The Rudder

3.6

173 Reviews

$50 and over

Seafood

Make a reservation

2 people

Sep 19, 2024

9:30 PM

Booked 7 times today

Experiences are available.

Great for scenic views
Neighborhood gem
Great for outdoor dining

An iconic neighborhood establishment featuring refined classics and local seafood by James Beard Award Winning Chef Barbara Lynch. Located in the historic Rocky Neck art district.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Seafood, French, Italian
Hours of operation
Wed–Sun 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(351) 217-1265
Website
https://www.therudderrockyneck.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
73 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA 01930-4179
Neighborhood
Gloucester
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wine

Experiences

2 for 1 Lobsters!
Multiple dates available
Starting Thursday, August 22nd, we will be offering a 2 for 1 lobster special from 4PM until 6PM each evening. The 2 for 1 lobster special includes (2) 1 & 1/4 lb. lobsters served with your choice of fries or coleslaw. A purchase of an alcoholic beverage is necessary in order to participate in the lobster special! From 4PM-5PM, we will just be offering the 2 for 1 special. Our full dinner menu is available starting at 5PM!

What 173 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.6

3.6 based on recent ratings

3.6Food
3.7Service
4.3Ambience
3.2Value

Noise • Moderate

173 Reviews

P
Paulette
Greater Boston
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
As always, great food, service and energy! Love the views. Recommend patio seating.
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GG
GiGi
Greater Boston
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The ambience is great The service was wonderful There was a special 2 for 1 lobster. They were large Only $22 such a great deal. I had a glass of Bouchée that was divine. Lobster doesn’t tell me if the chef is great so I have to go back for a regular meal. I hope the restaurant is successful. It’s wonderful to have somewhere to go that’s local.
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P
Patricia
Manchester
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Seated waterfront as per our request. Attentive service throughout meal. Cocktails were elegant. Had shrimp cocktail and double lobster special. Bread fresh with exquisite olives for dipping and butter drizzled with agave. Relaxed. Wonderful.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Poconos
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 8, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful experience all around! Staff was awesome 😎
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j
julee
Greater Boston
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 7, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Although the food was of high quality and very tasty, the portions were incredibly small. The covered porch was very loud and one could not hear their fellow diner across the table.
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A
Amanda
Greater Boston
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 7, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
The food was good most of the portions were very small for the price except for the duck- The duck meal was really good but had no veggies on it- Basically eating a large portion of Duck on a bone (filled the entire plate) The management seemed very disorganized and the wait staff confused- It took almost 30 mins to receive our drinks. Once we got our drinks we didn't get to put in our oder for over 40 mins AND we didn't get served for 45 mins after we ordered- Not sure what was happening this evening...definitely disappointed.
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V
Virginia
Greater Boston
78 reviews
5.0
78 reviews
Dined on August 31, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The is as perfect as waterfront dining can be, perfect service (thanks again Clarissa, please excuse our spelling), a talented bartender, wonderful menu and spectacular food. Clama, oysters even chicken memorable!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on August 30, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Top 5 worst dining experiences of my life. Barbara Lynch would close this place herself if she saw what was served to us and how. This shouldn’t have her name attached to it whatsoever. After waiting 45 minutes, both the chowder and butter soup served barely warm. Another 90, yes 90, minutes go by with no service whatsoever, other than the melted ice we had in an empty glass from our original drink order. Then the entrees… Steak Frittes, with fries which my wife clearly explained she couldn’t have due to a gluten allergy. The fried clams were just a bowl of unseasoned breading with warm tartar sauce ladled of the top. Please… season your food chef, for the love of god season your food. The manager comped our meal at least, but 2+ hours of my life I’ll never get back. Maybe tomorrow I’ll find seafood on the north shore’s fishing capitol worth eating.
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K
Katherine
New York City
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on August 24, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
One of the worst dining experiences I’ve had. So disappointing! When walking in Barbara Lynchs books are prominently displayed (I already own both). We made a reservation 3 weeks earlier, specifically for the outdoor porch but were seated indoors 40 min after our reservation time. We told the hostess that our reservation was for outdoors and after acknowledging she knew that, she sat another couple with a later reservation at an outdoor table within minutes. Once at a table, we sat, without menus, for 20 minutes without acknowledgment. I had to flag down the waiter at the table next to us. He said there was only one server working (which wasn’t true). He and the hostess made lots of excuses for the poor service that night but after reading other reviews, I learned that the poor service that night was not an outlier for the restaurant. I could go on and on. Once we got menus, we were rushed through our meal. The food was good but not excellent or amazing. Barbara Lynch, as the owner and “famous chef”, should make some major changes here!
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M
Maureen
Greater Boston
24 reviews
5.0
24 reviews
Dined on August 24, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Food was amazing. Staff was very friendly however it was understaffed so it took a bit longer and a couple of mistakes as far as giving presenting of food, but not great experience.
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FAQs

The Rudder is rated 3.6 stars by 173 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Sep 19, 2024

9:30 PM

Booked 7 times today

Experiences are available.

73 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA 01930-4179

Dining areas

Additional information

Neighborhood
Gloucester
Hours of operation
Wed–Sun 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Seafood, French, Italian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wine

Website
https://www.therudderrockyneck.com/
Phone number
(351) 217-1265

The Rudder

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Experiences

2 for 1 Lobsters!

Menu

What 173 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is The Rudder restaurant rated?

Is The Rudder currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information