The Happy Clam

The foods a little pricey, but really good and big portions. I would suggest ordering entrée after having received the appetizer because appetizer may be too much. Too much is never a bad thing.

I dined at this location long before it was the Happy Clam-​it was Barefoot Green’s when I used to eat here with my father after swim lessons around age 4. Now under a new management and name, I was excited to try it out this evening!

The Happy Clam is nothing fancy-it’s simply a hole in the wall on the outskirts of downtown Fredericksburg. The menu is simple and is mostly seafood, but everything is good and fresh. I had the 1 Crab Cake (broiled), which, as all the dinners do, came with 3 hush puppies and 2 sides (I opted for the salad and French fries). The crab cake was delicious and when cut into, it fell apart-​a sign that little or no filler was used. The fries were actually steak fries-​my favorite! My father had the Fried Oysters and my brother the Fried Crab Cake Sandwich-​nothing was left, so I’m guessing they enjoyed.

Before coming in to eat, I sent a Facebook message to the Happy Clam asking about their dessert specials-​the responder promised to save a slice of Chocolate Peanut Butter pie for me when I came in, and our lovely waitress knew just who I was when I came in and told me she already had it boxed up-​she was such a sweet heart! The pie was scrumptious, silky, and perfectly sweet. I give The Happy Clam 5 stars for being extremely great for what it is: a casual, drop-​by seafood restaurant with fresh seafood, friendly service, and great desserts!

The mussels were amazing! It comes in a huge bowl with fresh warm bread, so good! The rest of our dinner was good. Service was excellent! Will go back when we’re in the area again!

The Happy Clam was not a happy experience. You ever been in a hurry, multitasking along, and you burn the soup? That must have been what happened to the New England Clam Chowder here: the predominant flavor was something charred. Too bad, too; because there were a fairly hefty bunch of clams and potato chunks in that stew.
The Oyster Po’ Boy was good and bad: the oysters, although few in number, were flavorful; but they were served on an almost-​ready-​to-​be-​trashed bed of wilted greens. Kinda ruined the effect.
My wife had a crab salad so salty that I got «sympathetic dehydration» just watching her try to eat it … but, when I tasted it … Yep, someone dropped 3X the amount of salt needed into the mix.
Won’t be back. Way too many nice restaurants in FXGB to waste my money here.

I got the crab soup and it was excellent. It was definitely worth all the traffic on the 95!
It is in a great location and although the restaurant is smaller, we ate outside and it was perfect! The town is so quaint that it just added to the charm of this place!

When you come in the front of the Happy clam, it’s a fish market. The restaurant is to your left. The service was ok, the waitress was kind enough to get me the crazy wifi password so I didn’t have to burn up the last of my 4G Data.
I ordered the fried flounder with Fries to make myself a little fish and chips. Maybe it’s just been a while since I had flounder, but the fillet inside the batter was oily, tough and dry. The fries were nothing to write about either. Maybe other dishes here are better, but there are so many other places to try in Fredericksburg, I decided not to return.

We stopped in here since it was halfway between our drive from Baltimore to Norfolk.
Wow. So great.
Meredith was our server, and to say she was spot on doesn’t give her enough credit. She gave excellent suggestions, was so attentive, and helped us get everything we couldn’t finish (which was a lot of food) boxed up for our trip.
We had the crab dip. It may be the best crab dip I’ve ever had. The bread that it came with was so nice and fluffy too!
I ordered the Crab Norfolk — which is lump crab meat — buttered, seasoned, and broiled. This is the first time I’ve had crab cooked this way, but I think I actually prefer it to crab cakes. The meat was really juicy and delicious. The dish comes with two sides so we had mac and cheese, which was also very good, and coleslaw. The coleslaw was just ok I’d say.
My fiancé got the appetizer spiced shrimp. He said they were within the top 5 best shrimp he’s ever had, and he’s a shrimp lover.
We had to get a slice of pie to go, since they looked so good. We got the lemon custard. Wow. Incredible. PLEASE try it.
Best of all, we got to sit outside on the patio with our dog. They brought him water and everything.
We will definitely be back to The Happy Clam next time we’re driving through.

Terrible. My daughter order the steamed clams and they were gritty and plenty of sand in the shells. I have cooked clams at home and it was clear they did not soak them long enough. I had the crab cake and it was flavorless. Needed some serious seasoning. Very bland and highly disappointed. Paid $ 50 for lunch and a total waste of money. They do not offer a lunch menu on Sunday, therefore you can only choose from the dinner menu. Getting one star because the service was nice. Waitstaff very friendly and kept my drink refilled during the meal.

Heats a five mainly for Tiffany the waitress !
Working two jobs and running a small business the food gotta be good !
I love the fellow snobs who can tear a place down. I know I
Have done the same ! We eat out a lot and the one thing we look for is soul!
We had the crab dip and it was ok but the bread was excellent. It fit the bill. My wife and I wanted oysters on the half shell but not in season for a month without an «R» ! So we went with a meal of fried ousted plus two sides for about $ 21 for about 12 to 15 oysters ! They appear to have been cooked in a cornmeal batter with water and very little seasoning ! Just needed a little salt and cocktail sauce ! I have coleslaw and potato salad both mayo base. Potato salad had a little egg in it, it need a little salt, maybe celery salt but good !
Tea was ok ! Unsweet good but the syrup in the sweet was interesting !
Ok dessert: this place should be labeled as seafood /​bakery ! Lemon pie was fantastic! Made by an 80 y/​o saint !

