Kettle-Ho Restaurant & Tavern

Friendly bar with a local crowd. My family enjoys the ho time and time again. The staff is attentive and we have many friends here.

Nothing better! Drinks are awesome, quahogs are beyond belief… It is a regular weekend stop… If crowded, get take out!

Had to try the Lobster Rolls. Delicious
Very busy with lots of locals. Friendly bartender.
A bit noisy, but adds to the flavor. Convenient street parking. Will be back

Great dining and experience. Both lobster roll and swordfish were huge servings, and delicious.

Great local spot. There will be a wait, unless you are by yourself and there’s a spot between the locals at the bar.
Burger
Burger
Burger
Grilled cheese
Fish and chips
Baked seafood casserole
Not much that I can comment on but my own. The casserole is huge shrimp, scallops, and scrod basted in butter sauce. Then covered in a parmesan bread crumb. Baked til hot, bubbly, and crunchy. Fresh seafood is always going to taste good. Butter only makes things better. I felt it was a bit under seasoned. But if you’ve read my reviews, you know I expect flavor to pop on my food. Pepper, and hot sauce remedied this. The mashed potatoes were standard, but abundant. The green beans had that crunch I love. I would have preferred them hotter instead of barely warm. A heated plate will help this. Service was good. The interior airflow was rough. Yes it was air conditioned from outside, but not a place to retreat to for cold air.
We were seated near a window that our server encouraged us to open.
I will return, and recommend.

I got the veggie burger and it was okay. Not the best I’ve ever had. My dining party got the fajitas which came out sizzling, but she also said she’s had better! Atmosphere was fun and bartenders were friendly. Small little place, prices aren’t too high…

No more pizzas but stuffed quahog $ 5 is delish… they serve it with melted butter, lemon and tabasco. Turkey club $ 10 with huge pickle and lots of fries… yumm!
Kendal Jackson Chardonnay filled to the rim. Staff is always friendly and love Crystal! We live in Cotuit and walk down and its def like cheers… everybody knows your name!

Always consistent and great steak tips! One time I had a to go burger cooked too rare, and the owner sought me out next time I was in to give my money back 100%! He had promised this after I had called. Thanks. KHO!!!

This place is the pits. If it wasn’t the only game in town it would have closed its doors years ago. It’s dirty, smells like vomit, the bathrooms are disgusting, yet the owner wants it to be a family restaurant. It’s time to call a spade a spade. This place is nothing more than a dive bar. It’s the Foxhole all dressed up. Nice job putting lipstick on a pig.

Adored their corn chowder which is hard to find on the Cape as it’s home of clam chowder which I despise. So that was a double joy for me. Homey atmosphere, it’s old school MA style. Yes it’s busy and sometimes as a result the service is slower than I would like, but I know that going in. I’ve always had good or great food there and the environment is what I expect to get in a New England tavern.

If you enjoy a decent restaurant experience, you may wonder after going here, ‘how is this place still in business?’
The simple answer: everyone is absolutely hammered. The service is almost non-​existent, so staggeringly haphazard I’d only suggest going in after maybe an appetizer or two. Preferably, after you’ve already eaten somewhere else. It would be unwise and unfitting to not be thoroughly buzzed before entering (not necessarily a bad thing).
To put it simply: It’s a place to go as a last resort. You’re already drunk, and you want to make the mistake of that one last drink. You’ll stand around with the rest of the overly loud crowd, and perhaps, stumble home with the chubby blonde waitress.

One of the best local spots on the Cape. Great food and drinks — quahogs are a must have. Waitstaff and bartenders are friendly and welcoming. Perfect place to grab a burger and a beer, catch a Sox game, or have drinks with friends. Can’t wait to be back this summer!

Best quahogs on the cape. No question about it. Lobster rolls are also top shelf, usually off the menu.
Beer is cold. Bartenders are good.

I’ve always been a fan of this place, but all the more so since Osterville’s been blowing out its undeveloped land in favor of the second homers, turning those bar/​restaurants almost exclusively into summer folk haunts.
Cotuit, by contrast, will always be a little off the beaten path, though the Kettle Ho never wants for customers. The bartenders and staff are no-​nonsense folks, which is good for those of us who hold our liquor, and bad for those who consider each bar some kind of drunken playground for adults. I myself may fall on either side of the coin depending on the day and season. Another note on drinks, if you’re looking for an awesome bloody mary, see if Taylor will make a batch.
In any case, though the food is a little pricey for the fare and I tend to stick with the safety of a stuffed quahog, I did once have the best steak I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant there in 2012. It was a special on the board, I believe called the «cowboy steak.» If it happens to be available, you can’t go wrong with that one no matter the price. Overall a great and unique Cape Cod spot.

