I will start by saying generally speaking we have had decent food and service from the Dolphin in the past, that is the reason for two stars. Yesterday we ordered take out from the website menu the following:
*Crab Combination Salad......................................16.55
Two pan -seared homemade crab cakes with grilled jumbo shrimp and scallops served over garden salad
We asked what was in the salad due to food allergies, mesclun, so we asked if they could change it to iceberg or romaine lettuce, the answer we got was no problem, I'm glad we checked when we picked up our order, both salads were MESCLUN. We also asked for Blue Cheese Dressing, but we received creamy parmesan or ranch. Â According to the menu this salad comes with grilled scallops, NONE were included! Â Needless to say this was a very disappointing experience!
I go to the Dolphin a lot with local friends - but really can only review the bar appetizers and drinks - as I don't think I've ever had a full meal there.
Those are good! The better part - the appetizers are discounted in the bar. Â The best part - the bar/restaurant staff are super friendly. Â
Good selection of beers and wines, good full bar.
I don't love oysters, but all my friends like them and love the ones at the Dolphin.
Every Sunday, the Dolphin has Stump Trivia at 8:00 p.m. - but plan accordingly, it gets busy now!
Definitely a good, local place to go!
First time there - new to the neighborhood, and had received a gift card as a housewarming present... so we thought we would try it out.
We waited to be seated in the bar. Â Service in the bar was very good. Â However you have to pay for your drinks in the bar and cannot add it to your meal bill. Â
Server did not tell us about the specials... Â After we ordered, we heard him telling other tables about them. Â Service was very slow, server apologized several times for the delay in food being ready.
Appetizer - Martha's Vineyard oysters. Â Excellent. Â
Entrees -
Seafood Diablo. Â Pasta was mushy and some of the seafood tasted not right. Â It was clear that the dish had been nuked just before being brought to us, because it had been sitting at the pass so long. Â My husband loves pasta and seafood.... and of this, he only finished about 1/3 of his entree - it was so bad. Â
Seafood Sampler. (an appetizer, I ordered as my entree) Â 3 oysters, 3 cherrystones, and 3 shrimp. Â Cocktail sauce was good. Â Seafood arrived on a bed of mostly melted ice, water was standing 3/4" deep. Â Shrimp was ok at best, though a tad warm. Â The oysters looked not so good, did not try them. Â My husband tried the cherrystone and immediately spit it out as it tasted as if it had gone bad.
Server told the manager, who deducted 1/2 of our bill... Which is all and good, however we now have a lot of our gift card left - and little desire to return.
First time here, It was firday and its kind of busy. Â We order the clam chowder steam mussle, lobster clam bake and swordfish. Â The mussle and grill. Sword fish was okay. But the lobster and clam bake were below average. Â The lobster was way over cooked. Â Toughtest lobster I ever eaten. Â Yuck. The clams were really big but not very fresh. Â The only good thing we had was the clam chowder.
The service is slow.
2.5 star
What a bummer. Â Stopped in for lunch - party of four. Â Steamer app., good size portion no flavor, too thick, not sweet, served no butter. Â Took a good 10 minutes or more waiting for butter. Â Service really slow. Â Waitress nice, but uninformed. Â When asking what size difference of steamer app. Vs meal we were told the app. Is smaller. Â Really?! Â Duh. Â Stuffed lobster tail ok. Â Steak tip ceaser all yellow lettuce. Â Not one piece of green to be found. Â Freezing cold. Â No hostess. Â Sorry, won't be back.
Review Source:Seafood sampler - 2 cherry stones, 2 oysters, 2 shrimp was a nice assortment.
I added a fried whole clam dinner with baked potato and side of broc.
I like to come here when you want a quiet relaxing meal with good conversation since it is easy to talk in the dining room.
There are places where I love the food but find myself screaming over the crowd.
The decor is whimsical, charming and trendy. Â The waiter was right on with service.
The parking lot is free and there are meters on the street if it gets busy.
