McGrath Clambakes

We hired McGrath's for our wedding based on word of mouth recommendations from others. They did not disappoint. From the start, they were organized and detailed. They made it easy to select menu options and make payments. They were extremely flexible when it came to adding or substituting menu items. Most importantly, they were the most reasonably priced. The only slight criticism we had was that it took slightly longer than other vendors to receive responses when we had questions, but they did always eventually get back to us. They also wanted to do a site visit the week of the wedding, which was not convenient for us. We felt that this should have been done much sooner in the planning process. Nonetheless, the food and service made up for any of the small criticisms we had. Their set up team was more than accommodating the day of. Everyone associated with McGrath's was extremely friendly, polite, and professional. The food was by far the best wedding food I have ever had. The line for the bar never grew too long and the bartenders were extremely efficient. The servers were excellent and worked very hard. They made it personal for our guests. My father in law couldn't get enough of the bacon wrapped scallops during cocktail hour. One of the waitresses recognized this, and made sure she always found him in the crowd to offer him one. This is just one example of how they went above and beyond. Some of my friends reached out and told me that the bartenders had them laughing all night every time they went up. This was the atmosphere that we envisioned for our wedding day. Our guests raved about the food and service. If anyone asks me for advice about hiring a caterer for their wedding or special event, McGrath's will be my first recommendation.

We used McGraths specifically because they do old fashioned clam bakes. The food was delicious, including the appetizers and dessert. They were easy to work with and answered all my questions. I would highly recommend them.

I have nothing but positive things to say about McGrath's! From my very first interaction with them, they were very responsive and professional but also incredibly friendly and warm and overall a pleasure to work with. We knew wanted to lean into New England cuisine for our guests, and McGrath's menu options really reflected that. They were also very flexible with us to ensure that our menu was exactly what we wanted and allowed us to make tweaks and changes to make it uniquely ours! Their prices in comparison to other caterers we looked at also made them the best value (although honestly I would have paid double for how amazing it all turned out). Alexis & her staff are also incredibly experienced and on top of details. I knew that I was not only in the best hands, but that they truly cared about ensuring that the experience was perfect for us and that our guests were well taken care of from a food and beverage perspective (and beyond!). We did not have a tasting ahead of the wedding but it did not matter one bit - McGrath's truly delivered! There was so much food and every single bite was delicious. The appetizers we picked were cooked to perfection and seafood heavy, which our guests really enjoyed for a Newport destination wedding. To name a few, we had crab cakes, lobster fritters, chowder, stuffies, and even Del's! My one regret is that I didn't get a chance to try every single one of them! During the dinner, the groom's steak came out first, it was huge and I thought to myself that McGrath's had made him a special steak for his special day. But then I realized every guest was getting these massive, delicious steaks and I was thrilled that they were all being treated like guests of honor! Several of our guests have reached out to us to mention that the food was the best they have ever had at a wedding, which makes us so happy to have picked McGrath's. My parents stated that they were so pleasantly and overwhelming surprised by how delicious it was because they were expecting average wedding catering like every other wedding they have been to! I wholeheartedly recommend McGrath's to anyone getting married in the area - you simply can't go wrong with them!!!

McGrath’s Clambakes is a long-standing and very well respected business in RI. In every way, the food quality, staff, on-site manager were all outstanding, and very responsive to requests and needs of the guests, 67 of them! The list of passed appetizers is so wonderful that I had difficulty choosing four from the list so we added two more! All of the food, seafood like lobster, steamed clams, and mussels, and the BBQ chicken were tender and succulent. Our guests raved about the high quality food and service, always a pleasure to hear. Kudos to McGraths Clambakes. The best in the business! Thank you.

Having amazing food was a huge deal for my husband and I. We looked at vendors all over Rhode Island and were pleasantly surprised at how reasonably prices McGrath's was for lobster and steak. My husband and i both work in the restaurant business and know how hard it can be to nail steak and lobster for larger groups of people but McGrath's did not disappoint. Everything was absolutely cooked to perfection and was so delicious. We've been told by many of our guests that it was the best wedding food they've ever had. I had the pleasure of working with Alexis. She is an absolute angel. She saw my vision and really helped me bring it to life and made it more beautiful than i ever could have imagined. She made the whole planning process so easy for me and really helped me with any and all details. I feel like I'm so lucky that i was able to work with her and I don't know if our wedding would have been as amazingly perfect as it was if i hadn't been working with Alexis. If you're looking for a vendor for your meals then you can stop right here because you've found the best of the best. I know I'll be using them again for any and all catering needs.

