Pop’s Clam Shell

Hillcountry · 07-20-2018, 07:50 PM

In Alton Bay after fishing this morning and my wife said “how about trying that clam place up the road?”
I said sure!
Not ever having tried Pop’s I was confident that his product would not disappoint and it didn’t.
I had berated Pop’s in the past (on the forum) for someone complaining about them running out of clams and I maintain that a specialty business should never run out of their specialty.
All that aside, here I was first in line as Pop’s workers took the plywood boards from the service windows at 11:30 am.
We ordered a large (clam/fries) boat and a small “famous” onion rings...2 root beer floats and a cup of water for the pooch.
My ticket was #01

and I was fairly certain they weren’t out of clams yet.
Food came out and I asked if we could take the pooch into the separate “dining hall” and after checking with someone else the girl said “sure” which made us very happy!
My mouth was wartering as I walked to the dining area with the loaded tray of goodies. Everything was perfect! Succulent fried clams that compared favorably with any of the other famous clam shacks in NH and MA.
We will return. All was well in the world of 2 fried clam lovers and a happy dog!

JADAQ · 07-22-2018, 08:02 PM

I’ve always had good luck at Pop’s. Never ever a bad meal, and considering how busy they get the food always seems to come out really quick and all hot!
John does an excellent job there orchestrating all the timing of the food so all comes out together.

Besides the clams, the jumbo fried shrimp are a must try!

dt5150 · 07-24-2018, 08:28 AM

loooove pops! i need to get down there, been too long. the scallops are my favorite, they're huge and you get a bunch of em. and they're fantastic! not a big fan of their onion rings though.. i like them, but they're bland. almost no taste to me. perhaps a lightly seasoned batter for the onion rings? regardless, when we want seafood, pops is the only place we go.

BroadHopper · 07-24-2018, 11:13 AM

Only bad experience was the ATM in the dining room was empty and I had to drive to Alton town to get cash. Not Pop's fault, I should of had cash.

WINNOCTURN · 08-03-2018, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Only bad experience was the ATM in the dining room was empty and I had to drive to Alton town to get cash. Not Pop's fault, I should of had cash.

We have used our Check Book when we go to "POP'S".

Major · 08-03-2018, 09:50 AM

WMUR rated Pops as the number one seafood shack in NH!

barefootbay · 08-03-2018, 11:33 AM

Well deserved !!!

joey2665 · 08-03-2018, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

WMUR rated Pops as the number one seafood shack in NH!

You can see the top 5 here

https://www.facebook.com/wmur9/video...AwMDM4NjU2Mjg/

swnoel · 08-03-2018, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey2665

You can see the top 5 here

https://www.facebook.com/wmur9/video...AwMDM4NjU2Mjg/

Have gone to Jimmy Jones in Rochester numerous times and don't doubt they're on the list! Never tried the other 4.

dippasan · 08-09-2018, 10:58 AM

Every weekend, when I travel through Alton Bay, my car gets violently sucked to the side of the curb in front of Pop's and then, strangely, I black out for a little while.

By the time I come to, I'm parked at the marina, big smile on my face, the inside of my car smells like fried seafood, shrimp tails are in the cup holder, onion rings between the seat and center console, dirty napkins piled in my lap and my clothes are covered with crumbs and tarter sauce.

Aliens??..........Alton Bay Triangle?????........Heaven!

P.S. of course I eat the crumbs on my shirt

Hillcountry · 08-09-2018, 11:42 AM

Last time we went we got the large (read humongous) boat and the amount of clams they gave was way too much for two. Nevertheless, we managed to scarf the whole boat down. Pooch had a portion too.
Really, the huge boat (no fries) would feed a family! Pricey, but worth it!

dippasan · 08-09-2018, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Last time we went we got the large (read humongous) boat and the amount of clams they gave was way too much for two. Nevertheless, we managed to scarf the whole boat down. Pooch had a portion too.
Really, the huge boat (no fries) would feed a family! Pricey, but worth it!

