January 2023 by jim h.
My guest and I came for lunch and were delighted. Sure, the view is great but our food was perfect for the cold day. We started with the clam chowder. Tasted rich and wonderful. Large pieces of crab and well cooked potatoes in a buttery creamy broth. Then we split the haddock sandwich. It came with a nicely dressed salad and yummy crispy sliced potatoes. The sandwich had a generous amount of fish that was delicious on a super fresh bun. Best lunch we've had in a long time.
December 2022 by Bronwyn5540
I will preface this review with the fact that I was a publicist for two- and three-starred Michelin restaurants. I do not expect that quality everywhere I go and would actually say the best meals I’ve ever had are in my mom’s kitchen. That being said, I recently visited a restaurant in Rockport, MA on my birthday and was looking forward to a delightful New England repast. Upon entering the restaurant the guest is immediately met with a putrid smell of the bathroom but we moved away quickly and enjoyed our seat by the window. The staff is quite green - the busboy looked to literally be a boy in junior high. He was sweet and tried to be helpful. Early on he asked how it was and I stated it was fine - without enthusiasm. It was fine - not good but ok and I didn’t want to be rude and complain or send it back. Upon arrival, the food was underwhelming at best. The seafood pasta presented highly over cooked shrimp and the chewiest pasta I’ve ever eaten. The soup was barely lukewarm in temperature and flavor. The burger looked like a recently thawed frozen patty and tasted about the same. While the food was a definite disappointment, it was edible so we planned to pay and go on our way to seek dessert elsewhere in Rockport’s charming offerings. At this point, everything would have been fine - we wouldn’t have come back but I wasn’t going to write a review. That decision came when the proprietor began a mocking verbal assault on me. I was just going to pay the bill and leave but she kept pushing me to further explain when I said the meal was fine. I really wanted to get on with my birthday but the proprietor was angry that I didn’t rave about the food and started mocking me when I didn’t care to spend my day going into detail. When I did give her a few suggestions she shut me down saying everyone else loves it. The chef and others came out to participate in the defensive battle, informing me their food is the best. It was apparent they didn’t really want to hear my thoughts as they kept pushing me to share, they wanted to bully me into saying it was good. I ’d had enough at that point and gathered my things to pay the surprisingly expensive bill and depart. The view and the busboy were nice. I would have rated the restaurant three stars but the unfortunate manner in which the proprietor and chef handled themselves downgraded the entire experience to terrible.
November 2022 by Lucile Kellis
The food was outstanding and cooked at perfection. The fish stew, the mussels in garlic white wine sauce, the medium rare salmon... even the garden salad was a work of art. 5 stars all around and impeccable service from Barbara who ushered us in and made us feel like home. Thank you!Food: 5/5
October 2022 by Susan S.
My Place has been one of our favorite restaurants for many years. Delicious food, great service and the ocean view from the deck is just wonderful.
October 2022 by klaroche
We waited for two days to have dinner here and were NOT disappointed. I started off with their delicious clam chowder (best I've ever had) and then their shrimp, scallop and artichoke entree. The food was divine and the service impeccable. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Rockport.
October 2022 by sandra b
Two friends and I stumbled into “my place by the sea “ just as a harvest moon was rising from the sea. The food and service were equally spectacular to the full moon. The food was fresh and really well prepared. Staff was delightful. All in all a wonderful night
October 2022 by Michael F.
Food was terrible and super expensive , honestly your better off getting McDonald's and driving to the end of the pier to have lunch... what a waste of money. Low portions, expect to be hungry after... will not be back, I GUARANTEE this place has no regular customers and survives on the unsuspecting out of Towners ....I'll take my own advice and bring lunch and eat at the end of the pier if I ever come back!
October 2022 by LLaVelleSTL
Best little place in Rockport. Staff is amazing, extremely personable, but not over zealous. Ambiance and food is amazing. We went to all the high end restaurants during our stay, "My place by the Sea" is by far the very best.
