Social Profile: ![]()
✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out ✔️Delivery
… View more
Step into the bustling energy of Downtown Crossing at our stylish Legal Sea Foods location. Featuring a modern look with black brick and glowing amber glass, guests can unwind in the lounge, at the large bar, or in the dining room overlooking our open kitchen. Enjoy local favorites, including Boston’s best clam chowder, oysters and raw bar, lobster, grilled and fried seafood, as well as steaks, pasta and more! Located near Boston’s theater and financial districts, it’s ideal for a pre-show dinner / post-performance catch-up or a get together with the team to celebrate a win.
Specializing in upmarket seafood, this contemporary chain also serves steaks & cocktails.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 558 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (617) 692-8888
Website: https://www.legalseafoods.com/locations/boston-downtown-crossing/
Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Boston Downtown Crossing – Restaurant – Legal Sea Foods
Step into the bustling energy of Downtown Crossing at our stylish Legal Sea Foods location. Featuring a modern look with black brick and glowing amber glass.
Legal Sea Foods – Fresh Seafood Restaurant
Boston, MA – Copley Place, Boston, MA – Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA – Harborside, Boston, MA – Long Wharf, Boston, MA – Park Square, Braintree, MA – Forbes …
Menus – Boston Downtown Crossing – Legal Sea Foods
View the menus at Legal Sea Foods in Boston Downtown Crossing. Enjoy fresh seafood in the heart of Boston.
Reviews
Ilves
Legal Sea Foods is a well-known chain of restaurants in Boston, and I visited the location in the town center for dinner. As a chain, it offers quick service without sacrificing quality, making it a convenient choice for seafood enthusiasts.
We started our meal with a couple of appetizers, they were flavorful and set a high standard for the evening. The main courses, while good, didn’t quite match the delightful quality of the starters.
Being in Boston, a city celebrated for its seafood, Legal Sea Foods captures the essence of local flavors, particularly with dishes like their famous lobster. The price point is reasonable, especially for seafood, ensuring a good balance between quality and cost.
Overall, it is a cozy and casual spot, making it a great option for those looking to enjoy a relaxed meal in a well-regarded seafood restaurant. If you are in the area and craving fresh seafood, Legal Sea Foods is definitely worth a visit.
… moreWe started our meal with a couple of appetizers, they were flavorful and set a high standard for the evening. The main courses, while good, didn’t quite match the delightful quality of the starters.
Being in Boston, a city celebrated for its seafood, Legal Sea Foods captures the essence of local flavors, particularly with dishes like their famous lobster. The price point is reasonable, especially for seafood, ensuring a good balance between quality and cost.
Overall, it is a cozy and casual spot, making it a great option for those looking to enjoy a relaxed meal in a well-regarded seafood restaurant. If you are in the area and craving fresh seafood, Legal Sea Foods is definitely worth a visit.
Ying Xiao
My last meal of 2025 was at Legal Sea Foods, which was established in 1950 and won the Best of Boston award. This honor was awarded to the entire brand, and I chose the Downtown Crossing branch for its elegant ambiance and convenience for watching fireworks display in Boston Common.
Baked Stuffed Lobster: The most direct and overwhelming taste experience, needless to say. The lobster was of excellent quality, firm and plump, tender and delicate, with an umami flavor that hit me right in the head. My personal favorite was the claw joint; although the shell was very hard, requiring considerable force to crack, the meat was the firmest and most flavorful, perhaps because it was the most active part. The garlic butter crumb topping was with diced shellfish, tasting like scallops. The topping layer locked in the juices and flavor, providing a crispy yet sticky texture, with an unparalleled buttery and garlicky flavor, and the presence of shellfish ensured it wasn’t bland. Dipping it in butter, while incredibly calorie-heavy, makes the texture smoother and more moist, definitely worth trying. The lobster is market price; for the three of us, the waiter recommended large lobsters weighing 1.5-1.75 pounds, which came to $74. We were very satisfied, and the price was acceptable.
Legal Lobster Roll: A classic way to eat Boston lobster. The hot dog bun is lightly toasted in butter, giving it a thin, crispy crust without being greasy. The lobster is simply boiled and torn apart, making it easier to eat than the baked one (which was really important to me!), and also highlighting its natural sweetness. The mayonnaise was only lightly added, enriching the flavor and making it guilt-free. The roll was also market price, half a pound costs $46, suitable for 2-3 people. You could ask the waiter to cut it open for easier sharing.
