The Banks Seafood and Steak — Restaurant in Boston

So I just dined at this relatively new seafood restaurant that has popped up post pandemic. It's hard to say which is better, the food or the service, transporting you to what a luxury five star establishment can be with bespoke Boston details.

(TL;DR : 10/10 delicious seafood and amazing service, it is our new favorite spot in the area! Approachable Luxury dining experience!)

Want to make sure there's a special shout out for everyone who made our night special - especially Felipe, Nina, and Jordan. As soon as we stepped through the revolving doors, I knew we were in good hands as Felipe led us to our table, giving us the option of a high top near the warm fireplace, or a window seat with a view. It is all about first impression sometimes, and Felipe a represented true class as a host. From the attendants who are serving water (wish i knew their names!), waiting quietly out of the way but knew exactly when to refill, to the servers (Thanks Nina!) with extensive knowledge, to the way the manager (thank you Jordan!) came over and assisted when he caught my eye looking in an inquisitive manner to make an order change, it exuded old world charm service, but with a contemporary and thoughtful twist. You can tell that a lot of thought goes into not only the food, but also the experience and making sure that you are cared for as soon as you step through the doors up until you leave after your last sip of Sherry Cobbler (highly recommend ). The team succeeds in providing that quintessential local luxury experience with Boston down to earth hospitality.

(Start of meal tip: call ahead if you have any special requests, I had to call because we were running a few minutes late, and they totally made me feel at ease and not rushed.)

Created with the same minds that curated such establishments as Grill 23 and more, the service is that of a five-star hotel or a super high-end steak restaurant, but with seafood at the center. Elegant yet approachable. Not stuffy. Inviting.

For those that are not in the mood for seafood, the chicken looked particularly inviting, and they have a whole "from land" section, but we decided not to stray from the sea. This review will focus generally on the seafood, we will have to go back to try some other options.

Inside, not only is the decor welcoming and impeccably beautiful, complete with multiple event rooms and a fireplace, but it is also intimate and nautical, perfect for a romantic meal or late night cocktail, or group.

I loved the oyster martinis, which were unique using the brine from oysters. (They also have a very reasonable and delicious raw bar from the area and beyond). Highmarks for both the clam chowder which my partner enjoyed, and the shrimp bisque which I thought was delicious, the right amount of creaminess with very succulent shrimp. We started off with the octopus, which was delicate and yet unique in the way that you could use the sauce and the different flavors and textures to really make a delicious bite. Could be for one, but we decided to share it to have more room 🙂 highly recommend.

We enjoyed our fish as well, we had both the halibut and swordfish. Both were cooked to perfection, and literally fresh off the docks from that morning. Having local, seasonal sides is also a big win in my book.

Tip: the servers have extensive knowledge (@Nina), so ask away. :)

So if you are in the mood for mostly seafood, no need to search the North End or the Seaport - they will end up being touristy. Try The Banks Fish House and you will be treated to an exquisite dining experience.

At the end of the evening we were checked on again by the manager Jordan, to ask how we enjoyed everything. That level of care and hospitality is lost these days, and it was a thoughtful touch to cap off an unforgettable night dining out. Savvy diners have so many choices in Boston these days, and things like this really set this establishment apart from the rest. You'll enjoy enjoy the same service and standard of food we did - "Bank" on it. (detailed tips on Yelp -character...

update：

Tonight, I woke up in the middle of the night to drink water, and I realized that the lower right tooth I bit down on the sand with is still hurting. It has become very sensitive now. I want to emphasize that I did not find the sand in the mussel; rather, I was unaware that there was sand in your food and ended up biting down hard on it. I believe my tooth has become sensitive due to dental trauma, and I may need a root canal treatment.

Your restaurant's attitude is unprofessional. Telling me that mussels have sand is like saying fish have bones—it’s ridiculous. You don’t deserve to operate in Boston. Darwin would be so upset with you that he’d come back to life. My situation isn’t like eating fish and realizing, "Wow, fish have bones." It’s more like eating vegetables and suddenly finding a fishbone in them, which I wasn’t aware of, and it ended up injuring my throat. Your restaurant is highly unprofessional, and I will communicate with the Langham Hotel to ensure they no longer recommend your establishment to their guests.

Original Review：

During my stay at the Langham Hotel in Boston, I was thoroughly impressed by the accommodations and service. The hotel staff kindly recommended a local restaurant renowned for its lobster, which seemed like the perfect choice to celebrate my girlfriend and I’s one-year anniversary this Saturday.

