Our reservations were not honored and after an hour of waiting, we left.

I picked this place to take my family out for my grandma's bday because of all the great reviews from yelp and citysearch and I was sorely disappointed. We had reservations in advance since my grandparents are old and we still had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. The service was slow once we got seated, the food was mediocre and the waitress added a 18% gratuity to the bill even though we were only 5 ppl. I didn't complain since it was my grandma's bday but I made a mental note to yelp it later. read more

Some of the best prepared seafood in Boston is found right here at the oldest commercial building in Boston. I have never, ever been disappointed at this location on the waterfront. Some of my seafood choices are indeed the best I have ever tasted. It's a little crammed with tables very close together and can be noisy but you make friends with everyone that way. My only disappointment is the number of noisy children distracting from the atmosphere but I guess you have to tolerate that in a tourist city like Boston. Other than that, this place is ideal. read more

This restaurant came highly recommended, but frankly I was very disappointed in the quality of food. Bisque was too salty, and my mojito was too sweet. The "spicy and sweet swordfish" was a quality piece of fish plopped in some panda express sweet chili sauce and Uncle Ben could make better saffron risotto (substitute for coconut rice). The very high prices are for nothing but decent service and a great location. Cool building but go elsewhere unless you are just looking for lobster and lava-cake. read more

My wife and friends and I went to the Chart House for my birthday. They printed the menu with a special Happy Birthday message that I took home. That was a nice treat. We all enjoyed our dishes. I had the filet mignon and it tasted great. The deserts were huge. I had the key lime pie and that was delicious. As previous reviewers noted the calamari was indeed special. Our server was very prompt and professional. She made us feel great. read more

Stopped for seafood. Lobster bisque was a little spicy for me but the lobster stuffed across as excellent. Great ambiance but also very quiet this evening. read more

Must be too hungry not to notice the 1-star by few others before I went in. Service was poor. After being seated, I had to wait for than 5 mins to be served. I had to ask for menu then as no one gave me the full menu. Then was another 5 over mins before I get the server's attention to take my order. The worst is yet to come. I had ordered a medium cooked CH cut steak and was served a piece of raw meat and no utensils. The server disappeared immediately after putting the plate at my table, presumably to get the utensils. Appeared 5 mins later with non-steak knife. Only then I could request for the meat to be cooked. Shocking to get a steak so wrong. The meat was all red with only slightly torched edge. Anyway, steak was tender but not flavourful. Signature lava cake was too sweet and peanut toppings on ice cream that came with it taste stale. read more

unprofessional, made a reservation 2 days prior, and when you come they tell you to wait for 20 minutes after 20 minutes you call its 15 minutes wait time, get in at 8pm 20 minutes after nothing people who came after us get water serve. if its about short staff! need to pay those people hourly wages, if its not no one will do this job, its really frustrating. what a shame... read more

So nice, despite the price. You get what you pay for, and this is the best that I've had in Boston. I will be back for sure.

Wow This was an terrible dining experience. I grew up eating at chart houses all over the globe and this was so disappointing. Typical these days post covid terrible service (probably not enough servers) we got water and bread and never saw our waitress again for over 25 min. So we ordered drinks apps and dinner all at once so we might get food before the night was over. The feta watermelon salad was the saddest soggiest smallest unappealing salad I've ever ordered. it got sent back. The soup was slightly warm so needed to be sent back to get heated. We never got more bread. The smallest 4 oz glass of wine took 20 more minutes. My Stuffed shrimp were good but lacked a vegie. The Mud Pie resembled nothing of its former glory. Also no selection of fish. Besides tuna and mahi salmon and cod, nothing else. The best thing of the night was the mango sticky rice. The birthday we were there to celebrate was unnoticed and my drink tumbler was chipped. So spend $300 elsewhere and enjoy. The best thing was the valet parking attending. yikes. read more

Holy jesus is this the best food I've every had in my life. I went there to celebrate my uncle's 50th a year ago and I can still remember how everything tastes. SO GOOD. Unfortunately I could only afford to go here once every 2 years as it does cost a ridiculous amount of money. read more

