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Great spot in between Seaport and the Freedom Trail! The lobster roll was fantastic and the place was set up really nicely. Food came out super fast. In the off season the place will fill up fast and you may have to wait which was a little awkward since it had just opened when I went, but nothing to seriously hinder the experience.
Ughhh, I wanted so badly for this place not to be a tourist trap, but unfortunately that's exactly what my experience was here... My husband and I came in on a Sunday morning right when they opened so we were able to snag seats at the bar. Not even 30 minutes later, the place was packed and there was a line forming outside. Outrageous! I was excited when I saw the menu as it has all of the quintessential New England seafood you could want. We ordered the fried scallop platter to share. The word "platter" is misleading as it was barely a plate. It was a shockingly small portion size in relation to the price. The presentation was also very sloppy and unappealing. I'm giving two stars for the cool location as the restaurant seems like it is quite literally floating in Boston Harbor, but that's how they trap you! I would definitely recommend tourists look into going to Plymouth or down the Cape for a much better, authentic New England seafood meal!
This was honestly such a disappointing meal. Brought my friend from California here, and unfortunately everything we received was cold and oily. Our calamari was COLD, so it must have been sitting there. We sent it back and I put a paper in the tray to see if they'd bring back the same one and sure enough they did. They either heated it up again or just straight up laughed in our face. Our server took orders of people that arrived after us. Fish tacos lacked flavor and soggy.
Exactly what you expect when you see a big sign outside that says "Big Deck Energy" the service is shared- everyone seemed accountable for everything. The food was good- fried food and fresh seafood, fries were a bit soggy.
Came here to experience a lobster roll and this place looked fun. The lobster roll was tasty and fresh! Super solid. Also got their chicken sandwich and that thing was seasoned so well! Both were home runs. Service was fast and friendly. This is a fun place inside. You could find families in there, work colleagues, you name it and it's close to the water.
If you're in the Boston area, definitely a must to try. The restaurant is by the water. The ambiance very nice, loud, music, such a vibe. The service was very friendly & attention to detail, because I had lots of questions on the menu. I ordered fried fish tacos, which was delicious, and some grilled little neck clams. Oh yeah can't forgot about the lobster roll. & a side of extra fries, that made everything better. I can't wait to visit again.
Love this place!! Super lively, and offers classic Boston food if you're from out of town and looking for a good lobster roll. I love how it's right on the water, which is super convenient if you want to walk around the waterfront area and make a day out of it. Service was great even though we went on a busier day, and the food was incredible. The decor was super cute as well!!
Perfect spot on the water to grab some seafood! Great vibes with plenty of food and drinks to choose from. Wish the lobster roll was a little bigger for the price, but other than that everything was very good. Service was very quick and food came out hot and fresh.
Walked in for a table of 2 on a Sunday night not expecting much of a crowd. We were sat right away, but more so just pointed to the table instead of guided to it. The wait staff were very attentive in an effort to turn tables over quickly. It was a busy, but not over crowded night and the vibes on the water were good. The food itself is very expensive and average, but it's worth the location.
I really enjoyed my time at Barking Crab. I had the snow crab (1.5 lbs!) and was sure to put my bib on! The crab tasted so fresh and the meat did NOT stick to the sides of the shell. Dipping butter was plentiful and delicious. We sat inside as it had a much shorter line, but they have an outdoor patio that looks awesome for a summer afternoon. We were seated by a window in the back with a gorgeous view of the water. The ambience was very lively, down-to-earth, rustic, and while it seemed older, it was clean. Service was sufficient - nothing bad and nothing over the top. There were a couple of faint smiles here and there, but they were hustling with so many customers! Definitely worth a visit, and I would love to return for more!
I read so many mixed reviews but their menu look like we'd have a lot of options as we only have one day in Boston and wanted to eat everything. Luckily, there were four of us so we did order a lot so we could taste a little bit of everything and we were not disappointed. Lobster roll , clam chowder , fish and chips , clam strips , crab cakes , oysters and more fried seafood . The only thing that was just OK with the crab cakes other than that everything was delicious. Service was very attentive and prompt. It's located in the Seaport area. A very casual atmosphere, love all the cool and funny signage.
