A review of The Tides Restaurant, just north of Boston in Nahant

Yesterday my wife an I decided we had had enough of the heat and wanted to go to the beach. So we went swimming in Nahant beach—a lovely place where the waves are small and the increase in depth is very slow as you go farther out. A good place to take the kids, you know.

We were quite hungry after that. A local young fellow named Brian, who had seen us at the beach a week or two ago, recommended that we eat at The Tides Restaurant and Pub. Not poor advice at all. The menu is packed with different options, the seafood dishes are scrumptious, and the prices are very reasonable, as I will show you.

We kicked it off with an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms:

They were indeed delicious, but what exactly were they stuffed with? Being in New England, of course, it has to be lobster, scallops, and shrimp. Truly a one of a kind stuffing. I didn’t even need the melted butter from that cup there.

My wife told me beforehand that the portions of food were enough to fill you up here. For her part, she got a small pizza. They let you “build your own,” something perfectly suited to my wife’s unique tastes. If I remember right, she got a lobster scampi topping, along with olives, eggplant, garlic and extra cheeses, including feta. In order not to over-sauce it, they used diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. Yummmm.
Yes, this is a small pizza!

Ok, wait—that’s not a close enough view. I reeeally want you to get jealous:

My dish was an equally satisfying plate of baked stuffed haddock with a skewer of grilled vegetables and a hearty side of chili. The haddock was, of course, stuffed with that fine mixture of different shellfish I fell in love with while eating the mushrooms.

Baked Stuffed haddock at the Tides Restaurant in Nahant

We didn’t have dessert, but we did have a drink called Purple Lei which had a real nice mixture of fruity flavors (below).

The Purple Lei (it’s not totally purple) We also really got to see the whole restaurant because we moved around our seating at the beginning. First we were inside, then we went outside, and finally, we were very graciously seated at a booth (they did not do this to us…we couldn’t make up our mind). The place is spacious enough to seat probably 200 people in all, but it is so popular that even with the large capacity you will often have to wait a while to be seated (fortunately, we came later so we didn’t have many problems). While they don’t do reservations, you are encouraged to call ahead (781-593-7500) for seating info and to put your name on the waiting list in advance so you aren’t waiting too long once you arrive.

I really liked this place. It serves good food in a respectable atmosphere, but it’s down to earth. It’s located at the end of the long stretch of beach along Nahant Road, the only road connecting Nahant to the mainland. On some days you can even get discounts (we ate on a Sunday; my entrée was discounted $2) and I believe on Tuesdays kids eat free.

I am writing this in August, during the hot summer days when everyone is swimming. I do not know if the waits or menus are different in the winter. Here below is the check for the experience to give you an idea of the prices of things. Not too bad at all (and, I might add, I appreciate them not using “$14.99″ when the price is $15). I’ll be back!