Just made the hair on my neck stand up

JEEPONLY · 08-09-2018, 05:11 PM

Went to Pop's for the first time a few days ago. Scallops were plump and delicious. Onion rings were thin- lots of them but not much to chew on. I like full-bellied clams to have a "full belly"- meaning moist and chewy. Mine were fried to the point where they might just as well have been clam strips- kind of disappointed after all of the great reviews here.

i would go again to see if I could get them to cooked the way I like them- portion sizes were good.

Hillcountry · 08-09-2018, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dippasan

Just made the hair on my neck stand up

Lol...that did sound bad didn’t it?

dippasan · 08-13-2018, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Lol...that did sound bad didn’t it?

Bad in a good way

RMStevens · 08-20-2018, 01:51 PM

Can you get there by boat? Is there any public boat parking nearby?

joey2665 · 08-20-2018, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMStevens

Can you get there by boat? Is there any public boat parking nearby?

Pop's is across the street from the Alton Bay Town Dock. Very short walk

upthesaukee · 08-24-2018, 08:13 AM

Per their FB page, next week Pop's will be closed Mon through Thurs, and then will open on Fri for Labor Day Weekend. After Labor Day, it is adios, bon jour, bye bye for 2018.

Dave

Hillcountry · 08-24-2018, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

Per their FB page, next week Pop's will be closed Mon through Thurs, and then will open on Fri for Labor Day Weekend. After Labor Day, it is adios, bon jour, bye bye for 2018.

Dave

Glad we got over there a couple of times this summer...well worth the trip!

Sammy · 09-13-2018, 03:05 PM

Is Pops open any weekends this fall?

thinkxingu · 09-13-2018, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sammy

Is Pops open any weekends this fall?

Nope--closed for the season.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

Sammy · 09-13-2018, 03:28 PM

No substitute for Pops but does any other takeout place come close in the lakes region that's still open?

thinkxingu · 09-13-2018, 03:51 PM

Not sure about takeout, but The Bob House has excellent seafood.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

jbolty · 09-13-2018, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sammy

No substitute for Pops but does any other takeout place come close in the lakes region that's still open?

in plymouth

https://www.georgesseafood.com/

beagle · 09-13-2018, 04:59 PM

in Wolfeboro. You can call in a take out order.

07-20-2018, 07:50 PM	#1
Hillcountry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: In the hills Posts: 2,420 Thanks: 1,677 Thanked 786 Times in 466 Posts	Pop’s Clam Shell In Alton Bay after fishing this morning and my wife said “how about trying that clam place up the road?” I said sure! Not ever having tried Pop’s I was confident that his product would not disappoint and it didn’t. I had berated Pop’s in the past (on the forum) for someone complaining about them running out of clams and I maintain that a specialty business should never run out of their specialty. All that aside, here I was first in line as Pop’s workers took the plywood boards from the service windows at 11:30 am. We ordered a large (clam/fries) boat and a small “famous” onion rings...2 root beer floats and a cup of water for the pooch. My ticket was #01 and I was fairly certain they weren’t out of clams yet. Food came out and I asked if we could take the pooch into the separate “dining hall” and after checking with someone else the girl said “sure” which made us very happy! My mouth was wartering as I walked to the dining area with the loaded tray of goodies. Everything was perfect! Succulent fried clams that compared favorably with any of the other famous clam shacks in NH and MA. We will return. All was well in the world of 2 fried clam lovers and a happy dog!

07-24-2018, 11:13 AM	#4
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,570 Thanks: 3,207 Thanked 1,101 Times in 793 Posts	Pop's Only bad experience was the ATM in the dining room was empty and I had to drive to Alton town to get cash. Not Pop's fault, I should of had cash. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

08-03-2018, 09:50 AM	#6
Major Senior Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Laconia Posts: 1,079 Thanks: 445 Thanked 1,018 Times in 424 Posts	Pops WMUR rated Pops as the number one seafood shack in NH!

