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Boston Restaurant Blog >> 2010 archives >> September, 2010 >> blog entry

Boston Restaurant Blog -- September, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Lunch at P.J.'s Family Restaurant in Wellfleet, MA

Back in July, we checked out one of the many family-friendly seafood restaurants that line Route 6 on the Outer Cape. And while the food at The Lobster Shanty in Eastham was mostly very good, the service was disappointing and the lack of crowds indicated that there are perhaps better choices along the road. Well, about a week ago, we revisited the area and had lunch at a place further up Route 6 in Wellfleet called P.J.'s Family Restaurant, and everything about the place--from the quick and friendly service to the shaded outdoor dining to the excellent food--made this the perfect spot to go to on a beautiful summer weekend.

photo of P.J.'s Family Restaurant, Wellfleet, MA Like so many of the old-school seafood restaurants along Route 6, P.J.'s Family Restaurant (also called P.J.'s Seafood) is an ultra-casual, no-frills place that is ideal for folks either going to, or coming back from, the nearby beaches. A counter window sits in the front of the restaurant, with a covered outdoor area (complete with picnic tables) to the left and an indoor dining room with another counter area to the right. P.J.'s is blessed with a terrific location, only a few hundred feet from the main road that leads into Wellfleet Center and right next to Cahoon Hollow Road, which leads to some of the most spectacular beaches on Cape Cod.

The food at P.J.'s Family Restaurant has a bit of a Portuguese influence, with such items as kale soup, clams stuffed with Portuguese sausage (linguica), and linguica rolls on the menu. And the kale soup that I tried was outstanding, with a hearty mix of kale and linguica in a rich and salty broth. For lovers of thin-broth clam chowder, the version at P.J.'s is about as good as it gets, with lots of clams and potatoes added to a thin but delicious liquid base. As good as the kale soup and clam chowder were, the crab cakes were even better, as they were light on the filling and heavy on fresh, sweet-tasting crabmeat, and the red pepper remoulade that came with the crab cakes only added to the sweet and savory taste of the meat. A burger rounded out what we ordered at P.J.'s, and it was the type of classic thin griddled patty that you would expect to see at a roadside restaurant such as this. Prices were cheap, service was fine, and the outdoor picnic table that we sat at was relatively clean (and situated perfectly for cross-breezes that came through the patio area).

P.J.'s Family Restaurant is by no means a hidden gem, so it's not a place that we can feature on this site. But it is certainly a good spot--perhaps one of the best choices along Route 6 between the Orleans Rotary and Truro--and one that I would certainly return to the next time I'm in the area.

For those who want the address for P.J.'s, here it is: P.J.'s Family Restaurant, 2616 State Highway (Route 6), Wellfleet, MA, 02667. The phone number is (508) 349-2126.

Related Blog Entries: Cape Cod restaurants, seafood restaurants

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