We visited on a Wednesday night in February. Despite gloomy weather and tourist season being months away, the restaurant was generating pretty decent business. We started with fried oysters which happen to be my personal favorite and, of which I am a pretty ruthless critic. For an appetizer portion, the serving was plentiful – in fact, I could have had that for my meal and been satisfied. They were honestly some of the best fried oysters I’ve had – cooked perfectly and not over-battered which is a giant pet peeve of mine. Next, we both opted for burgers – half pound Angus ones with our choice of fixings. Yum! Granted, it’s hard to screw up a burger, but when we ask for it to be cooked rare and it actually comes out nice and pink (a request many chefs tend to over-do, perhaps out of fear of mad cow disease or something), we know we’ve found a kitchen where quality food is produced. I think the only burgers around that perhaps rival Clancy’s are those at the Red Nun, a local watering hole with exceptional pub food.
Will we return to Clancy’s? Absolutely – probably for Prime Rib night. And we will certainly recommend it to guests – particularly those seeking a casual venue with great food, service, and best of all, that old Cape Cod atmosphere, which, with newer more sophisticated restaurants sprouting up, is a rarity. As an added bonus, Clancy’s is open seven nights a week year round – who says there’s not much open on Cape Cod in the winter?