I really enjoyed this place the atmosphere was just breath taking but maybe that is just because I love to see old restored buildings. Let me just say first you must order the clam chowder it is one of the best foods you will ever taste. I had seafood and I have to say it was the best I have had in Boston. In addition to amazing soup and entrees they make an absolutely out of this world dessert but it does take them 30 min to make so you need to know if you want when you order you entre. The food came out very promptly but I did not feel rushed in any way. I was very happy with the price to I think for 2 people with drinks it was around $80 so that is just great where i come from. This place has really good Chowder... just need to say that again! read more

I went to the Chart House on a Sunday afternoon after a day out on the water with friends. I found it to be a great experience overall with great food and good service. Atmosphere: The hostesses were great. Very pleasant, helpful and made light conversation while showing us to our seats. The servers were also great, being very upbeat and attentive to all our needs throughout our stay. The patrons were all well dressed, being in business casual or dressier attire. Everyone had larger groups in attendance and most people were laughing or at least appeared happy throughout the stay. Food: We started with the crab stuffed mushrooms which were delicious. They came out rather quick and were not too hot, leaving me to believe that had possibly been pre-prepared, but they were delicious nonetheless. I had the stuffed scrod for my entree and was again pleased with the selection. The fish was cooked just perfectly and stuffed chock full of crab meat. The potatoes were well seasoned and hot and I thought the meal was presented quite well overall. My friend also ordered the prime rib and was very pleased with the dish. Although not the best cut he'd ever had, it was still cooked to request and well seasoned. We finished up with the Chocolate Lava Cake. Typically, this takes 30 mins to prepare, so you have to order it ahead of time. We were fortunate enough (at least I believe) to get one that had been earlier prepared. It was delicious. The cake was rich and moist, the bits of toffee added a sweet topping and then cold ice cream against the warm cake was a delightful mixture. Cocktails: I ordered a spicy cucumber cocktail to start with my appetizer and found it to be only half full, for one and also to be strange in the blend between sweet and spicy. Would be better if the pepper were not so overpowering in the drink. Also, maybe work on not spilling half the drink on the walk to the table. A half empty martini glass is less then exciting. Overall, I would say this was a very good experience. I would definitely go back and try some other items on the menu and would recommend the seafood to other patrons looking for a good eat in a very touristy area. read more

We just walked out of this place. Before my wife ordered a glass of wine she asked for a taste - kinda standard practice in a bar/restaurant. Our server said she go and check...5 minutes later she returned and told us the bar staff would not give her a taste as they were too busy. Well, that's a first, made even more hilarious as the restaurant was near empty. read more

Very nice experience. The place is a bit overpriced but the drinks and food were all very good. Nice ambiance def. sit upstairs, very bright and welcoming. Lots of windows to see the water. I had the mixed grill which was very good, my friends had the haddock which they also really enjoyed. Very nice place by the water! read more

After reading some of these reviews, I felt pretty lucky to have had a good experience. The husband & I went here with his family and I'd say we all had a pretty good meals. My husband & I both enjoyed our filets. My husband's family enjoyed their meals, an assortment of seafood and pasta. We had a combo appetizer, which was pretty yummy. I tried a bite of the key lime pie, which wasn't as tart as I usually like it but the whipped cream topping was absolutely amazing. If we were in Boston again, I'd probably visit this place again. read more

Chart House, you are okay. You aren't great but you aren't terrible, either. I wouldn't hang out with you every weekend, but I wouldn't ignore you if I saw you in public. You wouldn't be on the top 25 list of invitees to my birthday party, but you would be on the list at least. Probably because I would feel bad not inviting you and so you'd get a pity invite. And everyone would probably be like, "Ugh, I can't believe you invited Chart House, so boring!" and then they would be nice to you in front of your face because they were raised right to talk about people behind their backs. But I digress... I went for restaurant week dinner. Luckily I had awesomely funny company or otherwise I would've been less impressed with this place. I don't understand what they do different than their competitors, but whatever. The location is the best thing it has going for it. But just remember Chart House, looks fade... Anyway, I don't really remember much about what I ate because it was semi-lackluster. And it's not even my memory. It's totally not me, it's you, Chart House. I remember really liking the mashed potatoes and chocolate cake. Not together, of course, because that would be crazy bo bazy. read more

Thank you for making my boyfirend's birthday special Chart House! The fish (tuna and chilean sea bass) were amazing. Nice summer drink menu too! read more

Came here on Christmas Eve with the fam, great food and fun atmosphere! Love me some lobstah!

