Any recent recs, especially in Hull/Nantasket?
@GretchenS, you’ve spoken in the past of Jake’s, Alma Nove and a bit about The Bloomy Rind. Are they still solid? We might make a trip to the area later in August, delta-variant willing. We’ll probably take a cooler of ham, salami, cheese, bread, etc., and an ample supply of wine, so we are looking mainly for dinner options. We may only want to do takeout, but if we do eat at a restaurant it will have to be one that serves outdoors.
Sadly it’s been several years since I’ve been in that area. Jake’s has been great for a very long time indeed so I have no reason to think anything has changed there. No recent info to offer. Will look forward to your report!!
Every time we visit Hull, we always visit the wind turbine. And we always wonder about the restaurant in the shadow of it.
Decent fun beach-y food? Or more of a drinking establishment (which often goes hand-in-hand with the latter)?
+1 Jake’s.
I like Square Cafe in Hingham center, as also Tosca and their cafe across the street.
And I usually make a trip to Scarlet Oak which is not too far, but has a few things on the menu that I do remember and crave once or twice a year.
Alma Nove is good, but I can’t say I’m ever dying to go there. My family around there loves it, though.
Thanks all. Yes, @GretchenS, if we do make the jaunt, I’ll let you all know what we ate.
Partly-food related: we won’t be in a hurry, so were thinking of taking a leisurely drive down along 3A, with a detour on Quincy Shore Dr. Any comments, or suggestions regarding the route? Any seafood shacks, ice cream stands, places selling improbably great bbq along the way?
Eta: On further investigation I see there are dueling seafood shacks on my route: The Clam Box and Tony’s Clam Shop.
Not on the drive but close enough are the Quincy chinatown branches of Winsor and a couple of others - that’s where I’d be headed (for pickup) 
Thanks. Yes, they had been on my radar for pickup on the drive back.
I always go to the Clam Box when I’m down that way. White Farms Ice Cream is also just a mile or so from there, a good old fashioned make-their-own (probably from a base) stand that’s worth a stop. Cash only.
Do you prefer them to Tony’s, or is it because that’s been your regular place and is good? (The latter is a good enough reason, but I was curious if you’d done a comparison.)
Eta: I did a search for White Farms and I only get locations in Ipswich and possibly Gloucester. Could the Quincy location have closed?
I’ve wondered the same about that restaurant. We hope to take the MBTA boat there from Long Wharf for a day trip maybe after Labor Day, or after school starts, to avoid the crowds.
I’ve actually never gone to Tony’s, but fwiw I have comparison shopped between Woodman’s in Essex and the Clam Box and have always thought that the Clam Box was better.
@passingthru, any chance you were thinking North Shore and not South Shore when you wrote this? Just did the drive up north Saturday and those two places were on our route through Ipswich.
P. S. Could’ve been me writing this since I know nothin’ about the ways and byways of the South Shore.
d’oh. I sure am. NEVER MIND FOODABBLER!
I’m a dope.
Well, I would say that you are smart to enjoy the North Shore so much! Didn’t someone once say that we only have eyes for the ones we love? I adore Cape Ann too.
No problem. I have eaten at the Clam Box of Ipswich, and liked it. The Clam Box on Quincy Shore Dr. does not appear to be connected to the Ipswich one.
I had some excellent fried clams at the Hingham Lobster Pound a couple years back. They’ve been churning them out since my dad was a kid, apparently.
We had takeout pizza from Peel recently which we ate with friends on the beach, and it was outstanding. Very thin crust, excellent toppings.
Does it have to be Hull/Hingham? Much further south (from a northerner’s perspective) Green Harbor Lobster Pound in Marshfield has been on my to-do list for some time.
The Hingham Lobster Pound have the best clams you’ll find anywhere. They’re just as good if not better than the well known Ipswich places. They’re about 1/3 mile from a great picnic spot on the water with picnic tables on Hingham Harbor. Every summer, I make at least a few trips to that area just to get their clams. Their onion rings and fried bananas are good too!
Thanks @Parsnipity, and @Catsmeow .
And @digga, are you talking to me? If so, yes, Hingham/Hull because we are planning to spend time at Nantasket, and want to stay put and not drive around too much.
