hot in paper and plastic. It conjures memories of days when we would pile in the back of the Ford «beach wagon» and sojourn to Rocky Point for clam cakes and chowder. A simpler time when life’s greatest worry was finding yourself on the business end of a backhand from your Dad for dumping ice cream on your sister’s head.
Tommy’s food is OK. Tho my wife gave the lobster roll 3 thumbs up. And while I’m sure my cardiologist would commend me for choosing the hot dog, I wish there were more options which don’t come from a fry-​o-​lator.
Tommy’s is truly a case of the total experience being greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, that’s the best way to look it, Tommy’s is more an experience than a meal. But if you’re in Warwick’s Meadowbrook section on that summer evening you remember, check it out.

OMG try the clam strips and the Fried Shrimp both awesome. Last year the clam cake were much better than this year, but that is the only thing I was dissapointed with at Tommy’s. Food is awesome.

Dear Unilocal.I still love you after all of these years. All it took was a «best seafood restaurant» search of this area to discover this little gem. We dined on a perfect August weekend while eating out on one of the ample picnic tables in front of the «shack».
We walked up expecting more of what you’d see in the clam shacks of north shore MA hot spots, fried seafood and that’s about it. Man, was I surprised to see the wide variety of offerings from Tommy. Not only that, but I had to do a double take on the prices. There were three of us so I had to go buckwild on the menu and sample a ton of different items. I went from craving fried clams to them playing second fiddle to a half dozen raw little necks for only $ 3, stuffies, chowder, loster rolls, fish tacos and haddock sammiches.
Our order took a bit longer than others who ordered after us but we patiently waited at our picnic table for the number to be called out. Everything in our order was SPECTACULAR except for the slightly burned stuffies. Next time, I’m ordering like two dozen little necks. Although it is pre-​packaged cocktail sauce, I loved how they came with two of these along with fresh lemons to give the clams another level of pizzazz. Even in a to-​go container, there was also an ample amount of ice to keep them fresh. The best deal of the day had to be the clam chowder, «half» a lobster roll (haha, yah right… it was massive!) and clam cakes all for less than $ 15.
In the end, we had an ultimate smörgåsbord of the entire sea for less than $ 50, this came to only about $ 16/​person in our group. You too, should go wild and sample all of the different offerings at Tommy’s. Sure, the clam cakes aren’t Iggy’s and I don’t think they try to be so the comparison is moot. I skipped the fries because of other reviewers and went with the fresh corn on the cob instead. Getting this in the middle of the summer was another highlight of our meal.
An added bonus for hiring a DJ in the parking lot to keep the atmosphere festive. We also loved his Lassie dog who walked around begging for scraps.

This place is amazing, we’ve been a few times and love it. The seafood is ridiculously fresh and delicious. The people are as friendly as can be. The clam cakes are brimming with clams. Go there, seriously.

When Tommy’s opened up in Warwick I thought «here we go, another local seafood joint trying to grab a piece of the pie» but after ordering my very first classic fish and chips from them I was blown away; crunchy, tasty and so much more, their prices are better than the competition just down the street. I highly recommend Tommy’s to any seafood lover!

The lobster roll was huge and there was a lot of lobster meat, with little dressing which is good!
The clam chowder was also very good lots of potato and clams.
The stuffed quahogs were bigger than I thought. They also have a raw bar with clams, shrimps and oyster. Its a good place to go if you want to seat outside with friends, enjoy the weather and eat seafood.

Review based on one visit… Ordered fisherman’s platter and a chowder, Chowder very good; Fish, good & fresh; Clams were a conjoined mass that was inedible; 7 tiny bay scallops and a lot of fried crumbs?! Limp, commissary-​style French fries; commercial (Ken’s) tartar & cocktail sauce and a super sweet ¼ cup of coleslaw. Not really worth going back…
To be fair, I don’t think Great Fried Clams can be found anywhere in Rhode Island. That’s a Northern New England Art form. Rhodies love their clam bombs, I mean cakes. Go North, young diners, to Massachusetts and Maine if your looking for a great Clam Shack experience.

We went to this establishment because there was no parking at iggys or Oakland beach. Disappointed is an understatement. My clam cakes had zero clams, clam chowder the potato to clam ratio was off. Chowder however tasty. My mother wanted something grilled or broiled and there was not many options. The teriyaki fish meant for the fish tacos have so much sauce that it could be mistaken for chicken. Was it?

OK… This place looks like a roadside shack. Hidden within is an exceptional restaurant. Today I tried the lobster salad sandwich. On a perfectly toasted butter roll was expertly prepared lobster salad. Just a little bit of meat, this was filled with lobster me. And it was delicious. I also tried the white chowder. I prefer a little thicker, but it was filled with fresh potatoes and clams and was delicious. Complemented by some clam cakes it made a delicious appetizer. In fact it could have been a meal. My son at the children’s chicken nuggets. These were no nuggets, these were large chicken tenders expertly breaded and lightly fried. The chicken was moist and delicious. looking at the menu other things I would like to try including steamers fried clams fish and chips and lobsters in the rough. Even fish tacos on the menu.. I will certainly stop here again any chance I am passing by. Excellent food excellent prices superb service.

Whenever we visit RI, there are two things we have to have before retuning home.
First is Olneyville wieners, at the original location only.
Second is chowder and clam cakes. Tommy’s is now our «go-​to» place for this RI treat.
They have replaced Iggy’s as the place to go. In the words of a famous New Yorker; «nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded». Tommy’s on the other hand, serves up great clam chowder and clam cakes that are crispy and well flavored along with a friendly staff and an unbeatable view of Warwick Avenue. I know that does sound sarcastic, but Iggy’s water view is no great shakes and the product is much better at Tommy’s.
Clean umbrella tables, quick service and even clam cake samples when you approach the window. What’s not to like.

For $ 12 you get a whole lotta meat in that lobster roll! I couldn’t even finish it and trust me I wanted to! Will defintely come back and get the whole lobster for dinner next time.
Only minus, it’s completly outside. Picnic tables only & no bathrooms to wash up in.

The service was great! Very friendly and very nice to talk to! Ordered a very large order and it was ready on less than 10 min. The man who handed us the order was very nice and what I noticed he did for every order was repeat every thing you ordered as he was packing the box or bag! This is awesome so we know we didn’t miss anything in our order!
The lobster roll!!! OMG amazing. It’s on a actual roll toasted to perfection with butter. When you first pick it up… You know that it’s packed full, it’s heavy. It was so fresh And had a decent amount of large chunks or lobster. Not to much mayo… It was amazing. The white chowder is perfect, just the right consistency and the taste does not disappoint! Definitely recommend this place. Cute, clean, friendly and … Try the lobster roll. It won’t disappoint!