I can't emphasize enough how perfect this place is. Â Everyone there is personal and super friendly. Â My favorite here that I keep coming back for are the oysters paired with a nice dark draft. Â Makes a great place to hang during the cold wintery nights. Â Especially during football witht their .35c wings, not to mention half off apps. Â Dolphin's in Natick defintiely goes down as one of my all time favorities.
Review Source:Just spent my Groupon on the "Lobster dining experience" for 4. Â I paid $60 for it, and it supposedly comes with four 1.25 lb lobster and 2 orders of shrimp cocktail. Â I have been a lifelong Natick resident before I moved in October and Dolphin is sort of like an underdog restaurant. Â Competitions such as Legal's and SkipJack's on Rt. 9 diverted much attention from this little place in downtown Natick. Â I have not gone to Dolphin's since probably freshman year of college so it was a looooong time.
Upon walking into Dolphin's, I have noticed that the restaurant has shrunk. Â What used to be the bar area is now an "In Shape for Women". Â The hostess stand is deserted, and what used to be a front foyer dining room is now a catering office for a different restaurant. Â Instead of being greeted by the host/hostesses right when we walk into the door, we now have to walk all the way down the ramp, to a non-existent hostess stand. Â We were seated right away the service was so-so.
Besides the 4 lobsters and shrimp cocktails, we also ordered clam chowders, fried oysters and seafood platter. Â The waiter made a comment about "I'll be surprised if you guys can finish this". Â It wasn't offensive, but it was weird in a way, like, I would never say that to a customer. Â Anyway, the fried oysters were kind of tasteless, the fried seafood platter was bland. Â Clam chowders were a little too watery for my taste (I like them thick and creamy). Â The lobsters were tiny, I guess they would qualify as "chicken lobsters". Â
When the bill came, it was the most confusing thing I have ever seen. Â I don't really care about the mechanics of how the Groupon works in their computer system, but I just think that the Groupon wasn't much of a deal. Â I paid $60 for their groupon. Â The 1.25 lb twin lobster dinner was $25.99. Â Shrimp cocktail was $8.99. Â So, with 4 lobsters ($25.99 x 2 = $51.98) and 2 shrimp cocktail $17.98, we really only saved $9.96. Â The saving wasn't significant like other restaurant Groupons that I have gotten that are 50% off.
I am surprised that Dolphin's is still around, given the lack of crowds (besides old folks) dining there. Â It was a nothing special dining experience for me and my family, will probably be another 10 years before I will come back here again "for old times sake" (if they are still around).
I'm afraid that our last few visits to Dolphin were not as good as earlier ones. The restaurant has tried to reinvent itself as a somewhat more upscale place. The decor is less drab, but the food is bland, overpriced, and somewhat overcooked. Too bad. It's close to where we live, and we'd be there all the time.
It's still OK, but now it's just average. What a shame.
Terrible.  I have been multiple times.  The seafood is mediocre.  The bartenders are terrible.  I asked about the alcoholic iced tea.  The bartender said "I dunno, I've never made it before!"  Really?  I went to the bathroom at the end of the night and my friend said that the bartender was concerned I was unable to drive home.  I had 3 drinks.  Not to sound like a lush, but on a weekend night I usually have 6-7 drinks.  I guarantee you I was not drunk after 3.  Perhaps lightly buzzed.  It was a Wednesday.  Are you serious?  The whole experience left me disenchanted.  I have been to MANY MANY MANY bars in my life and I have been to the Dolphin at least 10 times or more.  I am 30 years old and I know how to hold my alcohol.  I live 1 town over and PROMISE you I was not drunk after 3 cocktails over a loooooong period of time.  The bartender is asking about my sobriety?  Seriously?  AWFUL experience.  A friend of mine told me he was thrown out of the Dolphin for acting "too drunk" months ago---I assumed he had misbehaved and acted like an ass.  After this experience (tonight), I believe he probably had done nothing wrong---they are very prude in their judgement of customers.  Probably cause they are used to the elderly  crowd that fills this place.  If you are going to run a bar, you might NOT want to cut off your clients after 3 drinks (in a 3 hour time span).  Not exactly good business.  I will not go back.  Instead I will go to the Chicken Bone, Pepperoncini's, BBC, or ANYWHERE on Rt 9 over this dump.  P.S. all old people in the parking lot.  I'm trying to park.  Get the f out of the way.
