Bob’s Surf & Turf

If I could give this place a zero rating I would. I must have repeated what I wanted on my roast beef twice after the cashier didn’t mention them when she repeated my order. When I left the store I thought the bag felt light so I looked inside and realized they forgot to include my order of French fries. I went back inside and waited and they gave that to me. Then I get home and I realize my roast beef was plain. So two mistakes in one order so I called and the cashier who was nice asked me what I would like her to do? Um ok how about apologize and offer a refund. So I asked for the manager and he came to the phone and I explained I was too busy to drive back and not exactly close enough to swing by for a new sandwich. I expressed my frustration over the 2 mistakes and he gave me an attitude and said well I offered you a refund I don’t know what else to say mistakes happen and I know you said you’re busy so I don’t want to keep you on the phone. A polite way of saying I could give a you know what lady I don’t want to listen to you. If he wasn’t so busy chatting with his girlfriend who was visiting he may have stopped to apologize in the store when I went back in for the missing fries as he was standing there chatting with her. Maybe he belongs in the kitchen to make sure orders go out correctly!!! Extremely incompetent and rude service, I will never step foot in there except to get my refund. Too bad because my initial impression was the place was cute and filled with an elderly clientele and intended to go back. I told the manager I was looking for an apology and perhaps when you approach a customer with that first and perhaps say gee I’m sorry we made two mistakes on one order that’s not like us I really apologize and I’d like to give you your money back and hope this doesn’t stop you from trying us again. But unfortunately what I got was a major attitude not unlike someone from the millennial generation. Owner should rethink his hiring decisions — if your manager can’t handle an order gone completely wrong and diffuse the situation rather than further upset your customer then he shouldn’t be a manager.

I wouldn’t go back sadly they have changed everything and it was gross. The clams were very strange and had no really flavor. The fries were good but I wouldn’t go here just for the fries. It’s barely busy in there which is weird.

Yuck! I have been getting food from Bob’s for years now and it is definitely going downhill rapidly. The food is never cooked thoroughly no matter how many times I say well done! Today I ordered a calamari basket with well done fries and a haddock bits basket with onion rings. The calamari were the worst that I have ever eaten… barely cooked, rubbery and blah. No taste at all! The fries were soggy and half cooked. The haddock bits were also blah, no taste, dried out. The only thing that was ok, were the onion rings. Instead of expanding the menu, they need to learn to cook what they have now! Not going back too soon!

ordered a large box or calamari. they looked great. butter used in the fryer taste fresh, gave the calamari a great golden color. the biggest problem was the calamari itself– they were tasteless, rubbery & bland — no flavor. so based of the taste, calamari were either old or frozen or stored incorrectly and lost their freshness, flavor & taste :-/

I love this place! Everything we’ve had — fried clams, lobster rolls, burgers, fish and chips even a meatball sub has been really good! And the prices are quite reasonable!!!

Subpar fried seafood. Clam plate had very few clams and was rather average. You know it’s bad when even the kids refuse to eat the clam strips. Overpriced.

I stopped in here on a whim with my mom a few nights ago for dinner — neither of us have been to Bob’s in a few months. The restaurant has been totally revamped to include not only new adorable-​colored table cloths, but also a cooler inside of the front counter, a new logo and a menu to go with it, and a whole slew of chefs which we found out some are recent grads of Le Cordon Bleu in Boston.
Inside that new cooler are fresh, homemade potato salads, egg salads, black bean salads, and cole slaw. The new logo shows an adorable cow on a surf board, which in my opinion is a smart way of showing the breadth of surf & turf options Bob’s has to offer. On the new menu are tons of home made recipes, and we were lucky enough to try their hummus which was 10x better than any I’ve ever bought at a supermarket, creamy with a kick of jalapenos.
For dinner we split just a haddock bits basket with a baked potato. We got a pretty big serving of haddock, pictures to follow.
I think anyone in the Salem/​Lynn area should give Bob’s a try; a nice family restaurant with something on the menu for everyone.

My wife and I went in after not eating here since it moved from the other side of the street. We were pleasantly surprised.
Atmosphere was casual. Very clean. Counter person took our order and brought our food over after we were seated. Nice assortment of tables and booths.
My wife had a clam basket, with one side, and I had the scallop plate, with two sides. She got seven clams and I got 13 scallops. The food was perfectly fried, crispy, not greasy, and a nice, golden brown.
The sides were good, but small. We both had cole slaw, which was not soaking wet and mushy, as so many others are, but crisp and tasty. We wish the portion was a little larger. I also had the Mac and cheese, which, again, was not soupy, but a little dry, just as I enjoy it.
Service was pleasant, helpful and definitely added to our very enjoyable experience.
We’re still very fond of farnum’s in Essex, but this place is a lot closer and much less crowded.
There’s no such thing as inexpensive seafood anymore, but the value here is good, as is the food. We’ll definitely be back.

