Rod & Rail
A steak sub slathered with beer cheese.
“That's right, cheese beer yum.”
And smashburger that’s not just awesome.
“It is friggin awesome”.
Fresh hot donuts for dessert.
“I mean, who doesn't like a donut, especially if it's still warm?”
And an app so nice, you’ll probably order it twice.
“You're going to have it as an appetizer, and then you might want to get it for your main meal.”
For mouthwatering apps, main meals and more, it's time to take your mouth south to Rod and Rail.
Located in Buzzards Bay, Rod and Rail is a casual spot named as an homage to the thousands of fishermen who visit the area yearly and the Cape Cod Central Railroad just down the way.
“We're right in the heart of Buzzards Bay. You can see the train bridge from our front patio. We are right across the street from the Cape Cod Canal, visited by locals and tourists alike, all year round, hundreds of 1000s of people. We really love the idea of having a warm, comfortable pub atmosphere comfort food, fresh, locally sourced seafood probably the best drink selection you're going to find in the area. We just try to stay consistent and good. We want everyone to come back.”
Owners Matt and Jill Hennessy are the creative couple behind the concept. They built a space where locals and tourists can feel at home- from the food to the overall vibe.
“I want them to feel comfortable, welcome, that they're at home, even if it's their first time here, they should feel like they've been here 27 times before. And we might not know your name, but we're going to treat you like we do. We're not reinventing any wheels with our food, but we think we really do a great job and we try to put the best quality out that we can.”
With dish after dish of all your favorites, ordering an app is almost impossible. But you should always ask for the Steak and Cheese Stuffed Pretzels first, because they’re so popular, they’ve been known to sell out.
“It is a giant pretzel. We start off with a 16 ounce dough. Fill it with braised short rib caramelized onions and American cheese. When it comes out, it's steamy, it's gooey. The cheese melts everywhere, and we serve it with a spicy crema. It s absolutely amazing. We usually sell out whenever we have it available.”
There’s the crispy pomme frites trio served with your choice of sauce, from beer cheese and buffalo to ranch, gravy, and honey mustard.
“The pomme frites trio is pretty awesome. You get to choose three of our signature sauces and if three sauces isn't enough for you, you can get more sauces too. Why not?”
And if you prefer your French Fries by way of Canada, order the Tater Tot Poutine.
“Oh my God, it is absolutely out of this world. Crispy tater tots cheese curds. Short ribs, sunny side fried egg. Then we finish it off with a little drizzle of our house made ranch and then we give you some of our house made beef gravy. When you take a bite of the short rib poutine. It’s heaven. You feel happy when you eat it.”
After apps, it’s all about the handhelds, like this spectacular steak and cheese featuring house shaved ribeye, mushrooms, peppers, onions, melty beer cheese and Rod and Rail’s secret sauce.
“If you're already a fan of steak and cheese, you're gonna take a bite and you're gonna be like, holy moly, this is the best steak and cheese I've ever had.”
The classic BLT is amped up with grilled chicken and some more of that secret sauce, served on toasted multigrain bread.
“When you take a bite of that you're getting the fresh tomato, the crispy lettuce, the crispy, hot bacon that nice warm piece of grilled chicken. I'm no expert, but I'd say it's probably the best BLT around.”
Rod & Rail’s ultra juicy fried chicken sandwich is topped with lettuce, pickles, and of course secret sauce on a sweet brioche bun and their legendary Smashburger showcases a beef patty grilled with onions and butter and then it’s piled up with American cheese, tomatoes, onions and pickles. But since you’re down the Cape, some fried seafood is in order, and the Crispy Cod Sandwich hits every time.
“When you take a bite, you're getting warm, crispy saltiness of our beer batter and our house seasoning. But then inside is that nice, fresh, white, flaky, moist cod that everyone's looking for. It is fresh and delicious. You can tell it probably came off the boat yesterday.”
Since Rod & Rail is housed in the former site of local institution, Ma’s Donuts, it only made sense to have donuts on the menu.
“We make sweet potato donut holes. They are fried fresh…You can either have them plain or covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar. We also give you a little bit of our house made salted caramel to dip it in. And they're absolutely delicious. If the bag of donuts was not enough for you, what we do is we soup it up and we turn that bag of donuts into a sundae for you. We throw donuts, vanilla ice cream, salted caramel, whipped cream. It's really tall. It's really big. You get a little bit savory, but mostly sweet, warm, cool from the ice cream. It’s like heaven.”
And from outstanding apps and satisfying sandwiches to one decadent donut dessert, you’re going to feel like you’ve gone to food heaven at Rod & Rail.
“Whether you're going to the Cape or from the Cape, swing on by. We promise we won't disappoint.”
