Seafood in Boston and croissants in Paris—kinda cliché, but potentially life changing. The city on a hill overlooks the bay and Atlantic ocean, which means the commute from sea to mouth for lobster, clams, scallops, and cod can be shorter than a tide cycle. Whether you’re looking for traditional New England spreads, Brazilian moqueca, or sushi served underneath a vinyl bar, the 13 spots on this list will point you in the right direction.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Donald Phung
Seafood
Seaport District
$$$$
Perfect For:
Big GroupsDrinking Great WineFirst Dates
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Hook + Line is a step above all the overpriced chains that look like enormous glass boxes in the Seaport. The restaurant has downright lovely bay views, lots of sea blue tile, and big wood booths with cozy cushions. The seafood here isn’t cheap, but they nail the details, with a wood-fired grill that gives dishes like the bone-in monkfish and tuna steak a smoky char. The menu changes frequently, but if the half lobster broil with creamy, salty lobster roe bechamel is available, order it yesterday.
photo credit: The Banks
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Seafood
Back Bay
$$$$Perfect For:BirthdaysDate NightsDrinking Great CocktailsDinner with the ParentsPeople Watching
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Let’s set the scene: enormous seafood towers, two bars (the one upstairs has killer views of Hancock Tower reflecting Trinity Church), huge dining rooms, and old-school service your parents will probably love. The Banks is pretty posh and we love the polished energy on a Friday night, but the seafood is what brings us back. The lobster bake is packed with more lobster, clams, mussels, and shrimp than most mortals can eat (we believe in you), and the delicate, classic Dover sole meuniére is the best version of this dish in town.
Seafood
Back Bay
$$$$Perfect For:Dining SoloFirst DatesImpressing Out of TownersLunch
As one of the first places in town to serve a tinned fish plate, Saltie Girl has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to seafood in Boston. But while their list of shelf-stable fish would put a prepper’s pantry to shame, they also keep enough caviar on hand to feed a ten-top of oligarchs. Start with the mini caviar roll stuffed with crème fraîche, or the irresistible caviar dip, also with crème fraîche and served with housemade potato chips. Of course there are seafood towers—three, depending on your appetite and bank account. The fried lobster and waffle topped with a sweet corn butter sounds like it was custom built for TikTok, but it’s so good you’ll wonder why lobster isn’t paired with waffles more often.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
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Seafood
Winthrop
$$$$Perfect For:Classic EstablishmentLunchSitting OutsideCheap EatsUnique Dining Experiences
What’s major about Belle Isle is that it gives Bostonians access to classic New England seafood shack food without sitting on Rte. 1 for hours on end. When you get to the Winthrop location, you’ll be greeted by a big plastic shark hanging from the ceiling, a retail counter selling fresh cod filets and oysters, and harborside views. Belle Isle has one of the best lobster rolls in Boston and plates upon plates of lightly fried or grilled seafood. We’re partial to the clams with bellies, and if onion rings are your thing, we can’t endorse these enough.
Seafood
Cambridge
$$$$Perfect For:Date NightsEating At The Bar
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This is the ideal spot to pregame a big dinner at . next door, or eat a seafood smorgasbord at the bar, which usually has open seats. We go straight for the “something small” part of the menu for bites like raw yellowtail taco in a wonton shell and the toast with lobster and scallops whipped into a briny, nutty mousse. This oyster bar also makes one of our favorite apps in town—a crab rangoon dip with lots of sweet chili flavor and wontons for scooping. Pair it with a Shiver Me Timbers, a coconut and pineapple rum cocktail that, in spite of the name, tastes like a classy mai tai.
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Seafood
North End
$$$$Perfect For:Dinner with the ParentsImpressing Out of TownersLunch
For 20 years, the 35 or so seats in Neptune have been some of the toughest and tightest in town. And that’s not likely to change anytime soon, because people like us keep putting it on best-of lists. You’ll find the expected lobster roll and chowder, plus dishes you might not have considered, like the blue fish johnnycake and burger. The good news is that almost everything here is excellent. It’s not necessarily an easy meal experience, but it’s always worth the hassle.
