The Barking Crab Reviews

Really good food and drinks super popular air machine in restroom wasn't working to dry hands

Great for quick bites. I would come here for fish tacos and drinks. Eveything else is way too overpriced. The market price for crab and lobster was ridiculous. I got 3 small snow crab leg clusters for $32. They were said to be 1.5 pounds. James Hook is cheaper if you want fresh lobster. Also it took forever to get our check.

Classic restaurant to go to if visiting Boston. Please park you car near here and visit Boston children museum next door. Also New England aquarium is better if you just walk it from there. We spend 1 hour looking for parking again and it would have been better if we just kept our card parked near the barking crab. Boston Go card is definitely worth it. The food here is great the lobster roll first time tried it but wasn t surprisingly amazed. Clam chowder was great!

Went to this place for Christmas Eve dinner, it was perfect choice! So cozy and pleasant atmosphere! Food was delicious as well.

Fresh seafood in the seaport area of the city. Cool ambiance including music. It's a bit pricey but not bad for the area.

Got the Fisherman's Platter and it was excellent. The clams, haddock, shrimp and scallops were all amazing! The restaurant has a great location in the harbor. You have an amazing view of the water while you eat. The staff are also really friendly.

Heard a lot about Barking Crab from various reviews, however was a little disappointed with the food. Food is fresh but lacks seasoning.

It's a good summer spot to have a bucket of light beers if you're a tourist or after work. The water taxi has a pick up spot at the dock in front of it. So it's a great place to start before taking the boat to another bar. Fun time.

Pretty good, but pricey. We had better lobster rolls while we were in Boston, but this was the most expensive one. The location and ambiance of the restaurant is cool though! It seems a little overhyped, but we still left happy.

It's amazing place to take a drink or eat something seafood

It might look like a chaotic place, but it's the opposite of that. As soon as you get in, you leave your mobile number and you'll get an SMS when your table is ready. You sit on a big wooden table with other people and the service is kind and fast. My beer, an English IPA was pretty good and the food, the Dungeness Crab, excellent. Of course it's a bit expensive, you're not coming here to eat burgers, but big, juicy Pacific crabs.

Hands-down one of the best restaurants in town for seafood. The ambience is great. The view is beautiful. Super crowded during weekends but the service is on point. A must-try if you are in the area and looking for some seafood.
Recommendations: Fire-grilled Lobster and Grilled Salmon

I had business at the courthouse and it is right next to it. Awesome chowder!! A great working class bar, oh and it has a warm Franklin stove! What I had thought a Boston lobster house was supposed to be.

A must if you're looking for great seafood in a Boston atmosphere. Great food, service and kids menu

We all loved this place. It is absolute simplicity, we had the crab platter, just a huge bowl of crab legs and claws. So much fun and the crab was fresh and cooked perfectly. A great selection of beers and cocktails, the frozen Rose went so well with the crab. Chowder was superb.
This is a hugely fun eating experience and well worth a visit.

This was hyped better than the restaurant warranted. The clam chowder was OK. I had better in Rockport the following day. It was a little like bland Cullen Skunk.

Fantastic and friendly service. Excellent and fresh food. Great atmosphere and authentic experience. Highly recommend!

You cannot look at the Boston skyline without visiting this little gem of a spot. Great food and service

Great service and great food especially for the price. I would totally recommend people to try this place out especially because it s on the water

Bouillibaisse was excellent, staff was friendly and prompt! The fried calamari was great, as well...we just didn't get a pic before we devoured it!

Food was okay, pretty over priced, but I guess typical for the neighborhood. Steamers came out cold and full of sand. Bisque was good. Lobster roll had a little too much bread, but a good helping of lobster. Seemed understaffed, couldn t seat our group together when there was open tables. Had to sit at high tops and order from bar.

Service is too notch and the food is amazing. Line forms at 1130 but clears up in thirty minutes. Amazing views

Jist as advertised on Man Vs Food. Relatively small, "run down" place on the edge of downtown Boston. Food is great and the atmosphere very friendly, but tgats how north easterners are.

This place was great. So much cream you can just waller in it. Neat open-air atmosphere too. Really nice when the weather is warm, but there are heaters to keep it cozy in the winter too

Delicious food and it can get crowded. Service is so-so but from the times I ve been there, the server won t forget you either, but you ll need to wave and scream. Their New England Clam chowder is a must

Very delicious, great service, very helpful and love de beer

Atmosphere was great. However, as a big seafood eater the prices were a little higher for what you get. Let me explain the snow and king crab we got we re not seasoned they were just cooked and brought out to us. I had to ask for seasoning and add it to the crabs. I was a little upset about that.