First trip to Boston and we were looking for a great place for dinner by the water. Took out the handy dandy AAA guidebook and low and behold they had a Chart House on the waterfront, sweet! Our local Chart House closed some years ago, so we were thrilled to find one in Boston. Bonus was that our daughter had never been so we were excited to take her there. This was our big night out for our trip so we didn't mind splurging, we knew it wasn't going to be an inexpensive meal. We were seated immediately at a great table upstairs. Our server came and took our drink order, told us about the specials and went off to get our drinks. By the time he returned we'd decided on our meal and placed the order. The salads and soup (clam chowder of course) were excellent. The entrees were exquisite. I had the Maine Lobster, oh my it was good. My husband had swordfish and my daughter had the shrimp scampi over linquine. Shout out to our server Sean, he was awesome! I highly recommend The Chart House if you are in Boston, or anyplace else where they have a location. It is truly a great dining experience. read more

I went here on Valentines day with my girlfriend and we loved it. We got there about 20 minuets before our reservations and they were able to seat us right away. The place was very nice inside we loved the brick and exposed beams. The restaurant was very clean the service was great our waiter was very friendly. I love that on your anniversary if you call ahead they can put a happy anniversary message on your own menu, just a little something special most other places don't do, the only thing I can really complain about was they did spell my name wrong even when I did call before to make sure they were spelled right. That's the only reason I didn't give the place 5 stars. Now most important the food, it was fantastic. My girlfriend got the rib eye steak, it was a large portion, cooked perfect, defiantly worth the money and the potatoes it came with was very good to. I got the coconut shrimp and the clam chowder, my favorite was the shrimp. We also got the lava cake for dessert,best dessert i have ever had. I would call this place casual/dressy jeans seem ok with a nice top I also like the location, within walking distance to the aquarium and other bars and restaurants Overall I would go back read more

A couple weeks ago I finally had a chance to eat at the Chart House! I heard a lot about this place and I remember it being in the movie, Gone Baby Gone. It certainly had the reputation of being a Boston staple. So, when I saw that it had only 3 stars on Yelp, I kind of wondered why... Well, I am not wondering anymore! I'll go into detail about my experience in a minute, but if you want the short version I will put that first. This place should not be called "Chart House". It should be called... Well take away "Chart" and use your imagination! So, 5 of us had a reservation for 7:45pm. We showed up at 7:30 to play it safe and they said they were running 30 minutes behind their reservation time. Little strange, but not enough to cause a problem for us. Well, we ended up being seated at 9:15pm!!!! An hour and a half past our reservation time and this place has a lot of tables. We were told every single excuse in the book on why we had to wait. After the 3rd or 4th one I stopped believing them all together. Now we sit down. The server comes over, she had sweat dripping down her face, looked like she hated the world, and was close to being the rudest person I ever met. Another person in our party communicated that she was being rude and asked for the manager. She walks away and goes over to where the managers, servers, and other staff members gather and starts telling them about our table. What she was saying, I don't know, but it was very uncomfortable seeing the entire staff staring at us from across the room. I mean come on! Be a true American! Smile in front of us then trash us behind our backs where we can't see or hear you! That's the way you do it! So, the manager comes over and gets us a new server, she was great! They gave us some extra attention and free apps or something, which was nice, but after waiting 90 minutes past our reservation time and having a nasty server greet us, it was too little too late! Overall this place was just odd and not a good experience. Waiting 90 min past our reservation time? What is this 1985? How can you screw that up with online reservations? I have never had that happen before, no joke! It simply shows that they simply cram in as many people as possible, regardless of the outcome. In addition to that, the place is full of tourists and people in the area for conferences/business. Not a crowd you like to see for dinner if you live in Boston. Do not go to this place! You will truly regret it! read more