Seafood was fresh and very kid friendly. No thrills and great for lunch with family. Hubby had the crab sandwich and I had the crab salad… Kids menu was great!

Food was excellent, well prepared and good portion. Pricing average for seafood restaurant. I would return

Great beer on tap. Friendly and efficient service. AMAZING SEAFOOD!
We stopped by while looking for another restaurant in Historic Fredericksburg. So happy we did! The fresh crab cocktail, bacon wrapped scallops and fried oysters were especially fresh and delicious. Laid back and easy vibe. Do not skip the HOMEMADE (well as close to home as possible) key lime pie — with condensed milk and authentic key limes!!!

This is my second time here… I come to visit my Dad & family from San Diego & I love seafood! Happy Clam food always taste fresh and has that good quality melt in your mouth kinda feeling that just says, MORE, please! I’ll be back next year!!! Hey & U don’t have to go to Baltimore for Crab Cakes…

Yeah I think I went here with higher expectations; Sadler to say I was let down by a lot of things. We tried the bacon wrapped scallops for a starter. Which I had shell in one of them. More than enough shell that I had to keep pulling the meat out. And then I was afraid to eat the last two. The scallops seemed to be under cooked or at least the bottom of the bacon. They tasted so much like bacon so the scallop got lost. My sweet tea was so bitter I had to add lemon and let it water down some. Then I got a side salad. The lettuce was wilted and left a dirty water on other parts. It also tasted like the lettuce was not washed. I ordered crab cakes and tried them broiled for a healthier version. They were stuck to the bottom of my plate/​pan. But yet still seemed way to wet on the inside. There was season. And once again a lot of shell like a lot of shell every bite I was pulling it from my mouth. And that is ridiculous especially for the price you pay. I tried some of hubbies fisher and platter. I tried a shrimp and scallop and oyster which were fried. They were a bit better but still not seasoned. Oh I also had a twice baked potato which was probably they best thing I ate there. But still needed some salt and pepper. I will not be back needless to say. There was nothing special. And the place needed to be fixed up and they didn’t care enough to do so. So why should I care enough to eat at such place.

We came here on a whim because it was the first warm evening of the year and we wanted to eat outside. We had the crab dip, the bacon wrapped scallops and split the fishermans platter. Everything was SO FRESH! Scallops are my favorite seafood and they were cooked expertly on both our appetizer and our platter. The crab cake was ALL crab, no filler. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. We will be back!

I came here with a couple of friends last week and we were looking for some good, cheap seafood! Our waiter was really nice and the guys behind the fresh fish window were very welcoming!
I ordered the shrimp with fries and hush puppies. The shrimp– DELICIOUS. The fries– SO YUMMY, kind of like steak fries. The hush puppies– SO DARN DELICIOUS, especially with a little butter on them. Anywho, the whole meal was very delicious and only $ 11. That’s pretty good for some seafood!
If you’re ever in downtown looking for some good seafood, this place is awesome!

A good seafood place on the Rapphanocck River in downtown Fredericksburg. Has an extensive menu and good beer list and a good outdoor seating area. There are probably cheaper places to grab lunch, but I thought the food was really good and fresh. They also got the hushpuppies just right-​most of the time restaurants dry them out. Good small draft beer selection.

We called The Happy Clam to get some blue crabs and were told that they only had crabs available for take out. We decided to go ahead and get them and just take them home to enjoy with some homemade sides. When we picked up the box, it was as if it were empty. The dozen crabs were so small I wasn’t sure if they were of legal size. When we finally dug into them, the were packed with meat but just disappointing that they were so small. We’ll be getting our crabs elsewhere next time. There was a small amount of fresh seafood in the case at the front of the store which appeared to be old and dried out. I checked the pie case and saw a melted, what looked like a banana cream pie that need to be thrown away.

This small little place is unassuming but boy does it pack a punch. Their crab dip is amazing — as is the bread that comes with it! They usually run specials for Mother’s and Father’s Day — which is great. I love their outdoor seating area, especially if there’s a larger group inside since their indoor space is pretty small. They have a great selection of seafood entrees — fried and broiled — entrees as well as appetizers and sandwiches. They also have a decent selection of kids meals, given how small the place is. They also have an amazing strawberry pie thar I look for every time I’m hwre.

Stopped here on my way back to Manassas.
Wow, what a great litte restaurant right on the river just off Route 3 going into Old Town Fredericksburg.
It’s a family owned place that has been open about a year and one half.
A very casual place that serves draft beer and wine.
Fancy no, good food and down home vibe, yes. Great quaility and excellent price points on all their menu items and great service as well.
They get fresh local fish daily: puppy drum, flounder and rockfish.
Plus they have fresh hard shell and soft shell crab
I had the grilled rockfish it was a nice size portion. Ben had the whole soft shell crab dinner.
The squash cassrole was really good and so was the fresh garden salad.
The hush puppies alone were four star.
David was our waiter and said the place is owned by his cousin, last name Moncure.
I asked if they were from NC and he said he thought they were originally. as there is a small town by the same name in my home state of NC
They plan to put a deck on the back so you can overlook the river, chill out, relax, have a cold one and watch the river flow.
If I lived in the ‘burg, I would be a regular.