Oysters of the Day: $3.5 each. They were not large, but freshness is a major advantage. The meat was firm yet tender, with a natural, refreshing and savory liquid. I added both a little of the lemon juice, mignonette, and garlic chili horseradish vinegar sauce. The refreshing sour and spicy flavors removed any fishy taste and enhanced the freshness, enriching the flavor profile. I especially loved the presentation: a black cloth and ice cubes, reminiscent of the scene in Guy de Maupassant’s “Mon Oncle Jules”: “Elles mangeaient d’une manière délicate…”
Thai Peanut Salad: First time trying it. I only found out after searching that “peanut salad” is actually “peanut dressing salad,” a product of the Americanization of Thai cuisine. My friends all said it reminded them of a Northeastern China’s dabancai大拌菜(huge mixed salad). The main flavor was the nutty aroma of peanuts, infused with the tangy sourness of vinegar, the caramelized sweetness of palm sugar, and the savory and umami of fish sauce, with a subtle spiciness at the end. The flavor profile was very complex and harmonious. The edamame was particularly umami, but the crispy rice noodles as a topping showed a bit cheap.
Thai Style Bok Choy & Kimchi: One of the sides for the baked lobster. The “kimchi” here doesn’t refer to Korean kimchi, but rather a Thai pickle; in fact, the taste is quite similar to China’s Hakka sundried mustard green pickle in my hometown…? The seasoning was mainly sweet with a subtle smoky flavor; the stems were crisp, while the leaves were chewy. Objectively speaking, the taste was just average, but it was inexplicably homey and comforting to me.
Steamed Jasmine Rice: Another side for baked lobster. This rice had a really strong jasmine aroma.
Food-wise, this place definitely deserves five stars. However, I want to emphasize that perhaps due to the large number of customers on New Year’s Eve and staff shortages, basic services like ordering, paying, and getting water took a very long time, severely impacting the dining experience. Eventually, I directly found a waiter and told him: “I have been waiting for centuries!” But that still seemed to be of no use.
… moreBaked Stuffed Lobster: The most direct and overwhelming taste experience, needless to say. The lobster was of excellent quality, firm and plump, tender and delicate, with an umami flavor that hit me right in the head. My personal favorite was the claw joint; although the shell was very hard, requiring considerable force to crack, the meat was the firmest and most flavorful, perhaps because it was the most active part. The garlic butter crumb topping was with diced shellfish, tasting like scallops. The topping layer locked in the juices and flavor, providing a crispy yet sticky texture, with an unparalleled buttery and garlicky flavor, and the presence of shellfish ensured it wasn’t bland. Dipping it in butter, while incredibly calorie-heavy, makes the texture smoother and more moist, definitely worth trying. The lobster is market price; for the three of us, the waiter recommended large lobsters weighing 1.5-1.75 pounds, which came to $74. We were very satisfied, and the price was acceptable.
Legal Lobster Roll: A classic way to eat Boston lobster. The hot dog bun is lightly toasted in butter, giving it a thin, crispy crust without being greasy. The lobster is simply boiled and torn apart, making it easier to eat than the baked one (which was really important to me!), and also highlighting its natural sweetness. The mayonnaise was only lightly added, enriching the flavor and making it guilt-free. The roll was also market price, half a pound costs $46, suitable for 2-3 people. You could ask the waiter to cut it open for easier sharing.
Oysters of the Day: $3.5 each. They were not large, but freshness is a major advantage. The meat was firm yet tender, with a natural, refreshing and savory liquid. I added both a little of the lemon juice, mignonette, and garlic chili horseradish vinegar sauce. The refreshing sour and spicy flavors removed any fishy taste and enhanced the freshness, enriching the flavor profile. I especially loved the presentation: a black cloth and ice cubes, reminiscent of the scene in Guy de Maupassant’s “Mon Oncle Jules”: “Elles mangeaient d’une manière délicate…”
Thai Peanut Salad: First time trying it. I only found out after searching that “peanut salad” is actually “peanut dressing salad,” a product of the Americanization of Thai cuisine. My friends all said it reminded them of a Northeastern China’s dabancai大拌菜(huge mixed salad). The main flavor was the nutty aroma of peanuts, infused with the tangy sourness of vinegar, the caramelized sweetness of palm sugar, and the savory and umami of fish sauce, with a subtle spiciness at the end. The flavor profile was very complex and harmonious. The edamame was particularly umami, but the crispy rice noodles as a topping showed a bit cheap.