I love this place very much. Enjoyed my dining experience with them. The lobster is bisque is the best I've ever had. So amazing, so rich with lots of lobster meat. The seafood is so fresh. The service is very good too. read more

The only decent thing about this restaurant is location. It is way overpriced and service is better at McDonalds. I had filet medallions and crab stuffed shrimp. Bland and overcooked. When I mentioned to my innkeeper I had gone here for dinner, she and other guests (who were long time Boston area residents) my assessment was confirmed. A glass of wine, 3 stuffed small shrimp and 3 half dollar size medallions with at least a cup of mashed potatoes along with a cup of dessert coffee.... $58. I won't go there again. read more

Have been going here for over a decade & always looked forward to the lava cake. We placed our order for it as soon as my husband & I sat down, an hour later we were told that it went flat! We were given 2 choices either reorder or have a ready to eat chocolate cake, we chose the latter & almost 20 minutes later still no dessert! Asked for our bill! Very disappointed read more

This is the best seafood in Boston. Every entree I've tasted has been great. It's definitely upper-end, but not extravagantly pricey. The atmosphere of the old working wharf house, with exposed beams and drooping glass, makes the restaurant even more unique. The balconies overlooking lower levels are great places to sit and enjoy extraordinary seafood. read more

Do not consider them for group events. It has taken over a month to get my deposit back. Supposedly they are unable to write a credit at their facility so everything has to go through corporate in Houston? Seems odd. Not handicap accessible which they never told us and should be a standard questions with a group event. So two people had to WAIT for a table to open up downstairs only to have them drop a tray of food on them. They/we received no consideration for the troubles. Had to wait for a table of two that were seated in our group area to finish their meal. If area was not ready, the hostess had no business seating us. Besides the cool building, the food was average chain quality and will never recommend read more

When we arrived at 8:50, they said it was a 45-minute wait. I looked at Yelp to see if it was worth the wait, and saw that there was an open reservation at 9:00, so I booked it. It took them 45 minutes to seat us. They first told us they were running behind and it would take 15 minutes (9:15). When 30 minutes had passed (9:30) and I asked again I was told "no more than 10 minutes" and it still took another 15 minutes to seat us at 9:45. I don't know if this is a problem with OpenTable or the Chart House but there is definitely a flaw in the system. Once we ate, the experience was great. Our waiter (Manny from Bulgaria) was friendly and personable, though my wife had a bit of a time understanding his accent. The table was a good size for two and not too close to other diners like some of the smaller restaurants we're used to in NYC. We had the lobster bisque and clam chowder, both excellent. The bisque was sweet and the chowder peppery, which is just how I like them. My wife had the macadamia crusted mahi, which had a strong nutty flavor, but not overpowering. I had the sweet & spicy swordfish, which went well with the coconut ginger rice. For dessert we enjoyed the signature hot chocolate lava cake, an outstanding mix of semi-sweet chocolate flavor with melting vanilla ice cream and and Heath bar crunch topping. Overall it was an excellent meal marred by a broken reservation system. If you go there, make sure that you make reservations well in advance, or be prepared to wait a while for a table. read more

I have been to several chart houses across the country and never had such a poor experience. There were several open tables that the hostess hadn't seen which caused a wait when there didn't need to be one. The worst of the experience was our service from our waiter. In addition they had left out the mozzarella off our caprese salads and he was irritated that we asked about. He finally came back with side plates of mozerella but everything we had asked or order came across as a bother to him. At the end of the meal he apologized insincerely for the poor service (because it was tip time) and gave us a free app for future visit when he should have taken something off our bill or had better yet been pleasant and helpful during our meal. Sincerely disappointed. read more

My boyfriend and I stopped here for drinks after a long day of work. We sat at the bar with Alyssa taking care of us. Her drinks were delicious but her service made our night here even better. We'll definitely be back to see her again. read more

