Summer Shack Reviews

Great place to grab a bite before catching a train or after work. Located right outside the Alewife Station. Serves mainly seafood sandwiches, entrees with a wide selection of beverages.

Great raw oysters, but the lobsters are over-steamed and pricey

This is a HUGE restaurant with tons of seating. I really liked the giant pots in the middle with various creatures of the sea waiting to be cooked in them. I tried the full belly fried clams. They were super fresh and tasty too. There were a couple of wait staff that took care of us (we had a large group). They were very friendly and attentive. I'd like to come back here to explore more of their menu.

Good solid seafood, good drinks, decent tap beer list. Price is on the higher side of moderate but definitely good value for quality. I tried the salmon burger on my last visit. Definitely the best I've ever had.

The food was delicious and service great. The atmosphere was fun.

It's always great. Spring for the pan roasted lobster!

Great food. Nice atmosphere they have a great staff as well. Very friendly and knowledgeable about there menu.

Great chowder and lobsters. We are on vacation from the South and Denver. Great dinner. Big place but don t let it fool you. Good service and good seafood!!

DOES NOT LIVE UP TO THE ADVANCED BILLING. ALSO DOESN'T MATCH LEGAL SEAFOOD.

Good food...as always! Been too long since I'd been last.

Summer Shack has fantastic and safe outdoor seating. The food is great and the staff are friendly and efficient.

Fresh, tasty, and wonderful for a weekend brunch.
Very reasonably priced. We had a great time, the service was wonderful! I will be coming back.

I had a great experience at this place. We loved the excellent environment and the food. The staff are very attentive. I m glad we ultimately managed to visit this spot.

Nice food at reasonable prices. Decor and intereor are starting to feel dated.

The lunch special of a fried oyster poboy was fantastic.

Great food at reasonable prices. Very friendly staff

Because the manager was rude to me in front of people he embarrassed me

Pretty good alternative to legal seafood. More informal but does not lack from choice at all. If you have kids, bring them to see the live lobster tanks

Good lobster and steamers! No frills place which is the best way to enjoy lobster

Great quality seafood and huge inside. We went during a very slow time and the service was excellent. They were nice and had a good selection of all the things you would need for a good meal with drinks.

Great seafood, and meals for kids. Fish and chips tasted fresh. Harpoon cider nice and cold refreshing. Crab leg meal excellent but a little expensive at $35. Lunch for 2 adults and 1 kid can run up to $89 pretty easily.

Caitlin is a good bartender and made tasty bloody Mary's! The buffalo shrimp was good!

I took my gradson to see the Paw Patrol who were visiting there, we had a great time the service was good and chicken was awesome

Great food. A bit pricey but worth it. Seafood is nice & fresh. Staff is great & fast. Easy to get to without a car. Its right on the Red Line, Alewife. So grad a bite and shop at the near by stores.

Good flavors, but burnt sides distracted from the rest, on the specialty dishes. Hopefully just a bad day in the kitchen

Awesome food in a fun casual atmosphere. Spacious and great for family and friends.

Not a fancy upscale place, but a fun time. Prepare for a lot of food and go for the seafood (the fried chicken is also apparently pretty good, but I didn't have any myself). Lots of beer options.

Presentation is a bit less impressive, and they don't really have stand-out sides. Their fries were fairly bland, for instance. All in all, a good place to go with a big group to chow down, but not suitable for a date or anything.

I showed up Monday evening and found it pleasantly quiet. The service was good and the food tasty . They had a three course dinner option that turned out to be just right.

We love you Summer Shack. You've been our oyster go-to for years. Even though we've moved further away we will always come back when we can.

My family and I stopped in for lunch. The waitress, Meg, is the worse I have ever encountered. Not once did she ask how our meal was, if i had, I would have informed her my food was bland. When she brought our bill, she placed it on the table and ran. We were charged 2.50 for children's drinks, the same as an adult, and not once were they offered a refill. When I complained to the manager, he just looked at me and said "What do you want me to do?" As the manager, you should know what to do. It was the worse display of management I have seen as well. It was as if he didn't care. In my opinion, both Meg and the manager need to find new professions!! I walked out beyond dissatisfied!

Overall a positive experience first night in Cambridge. The lobster was fresh but a little on the expensive side. It was a 2.5lb lobster that costed $80 to cook in the special sauce.

If you aren't adventurous and want to just enjoy a steamed line, then there are other places that are cheaper.

Sliders are great. A little pricey but ok. I was there for a social dance in the function room with a variety of apps. Sliders were really great. Corn ships were wayyyyy too Salty. Fries were good.

Mediocre food, terrible service with long waits between courses. Our shrimp/scallop skewer was lukewarm resting on wilted lettuce. Even the steamers were lukewarm. A major disappointment.

appetizers and main course were excellent . desserts were poor. bread pudding so sweet it could not be eaten

Worst place we've been since moving to Boston. Food was overly priced. Small portions. Poor quality. Nothing to write home about. Service was slow. Appeared to have attitude. Will NOT be going back!!!!