Great location, food are good, a little bit noisy. Super nice view to habour and opposite river view

Great location, great service, solid Boston seafood! Bring your jeans and get ready to open up some lobsters!!

Great chowder and inside area. Classic Boston staple! Can be pricey though but it s worth it

We stopped at the Barking Crab to get out of the cold and we're quite taken by the hole in the wall atmosphere. They had a wood fireplace inside, with a small bar and TVs. Fish and seafood options were really all they offer, but everything we ordered was delicious. Even in the wintertime, this place was worth the stop.

Delicious and great service. Had Alaskan king crab and it was juicy hot and amazing. Perfect!

OMG been here a few times and always get clam chowder, it's the best I've eaten
The restaurant is beside the water and looks really nice when looking out

Really a fun place to enjoy some food on the water. The food was very good and everyone was extremely friendly.

I also had Emma(r) as my server. She was fantastic very helpful for people who are not from around here. The food was fresh and great! Drinks weren't too bad either ;P

The restaurant is a popular spot for local seafood in Boston with a river view of Fort Point and sheltered outdoor seating. Their selection and quality of seafood is acceptable for your marine comfort food cravings. The tap beer selection is also decent for the waterfront location. Prices are in the medium range to expensive for Boston seafood. Parking can be found but not free unless you get lucky for street spots.

Simple menu and a fun location with lots to do around before and after the meal. Good covered seating thanks to the tent outside. And of course most importantly of all very delicious meal but a reasonable price. definitely a place to eat at when staying in the area.

The food quality is very good. Not sure about the price though.

Family ate in outdoor patio area, inside had private function. Very windy, so we were effected somewhat by the elements, so maybe affecting my review somewhat.
Bar area is VERY loud, so don t expect a quiet dinner. Had trouble hearing each other talk at times.
Restaurant is very casual, service is good.
Food tasty, we ate a lobster roll (hot/naked as they put it), somewhat overpriced at $30. Also had the Venus platter, had good amount of crab/lobster to share and all were happy. Platter was reasonably priced.
Overall satisfied with the food and service.

I had ordered Traditional Lobster roll and IPA as to-go. This was very very good!!
They were very friendly in spite of under COVID-19.

Absolutely disgusting service. We were a big group that was seated separately. We noticed some big tables that opened up, so we asked to move, as we all wanted to sit together. They said we couldn't because it would confused the wait staff - which is a ridiculous excuse. So we stayed at the separate tables, where we were completely ignored for the rest of our meal. We had to wait by the bar and beg for the attention of the servers to get our bill. When they finally paid us attention, a server came by and threw the bill on the table and walked away. Definitely the nastiest experience I've ever had at any restaurant. Food was okay. Definitely not worth the inflated price. I'm sure there are way better and friendlier restaurants in the area. 0 stars.

Pretty tasty seafood in a no frills environment of shared picnic tables. Seemed fresh and well made. Fried items were crisp and not greasy. Clam chowder had more sand and shell bits than I would have preferred. Nothing was exceptional, but it was all enjoyable.

Great atmosphere, great service and excellent seafood. The calamari was so fresh and tender. The crabcakes were delicious and the fish and chips were excellent. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive.

It's LOUD, especially when it's summer and you're close to the bar section. During the winter, it's fine. They close up the tent and you have birds hopping around. I love the lobster mac and cheese. My bf loves the fish and chips.

Highly recommend the crab cakes. Clam bake was also amazing. Fun atmosphere and staff is Boston friendly

Would absolutely come back

Cannot say enough great things about their chowder. I can never eat chowder again anywhere else without thinking about here.
Perfect flavour, creamy to the max, and very satisfying.

Had a delicious traditional lobster roll sandwich and of course had to have a cup of Boston clam chowder. I had gone a few nice before and had their fish tacos which were also delicious so I had to come back and try more. Sorry for not posting photos but I consumed them too quickly. Great location walking distance to the convention center.

Recommended by a local. So happy to have been here...I went back the next day. Love everything about this place.

Amazing food and atmosphere. Our waitress was the absolute best. Definitely hit this spot up if you're in Boston.

