Ipswich Clambake Reviews

Ipswich Clambake

Ipswich, MA

4.8 out of 5 rating, 27 reviews

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4.8 out of 5 rating

4.8

Excellent

27 reviews

Recommended by 95% of couples

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Quality of service
4.8 out of 5 rating
Average response time
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Moira Sent on 01/11/2021

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"Best wedding food we ever had!"

While shifting plans for our small (Covid-Era) wedding, we hired Ipswich Clambake to provide the food for our special day. The food was incredible! Our friends and family are still raving about it three months later. "Best wedding food we ever had!" they say. We're so happy we got to have a unique clambake experience for our beachy backyard wedding. Steamers, lobsters, steak tips - the dream wedding food! The staff was so professional, respectful and responsible with COVID-safe protocol. They made sure everyone was taking the proper precautions to stay safe, and we're so friendly and easy to work with. I recommend Ipswich Clambake to everyone and hope to work with them again for future events. Thanks so much everyone!
User2385594 Sent on 10/23/2015

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The Ipswich Clambake Co was excellent - they catered our rehearsal dinner, and the food was excellent!
Thank you so much!
Jessica Sent on 07/15/2015

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Hands down, best rehearsal dinner ever!! My husband and I wanted a casual backyard clambake so we hired Ipswich Clambake Company. They were extremely professional and fun to work with. They arrived right on time, just as we were running out the door to the rehearsal. When we came back, the grill was fired up, the tables were set and we were ready to party! The food was absolutely delicious! People went up for seconds and thirds!! They went above and beyond to accommodate children, vegetarians, and food allergies. They even packed up the leftovers for us and we ate them the very next day! I will definitely hire them the next time we host a clambake!!

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Denise Sent on 11/26/2014

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We used Ipswich Clambake for the catering of our oceanfront rehearsal dinner at the Manchester Bath & tennis Club at Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. The food was delicious, the company took care of all setup/cleanup, and the staff was incredibly professional. Our guests enjoyed the authentic New England Clambake experience, and I would highly recommend using this company to anyone.
Sherry Sent on 09/23/2014

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This vendor was perfect! We were looking for a low key buffet with excellent food and that is exactly what we got! They rolled with the punches and everyone was very personable.
Christine Sent on 08/05/2014

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Delicious and affordable! A clambake was a creative way to have have steak and lobster at my wedding within my tight budget. They bring their own grills and cooking stations which is fantastic for venues that don't have modern, industrial kitchens. They offer everything from linens to utensil options.

My guests loved the New England charm of having a clam bake at my wedding. It's also a nice change for them, since many of my guests attended several other weddings this summer.
Ashley Sent on 01/03/2014

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Ipswich Clambake Catering

Well 6 months after our wedding and I am still getting compliments on the food from our wedding. While I wish I could cook that way, the reward goes to Ipswich Clambake.
Not only was the food outstanding, but the service was phenomenal. Michelle, our catering manager always responded promptly. I also really liked how she was able to work within our budget and that there were many menu options. You can tell she had so much experience as she was able to give us some tips or lead us in the right direction and answer many questions I had. One characteristic that really stood out was trustworthiness. At one point my husband and I came up with the appetizer list and we had just put a bunch of different platters. I thought it was great that Michelle got back to us to let us know the amount of platters we were ordering was way more than we actually needed. She was willing to work with us and our site, and was very flexible.
User1227405 Sent on 07/04/2013

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Since my daughter's wedding in 2011, I have recommended Ipswich Clambake to everyone I've talked with who is having a wedding. The food and service were wonderful; everything exceeded my expectations. The preparation, timing of courses, presentation, and taste were all perfect. The food was absolutely sumptuous! Having seafood for the wedding topped off the atmosphere we were seeking, both elegant and fun. Thank you, Ipswich Clambake, for making our wedding most excellent!
Dane Sent on 07/03/2013

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I found that Ipswich Clambake Company not only serves better quality food than their competitors, but they were a pleasure to work with and really took charge and went the extra mile in troubleshooting the day of our wedding.
Jessica Sent on 07/01/2013

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We had them for our rehearsal dinner and it was great! Seamless service and we didn't have to worry about a thing!
User1223619 Sent on 07/01/2013

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I cannot recommend Michelle and Ipswich Clambake highly enough! We were lucky enough to get the recommendation of Ipswich Clambake from a friend who works in fundraising at a private school and is very experienced in event planning. People are still commenting on how good the food was at our wedding two years later. A clam bake was unusual and very Boston for out of town guests, and so traditional that even some people who grew up in the Boston area had never experienced one. Not only that, it was very affordable! Michelle was flexible and accommodating about little things that mattered to us--for example, we wanted Iggy's bread rolls; and very kind and professional--they even offered my dog water when she came in for pictures! Couldn't be happier with everything.
Jaime Sent on 07/01/2013

