Monahan’s Clam Shack

Can’t wait till Summer, best chowder and clamcakes around and best prices… Lobster roll just how it should be, and piles of fried clams!!! SO F’NGOOD!!!

Very delicious seafood. Service was very fast which was great for us because we had a long trip home n didn’t want to spend any extra time.

As a native Rhode Islander I have summer seafood spots that are just tradition and I tend to only stick with what I know when it comes to clam cakes and the likes so I’ve passed Monahan’s quite a few times without stopping. A coworker recommended we go for lunch today and, honestly, I was skeptical. So glad I gave it a chance!
Standard clam shack fare as far as I could tell based on the menu with a few surprises scattered throughout it. We had ahi tuna tacos that were ever so lightly breaded and fried, covered in a FRESH mango salsa with a jalapeño aioli. Yet again, I was skeptical when they came out fried but they were delicious! I have never been to a clam shack that served me something I would pay twice as much for in a nice restaurant. We also ordered clam cakes that were fantastic and the view cannot be beat.
If you find yourself driving down Ocean Road and looking for a place to please every diner, I recommend you make the stop here and take in the scenery.

Went here while taking a little vacation to Narragansett and didn’t leave disappointed! Their clam cakes are great (a bit dense) but crispy and clammy! The tuna taco is wicked good but the tortilla for me was too much. The tuna is so good as is the slaw with it in the tort but maybe smaller sized tortillas, just a thought. So delicious and the price is right! Being in a tourist area it’s sometimes hard to find places worth the money, but this place is a good after beach go to!

During our stay in Rhode Island, my wife and I decided to try Monahan’s based on all the good Unilocal reviews. We weren’t disappointed.
Monahan’s is a small seafood shack right on the shore. It’s not meant to be a fancy sit down and have dinner type place. You order at the window, pay and they bring the food out to your table. Couldn’t be more simple. Parking can be a challenge though as the lot is quite small.
I ordered a hot buttered lobster roll and my wife had the cold mayo lobster roll. Both came out packed with lobster meat.
Although the hot buttered lobster roll was good, there was way too much butter (yes, I did say that!) on it that made the bottom of the roll completely wet and soggy. Other than that it was a decent lobster roll.
I tried my wife’s cold lobster roll and I actually thought it tasted better than the hot one. There was more lobster flavor in it and very little mayonnaise to get in the way.
We also tried the ahi tuna wraps, which were clean tasting and delicious! I’d definitely go back for those!
All in all, Monahan’s was pretty decent.

We came here after a beach visit. Going to the beach tends to make me crave seafood. And it makes me hungry. I looked over at my fiancée and said «Let’s be fat. Get everything we want.»
I got the clear broth chowder, clam cakes, lobster roll and clam strip platter. We split everything, and it was all completely delicious. Perfectly cooked and fresh. The clam cakes were the best I’ve ever had. The broth on the chowder was soooo delicious.
We finished it all off with some ice cream, and then went back home and unbuttoned our pants like Al Bundy. This place is needs a repeat visit before the season is over…

Love the clamcakes and chowder, definitely far better than other choices in south county. I dislike the parking but if you have soemone drop you off and drive around the block it isn’t too bad. Also recommend going at off peak times and heating up the chowder if you have that option!

We had a good meal here on our last trip to the area. We came with a larger group that included children, so we came a bit early to get a table. It’s easier to have some of the group grab a table, while the others visit the window to order. Once you order, a runner will bring your food out to the table. Service was fairly quick from order to delivery. We opted to BYOB.
Many of he items are fried, so be mindful of that. But it’s vacation, so why worry? We thought it was a bit pricy for what it was. The portions were good sized. But what you paid for ordering at a window seemed a little high. The food was good overall.
Overall, a great place to visit. You’ll get a good meal right by the water.

