Fresh, locally (mostly) caught seafood
A family vacation to the seashore just isn't complete without at least one delicious meal of fresh, locally caught seafood. Our family growing up had many memorable seafood feasts - both at our house and at local restaurants - and the Lobster House Restaurant & Fish Market was a big part of that experience. That's where we'd buy our fresh seafood to make our classic lobster, shrimp and clams feasts! On the water at Schellenger's Landing, The Lobster House is a popular South Jersey tourist destination located at the base of the Cape May bridge. It's 49,000 square feet large that includes:
- The Lobster House Restaurant
- Schooner American
- Take Out, Raw Bar
- Fish Market
- An Old Fashioned Diner
So whether you are just stopping in for an early breakfast or want to buy fresh seafood for a party, during the peak summer months, knowing how to navigate the options can help you get the most out of your visit.
Perfect for Lunch or Dinner
The main Lobster House Restaurant features 5 dining rooms for lunch and dinner. From the servers uniforms to the table settings the place has a distinctly nautical theme. There are no advance reservations; you simply show up, give your name to the hostess and if it's busy they'll give you an electronic beeper to notify you when you're table is ready. Their full Dinner Menu has a varied fresh seafood selection. A Longfellow Family favorites is the Planked Red Fish, served on an oak plank with whipped potatoes and grilled vegetables - very tasty.
On busy summer nights the wait can be 2 plus hours, time which can be enjoyably spent on the Schooner, visiting the Gift Shop, or wandering the docks to view the commercial fishing boats that sail by (kids love this). As kids, we remember heading over to the fish market and to see the live lobsters in the huge water tank.
Cockails & Hor d'oeuvres on the Schooner American
The Schooner American is a 130 foot Grand Banks Sailing Vessel that works quite well as a cocktail lounge. You can order drinks and appetizers while watching the sport fishing boats and pleasure yachts on their way into South Jersey Marina. On busy summer nights they even have live music to entertain the guests. It's a fun place for drinks with family and friends and you just can't beat the atmosphere.
Take-Out: Fresh Shrimp, Flounder and Corn
The Take Out Window serves a variety of fried and broiled seafood, soups & chowders and seafood combo platters. You can order To Go or, if you prefer, enjoy your meal dockside overlooking the Schooner & Fishing Boats docked nearby. Checkout the take out menu to see what might appeal to you and your family.
The Raw Bar: Lobster, Crabs, Steamers, Pitchers
The Raw Bar is located on the main dock, across from the Schooner American. It features seafood classics such as steamers, fresh lobster, seasoned chesapeake crabs, and a super rich and yummy crab soup. And unlike the Take Out window, they also serve alcholic beverages. You can order from the counter and enjoy your meal dockside, or you settle in to the bar or tables inside and be waited on. On busy nights you'll wait for a table, but it's generally not as long a wait as the Restaurant. Here's a what the raw bar menu looks like.
Longfellow Family Tip Order from both the Take Out & the Raw Bar and enjoy yourself at a dockside table. The kids, for example, might enjoy the fried seafood (take out), but the adults might prefer fresh steamers, lobster and beer (raw bar.) And on busy nights scout out dock tables while others place the orders.
Lobster House Fish Market
Their Fish Market sells freshly caught seafood. They also bring in frozen fish from around the world so be sure to ask which is which if that's important to you. They also have all the trimmings for a delicious seafood meal such as lemons, cocktail sauce and Bay Seasoning, as well as some prepared specialities such as ready to be cooked clams casino and crabs cakes. The Lobster House Fish Market is definitely the go to place if you're planning a big lobster dinner for friends & family, or a small seafood meal for yourself. And if you are leaving Cape May to head home they will pack up your seafood in ice so it's safe to transport for your drive home.
The Diner
And last but not least, their Diner is a great place in classic diner style, for an early morning breakfast. It has stools for counter service only and is really more of a place for a quick early morning bite for locals (one or two people at at time).
If you have a favorite Lobster House experience or meal, let us know in the commnets below. We'd love to hear your thoughts and share with our readers.