Tucked away on Main Street in Essex, Massachusetts sits a weathered gray building that doesn’t scream “culinary destination” from the outside.
But locals know better – Woodman’s of Essex is the holy grail of fried seafood in New England, drawing devoted pilgrims from across the state and beyond.
The modest clapboard exterior might fool first-timers, but one bite of their legendary fried clams explains why Massachusetts residents willingly brave traffic, weather, and summer crowds for a taste of these golden morsels.
The approach to Woodman’s feels like discovering a secret that somehow everyone already knows about…