If you want a truly unique experience for your wedding guests, McGrath Clambakes can get it done! As Rhode Islanders, we loved the idea of having a clambake at our wedding and we were excited to find McGrath’s early on in our research. Our guests loved seeing the big reveal and more importantly, they loved the food! We found it a little tricky to coordinate with them in the months leading up to our wedding but it was made up for with fantastic day-of service, by the coordination staff, the bake-master, the bartenders, and the catering staff. Everyone we’ve talked to since has mentioned how much they loved the bake – some even mentioned it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had! We are so happy we decided to pursue this unique wedding meal and that we could snag McGrath’s services during this crazy wedding season!

We had McGrath Clambakes cater our beach wedding and we have nothing but amazing things to say about them! Alexis was so communicative and helpful the entire time while planning everything with us. Every staff member was so pleasant and attentive - everyone was so pleased with them and the food! Not only was the food delicious, but it was such an awesome experience to have all of our guests join in to see the unveiling of the clambake and learn about the history of McGrath Clambakes. It made our wedding an experience for everyone and we could not be happier that we chose them for our wedding day. This is definitely something we will continue to talk about with our friends and family for years to come!

McGrath's team was one of our MVP vendors for our wedding in January 2020. Not only were T.R. and Melissa extremely pleasant to work with, they were rock stars at navigating the state regulations and helped us to develop a fantastic wedding reception. They knew all of the guidelines, how to properly follow them, and remained in contact with the state to ensure that we were complaint. This team remained flexible and guided us through adaptations that would allow us to still celebrate our marriage in the most beautiful way possible. The food and drinks were superb and their staff very professional. My sister, a vegetarian with a severe gluten allergy, interrupted our dinner conversation to exclaim that her gluten/vegan meal was the best meal she has ever had at a wedding reception. We cannot not share enough great words about this company and their team of people. Truly fantastic!

McGraths catered our wedding on 8-10-19. We went with the clam bake—served. Our guests loved the food and people are still telling us, four months later, that it was the best wedding food they’d ever had. The clam chowder station was also a big hit. Alexis and the other office staff were great. She made sure we could get what we wanted within our budget and ran the show on our wedding night. Mcgraths isn’t cheap but it also isn’t as expensive as I would have expected. We looked into other caterers, and many of them were charging the same prices as mcgraths (or charging more) for typical wedding food; ie not lobster. Our guests also loved the experience of hearing the chefs talk about the clambake and watching the opening of the clambake. It felt like an added experience. I couldn’t recommend them more.

We had attended a lobster bake at another wedding but we could not do a lobster BAKE for our 50th anniversary at the Towers. The lobster BOIL by buffet was far better. People could choose from three shellfish items, lobster and chicken. Our vegetarians loved their cheese entree. The cheese tower and appetizers were fantastic. Thank you McGrath!

McGrath's was a dream to work with from start to finish. When I first inquired, I heard back from a coordinator very promptly, and we continued to be in contact regularly for the entire year before the wedding. Anytime I had a question, I received a same-day response that was super helpful. I would pick McGrath's over and over again because of the quality, professionalism and ease to work with. They met and exceeded all of my expectations on wedding day and everyone loved of all of the food and service!

It’s been almost 3 weeks and our guests are still talking about how amazing the food was from McGraths! Thank you all so much for you great attention to detail and amazing food! If we did it all over again we would 110% still go with McGraths!

If you're looking for a real RI clambake wedding, McGrath cannot be beat. We were so thrilled with everything about their work, from the planning (Stacy and Allie are amazing and so friendly and patient!) to the execution on the big day. The food was absolutely delicious (that lobster! the oysters!), the staff was friendly and professional, and the bar service was great. The clambake presentation was a magical experience and a highlight of the night. Ringing the dinner bell was a personal favorite!

Stacy is worth her weight in gold! I don't think everything would have come together as perfectly as it did without her. She was friendly, attentive, and a joy to work with. We got so much more than just a catering company with McGrath. And, of course the food was delicious! We had so many people tell us it was the best food they have had at a wedding. Everything was beautifully done.

Alexis and her team at McGrath's exceeded all expectations! My husband and I are BIG into food and cooking so we wanted stellar catering. We went with the lobster boil buffet and seafood and non-seafood eaters alike were not disappointed. This was not just good enough to be considered "good wedding food" but was good restaurant quality food. As a New England native this is seriously some of the BEST seafood I've ever had and the non-seafood options were just as spectacular. The staff was also so kind and helpful. Alexis helped with any and all questions the year leading up to the wedding but made sure the wedding day went smoothly. The servers and bartenders were just as outstanding. My guests raved about the food and the service saying it was the best they have ever seen at a wedding.