I liked it... right on the waterfront. I look forward to returning

We were recommended this place from the front desk of the CitizenM Hotel and were very disappointed.

Tables were sticky, staff were inattentive, focused on chatting amongst themselves, and wouldn t give out the WiFi password under direction of management (we re from abroad so we needed WiFi to map out the rest of our day and intended to do it over dinner)
Food was bland and ridiculously high priced for what you get. Would skip it- there s better seafood spots nearby.

Nice low key place. I'm sure even better when it's warm and the sun's out.

Great food and a very nice staff make dining in the open a south port experience.

I went late on a Friday night and it was incredibly packed! Lucky for me I was by myself and was able to squeeze up to the bar and order clam chowder and a beer. Bartender was as friendly as she could be with the masses coming from all angles. I was surprised. The clam chowder was amazing and came super quick! I would go back in a heartbeat, when it's a little less busy of course.

Been there twice already. A decent place with good New England seafood. They also have quite nice beers. Great to hang out with friends or colleagues. Not so good to go on a date or invite family.

Lobster bisque! Crab and lobster rolls were fantastic!

No wait on a Sunday evening. You seat yourself and there were plenty of options. We got a spot overlooking the water. Bartender/waitress was nice and checked on us often. Naked lobster roll and especially the clam chowder were amazing. For some reason you can't just order the clam chowder by itself though...so we got fried calamari also. Try to get a spot near the water near sunset and you have a great view of the boats and the Boston skyline.

Crab cakes were some of the best I ve had, and their lobster roll and fish were delicious and fresh!

This is not the place to go for a lobster roll. Lobster was fishy, as if all foods are cooked in the same pot. Very little actual meat, just a lot of stringy bits. Overpriced for the quality of the food. Onion rings were okay. If looking for a lobster roll try James cook on the other side of the bridge.

Right on the water with a lot of Boston classics. Get there early as the lunch crowd quickly fills the place. By noon, there was a 45min wait. Lobster rolls were market price, but filled with good chunks of meat. Pretty avg beer selection. Had hoped for more local brews on tap, but overall, good times. Plus, on a nice day, eating along the water is awesome.

One of the favorites of Boston. I was there yesterday (Monday) with my colleagues. The food is good! The Tuna Tacos, the crab cake!

The service is terrible! The wait staff has this do not care attitude. The manager showed up only to make things worse. We left to go to a different place!

Off-our list!

We showed up at this restaurant at 2pm on a weekday. The restaurant was half full so we asked for a table. Our party was three adults, two toddlers, and an infant. The hostess looked at our party and said "in order to sit in this section everyone has to order an entree" and gave us a blank stare. Clearly the infant wasn't going to eat an entree given that she can't consume actual food, but apparently this restaurant doesn't accept people with infants.

We asked for a solution. One hostess claimed we could sit at the bar and not order an entree...however her next sentence was that kids weren't allowed at the bar.

We stood dumbfounded and asked what she wanted us to do. A second hostess chimed in and claimed we could sit at the bar. Apparently she wanted two toddlers and an infant on barstools 4 feet off the ground.

We looked at the half empty restaurant and asked why in the world we couldn't sit at a normal table. They both kept repeating "every person has to order an entree in this section" like demented parrots.

We requested to speak to the manager to see if they had a resolution to our seating dilemma. The hostess said "what do you need to talk to the manager about?"

We left, walked down the street and spent over $150 for a delicious meal at Yankee Lobster.

Go to the Yankee Lobster and save yourself the trouble.

The barking crab did not live up to its reputation as an inclusive, top seafood restaurant. First of all, the no-reservation policy makes finding a table impossible, and the menu is extremely limited. Hopefully the service is better during the day than at night.

The food was good and the place had a neat environment - a little pricey for what it is.

1st time ever eating clams and oysters raw. Was not as bad as I imagined. The barking crab is excellent place to eat. Great staff. Special shout out to our server Lori. She is truly amazing.

I came here with my Brazilian friend as she had never had Lobster before. The experience was great, with a nice ambiance of being right by the water. The Lobster was delicious and not too expensive and arrived within a reasonable time. The reason why I rate this place only 4 instead of 5 stars is because it felt like the waiters were not very responsive and often even seemed to avoid us (when we trying to request the check etc.) Other than that they were very friendly. All in all I would definitely recommend.

