Bayside Betsy's,

177 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657, United States

"My husband and I came in without a reservation on New Year’s Eve. They accommodated us and our puppy. Food was delicious and came quickly. They were well staffed, alternative and kind. They also have a great drink menu!"

"In a word: No. Like most tourists, I'll spend a week or less here, so my dinner choices, casual as they may be, greatly shape my experience. With five nights to enjoy, each one is important. Let's start by acknowledging that Betty is gone, and has been for many years. This place has changed hands at least twice per their own statements in the last few years. The latest one they admit was caused by a declining reputation. Sorry to say that the new owner, while quite responsive here (or at least their management) has been giving similar responses for a year to constructive feedback. Spoiler alert - if you're giving the same "thanks we'll try to do better" answer repeatedly for a year, I no longer believe you. The good: this location. Is direct waterfront. You could setup picnic benches on the sand and sell decent food here all day long. It is a great location, with beautiful views. This is a missed opportunity. The responder says basically "it takes time to fix things" and while this is true, you don't need nicer tables, a better deck, newer paint, or really anything structural to "fix" Betty's. You need 1) better people, and 2) better food. The bad: I read many of their reviews to get a feeling of what other customers thought. That's what reviews are for. Several of their reviews specifically mention that the hostess is not friendly. This is absolutely correct. The review responder even agrees months ago that the hostess is not friendly. Well guess what - this can easily be fixed. But it hasn't. The hostess sets your first impression, and the entire experience /expectations are based on this. We are here in October, sliding into the off season, so it's not busy. At 7pn, there were only 4 tables occupied inside, and none outside (cold). We are a party of two, and the hostess tries to seat us ten feet away from the front desk, way far back from the prime water view tables. We ask if we can get into best available row behind the current diners. The table is a 5-top, and we are told that they usually reserve these for parties of 3 or more. Girl, this is your peak dining time, and you're not busy at all. Duing our hour there, only one other new table got seated. What the heck are you saving this "premium" table for? She begrudgingly agreed to let us sit there. Less than a minute later she shows back up, while putting on an apron and now stating "I was the hostess but now I'm going to be your server." Oh joy. There are two other servers working the 4 total tables, plus a bartender and maybe a manager dude chatting with the bartender. Yet we waited several minutes unattended at the hostess desk before anyone took the time to even greet us. So, she now asks us if we wanted to order some appetizers. Drinks yes, but we haven't had but a minute to even look at the menu. She stands there waiting because they just really aren't busy enough for her to need to do anything else. I ask if the Onion Rings are made in house. She just says no, afterwards thinking to add "but they're good". I ask if the Guacamole is made here. She sys no. Now, any person who really cares about their food should have taken these two hints that the whole experience wasn't going to get any better. Even my kids know that good Guacamole starts turning brown after a day, and any self-respecting restaurant should make it fresh daily. We stopped asking questions, glanced at each other, and just ordered the $14 cheese sticks. The menu is not super large but it is diverse. From chicken wings, ribs, $36 lobster rolls, fried seafood, burgers, and a few Italian dishes. While this may seem like a blessing, it is your second context clue that their idea of a chef is going to be someone who can defrost the food, probably Swans or Sysco food service. This is not a joke. Many of the other reviewers comment that the food lacks taste (lobster rolls, French onion soup) or spice. The responder dismisses these with "thousands like it". Do not go here. I will not go back. The food probably won't kill you, but the food is just "blah"."

"The waterfront deck was lovely! The service was fast, accurate, and friendly. The food was diner food but surprisingly fresh, the salad was great. We also loved the spinach artichoke dip. I appreciated that the bathrooms were gender neutral which, for a queer tourist destination, was surprisingly rare. We had a great experience!"

"Decent meal with pleasant atmosphere and great view of bay in the outdoor patio seating. We liked their beer, fish sandwiches and quesadilla. Food was in a generous amount and service was polite and quick. Their breakfast ends by 11am and lunch menu does not have enough veggie options but quesadilla were good choice. Overall good place with good view and service!"

"This is a great place to enjoy a meal overlooking the water. Our server and the manager were very attentive and welcoming. The menu has something for every palate. I had a haddock sandwich with fries and my wife had a chicken sandwich with a side salad. We were both satisfied. We had an onion ring appetizer and they were great. If you are in the area give this spot a try!!!"