Bramble Inn & Restaurant

This review is for dinner only. We came here for two reasons: 1) our innkeepers at the Candleberry Inn had previously made reservations for us and 2) it was within walking distance of the Inn. I would suggest that you make reservations. Even though the season hadn’t started yet, it was crowded. The menu listed on their website is outdated.
We were shown to our table, ordered a cocktail, looked over the menu and made our decisions. Majordomo started with the wedge salad and I chose a smoked salmon tar-​tar. His salad was very good with just the right amount of dressing. Not sure why it was served the way it was. (See photo). My salmon was exquisite. I might have picked up the plate and licked it.
Onto our main courses. M chose the scallops and I went with the cod. I was told the scallops were delicious and my cod was perfect. Served over mashed potatoes with a side of mushrooms. Everything was delicious. We did have dessert, but I can’t remember the name of it but I do remember it was quite tasty.
Would I come back here? Definitely.

Had a very good meal and experience at bramble inn, we came there on vday. Service was a bit slow at first; but personality of our waiter made up for it, making sure not to rush anything and appreciating the laid back setting. Tables are a little close to neighbors table, but we are all friendly.
Prixe fixe menu only, but still happily accommodated my lauver who is vegetarian and has a nut allergy. I got a Mushroom gnocchi, followed with twin filets in unbelievable foie gras sauce. She had a mushroom ravioli in a white sauce. Desert was great as well. And the cocktails are hand made and very well priced wine menu with wines hat fit the food.
Well timed food from kitchen and nice wine selection make this place a great special occasion or night out in a b&b family like (think thanksgiving type homeliness) setting.
Coming from Harwichport it’s worth the 15 – 20 minute drive.

This restaurant is surely an disappointment for both my boyfriend and I!
With $$$$, we expected the foods would be worth it.
The server recommended us to try their soup appetizer, and we didn’t know that our soups would be served chill in 2 martini glasses! Then, my entrée — lobster and chicken — was horrific! It was so bad that I almost wanted to send it back and get out of there as fast as possible. The dish was also OVERPRICED! $ 38… are you kidding me?
Don’t come here unless you want to ruin your date night with terrible foods!

We had an AMAZING time at the Bramble Inn. I had never been here before and didn’t know what to expect. From the cocktail to dessert everything was fantastic.
We were a group of 6 and had a reservation, which I think you probably must have during the summer. The room we were in was lovely and charming.
The drink menu is extensive and everyone loved what they ordered. I had the X Rated martini and it comes with my highest recommendation.
The scallop entrée was excellent and beautifully displayed. The flourless chocolate cake was to die for. If you’re looking for a special place to go for a great meal out, this is it.