Was told by some Boston residents that this place was the absolute best place to get a lobster roll. Unfortunately, I found this place to have the absolute worst lobster roll I've ever had. After being told the wait for dinner would be three hours I decided to order from the bar and get it to go. Very short wait time for the order of three lobster rolls and some onion rings. Normally a great lobster roll is around twenty bucks but these guys charged $30 per roll. Came with fries and they were very good fries. However, the lobster came hot on a toasted bun ( the bun was great) and tasted VERY fishy. I can't explain how disappointing this lobster roll was. I've had them in Maine (Red's Eat's is the BEST lobster roll ever) and in New York and this is the literal bottom of the barrel. If you are searching for a great lobster roll don't come to the Barking Crab.

Make sure to order a naked lobster roll when you come here.... Or a few with how amazing they are ;). Clam chowder and the lobster bisque are also spectacular! Portion sizes are perfect and place has a great atmosphere and a great view of the harbor! This is an essential when visiting Boston!!

Great seafood and atmosphere. Book in advance. We can't wait to come back.

Nice view of water, service was good and the lobster was so buttery

If you want a cozy place to get some good food without all of the bells and whistles then this is a great place to go. Ordered off the specials menu which was a great choice. Plenty of food and everything tasted great.

They prominently post their market prices which I appreciate. I don t eat a lot of seafood so I am usually unaware of the typical cost of things so this was great for me.

My only critiques are 1 - that it was a little cold but then again it is winter and this is more of a summer place and 2 - the bathrooms could use an update but they were not awful.

Really cool atmosphere. Bar scene. Loud music. Lots of lots of seafood. Expensive. Still love it.

Kids menu : $9
Crab roll : $27
Lobster roll : $35

Could be a 5 star place but the management is POOR. The food is pricey for what it is but it's good! I recommend the fish tacos, and the lobster roll was good too. The ambiance of the place is very lively and fun, being a good pub-restaurant to visit with friends. I say the management is poor because:
- We asked many times to move from our table to a table near the water; they said that they would see it but then assigned it to other parties without even saying no to us.
- The band playing there was awesome but the music was so loud that it was annoying. They explicitly say in the restaurant that they will not lower the volume and I really think that's not wise considering that with a lower volume the music could actually be enjoyable for everyone.
- When I politely mentioned all these complaints to the manager/receptionist, the person told me it was not her work to assign me to a new table. When I said that her work was to make their customers to have a good time she left me speaking alone.
I hope that if you go you can have a good time!

4 out of 5! Solid restaurant, good food, service is quick (that said 30min wait but we waited 10min) worth a visit if you are in Boston. Can understand people if they don t like picnic benches but it s a part of the charm, close to the water. Thought the message in the bathroom was fun so added a pic! Lobster roll was very good!

The fried seafood in the fisherman s platter was genuinely some of the best I ve ever had. It was so perfectly crispy and the right breading to fish ratio so good! For the price you pay you get a little less seafood than at some similar joints in New England, but the quality is fantastic and the waterfront Seaport setting can t be beat.

Crab dip, calamari appetizer and lobster rolls were fabulous! (As usual). Love this place!

Great location, a little pricey, BEST clam chowder, the Boston cream pie could have been a little bit more tastier more cream or chocolate

Awesome atmosphere & location, great local beer and best clam chowder in Massachusetts!

Well oiled staff and great food.... red roof keeps it cool.... gazpacho was amazing

Great place....Clam chowder is definitely one of the best in Boston. They have a great choice of beer as well, brewed by them.

Great service, friendly atmosphere, no wifi keeping everyone on their phones, decent food. You should check it out.

Love this outdoor classic seafood bardge. Always a must when visiting Boston.

I am always amused by the whimsical ambience of this restaurant. I had a naked lobster roll which butter and no mayonnaise. If there was butter in the lobster I couldn't taste it. There are funny signs hanging in multiple places and it is no frills experience on the water. A short walk from the silver line courthouse stop.

An electric, fun place to eat seafood by the water. I tried several dishes. Wasn't loving the snapper (might be more of a personal choice) but the lobster and the clam chowder were very good. Throw in some Mac and Cheese and it's hard to go wrong

Absolutely nothing on the menu for my veggie husband but me and the kids enjoyed out tacos and prawns. Expensive but very groovy. I only gave this place 3 stars as the staff were pretty rude and unwelcoming.