Sheas Riverside

Went for Thanksgiving dinner with two other family members and had one good meal, one Ok and one that should never be served by an Essex restaurant. The good, the turkey dinner special, lots of perfectly cooked turkey and all the fixings. The OK, a nice piece of fish, cooked well, but a serious lack of additional starch or veggies. The really bad, the fisherman’s platter or should I say small plate. It’s base is a bunch of undercooked, barely warm stringy fries. Really bad, watery bland coleslaw is added to that and a couple small pieces of fish, a few shrimp and a couple of other underwhelming fried items, served at barely room temperature. It should have been sent back. Three meals, no appetizers, salads, soups or desserts $ 150. The view is not worth the variable food quality or prices.

This place is just okay but for the price, it should be better. Given the location I was expecting something more seafood oriented. They do have seafood on the menu but the lunch menu was very generic american.
They start you off with some bread which was okay. It seemed a bit thick in texture but not crusty. The butter was served in a little cup and was hard, as if it was just taken out of the refrigerator.
I ordered the chicken wrap which was okay but nothing special. It didn’t seem like the chicken was freshly made. We also ordered clam chowder which was good. It Very creamy which was similar to something you might find at legal seafood. We also ordered the fried clams which were also okay. The tarter sauce seemed pre-​portioned and left in the Refrigerator too, so when you dipped the clams, the tarter sauce was hard. My wife ordered the fish tacos which she says were okay.
The service was just okay… nothing special but nothing horrible either.
Our total bill for two came out to be around $ 75 (food and tip) for food that was just okay.

We ate at Sheas on a rainy Sunday, late lunch, off-​season and were disappointed. I had the fish tacos which were underwhelming, small portion of bland blackened fish, and even the «fillers» of lettuce and avocado were sparse. The sides of a corn relish and coleslaw tasted old and nearly spoiled. At $ 15 a plate, I was unhappy and still hungry. I would not recommend, nor would I go back.

The food is just fantastic at Shea’s! They give the menu a seasonal update every quarter so there is always something to try, in addition to your traditional favorites. You’ve got to try the lobster mac and cheese, to DIE for! They’ve got a great bar and an awesome wine list. There is something yummy for everyone to drink!
The view from the big outside deck is incredible, you really can’t beat it. It is one of the best waterfront restaurants I’ve been to and I used to live in San Diego, so that’s saying something!
If you are close to Essex, check out Shea’s!

Great food, great staff and an amazing view! We keep going back and back. Fabulous lobster roll, amazing fired clams! Brunch on Sunday at Shea’s is a pleasant way to end you weekend.

Nice waiters good presentation but why I’ll never come back:
1. I ordered the fishermans platter for $ 30 and when it arrived I was completely underwhelmed by the lack of food. 2 pieces of scallop, 2 little pieces of haddock and 2 shrimps consisted a fishermans platter there then I was very disappointed. If I am going to pay the price of two entrees I should at least get a little more than barely an entrée — every other place I’ve tried a platter was a great variety and portion for the price… This was extremely overpriced!
2. Their fries look like the canned fries– skinny flimsy and soggy.
3. Fish tacos didn’t have a tasty sauce– they could really work on that.
4. Soda water was flat.
5. Garnishes were a poor excuse — may as well not put anything on.

Great views, great service, delicious fries; stuffed sole, a tad dry, over cooked. There’s a small function room in the second floor, that easily accommodates a party of fourteen. Good value for the price point.

We have been here many times and have had great experiences. Tonight was a bit off. Service was extremely slow. 2.5 hours. We made the best of it. Food A– Service C but unacceptable given Labor Day weekend. I also had some sticker shock on the bill. That said, my fried oysters were great and my sons lobster and mussels were great he said.

I can’t say enough positive things about Sheas! We ended up here the first time just for drinks post beach and had the best experience with super friendly service. The male bartender (.I am so bad with names) makes one of the best cocktails I’ve had outside of Boston.
We’ve been back a couple times since, last time for a birthday dinner. Everything was amazingly tasty from the chowder we all started with to the best lobster macaroni and cheese Ive ever tasted. Once again great service, solid cocktails. I’ve recommended this place to multiple people since. We love it.