I couldn't believe I've lived in MA my entire life and had never been here before. The ambiance is straight up Boston Summer vibe specifically if you like seafood - which was unreal by the way. I still daydream about it on the regular. The only reason this isn't giving 5 stars for me was the insane line and lack of speedy service. But the food thooooooo
It was very crowded. We had to wait in line for 15-20 min. It was our first time in Boston and we wanted to try local food. We ordered a dozen of oysters, crab dip, and clam chowder for appetizer. Crab dip was good, but I was disappointed at the chowder. I can only taste 1 clam and all the rest was potatoes. Oysters were fresh but very small. We also ordered seafood pasta, warm lobster roll and cold crab roll. Pasta was good with a white fish filet on top, but the lobster rolls (2) had very little filling for the price and the crab roll we also ordered was watery. Overall, I think this was not the best choice.
The seafood here is fresh and sweet. Four of us ordered the naked lobster roll but I was the unlucky one getting the non lobster tail and claw meat. The other 3 got meaty lobster rolls while I got a pretty sad one (mostly meat from the legs and one mini claw). The chef/preparer didn't split up the meat evenly. Tasted some sand in some steamers and a few were kinda raw. Service seemed rush but there weren't a lot of people. Server didn't refill drinks or water. read more
We came here for lunch because I had really really wanted to eat lobster rolls while in town. My party ordered the crab cake sliders, fish and chips, salmon burger and of course, the lobster rolls! I was pretty excited for the meal, however, it was... meh. Maybe my expectations were too high but I was really looking for fresh Boston seafood. The food was a little bit too oily, the bums were dry and bland. I had barely finished the lobster inside of the rolls and still had fries on my plate when a server came and took my plate - I was not finished. (And she only took my plate and not anyone else's) I would give the food a 3 star for being meh and the service a 1 star. Sooooo... 2 stars! read more
Some of my favorite things: the atmosphere, view, beer, fried calamari AND whatever the chipotle sauce was (put that on everything!), wedge salad, and clam "chowda" Not impressed with: the mussels, boiled calamari, basically our meal. Forget the exact name of the dish. read more
8 years ago
Visiting Boston & This place was highly recommend to me when I wanted to experience a lobster roll, a signature cuisine repping Boston!! Let me just say the lobster roll was a 5 star but I couldn't give that for the restaurant cause the service was AWFUL!!!!!. I walked in to a hostess who was too busy playing on her phone to even notice I was standing there-no greeting. A waiter walking by had to get her attention & I had to ask her to be seated which she sent me to the bar area since I was a party of one, so basically she handed me a menu & pointed me to the bar & it wasn't like the restaurant was busy there were plenty of seats... Annoyed.... then when my food came the food runner basically handed it to me like he was too busy to set it down in front of me... For place that's well known & a big part of representing Boston for their lobster rolls, I'm stunned by the service. I definitely will not be returning to this place & will make sure to tell friends who venture to Boston to avoid!! I would rather spend my money at a place where they actually appreciate having out of Towner to visit & welcoming!! read more
8 years ago
Pretty rude staff! They refused to seat at a table because they were "waiting for larger groups." You can tell that there were plenty of open tables! You could also tell how the wait staff and greeter could care less about my disappointment. read more
7 years ago
Gets super crowded on weekends- which makes sense, the ambience is super cool and unique. However, the food is overpriced And they are pretty stingy with portions, even with cheap sides such as French fries. Service can be so so. Overall good spot to have beers at but it's a bit overrated when there's so many better places to get seafood. read more
8 years ago
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13 years ago
Parking is atrocious due to construction everywhere. Well, started with chowder. Watery but tasteful. That was it. Had the crab cake sliders which were not good. I was so excited and wanted to believe the hype. Yes, it's a touristy place in harbor. There are 9 finger docks to pull up your boat to, which is cool. I'm sure after a long day of sailing, a cold beer and crabs would be good. Due to my experience here, it will never be my boat tied up at these docks. Bartender was cool, he was friendly as was the manager. Waitresses were less than cordial. read more
8 years ago
