Arnold's. To myself and many others who travel to Cape Cod each year, the name is synonymous with great, summertime Roadfood seafood. Located conveniently off the side of Route 6 in Eastham, Arnold's is the kind of place that will find its way into your heart and be remembered long after you leave.
You reach the counter, order your food from menus placed above and to the side of the ordering counter, give your name and are typically issued a small pager that will alert you when your food is ready. When your name is called and your pager buzzes, you go up to the counter and retrieve your food. Please exercise caution at this point and avoid drooling on the food as it makes its way to your table. Our particular favorite eats are the clam roll, the scallop roll, their varied burgers, and of course, the onion rings.
Proudly, Arnold's boasts that they have the best fried clams and onion rings on all of the Cape. Of course, this is up for much debate since there are some heavyweight contenders that fight for that crown, but there is no doubt that Arnold's is quite prestigious and one of the very best. Their clams are heaped so plentifully on the soft hot dog roll that it takes a determined several minutes of eating just to see the roll! The clams are tender little nuggets of fried seafood perfection that have brought a smile to many a traveler's face. Their whole belly clams are fragile and juicy.
The scallop roll is also good and is just what you would expect from fresh scallops from local shores: plump and juicy and tender. The burgers are also quite good: cooked on the griddle, they are fairly thin but full of classic flavor in the Roadfood tradition.
Finally, that brings us to potentially the best part of the meal: onion rings that are out of this world, both in quantity and quality. I had heard rumors about their onion rings, and that's what first drew me into the restaurant. They do not disappoint. Served in an almost laughably big portion that is a challenge for two people to finish and could satisfy four people with ease, they are light and crisp, and at times barely resemble their ring namesake as they are strings of onion bliss. Nothing at all like the heavy beer-battered onion rings that most are used to, these are almost ethereal in substance and additively delicious.
Arnold's is a pure Cape Cod experience, a fun place to dine, that will please anyone looking for a great clam shack experience in the land of clam shacks. Enjoy your food, spend some time playing mini-golf next door, and finish off with some ice cream from Arnold's outdoor ice cream stand. As soul-satisfying a Roadfood experience as you can have!
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