Author’s Note: When it comes to “grab and go,” everyone has their “go-to” spot. The “grab and go” culture remains strong on Cape Cod, current pandemic issues aside. This is not surprising as most people want to spend as much time as possible outside, whether on the beach, water, trails or golf course. So strong is the grab and go mentality, that most breakfast cafes, bakeries, bagel places also make available lunch menus in the morning, featuring sandwiches to go. Of course, there are plenty of quality sit-down restaurants – you already know I like those too – but for a warm and sunny summer day, we all just want to grab our outside spot as soon as we can, with all the creature comforts possible. Enter, fried seafood, inside, outside, or to grab and go!
Kream N Kone(s) on Cape Cod
If you find yourself cruising down Route 28 along the mid to lower Cape, you will pass by two similarly named, but different seafood restaurants, Kream ‘N’ Kone. Indeed, the peculiar spelling of the name, odd placement of the apostrophe ‘N’ and the vintage signage make it hard to miss. While one would assume the restaurants are part of a franchise, they are actually separate restaurants with different owners and customer experiences. Both restaurants started as ice cream, hot dog, and hamburger restaurants, mixing in seafood entrees soon after. Since both restaurants are known for their fried seafood and lobster rolls, it’s ironic their original signs feature hamburger and ice cream icons, rather than seafood. Enough set-up, let’s get to the tasty, fried seafood and soft serve ice cream!
The Chatham location is casual, with a mix of four person booths inside and about ten six person picnic tables outside on the canopy covered patio. They recently added a “bar top” on the patio, where, if you don’t mind standing, you can still eat outside on a busy night. The parking lot is a good size, and gets larger in the evenings as the nearby professional building empties after 5:00 pm. The ambiance inside is a little too cute, though there are both vintage and more modern, humorous signs that still make me laugh every time.
The dining room counter service is what you expect, employees call your number over the loudspeaker when your food is ready to be picked-up. The restaurant usually has four beers on tap, all local (Cape Cod Beer, Devil’s Purse, and Hog Island), with the exception of Bud Light. The ice cream counter service is a separate operation, and closes earlier than most other ice cream shops that line Route 28. As you would expect, the restaurant does a brisk take-out business on Friday evenings (Chatham Band performances at 8:00 pm) and any night the Chatham A’s play a home game (7:00 pm). You can also call ahead and they pick-up the phone!
The fried seafood plates and boats are my “go-to,” the only difference being whether you want onion rings or coleslaw with your seafood of choice and fries (onion rings are of course included). The restaurant may hate this, but we find that unless we are ravenously hungry, splitting a fried seafood basket is still plenty of food. The fried seafood is generous and stacked; all you need is another plate and it would look like two entrees at most sit-down restaurants. Interestingly, they offer a gluten-free fried seafood entrees after 4:00 pm only.
The Dennis location is similarly casual, but with a cruise-ship buffet feel. (I swear, I’m being complimentary!) The bright pink hues of the walls help the large windows illuminate the dining room with natural sunlight. Evenly spaced wooden four-person tables with also wooden backed chairs line the dining room and scream summer vacation. The Dennis restaurant is much larger than its evil twin sister in Chatham. Like the evil twin, they have a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, though the Dennis location wins the prize for outdoor seating with a view. The expansive deck has about a dozen metal tables with umbrellas overlooking beautiful Swan River.
The counter service goes the extra mile, as once you place your order, you receive a number, and a server delivers your food to wherever you are seated. The menu items are similar to the Chatham restaurant; fried seafood plates with fries and onion rings, broiled seafood dinner, seafood rolls, salads, and sandwiches. And of course, they offer ice cream (soft serve!), frappes and other beverages.
You cannot go wrong at either location, so on your next vacation to the Cape, stop by both!