This place was AMAZING! Everything is super fresh. The lobster and crab combo was on the pricey side. Got it grilled and it was cooked and seasoned perfectly which is hard to do. The bacon potato hash is a MUST try! It's made with sweet potatoes. The bisque was great also. Boston cream pie wasn't great, the cake was on the drier side. read more
10 years ago
Rule 1: get a pitcher of beer. The waitress was there when needed kinda. Rule 2: get a platter the food was great but make sure you order more then you think you need you will thank me later Not a tourist trap because they have delicious food We will be back.. hope to see you there read more
4 years ago
7 years ago
Went with a big group, which was easy to accommodate. They had a great beer selection, and the decor is super cool inside. Everyone liked their meal! I got the burger and sweet potato fries, which were both very delicious! read more
8 years ago
Definitely a tourist trap. Don't go there for the food, this is a drinking place. The food is overpriced, the portions are small and not a lot of thought put into it. Service was incredibly slow, tables were sticky, but it seems like a lot of locals like the place. read more
6 years ago
8 years ago
Outside of the large child warming himself by the fire by our table we had a great time. I got the snow crab that was solid. Nothing amazing more than Joe's crab shack but it was right on the water and had some character that brought Boston out. read more
8 years ago
Wow, first time here and we loved it. We got two 2lb fire grilled lobsters with crab dip and the fisherman's sampler. Our eyes were a lot bigger than our stomachs because that was definitely too much food for two people, we ended up taking the fried stuff home. The service outside wasn't the most attentive at first but I also wasn't expecting it to be on a Saturday night. It's a busy loud place and that's the allure. Definitely will be back here! read more
6 years ago
4 years ago
This is one of the better known seafood places in Boston and every single time I went there was always over an hour wait. Also good to know that they don't take same day reservations. They have a great outdoor seating area overlooking seaport building and water. I got the naked lobster roll which came with fries and coleslaw. The lobster roll was amazing and they put a lot of meat on. Didn't care too much for the fries and coleslaw. We also split the fisherman's platter which was an assortment of fried seafood (clam strips, scallops, shrimp, fish) which was also a good appetizer. The food lived up the hype, but was definitely overpriced. read more
i liked this place a lot! great location, great food.. awesome services! it was a weekday afternoon around 1pm and the place was half empty.... we had some steamed clams for appetizers, steamed crabs and king crab legs as entreess... washed it down with some beer and finished up with the boston cream pie as desert.... came hungry and left happy! would recommend! probably going there at night would be more romantic? with the city lights and the pier view? eat crabs! be happy! read more
13 years ago
Pretty average lobster roll. Got it naked but even still the portion and flavor of the lobster was average. The restaurant itself is pretty cool to check out but gets packed and a pain to deal with. There's probably better lobster rolls for cheaper and with less hassle but if you want a scene/drinks this is a good balance. read more
We were dining at the Daily Catch when we saw this next to it. It is by the water and so we thought it would be neat to try it out. It was a cold evening, dipping into the high 30s. But the place is well-insulated and with heaters that kept us warm. The wait staff was very nice and accommodating. The atmosphere was very casual. It looks like a place where you could just hang out and have a drink after work. It can get a little bit noisy that you have to raise your voice a little if you're talking. But it was fun. The food itself was good but not extraordinary. We had the Bairdi crab legs, mushroom salad and bruschetta. There were three of us and the serving was just right. Would I go back to this place? Yes, just because it was a good casual experience. read more
7 years ago
Amazing lobster Rolls! Cute and friendly place. Lots of items on the menu to choose from, calamari was also really good and a must try. Pur waitress was really nice and the food came out quite fast. The only bad part was the an hour and a half wait. But it was worth it. You can give them your number and walk by the water for a while. read more
7 years ago