Thai Style Bok Choy & Kimchi: One of the sides for the baked lobster. The “kimchi” here doesn’t refer to Korean kimchi, but rather a Thai pickle; in fact, the taste is quite similar to China’s Hakka sundried mustard green pickle in my hometown…? The seasoning was mainly sweet with a subtle smoky flavor; the stems were crisp, while the leaves were chewy. Objectively speaking, the taste was just average, but it was inexplicably homey and comforting to me.
Steamed Jasmine Rice: Another side for baked lobster. This rice had a really strong jasmine aroma.
Food-wise, this place definitely deserves five stars. However, I want to emphasize that perhaps due to the large number of customers on New Year’s Eve and staff shortages, basic services like ordering, paying, and getting water took a very long time, severely impacting the dining experience. Eventually, I directly found a waiter and told him: “I have been waiting for centuries!” But that still seemed to be of no use.
J Havok
The place was amazing! Lot’s of options for food allergies too, my wife has celiac. We shared the lobster roll with a gluten free roll and the gluten free pad Thai. Highly recommend, we left to wander the city after eating for awhile, but ended up going back to have dessert and a few drinks to end the night.
… moreAshwin Alexander
The restaurant is really class…. Like that atmosphere a sport bar vibe.
.
Got a seafood clam chowder bowl – $11
And carb cakes – $24 ( one piece ).
The portion size is just petite. The clam chowder is very good, can’t say the same for carb cakes just average.
.
The service and the ambience was pretty spot on.
… more.
Got a seafood clam chowder bowl – $11
And carb cakes – $24 ( one piece ).
The portion size is just petite. The clam chowder is very good, can’t say the same for carb cakes just average.
.
The service and the ambience was pretty spot on.
Mindy E
I stopped by for lunch and sat at the bar. I had the stuffies, a lobster cone, and Boston Cream Pie for dessert. Everything was amazing, but the star of the show was the pie. The candied pistachios were the chef’s kiss! Truly outstanding service and food!
… moreEric Lao
We stopped by after spotting their happy hour oysters at the entrance, which drew us in. We ordered oysters, clams, and chowder. The oysters and clams were on the smaller side—maybe that’s tied to the pricing—but personally, I wouldn’t mind paying more for larger, meatier ones. That said, the flavors were fresh and enjoyable. The ambiance and service were quite good, and their draft beer really stood out—crisp, refreshing, and I heard it’s house-made. Overall, a solid experience and worth a try if you’re in the area.
… moreBrittany Moore
Came to Legal Seafood on a recommendation from a friend and bonus it was across the street from our hotel. Service was attentive, water was always filled, and dirty plates were taken immediately. The clam chowder and oysters were great. Our food was cooked perfectly, we ordered fish and chips (although that was strange, one huge piece of fried fish served over a bed of fries- we are used to chunks of battered/fried fish. Maybe they do it differently in New England?), salt & vinegar crusted cod, and the 12oz steak. No complaints. Would eat here again.
… moreKiri Salti
Legal Sea Foods has got to be my favourite place to visit when in Boston. The seafood is so fresh and the food tastes incredible. The waiters are always super kind and well informed on all the types of seafood they have. If you are in Boston and you have time to only go to one place. This is the one.
… moreMiryam Ashurov
Highly recommend this restaurant!
Our waitress was absolutely lovely and gave us great service. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very pleasant — clean, comfortable, and well air-conditioned.
We ordered two dishes and really enjoyed both. The shrimp in both was fresh and super tasty.
We had the shrimp pasta and the Greek salad with added shrimp.
Also, the dishes we saw being served to other tables looked great as well.
… moreOur waitress was absolutely lovely and gave us great service. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very pleasant — clean, comfortable, and well air-conditioned.
We ordered two dishes and really enjoyed both. The shrimp in both was fresh and super tasty.
We had the shrimp pasta and the Greek salad with added shrimp.
Also, the dishes we saw being served to other tables looked great as well.
Edward C
Clam linguine is good. Clam chowder too salty. Sangria was ok.
Only one server for the entire dining room area when I was there, and she was trying her best, but took a while to get her attention.
Overall, the dining experience was ok.
… moreOnly one server for the entire dining room area when I was there, and she was trying her best, but took a while to get her attention.
Overall, the dining experience was ok.