Ford’s Fish Shack

First time visiting this place and let me tell you it was awesome! Service was great and the Atlantic Salmon with mashed potatoes and green beans were delicious. Definitely coming back!!!

Always a safe bet for South Riding. Their food is always fresh, relatively innovative, and solid service. Décor is a little trite for me, but that’s a really petty gripe.

I’m going to comment solely on the takeout. We have been getting Fords takeout since it opened. In the last year I am sad to report that the takeout has been subpar and slightly a rip off compared to their dining in experience. Four times we have ordered the angry mussels only to discover ½ our order was empty shells. The fish tacos have become much less fish and much more lettuce and fillers. I will say that the restaurant has offered to fix the mussels situation when I’ve called but that requires yet another trip to pick them up with two kids. Recently not only were the tacos and mussels sub-​par but the side of fries was less than a side sized serving.
It’s sad because we only have a handful of decent dining options close by that offer take out. Maybe Fords will pay extra attention to the future quality of all their orders regardless of whether they’re in house or take out.

Celebrated my Birthday here and it was great! The food was fresh and delicious! We had a party if 16 and they never dropped a beat. The food was coming out fast and the drinks soon followed. My guest were very impressed and loved all the food. I would highly recommend it for small and big dinner parties.

1.31.2016 Lunch Visit:
Amazing service. We had Emily and she was great. We went for my Husband’s birthday and did the $ 22/​person restaurant week menu. Photos included below. Yummy!
1.27.2016 Dinner Visit:
Went for dinner during winter restaurant week and did call ahead seating. I was lucky that I called in advance as the place filled up fairly quickly.
We were seated promptly and our sever was great. I think her name was Emily? I forgot but she was super friendly and attentive. She even took the time to take our picture even though it was busy.
The winter restaurant week dinner was $ 35/​person. I started off with a dark and stormy cocktail which was delicious. They use the Maine ginger brew which has this nice ginger spice to it.
I started off with the mussels and the portion was huge! It was so good with the garlic, cream and bacon.
I had the halibut with crab meat on top. Super delicious. It was not as hot as I would have preferred but it was moist, flakey and flavorful. I opted out on eating the mashed potatoes to save room for dessert (which I ended up not having room for haha).
I had the banana bread pudding with ice cream. I was so stuffed and just had the ice cream. I packed the banana bread pudding to go. The Husband ate it and thought it was really good.

What a joke, call ahead seating obviously means nothing to them, just a scam. Was told it would be an hour, now it’s been an hour and 45 minutes and still no seating. I would give them negative stars if I could. Last trip here for me!

This location is much nicer, in my opinion, than the Ashburn location. Less crowded and more space. Food is awesome at both. Can’t beat those muffins and breakfast potatoes. Best place for seafood around. And I’m from the Chesapeake Bay Area!

The service here has always been great. If you’re in South Riding and need a consistent, delicious restaurant, this is your best bet!
My husband always gets the blackened fish tacos and I typically get the lobster roll (Connecticut Style). Connecticut style is with melted butter as opposed to Mayo and it’s the perfect combo!
I’ve also placed to-​go orders and everything has always been on point. Extra sauces, corn bread on the side to start with, etc. :)

My mom is crazy about this place, and ever since moving out to Aldie this past July, every time we suggest going out to eat, she always suggests Ford’s!
What I’ve noticed is that each time we go here, service is ALWAYS spot on. All the employees are always willing to accommodate to food modification requests, always with a smile on their faces!
Each time I go, I try something different. So far, my favorite is the pecan crusted trout, subbing the life-​changing grilled corn for the chorizo mac and cheese (which is also absolutely delicious, but I recently found out that I’m also allergic to dairy *sad face*). I know my mom and pop love heading to Ford’s for the dollar oysters which I need to finally go try instead of making the trek to Reston! I’ve also enjoyed the salmon salad which was done to perfection. I love coming to Ford’s for the purpose of just a frozen blueberry lemonade, no matter how cold it’s gotten this year! Always super refreshing and yummy in that cute mason jar mug!
Tonight, I came with my best friend. Our server (his name escapes me, but he was super friendly!) was very good, and he continued to check in on us as it was my friend’s first time here. He was training a new server who was also very pleasant and friendly. I hope to see her around more in the future!
Just one thing I did notice and Recommend improving… Like I said, they are always happy to make food mods for their guests. However I noticed there are barely any vegetarian options :(which makes family dinners a little off, as my younger sister is a vegetarian and all she can eat is the tequila lime pasta with just veggies. She says it is very boring and wishes there were other options.