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Michelle Pepin was nothing short of AMAZING. Not only did she cover every detail of the catering (i.e.: yes the berries will be perfect that time of year), while taking great pains to make it cost efficient for us ('just buy your champagne flutes from IKEA, it's actually way cheaper than renting them', so TRUE!) but she also gave us wonderful advice about the event itself that we NEVER would have thought of (i.e.: 'you should have a receiving line outside the church because it may be the only time you see some of your guests on the day', she was SO right and we even had a smallish wedding!). The food was superb, people talked about it for months after. The staff on day of was inviting, calm and orderly. We definitely got a delicious quintessential seaside New England meal for a fantastic price (leaps and bounds above the rubbery chicken I've had at other weddings that cost $90 a head!!). Given that it was a clambake, with steak and seafood (and plenty of veggies for the vegetarians) we were able to have a more casual atmosphere that felt authentic (rather than way too fancy or not fancy at all). Somehow plastic bibs are okay when you're eating lobster! I was worried about many other things going into my wedding day, but not the food. We did the right thing, the moment we signed on with Ipswich Clambake. These people know what they're doing. They know good food, service and people like the back of their hands. You cannot go wrong with them. I'm so very grateful for their service. They were also the first people I spoke to, that didn't sound like they were trying to swindle me. So many of the other 'wedding factory' caterers, don't actually care about the people they serve. Ipswich Clambake does. They get full marks in my book.
User1223522 Sent on 07/01/2013

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Michelle was very easy to work with & everything was wonderful.
Andrea Sent on 06/20/2013

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My husband and I loved every moment of our clambake reception as did our guests. The food was superb and Michelle and her staff rolled with every obstacle tossed their way: Monsoon? No problem, we'll move everything indoors in a trice. Property Manager of an historic estate a tad fussy and difficult? No problem, we'll cook in a corner and get all the food to you in a flash and with excellent humor. A fantastic experience.
User1199958 Sent on 06/13/2013

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We used Ipswich Clambake for our wedding rehearsal dinner. The food was delicious and the prep team and servers were prompt and very pleasant. Overall we had a great experience and would highly recommend them for an event.
Amanda Sent on 06/12/2013

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Michelle and her staff were polite, helpful, professional, and friendly. They took care of things we never even thought of, such as lighting candles on the tables and opening bottles of wine, truly going above and beyond our expectations. The food was excellent quality and our guests enjoyed every bite. We would highly recommend Ipswich Clambake Company for superior service and delicious food.
User1198090 Sent on 06/12/2013

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Michelle was incredibly helpful with everything leading up to our wedding. She took so much off our plates by making sure all other vendors knew what was expected of them and when it was expected. But all this is really secondary to the food, which was incredible. We wanted something a little less traditional for our wedding and went with the clambake that included lobster, steak tips, chicken, salad, sides, chowder, and fried clams. Everything was cooked perfectly - nothing overcooked! Professional without being stuffy. Unpretentious without sacrificing quality. IMO - Perfect.
User1198015 Sent on 06/12/2013

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We had a clambake "rehearsal" dinner with 40+ guests. Our aim was fun more than fancy, and this was perfect. Everyone was very happy. There were some issues because of the venue and the weather - the Ipswich Clambake people handled them beautifully. Very nice, flexible, easy to deal with; delivered as promised. Highly recommended.
Charlotte Sent on 04/14/2013

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Ipswich Clambake was a joy to work with. They set up a tasting for our family and helped us design a menu that fit our needs. They were also responsive to emails and able to accomodate changes quickly and without hesitation as needed. During the wedding, the set up, service and clean up were all quick and efficient. Everyone on the staff was a pleasure to work with on the day of. We were told by many guests (and agree) that the food was the best they had ever had at a wedding.
Robyn Sent on 06/11/2010

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Choosing Ipswich Clambake Company was the BEST and EASIEST decision of all my wedding planning. They had the most delicious food, the best price, and the friendliest service. They were so great to work with and everything they provided - from linens, to dinner, to service - far exceeded all my expectations. A month after my wedding and people are still talking about how amazing the food was. You really can't go wrong here.
User943629 Sent on 09/14/2013

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Michelle did such an awesome job with all the details of my wedding reception! I got so many compliments on the quality of the food and everyone throughly enjoyed the entire event! For most people it was their first clambake and they had so much fun! The food was excellent, service was superb and I only wish I had more leftovers that I could enjoy even longer! The only thing I would mention is they do have a busy season and it is a little difficult communicating with them during that time, but that is to be expected in the summer months.
Katie Sent on 07/01/2013

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I have absolutely no regrets about using these guys to cater my wedding! I was able to pick and choose exacty what foods I wanted and there was SO much food!! The food was absolutely delicious and I was able to show all my out of town family and friends what a true lobster/clam bake was. We had leftovers for a week haha. Everyone loved it. Very friendly, you don't feel just like a number to them, and professional. Thank you for making my day even more special :)
Mike Sent on 02/25/2010

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My wife and I could not be happier with our decision to hire Ipswich Clambake Company for our wedding in August of 2008.