I must say with some embarrassment that we have been driving past the Bramble Inn in Brewster, MA for 10 years now! I knew it was there, but thought from the looks of it that it would be stuffy, have an attitude, (like another restaurant here in Brewster on the same street!). But, sadly for my taste buds, I was wrong! The Bramble Inn is lovely — An old antique home furnished with art and quirky collectibles — fun and not stuck up at all! It makes me sad and pensive to think of all those wonderful meals I have missed there over the years… tear…but let’s not cry over spilled gnocchi Let’s get to the important part — The food.
My companion and I started with drinks — They have an extensive Martini menu, one of the largest I have ever seen! So many flavors and concoctions including specialty cocktails and champagne cocktails — And who doesn’t like those?
But I digress — The drinks were wonderful, and the waitress was very professional, informative and you could tell she took her job seriously. After our palates were whet with a Island Mermaid martini (Gray Goose melon, Midori, Cointreau, OJ, Blue Curaçao — quite potent) and a French 77 (Champagne with St Germain Elderberry… Xtrapicky’s new favorite drink!), we moved on to appetizers —
First and foremost, we started with Korean «Street Truck» Cheese Fries. These are truffle oil shoestring fries topped with house blended kimchee’, melted cheddar sauce, Sriracha mayonnaise, and chopped cilantro. Sounds weird but may I say, Well done! These fries alone are worth the drive here! They were hot, crispy yet smothered with a creamy spicy sauce dotted with pieces of kimchee (spicy picked cabbage). An unexpected combination that is delicious! We almost had to order two!
Next we had the white gazpacho — a creamy white cold soup made with buttermilk (I think?) and tiny bites of zucchini, cucumber, and chive. Almost like a raita but better (and served in a martini glass!). We also had a beautiful caesar salad and a «Beet Rueben». What is that you ask?
This was a tiny (and I do mean tiny!) stack of caraway roasted beets, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, rueben dressing and toasted rye croutons. It was very unexpected, creative and flavorful, albeit a little too small for our taste.
Finally we moved on to dinner — my companion had a special of risotto dumplings in a tomato brodo. These were light, melt in your mouth dumplings floating in a tomato base dusted with pecorino romano cheese. All I need to say is get these if they are on the menu. Light fluffy morsels of heaven. As for me, I ordered the Halibut special. Crispy halibut was settled on a bed of mashed potatoes with artfully decorated green beans. In the spirit of full disclosure, the fish was supposed to be smothered in a creamy bacon bisque which would be delightful for you meat eaters but not for Xtrapicky). Not withstanding my alteration, the fish was perfectly cooked, the mashed potatoes creamy and buttery.
Despite being stuffed to the gills, we had to get desserts as they are made on the premises. This was not a mistake. We ordered the local nectarine and apple brown betty served with vanilla ice cream and fresh whipped cream. My companion ordered a frozen key lime and lemon pie with a raspberry «shooter» on the side — so creative. The liquid raspberries tartness cut through the sweetness of the pie and was a vibrant color. Overall, both desserts were amazing.
And of course, like the gluttons we are, we ended our large and satisfying meal with a glass of port and a mexican coffee. The coffee, though hot, was served in a wine glass and was topped with fresh whipped cream which oozed and melted into the hot coffee… mmmm…liquid goodness.
We then rolled ourselves home (after paying the check and leaving a generous tip for the terrific wait staff, of course!!)
As I write this the truth of the matter is I am so full I can barely move… like a satiated python that only follows you with its eyes… but I felt compelled to write right away and tell my dear readers that if you find yourself in this little corner of Cape Cod, the Bramble Inn must be on your list. Don’t drive by like we did, GO — NOW!
Happy Eating!

We stumbled upon this restaurant while looking for dinner out. Although the place was busy, we got seated right away and had one of the best meals we had in a while. We have since come back and haven’t been disappointed.
Location & ambiance: the restaurant is part of a small and charming inn, and the dining area is separated into several small, cozy rooms that are quaintly decorated. Clientele is mostly baby boomer age and the atmosphere is a bit on the fancy side. There is a lovely garden with flowers and home grown herbs where you can also be seated.
Menu: the menu is imaginative, varied and excellent. In addition to the regular menu, they have a specials menu and on top of that, specials for the day. The seafood curry was excellent as was the grilled chicken with corn chowder risotto. The cocktails are enticing and don’t skip dessert– you will be missing out. The flourless chocolate cake coupled with a cappuccino is like a double orgasm.
Bottom line: the money will be more than worth your while. Choose this restaurant for a celebratory dinner or a night out. Not great for young children. Before 6pm, they have a 3-​course deal for $ 35, which is fantastic. If you’re a large party, reserve in advance.

Quirky and quaint. This building was from the 1800’s. The stairs to your rooms are narrow and watch out for the low ceiling!
Also the railing to hold onto was in need of repair and wobbly. Once you are at the top of the stairs be prepared for a very sloped flooring!
Now that we got the quirky part out of the way lets get to the quaint part.
Our room had a canopy bed, floral wallpaper and lace inset curtains, all in classic traditional styling and in keeping with the age of this establishment.
It was a tidy room but attention should be paid to freshen the pillows which had an odor. Happy I brought mine from home.
Also bath towels looked dirty and maybe should be sent to a service or bleach added to their washing. Comfort level of the bed was ok but a bit hard.
Now the dining area is lovely with fresh white linen tablecloths and napkins. An eclectic mix of dishware adds to the charm .
We haven’t eaten a meal here other than the complimentary breakfast, of French toast with freshly whipped cream and raspberry which was very good and Great coffee btw!!:)
Oh one more thing the gardens in the front of this place are beautiful !!
Update
Enjoyed a deliciously prepared dinner with excellent service! A must go to place if visiting the Cape!!! Outstanding!!!

I have been eating at this restaurant for years. Cliff and Ruth Manchester understand food and they understand service. Excellent experience!

One of my favorite special places. Tonight we celebrated my Dad’s 61^st birthday. I had the Seafood Treasures to start, with a Kir Royal (champagne & chambord). Delicious, even though I’m not a fan of Salmon that part was pretty good. The tuna, and the scallop & shrimp ceviche were GREAT though. The real reason I love coming here is the chicken & lobster entrée. I have dreams about this dish and only get to have it once every couple of years. It was as good as I remember. Service was adequate (it’s normally really great) but my family is kooky so we may have thrown her off. The character of the place is super sweet– an old house with crooked floors and kitschy wallpaper and local art. Love it!