I was passing by Boston from a road trip from New York City to various parts of Canada and back again. My friend and I needed a place to eat dinner before we got back to NYC so we headed to the Barking Crab. Very popular and busy place. We waited half an hour and then we were seated. Having heard of this place elsewhere and knowing that Boston was supposed to have very fresh seafood, I decided to go for the lobster clam bake. Pretty pricey since you pay for market value of the lobster depending on the size you choose and then have to pay $18 dollars more for clams, a corn on the cob, and a potato all boiled in a spiced steamer. It also comes with a big cup of clam chowder. I thought the clam chowder was excellent. Very thick and creamy with large chunks of clams in it. You could taste the freshness of the clams used. I wanted to order some more just to go but decided not to since I didn't know how well it would travel between the Barking Crab and my fridge in NYC. I was still a few hours drive away. The lobster and clams were good, just not memorable. Like all the seafood here, it's definitely fresh. I thought that the spice blend that they uses for steaming would differentiate this place from other places that does any kind of seafood bake but you can't really taste it in the food so there was really nothing too special about it outside the freshness. Hard to mess up steaming shellfish of any kind. I did have fun using the rock that they provided to break open the shell. Yep, they give you a rock to crack open the shells of the seafood here. Very few places l know would let you pound away with a rock on the table like a mad man and no one around you will even bat a eye. Seems like not everyone knows this but they do provide a regular shell cracker if you ask just in case you are worried about looking silly or smashing a finger. My friend used that instead. So this place have average tasting steamed seafood that is very fresh. They also have an excellent clam chowder, and they provide a pretty therapeutic way to get rid of your stress with a rock. I give it a 3.5 rating. read more
There was quite a long wait for a table for 3 the Thursday night we went. Granted, the main building had been rented out for a party so, all the seating was outdoor seating under the big tent, over looking the water. The original hostess was quite grumpy and huffy since the wait line was getting quite long and parties were getting restless. The 2nd hostess of the night was quite friendly and helped us with directions. In general, the service here was quite slow. It took awhile to get seated, took awhile to get waited on for drinks and food, took awhile to get the waiter's attention for refills, and too awhile to get our bill. Warning, this is a busy and loud place and many times, our waiter could not hear anyone's order correctly and asked for the order to be repeated multiple times. The food was decent, both in portion-size and on price. We ordered the steamed mussels appetizer and the Oyster po boy sandwich. We also asked for extra crostini ($2 for 3 pieces) to help sop up the aromatic broth that accompanied the mussels. The mussel appetizer was quite large in portion, so my sister had that for dinner. The flavors were pretty traditional and straight-forward for steamed mussels. The fried oysters on the po boy was done well. Not overly battered, fried to a perfect crisp, but still creamy in the inside. The seating in the outside, back of the house is picnic table style. Parties share the picnic tables. Unfortunately, the group behind us was an overly lively bunch and everyone surrounding this loud bunch all found them quite distracting. read more
Cute (if thats the right word) spot right on the water at Fort Point Channel. I came here as a city guide with my sister and her girlfriend, who wanted to eat at the Crab after seeing the episode of Man vs. Food where he attempts to eat a 10 pound lobstah. No words. So we walk into this tented area with picnic table style seating; different. The tent is red and yellow so it casts an interesting light down onto the seafood-frenzy. The whole back side under the tent is open to the water, which is literally outside the window, so that makes for some interesting views. It has a great vista of the financial district and channel waterfront. I imagine it makes for a cool spot in the summer when it's warmer. We were seated right away (lunch hour on a Wednesday in October) and were brought waters and menus stat. The waitress was alright, nothing special in the way of attitude or attentiveness. She did teach our friend how to eat a lobster though, without being judgmental. So points for that. We browsed the drinks, ordered a few libations (they serve Boston Brick Red here for anyone down for that "Boston Specialty" from Sam A). Now, I need to mention that, uhm, my sister and I, we, ahh, how do I put this, we don't eat seafood. Any type of seafood. No sushi. No shellfish. No sashimi. No fish. Not even seaweed. Period. It makes us gag. For reals. I'm sorry, More for you, right? With that being said, we had about 2 options for food: fried chicken (expected, standard at seafood place) or hamburger. Considering I had consumed an unusual amount of hamburgers over the last couple weeks, I really had to refrain. Fried chicken! Our seafood-friendly party member opted for