We've never had a bad meal at Summer Shack and were thrilled that they opened a pop-up in Harvard Square. We had a seared tuna entree that was no less than perfect. It's set up near the Charles Hotel, away from busy JFK or Mt Auburn Streets. Not sure how much longer they'll be open here, but you can always go to the main store in Alewife which is also easily accessible by T and has plenty of parking.

My go-to restaurant if I have guests (huge menu, great for kids), or for a fancy date with my wife (you feel like royalty ordering a large sauteed lobster).

The food was delicious. I highly recommend the wood fire Lobster. The staff was amazing.

Affordable nice seafood, more beautiful shakes in the city

Awesome atmosphere, delicious foods, and great service!

Went for a birthday dinner. The service and food were excellent-
staff and ownership definitely take CV-19 seriously protocols in place and used.

A bit pricey, but always excellent food. The menu is nearly all seafood, so you probably have to be a seafood lover to really appreciate this place.

They have very good Shrimp and Lobster delicacies. If you happen to visit make sure you try them. They have great staff and a unique atmosphere. Perfect for families.
PS. Ask for Jaison He s a great steward

Great place for New England seafood. Last night was quite busy (Fathers day) so the wait was a bit long.
I think they are focussing more on lobsters these days. Might be nice to see more NE favorites like mussels, fried seafood plstes, more cod.
Overall, a great place to bring out of town guests. The cambridge location has parking.

This place is awesome! The food is fantastic! The customer service is fabulous. Looking forward to going back! Wait!!!! I forgot to mention, this restaurant plays great music!!! All genres!!!!

Great service but bad/overpriced food. Dry rolls and cornbread, bad clam chowder (watery soup and oversized potato chunks). Key lime pie was good except for the crust (too crumbly and dry). Legal seafoods is a lot better and about the same price. Spacious, free parking lot is good.

Great classic New England seafood boil restaurant. Well prepared, fresh seafood. Great fried clams, soft shell lobsters and fish. The clam chowder is chunky and delicious. Desserts were better than expected too.

Awesome oysters. Unpretentious atmosphere. Whole belly fried clams were great.

Ok seafood at overwhelming prices. Service can be hit or miss. The wait staff seems a bit spread thin. They forgot my beer two times.

Went to eat Sunday for brunch and it was wonderful! If you are looking for a fun brunch spot I highly recommend the shack. The brunch cocktails are delicious and they have a build your own Bloody Mary option!

Awesome. Exactly what it says on the box, lobsters and oysters are top notch. Nothing fancy, straight to the point.

Beautiful interior. Affordable prices. I would rate it 4.5

It's was first experience for us.
I am glad , it was an happy experience.
We loved it. Thanks a lot everybody and happy and healthy 2021 for you guys...

I've been eating there for as long as I can remember. I even had my fourth birthday there. Every single time I get half a dozen oysters and 2 orders of steamers to share with the table. I will never stop being a regular

My favorite seafood restaurant nearby Boston! I went there every time when I visited Boston. They also have the best oysters! So delicious! Tried their steamed lobster, excellent value! Last time when I visited, I ordered the lobster gumbo, and it was amazing! It's a huge dish, and I couldn't help myself to finish it! Can't wait to go back there again!

WE WENT HERE WITH OUR TWIN 15 MONTHS OLD AND THEY MADE IT GREAT FOR THE KIDS, GAVE US MILK EASILY HAD FOOD READY FOR THE KIDS AND THE FOOD FOR THE ADULTS WAS ALSO GOOD. I HAD A SIGNATURE LOBSTER DISH WHICH WAS PRETTY GOOD, THE GIRLS BOTH HAD LOBSTER AND SEEMED TO LIKE IT.

Pricey for what get. You would get better portion at Denny's or IHOP. Maybe it's just me. I'm used to Outback steakhouse and red lobster.

Great atmosphere... great service and most importantly.... great lobsters!

The quality of the food, really went down. I won't be back

The food here is fantastic. The lobster roll truly is the best in Boston. The steamed lobster is also the best. Atmosphere is fun, but loud.

Tasty food, friendly staff, great ambiance. The restaurant itself is spacious, and well organized. The oyster bar seating allows you to watch multiple screens tune to different channels.
Overall it was a great experience.

I've driven by this for years and regret not trying it earlier.
Great, fresh seafood. Friendly staff. Excellent roasted mushrooms, but everything was good. Custom menu everyday. Lots of lobster options.

Great local seafood. Wonderful relaxed atmosphere and great food

It's a bit too pricey for the quality of food. Sometimes they have interesting appetizers as specials but most of the entrees are really kind of basic and a bit boring. The fish tacos are nice (they use haddock) but pricey for just two tacos and a load of fries. Lobster is amazingly expensive here considering they typically cost between $5 to $10 a pound at Market Basket which also will steam them for free.

The service is good and the food is delicious try it some time

Water clam chowder, mussels seemed old and crab was loaded with bread and sauce.. expected better. Very good waiter

We were not impressed. I ordered the crab & steak. My husband ordered the clam plate and my daughter ordered the shrimp scampi. My daughter felt the value of shrimp was too small and I agreed for $23.00. I was given a small portion of steak for & $28.00. My husband said the clams were okay. Lots of clams didn't have the belly. The oysters were good as an app. Loved the balloon animals.