Great service and amazing food. We made a reservation and came here on a Saturday night. What a sweet quaint spot with an interesting menu. My husband loved his fries. I got an Asian fish dish. Our waitress was so sweet, offering good suggestions. We saw the chef come out and talk to her friends at the next table. Not cheap but so worth it. Great for a romantic night.

MAKE A RESERVATION!
We went in for restaurant week menu, we were uncertain b/​c of the recent reviews but we were greatly surprised. My husband got a beer and I started with wine both good. I couldn’t stop eating the bread with salted butter. We shared the Amazing Fries and the Fabulous Flat bread both were excellent and almost a meal themselves. He got the Grilled Flat Iron Steak which was melt in your mouth delicious. I go the Scallops & Harvest Corn Risotto which could have used a little more flavor in the risotto and maybe a scallop or two more in the dish, but it was okay since I was full from the large appetizers. Isosceles chocolate cake was mouthwatering but the Junior Bramble Parfait left me wanting more it was about 3 bites. We will definitely be back!

A little hesitant to try this restaurant based on recent reviews. However, I absolutely loved my dinner and whole experience at the bramble inn. The service was warm, friendly and without fault. The dinner was fabulous, we tried the escargot appetizer and a special appetizer (lamb medallions with some delicious dipping sauces). Then had the scallops and halibut as entrees. Both were outstanding. Ended with the celebration cake, wonderful choice. Again, don’t understand the negative reviews, would recommend this place in a heartbeat.

Terrible!
I went here for a prix fixe dinner before 6 o’clock on a weekday — so I was not expecting to be wined and dined, but I was expecting a decent meal at a reduced cost. Here is what else I was expecting, I was expecting our cocktails to come out before our appetizers. I was expecting our waitress to be understanding about why we didn’t want them any more at that point. I was expecting when the bartender told us she would comp them that they would actually be comped. I was not expecting the manager to be extremely rude or for the food to be mediocre at best. There were so many bad experiences wrapped up into one evening here, that I’d like to warn everyone against going here.
And the worse part? It used to be the best restaurant on the Cape.

We had high expectations because it was highly rated by Zagats, but we were disappointed. The food was tasty, but the portions were small and overpriced. Worse, the service was below expectations. As we were a party of 6+ a 20% tip was automatically added and we felt it was undeserved. Given Bramble Inn’s reputation, we expected great food and great/​professional service. I’d say the quality of the food was 4 stars, the price/​value was 1 star and the service was 2 stars. The food was good but overall the experience disappointed us.

Service was 5 stars. Food quality was 4 stars, food price/​value was 1.5 stars. This averages out to 3 stars.
Prices are very high. Quality is good, but quantity is lacking. $ 30 for a scallop dish. Granted it said «trio» in the description, but $ 10 per scallop (that’s three scallops, people) is a bit much. Would two more scallops have broken your business model?
Water servers were efficient. Our waitstaff person was perfect. Attentive, charming, and expedient. Location and ambiance was very nice. Small rooms, small tables, small parking lot. Big bill. Good experience.

I’m sorry but I have to give this place one star, not because the food is awful (it isn’t), but because the value for what you get is so low. The restaurant itself is very nice and quaint while classy, giving a great first impression. However, I had the chicken and lobster dish, and both items were pretty plain and flavorless. The quantity was quite small, which is normally not an issue when it comes to good food, but compounded with the lack of oomph in the dish, it was disappointing. The main problem is that this dish costs in the upper 30’s, for a sliver of chicken, a lobster claw, and mashed potatoes. Everything was good up to the dish (great waitress/​service, great ambience, great presentation of food), but the restaurant really dropped the ball on the actual taste.
I thought maybe it’s just me who didn’t like the dish, but afterwards I read reviews on other sites where there were similar complaints about the same dish (including one where the owner rudely delivers a personal attack to a negative reviewer). I feel confident now to say that it looks like the owner hasn’t made an attempt to improve this particular dish.

This place has gone way downhill. Came here to celebrate a special occasion with my family and had a terrible experience in terms of both food and service. The waitstaff was rude and inexperienced, and most of our food was overcooked. For a restaurant of this supposed caliber it was actually shocking how bad our meal was. I have been coming to the Cape my whole life and used to consider this one of the places to go for fine dining. I will never go back.

