Fine Dining at the Old Yarmouth Inn

The stage coach sign is hard to miss from Route 6A.

Author’s Note: Restaurants are a dime a dozen on Cape Cod, if not everywhere. It’s such a tough business and an Ohio State University study confirmed just that. According to the 2005 study, 60% of restaurants fail in their first year, and 80% fail within five years. In this case, for every Old Yarmouth Inn, there are hundreds of restaurants that have come and gone, perhaps allowing someone else to give it a try to make something (culinary) special happen. Restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, financiers, please don’t let those statistics stop you.

My family loves this place. And for a long time. It is also the restaurant where my wife and I celebrated our engagement with my parents, a few weeks after I popped the question. Indeed, there’s a little bit of modern family history in addition to the Old Yarmouth Inn’s colonial era roots.
The unique exterior takes you back in time a century or two.

The Old Yarmouth Inn lays claim as the oldest Inn on Cape Cod with origins dating back to 1696 (it is not an Inn anymore). Located along a stretch of Route 6A lined with beautifully designed shops, homes, churches and community buildings, the Old Yarmouth Inn is somewhat of a mid-cape point between the Cape Cod Canal and the Outer Cape for the weary traveler. The unique design of the Inn alone can make you stop in your tracks when admiring the exterior facade, interior craftsmanship, let alone the food, “country cozy” dining rooms, and staff hospitality. There are at least three dining areas as well as the tavern. Fireplace or not, every room in the Inn feels like a unique little nook, making you want to stay for hours, assuming you’re in good company.

One of the many dining rooms at the Old Yarmouth Inn.

I suppose the history and longevity of the Inn is part of the magic that makes people come back. And the ghosts stories; yes, the Old Yarmouth Inn promotes a story of a mischievous and good humored ghost(s) roaming the grounds. It’s a fascintating account of “connecting the historical dots” since most of the records of travelers and guests over the last 3 centuries have been lost.

This particular visit was one where I was unusually hungry. While a basket of bread is nothing to get excited about, that warm (freshly baked) bread lathered in a square of butter was worth noting. The Tito’s martini straight up also added to the elegant dining experience. The Old Yarmouth Inn’s clam chowder is above average, a thick creamy base with chunks of clams and smaller pieces of potatos mixed in with a peppery finish. Their wedge salad was served on a crispy head of lettuce with the usual fixings. The timing between each course was just right and the waitress made a point to check-in with us before the next service.
Another memorable meal at the Inn!

 

The entrees were excellent. My wife and father went with the prime rib, while my mom picked salmon. My selection was a no doubter; the haddock special, an enormous buttery filet on a bed of asparagus over red potatos with a jumbo shrimp resting atop. The picture actually does the food justice; it was delicious and worth the price.

Another memorable meal at the Old Yarmouth Inn.