Lefty's Lobster and Chowder House — Restaurant in Addison

Back when Yelp reviews used to mean something, I had amassed quite a reputation. More than 300 reviews, "elite" status for nearly a decade and this one-time "user profile feature" where they did a Q&A on my thoughts and preferences. When it came time to decide on my choice for "the best meal in DFW," I went with Lefty's.

Nowadays, Yelp's relevancy is questionable and I'm strictly a legend in my own mind... but Lefty's is still the best restaurant in town. Seriously, whether you're doing a quick lunch, a dinner date or a late night cocktail with a slice of pie, Lefty's leaves the other dining establishments in the area behind.

Part of this is due to the sheer "come as you are" attitude that permeates the place. No one who works here has ever met a stranger and you'll see all sorts of customers, be they college kids in t-shirts or couples dressed up for a night on the town. In fact, due to the longevity of Lefty's, I'm almost positive I've been here before to witness customers who have been coming here so long that they can now share a beer with their children. That's awesome and a testament to good taste!

Everyone here is as friendly as they come and eager to make sure your visit is the best it can possibly be. That includes whether you're seated at the bar taking inventory of the autographed photos surrounding your stool, or seated in a plush booth under the sailfish mounted to the wall. Bartenders, servers, bussers and the management are all awesome, and the owners think nothing of walking the dining room and chatting with their customers. That kind of personable approach is lacking these days and only reinforces how much care and dedication goes into dining at Lefty's.

Speaking of which, now that we're five paragraphs into the review, we should probably talk about the food. Suffice it to say, it's the best in the DFW area, and would easily rank in my top 10 favorite restaurants in the country. The seafood is impeccable, the ribeye is the best value for a ribeye I've seen in "a-steakhouse-on-every-corner" Dallas, and even the desserts are tasty (and I'm not a sweets person). But the true treasures are the specials - daily specials, at that! Each day brings between three and five special entrees and a couple of appetizers, and they are all wonderful.

You could have gumbo on a Tuesday, lamb chops on a Friday and, depending on how booked the kitchen is, cioppino on a Sunday. (I should preface that last part by asking you to be mindful of the flux of traffic in the dining room. Yeah, their chicken fried steak with serrano pepper gravy should have won a Noble Peace Prize by now, but if the dining room is packed and there is a wait by the door, don't be "that guy" and order off the menu.) There truly is something for everyone, including your youngest diners in the form of a kid's menu! And no joke, that kid's burger is so good I've modified it into my own meal on occasion...

What else... There's Maredsous beer on tap, a wine list deceivingly deep and a team of bartenders that put their spin on all kinds of classic cocktails. A shot of Blanton's in a sidecar? Sign me up!

I could go on and on, and I have over the years. I'm a longtime fan and chances are good if you're still reading, you're in the same boat or wanting to see what all the hype is about. Come for the food, stay for the camaraderie and realize they just don't make them like...

I have read mixed reviews from here. Mostly great. And I tend to agree, based on my own experience.

Having ran my own restaurant, I know people will find a reason to be offended. If I’m not glad handed at the door, that is not going to ruin my experience. That isn’t to say that a warm greeting isn’t more inviting and welcoming. I just know how hectic the day gets. For me, personally, I can give that a pass. That, in no way excuses bad service. But, that said, I have never had bad service here. The waitstaff has always been attentive. They have done anything asked of them. My glass is always full (your tip depends on it). =)

**Just a general side note on my glass full comment. There are many things that we charge our waitstaff for which are usually not within their control. But attitude and my drinking glass… those are 100% within their control. Great service with a less than part attitude. Meh, I can overlook. You let my glass, the one thing you can control, remain empty a while. Your tip sufferers. If your attitude is bad on top of that. You may owe me for putting up with you. I can assure you I am not alone on this. I will state again, this has never been an issue at this establishment. I have always had great service.

I haven’t tried the lobster here. Lobster is notoriously rubbery and tough. Most times because it’s over cooked and iced down after. Both sins of lobster in my opinion. Fresh lobster and cooked/served hot and immediate. Not always a simple chore when you aren’t pumping out pounds of lobster at a time during service. So you either wait longer for the fresh or deal with a little toughness for fast. I can’t argue that rubber lobster is not great and a waste of money when the prices are premium. Again, I can’t speak for the lobster, as I have not eaten it. But, from the reviews, I would work out a better way to prepare it. It’s not being done well.

So, to what I DO know about. Lobster bisque and Shrimp cocktail. I can’t review anything else because I can’t convince myself to try anything else. They are both fabulous. I like the bisque over pasta and the shrimp are fantastic. They are large, flavorful, and the cocktail sauce is wonderful.

I need to sample more of the fare here, but I can say without hesitation that the bisque and the shrimp cocktail are...

On December 1st, 2023 at 8:10pm. My friend and I dined at Lefty’s Lobster and Chowder House and had the worst experience of our life! Everything was going well up until I felt like my hair was tickling my neck. Come to find out it was a huge cockroach as long as my finger on my neck that eventually flew onto the table. Not sure how long the roach was on me or if it was in my food because the restaurant keeps it dark in there where I literally had to pull out my phone with the flash light to see what I was eating before all this happened. I brought it to the waiters attention and showed him the roach on the table and he got the manager/owner who goes by Gus Papa George. By then when the manager came the roach was making its way from the table then jumped/flew under the booth where we were sitting. He did not get down on his knees to see where the bug went as if he didn’t even care! He literally said “that it’s cold outside and it’s Texas…bugs are everywhere and are likely to come inside.“ We couldn’t believe what this manager said! He didn’t even first apologize or offer the take care of our bill. He said he would be right back to look at our bill…just to find him at the bar eating a crab cake. Then he came back…this is what was insane to me, he decided that he would take off my friends meal but put my meal all on one ticket and thought I would just be paying for it or we split the bill? I also showed him a picture of the bug on the table to prove to him that we weren’t lying! He acted as if it was no big deal! He continued to argue with my friend and rudely kicked us out since we were pushing back on paying for anything. My only regret is that we didn’t record and make a video. Something tells me that the manager is aware of the bugs roaming around the restaurant. At the end of the day, the manager, Gus was very unprofessional and gave us discriminatory racist vibes. We were very disappointed as it ruined our whole night. I highly recommend to not patronize this business for lack of care for...