Last Updated on May 21, 2026 by Brian Kachejian
Our Best Seafood Restaurants in Boston should serve as a helpful guide for both locals and tourists seeking the best seafood in the legendary city of Boston, Massachusetts. As a seaport city, it is easy to argue that anybody can find some of the best seafood in the United States in the city of Boston. If you have never been to Boston but know someone who has traveled to this breathtaking city, chances are you have heard them say how much they love it. There is just something magical about this historical city.
We have spent a lot of time in Boston and know all the greatest places to eat. We have been on missions to find the greatest clam chowder in the city, which we have argued, multiple times, is at the Sail Loft. Nonetheless, there are so many more wonderful seafood restaurants in Boston that we wish we could list here. However, we think you will be pretty happy with these ten magnificent choices.
Legal Seafood – Downtown Crossing
Opening up our Best Seafood Restaurant in Boston article is Legal Seafood in Downtown Boston. Legal Seafood is a large seafood restaurant chain in Massachusetts. The chain has multiple small restaurants at many airports across the state, as well as full-size restaurants in Boston and other cities throughout Massachusetts. I have received many mixed reviews on this chain of restaurants. While I have never been a fan of big chain restaurants, I really enjoyed the food and ambiance at Legal Seafood at Downtown Crossing.
Even though this is a chain of restaurants, it’s pretty much an upscale one, at least the full-size restaurants are. With upscale restaurants usually comes upscale food along with high prices. We never mind paying high prices as long as the food is good, and for the most part, the food is very good at the Downtown Crossing Restaurant. The New England clam chowder is excellent. It’s not as good as the Sail Loft’s, but it’s still very good. There is nothing really distinct about it; it’s just good New England clam chowder, fresh, full of clams, played safe. In fact, it would be a crime to serve mediocre clam chowder in the city of Boston. Legal Seafood does it right.
We would also recommend the Legal’s Signature Crab Cake for an appetizer. For a drop-dead “I can’t believe how good this is,” entree, go for the Cioppino plate, which is filled with clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, calamari, whitefish, and lobster in a tomato broth.
There are many better Seafood restaurants in Boston that didn’t make this list that we would choose over Legal Seafood. However, if you are visiting Boston, you are bound to run into one of these, so we figured we would review it to give you a better understanding of the quality of restaurants that define the Legal Seafood chain.
On the weekends, it’s virtually impossible to get in because the place gets completely packed. However, it’s best to visit the restaurant during off-peak hours, like a Tuesday afternoon. You will enjoy the ambiance much more when it’s less packed. We were there on a Tuesday, and it was a wonderful experience. We couldn’t even get in the door on a Saturday evening. And they were a little snotty about it, too. Two completely different experiences at the same restaurant. Good luck!
Address: 558 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (617) 692-8888
Hours: Sunday through Thursday – 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM
Friday and Saturday – 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM
Website: https://www.legalseafoods.com/locations/boston-downtown-crossing/
Neptune Oyster
Okay, so now, let’s get into it. Continuing with our 10 Best Seafood Restaurants in Boston, we turn to the legendary Boston Seafood Restaurant called Neptune Oyster. First off, you have to love a restaurant that quotes Ernest Hemingway on its website. The quote from Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast captures how the taste of the sea in the Oyster, washed down with wine, makes him want to live and continue making plans. It is the perfect quote to describe this amazing restaurant and its presentation of the ultimate prized seafood. While some may argue that the ultimate Seafood is Lobster, there are plenty who would vote for oysters. Fortunately, for Boston travelers and locals, Neptune Oyster specializes in both.
For an appetizer, we would recommend the Chatham Blue Mussels or the Spanish Octopus, which would make Hemingway want to write another book. For a great fish entree, you can’t go wrong with the MA Bay Bluefin. But of course, Neptune Oyster is all about the Oyster Bar. You can order a platter or just pay the market price for individual oysters. The money should not matter when you have access to oysters as fresh as the ones you will find at Neptune Oyster.