A very good Narragansett casual mollusk place.
It’s known for its lobster rolls. I didn’t get those, so I will leave that to others.
Here is what I had:
Chowder. I’ve had better. It is very thick and generous, but I don’t like the skin on the potatoes. For some reason, a totally naked white potato goes better.
Clam cakes. Very good. Tennis ball sized. Not over or under cooked. Generous clams. Spot on.
Flash fried sea scallops. Got these on high recommendation. Was excellent. Huge scallops. Not a lot of breading at all. Perfect.
Ice cream. They have a parlor next door. It was good. Like the chowder, it’s very good but not unlike other good ice cream I’ve had in Newport.
Parking is pretty slim on the property itself, but we found pretty close parking on Ocean Drive.
Is this the inheritor to the much maligned «new generation» Aunt Carrie’s? In some respects, yes. But I’m still looking.

After a day at the beach I get a hankering for some fried seafood, but I’m not crazy about a lot of the other places in the area. This past week we decided to give Monahan’s a try, there is always a line when I drive by so I figured it couldn’t be bad. Depending on the time of day parking can be a little bit of a challenge, we ended up a little ways down the road but the weather was perfect for a short stroll. There was a line already when we arrived but it moved pretty quickly.
I had the fish & chips which were a good size serving for the price, for about $ 11 I got 3 decent size fillets, fries, coleslaw, and plenty of tartar sauce (I always ask for extra to dip my fries in.. . don’t judge). They use flounder which was good, but I prefer a thicker fish like cod or haddock. Also their batter is thinner then I personally like but it was very well seasoned. The hubster went with 3 clam cakes and a bowl of chowder, he was worried that 3 wouldn’t be enough but later was happy because they were large clam cakes. He also commented on the large pieces of clam that were in his chowder, he seemed very happy with his meal.
What also helped make this place great was the view, you can’t beat eating seafood right on the water. It was very casual and it was so relaxing to eat watching over the bay and as the sun started to set the lights of Jamestown & Newport started to twinkle. Even though we were only an hour away from home for a few hours, I felt like I was on vacation.
So while the food didn’t blow be away, it was much better then the other 4 places in the area I’ve been to and was a much better value. Certainly will keep Monahan’s in mind the next time I need a post-​beach meal.

Out of all the places I’ve been to in Rhode Island, Monahan’s has quickly become the icon of Rhode Island beach eats to me. It’s a little clam shake by the side of the sea at the way far end of Narraganett town beach. You roll in, place your order at the window and seat yourself. They’ll call your name and bring your order out when it’s ready.
This was the first place where I had a phenomenal lobster roll that I thought: «Yes. Yes! THIS is a lobster roll worth writing home about.»
Let me tell you about their lobster roll. It’s a quarter pound of nothing but lobster on a hot-​dog like bun that’s been properly toasted. Whether you get their hot butter drawn roll or a cold mayo glazed roll, the quality is amazing.
It doesn’t just stop at lobster rolls though. Their whole belly clam roll and oyster po’boy is also quality.
Well, one lobster roll isn’t going to fill you up though (I think, either that or I’m a little on the gluttonous side, probably that). This is where their chowder and clam cakes come in. Hands down, the best chowder and clam cakes during my stay in Rhode Island this summer, and don’t worry, I made sure to try both as often as possible.
But yes, make your way to Narragansett beach and then come here for your meal afterwards! You won’t regret it.

I enjoyed my food and atmosphere while on Rhode Island. I had never had clam chowder before and it was delightful! I had white clam chowder which was creamy and full flavor! I also had the clam cakes which were also pillows of flavor! The line was crazy long because the food is worth it! They did a great job keeping the line moving and serving the food fast! They also gave samples of the ice cream! I had the raspberry chocolate chip frozen yogurt! De-​luscious! I didn’t take a picture of it though because I was to engrossed with eating it! It was a great seaside experience:)

Dropped by for take out on a gorgeous summer evening. My plan to walk down to the ocean wall to sit & eat was genius if I may say so! The line to order, standing in the parking lot gave me ample time to decide what to eat. At the window a sign tells you the way your order should be placed to make it a smooth process. The wait for the food about 10 — 15 minutes. I was standing off to the side of the restaurant after walking down to the ocean when I heard my name being called by a quick moving young person carrying my order! Basically I was chasing down my food as this young person starts to loop around again calling my name, fun times.
Situated on the ocean wall as I watched the waves, I opened my styrofoam box revealing a medium sized filled warm lobster roll — the restaurant claims to be the best lobster roll (doesn’t all seafood restaurants in RI?) the lobster was room temp to warm mixed with a tad of butter & a green leaf of lettuce wilted underneath all nestled on a roll with a soggy bottom. I ate the yummy lobster mostly with my fork & the sides of the roll. I am sure it’s not the best but it was decent & it was offered without mayo for once!
I also snacked on a clam cake for comparison to others in the area, my take is too bready & not enough clams, size is right on & cooked perfectly.
I will go again to try the chowder because I’m a chowda head at heart!