Addendum: Â In the bartender's defense, perhaps he is new (that would explain him saying he's never made one of the drinks on the limited drink menu) and being overly cautious. Â However, I only actually ordered 2 drinks that night. Â The 3rd was a shot that HE BROUGHT OVER as free samples for me and my 2 friends. Â If he thought I was too drunk, why did he bring the 3rd drink, which I did not even ask for?? Â The whole thing was just an odd experience. Â I might have gone back, but then this morning I got a message on Facebook from a girl named Stacey---one of the bartenders who WASN'T EVEN THERE LAST NIGHT. Â She read this review, and wasn't happy about it so she sent me a message calling me names and insulting me. Â Guess she felt the need to stick her nose in, even though she knows nothing about what actually went down. Â So now I REALLY won't go back. Â Way to lose a customer!
Still fine, but I'd rather go to Cap'n Marden's. Has the ambiance of what I think a cruise ship would be like. Big, so rarely a wait. I've had a number of particularly bland meals here lately, but it's still a good deal for lunch, prices are reasonable. You could do worse. (You could go to Legal's.)
Review Source:Came here for Valentine's. I love the interior, very clean and elegant for a night out. The blue lighting is a nice touch, and gives off a feeling of being in the deep blue sea. Not literally haha. Anyway, I had the A La Natick Casserole, it had fresh chunks of scallops, lobster, and shrimp in a breaded stuffing with cheese on top. Mmm, it was tasty. I definetaly would come back, and try something else. Maybe the dolphin? Lol
Review Source:we had a groupon to dolphin seafood, which for $30 included (for 2 people): 2 chowders, 1 shrimp cocktail, and 2 lobsters, each with 2 sides.
when we arrived, the staff was welcoming and quickly seated us at a table, but then had to wait over 10 minutes for our server to come by. however, when he did arrive, he was very friendly, articulate, and explained to us how the groupon option worked. after that initial delay, his service was good throughout the meal. he was attentive and timely with the dishes, and while he asked how everything was at times he did not hover for feedback or interrupt the meal.
now for the food itself. we started with a new england clam chowder and the seafood chowder, which had shrimp and tilapia. both chowders were creamy and served hot. i did think they were both heavy on the potato and light on the fish, and the baby shrimps in the seafood chowder were very very baby. i chose the garden salad for one of my sides, which was a nice size for a starter. the shrimp cocktail came with 4 jumbo shrimp, the sauce was likely bottled but had a decent flavor with just a bit of kick. we also had a few dinner rolls that were of the frozen variety, but i ate one anyway.
our lobsters came out steaming, but were a little under the promised pound and a quarter. it was clear that they had been tanked for a while, since the claws were pretty shriveled - but yes, i do know that it's lobster in february. they were pretty good, and came with steamed broccoli and rice pilaf (just plain yellow rice).
overall, the food was decent, but didn't stand out as amazing. the vibe was relaxed and there was a bar in the front with what looked to be a great drink menu. there were a lot of options on the main menu, and it would be an 'easy-to-please' place for a family looking for decent seafood that's not terribly expensive.
Terrible - Or should I say Blah!
The Water - tasted like chlorine, unfiltered and undrinkable - Yuck!
The Coconut shrimp - While Good Idea, it was poorly executed. It tasted like little dripping balls of oil, all the taste was lost. The idea - breaded shrimp with coconut with a dipping sauce and a dab of mustard, Great!... The execution... An Oily Blah
The Swordfish Kabob and Caesar Salad - Blah, Blah with a side sauce of Blah.
