Neptune Oyster

Overall 4.75 stars (oyster crackers for more watery than I would like clam chowder were too large and hard)
Highlights
Lobster roll: best I ever had
Spicy seafood stew with rice: really good
Clam chowder: less thick than usual, still good, can taste the freshness of the clams
Fries: surprisingly delicious (probably cause they were fresh)
Full house with a line on a Tuesday… Impressive

I have had lobster rolls and clam chowder all over the world. This lobster roll is second to Ronnies in Auburn. The clam chowder is tied for #1 with the Wayside Inn in Sudbury. However, the clam chowder here is creamy but not as thick as you would expect. Its not RI style, but its close but somehow excellent. But the Johnnycakes are fabulous. Wonderful. Unforgettable. And unique. I’ve never seen them anywhere else but they should be.
As far as timing, my wife and I came on a Monday morning at 11:15 and waited outside and were in the first seating at 11:30. I know the wait can be hours but for us it was only 15 minutes.

Prior to visiting town, I had read that Neptune Oyster had one of the best lobster rolls in Boston. I also read that it cost $ 29. Not only could I eat the best lobster roll in Boston, but I could also tell people that I spent $ 29 on a lobster roll. It’s a win-​win. Needless to say, the launch sequence had been activated.
I got to Boston with six others in my group. I might have encouraged them all to hoof it from the harbor to the North End to try this place I had heard about. When we arrived – surprise! – it would have been impossible to seat all seven of us in such a small place. I didn’t want to give up and leave, but group dynamic being what it is, we set out for another place to eat. After realizing that all of these North End places are literal holes-​in-​walls that would not easily fit seven, I made my move. I informed the group that we’d be best off splitting up and reconvening after we all ate. Then I high-​tailed my Uranus back to Neptune Oyster. As a single diner I was seated immediately while groups were told that it would be a two hour wait.
Generally I do not care to read people’s personal stories on Unilocal,I want to know if the food is good or not. I tell my story this time to impress upon you this fact: the lobster roll is as good as advertised and you should break up your group to get it. They’ll probably forgive you, but you’ll definitely love your meal.
I chose the hot buttered lobster roll, because hot butter is great and mayo is disgusting. There was a ton of meat stuffed into the bun, so you’re not solely paying for the name on the building, you are getting a substantial sandwich. The lobster meat was tender and juicy and did I mention slathered in butter. Butter! The bun was soft but still held up well to the heavy load it was subjected to. In a moment of weakness, I asked for salad on the side instead of fries. I guess I was lobster-​drunk. It was fine, but looking at the other diners in the place I kind of wish I had their fries.
I am cheap. So cheap. But I would pay $ 29 for this meal every day of the week. Such a good meal.

Not worth for two and half hours wait…
The things with extraordinary reputations usually unable to match their names…

TLDR: this place is worth the hype, but don’t plan on going when you’re starving – plan on going about two hours before you’re going to be starving.
Neptune Oyster is supposed to be one of the best lobster rolls ever. At the price of $ 30, you hope that it’s true. Especially when wait times go up to an hour and a half to two hours. Never before have I waited for something so long that wasn’t all you can eat or ramen – especially without having the option to buy a bunch of drinks while I wait. But I digress. When it was finally our turn to be seated, they brought us over to the counter. The place is tiny, and very clean. That’s awesome when there’s seafood involved. The lobster roll can be served hot with drawn butter, or as a cold lobster salad with mayo. I went for the hot. Yummmmm. The fries were great, too. Not that I needed them what with all of the lobster meat. You get what you pay for. I also opted for a bowl of the clam chowder – creamy and delicious. But also heavy with the lobster roll. My gluttonous meal had been preceded by a few snacks while I was waiting, so I wasn’t able to finish all of my lobster roll. But I’ll be back for more. The drink menu was also good because it had a nice selection of wines and beers. Plus, they have a whole slew of other items on the menu that I can’t wait to try out.
The window display is pretty and features a lot of lemons. The blues and yellows complemented the space nicely and showcased their seafood well.
al businesses.

Went early one morning and we were the last people in line to make it in when the place opened. Had the warm butter roll. Bread was fantastic, meat was sub-​par for the hype. Overall ⁴⁄₅ for quality, but docking one star for value. Will not be back.

Whenever I visit Boston, I make sure to plan my schedule around Neptune Oyster. I’ve been 3 times and every visit has been consistently amazing! I’ve learned to only go right when they open at 11:30am or late at night around 8:30pm to avoid waiting in line. Whenever I go, I make sure to always go with at least one other person so that we can split some oysters, the Hot Butter Lobster Roll, the Seared Georges Bank Scallops, and a bottle of white wine. Definitely my favorite restaurant in Boston! Can’t wait for my next visit!