While on an early spring getaway for a few days on Cape Cod, we stayed mid– Cape in Brewster and were searching for a place to have dinner. Driving around town, we happened upon the elegant looking Bramble Inn.
It was too early in the season for the place to be overrun by the summer crowd so we had the pretty dining room mostly to ourselves along with a romantic table by the bay window.
The service was ideal, attentive without hovering and always seeming to anticipate our needs. We began with a salad of grilled asparagus, pickled beets, crumbled goat cheese, baby arugula and pistachio dust with an herb vinaigrette. Those are some of our favorite ingredients and flavors and the salad was tasty although somewhat oddly presented.
Another appetizer of smoked salmon was very delicious with Atlantic smoked salmon, marscapone cheese, preserved lemon and caper toasts served with wilted cucumber salad and a dill vinaigrette.
For entrees we chose a grilled flat iron steak served with a whole grain mustard demi glaze, fingerling potatoes and spring vegetables. The meat was well prepared and the demi glaze was delicious but the potatoes and vegetables were a bit bland.
Our other entrée, a grilled scallop duo with sea scallops over fire roasted sweet red pepper risotto and dusted with aged pecorino and romano cheeses was quite good.
We finished our meal with an order of gingerbread bread pudding which was sweet and comforting as we relaxed and enjoyed our vacation.
We don’t know if this place is hopping during full tourist season but it seems to be a more laid back environment and not one to attract many of the summer visitors. The other diners we saw were older and the entire place had a slightly old fashioned yet genteel quality. This wouldn’t be our go-​to place if we regularly summered on the Cape but we did have a very pleasant evening.

What a gem of a place!
Came here last night night with my work group…50 people by the way and absolutely was blown away! The restaurant is an old house with dining tables in each ‘room’ which gives it such an intimate feel with their dimly lit lights and candlesticks on the tables. I honestly didn’t expect much as it is also an ‘Inn’…thought the most impressive part of the night was over once I sat down, however I was wrong with a capital W. The food was spectacular. I had the 3 course pre-​fix menu and selected the Ruby salad to start, which was great but was wishing I got the escargot after one of my colleagues got it and raved about it. Next course was a palate cleanser of mango sorbet followed by the main entrée. I had the Seafood Curry which was so unique… definitely something I couldn’t recreate at home which is what I try to consider when ordering. It had lobster, fish, shrimp, and scallop with fried bananas over jasmine rice with curry sauce. The plating was beautiful as it was in the shape of a fish… so cute. The curry was not overpowering… ever so mild with a touch of coconut. For dessert I had the carrot cake — it was okay, but I’ve had better honestly. The entire evening was so enjoyable and the service was great. We literally took over this place with our large group and you never would’ve known we all came at once and sat down at once which tends to ‘flood’ the kitchen. Our meal came out staggered by table and was the perfect pace. Everything was delicious! I would recommend this for large parties/​events all the way down to the romantic dinner for two — they clearly know how to handle this type of crowd.

Back again and a review in less than 3 months to follow up. This time with the bride and we sat in the bar to get the drift if you know what I mean. There was a small Sunday night crowd there and the constant flow and conversation from the guests to the owner, «Cliff wow what a great meal… I’m stuffed.» On duty that night as the chef was Gabe. Gabe just cares about his customers, their tastes and the menu. He was candid with me about what was working and what he wanted to change.
We start with a gift of two oysters on the half shell from Gabe and guess who won both. Because the bride doesn’ t do raw! Nicely prepared and not sure these were Wellfleet or were they offered as such, but with a very slight vinegar dressing and down they went. Cold and delicious they were. Next wifey opted for the spinach salad sans pine nuts and nailed it with compliments about the dressing and feta cheese. She doesn’t like feta but down it went. I opted for the skillet mussels which were fabulous. Spicy with some citrus and up came the spoon and down went every last drop. This is a must appetizer and I would actually ask the next time for them to make this a main course for me. Delicious again.
Liz went for the Alaskan halibut and said it was perfectly cooked and just amazing. I think over some mashed potato but not sure. I went for the flank steak cooked rare and it was perfectly prepared with fries. I could not finish this… but I love fries.
No dessert… sorry. The house sauvignon by the glass was very good, Liz nailed a split plus of champagne and we really enjoyed the conversations with staff, owners and customers. Go there.