08-09-2018, 10:58 AM	#10
dippasan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hooksett NH and Sleepers Isl Posts: 392 Thanks: 287 Thanked 190 Times in 83 Posts	Strange Alton Bay Phenomenon Every weekend, when I travel through Alton Bay, my car gets violently sucked to the side of the curb in front of Pop's and then, strangely, I black out for a little while. By the time I come to, I'm parked at the marina, big smile on my face, the inside of my car smells like fried seafood, shrimp tails are in the cup holder, onion rings between the seat and center console, dirty napkins piled in my lap and my clothes are covered with crumbs and tarter sauce. Aliens??..........Alton Bay Triangle?????........Heaven! P.S. of course I eat the crumbs on my shirt __________________ Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity

08-24-2018, 08:13 AM	#18
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,597 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,454 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	Schedule change Per their FB page, next week Pop's will be closed Mon through Thurs, and then will open on Fri for Labor Day Weekend. After Labor Day, it is adios, bon jour, bye bye for 2018. Dave __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Hillcountry For This Useful Post:
GBGX2 (07-21-2018), Reilly (07-23-2018), Slickcraft (07-21-2018), trfour (09-23-2018), upthesaukee (07-21-2018)

07-22-2018, 08:02 PM	#2
JADAQ Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 198 Thanks: 4 Thanked 66 Times in 43 Posts	I’ve always had good luck at Pop’s. Never ever a bad meal, and considering how busy they get the food always seems to come out really quick and all hot! John does an excellent job there orchestrating all the timing of the food so all comes out together. Besides the clams, the jumbo fried shrimp are a must try!

07-24-2018, 08:28 AM	#3
dt5150 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 401 Thanks: 4 Thanked 107 Times in 72 Posts	loooove pops! i need to get down there, been too long. the scallops are my favorite, they're huge and you get a bunch of em. and they're fantastic! not a big fan of their onion rings though.. i like them, but they're bland. almost no taste to me. perhaps a lightly seasoned batter for the onion rings? regardless, when we want seafood, pops is the only place we go.

The Following User Says Thank You to Major For This Useful Post:
upthesaukee (08-03-2018)

08-03-2018, 11:33 AM	#7
barefootbay Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 384 Thanks: 69 Thanked 97 Times in 70 Posts	Well deserved !!!

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to dippasan For This Useful Post:
FlyingScot (08-09-2018), Hillcountry (08-09-2018), pondguy (08-09-2018)

08-09-2018, 11:42 AM	#11
Hillcountry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: In the hills Posts: 2,420 Thanks: 1,677 Thanked 786 Times in 466 Posts	Last time we went we got the large (read humongous) boat and the amount of clams they gave was way too much for two. Nevertheless, we managed to scarf the whole boat down. Pooch had a portion too. Really, the huge boat (no fries) would feed a family! Pricey, but worth it!

08-09-2018, 05:11 PM	#13
JEEPONLY Deceased Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 701 Thanks: 360 Thanked 179 Times in 141 Posts	Went to Pop's for the first time a few days ago. Scallops were plump and delicious. Onion rings were thin- lots of them but not much to chew on. I like full-bellied clams to have a "full belly"- meaning moist and chewy. Mine were fried to the point where they might just as well have been clam strips- kind of disappointed after all of the great reviews here. i would go again to see if I could get them to cooked the way I like them- portion sizes were good.

The Following User Says Thank You to JEEPONLY For This Useful Post:
Jeanzb1 (08-11-2018)

The Following User Says Thank You to dippasan For This Useful Post:
Hillcountry (08-14-2018)

08-20-2018, 01:51 PM	#16
RMStevens Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Can you get there by boat? Is there any public boat parking nearby?

09-13-2018, 03:05 PM	#20
Sammy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 73 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Weekends Is Pops open any weekends this fall?

09-13-2018, 03:28 PM	#22
Sammy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 73 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	No substitute for Pops but does any other takeout place come close in the lakes region that's still open?

09-13-2018, 03:51 PM	#23
thinkxingu Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 6,221 Thanks: 1,170 Thanked 2,054 Times in 1,275 Posts	Not sure about takeout, but The Bob House has excellent seafood. Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

The Following User Says Thank You to thinkxingu For This Useful Post:
gravy boat (09-15-2018)

09-13-2018, 04:59 PM	#25
beagle Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 176 Thanks: 184 Thanked 25 Times in 21 Posts	Wolfetrap in Wolfeboro. You can call in a take out order.