The food is ok but the service is really bad. Take care on your bill, they already charged 20% for the tip. If you ask for removing the tip and writing the tip by yourself, they will check ur tips in front of you and FORCE you to tip more than 20%, which is very RUDE! Also they will write tips and circle the recommended tip on ur credit card bill, which is NOT LEGAL. Their service is not deserve a 20% tip. They didn’t check how’s going on for ur food. And the restaurant is very noisy.
当心最后的账单，他们会强制收取20%的小费。他们会当面查看你的小费而且强制要求你付20%以上的小费，这种做法是很RUDE。

Does Neptune Oyster’s famous lobster roll live up to the hype? To me, it absolutely does! I went ~12:30pm on a Wednesday and only had to wait 10 mins. (The 10 mins was easy to pass because there are a bunch of cute little boutiques on the same street.)
Pros/​food:
–clam chowder ($ 12): my cousin jokingly told me this would change my life, and I really think it did! I’ve never had such fresh clams in my clam chowder.
–lobster roll ($ 29): To me, there was only one way to order this — HOT, and no roll (as I consider that stomach filler food. I’m all about the fries! :P). The huge, juicy, delicious lobster chunks arrived in a bowl, drenched with butter. Let me tell you the secret: dunk the lobster chunks in the butter, dunk the french fries in garlic aioli.
–Coke products! Thank god.
Only cons I can think of are:
–our bartender was slightly meh and slow to refill our drinks/​take our orders. The male bartender took over and was much more attentive.
–small restaurant
The lobster roll was delicious (although I was initially apprehensive about a $ 29 sandwich). Definitely a must-​eat when in Boston. Come during off-​peak hours.

We lined up before the restaurant opened at 11:30 am, to put our names down. At that time, the wait was 2 hours (By the time 1:30 pm rolled around, the wait was 5 hours). They are great with the process — you leave your cell phone number and they’ll call you within 10 minutes of your table being ready. All they ask is that you’re in a 10 min radius.
The food was well worth the wait. The Oysters were fresh and clean! The descriptions were clear and succinct for someone (my wife) who had never had oysters before. The Lobster Roll was one of the best I’ve ever had! That alone is worth going to this place.
If you’re in Boston and are willing to wait, there are probably not many places better than Neptune Oyster!

Line on a Friday afternoon started at 11:30. Thankfully it moved quick and when there was still a wait they just grab your number and call you when they’re ready for you.
Sat at the bar. Service was friendly, quick, and personable. Had some oysters, clam chowder, and the salmon crudo. Everything was amazing. Wouldn’t say it was the best clam chowder I’ve ever had, but it is definitely top 3.
Had a few glasses of wine with what the waitress called Friday pours. Was definitely generous.
If you’re in Boston, you got to come here. It’s a great place with great food.

Amazing! Some of the freshest and tastiest seafood I’ve ever had.
Neptune Oyster is a small restaurant off the beaten path on Boston’s north side. Packed out is probably the first descriptor I’d use for this place, so plan ahead. They do not take reservations in advance, but you’re welcome to come the day of and put your name in. They’ll call you when a seat opens up.
Putting our name in at 5pm on a week night we only had a 30 – 40 minute wait for a counter seat.
Offering us both a raw oyster and regular menu to choose from, I went for the oysters. After recommendations for these and a wine pairing from our server I sat back and took in all the action. Being such a small and busy place you can catch parts of the action in the kitchen, observe what those around you are trying or simply watch the line form out the door.
Each tray of oysters I tried was incredible! Raw with lemon, perfect. Wine was excellent too. Really, there isn’t a thing I didn’t like about Neptune: service, food or ambiance.

Loved this little place, try it off hours because seating is limited and they are good, so they draw a crowd. Had the fish and chips, fish is made with skate, which was a first for me, but oh so delicious! In the top 3 fish and chips I have ever had!
The selection of oysters from their raw bar was fantastic, and the order sheet they give you is very descriptive, best oyster menu I have seen by far! I can see why Neptune Oyster is so well reviewed and loved.
This will be a frequent stop for all my travels to Boston.

This was our first top in Boston as we really wanted to enjoy local flavor and it was lunch and a beautiful day. The food didn’t disappoint and the the lobster roll was outstanding. The clam chowder was equally as tasty and flavorful with good creamy texture and lots of clams.

Not 2+ hour wait good, but definitely worth a try if you manage to get first seating. I got here at exactly 11:00 am for the 11:30 am opening and barely made the cut off so come as early as possible if you want to cement your spot.
I tried:
Clam chowder ($ 11). I don’t like creamy soups but this was actually more broth like than creamy so I liked it a lot. The clams were plentiful and fresh and the potatoes were nice and soft.
Cioppino ($ 31, add $ 10 for lobster). Clams, mussels, salmon, lobster and shrimp in a delicious spicy broth and saffron rice. It reminded me of paella which is always a good thing. Everything tasted fresh. If you like stews, this one is for you.
Hot lobster roll ($ 29). What I, and most people come for. I was actually underwhelmed by it. The roll is pretty big and stuffed full of fresh lobster but I didn’t taste much butter and the bread was soft and too soggy. I would have preferred if the roll was toasted to give it some textural contrast and heft. Overall it was kind of bland… I think lobster purists would appreciate it more than I did. I thought it could have used more butter, salt and seasoning. The French fries were perfect though.
I’m glad I finally tried this place after skipping it for years. The seafood is obviously fresh and the food is overall tasty. But I wouldn’t wait hours to go again either.

