Legal Sea Foods - Chestnut Hill

My server was very nice but she was so busy, I could not get in touch with her. She was serving too many tables.

My stuffed lobster was overcooked and dried out. Could not even get the meat from the claws and way too much stuffing ( very tasty stuffing though)

Staff so accommodating when i told them. They definitely want customers to leave happy.

Excellent Caesar salad, followed by scallops with just the sides we wanted. The scallops were perfectly cooked and a very generous portion - not those 3 or 4 most places give you with a bit of polenta.

The food is always delicious at Legal Sea Foods, and I also enjoy their wines and cocktails. I often order the Crab Cake Combo (a nice mix of crab cake, grilled shrimp and grilled scallops). Since I've been to the new Chestnut Hill location more times than I can count, I've also had the fried shrimp platter heaped high with onion rings; the latter is caloric so it's only a once in a while treat. Legal is an old standby that has kept up with the times. Reservations are recommended.

The food was really good , better than it has been and arrived piping hot.
The service was a different issue. When we were first seated, it took a very long time for the waitress to appear. We planned to order a bottle of wine so this was irritating.
When I needed another glass of wine I could not get the waitress' attention. She was chatting with a table behind us but had a clear line of sight to me. This conversation went on for more that 15 minutes. It did not seem to be a movie star or anything so this made no sense. It was pretty unbelievable! The only reason I did not go to the manager right then was because it was a birthday celebration for my 89 year old father and I did not want to cause a scene. We all gave a much smaller tip because of this behavior for which we got no apology from the waitress.

Great meal for a mid-winter Saturday night. Appetizers and entrees warmed us up nicely.

It was superb. A great spot for a special event or a weekly meal! Go there!

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. We sat in the bar area at a table. The noise level was less surprisingly. Our food was delicious and cooked perfectly. We had several appetizers first which were excellent. Spicy cauliflower, shrimp cocktail, fried calamari and the sushi roll. Our meals were served soon after we finished our appetizers we had the fisherman’s platter, steamed mussels and the salmon plates. Everything was cooked perfectly ad came out hot. Our server was excellent and always appeared when we needed her!! She was excellent! We will be back for sure!!

As always, a wonderful selection of seafoods and wines. Service is prompt and accommodating.

Everyone’s meal was delicious and the service was great!

We arrived at 8:15 for a reservation at 8:45. Naturally we were told that we can not be seated before our time. We went to the bar for a drink. Our reservation time(8:45) came and passed and no one came to seat us! We ended up eating at the bar!
When departing I complained to the hostess and her answer was .... “we did know you were here!”
What kind of customer service is this?

Table was wobbly. Food was late. My meal had tinfoil over it when it was served.

Valentines day

We go a lot and this time the food was really below average, pretty tasteless in fact. Very unusual because you can always count on good fish at Legal.

Do not go here on Sunday nights! Horrible meal. Manager should be fired. Ordered salmon well done. It arrived raw in the middle. Waiter took it back to recook. Manager brought recooked salmon to us, practically threw it on the table, did not apologize or even make any eye contact, and walked away.
It was still raw in the middle! The manager never showed up again. The waiter apologized and took the salmon off the bill.....but charged me for the rest of the meal which was COLD broccoli, lukewarm spinach....Ugh!
This is not the Legal Seafood I thought I knew.
I tipped the waiter for what the full cost would have been because at least he apologized. I was left with a headache. I am a diabetic and need protein with my meals.
I have always counted on Legal for family, friends and business clients. Now I am not so sure.

We like the intimacy of this "new" Legal. Can't wait to see what we understand is a sliding roof over the bar area.

Great food and service

This is the place for Fresh Seafood. Always dependably good and fresh with good service.
We went for a Birthday and they were very accommodating and helpful. Lunch portions were enough for all to enjoy. Don't miss the chowder as a starter.

Enjoyed the steamers and the Cesar salad. Kung pao chicken wings were amazing. And a bit loud for atmosphere would prefer a quieter setting

Our first time at the new location on the second floor. Nice views! the food is always delicious and service excellent.

Lunch was great. Service was just ok. Got annoyed Coffee never came after we ordered it before the meal, asked for lemons 🍋 for water - had to ask twice for it.

Legal Seafoods has been living on the laurels, but they are no longer deserved. The restaurant was not particularly busy when we arrived for dinner on a Monday night. The waiter took our order without much ado. Two entrees were ordered - the Salmon Rice Bowl and Grilled North Atlantic Sea Scallops. The salmon rice bowl was acceptable if not overpriced. The grilled scallops were tiny and pretty flavorless - quantity apparently attempting to make up for quality - and also vastly over priced. This was pretty much a take-it or leave-it affair. Not much to recommend coming back.

The restaurant was virtually empty as we had a very late lunch (3 PM) yet the service was spotty and the food took much too long for an empty restaurant - almost an hour. The kitchen appeared to be fully staffed so I am not sure why there was such a delay. We usually have pretty good luck at this location but things were certainly off that day.

