
Memorable | One of the Best
Denmo’s Snack & Dairy Bar
Review by: Michael Stern
Denmo’s is a happy drive-in with picnic-table seats and an eat-in-the-rough style of service. Wait in line at one of two order windows. While waiting, peruse the posted permanent menu (fried clams and shrimp, hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches and Philly cheese steaks) as well as cards tacked around the menu announcing seasonal and daily specials (soft-shelled crabs, hot lobster roll, soup of the day). When your turn comes, tell the order-taker what you want, pay for it, and get a number. Then loiter around the third window waiting for your number to be called. While waiting, there is excellent reading material available: a huge communal bulletin board, where locals post notices of services and goods for sale and interesting events coming up. The meal is presented on a tray. Dining accommodations are picnic tables around the side or in back. When the weather is bad, people eat in their cars.
You expect fried seafood to be good in a place such as this, and it is more than good. The clams – available in the gooey whole-belly configuration or as the chewier and less oceanic “clam strips” – are crisp-crusted and big-flavored. Shrimp are large, firm, and sweet, and there are plenty to an order. The hot lobster roll, a Southern New England specialty that differs from the Downeast mayonnaise-bound cold lobster salad roll, comes loaded with meat that can be (but is not always) utterly fresh. Onion rings and French fries (the latter available either straight or curly) are good, too. We are perpetually wowed by the soups, which are made here daily. Chowder, beef barley, and lentil soup are exemplary; and although they are served in Styrofoam cups with plastic spoons, they have quality and flavor that is anything but cheap.
Denmo’s also is known for its ice cream, which is good; but by the time we’ve sucked down an excellent chocolate milk shake with a fried clam dinner and a hot relish-dressed foot long dog, we’re seldom peckish enough for an ice cream cone.
Directions & Hours
Information
Price | $ |
Seasons | All |
Meals Served | Lunch, Dinner, Dessert |
Credit Cards Accepted | No |
Alcohol Served | No |
Outdoor Seating | Yes |
What To Eat
Denmo’s Snack & Dairy Bar Recipes
Discuss
What do you think of Denmo’s Snack & Dairy Bar?
2 Responses to “Denmo’s Snack & Dairy Bar”
Richelle
March 29th, 2023
Most ridiculous place ever ordered ice cream in March . They handed it to me melted dripping down the sides w no cover , telling me that it’s melted because the weather This is Connecticut it’s March how does their ice cream look in July . NEVER AGAIN WE USE TO EAT HERE 4 nights a week from April to oct . No more . They put kids behind the grill absolute disaster!
Lauren Zalewski
October 11th, 2008
I had to go up to Massachusetts, and stopped at Denmo’s as I was craving belly clams. Boy, was I not sorry! The editor review is right on: this place is great. Conveniently located just a few minutes off of Route 84, this little clam shack is a gem.
I ordered a large basket of whole belly clams, which came with French fries, tartar sauce, a lemon, and coleslaw. The clams were served on buttered toast. These clams were perfect: lightly breaded, perfectly gooey, and unbelievably delicious. I’m not sure why the clams were on top of the toast, but even that was really delectable!
I also ordered a lobster roll. Now this was the lobster roll to end all lobster rolls! Warm lobster (and these were big pieces of claw, tail, and leg meat) served on a large buttered, grilled hot dog bun. No mayonnaise. Absolute perfection.
I stopped back the next day on my way home and ordered the same exact thing, packed them away in my cooler, and headed home. I cannot wait to stop there again.