Their traditional New England Clambake was an unforgettable experience, and each and every recommendation they made for our corporate event, helped make it the tremendous celebration it was. T.R. operates a first-class business.

McGrath's did an incredible clambake & family style catering for our October wedding in Jamestown. We wanted high quality food but an environment that still felt casual and fun, and that was exactly what McGrath's delivered. They did a wonderful explanation of the clambake to our guests which we really enjoyed. Because we chose not to do a wedding cake, the traditional "ringing of the bell" for the clambake unveiling served as a replacement for the cake cutting, in a way that was much more authentic to us (and more fun, in our opinion). Very professional staff & very flexible. Highly recommend!

I am so happy that we went with McGraths for our wedding at home in Portsmouth, RI. I was planning the wedding from abroad so the fact that they were able to help me plan so many elements of the day was key. Not only did I use them for the catering but they also provided us with the tent, tables and chairs, linens, helped with all the set up on the day of. We wanted a more natural, local feel to our wedding, it was perfect. Allie was a saint in helping get everything arranged, which I know was probably difficult considering most of it had to be done by email while traveling. They worked within the budget parameters and gave us lots of options. The food was so impressive and beautiful, the guests were all wowed by the bake reveal on the shores of Narragansett Bay. I would recommend McGraths, TR (owner) and the whole team again and again. Amazing! I regret taking so long to write this review, we were married in October of 2015.

Our experience with McGrath Clambakes was phenomenal. Everything from initial questions, to detail planning, to day-of execution was fantastic. If you are looking for a unique way to celebrate your love for RI (or it's local cuisine), look no further! Allie was wonderful as our point of contact, promptly answering all emails and questions any day of the week, and did a wonderful job coordinating the set-up of any DIY details we had provided. Our guests our still raving about the uniqueness of a clambake wedding, and how satisfying the food was! The servers were fantastic about making sure we (the bride and groom) received appetizers and sat to eat our meal! Highly, highly recommend McGrath Clambakes for their all around value, service, and local cuisine.

Our family and friends cannot stop talking about the food!! Everything was perfect thanks to TR and his team. They made sure we did not have to worry about a thing and went above and beyond the expected roles. They made sure we ate and helped us enjoy every minute of our reception.

We used McGrath for our lobster boil and open bar at the reception. To say the guests were impressed with the food is an understatement. McGraths entire staff was nothing short of amazing. We had many many compliments on the food, staff and service. They helped make our day amazing and it was exactly as we wanted everything to be!

we used mcgrath to provide an outdoor farm fresh, harvest menu. fresh beef and fish. the meal was amazing. mcgrath is great value. they include everything. the staff is very helpful and they even provide a planner for the day of wedding. Kerry and TR are amazing. I would love to have them caterer any future event!

We used McGrath's catering for our rehearsal dinner in Aug 2012 and we are so glad we did. Most of our wedding guests were from out of town so we wanted to invite as many people as possible to dinner the night before. We originally were just going to cook hamburgers and hot dogs ourselves at our house, but decided we wanted to be free to mingle with our guests, not worry about cooking. Melissa was great to work with planning our event via e-mail. She answered all of our questions and had no problems changing details and guests counts, even as late as that morning! We chose their Backyard BBQ which was a buffett of hamburgers, hotdogs, ridiculously delicious corn on the cob, corn breas, potato salad, regular salad and for dessert yummy frosted brownies and watermelon. We added clam chowder as an appetizer which was heavenly. They came the day before to set up a gorgeous tent, and then that day they came early to set up the tables and chairs. We provided our own beverages but they set us up a lovely table. We also provided our own ice cream bar as additional dessert and they were so helpful in dishing out the icecream for us to our guests. They also decorated the tables for us with the decorations I provided. They cooked the burgers and dogs right on scene, but out of the way of the party, the food was delicious, the servers professional and attentive, everyone was so polite and helpful. It was a perfect night. They cleaned up almost all the trash before they left and were back bright and early Sun morning to take down the tent and remove the tables and chairs. I can't think of a single thing that didn't go exactly to plan. I would use them again in a heartbeat.

We tried to go for a non-traditional and fun atmosphere. McGrath Traditional New England Clambake was perfect for our outdoor tent reception at Blithewold. The guests loved it! The food smelled delicious, although a bit messy since the lobster was not pre-cut for the guests, just for the bride and groom. The bibs came in very handy and the guests loved taking picture in them. We were able to still keep the atmosphere classy and elegant with damask table cloths, and upgraded china/silverware and glassware. If you like seafood, this is the place that does it right and fun! P.S. Their top shelf bar is priced per person and is a bargain!