The chocolate cake tasted like it was prepackaged from Costco. Therefore, it's Overpriced Blah.
Waiter: friendly and attentive.
Price: way too high
Conclusion: if you are a rich little old lady with no taste buds this place is perfect for you. Otherwise avoid it. I'll never go back. It makes me wonder if the people who rated this highly ever get out of town much...
UPDATE: 8 hours later, and I still feel the greasy shrimp sitting in my stomach like a bag of sand.
This place is great, if you know how to navigate it. Â
We live 3 minutes (walking distance) away and go here all the time. Â Dinner included. Â What we've found is that the sit-down-have-yourself-a-nice-meal experience is meh ... Â But the appetizers and the drinks in the bar area are amazing.
The waitstaff is really great. Â They are personable, available, and ready to make everything happen for you. They have excellent drinks, great atmosphere, and we really like going here as our default spot. Â
Our suggestions:
The dinner entrees are mediocre at best, but seem to be improving
The appetizers and drinks: Amazingly awesome _ Settle in the bar area for great drinks, maybe a martini (dirty),a side car (yes they know how, and it's the best we've had), or anything else from the drink menu, and order from the bar menu. Â You won't be disappointed.
We picked  "Dolphin" restaurant  off the internet  looking  for  a seafood house  in MetroWest.  This  seemed  promising.  We  come  from Hudson and  know  good/great  places  in Boston, NYC, NJ, SF and NO, too.
We were delightfully  surprised at  Dolphin.  The quality of  the  meal  for  the price  was  terrific.  The seafood was perfectly cooked. The waitress was friendly and  efficient, nice  people at  other tables. Metrowest  restaurants  can  be a terrible experience-poor chowda, haddock and  fried  clams. Food quality, selection and  service  is  #1for us here.  Decor  was OK.  Â
We will be back with friends to also enjoy with us!
Every time I go w/ just my daughter I get lousy service and we gave the Dolphin 4 chances. Apparently a single mother w/ her young child doesn't warrant good service at all. I can't stand the lousy service at all....and when I mention it to the so called manager I get a dirty look and a what do you want me to do about it attitude. I would not recommend this place to any one.
If you want to sit at a table waiting for service for a long time and then get barely mediocre sea  food for nearly top dollar...go straight ahead. I'd rather go to the Italian restaurant across the street and get one of their seafood specials.
I've been here once before it was renovated and it was certainly the place for the oldies. Didnt remember what I ate there, so I guess it is not memorable.
After the renovation though, I think they are getting more younger looking crowd, I want to say mid 30s? Although, the older townies are still there. =)
The drinks are good, the service is decent, but the food is hit or miss. The calamari is kind of chewy and not fresh. But I remember getting their seafood pasta and I enjoyed that.
it is in pretty good location in Natick commons and it is close to my home, so cant complain.
Great bar! Â Stacey is tied for best bartender in the metrowest (with Dr. Fitz at Stone's Public House in Ashland...)
Food was solid. Â Good big piece of fish for my dinner entree.
However, stay away from the oysters. Â I ordered a half-dozen and had to send them back because they were too warm. Â Ouch. Â Hoping I just hit them on a bad day for oysters. Â
Anyway, it's within stumbling distance of my childhood home, so next time the Mrs. and I need a cocktail before or after a visit to my parents, to the DOLPHIN WE SHALL GO!!!
I don't know what the heck the previous reviewers are talking about, this place is awesome! First of all they renovated early this year and now it is cool and trendy. They have these cool blue illuminated panels everywhere, flat screen TVs, and easily the best looking bar around. It seems out of place, it feels like it should be in NYC or Vegas. Because of this the clientele has changed too and is now a younger spot especially after 9. My friends get together there evey week and don't feel like we are in an old age home. Plus they have $5.99 apps at the bar Thursday to Sunday . That's for all the appetizers on the menu not just a selected group.
The dinners are huge and delicious. And the fish is incredibly fresh. I just don't understand how there could be anything negative? Plus there bartenders are hilarious.
