4 Favorite Boston Seaport Restaurants

With a new eatery joining their ranks seemingly every week, the Boston Seaport restaurants represent one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic dining destinations in the Hub. And no wonder, with so many hungry workers and visitors to feed here in the up-and-coming Seaport District, located on the South Boston waterfront. Culture lovers are drawn by the world-class Institute of Contemporary Art and concerts at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, while convention-goers hobnob at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, one of the largest in the Northeast. In the Fort Point neighborhood, historic warehouses provide the building blocks for an “innovation district” filled with tech and creative companies. And offering a stunning backdrop to it all: expansive views of the Boston skyline. Whether you’re planning to explore this burgeoning waterfront scene in depth or simply looking to sample some of the city’s best food, our guide to Boston Seaport restaurants will get you started.

4 Favorite Boston Seaport Restaurants

Row 34

Partners Skip Bennet, Jeremy Sewall, and Garrett Harker gave the Boston dining scene a shot in the arm when they opened Island Creek Oyster Bar in 2010. Three years later they brought their savoir faire closer to the waterfront with Row 34, which channels a cool industrial vibe from its digs in a former steel factory. They’ve since added locations in Cambridge, Burlington, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Besides the briny-fresh delicacies on Row 34’s raw-bar menu, standouts here include the tuna crudo, the fish and chips, and the best lobster roll in the city, but adventurous eaters will also love the dishes incorporating more worldly flavors, such as seared monkfish with salsa verde and carrot salad with harissa, feta, and hazelnuts.

Legal Harborside

The hugely popular Legal Sea Foods chain, which got its start half a century ago in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was part of the first wave of Seaport revitalization when it opened Legal Test Kitchen on Northern Avenue in 2005. It cemented its presence here in 2011 when it debuted Legal Harborside, which at 20,000 square feet is among Boston’s biggest restaurants. The first floor is set up for more casual dining — think seafood, pasta, pizza — with a bar and patio seating; upstairs is a more formal dining room that serves signature entrees such as pan-seared scallops with white bean ragout, and an herb-roasted swordfish chop. Topping things off is a sprawling year-round rooftop lounge and bar offering drinks and small bites.

Sportello

No chef is more closely associated with South Boston than Barbara Lynch, who grew up in a local housing project and got her first job cooking at a rectory here while still a teenager. She went on to become one of the best chefs not just in Boston — where she has based her restaurant empire, starting with No. 9 Park in 1998 — but also in the entire country. In the Seaport, she runs the craft-cocktail bar Drink and the fine-dining restaurant Menton, which are both worth checking out, but definitely don’t miss her diner-influenced Italian joint in Fort Point, Sportello: wonderfully fresh pasta, flavor-packed soups and salads, and hearty seafood and meat entrées.

Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar

The atmosphere comes on strong at this Mexican restaurant and lounge in Fort Point, with its stained glass, sleek leather banquettes, and red chandeliers. But the food more than holds its own: chili-lime grilled street corn and plantain empanadas; tacos featuring house-made tortillas filled with blackened mahi mahi, juicy spit-roasted pork, and more; and entrées that range from turkey taquitos to a spice-rubbed dry-aged New York strip. Fans of the original Lolita, still operating in the Back Bay, will appreciate the elbow room here (210 seats) and the expanded menu.

Other Noteworthy Bites:

• Menton: With its refined French-Italian fare and impeccable service, this award-winning fine dining restaurant from top chef Barbara Lynch is the definition of special-occasion dining.

• 75 on Liberty Wharf: From the same team behind 75 Chestnut in Beacon Hill comes a cozy Seaport restaurant that puts an upscale twist on New England classics. Bonus: big views through floor-to-ceiling windows.

• Flour Bakery + Café: Opened in 2007 as the second location of Joanne Chang’s beloved South End bakery (she’s now up to seven total), this is a Fort Point go-to for expertly made coffee drinks, hearty sandwiches, and all manner of sweet treats.

• Better Bagels: Once mainly a pop-up purveyor, this outfit specializing in hand-rolled New York–style bagels debuted its first permanent location late in 2017 — and has been drawing crowds ever since.

Do you have a recommendation to make for Boston Seaport restaurants? Let us know!

This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.

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