a bowl of New England Clam Chowda and the "Junior Platter" (more on THAT later). The food came out quickly, along with our app of onion rings. One thing I will give this place, was the onion rings. They were delish. And what I loved, was you could BITE the ring and not have the whole gosh darn onion slide out the breaded outer. Enjoyable AND tatsy. Double score! As for the fried chicken, it was some of the blandest fried chicken I've ever had. I've made fried chicken on a first attempt at home in a pot of spitting canola oil and it was better than this. No flavor. Dry inside. Horrible french fries on the side. Bummer. My sister agreed, and I'm honest when I tell you, she said the chicken was worse than fried chicken she got on her military base while she was deployed in Afghanistan. Good thing I gorged on the onion rings. As for the Junior Platter, our friend thoroughly enjoyed it. She stripped those 10 crab legs, and ripped into the generously sized lobster. So at least the seafood was decent (as we expected) - however, I could tell just by presentation and smell, that this place certainly couldn't be serving up any of the best seafood in Boston. Now that Junior Platter I said I'd get back to. Well, I got the check. Paid the bill, left tip. I just gave her my card, I didn't look at the itemized receipt, because we weren't splitting it. Total after everything: $129. I didn't really think twice about it. Until the next day when I pulled the receipt out of my wallet and kind of thought to myself, how in the hood did I spend $129 there? My sister and I spent $12 each on chicken, $7 on one order of rings, $10 bucks for two beers, another $4 dollars for a fruit drink and $8 for the chowder. That brings us to what, about $53? I left a $20 tip, so, with tax, that brings us to about $80? So we're short about fifty dollars and I was getting concerned that someone else's food wound up on our bill. 'Cause all we were missing was the Junior Platter, and that, with an extremely generous estimate, would be around $30 (and I thought that was extremely extremely high end estimate). So I let a week or two go by, but I can't stop thinking about this bill. So I call The Barking Crab tonight and I ask: "Hi, I ate about two weeks ago. And, well, how much is the Junior Platter?" The guy on the phone: "The Junior Platter? Right now, uh, that's $48." Pupils dilate. Heart rate increasing. Palms sweaty. Knees trembling. Throat drying up. Lungs tightening. "Forty-eight dollars?" "Yes, forty eight. Okay?" "Uhm, well, I thought. That. Wow. That. There was a mistake on. The bill. Because I didn't look. I thought. Forty eight? Okay. Thank you." "Yup. Bye." End of story. Wait: A+ (none at all) Food: B (only because our friend enjoyed her 50 dollar platter) Service: B+ (not very attentive, but not rude, didn't mess anything up) Price: C+: (WAY too expensive - she could have said, "the Junior Platter is $48 today") Atmosphere: casual, group-friendly, touristy Bottom Line: this is an overpriced touristy joint, and the fact that it was featured on Man vs. Ten Pound Lobster makes it even more so. I would not go back, unless I had another out of towner dying to check it out. Sorry T! read more
More info about Barking Crab
88 Sleeper St
Boston, MA 02210
Waterfront, South Boston
Directions
(617) 426-2722
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Visit Website
http://www.barkingcrab.com/
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Ask the Community - Barking Crab
Do they have dock space for those arriving by boat? Thank you.
I didn't see space there but space was available nearby.
Are reservations accepted?
Yes. https://blog.thewake.io/experiences-barking-crab-reservations/…
Are dogs allowed?
Don't think so, but not sure. I don't think it will be the most dog friendly environment. Packed pretty tight with not much room for our friends to be comfy. I suggest giving the store a call.
Do they have parking nearby?
Yes, there is a garage within minutes of restaurant.
Do they take reservations?
They do, but you have to book on the not user-friendly link they ask you to use on their website. The link hardly has availability even one month out, which often seems like there's a glitch. Well, don't waste your time, because they don't answer…
I called and they said they don't take same day reservations do they take walkins?
They do take walk ins. There are 2 different host stations depending on whether you want to sit on the outdoor patio or inside. They're not super organized to be honest. But there's usually space at the bar as well!
Do they have a kids menu?
Yes, they do! $9 per kid meal. Mac and Cheese, chicken tenders, etc.
Are you pet friendly in the outdoor area?
I am not 100% certain by my opinion would be to try not to bring your pet because it is so crowded that It might be unfair and uncomfortable for the pet. Just saying.
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