Union Oyster House

04/12/2008 Posted by freewilly7

went there two restaurant weeks ago. it was the ONLY place that i came out satisfied. didn't have their fresh oysters & clams, although was little tempted. nice "coarse" corn bread. their seafood linguine was SO good. so much seafood (even for restaurant week menu!) that it's good for two meals. i think none but one at our table could finish. we all packed it home. lots of merchants only want to use promotional tactics (and i'm not just talking about restaurant week) to attract customers and then cheat them off (at least offering less-than-average portion or quality). i don't appreciate these shady practices at all. hence, i applaud for union oyster house's generosity and vision (that's how you get returned customers on regular days!). however, couldn't applaud for the service. it was slow at best. first we had to wait for a table even though we made reservations--and it wasn't busy when we arrived. then waitress didn't seem too happy upon hearing that we're restaurant week customers. i mean, again, if anything goes wrong it's 90% management's problem. if you consider us "cheap" customers, then don't participate in restaurant week! if you want to have people try out your restaurant in order to attract potential future returns, then get your staff to appreciate their business at their first visit! as the saying goes: you don't have a second chance to make the first impression. :)

Pros: great seafood

Cons: not so great service

03/30/2008 Posted by thebigtuna5

This is a great place to go for simple, good New England seafood. Lobsters are fresh and served hot; chowder is delicious; wait staff is great, nice bars with lots of room. As authentic an atomosphere as you could want. Very casual. good place to go with kids, or without. Oysters and clams were fresh and plump. nothing fancy on the menu -- just the basics, but lots of them.

03/19/2008 Posted by dolphinsilver

Not sure about other people's experiences as my husband and I had a great time. We dropped in for dinner and had to wait 30-40 minutes. It gave us a perfect reason to hang out at the bar. Our waitress recommended a great local beer for hubby. I had a margarita; didn't expect much but was tasty. We were led upstairs to the dining room. The hostess reminded me of the boss lady from Monsters Inc. with the glasses and voice. We used our Boston USA card for a free lobster app. and started with a cup of chowder. We enjoyed the ravioli though wondered if that really was the usual portion. The chowder was good, very thick and flavorful. I did like the seafood chowder from Boston Chowda at Faneuil Hall a bit better. I had the shrimp and scallops stir fry. Scallops were a bit overcooked but fine. There was a mountain of rice pilaf, not a bed at all. With the sauce or without, the rice pilaf was fantastic complement to the shrimp/scallop. Hubby had Seafood Newburg, which he enjoyed. After the appetizer and dinner, we were stuffed. It's not a fancy place for new takes on classic dishes, but it's great flavors and comforting. We enjoyed ourselves.

Pros: Good food, charming street

Cons: Couldn't find waitress

03/17/2008 Posted by gmusan

This place definately has some ambience. The food was very good. We both had the lobster rolls and the clam chowder. The prices are a little high, but that is because its near Fanieul Hall. The service was good as well. The only negative I found was that the booths are small. I watched quite a few average sized men have trouble climbing in.

Pros: Location

Cons: Small Booths

02/28/2008 Posted by rcunyc

One of the best Boston has to offer. The history behind the Union Oyster Bar and the artwork that covers the walls are reason enough to go but you'll return because of the GREAT seafood and excellent service. Love this place

02/19/2008 Posted by stxcab

We went to the Union Oyster Bar on a Sunday afternoon in February. Place was busy with the bar humming and a wait list for tables. We were seated in less than the 20 min the hostess told us. 9The service was friendly and efficient. The oyster were pre-shucked and hanging around. They had lost all of the liqueur that keeps them plump and gives that good briny burst when you slurp them. I have only seen this tried one time before in more than 30 yrs in the Restaurant business. The were dead on arrival. The combo plate of crab, fish and lobster cakes was good served over nice mixed baby greens. The Lazy Man's Lobster was over cooked. I have eaten here many times over the years. The kitchen seems well prep by the chef , but talant of the shift varies greatly.

Pros: Ambiance, Service

Cons: Inconsistant kitchen skills

02/01/2008 Posted by jimmyscookie

The lobster tasted like "frozen food", its meat was chewy like bubble gum. The service was very rude !! After I complained about the lobster, she told me "chef said its fine." well I kept arguing, and finally, they made another tasteless lobster for me … I gave up, agreed with the chef "its fine" … … … this is how the food is in THE UNION OYSTER HOUSE ...

Pros: historical site, worth a visit (but just one visit)

Cons: ... ... & ...

10/14/2007 Posted by broker77

The service is extremely poor. You can actually get better service at Friendly's! Stay away from this tourist trap.

09/13/2007 Posted by elvistaco1

We had read unfavorable reviews, but we wanted to go for the history, being our first visit to Boston. We went at a slow time, mid-afternoon, and wanted to sit at the raw bar, but it looked scary, with bivalves already shucked and waiting, so we were seated in an uncomfortably hot dining room. We passed through a much cooler, but closed dining room. We looked around at the faces of the other diners (mostly older tourists, like us) and no one looked happy. So we opted for just bowls of chowder and a Sam Adams. The beer was warm and the glass greasy. We had chowder three places on our trip, and this ranked last, but it was better than a can. We are from the South, so we did not like the cornbread. We scarfed it down and then rushed out, abandoning the other diners to their fates. So we checked that one off the list, but I couldn't recommend it.

08/24/2007 Posted by willanderson

I'm glad I just discovered this website because I really needed to discourage tourists from dining at the "Oldest Restaurant in America". Locals already know to avoid it because of poor service and high prices for below average seafood. Their highly touted Chowder is edible, but nearly everything else served can be found for half the price and higher quality at dozens of other Boston restaurants. $21-$22 a dozen for clams is outrageous for the area. I know what they pay for their clams from the boats and lets just say they are "netting" about $15 a dozen in profit. That is highway robbery. Their fried clams are another overpriced disaster. $16.95 for fried clams? Ridiculous for the Boston area. You have been warned. Caveat emptor!

Pros: Below Average Chowder.

Cons: Service, Price, Value, Quality, Waitstaff, Management, Parking.