My first visit, and maybe it’s my fault for not doing the research, but I thought everything I got was just Meh. I got the All-​Four basket, which comes with blackened scallops, grilled shrimp, fried oysters, and fried clams. The scallops and shrimp were seasoned pretty good, but were cold when they were plated. It was probably parcooked, and these 2 items probably missed the reheat cycle before plating because the fries and other 2 fried items were hot. They could have done a better job of plating the entire thing too, like putting the non-​fried foods at the forefront, instead of it being lost underneath all the fried foods.
The lobster roll comes with 2 styles. Cold and mayo based or warm with butter. We got the cold mayo based one, and it was another meh. MP was $ 21 that day, which isn’t too bad, but that lobster could have come from a package. Should have gone with the warm option to test for freshness.
For a place that calls itself a shack, fine dining shouldn’t come to mind. The quantity of food may have justified the price, but I’m more interested in quality. The table next to us got the angry mussels, which looked way better than all 3 of our dishes. I think it was just bad ordering this time around, so I’ll have to come back and try it again.
Service was great though. The waitress was honest with us about what to order, and didn’t try to upsell us for better tips.

Been here twice and I love their mussel appetizer. Actually, I got that as my entrée last time.
I’ve tried the pecan trout and I was not a fan. I think it’s bc it was on the sweeter side and I prefer the savory fish dishes. Hubby got the fish and chips = v good. clam chowder was also on par.
Service is hit or miss depending on who you get. 1^st time = was great, 2^nd time = meh (server kept forgetting to bring us asked items) neglect (kind of shocking for an establishment like this). Restaurant is comparable to that of the Great American restaurants w/​more of a seafood flair, but lacking in the service consistency.

Omg this place is amazing! Fresh! Fresh! Fresh! Fresh seafood!!! The fish and chips were amazing! One bite out of the fish and you can taste the freshness of it! The baked mussels were good. The garlic bread soaked in the mussels sauce was very delicious! I dipped the jalapeño muffins in the sauce as well. The lobster roll was very good too. I love the bun that was used. Totally different and tasteful compared to other lobster rolls I’ve had in the past. I wish I would have taken a picture of my son’s kids cheeseburger (added bacon) he loved it so much, he had only two bites left of it. It was no typical kids burger. His burger was perfectly grilled, even the buns were grilled with a golden touch. That bacon though! I had a bite of his bacon and it was awesome!!! Best bacon I’ve ever had!!! Great service and atmosphere! Definitely enjoy this restaurant! Highly recommend!

Back again for my 4^th visit and service was a big let down.
Brought my mom here from out of town, and was not an impressive experience like the previous 3 visits.
The table next to us and the two guys sitting on the lounge couches received more attention and better service.
We had to ask for plates, more water, a clam bowl, and a few other times throughout the entire dining experience. Service was not warm and inviting like the last visits and I really wished I took down the name of my previous servers.
I found out what the daily special was on my way out the door and wished my server had told me at the beginning of the meal like the last few times.
My order also came out wrong and didn’t receive a check back in time so I ended up eating it.
It was embarrassing to rave about how great this place was to my family.
Food was great and consistent, but the non-​chalant and lackluster service really brought the experience down several notches.
I will make sure I do not sit in her section again in the future.

