Cappy’s Seafood

This is a no frills seafood joint. You come here for fast food as you stroll on the water near Salem.
I had the fried clam sandwhich with fries and it was super fresh and a huge portion. My bf had the burger and it was a pretty good as well.
There is a park RIGHT there so you can find a picnic table and eat your goodies as you overlook the water.

Took my brother and bf to the willows on Easter and we ate at Cappy’s. Well, I had a potato torpedo from a few sands down, but the quality and tastiness of the grilled chicken sandwich were a very delightful surprise, and the fried clams were of course awesome.

My family has been visiting Salem Willows since the late 1930’s and the tradition continued until 15 years ago when I migrated to Salem and now live just around the corner.
The Willows is peppered with all kinds of little junk-​food-​joints from greasy cheap Chinese food to puffy, bland pizza, to your choice of any kind of frozen, sugary, dairy delicacy — if you need a cholesterol or sugar fix the Willows is the place to hook yourself up! Cappy’s is among them but their seafood is hands down THE BEST.
With the loss of the Derby Street Fish Market and Restaurant, there aren’t many choices in Salem for fried seafood — if you can believe that — unless you want to try one of the many sub & pizza places in Salem — but Cappy’s has always been the place for me!
Their prices may be a little high but then seafood varies in prices no matter where you go, but Cappy’s has never skimped on their portions. Not only do you get seafood with the rolls, platters or boats but you can get fries, onion rings and/​or cole slaw to fill a hungry stomach. I’m a HUGE fan of their scallops and clams and being a «tartar sauce snob» (ha ha) they have again, *THE BEST*. Most places it’s a tangy, disgusting jelly-​like substance or it’s tart with a sour aftertaste. I can’t pinpoint the exact ingredients of theirs except the norm being a balanced mix of relish and mayo, but I think they may add a touch of onion or something because it’s delicious and to me, makes a huge difference. It may be homemade or from a jar, but I don’t care — it’s delicious.
I’m always happy when the temperatures rise and the Willows Arcade begins opening its doors because chances are Cappy’s is open for business. My diet suffers with their being open but my tastebuds are satisfied and it doesn’t hurt that there’s always a nice seabreeze down by the beach that I can enjoy while stuffing my face with the «greasy» goodness of Cappy’s. (And honestly, their food really isn’t that greasy!)

My father order a plate for one and when he got there $ 20 bucks, but worth it. The food was delish. We had the fried clams, scallops, and shrimp with an order of fries and small cole slaw. The shrimp was good, the fried scallops were tender and delish as were the clams. The cole slaw was different, no mayo. As new residents of Salem. I am one that will go back. But not as often due to the price.

It’s your typical greasy seafood place. The only thing that really sets it apart from any other seafood place in the area is that it’s right next door to two fun arcades so it benefits from the general coolness of the area but, otherwise, it’s standard fried fare.
The fried clams were ok but they’re expensive these days. Can you imagine a large box of clams is like $ 32? Kelly’s is like $ 26-​$ 30 so Cappy’s is in the ballpark and gets to add a few bucks for location.
If you’re in the area and want fried clams, or fried seafood and lobster rolls in general, then I’d say it’s worth a trip down to Salem Willows to give Cappy’s a try. You can then walk in the park, or stroll down the pier, or take yourself, or kids, to play some skiball and air hockey next door.
On a nice summer night, the whole atmosphere is a real treat… but, if you’re just gonna whoof down some clams, or want to get some stuff to bring home, there’s no need to pass any decent seafood places along the way. Cap’s aint better or worse… it’s just got a great location and does the trick if you’re already there.