Legal Sea Foods - Chestnut Hill Shopping Center

Hands down the best seafood in town whether you a local or a tourist. If you’re an out-of-towner I recommend that you go for the Lobster Bake. It comes with a cup of New England clam chowder, mussles, little neck clams, corn on the cob, and a lobster (steamed or backed stuffed with bread crumbs, scallops and shrimp).

I also recommend the lobster bisque, possibly even more so than their World famous chowder.

Legal is a chain, but don’t let that hold you back. These guys have been doing it right for decades. I recommend calling ahead for a reservation particularly if you plan on going for dinner. Most of their restaurants don’t have a lot of room for people to wait for a table, and don’t be surprised if the bar is packed with people who opted to forgo the 45-60 minute wait for a table by pulling up a stool.

Legal’s is a family restaurant, with a full bar and plenty of free parking. Legal Sea Foods, as the name says, specializes in seafood dishes, with the only exceptions being a grilled chicken sandwich, a grilled chicken dinner, and a filet mignon steak. Sorry, no prime rib, BBQ pork or beef ribs, pork chops or lamb chops. That being said, the fish and chips dinner ($17) and baked scrod ($21) are relatively inexpensive dinner options. The luncheon menu is a little cheaper with smaller portions. The clam chowder ($5 cup, $7 bowl) is excellent and well worth it. The menu does vary somewhat over time, and has a separate page of daily specials. The food is well prepared with a minimum of, or no salt added. Turkey dinner is available on Thanksgiving.

The baked stuffed lobster is excellent, and with a cup of chowder to start, the small size 1.25-1.5 pound baked stuffed lobster stuffed with seafood($34) is enough to fill you up. If you skip the clam chowder, get the 1.5-1.75 medium size baked stuffed lobster. Lobster prices are market dependent.
I have given up on buying steamed soft shelled clams
anywhere, even at Legal’s. Perhaps you could avoid possible digestive problems if you dig your own on Cape Cod (a lot of backbreaking work, plus you need a permit).
This is not really a steak restaurant, so if you order the filet mignon steak, be sure to explain to the waiter or waitress exactly how much you want it cooked. “Rare” and “extra rare” don’t seem to mean anything to them, and I like it extra rare, so I just tell them to scorch it on both sides and serve it up, otherwise they have a tendency to overcook it and ruin it.
You can request the excellent freshly cooked wheat rolls instead of the white rolls.
I dine at Legal’s about once a week and enjoy the visit. Cost? Figure anywhere from $50-$120 total for two people, including tax and tip.

Note: The cushions on the wooden chairs can sag enough for the wooden edge to cut off your leg circulation and put your legs to sleep. The management does get them fixed a few at a time, but I think a different chair design is in order. The dark overall decor could use some sprucing up. The carpeting, wall, and ceiling colors make the place look rather dingy. The nautical theme does not fit in with the nightclub darkness of the room.

http://www.legalseafoods.com/Restaurants/Chestnut-Hill-Chestnut-Hill-Shopping-Center