September 2022 by Paul Lavin
We had a delightful lunch on the terrace but be sure to wrap up warm due to the cool breezes and some tables, like ours, are in the shade. Lengthy menus for all tastes and degrees of hunger from standards to some unconventional items. Great wine list and a selection of unique cocktails. Prompt and friendly service. Reservations are NOT possible so you may wind up standing in the street waiting for a table. No QR code menus, thank heavens!Vegetarian options: Vegetarian and vegan options availableKid-friendliness: We saw kids from infants to teens having a great timeParking: Not much - metered, residents and disabled parking nearbyWheelchair accessibility: Limited on ground floor insideDietary restrictions: Menu clearly described dishes and our server knew the ingredients and asked if we had issues
September 2022 by kevinmarvelle
Beautiful view of pigeon bay sharing a nice beer and tasty food. Attentive service and comfortable seating.
September 2022 by suzieq811
I left one star because technically I did not eat there. I tried. I called for 2 and a half hours in the car because we are en route to Rockport. Started right at noon. Per instructions. 105 times on repeat on my cell phone! Nothin but busy. I got through once at 2:30 and by then they answered and rudely said they’re all full. Didn’t even wait for me to say anything. Terrible operation of a restaurant. They can keep it.
September 2022 by Kevin Downer
Come for the view, stay for the food… either way is a win win.Reservations are a bit tricky. They do not take lunch reservations. And they only take reservations for dinner starting at noon for that evening only.I visited My Place by the Sea many many years ago and always hoped to return to this magical place at the end of Bear Skin Neck.And so we called at noon, and many times for the next 30 minutes until we got through.The wait was definitely worth it.Fabulous food and a striking view.The menu includes a variety of salads, plenty of seafood dishes, and many specials. Four or so desserts round out the menu.My place also offers a variety of wine, beer and cocktails.For appetizers I had a seasonal salads with grilled fruit from the specials menu and my partner opted for mussels. We were both surprised by the size of our appetizers, they easily could have been an entre. They were an excellent beginning to a splendid meal. For our main course I again choose something from the specials, swordfish - it was moist, well cooked and one of the best I’ve ever had.My partner opted for the seafood pasta and was very happy as well - the dish consisted of a variety of shelled shell fish, rotini, and a slightly spiced red sauce.My partner enjoyed the apple crisp for dessert, which was good- but had too much caramel for our taste.On the whole we were very pleased.
September 2022 by Sarah B.
Gorgeous ocean views directly next to the ocean. We sat on the outside deck and didn't feel rushed which was lovely. The view is the best of any restaurant in Rockport. However, the town is noticeably limited in restaurants and perhaps My Place By The Sea doesn't sense much competition, thus leading to several issues I note below. Food was quite steep in price for the quality. I'll pay good money for a high-end meal, but this didn't meet expectations. Even a mixed drink was $17. Went to order a burger medium-rare and was told no, "all burgers are cooked through." Uh, what? My $16+ burger can't be cooked to order? It arrived with a sad salad with no dressing and tasteless cottage fries that honestly seemed old or like they'd been put on reheat several times over. Also to know-you must call at noon precisely the day you want to go to try to get a reservation. We called 80+ times and got through after 15 minutes of busy signal. Reservations made before noon the day of are not accepted/no online reservations. Believe the other reviews. No joke-it's like the Hunger Games for booking a reservation. Be ready! When we first walked up, we saw the front entrance is roped off/blocked off. The owner/chef talked to everyone from behind the barrier. Weird. Red flag. While waiting, we then overheard the owner and other staff making sarcastic comments regarding customers who try to get last-minute reservations, going as far as to say they should just put a sign out so people "wouldn't bother." We also saw a tourist lean over the porch railing slightly to catch the attention of the owner from the adjoining parking lot and nicely ask about a "possible reservation" for that evening. After the conversation, the owner and staff again made several sour comments. This is confusing to me-isn't it a good thing if people want to eat at your establishment? Although honestly, you're really paying for the view, the food isn't great and judging on the many reviews about staff behavior, it may not always be booked up as people learn the hype may not be worth it.
September 2022 by las9164
This place is perfect for a special occasion dinner. It is expensive but its worth it. Any staff we encountered were very nice, congenial, acknowledgeable and accomodating. The lobster taco's and szechuan haddock were absolutely delicious. You will not find another place w/better views. They were spectacular. Kind of tricky if you want to make a reservation, but well worth the try for sure.
August 2022 by CaraMHutchins
I generally feel waterfront dining is disappointing in terms of the food. But it’s not the case here. We had a table on their terrace perched over the ocean. The server was from Istanbul and very friendly. Our meals were delicious. I opted for the crab sliders and clam chowder. And the price was reasonable. In fact less expensive than the lobster spot on the same wharf. We will be back!