This is my new favorite restaurant in the area. I went there last night for dinner with my parents. The atmosphere is fun — our waitress was a sweetheart and the food was AMAZING!
For an appetizer we got a pound of the steamed shrimp — she mentioned that it was cooked in butter and Old bay and man was it good! The shrimp were cooked perfectly and they were huge! We also got the complimentary corn muffins that were super moist and flavorful.
Main courses — My mom and I split the pasta — we substituted the shrimp for the scallops — I wish that there were more shrimp but the few that were in there were good sized. The sauce was really good — not too limey, very creamy! I also got the angry mussels because I read on here they were a favorite and they did not disappoint. The sauce was the most amazing sauce I’ve had with mussels — I was dunking the garlic bread all in it! My dad got the fried shrimp and fries — fries were good (a little plain though because they’re so small) but the shrimp were huge and he got a lot of them!
We also ended up taking home a piece of the pumpkin cheesecake that they had on special — very light and delicious! I also had the frozen blueberry lemonade that was really good, but didn’t taste like there was much alcohol in it! Everything was extremely tasty, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes good seafood!

Considering that this is one of the few (only?) nicer restaurants in the South Riding Market Plaza, I was pretty excited to try it out despite the long, bleak drive. Consensus? A big, whopping… Meh.
The highlights here are definitely the cornbread and delicious cocktails (Moscow Moose and Ryan’s Rhum Punch are must-have’s.) Everything else just seemed to fall flat or be mediocre at best. The Ahi Tuna appetizer, while seared perfectly, didn’t get much of a seasoned outer coating and so remained flavorless – a reoccurring theme that night – and paired off with crunchy rice/​vegetable crisps? The combined textures were less than desirable. And the Steamed Gulf Shrimp followed suit. We were told they were shipped in that very day and were less than 24 hours old, but while indeed fresh, they lacked any distinct flavor. Seriously, no amount of Old Bay or rock salt could save these babies without completely drowning it. Optimistically, I held out hope for our entrees: Billy’s Lobstah Tails (Triple! Fried, Grilled and Boiled) and the quintessential Lobster Roll.
I opted for my roll to be in typical Northern Maine fashion: cold and slathered in copious amounts of mayo. Or so I had hoped anyway. There was barely a hint of mayo and the lobster was so chewy that I gave up on getting a good bun-​to-​lobster ratio and just ate the filling. Out of the three tails, only the fried one made any sort of impression on us. Great flavor and seasoning and surprisingly not too tough. That being said, for the price… You probably won’t get your money’s worth if you’re a huge seafood fan like myself but if you’re in South Riding and find yourself with a craving for it, this will have to do.

Not bad, but not spectacular. I had the lobster roll, which was a great portion for the price but dressed in way too much mayo. we didn’t care for the potato salad it was served with. My friend had the chicken panini which she enjoyed. Both our meals were served with fries.

I saw this place as I walked into Rangoli one day and the smell was just phenomenal so I bookmarked it and I finally got a chance to go the other night. My mom loves seafood so I thought it was a perfect place to take my family for a Friday night dinner. We arrived late around 9pm and got seated right away. Its a family friendly environment and pretty laid back.
Our waiter was a bit awkward but we were just so hungry we tried to forget about his awkwardness. He was very good though, frequently checking up on me and making sure we had everything we needed. New drinks would be out before we we’re finished with the the other drink. Everyone at the table was overwhelmed with the menu, as we didn’t know what to get because all the choices looked delicious.
Oh why did they have to torture me with those delicious corn muffins. Light and fluffy muffins with pieces of corn inside and it’s just warm little goodness in your mouth. I could not stop eating them, I had to ask for a second basket… oops! We then ordered the Maine Chips which had lobster, melted blue cheese, and basil aioli. I enjoyed them but it was just a little too much garlic flavor, like way too much.
I enjoyed my blackened scallops with pasta with tequila lime sauce. The scallops tasted fresh and the creamy lime sauce compliment it well. I tried my dad’s fish and chips and the fish were lightly fried, not greasy and perfectly crispy. That is something I would definitely get next time. My family enjoyed the entrees they ordered and there were no complaints.
Overall, priced reasonably with fresh seafood options. Food was consistently good throughout the table and the service wasn’t bad either except for the weird server part. I feel that he just lacked social skills and he was not a people person. I mean he knew what to do but he just didn’t know how to type of thing. Anyways, definitely give this place a try if you enjoy seafood.