Classic clam shack. We had fish and chips, clam roll, clear chowder and clam cakes. The food was great. We tipped it off with very good ice cream. This our go to place on the RI shore.
The lobster rolls were big and tasty.

I came here during the 4^th of July weekend so I’m not too sure if that’s the reason why the line was about a 45+ min. wait, but I assume the food was worth the wait since all the other restaurants & shacks along the beach boardwalk wasn’t as pack as Monahan’s. When it was finally our turn to ordered, we got the Maryland’s crab cakes, cold lobster roll (there’s two options to choose hot or cold lobster roll), the fried clam strips and our friends got the clam cakes and the clam chowder. I thought the food was «fair» for the price itself. The Maryland’s crab cake could’ve used a little more taste to it because I thought it tasted a little too plain for my flavor. The cold lobster roll was actually really good with the butter roll. Normally I like to eat my lobster roll two ways. One is eating the lobster itself and of course the other is with the roll, but the lobster roll here didn’t really taste good without the butter roll. The clam cakes were delicious though and so did the clam chowder. It was so rich and creamy and they were definitely not cheap on the clams! The employees were extremely friendly and generous!
Monahan’s also serve ice cream in the back of their shack. I must say though, their ice cream are phenomenal!

I love a classic New England «Clam Shack» and boy does Monahan’s deliver! We liked it so much that we went two days in a row over the 4^th of July weekend!
Everything was delicious. In particular, the Lobster Roll (huge!) and Ahi Tuna Tacos (fresh mango!) were standouts. We also had the Fried Clam (with Bellies) Roll which was super fresh and really delivered that «ocean» flavor. The clam strips were ok, but we thought the weak flavor suggested that they were frozen (as opposed to the clams with bellies). «White» (New England Style) clam chowder, french fries, onion rings and cole slaw were also all great.
We topped it all off with a small soft serve ice cream cone with Jimmies — and then headed to the beach for a nap!

Also amazing lobster rolls served here. They give you a choice of hot or cold. Whereas the cold is usually defaulted on, the hot one did impress equally as well. Great outdoor seating next to the beach too. A must hit-​up spot when in Rhode Island.

Made a quick stop in here on a Saturday for some clam cakes and chowder. HOLY CLAMCAKES BATMAN! So big! Normally you get more batter than you do clams but this was the other way around. The way clam cakes should be!
They are located right at the end of the wall in Narragansett, parking can be a little annoying. They have a small parking lot but I’m sure with a little searching you can find a spot along the wall. They have all your usual food items that you could get at a local seafood spot right on the water, including ice cream! If I’m in the area I’m definitely stopping again!

Monahan’s was an awesome choice for gorging on RI-​specific food. I loved it. We got a large to-​go order, which meant I got to sample lots of choices. Everything was
I was blown away by the fried clams w/​bellies. So flavorful and cooked ideally. These tasted like the essence of the ocean. And also fried deliciousness. I’m not sure when I might have had better (maybe never), these were top notch.
Clamcakes were great. These were light and fluffy, good chunks of clam. And very good flavor.
Both the clear and white chowders were very, very good. Both had lots of chunks of potato (but fortunately many clams). The white chowder was extremely thick.

Perfect spot in Narragansett for a quick lunch.
Right on the water, the food is very good. Ice cream bar in the back along with outdoor & indoor seating.
Food is brought to the tables.
Unlike many establishments in Narragansett, they accept visa/​MasterCard.
Would have been great if they had a bar but I don’t want to be picky. The staff is nice and accommodating.
Only one bathroom but it was very clean.
Parking is limited. Take a walk on the dock after you eat.
I recommend Monahan’s for a perfect beach lunch or casual supper.