Seafood
Fort Point
$$$$Perfect For:Eating At The Bar
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The chef’s grandfather at Row 34 was a lobsterman, which might have a little something to do with why the restaurant goes heavy on shellfish. This spot doesn’t have a deep menu, but the oysters, fried clams and scallops, lobster rolls, and a selection of fish plates that change based on whatever came off the docks that day, are worth braving the windy corridors of the Seaport. It also gets pretty loud and fun, possibly thanks to their huge beer selection. Check out the Cambridge location if you don’t feel like crossing the river.
Seafood
North End
$$$$Perfect For:Impressing Out of TownersCasual DinnersEating At The Bar
The Sail Loft on the edge of the North End overlooking the harbor is beloved by almost everyone who grew up inside the 95 loop. The cuppa chowder comes overflowing in a mug, and delivers extreme creaminess with a side of oyster crackers. They nail the traditional New England fare of twin lobsters, broiled scrod or scallops, and have a menu packed with fried shellfish that can satisfy any seafood shack craving. The bar is hopping after work and on weekends, which is exactly when you want to show up. Get a cold Jack’s Abby, and go to town on a plate of fried scallops.
photo credit: Tina Picz
Brazilian
Cambridge
$$$$Perfect For:Casual DinnersLunchWalk-Ins
As much as we love New England seafood, sometimes our omnipresent fried platters leave us craving something less… beige. For an entirely different (and much more colorful) seafood experience, head to Muqueca in Inman Square. This Brazilian spot serves big seafood stews, curries, and whole roasted fish, and does it in a casual dining room with a bunch of regulars. It’s almost always easy to get a table here, which, once you realize how good the namesake Brazilian stew is, will seem like a bigger mystery than the Gardner museum heist. Get the moqueca with fish, shrimp, and mussels, and thank us later.
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Sushi
Downtown
$$$$Perfect For:Eating At The BarDate Nights
Sushi At Temple Records has ruined most other sushi spots for us. Walking into the basement space underneath the vinyl bar feels a bit like visiting your cool older sister’s apartment as a teenager. The brick walls are covered with colorful murals, and a tightly curated soundtrack plays deep cuts from the bar’s collection upstairs. What you should order is a moriawase set (preferably the kan shiromi with torched sea bream and fluke), the spicy tuna maki roll made with sesame oil and not a drop of mayo, the owan bowl with silken sesame-studded tofu topped with boba-like salmon roe, and, of course as much nigiri as you can put down. The food menu changes with the tides, but the Brooklyn Kura Blue Door sake is a constant, and refreshing, way to rinse down all that raw fish.
photo credit: Tina Picz
Seafood
Fenway
$$$$Perfect For:Gluten-Free OptionsLunchCheap Eats
Hit Eventide in Fenway before a Sox game for excellent tuna tartare, a lobster roll in a bao bun, or a crispy fish sandwich with the best tartar sauce we’ve ever had. The oyster selection changes daily and often features multiple bivalves from points north like Maine and PEI, which is a nice change of pace from Island Creek and Moon Shoal. Finish your meal with a soft, cream-filled housemade whoopie pie, or take it to go for an emergency snack in case of a rain delay.
Yankee Lobster is about as close as you can get to ordering your dinner directly from the Gorton’s Fisherman. Just a short walk from the Boston Fish Pier, the bare-bones spot with counter service and picnic tables to perch on has lobster and crobster (half crab, half lobster) rolls, both of which are mighty and tasty, a hearty fish stew we prefer to their chowder, and platters like blackened salmon and fried shrimp (with fries, of course). Come here for the rare Seaport dining experience that’s actually charming.
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Seafood
Cambridge
$$$$Perfect For:Casual DinnersDogsEating At The BarSitting OutsideWalk-Ins
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If you’re the type of food nerd who’s up on the difference in flavor profiles based on water temperature (hi, it’s us), The Hourly is your spot. Their selection of oysters is deep and ever-changing, and we like to slurp them posted up at the bar with a glass of petit Chablis. We almost never skip the seared scallops with seasonal sides (right now it’s a risotto with spring pea puree), and the mighty plate of fish and chips is exactly what an out-of-towner craves from a bar in Boston. There’s also a nice juicy burger for that one person who doesn’t.