Try Dolphin again, it's so much different than before. I strongly recomend it.
Came here for a late lunch one day, which ended up being the "early bird" special time. Â Immediately felt lame. Â And the sudden urge to buy Gold Bond and a fresh pair of crisp white Rockport Prowalkers. Â Maybe keep a stash of individually wrapped hard candies in my pockets (like Werther's, or those gross ones with the wrappers that look like a strawberry).
I digress. Â
The food was meh. Â I wouldn't say it was memorable (insert distasteful Alzheimer's joke here), although it wasn't terrible either. Â The "early bird special" menu did seem very well priced ... and given that a lot of places in Natick Center close around 4 on Sundays, that makes it a LITTLE less shameful.
I thought the decor -- blue lights, fire place, glass tiles around the bar -- all had definite potential. Â Re-name the place something like, the Aqua Lounge, or something hipster - so all the 20 and 30 somethings who have moved out to the 'burbs can feel cool again!
Ah, the dilemma -
About the only bar to which I live within walking distance, but I am not ready to become part of the "I liked Jimmy Buffet when he was young" aging townie crowd. Â What's a man barreling into his mid-30s to do? Â Drink at home, I guess.
Also, the food? Â Not so good. Â Sandy chowder, chewy shrimp. Â It's not *horrible,* but it's not very good. Â Especially for the price, which was too high for the quality of the food.
apparently, dolphin seafood is the place to be and be seen in natick...for the 65+ crowd, that is. as mentioned in other reviews, this place must be a stone's throw from a retirement home because it's always buzzing with old folks. still, if you don't mind eavesdropping on a little dialysis talk here and there....dolphin is a great spot for a seafood lunch.
the good thing about a place that's popular with the grannies, is that you can expect certain things from them: affordable prices (lunch specials 'til 4PM and then early bird specials after that!), quick friendly service, and a reliable meal. i've only ordered from their lunch menu, and it's a real deal. for about $8-$13, you get a decent sized piece of fresh fish- prepared almost any way you want, with two sides and a roll. the fish is great quality, fresh and tasty...the roll is hot and the sides are nothing to complain about. there's enough food to fill the bf up and i leave with leftovers.
oh! and unless you need that coveted wheelchair spot, there's plenty of parking in the lot.
I've never had a bad experience at the Dolphin. Â The decor is average, but the food is very good. Â The fried clams have improved and are now some of the best in the area - no question. Â I recently had the fisherman's platter and it was excellent. Â When my son came home for winter break - one of his first requests was for Lobster ala Natick. Â It's a winner ever time. Â I highly recommend the Dolphin.
Review Source:I don' t know why all the bad reviews for this place! I think they have great seafood for reasonable prices! Its right near to where I work so I come here sometimes for lunch or other work functions with co-workers and I have YET to be disappointed! Their Seafood Marsala is my absolute favorite thing on the menu (and probably on the list of one of my favorite foods in general) and its consistantly wonderful and I HIGHLY recommend it. The rolls they serve are hot and fresh out of the oven and the seafood is cooked just right. I've never heard any complaints from anyone that has been here with me so I don't know the fuss from everyone! I just went there today in fact and got the Seafood Marsala again... $9.99 for a HUGE lunch portion that I ate half of and will be eating the other half for lunch tomorrow :) YAY FOR THE DOLPHIN!
Review Source:My mother, who was also dining with me at the Dolphin on the evening that inspired my review, wanted me to emphasis just how horrible our evening was. It totally s*cked. I had a headache when I walked out of the place and I felt hungover the next morning even though I wasn't drinking alcohol the night before. Mom also pointed out to me that it appears as if I am insulting chain restaurants in my review. I am not - I am a huge fan of the chain restaurant. In fact while having dinner at the Dolphin I said TWICE that this would never happen to me at Outback. Mmm... Outback.
