Three Cod Tavern

Walking around Marblehead on a Saturday noon after a New Year’s bash, where to eat? The Hangover is pressing, the head throbs, the stomach sends nausea signals, Hair of the Dog is required, so what to do?
All these pretty restaurants for the exclusive Head crowd, the 5 Corners Kitchen, Junji, Casa Mia, even the Barrelman, they were all closed!
Finally we walk past the 3 Cods Tavern, and say AHA! Never been there, but it is open, and sure enough we enter the space and are amazed at the density of regulahs holding sway, slurping pints, little boys and girls at one end of the long tables while parents and grandparents are tucking in at the other. A real townie tavern, one could say. They had just one or two tables available.
OK beer selection, very happy to see Alligash represented. And some Saturday lunch specials. Fried flounder for $ 10 sounds good, and this came out in due course with abundant filet, but not the freshest, and some decent cole slaw. They even have Malt Vinegar, so they must get some Brits on occasion.
So full disclosure, from one visit: If you like townie atmosphere, and I do indeed, then this is a great place to come to. If you like great food, and you do indeed, then you might want to visit the 5 Corners Café first.

Ok good and service. It’s a bar (not a gastropub). The fried haddock sandwich was pretty good and the tartar sauce tangy, but the clam chowder, while not lacking in clams, was thin and oily on top — couldn’t eat much of it.

The Three Cod Tavern serves my best lobster roll of my life! They will do Connecticut-​style on request, and it will come out with a ton of buttery, salty, tender lobster on that perfect just-​a-​tad soggy roll, which I think may have had a (genius) very light swipe of mayo on each side so it wouldn’t get too soggy, or be too Connecticut-​y.
I love their brunch beverages, too – perfectly prepped bloodies and actually pint-​sized mimosas! All served by a really hard-​working, patient, warm staff.
I wish I lived closer. I’ll just be dreaming about it from LA forever…

I had high hopes for this restaurant but after a few short minutes there I knew they were in vain. After waiting at the entrance for several minutes to be seated we walked into the bar area to see if an employee was around. The hostess and all staff were seated at the back table eating. The hostess came to seat us still smacking on some food from the table she was at.
The wait for the fried fish dinner we ordered was fairly short but some of it was way undercooked. We intended to stay later but after overhearing how we we’re inconveniencing the staff by being there late we decided to leave.
Rude and pretentious staff, poorly cooked food and a very unwelcoming feeling are the reasons I will not be back to «The Cod»

Great fish sliders! Bar tender was super friendly and the drinks were great. The inside is classy and perfect for a little date night.

Great little tavern on the edge of Old Town, Marblehead. The bar there is helmed by the proprietor: local dude and long time drink slinger Chip (originally running the bar at Maddie’s Sail Loft in M’head for many years). The Maddie’s tradition continues at Three Cod with BIG cocktails. And the pub grub is pretty good here too. Look for nightly specials. I had the New England style Baked Haddock tonight with fresh carrots and mashed potatoes. The dish also came with fresh rolls AND corn bread. The fish tasted fresh. I’ve also had the Baked Scallops and Baked Stuffed Shrimp before. Awesome!
New restaurants tend to have a little trouble staying afloat in Marblehead. Headers are picky eaters. Three Cod Tavern has been around for a while and I don’t think they’ll be going away any time soon. Check them out next time you head up to the North Shore!

Love this place. Great menu especially the weekend specials. Staff is friendly, service is great and it is always clean.

Stopped in for lunch on a rainy weekday; we were one of only four tables seated in the dining room. The décor was somewhat frozen in time classic old-​school; this should have been my cue…
The whole experience was if I’d been transported back in time. The food was exactly the same «food service» food I used to get 30 years ago in small town TX. We both got burgers, but different varieties. The patties were obviously not hand-​formed, the fries were previously frozen, and the buns were off the grocery store shelf. I’ve had better burgers at concession stands. Prices were super-​inexpensive, so I’m not sure how they make any money.
Service was ok, just «detached». As if she were mindlessly going through the same daily routine she had done for the past 45 years. Attempts to interact with her were un-​acknowledged.
All in all, not horrible, but definitely not a modern restaurant with its unimaginative and unevolved menu offering. But hey, the prices are so cheap, it is almost worth going if only for the «time machine» effect.

Stopped in today for a late lunch… We had originally stopped at Palmers down the road but they only had a brunch menu… so we had a cocktail there and moved on to Three Cod Tavern… We walked in around 2:30 and the Tavern was mobbed… Fortunately for us a couple of nice gentlemen were finishing up and told us to grab their bar seats… since there were no empty seats to be found… The menu was a nice Pub like menu… nothing fancy but a good variety for Pub type food in our opinion… which is what we were looking for. Bartender was friendly… Environment was comfortable… We ordered a couple sandwiches… Fried Haddock for my husband and Grilled Chicken for me… and for the price we thought they were decent… I would come back again… when I’m in the mood for simple, reasonably priced Pub Food in a friendly environment.