No reservation even though I received a confirmation email and call (asked 3x at desk); then got dinged by restaurant booking service. At end of meal, asked one last time, and was told we were listed as a no show. Ordered a lemon drop martini; was brought something pink - but drank it anyway so as not to make a fuss. But for my 2nd drink, therefore, ordered a vodka martini, dirty, w olives. Was brought a vodka tonic. Then the waitress Argued with me about what I ordered even though the 4 adults around me politely disagreed (and I have never ordered vodka tonic - much less one with olives). Someone at table ordered a medium steak; came bloody, and when reheated, had to literally be thrown away. My party of 9 spent a good chunk of change that night; not again. read more

I like to get crab cakes there and a stella, sit in the patio and watch the tourists go by. The service is nice and the food is good, not fantastic, but good. read more

Get the clam chowder! Sooo good. The food was good and the location was great - it;s right on the water and it looks like they have outdoor seating in the summer so I would go back and hit it up then. They also have valet parking right at the restaurant which is key. read more

I have never had a bad time at The Chart House. I recently had a small gathering in the new Lounge area which looks incredible. We had a great time. The Bartender was very attentive and the food and drinks were Delicious. The Manager came down to make sure everything was going well, which I found to be very thoughtful. She was very Nice and Professional. I will definitley be coming back to the Chart House next time I am in Boston. Keep it up. read more

food - 2 (chowder -- tasty clams, boring potatoes), prime rib --- decent, shrimp over pasta - terrible - fried shrimp, really ? What were they thinking. Skip this place, go to Legals, NoName, or a raw bar in the Gov Center area and enjoy real seafood. I go to places for the food, so the whole John Hancock thing is lost on me. So go there for the history, but pick your food carefully to have a good experience. read more

Made a reservation for dinner and well I can't comment on the food because I've been waiting for 60 minutes with my party of 5 guests to be seated. When we asked what the hold up was after checking in 3 times we were told "it's Saturday night in Boston what do you expect". When you go through the effort of making a reservation in a somewhat upscale restaurant you expect the manager to handle this situation better. If you're looking for a nice night out with no hick ups this is not the place to go. read more

Went for lunch yesterday. Sat on patio. Host struggled to figure out how to do her job and where to seat people. Maybe she was new but if so then someone should have been helping her. Took server at least 5 minutes to greet us. We ordered immediately. Took 30 minutes to get a French dip and a burger. Ordered the burger medium rare came out medium well. French dip you couldn't even chew because the meat was dry and too much fat. French fries were ice cold. Server asked how everything was. I said just ok and he said ok and walked away. He could see that we barely ate our food. So I just asked for the check so we could get out of there. In a tourist area so just don't think they care. Assume these people will never be back. However it means that people will never try another Chart House. Most disappointing meal in Boston so far. read more

We had been visiting the aquarium nearby, and had worked up an appetite. We wanted somewhere right on the water to relax for a bit and have a bite. We all wanted seafood. The hostess seemed a little inexperienced, but no issues. The server seemed a little flustered, though it wasn't busy. He brought an iced tea instead of water and then couldn't understand we were willing to keep it on the table so it didn't get thrown out (he said it would be if he took it) but wanted to be sure we weren't charged. No big deal, but he just seemed to be having a rough day. The food was decent but not spectacular. The fish sandwich was average. All in all, a fine but not outstanding experience. The setting is lovely though! read more

The chart house is one of those restaurants that I would only visit on a certain time of the year "the summer time". The reason is because nothing was memorable, not even the food but the outdoor patio is fantastic in the summer time. Right next to the aquarium where from you seat you can see a lot of people walk by and all the activities surrounding you. The pasta dish was good. The clam chowder was also great. Best to come in during lunch time or very early supper. read more

We frequently bring out of town guests to the Chart House and I've never been disappointed! Some of my favorites are the lobster bisque and the scallops. Also noteworthy is the new wave surf and turf (short ribs and scallops). But this time I saw two new menu items that sounded intriguing and the were fabulous! I had a kale and butternut salad with diced apples, cranberries, walnuts and of course kale and butternut, drizzled with balsamic. It was one of the best salads in memory. For an entree, I had a Chilean sea bass with Gorgonzola risotta and port wine glaze. A perfect fall salad and entree. Service was excellent, as usual! read more