Have been goin there for over 25 years. New owners bought the place awhile ago and it is not the same. Went there today a got a whole clam basket for $ 11.95 mrkt price something that I almost always buy. Counter women asked me what I wanted for a side. I said coleslaw along with the clams and fries. When I got the order there were 6 Clams!!! NO fries coleslaw and some tarter sauce! I brought it back, some thing I never do, and asked for the fries which I thought they forgot and was informed with attitude by the foreign. Looking manager that I code the cole slaw INSTEAD OF FRIES SIX CLAMS NO FRIES for 11.95? I asked for my money back. Will never go back again nor will any member of my family. Is was in the food bus for 40 years and would never. Treat a customer that way

We heard Bobs was still around, we hadn’t been since it was on the other side of highland Ave. My wife and I got the Monstah, it was delish– just enough for us I am a big eater and she is not, so keep that in mind we had a pretty big pile of onion rings left. Maybe they should consider tossing a few chicken bits in there as well? Anyhow, a good safe bet, we are glad we found Bobs again!

check this restaurant out BIG MISTAKE !!! My daughter and I decided to check this place out, we ordered the baked haddock, I love fish… have been to a lot of fish places but this took number 1 for the most disgusting, gross, horrible fish place ever the pictures that are shown are def. not what u get .when the fish came to the table on the smallest plate ever. The fish was so small I couldn’t believe they would serve that to someone. I took one bite and spit it out it was frozen fish not fresh at all the taste was just so bad. I also received about 6 sweet potato fries with it how nice ! Please don’t waste your money just bad!!!

Expensive cosidering portions are small.

I stopped here because after a long day of shopping I had a craving for fried seafood. While I was looking at the menu, a server walked past me with a huge plate of fried scallops, french fries, and onion rings. The aroma was so enticing I ordered the same exact thing. After that first experience, I have been a visitor of Bob’s every Friday since. The seafood is always fresh and cooked to perfection. I highly suggest the onion rings. The prices are very reasonable and the servings shareable. They also have lunch specials and baskets for half the price of a full meal. The dining room is always spotless and the service is great. This is definitely a highlight restaurant of Salem.

In the past, I would have agreed with the positive reviews. The last time I was there, about 8 months ago, I ordered a clam baskets that was tasty and well portioned. The owners walked over to make sure we were pleased. Tonight, oh it was TERRIBLE! I went with my family and my parents and the whole experience was so bad that they lost all of us as customers.
When our food arrived, my sons grilled cheese wasn’t even melted. Well, ok. He’s 5 so not very picky. Both my parents and I ordered a clam plate and my mother and I received a sad, sad basket. My fathers basket was fine but not the other two. There were 6 clams and the fries were undercooked. We asked to talk to the manager about it. We explained that in the past, the baskets were more full than this, with only 6 clams. We explained that this was not up to the usual standard. The manager was incredibly rude and said we were wrong, that they are weighed and it’s been that way for the whole time he had worked there. Finally, after arguing with us for a few minutes, he says «well, what can I do?» But clearly didn’t want to or think that he should do anything. We requested more clams for the two plates and he brought over 4 clams, dropping them into the center of our table. Obviously, he was not trained to keep customers happy or that customer service is critical to a management position. We are so disappointed with this that they have lost us all as customers.
The owners are very nice and in the past, when we have been in with one of them there, we have not been disappointed. Perhaps they aren’t in as often but leaving the place with that manager and the cooks making those sad clam baskets, will just guarantee they lose more customers. Just tonight, they lost the 3 of us.

This is a great place when we want fried seafood and don’t want to venture far from home. The restaurant is very clean and always extremely fast. The clams are fat, juicy and just salty enough. The onion rings are thin and flaky. My kids love the fried fish. The prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly and we are always in and out.

We went here for lunch after visiting the Salem Witch Museum. This is a pretty cute place located in a strip mall. I ordered the Lobster Roll and split it among the 3 of us. It was very good! My daughter didn’t like lobster so I ate her share as well! No skin off my back! :) We also shared the Junior Platter which was Fried Fish, fried clams, fried shrimp and fried potatoes. The fried potatoes were HUGE! Everything was pretty good but you have to eat them pretty quick because they lost their crispiness as soon as it cooled down. Service was pretty friendly. The owner was walking around, asking the diners if they liked their food or not. He was pretty friendly, too. Glad I found this place!

I’ve been eating fried clams for over 30 years. From Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Maine and Massachusetts to home made. I love these clams at Bob’s. Fresh not greasy and very flavourful. Will be back here next time we’re in the area

I had the tastiest lobster roll of my life here and when I told the owner, he said, «Want to know the secret ingredient? Just about the only thing in it is fresh lobster meat.» So there. I was lovestruck.
I would visit Bob’s just for the tasty food but what puts me over the edge into being a FAN is that the new owners are the nicest guys ever. I met them because I work for a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities and they are an employer of one of our clients. They have gone beyond providing a respectful and rewarding workplace for one person to becoming local ambassadors and new friends of the organization.
I love the food here and I’m happy to spend my money supporting a business who supports their neighbors.

My parents love this place so we end up here a lot when we visit. I’ve had some decent food. Haddock bits aren’t bad. But I’ve also had undercooked scallops and in general everything is just ok. Tartar sauce does not taste fresh. Most surprisingly, especially given I’m in the company of my cute 87 year old parents, the people here just aren’t all that friendly. Everyone adores my parents at most places. Here, even though they’re steady customers, it’s just not like that.

Bob’s is now under new ownership and what a difference for the better! The new owner is personable and truly cares about the customers. He brought our food to our table, and also checked in a couple of times, even offering to refill our sodas for us (it’s a self-​serve soda fountain).
We got a scallop basket with sweet potato fries, fish & chips, a smelt plate w/​fries & onion rings, and the «sea monstah» which was packed with clams, scallops, shrimp, calamari, and haddock, on top of onion rings and fries, and included a full cup of clam chowder and a half pint of coleslaw. The owner said that the «sea monstah» is usually shared when we were placing our order, and we should have listened as we took half of it home! Everything was fresh and flavorful, and not greasy at all. Prices were reasonable and they do take credit cards. We’ll definitely be back.