Legal Sea Foods - Harborside — Restaurant in Boston

This place is very beautiful, interior-wise you get to sit nearby the kitchen and watch the chefs make the food in front of you. There are also multiple floors, the second being for private catering and third was for the bar. The most prominent feature though is of course the harbor side view, you can sit with a harbor view or towards the inside and walk to see it. It is lovely and adds a fresh vibe with a slightly salty smell of the ocean to your senses.

For starters, we had their oysters and torched scallop sushi roll. For the oysters we aren’t frequent eaters of them, and were feeling adventurous, but these oysters were very fresh tasting and the side condiments (lemon, cocktail sauce, vinegar) paired well with them. The sushi was very delicious and the sauces, diverse texture of the rice fish and small crisps made for a great appetizer.

Our biggest tragedy of the meal was how long it took for it to come! We waited for 40+ minutes since ordering the mains. When it came out the food was lukewarm one of my family members food was basically cold. We had the lobster Mac and cheese, swordfish curry, and crab cake combo meals.

The lobster Mac was tasty, having a sizable portion of lobster and the bread crumb topped the pasta well, adding texture and more flavor to the dish. The curry swordfish was also quite flavorful but simple. The crab cake combo came with scallop shrimp, and rice which all were highlights on their own too. However, all of these dishes were a max 6/10 just due to the fact that they came out lukewarm. After waiting 40 minutes, losing enthusiasm by the minute, for not even warm food, aside from just the temperature aspect of taste, it also implied the food was sitting out for some time, which took away some of the “fresh” feeling of the establishment, and reduced our overall experience.

Our service was interesting. One peculiar thing was our waiter was rather distant, during our interactions he seemed quiet, not really in a rude manner actually, but it seemed like he was focused on something else. He didn’t really check up on us during the long wait of our food, and I’m not expecting a whole conversation, but even a small update would’ve been a nice touch. I understand that it was likely he was busy with many other tables and stuff happens. It’s not like he could’ve made the food come out faster anyways haha. This didn’t contribute to a negative experience in my opinion, it was just interesting to me.

A note on the crowd levels, it was a Friday evening and the tables were pretty packed, but it wasn’t insanely crowded. Ie there were minimal to no additional people waiting to be seated at the time.

Overall, I’d say this was a rather strange and disappointing experience largely stemming from a slow...

There is a frenetic quality about Legal Sea Foods (Harborside), and so I think this place is best enjoyed with a large group that plans to drink a lot. At least then, your memories won’t be tarnished by several little things that made me think that I probably won’t be back.

I walked in without a reservation, but since it was just me, there was a seat at the counter that rings around the open kitchen. And that kitchen was busy! The sounds of a kitchen like that are substantial, competing with the boisterous tables that have a great view of the harbor (I could see it too, if I looked sideways).

It’s not so noisy that I couldn’t hear my waiter, but I did need to focus. There was a bit of a wait until he arrived - I should have appreciated our time together more, since I didn’t speak to him again until he was ready to give me the check. I did see him - he took the order of a couple sitting next to me, who waited far longer than I had. I had tried to get his attention at that point, to request a side of Ranch dressing, but I might as well have been Claude Rains in The Invisible Man. A passing manager noticed my patient gaze, and asked what I needed (no Ranch, but they have Blue Cheese).

At some point, I visited the rest room. My first impression when entering one of the six single stalls was that it was slightly better than the bathrooms at a stadium rock concert. It’s really more like a toilet on one of those harbor sightseeing boats - built for efficiency and probably won’t be cleaned until the cruise is over. There was no soap dispenser - it had been removed, with only the companion hardware remaining. Clearly, this thing had been removed one or more days before, but no one had put a bottle of soap to temporarily replace it. I sure hope the employees don’t use this one.

Gosh, I haven’t told you about the food. The seafood is quite good. Not Michelin Star good, but I liked it. Be prepared to eat some of your meal with your hands - much of the fare requires that. Prices are a little high, but c’mon, this place is one of at least a half dozen restaurants on the block, which no doubt cater to the tourists.

I went to Legal Sea Foods back when it was at their original spot in Cambridge. It was kind of a local secret back then, but its reputation enabled it to become a 26-restaurant chain. The venue is nice, but it feels like they just want to pack ‘em in, serve you good seafood, and get you out. I wish they’d be more proud of their history and reputation and take care of the little things. But until then, go with a crowd, make noise, take in the view, and eat some...

THE SITUATION First time in Boston for my birthday weekend with my wife and in-laws; wanted to find a restaurant yesterday afternoon with local variety before heading back home. Tried a few spots - one had only one type of food, another had no kind of parking - almost threw in the towel when we found Legal Sea Foods at the Harborside location. Didn't want to go with a chain but I've never been - truly exceeded my expectations!

THE PLACE Pay street parking is limited to 2hrs max but quickly available with people coming and going. There's a concert pavilion next door so obviously keep in mind that parking may be difficult if they got something going on. Making our way in, the restaurant has a maritime aesthetic; very beautiful, yellows and blues, upscale and casually welcoming at the same time. The bar looked like a great place to strike up conversation as long as I didn't gloat about seeing the Yankees beat the Sox at Fenway the night before. Since the weather was nice, we opted to eat outside to enjoy the harbor.

THE FOOD Started with some very tall Stellas. My wife ordered the fish sandwich. Had a bite, pretty good - not gonna lie: actually took a second bite, you know, for quality control purposes. My sister-in-law ordered the blue chip nachos with pulled chicken - it's an appetizer but could be a meal on its own. Comes with jalapeños but they accommodated limiting the contact due to her food allergies - our waiter was just awesome for looking into this and assuring her safety. Again, had to do a QC check - the nachos were delicious. Her husband ordered salmon with lemon sauce; originally what I SAID I wanted but since he stole my selection before I could order, I pivoted and went with the shrimp scampi: very flavorful, good amount of shrimp, and a healthy portion for those who want to eat without feeling heavy afterwards - it was the perfect amount. I did keep side-eyeing his salmon, though. Sadly, I couldn't bring myself to ask to QC this.

FINAL VERDICT This will be a 'must go' on our next visit to Boston. I was treated to the meal but I did hear them talking, saying that the prices were reasonable. That said, if you visit Boston, consider adding this place to...