The Clam Digger

This place is great. Classic drive in food for those that know, enjoy and understand what is offered in Manchester. Gotta tell you, if you know what a «Coney» and a“Philly Cheese Steak” really are, you’ll love the food, atmosphere and service. No Johnny Rockets fake crap here! No chain food welcoming you to … Well you get it. I will become a classic. Fish & Chips are a favorite and onion rings … Stop reminiscing about the Berlin Turnpike … Enjoy! Thanks Rock!!!

For a hole in the wall, the food was pretty good! The setting reminded me of plutos back in my hometown. Although the place wasn’t very eye appealing I would definitely go back!

While not as good as Doogies on the pike, this place it still great. It’s slightly more expensive than the pike too. Good dogs, good lobster bisque.

Not so good. The clams, and fish and chips tasted bland and not fresh. I usually go to City Fish in Wethersfield but live really close to ClamWin Diggers… won’t come here again. City Fish is way better and always fresh.

Let’s get this straight. For a quick serve seafood place in the Manchester/​Vernon area this place is pretty darn good. Every time I have been the service has been extremely friendly and quick.
Their menu has a decent selection of fried seafoods and has another portion of the menu that focuses on grilled items from Doogies. Their clam strips are particularly good. I also really enjoy the lobster bisque. While it doesn’t have chunks of meat in it, it is still really creamy and flavorful.
If you can’t make it down to the shore for some fish, this place is a nice and casual alternative.

Decent, but nothing to write home about. Tried the lobster roll and clam strips which were good, but not sure I would come back.

I had the Shrimp Po Boy. The sauce was good and the portion of shrimp was great. Not exactly like the real thing in NOLA but satisfying. A little pricey for lunch though, $ 9.00!

Yowzir. .can’t tell if this is s genuine Doogies or Clam Shack merged. Who cares? Great dogs and fresh clams. Good prices and service.

We saw a friends posting on FB and thought we’d try it out for dinner. The Shrimp Roll and Clam Strip Platter hit the spot. Clean atmosphere with friendly staff. It’s definitely a spot to check out.

I highly recommend this place for summer foods which is i.e. hotdogs and hamburgers clams, lobster rolls french fries onion rings etc. and with many soft drinks to choose from. I think you will enjoy this place and it’s cheaper than driving down to the ocean

Wife says the cole slaw was good. Everything else was meh. The lobster bisque was too creamy and not enough lobster, butter, or sherry. The lobster roll was a bit over cooked and dry and the bun definitely didn’t have enough butter.

Went here tonight with my mom, who has been here several times, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a little hole in the wall, but the food is outstanding. I had the shrimp po boy and my mom got her go-​to fish and chips. Both were fresh, crispy, and not overly battered, which is key. The gentleman behind the counter was very friendly and personable. It took no time at all for the food to come out either. My only negative is that the floor was a bit unkempt, it could have used a sweep. The place is a tad outdated, but with food this tasty, it doesn’t really matter all to much. Still 5 star worthy for me!

Pretty good fish but what’s with the unreliable hours? I pulled in at 7:22 tonight only to watch the owner turn off the open sign, pull down the shades & book it out of there like he just committed a crime.

Its the batter than makes or breaks fried seafood.
This guy has that down.
Chowder Pot needs to learn breading from these guys.
Big fan of the ten buck fish and chips, really good.
Fried clams are tasty.

And if you’re dragging around somebody who doesnt like seafood, they can
get one of them huge Doogie dogs and be quite happy,
Not gonna write home about the décor, its a place you’re gonna eat in
without frills.
Staff is friendly and seem glad that you are there!
The reviewer who compared this to City Fish was off the mark,
I would compare it to maybe a Mickeys.
(still better than Mickeys)
Even so, you’re stopping here because you are in Vernon,
why drive another 14 miles to Wethersfield?
The place kinda blends into the scenery so you have to keep your
eyes open as your heading down the strip,
but its worth stopping in.

Had the Shrimp and fries lunch combo… Good price, good food. Was greated by the owner and manager in a timely fashion and asked how the food was. He provided a little extra atmosphere, something the restaurant seems to lack. He also greeted all the other customers so it seems like he generally cares about how his business is performing!

Whole belly clams were excellent. Perfectly toasted bun. Crisp salty delicious fries. Wife really like the scallop roll as well. Clam chowder was a little thicker than I like but it was full of tender clams, potatoes and a great taste. Friendly counter service.

Fair spot in ManchVegas if you’re looking for a fishy lunch.
The Clam Digger is a cousin of Doogie’s on the Berlin Tpke., so it’s a quick serve, fried food joint. They’re essentially trying to be a cooler version of City Fish.
I had a whole belly clam platter and thought I paid way too much for it. While the clams were sweet and had that «I taste the sea» flavor, they weren’t plentiful. The fries were, however. The dollar value based on what was on the plate was disappointing. One gets far more when one goes to City Fish.
I pass by this establishment frequently, but don’t plan on stopping in very often. To their credit, it’s a clean place. Easy in, easy out. Great soda fountain that is correctly calibrated and efficient. But the pricing structure isn’t a positive feature. Much of it is «mkt price» and (IMNSHO) intentionally evasive.
If you’re considering The Clam Digger, remember this… you’re not far from City Fish. Jump on the highway, get to Wethersfield and give it a try.

I chose some 4 star Unilocal locations but they came with $$$ labeled. My co-​workers asked for a $-$$ location and tada! I wasn’t too excited with a 3 star location but hey Unilocal has failed me plenty of times so I figured we’d give them a shot.
Food:
I came here for clam chowder and they did not disappoint. I think I’ve had better but it was pretty damn good. I ordered the crab cakes as well. Those were very mushy. I’d skip that. The scallop sandwich was pretty good.
Service:
This is a order at the counter and pick up your food type place. Don’t expect amazing service. The cashier was overall nice and chatted up a storm with us.
Environment:
This area was pretty empty. Heck the restaurant was very empty at night. If I didn’t have a larger group come along it would have been weird.
Price:
Pretty cheap food though once you start ordering all the seafood it starts to add up.
Food: 4
Service: 3
Environment: 3
Price: 4

Found this place by accident while visiting a friend in Vernon and was pretty excited about the daily special I got. Half a pound of shrimp, fries and a drink for $ 7. I added on 2 pieces of fish, which were sub par (really small and thin) but overall, i was pretty impressed.
Don’t get it twisted, it’s no City Fish, but in Manchester, I’ll take it,

Completely mystified by the swarm of negative press. I mean, this is a relatively new business, so maybe they’re going through some growing pains. But my experience was very good. I’m only deducting a star because it was a bit expensive, though not overwhelmingly so.
Guy behind the counter was very nice. Took my order quickly, handed it to the cook, and the food was out in just a few minutes.
It was good too. I had a philly cheesesteak with some fries, which I guess is a hard thing to screw up compared to fried seafood.
And I didn’t find the place to be particularly dirty… I mean, it’s a local crap food joint, what do you expect?! Frankly, I’d be more suspicious of places like The Clam Digger if they were sparkling clean…