The evening started wonderfully. The restaurant provided us with an excellent table, attentive service, and delicious food. However, the experience took a drastic turn when I encountered an issue with the lobster bake. While enjoying the mussels, I bit down on a piece of stone or grit, which severely damaged one of my lower right teeth. The pain was immediate and intense, to the point where I could no longer chew or even consume lukewarm water without significant discomfort.

Initially, I approached the situation with understanding and restraint, not wanting to escalate matters. I simply hoped for a reasonable resolution, such as having the dish removed from the bill. However, the response from the restaurant’s management was both dismissive and astonishingly unprofessional. A male manager, dressed in a pink shirt, attempted to justify the incident by comparing the presence of sand in mussels to fish bones in fish, claiming it was "normal."

I was appalled. As someone who values both education and common sense, I found this explanation not only scientifically inaccurate but also deeply insensitive. I expected better from a restaurant of this caliber in a city like Boston, where the average level of education and culinary standards are presumably high. To suggest that the presence of grit in food is acceptable is not only a failure in basic food safety but also a disregard for customer well-being. I refrained from pointing out the glaring flaws in his reasoning, as it was clear he was more interested in deflecting responsibility than addressing the issue.

What disappointed me most was the lack of empathy or accountability. Despite my restraint (I could have demanded they cover my dental expenses, but I chose not to), the restaurant chose to ignore the problem entirely. This is not how a business should treat its customers, especially on a special occasion. I would suggest that the manager in question try chewing a handful of sand himself to truly understand the pain and inconvenience caused.

In conclusion, this experience has left me deeply dissatisfied. A restaurant that fails to prioritize its customers' well-being and lacks basic empathy does not deserve its reputation. I hope this feedback serves as a wake-up call for the management to reevaluate their training and customer service practices. Perhaps incorporating a "sand-chewing exercise" into their staff training would help them better understand the importance of quality control and...

First the positives. The atmosphere is very nice and well done. A lot of money has been invested into this location to make it looks beautiful. Having said that;

If going to a restaurant that follows the simplest sanitary procedures is something you would expect DO NOT go here.

We sat for dinner last evening at 7:30pm on a Sunday. We had reservations planned at a nearby seafood restaurant that was overbooked and we seeked out seafood and were led here. We were sat on the 2nd floor and had a direct view of the entire kitchen and its staff and let’s just say the things we witnessed were horrid and disgusting and we will never be back to this restaurant again.

There is a multi line brigade in this restaurant and the staff only got more and more disgusting as my wife and I watched in horror as the food was prepared table after table.

Where it started after we sat a gentlemen who worked the furthest line back (longer black hair) with a hat on made sous vide scallops and opening the bag without gloves on and removed the scallops and placed them on a plate.

He followed this action by dipping his hand in a holding pan of herbs and spices to place on top of another plate, grabbed a towel of his belt (dropped it on the floor) picked it up off the floor and wiped the edge of said plate.

He then reached in his pocket to grab his PHONE and scrolled the screen of his phone and then took the same ungloved disgusting hands and put them in his hair.

My wife and I then observed no less than 6 other people with no gloves on touch the same plate before it made its way to the table next to ours.

We were mortified. The same chef touched no less than 25-30 plates more until a person with a yellow apron (we assume the chef in charge) of the expedition station went to talk to every chef and then the other 5-6 people working the bridage started to put gloves on.

But not mr phone and hair toucher who we later watched him dip his finger in a plate of king salmon and taste the sauce right off his finger the proceed to place cooked tomatoes onto said plate after licking the sauce off his fingers.

Wouldn’t you know it I got this king salmon dish you speak of and I ate NONE of it.

I proceeded to ask the maitre’d if dessert is done by the same folks from the kitchen or somewhere else in the kitchen to which she replied the other side of the kitchen handles dessert prep and I ate ice cream which was good.

My wife got bolognese pasta and she said it was good tasting but after witnessing the kitchens sanitation we both severely lost our appetite and we will never return to this place.

The simplest form of respect for customers in a restaurant you are paying over $100 a person is following sanitation and health requirements.

It is very obvious this This place needs a long lesson and needs to get their staff SERVE SAFE CERTIFIED.

I see the reviews are mostly good for this restaurant but I wonder if every person who has been here saw the way the kitchen operates if they would think...