Feature Photo by Brian Kachejian
When we arrived in Boston, our first goal was to sample the clam chowder in every restaurant and food stand we ate at. The goal was simple: find the best clam chowder in Boston. This could not be an individual choice. It had to be unanimous between my son and myself. We received a list of the best restaurants in Boston. We arrived at our hotel, threw our luggage on the bed, and ran out the door with no time to waste. We asked the hotel desk clerk to find us a good restaurant nearby. Usually, these are the guys that know the best places. We were hungry, and we wanted something close by. The hotel clerk recommended a restaurant about 20 yards away.
We were staying at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Boston. The hotel clerk recommended a restaurant called Legal Crossing. The restaurant was located directly across from Boston’s Paramount Theater. My son and I both ordered the Boston Clam Chowder as an appetizer. It was excellent. It was so good that we wondered if we had found the best Boston Clam Chowder on our first try. However, we had a week to continue our search, and there should be no victory lap yet. The Legal Crossing Restaurant was part of a chain of restaurants in the Boston area that go under the name Legal Seafood. They are great restaurants but are a bit expensive. Most of the time, we found it very difficult to get a table. We were turned away from these restaurants a few times during our stay, which, for the most part, left a bad taste in our mouths. However, when we did get that one chance to eat at Legal Crossing, we were very impressed with the food. The waitresses are much friendlier than the snooty hosts that seat people.
We tried many other restaurants in the Boston area over the next few days, and none of them compared to the clam chowder that we had eaten at Legal Crossing. However, on our fourth day in Boston, I got a call from my friend Walter in New York, who had asked if I had eaten at a small restaurant near the Boston Marriott Long Warf. Walter had been spending his summers in Boston for the past forty years and knew the city well.
Walter texted me an address and the name of a restaurant called the Boston Sail Loft. The restaurant was located about a five-minute walk from the Boston Marriott and the Boston Aquarium. At first, I thought he might have been talking about Legal Seafood, which is located near the Aquarium, but Walter assured me that Legal Seafood was not the place he was referring to. There was also a restaurant called Joe’s American Bar and Grill, which we had eaten at the night before, but Walter assured me that was not the one.
We searched for the restaurant and saw a small building with a sign hanging at the front labeled “Boston Sail Loft.” Compared to the other fancy entrances to the grand Boston restaurants we visited during our stay, I was not too impressed with the entrance to the Boston Sail Loft. It was an old wooden building that seemed a bit run down. From the outside, it also looked very small. However, the restaurant ran deep along the dock, making it far larger than it had appeared at the entrance. My expectations were low despite Walter’s recommendations. In short, I thought this could not be the place that would have the best clam chowder in Boston.
We entered the Boston Sail Loft and were greeted by a very friendly waitress. We sat at a table with a beautiful view of the water and an open window. It was comfortable and relaxing. My son and I both ordered the Clam Chowder. The clam chowder was served in large coffee cups. It was not the most elegant presentation. Based on how the chowder looked, I was even more certain this would be a severe disappointment. I could not have been more wrong.
When both my son and I took our first taste of the Boston clam chowder, we stopped and stared at each other. We knew at that moment our quest had ended. This was the best clam chowder we had ever tasted. Not just in Boston, but in our entire lives. It was creamy, fresh, and loaded with clams. It was seasoned perfectly. The addition of dill in the soup was what really took it to a level of taste we had never experienced in clam chowder. If you are ever visiting Boston and want to experience the best clam chowder you will ever taste, you must visit the Sail Loft Restaurant and order their Clam Chowder. It is hands down the best you will ever have.