Address: 63 Salem Street, Boston, MA 02113
Phone: 617-742-3474
Hours: Weekdays 11:00 AM to 10 PM / Weekends 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Website: https://www.neptuneoyster.com/
8 – Holy Crab
Next up on our list of the Best Seafood Restaurants in Boston is the fantastic eatery Holy Crab. There are two locations for this hot spot, with one in Allston and the other in Lowell, Boston. What separates Holy Crab from many other Seafood Restaurants in Boston is that Holy Crab is all about serving its seafood Cajun-style. If you’re not in the mood for the traditional New England clam chowder, then the Holy Crab has a great cup of Shrimp Sausage gumbo that is simply sensational. Once you have started out your dining experience with a cup of Gumbo, it’s time for the Seafood Boil.
You get to choose your type of Seafood from lobster to crab, to shrimp, to various other seafood delights. You can make it a combo if you want. Once you have chosen your seafood for the broil, you pick your sauce. All the sauces mix Cajun spices with lemon, garlic, soy sauce, butter, or a combination of these condiments. It’s simply fabulous how you can mix it just the way you want it using their recommended guidelines. This was fun!
Address: 1098 Commonwealth Avenue Allston 02215
Phone: 1-617-487-5957
Hours: Mon – Fri: 11:30 am -10:00 pm
Sat: 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Sun: 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Website: http://hollycrab.com/allston/
Row 34
Like Boston’s Legal Seafood, Row 34 is a small chain of restaurants located throughout Massachusetts. There are ones in Cambridge, Burlington, Portsmouth, and, of course, the city of Boston. Row 34 is a huge restaurant that handles a packed house all day and night. They would not be constantly packed if they were not good. Have a seat at the bar or a table. This is a fun place to socialize while enjoying their fresh oysters, clams, and other cold-served seafood delights.
Address: 383 Congress St, Fort Point, MA 02210
Phone: 617- 553-5900
Hours: MTW / 5-9 pm
Thu, Fri, Sat / 11:30 am – 10 pm
Sun / 11:30 am – 9 pm
Website: https://www.row34.com/
Saltie Girl
At the halfway point on our 110 Best Seafood Restaurants in Boston is the legendary Saltie Girl. How could you not love a restaurant called Saltie Girl? This amazing Boston Seafood Restaurant is a big favorite among Boston Locals. Once you taste their dreamy Fried Lobster & Waffles, you will know why. Their snow crab toast will make you want to move to Boston. This place is extremely special.
Before your entree arrives, make sure to order an Heirloom Tomato Salad with a freshness you have probably never experienced. On the entree list, you can’t go wrong with Chalk Stream Trout Almondine, prepared with rabe, Marcona almonds, green beans, fried maitakes, and a sizzling lemon-brown butter sauce. Yup, if you visit this restaurant, you are going to be moving to Boston. And hey, that’s not a bad idea, we love Boston
Address: 279 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-267-0691
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 11 AM – 10 PM
Friday: 11 AM – 11 PM
Saturday: 11 AM – 11 PM
Sunday: 11 AM – 9 PM
Weekend Brunch: 11 AM-4 PM
Website: https://www.saltiegirl.com/
Atlantic Fish
Boston is a city of legends, and the Atlantic Fish Co fits right in. Like all classic Boston Seafood Restaurants, Atlantic Fish Company features a wonderful Raw Bar. Yet, it’s their entrees that make this restaurant rank at the top of so many Boston Seafood lists. But before we get to those mouthwatering entrees, we need to talk about one of their big-time specialties. While most eateries in Boston offer a choice between New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque, Atlantic Fish Company takes its soup selection to another level with its breathtaking Basque Seafood Stew.