Fun & friendly place. Good food at a reasonable price.

I say Kettle Nooooooo.
I grew up in Barnstable and remember well when this was a local shithole now turned trendy local bar. The food’s decent as is the table service during the summer.
But the friendliness factor is low, the atmosphere and cleanliness fall under «dank» and «disturbed.» This place is neither welcoming or cozy as far as pubs go if you’re looking for good cheer. It’s a place where you get eyed warily by the fat guy from New Jersey wearing a KHO hat acting like he owns the place because he bought your grandmother’s house three years ago.
The bar is worse. Been there on numerous occasions during all seasons with friends because it’s close, and service is done not with a smile but with an air of «what do you want, you’re slightly bothering me for asking for service» and «I’m doing you a favor.»
Nevermind the «look-​the-​other-​way» double-​standard given to the town drunks that ruminate there night-​after-​night and stumble or lurch their shitboxes homeward. Never be back here again until an owner that gives a shit that he’s running a business, takes over.

Oh gurrrl, the lobster roll you don’t even KNOW!
Minimal expectations for a local with 90% of the clee-​ahn-​tell perched around the bar drinking domestic longnecks. They knew each other, and not us — the five pack of sailors who caught a mooring and were looking to quell thirsts and sate appetites.
Foods you’d expect on a license plated, NCAA flag-​bearing brew pub with one minor twist: the lobster roll (a special at $ 22) is outrageously delicious!
And bountiful? The toasted buttered split top bun didn’t stand a chance against what had to be four claws worth of the of bug, steamed proper and practically unbroken, tossed in a bit of mayo and strewn across a lettuce leaf moisture barrier. Tender, well-​seasoned and undeniably fresh, the plate had me in silent awe. Physically. Because my mouth was full.
Free refills on soft drinks, and the servers are sweeter than a molasses flood (too soon?). Adequate fries and a mild slaw played their part, but by golly, did that roll rock! Interrobang.

Around 7:00p on a summer Friday night, we happened on a spot on the curb in front, which translated to a table for 4 in about 20 minutes. Lucky for me, there is a playground around the corner that kept the toddler engaged while the gentlemen took advantage of the local brews on tap.
Once seated, we started with onion rings. Our local expert explained the pride that New Englanders take in their onion rings, and it was clear in the large plate piled high of perfectly golden rings. Rather than the heavily floured batter that easily separates from the onion itself that I’ve seen too much of lately, these lightly-​battered rings were crisp and tasty — not too greasy and not separating.
While I’d heard good things about the burger, I couldn’t miss the seafood this close to the coast. I had the fish and chips. Again, I appreciated the ratio of batter to fish, and that it was crispy, not soggy. The fries were decent, nothing special. My main disappointment was that they didn’t have malt vinegar, only the tartar sauce that is served with the dish. I’m not a fan of coleslaw in general, and the accompanying coleslaw did nothing to remedy that. I got a bite of fried shrimp and fried calamari. The batter on all of it tasted about the same and had a good amount of crispiness.
My phone was dying, but our server was kind enough to plug it in and keep an eye on it near the bar.
The place was quite busy, so while the server didn’t rush us, we hurried out the door to give our spot to others who were waiting.
Great local place that was welcoming for tourists as well!

I have been going to the Ho since I learned to walk– when they used to have the best pancakes this side of the bridge… they do an occasional brunch now a days. I recently went back for dinner and was beyond pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious, drinks (as always strong and tasty) and the service was wonderful… not to mention the BEST people watching within a solid 10mile radius.

I love the Kettle-​Ho.
I’ve been coming here since I was a child. It used to look like a little diner/​ice cream shop and I’d go here to eat breakfast with my grandfather. Later on, it got really bad. (Somewhere around 2004.) I stopped going and that’s pretty bad since our vacation house is few houses down. Well folks, the pendulum has swung and the food is good again! Someone fixed the menu and renovated it to look like a local watering hole. THAT is why I like it. It’s not pretentious. I don’t have to dress up. And I always run into someone I know. What more could you want?
I’d like to see more consistency in the food because when it’s good, it’s great. Also, the walls could use some SWAG. If its going to be a bar I want to see license plates, college representation and other tchotchke compiled from the locals and annual vacationers that support it.