Cape Cod’s coolest dining destinations
by Patrick Flanary
Photos by: Kjeld Mahoney
The name says it all. This towering gem with panoramic views of the Cape Cod Canal is an authority on all things seafood. Brothers Bob and Denny Colbert have fished out of Sandwich Marina since the ’80s. But their big break came when they snatched up the site in 2015 after the freezer plant that stood there for a century was torn down.
“What really drew us to this spot was the ability to have a large holding tank for our catch,” says Bob’s daughter and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Colbert.
Fishermen’s View is boat-to-table bliss, with a bonus seafood market filled with scallops, crab, lobster, and other freshly caught delights.
FLAVOR:
A seafood lover’s paradise, from sushi to shellfish and everything in between. The flawless lobster roll—all meat, no mayo—is an absolute must. Executive Chef Sean O’Regan offers a rich take on ravioli by stuffing it with succulent Jonah crab. Its claw meat is served separately, shrimp cocktail-style. Thick cuts of grilled swordfish pair well with the signature blueberry-lemon spritz cocktail.
When your family has been fishing the same waters since the 1980s and you have direct access to holding tanks filled with your own catch, the menu possibilities become extraordinary. Executive Chef Sean O’Regan isn’t working with seafood that’s been shipped, frozen, or sitting in a distributor’s warehouse. He’s creating dishes with creatures that were swimming in the Cape Cod Canal waters just hours before they reach the plate. This fundamental advantage allows him to showcase seafood in its purest, most flavorful forms, from delicate raw preparations like sushi to perfectly grilled thick-cut fish steaks.
VIBE:
Walking into a 400-seat restaurant is an entirely different experience from your typical neighborhood seafood shack. The energy level at Fishermen’s View during peak service must be electric, almost overwhelming in the best possible way. You’re not entering an intimate dining room where conversations echo—you’re stepping into a bustling seafood hall where the ambient noise of clinking glasses, animated conversations, and kitchen activity creates a lively backdrop that signals this is a place where something special is happening. The sheer number of people required to keep this operation flowing smoothly becomes part of the atmosphere itself. Servers weaving between tables, food runners delivering steaming platters of shellfish, hosts managing the constant flow of arrivals—it all contributes to a sense of organized energy that makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than just dinner.
