Essential Boston Seafood Restaurants (2024)

Michael Harlan Turkell/Row 34

Oysters, lobsters, scallops, shrimp, and so much more

by Erika Adams Oct 23, 2023, 4:37pm EDT

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| Michael Harlan Turkell/Row 34

From skewered, barbecued mussels to buttermilk-fried hunks of monkfish, Moëca’s is very good at re-examining traditional New England seafood fare through a slightly different lens. The restaurant is run by the same team behind nearby pasta powerhouse Giulia, which means it’d be a mistake to overlook Moëca’s pasta section, including the lobster spaghetti with fermented chili and the salt cod-stuffed ravioli. Whatever you do, don’t skip dessert.

• Open in Google Maps

At nearly 20 years old, Neptune Oyster has earned its spot as a Boston-area seafood icon. (The New York Times dubbed it one of the most exciting restaurants in the country in 2022.) Located on Salem Street, the restaurant is most identifiable by the long line of waiting diners snaking out of the doorway during virtually all opening hours. Once inside, the convivial atmosphere and neverending parade of oyster platters, lobster rolls, and fried clams will make that wait time a distant memory.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Saltie Girl has been an essential seafood stop on Newbury Street for nearly a decade. It delivers, whether you’re dipping in for a glass of wine and oysters after work or splurging on a seafood tower during a visit to town. Lobster comes in all sorts of fun dressings here, including lobster frites, lobster and waffles, and a crowd-favorite lobster roll that comes with a bag of Saltie Girl sea salt and vinegar potato chips.

• Open in Google Maps

Ostra, the fine dining seafood restaurant that the Boston Globe once dubbed “Boston’s answer to Le Bernardin” is the place to go for well-executed, luxurious treatments of fish, from the whole salt-crusted branzino to the grilled Ecuadorian tiger prawns.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Over its decade in business, Row 34 has converted many diners into regulars who keep coming back for its crispy oysters wrapped in lettuce leaves, griddled crab cakes, lobster rolls, and an oyster list that never disappoints. If your ideal Boston seafood excursion includes slurping oysters and cracking lobsters before taking a stroll by the city’s waterfront, this is your stop.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

The award-winning team behind Ivory Pearl is known first and foremost for their co*cktail prowess — they are also behind mega-hits Blossom Bar and Baldwin Bar — but the drinks are only part of the show at Ivory Pearl, where dinner unfolds across a playful seafood menu. The legs and eggs (fried smoked chicken drumsticks topped with caviar) are delightful, as are the larger plates like the belly-warming seafood chili and the shrimp and sausage gnocchi.

• Open in Google Maps

Opened in 2021, the Pearl has quickly made a name for itself as a dining destination within Dorchester’s shiny South Bay shopping center. For a good overview of the restaurant, start with the shareables side of the menu and order a sampling of Southern-inflected seafood dishes, from the chargrilled oysters to the Cajun chicken and shrimp egg rolls.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Assemble a Cantonese seafood feast at Ming’s, a crowd-favorite for a multitude of seafood dishes, including crispy prawns with XO sauce, sauteed clams in black bean sauce, and braised fish fillet cooked in a clay pot. It’s all housed inside a elegant banquet hall. And, a not-so-small side benefit: It has a blessedly large parking lot on-site.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

From skewered, barbecued mussels to buttermilk-fried hunks of monkfish, Moëca’s is very good at re-examining traditional New England seafood fare through a slightly different lens. The restaurant is run by the same team behind nearby pasta powerhouse Giulia, which means it’d be a mistake to overlook Moëca’s pasta section, including the lobster spaghetti with fermented chili and the salt cod-stuffed ravioli. Whatever you do, don’t skip dessert.

• Open in Google Maps

At nearly 20 years old, Neptune Oyster has earned its spot as a Boston-area seafood icon. (The New York Times dubbed it one of the most exciting restaurants in the country in 2022.) Located on Salem Street, the restaurant is most identifiable by the long line of waiting diners snaking out of the doorway during virtually all opening hours. Once inside, the convivial atmosphere and neverending parade of oyster platters, lobster rolls, and fried clams will make that wait time a distant memory.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Saltie Girl has been an essential seafood stop on Newbury Street for nearly a decade. It delivers, whether you’re dipping in for a glass of wine and oysters after work or splurging on a seafood tower during a visit to town. Lobster comes in all sorts of fun dressings here, including lobster frites, lobster and waffles, and a crowd-favorite lobster roll that comes with a bag of Saltie Girl sea salt and vinegar potato chips.

• Open in Google Maps

Ostra, the fine dining seafood restaurant that the Boston Globe once dubbed “Boston’s answer to Le Bernardin” is the place to go for well-executed, luxurious treatments of fish, from the whole salt-crusted branzino to the grilled Ecuadorian tiger prawns.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Over its decade in business, Row 34 has converted many diners into regulars who keep coming back for its crispy oysters wrapped in lettuce leaves, griddled crab cakes, lobster rolls, and an oyster list that never disappoints. If your ideal Boston seafood excursion includes slurping oysters and cracking lobsters before taking a stroll by the city’s waterfront, this is your stop.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

The award-winning team behind Ivory Pearl is known first and foremost for their co*cktail prowess — they are also behind mega-hits Blossom Bar and Baldwin Bar — but the drinks are only part of the show at Ivory Pearl, where dinner unfolds across a playful seafood menu. The legs and eggs (fried smoked chicken drumsticks topped with caviar) are delightful, as are the larger plates like the belly-warming seafood chili and the shrimp and sausage gnocchi.

• Open in Google Maps

Opened in 2021, the Pearl has quickly made a name for itself as a dining destination within Dorchester’s shiny South Bay shopping center. For a good overview of the restaurant, start with the shareables side of the menu and order a sampling of Southern-inflected seafood dishes, from the chargrilled oysters to the Cajun chicken and shrimp egg rolls.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Assemble a Cantonese seafood feast at Ming’s, a crowd-favorite for a multitude of seafood dishes, including crispy prawns with XO sauce, sauteed clams in black bean sauce, and braised fish fillet cooked in a clay pot. It’s all housed inside a elegant banquet hall. And, a not-so-small side benefit: It has a blessedly large parking lot on-site.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

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