The friendly service we received was wonderful, both before and on the day of the event.

The 4-course dinner was also fantastic. Our family and friends still brag about how awesome our lobster and steak tip dinner was. (I am getting hungry now just thinking about it.) It is a big part of why we frequently hear that we had “the best” wedding.

If you are considering a caterer to hire for your wedding (or any event), I wholeheartedly recommend Ipswich Clambake Company!
Catherine Sent on 07/11/2010

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Delicious food, helpful staff, flexibility in scheduling tasting prior to signing a contract. Only thing I would change would be to have slightly less food per person and reduce the cost accordingly. They even bumped up our number slightly, and we have enough leftovers to keep us in Lobster tails and grilled chicken for a month!
User1696614 Sent on 07/06/2014

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Taste of Food: We had clam chowder/steamed clams/blueberry-goat cheese salad as appetizers and lobster/marinated steak tips/marinated chicken/marinated grilled vegetables/potato salad and portabello sandwiches (vegetarian option) as our entrees. Overall, our guests absolutely loved the food! Everyone was raving about the lobster. I got a review from a couple foodie friends who said they really, really enjoyed the marinated steak tips (perhaps even more so than the lobster because the marinade was that good!).

Responsiveness: I chose Ipswich because the turnaround for e-mailing about food options and quotes was very prompt, and I needed that because we planned our wedding in 6 months and booked our caterer about 3.5 months before the wedding. Contact between our venue and the caterer was slower, but it also got a lot busier for them as we approached summertime. They touched base with the venue the week of the wedding though, and everyone seemed to be on the same page.

Quality of Service: The planning process was great-- I found everyone to be easy to work with, flexible, and helpful. However, the day after the wedding, I heard from one of our guests that one of the servers was somewhat inflexible about a simple request, most likely because of being stressed at the time. Overall, everyone else seemed to have a great experience.

Value: Compared to a few other lobster clambake caterers that I had checked out, Ipswich Clambake was unique for its great food for great value. Since the wedding industry can be so overpriced, I felt a lot more comfortable with our spending on food and felt that every cent was worthwhile.
Lauren Sent on 06/22/2014

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Read all the way to the end. We are still receiving compliments about the food at our wedding. Everyone said the clam chowder was delicious and the best they have had! We had buddy style chicken, beef, and vegetables.

Michelle, who no longer is with Ipswich Clambake, was professional and worked with us to help decide on a menu that made sense with our budget and type of reception we wanted.

My only issues were with service. All but one of our servers were so kind and polite.

We had to ask the waitstaff to bring the bridal party appetizers while our pictures were being taken and we didn't get all the options we had picked. When it was brought to their attention that the bridal party hadn't been served any appetizers, they brought food right away.

This is the BIGGEST issue I had.

From the very beginning, I had been saying that my aunt has many food allergies and that having a meal she could eat was the MOST IMPORTANT part of our meal even before mine. When it was her turn to go to the buffet, the server rudely told her that her specially prepared food was gone and that she should have come up earlier. She kindly told the gentleman she had waited with the other guests at her table until they were told it was their turn to go to the buffet. He said to her you snooze you lose. This was extremely upsetting to know one of the most important people at my wedding was insulted. Even more upsetting, is the fact that I had been reassured when I double-checked as they started to serve the food, that all she had to do was explain that she was there for her specialized meal. The other guests at the table she was sitting at were also told there were no more grilled vegetables for them. This buffet was not a self-serve, the catering staff served everyone their food so running out of food should not have happened.

If this hadn't happened I would recommend them to everyone, and probably still would but it really left a wonderful experience on a really bad note.
Ally Sent on 04/25/2022

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Unprofessionalism at its finest

The owner is very VERY unprofessional. He cannot handle an honest review from the customers. Please see the screenshot of his response to my honest review of his restaurant. Talking about how my husband has to deal with me until we get a divorce ? Like who says stuff like that. Avoid this place at all cost. Go to Clambox down the street. Much better food and service

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