This location is great. I throughly enjoyed my family dinner here. I’m not sure if they do reservations but call them to see if they do. Without reservation we waited around 30 – 40 minutes to get sat. But when we did get sat, it was worth it.
Everything was 5 stars. Our server was great and told me alittle more about the menu. They get their seafood from local companies etc, they get multiple shippings in the week. So, I had a good feeling when the food came the seafood would be very fresh.
They start each meal with a hybrid between a biscuit/​muffin. The butter cream sauce it came with was absolutely delicious. My sister Anny always gets their fish wings and I decided to get the same as her. Those fish wings are very unique and finger lickin good. They do have bone in the middle so becareful. This is not an entrée but I felt like it was the perfect portion for me. You can always start this as a appetizer. My mom ordered the fish and chips and I tried some and it was also very pleasant. Lastly we enjoyed crème brûlée.
This place is a must to eat in.~

I dined at Ford’s Fish Shack with my parents on a Friday night… you can tell this is one of the only fine restaurants in the area cuz it was poppin’.
We started off with drinks, Dirty Martinis with Tito’s vodka… they were good except the olives were not stuffed with Blue Cheese as I had requested. For starters we all got the Clam Chowder, it was extremely salty for my liking but I still finished it. We also got a dozen oysters, these were very fresh and meaty; definitely made up for the chowder.
My mom and I both ordered the Fried Oyster and Gulf shrimp Jambalaya pasta. It was phenomenal! This was the first time I tried fried oysters and was impressed. The sauce was delicious and the penne pasta was cooked perfectly, I would order this again. My dad got the Soft shell crab special which came with two fairly large fried crabs on top of some angel hair pasta. I wasn’t a fan of the pasta that came with this plate but the sauce was savory.
For dessert, we ordered two crème brûlées, one for my parent and one for myself! Delicious and creamy and would go back for some more. The Ford’s bread pudding sounded appetizing as well, will definitely have to check it out next time.
Although the place was pretty loud and waiting time was 35 minutes, the server was very friendly and gave excellent dinner suggestions.

I had bookmarked this place a while back after I heard about their maine chips and this restaurant did not disappoint!
We started with their basket of corn muffins, which would of been really good if they were warm. Once my friend mentioned it, they were quickly replaced. I was too hungry to be fooled by bread. I was eager for my main course. We also ordered a couple of cocktails that were mehhh.
We shared a small order of maine chips for an appetizer because my friend had raved about it. Just think, housemade potato chips covered with lobster meat, tomatoes, fresh blue cheese and some kinda green sauce that was really scrumptious. I’m not a fan of blue cheese, but brushed most of it to the side and went to town on this delicious appetizer. I have to find out what is in that sauce.
For my entrée, I had the blackened shrimp and scallops with broccolini and cole slaw. The dish originally came with fries but I need green vegetables in my life. The seafood was cooked perfectly and it was served with a side of romoulade sauce that will make you wanna smack your Momma! It had a touch of heat but it was full of flavor. Even the garnish of coleslaw was delicious. It was sweet with a hint of cilantro or tarragon (I think). My entrée was very tasty.
This restaurant is decorated nicely and made me feel like I was on the boardwalk at the beach. Plastic shellfish line the walls with rustic furniture throughout. We sand along to the 80s tunes of Whitesnake and Def Leopard (don’t judge me). Our service was pretty good, but my entrée is what will make me come back.