Buffalo tenders were really good. Very nice spice. We had the strawberry shortcake dessert which was fabulous!!! It us a homemade recipe from the owner’s wife’s grandmother. … YUMMMM!!! I will be back to try their wing night!

I’d like to give Three Cod three stars, as we found the atmosphere homey and welcoming and the staff super-​friendly. The place was busy and folks were greeting one another and generally having a good time. However, I primarily go out to dinner to eat not socialize, and our experience with Three Cod’s meal offerings matched many other reviewers — a disappointment.
The lobster mac and cheese was listed as an appetizer, but at $ 15.95 it was priced as a meal, and the waitress said it was plenty large enough to serve as one. I’m still searching for a stunning version of this dish, and Three Cod’s is not it. It was runny in the middle and bairely warm. The lobster to pasta ratio was way smaller than it should have been. The lobster itself, what there was of it, was sweet and moist, I’ll say that. My wife order the shrimp with pasta, and reported that it was only «meh». We both got garden salads which were good. We split a chocolate ice cream pie slice which wasn’t particularly fresh and skimpy on the fudge sauce.
So, three or even four stars for the downhome atmosphere and pleasant wait staff, but only two for the food.

Can’t get any better! Great pub food and Prime Rib, plus… the best seafood on the North Shore. (FYI…fried clams as good as anywhere in Essex)
Even if you don’t like fried food the Cod has great baked Haddock and a ton of other yummy dishes.

We go quite often, as it’s right down the street. The staff is always friendly. The food is good, not 5 star good, but better than I can make. The lobster mac and cheese is good, but they put huge chunks of lobster in it and very few of the lobster so you don’t get alot of lobster. I’ve also had their wings. Again, good, but best when it’s wing night and they’re cheaper! We normally just go to drink, get appetizers and watch the Sox or Bruins.

I want to like this restaurant, honestly, especially as it is a local place with a cozy tavern feel. However, I have never had good customer service here. I’ve only gone for lunch, but I always had to wait between 5 – 10 minutes to be acknowledged, and even then it can take another few minutes to be seated.
The food is fairly simple and should be good pub grub, but mine has usually arrived over salted and lukewarm. I doubt I’ll be back, unless it’s to drink at the bar.

The service was fine. The surroundings were ok. The food was a big disappointment. My husband had the seafood pie & I had the Mac & cheese. Everything was covered in crushed up Ritz crackers, which was just gross in my opinion. The Mac & cheese was cold in the middle. We would not go back.

Every single time I go to this restaurant, there is no hostess there to seat you. I have had to wait at least 5 — 10 minutes to even get someones attention. Working in customer service, this should be one of the easiest problems to avoid. I want this restaurant to succeed but they are not helping themselves. Today, I went with my mother and my sister and after waiting more than 10 minutes, we left and gave our business to their new competitors Palmers, just down the street.

Like Cheers everyone knows your name.
This is the place to go for good food, drinks and friendly staff.
Lobstah, when is season is unbelievable, price and taste.
If you should visit Marblehead or live here, go you will not be dissatisfied.

This place is great. Food is fresh and people are nice as can be. Prices are excellent. We eat here often and love this place best for seafood without spending out the college tuition. Chowder amazing, steak tips great, specials a good deal and always wonderful corn bread. A real fishing town restaurant with good folks and great atmosphere. The bar is great with good beer on tap and tvs wherever u look with a sports event on most of the time. This place is the best it gets in my book.

Great small space with lots of locals. You’ll be made to feel like one too once you are greeted. Not an expansive menu so you know whatever you order will be done right. Seafood very fresh and good number of specials though we stuck with true and blue haddock. Veggies taste fresh. Could have used less sugar on squash. Atmosphere is relaxed but very clean and you can watch the busy sidewalk traffic even though you are below street level. Nice bar on other side to watch sports. Good for couples and small families. Extra clean bathroom which means kitchen is probably too.

There are ways to experience the Three Cod that make it one of the most enjoyable experiences in Marblehead.
First it’s important to know that the Three Cod is divided into a bar and restaurant. Both are good, but the bar is really the gem of the Three Cod. Great bartenders who pour some of the most generous drinks you’ll ever have, help create a vibe that is simply fantastic, you’ll wish you were a regular, that is if you don’t become one.
The Three Cod has a big menu and many solid items, but it’s their Clam Chowder that really stands out. The Three Cod’s clam chowder is less thick than some of the other chowders in town, but it’s got much more of a clam flavor. The clam is alway perfectly cooked, and once you dump your oyster crackers into this soup, odds are you won’t stop until the bowl is clean.
Another fantastic three cod experience is wing night. Every Tuesday night the Three Cod does a special on chicken wings. You can get these wings any night off the appetizer menu, but they are greatly discounted on wing night. The buffalo wings here are to die for and the BBQ are so well drenched in sauce you’ll need a shower after eating them. The wings come piping hot with the best house made blue cheese dressing I’ve ever had.
There are other great items of note, but I’ve found the best Three Cod experience lies in the simple pub food served at the bar. Combine that with one most generous poured drinks you’ll ever have or one of the local beers on tap and you’ll have an ideal Marblehead evening that you’ll remember for a long long time.