OCEAN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

By Rick McNeil

When you walk into the Ocean Seafood Restaurant, the first thing you notice is the aroma of freshly cooked seafood.  Being a seafood lover myself, I have fond memories of visiting Cape Cod, which is well know for great seafood restaurants. Now, I only have to travel to downtown Springfield to find the great seafood that I love so much.  
The owners of the Ocean Seafood Restaurant, not only serve great seafood, but they have carved themselves a piece of the proverbial “American Dream.”  Two brothers and a cousin have pooled together their personal resources in order to take the risk that many dare not take--opening their own restaurant.

The owners, Khaled Mohamed, Mamedouh Mohamed and Ahmed Sallem, were all born in Egypt.  Khaled Mohamed shared with me how he immigrated to the U.S. over six years ago.  Both Khaled and Mamedouh have worked in well-established seafood restaurants in Connecticut.  They began this venture the old-fashioned way, by working hard and saving their money over the past several years.  Without any financing or small business loans, they purchased space at 67 Liberty Street in Springfield and opened the restaurant in May 2003.  

Admittedly, they have found that owning a restaurant has proven to be much more work than they initially expected, with numerous unforeseen challenges.  However, from my observation, they do a good job of portraying a smooth operating business.  The décor is unpretentious and, although there is adequate space for dining in, a good deal of their business is take-out.

The food is fresh, delicious and reasonably priced.  They offer a wide range of fried or baked seafood, with a number of lunch specials for under $5.00.  Most of the fried dishes can be prepared in 10 minutes or less, which makes Ocean Seafood Restaurant a convenient place for having lunch on a busy work day.  I have seen all types of patrons in the restaurant, including firefighters, construction workers, postal employees and anybody else looking for a delicious meal.   Khaled tells me that he intends on adding some traditional mid-eastern dishes to the menu over the next few weeks.  So, there will be even more variety in their menu options.
The Ocean Seafood Restaurant is located at 67 Liberty Street, Springfield, MA (across the street from the main Post Office).  They are open Monday – Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.  Perhaps, I’ll see you there… You will be able to recognize me as the guy eating clam strips with a big smile on his face. n