Overall, how can you average it out? Legal's is like some sort of standard. They have fish down. Our two fish dishes (and light chowder) were fresh, well prepared, savory and plentiful. My minor complaint there is that it suffers from the American restaurant trend of "give 'em more - charge 'em more." That is, the portions where huge, and priced accordingly. Lots to take home. And great the next day, so not a real complaint. And then there is service, or something like it. Sort of one notch above cafeteria, maybe on par with a local diner, but with less warmth. That is to say, it was intrusive. [Note, when two people are engaged in a conversation and leaning in towards each other, please do not lean reach between them to fill their water glasses. Plenty of room to go around.] And a bit gratuitous. [If we have not made up our minds yet, please do not say, "no rush" - after all, I am paying for the privilege of being served, not just for the food. A simple, "Fine, I'll check back in a few moments" will do.] And don't ask me if I am "Still working?" - I left work to come and enjoy a relaxed meal. Finally, if we are engaged in conversation, please do not interrupt. Either wait (just a second, honest) for us to recognize you, or come back when we are less clearly deeply engaged. I don't think our waitperson was a bad waitress, but most likely not fully trained. So, the fish was delicious. The vegetables with the mixed grill only so-so - clearly over cooked at some point and the mashed potatoes were a vehicle for bringing butter to the plate. I'd have preferred something healthier, liked roasted potato wedges. The final knock on the ambience was for the weird and annoying music that was playing just a bit too loud throughout. So, great fish. Not the most creative, but probably the most reliable, every time. Your in-laws should be pleased. And decent value for the $ as well. but the service, well it was a disservice.

We love this restaurant. New and bright with so many windows. Great menu. Good service. We come often.

A good meal overall, but not as good as it has been in the past for the same entree.

Schrod slightly over done, said they would get me another we were finished by the time it came. Also forgot to bring an order of grilled shrimp. Food was good but delivery was poor.

The food was a bit disappointing. The mac 'n cheese my kids ordered looked like it came out of a box. The food I ordered (the buffalo shrimp salad) was heavily loaded with salt and cheese. I did not feel great after eating it. The quality of the food was far less than I expected.

Legal's is very receptive to patrons with food allergies!

Always enjoy the food at Legal's. Fresh ingredients with excellent choices and always something new to try with a decent wine list. Excellent service as well.

We like seafood especially fresh grilled fish with seasonal sides. Appetizers and salads with grilled seafood options 're delicious too. It's a great dinner, good service, warm atmosphere. I recommend the Legal Seafood at Chestnut Hill.

Katherine was a delight, the food was spot on. We'll be back

Fish chowder was tasteless, oysters where very small for the cost and main course was way over cooked. Seafood casserole was over cooked, excessively salty with barely any lobster , small shrimp and small bay scallops. Even the rolls where much smaller. This is not the legal seafood of yesteryear!

The food is delicious!! The menu has a wide range that appeals to any pallet. They have added Thai food and they also serve sushi. The seafood and fish are so fresh. Excellent cocktails!

The bar has high tops, booths and family style tables. Great music. Nice energy.

The restaurant is great for special occasions or business meetings.

It’s a big plus that there’s a fish market as part of the restaurant!!

I always order salmon, scrod, shrimp but this time I tried something a bit different. It was the spring, BLT on flatbread. I didn't realize it was coming with fries. I would have preferred a veggie. I thought it was on top of the flatbread and not as a sandwich. I ate half and gave the fries to a friend who loved them. I ate a bit of her broccoli. Yummy! The waitress was great! I'll be back with my husband, family and friends.

It was an excellent evening. A birthday celebration for our 30-year-old son and his grandmother. We were unsure of the number but the friendly Legal staff were able to comfortably seat one extra. The food was superb as usual. The crab cakes, the tuna rice bowl, the scallops, the mixed grill, and other wonderful items were delicious. And the wait-staff and kitchen staff handled our numerous dietary restrictions expertly, and with flawless protocol. We eat at Legal’s knowing that the food will be safe for us, and also delectable.

And our server, Bill, was excellent. Attentive to the details, and very welcoming.

Really good food and drinks all around. Service starts really great but fizzles in the end. Once you have your food and you’re checked on once, you’re left until you flag someone down for your check.
The food was worth putting up with the average service. Overall, worth a repeat visit for sure!

We ate dinner at the bar. There are so many new menu items! Thai food. Sushi. Great fish and seafood dishes.
Excellent cocktails. Pleasant and friendly servers. Good portions.

The best place in Boston for fresh fish and seafood

Great dinner on a Winter Saturday night. The shrimp pad thai special was especially tasty.

Food was well prepared and tasty. One friend’s food was served well after everyone else had received their food. My dish was one I have been ordering hot years. The fish was half the portion size and the price was higher. Still tasty and nicely prepared.