Review Source:I know plenty of people who are younger than 50 in Natick but I sure rarely see them at the Dolphin. Â It must be a tradition or the decor because the food is pretty standard seafood, and as that it is pretty good. Â My wife likes the calamari salad and I usually go with some kind of white fish. Be aware that some of the broiled seafood comes with too heavy a crumb topping. Â They have a lobster bake with the usual sides and a twin lobster special as well and to me lobster is lobster unless your sitting next to the ocean eating it. Their clam chowder is pretty good as well. Â I wouldn't drive out of my way to hit the Dolphin but if you are in town and just want good seafood I'd go. If you want a romantic ambiance, look elsewhere. (Probably also good for a bigger group of people because they have some pretty big tables as well and you can make your own ambiance with a big group)
Review Source:My husband and I went here for lunch on a Sunday and we were probably the only people in the place who couldn't spin yarns about the Great Depression, or possibly the Alamo. Â There was a nursing home event going on in the lounge and an elderly man at the bar fighting with the manager.
We expected a different vibe, but I love an early bird special as much as anybody else so we were prepared to give the food a chance.  I was so excited by the variety of fish on the menu.  I ordered the bluefish.  Sorry, we never have any bluefish.  Okay (I kind of expected that, nobody serves bluefish).  How about the flounder?  Nope, no flounder.  I was assured they had all of the usual favorites.  Great, all the fish I cook at home.  I ended up with SCROD.  Probably the same fish used in fish sticks.  It was okay, but it's rather hard to screw up broiled fish unless you completely burn it.  It came with a very small side of vegetables.  My husband hates seafood so he ordered some chicken and pasta dish.  He said it was okay.  On the plus side, the seafood chowder was very good.  Rarely have a ever seen shrimp in a chowder.  Usually they just use cheap fish... like SCROD!  Service was okay.  Small requests for ketchup or drink  refills were forgotten in the sea of special requests made by more senior patrons.  Until that day I had never heard of anyone requesting a wedge of orange with their drink.  Can you do that? Â
Would I go here again? Â Probably not. Â Our meal was decent, but pricey for what it was. Â I think $45 was too much for a lunch with no desserts, no alcoholic drinks and just 1 cup of seafood chowder for an appetizer.
This is seafood your grandparents will like: deep fried, bland, and easily chewed. Â I'd like to call the decor retro, but dated is a more accurate expression. Â There's nothing particularly original about Dolphin Seafood as it sport the usual assortment of standard seafood. Â While there's a time and place for such food, none of Dolphin Seafood's creations are particularly tasty. Â It's about on par with Red Lobster on a bad night. Â
I went on a weekend night and the place was packed, which, I suspect is more of a testament to the total lack of dining options in downtown Natick than it is a vote for the quality of Dolphin's fare. Â It also seems to be a haven for children. Â Wedged in between two tables teeming with toddlers, it was like eating in a day care center.
All in all, there's nothing horrible about Dolphin Seafood, but there's nothing particularly memorable either. Â Keep looking elsewhere.
Dolphin serves fresh, delicious seafood from a large and varied menu. Its prices are somewhat below those of Legal Seafoods a few miles up the road, but the quality is equivalent, in my experience. The bar is well stocked and the selection of specialty drinks substantial. They make a good, full martini. Waitstaff has always been attentive. Decor is a little tacky, despite a makeover a few years ago. Excellent lunchtime value.
Review Source:Observe, ladies and gentlemen: the Natick townie bar scene! A restaurant  bathed in decor that was fashioned straight out of Home&Garden, March 1984, complete with cheap alcohol, nightly specials and mid-forties singles women at the bar drinking their Amstel lights out of pint glasses.
Seriously, this is the only place serving any kind of alcohol after 9pm "in town" in Natick. I could be wrong, but this is the only one we found. We stayed for one drink, waiting for our ride back to Cambridge, spent next to nothing for them and had pleasant conversation with the bartender. Our visit has nothing to do food, just a quick place to grab a drink and pass the time. It did the trick, if not reminding me of dinner in Atlantic City, NJ circa the Reagan Administration.
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