Once you get past the Raw Clam Bar and those amazing soups, it’s time to dive into an entree of Crab-Crusted Haddock surrounded by spinach, tomato, roasted fingerling potatoes, and lobster basil sauce. You will also love their Housemade Lobster & Scallop Ravioli or perhaps take a sea ride with George’s Bank Seared Scallops served with Peruvian potatoes, green beans, and herbed brown butter. This is a restaurant you will go back to every time you visit Boston.
Address: 761 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Phone:(617) 267-4000
Hours:
Monday – Thursday
11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday
11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday
11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday
11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Website: https://www.atlanticfish.com/
Union Oyster House
The Union Oyster House in Boston is one of the oldest restaurants not only in Boston but in all of the United States. And for that point alone, it is well worth your time to visit the Union Oyster House. It’s a pretty straight-ahead menu at the Union Oyster House. This is not about fancy dishes; it’s about simple, fresh flair. From clams on the half shell, fresh oysters, stuffed clams, and crabcakes to all the typical fried fish favorites, the Union Oyster House serves it all at fair prices in a historic setting that you’ll never forget.
Address: 41 Union Street, Boston
Phone: 617-227- 2750
Hours: Sun – Thursday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Fri & Sat 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Website: http://unionoysterhouse.com/
Mooncusser
Just off the top spot on our Best Seafood Restaurants in Boston is Mooncusser. It’s not just one of the best seafood restaurants in Boston; it’s one of the best all-around restaurants in the city. One of the main reasons this is one of the best restaurants in Boston is the chef. Mooncusser brought in top Chef Carl Dooley to take this fabulous restaurant to the next level. Who wouldn’t want to eat in a restaurant manned by a Top Chef?
There is nothing really that fancy about the ambiance at Mooncusser. At this restaurant, it’s all about the food. Isn’t that really what it should be all about? We recently visited this spectacular restaurant and enjoyed their price-fix menu. That was a good move. On the price fix, the menu features three rounds of stunning entries, with choices at each round. In round one, you could pick either a Beer Battered Soft Shell Crab with a Cucumber salad, Raita, and mango hot sauce, or the Yellowfin Tuna Crudo with cantaloupe ginger sauce, Szechuan chili oil, and toasted pine nuts. That’s just round one.
For round two, we went with the glazed local scallop wth a piperade sauce, roasted tomatoes, and Marcona almonds. It was so good we felt as if we were being lifted off the ground in a powerful flight of sheer happiness. When food makes you feel like you’re flying, you know you have chosen the right restaurant for dinner.
Address: 304 Stuart St., Boston
Phone: 617-917-5193
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 5:30-10 pm / Friday and Saturday 5:00-10:00 pm
Website: mooncusserfishhouse.com
Sail Loft
In the number-one spot on our Best Seafood Restaurants in Boston article is our favorite Boston restaurant, the Sail Loft. If you read our previous article on finding the best clam chowder in Boston, you would know that this is our absolute favorite restaurant in the city, which is one of our absolute favorite cities in the United States. First and foremost, if there is one thing that you are going to have on your visit to this stunning restaurant, it has to be their clam chowder. I have never tasted clam chowder as good as the one that the Sail Loft serves. They have their own secret recipe that will leave you wondering just what they’re putting in there to make it taste so good. In fact, their clam chowder is so good, they ship it nationwide.
Nonetheless, it’s not just about their clam chowder at the Sail Loft. This is a restaurant that serves all the traditional seafood dishes, including a monster plate of muscles, clams, and, of course, lobster. The featured dinner item, “Sauteed Seafood Portofino,” filled with Lobster meat, scallops, and shrimp sautéed with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, scallions, and roasted red peppers in a garlic-white wine sauce over a bed of linguini, will leave you breathless. The restaurant is located right on the water. It’s old-school all the way, with wooden floors, a wooden bar, and more. It has a vibe about it that is distinctly old-time Boston.
Address: 80 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 227-7280
Hours: Restaurant 11:30 AM-10 PM / Bar closes at 2:00 PM
Website: https://www.thebostonsailloft.com/
For more food choices in Boston, discover our Best Pizza Places in Boston article.