Thank you Unilocal for this recommendation. Food was delicious. Service friendly and the view was very nice. Wine list is only a B minus but otherwise the place is an A.
Glad Unilocal is making more progress in New England. Helpful.

Excellent food! Good service. Great ambience! We were sitting on the porch overlooking the river and it was fantastic!

I have never been a fan of waiting in long lines for fried seafood and eating it at picnic tables (sans alcohol). Despite living within a few miles of some of the best fried seafood places in New England, I have been to Farnhams once.
I successfully talked my family out of going to Woodmans and trying Sheas instead. Everyone in our party of 7 had a great meal and thoroughly enjoyed the view from the outdoor deck, while the adults sipped our cold beverages.
We will be back.

My father, my wife, and I returned to a place we went to unintentionally last year. Last year, on Father’s Day, we wanted to go to Woodman’s — across the street from here. But there was an insanely long line. And Shea’s was practically empty. So we stopped in. My Dad had lobster, my wife fish, and I fish dish as well. We were pleased. So this year, we came back. It was equally excellent. Not the best meal we’ve ever had, but my boiled lobster was ample, served hot, with drawn butter, asparagus, and baked potato. My father’s stuffed lobster was filled with other seafood and breading. My wife’s haddock was excellent. We also had steamers and mussels. And I had clam chowder. All were tasty, if not amazing. The view of the water WAS amazing. The noise level relatively tame even though the place was full. And the prices are reasonable — a little less than you’d expect for a mid-​priced dinner place with a spectacular water view. The service was attentive without being intrusive. We will go back here next year.

The atmosphere is great and the food is wonderful. Try the fish and chips and grilled chicken wrap with poppyseed dressing. The staff was friendly and it was an excellent break between antique shops. Definitely encourage you to check it out. Oh and… Hand cut fries!

When you Meet the Parents, In Dude Thee Must Trust.
Let THEM offer a few establishments from which you then pick the best, Shea’s, which also you come to learn, happens to be your future Mamma in Law’s fave.
Score. Extra points for Dude!
Arrive first if only to be waiting with open arms. Have a drink to smooth out pre-​Meet jitters.
Then let the games begins.
Risotto. Thumbs up. Fettuccini, molte bene. Scampi. Meh. Drinks, service, views all great.
Future family. Priceless.

This place is awesome. Stopped in Essex for Clams at Woodmans, but the line was down the block. Shea’s had zero wait, the wait staff was incredibly nice (big ups Tasha) and the food was amaaaaaaaazingly delish. Definitely our go to from now on.

When you order a shrimp and lobster fettuccine you don’t expect it to taste so bland. There was absolutely 0 flavor. Service was good but that couldn’t make up for a waste of $ 32.

Stopped by for a late afternoon lunch. The bartender stepped from behind the bar and greeted us with a big smile & welcomed us to seat anywhere. The server was very pleasant, professional and accommodating. We shared some grilled buffalo chicken tenders, & nice lobster roll — all excellent. Parking is very limited, but told you can park across the street. The ceiling has an unusual foam panels — maybe soundproofing. View is amazing overlooking the marsh & Cranes beach in the distance. Definitely recommend & look forward to returning.

Nice food, drinks and the service is really good. Quiet relaxing atmosphere and amazing view on the ocean.

Stopped in on a whim as we didn’t want to wait in line at Woodmans or JTF’s…was pleasantly surprised!
Very friendly waitstaff, our waitress was great! My fish taco’s (blackened mahi mahi) were excellent! the spicy coleslaw was a little to spicy and the corn salsa was refreshing. Kids chicken fingers were ok… huge portions! and the fries were really good. Clam plate was kind of expensive ($ 30+!) but tasty. The patio was nice to sit and watch the boats come in. They have a cute crayon boat holder for kids.
Limited parking out front, but you can park at Woodman’s and walk across the street.