Starting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, seafood lovers will have a new go-to in town. The owners of Plus Cafe and Elia Taverna are opening the doors to Marblehead’s newest seafood restaurant: A&D Clam Box.
The restaurant will serve fresh and local seafood from markets including Essex Seafood and Ipswich Shellfish.
“My number one thing is quality, quality, and the right portions,” said Klevis Qyrasi, a New England restaurateur who co-owns A&D Clam Box alongside his business partner Thanas Bido.
The family-oriented restaurant will serve a variety of freshly fried or baked seafood including whole belly clams, clam strips, haddock, scallops, shrimp and fish and chips. According to Qyrasi, all the seafood will be breaded freshly at the restaurant.
“It’s a very simple menu but will make the community really like it,” said Qyrasi.
Guests will be able to enjoy a wide range of options including seafood rolls, prime Angus burgers, clam chowder, salads, sandwiches and a kids menu that includes hot dogs and chicken fingers. The owners are also planning to add a vegan burger option to the menu.
A&D Clam Box will also offer seafood boxes, featuring your choice of seafood and ranging from as low as $8.99 to $28.99 (depending on box size).
The seafood restaurant is opening its doors in January — a slow season. According to Qyrasi, this gives the restaurant time to learn from its mistakes. By the time the busy season arrives, they’ll have fixed them.
Qyrasi is now the owner of three restaurants in Marblehead. His Marblehead restaurateur career started when he drove by Atlantic Avenue just two years ago and opened what is now known as Plus Cafe.
Qyrasi also owns Peabody Cafe in Peabody and Mister Q. Cafe in Charlestown.
The space was previously occupied by B&B Fish, which was only open for eight months. The previous owners offered Qyrasi and Bido a deal they couldn’t refuse — allowing them to keep everything from the furniture and kitchen equipment to the restaurant design.
As for beverages, the restaurant only serves fountain drinks for now, but they are looking into allowing guests to bring their own alcoholic beverages in the future.
The restaurant will be available for delivery with Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash, but Qyrasi suggests eating seafood as freshly as possible. “The fish doesn’t taste the same if you don’t eat it here. The problem with fish is that you have to eat it hot in order to be enjoyable. If you eat it half an hour later, it won’t taste as good,” he said.
A&D Clam Box’s hours of operation are Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.