Best Legal Seafood Location

[zenright]

Just recieved a gift certificate to Legal Seafood. Is any particular location better than the others?

[catsmeow]

Chestnut Hill for sure. Haven't been to the new waterfront location.

[Mike5966]

I haven't been to the Chestnut Hill location which a few seem to like the best, but last night I went to the recently opened "Legal Seafood Harborside, Floor 1," as it's called, and it was fantastic. I went there mainly because I wanted a place for seafood with great waterfront views that was not the Barking Crab, and so we ended up here. It was packed on a Friday night around 9:30 PM.

Menu is still pretty similar but solidly executed, with good service, and good oysters (a good 8 or 9 varieties which is more than most locations, $2.25 a piece). The hostess informed me that this was built to take on the role of it's flagship location. The best part really is the wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling windows that give you a magnificent view of the water. If you're not into Legal Seafood to begin with, you probably won't like it anyway, but if you're like me and think of it as a decent utility-type seafood place that you still occasionally go to when it's convenient and all the more interesting places don't have reservations, the Harborside location will pleasantly surprise you. It's a really gorgeous space and a really lively atmosphere with solid Legal Seafood seafood. It gets my vote as the definitive answer to the OPs original question.

FYI: the second floor of this location is more white-tablecloth and boring. We stayed downstairs.

[mcrankie]

The LS in Burlington is by far the worst.
I've eaten at over 10 of them in the area.

[JakeN]

Just about any Burlington restaurant is "the worst."

[litchick]

I'm gonna vote for Kendall Sq. It tends to be quieter, and I particularly like doing late lunch there at the bar. Very friendly service.

[C. Hamster]

THANKS!!!!!

[C. Hamster]

Sometimes ChowHound can be confusing.

Is the water main break at the LTK on the waterfrint in southie?

Or in Chestnut Hill??

And where is thenew large Lega Institution going?

Thanks, y'all

"I would imagine that with the large Legal installation going in across the street, it may not be worth re-opening. I did always enjoy that spot."

[hargau]

Sometimes? Pretty much anytime there is more than a few responses with their homemade, reinvent the forum software that doesn't follow normal thread protocols and doesn't have enough layers... Hows that for a long sentence!?

[pemma]

The new large Legal is going in down at the Seaport District right across from LTK. I often wondered if they would keep LTK when the new one opened.

[kimfair1]

The LTK in Southie, near the World Trade Center is closed due to a water main break. Can't comment on the Chestnut HIll location.

[hargau]

Framingham is usually decent. I would vote the Burlington location as the worst. Horrible...

[Isolda]

Haven't been to the Burlington location, but find it hard to believe it's worse than the one at the airport.

[smtucker]

Oh, it is. It really, really is.

[tamerlanenj]

Legal Test Kitchen in the waterfront is a little more interesting than the regular outlets, I think.

-----
Legal Test Kitchen
12 Harborside Dr, Boston, MA 02128

[typhoonfish]

Chestnut hill by a mile

[southie]

Unfortunately, that location is closed. I have heard rumors that it will not re-open.

[C. Hamster]

Any word on why? It was always slammed.

[robwat36]

A water main break did a ton of damage. I walked by last weekend, it looks like a construction site inside.

[C. Hamster]

Too bad. I have fond memories of the picnic tables there 30 years ago ...

[Ralphie_in_Boston]

There were picnic tables at the site of Legal Test Kitchen 30 years ago? What was there back then? This would be across the street from Jimmy's Harborside, right?

-----
Legal Test Kitchen
12 Harborside Dr, Boston, MA 02128

[CookieLee]

I think C. Hamster is referring to Legal when it was in Inman Sq. LTK didn't exist 30yrs ago. I remember eating @ Legal in Cambridge, sitting at picnic tables.

[hargau]

Im pretty sure it was in reference to chestnut hill. Someone said it was a good location, then someone else said it was closed. then C Hamster asked why. Someone said about water main damage and then they said about the picnic tables.

I too have fond memories from 30 years ago at chestnut hill, sitting at long picnic tables at chestnut hill. You had to get your own silverware and water and the only menus were large chalkboards hanging on the walls.

[Ralphie_in_Boston]

THanks, it looked to me like C Hamster was replying to a post about South Boston.

[sallyt]

me too! Do you remember those white sculptures that were shaped like keys? My sister and I loved to play there - right after eating fried sole with french fries. Ahhh, the early 80's...

[C. Hamster]

No I was referring to Chestnut hill

[southie]

I would imagine that with the large Legal installation going in across the street, it may not be worth re-opening. I did always enjoy that spot.

[C. Hamster]

Where?

[southie]

LTK

[C. Hamster]

A LTK (yuck). Where? In CH?

[Albie]

LTK on the Waterfront has been closed for at least a couple of weeks since they had a water main break.

[kimfair1]

We went to the Travel show this past weekend, and our friend wanted to eat at the LTK, but it still looks like a construction zone in there from the water main break.

[hlerm2]

stay away from ltc

[whs]

Use em at Logan, best airport meal you'll have.

[ChefJune]

Oh my! I'd be loading up on containers of fish chowder for the freezer. Not clam chowder... FISH chowder. ;)

[mkfisher]

We frequent the bar at the Long Wharf Legal, just because we live next door and it's convenient. The one thing they do better than anyone else in Boston is keep their kegs of beer cold. If you're like me and love a cold Hoegaarden (or Stella, Sam, Harpoon IPA), that's a good option.

[robwat36]

That's funny, I have a huge pet peeve about places that serve beer too cold.

[hhookk]

Beer thats too cold??? UNPOSSIBLE !!!!

[LStaff]

Depends on your definition of beer. If beer to you is the fizzy, yellow, industrial made lager, then yes you are correct, and you can't get it too cold. But if your definition of beer is about flavorful craft beer, then yes, serving it too cold will mask its flavor - and sometimes absolutely ruin a beer (ie. Sunset).

[nachovegas]

The Harvard Sq. restaurant in the Charles Hotel is always great.

[CookieLee]

Actually, if it covers alcohol, I would recommend the Harvard Sq. site in the summer, when they have outdoor seating for drinks and apps. Otherwise, I would go with the market idea.

[FishTales]

>Best Legal Seafood Location

There is no best.

[emilief]

We find the Legal in Chestnut Hill to be good and consistent. Framingham is also very good.

[Gabatta]

If you can use it for the to-go fish market at the CH location I would do that and skip a dine in experience.

[C. Hamster]

Great idea!

I'd totally avoid the Pru Center location, as it smells and is a training center for waitstaff.

[southie_chick]

I like the one in Copley Place on the 2nd floor. It's usually quiet, & it's one of the best views of the sunset (overlooking the Back Bay rooftops) in the city.

[jjbourgeois]

Also skip the one at the South Shore Plaza. Horribly inconsistent.

[zenright]

That's a great idea. I don't see why I couldn't use it at the market. That's the plan.

[emannths]

Convenience probably trumps any minute differences in execution. I've eaten at a few, and apart from the physical location (and crowds, like CookieLee mentions), you'll be hard-pressed to tell them apart.

[CookieLee]

I would recommend the Kendall Sq location. It's the least crowded and touristy of them all.