As everyone has already written here, definitely the best lobster roll in Boston. The roll has giant pieces of warm buttery claw and tail meat, which goes perfectly with the toasted bread. I love it. It’s not bad for $ 29. If you’re already going to pay around $ 20 for a lobster roll, might as well pay a little more for a high quality one.
I also got the lobster spaghetti, which they serve on Mondays. It’s very good with generous pieces of lobster meat (tail and claw) in it. I was surprised at how good the sauce was — there’s plenty of chunky tomatoes, and they definitely don’t skimp by just giving you tons of pasta. The spaghetti was also well done, as it was the perfect chewiness. Usually I get really picky about pasta being undercooked, but this was great. However, if you’re really going for the best bang for your buck, the lobster roll has more lobster meat than the spaghetti.
My friend and I also shared a clam chowder. The bowl is big! I don’t know if one person can finish a bowl of clam chowder AND an entrée. Anyhow, it was definitely different from what I’m used to. The chowder wasn’t thick — a little bit watery — and besides the regular potatoes, there was also a turnip vegetable in it. The clams were very fresh, though. They were large and not overly salty, so you can tell they weren’t canned. However, I don’t know if the clam chowder is really my cup of tea, as it’s very untraditional.
Get here expecting to wait an hour. They’ll take your phone number, though, so you can explore around the North End for a bit. Also, don’t come at the end of the night thinking you’ll be able to get a table because it’s late. If they have people still on the waitlist, they’ll turn you away, since they won’t be able to accommodate you before closing.

After so many failed attempts, my husband and I went on a Wednesday at 2pm and we had to wait 15 min to get in. It was so worth it. I tried the lobster roll and johnnycake. The did not skim the lobster on you, so buttery and flavorful. The johnnycake with caviar is so yummy as well. The price actually wasnt that expensive either. My tip is to get the place is: ditch your date and your friends, go by yourself. If you are lucky, you can sit at a lone seat at the bar whenever its available. Trust me, they will understand.

Another must– go bucket list checked off, and I think this is once for the good. We came on Tuesday at 2:30pm and barely waited. I think the quality of fish and dishes at this place is good, but over rated considering the long wait which according to Unilocal averages of 2 – 3 hours.
I don’t think I prefer small restaurants like this where it is more family style and the tables are super close to each other– I feel the same about Daily Catch.
We got the cioppino, lobster roll, and mussels, two shrimp cocktail, a few oysters (each 2.8 dollars) and two drinks. While I thought everything was good, but I prefer the lobster roll actually more at James Hook, where the meat actually tastes sweeter and more chewy for me.
The bill came out to be 150 for two people. I think with this price range I would go to another $$$ sign place– shrimp cocktail at Island Creek Is wonderful and much bigger than what I had here.

Lobster roll with soft toasted buttery bread and a whole lot of Maine lobster. The lobster roll was really good and if you’re a lobster fan, you will surely love this lobster roll. The bread just melts in your mouth from all the buttery goodness soaked inside. They have the option of making it hot with butter or having it cold with mayo but I recommend hot for sure. Neptune burger was huge and splitting one was almost like having two normal sized burgers. The patty was huge and there was also fried oysters on top of that! Both came with fries but I barely touched the fries since I was so stuffed from the main entrée.
We didn’t get any oysters but they give a little sheet of paper with all the oysters options and you can check off what you want. The list also gives you a description of the oysters which I find incredibly useful. There’s also a daily special for each day of the week.
Seating is a bit cramped and there seems to be a wait always. We had a 30 minute wait when we came at 5:30 pm. They would take your name and phone number down and call you when your table is ready which gives you the chance to walk around the area and hang out at the nearby park while you wait.

Came back here for the second time and no doubt Neptune Oyster is still my absolute favorite!
Oysters and lobster rolls are THE best!
oysters– tried a variety and absolutely can tell how fresh they are. The basil mignonette sauce is also a nice complement.
lobster roll– there’s too much to talk about here. Just think about chunks of warm lobster meat shoved into a small buttered roll served with a side of extra fried french fries! bon apetit.
clam chowder– freshly made to order clam chowder was interesting. I wouldn’t say the best, but it was good.
grilled octopus– WOW, this was phenomenal and bursting with flavors. I felt like Bobby Flay was in the kitchen helping because it had a nice flavor of smokiness and earthly spices! Amazing job on this soft grilled octopus!
P.E.I. mussels– these were absolute bomb too. Dipping my fries into the mussel broth was a mouth watering sensation
I can’t wait to come back to Neputne’s!

I must be sucking as the acclaimed places I’ve been dying to go to in Boston haven’t lived up to the hype. Add this to that bucket.
Came in on a Friday at 4p; I figured eating a weird lunch-​dinner would be a good way to beat the crowds. I only waited 30 mins (by myself cuz I’m really uncool). Note: I came the night before at 845p and they had sold out of their items… so don’t do that.
Of course, got the hot buttered lobster roll and fries. It’s a very good portion, and that’s honestly its major positive point. It’s lobster and it’s good … But something didn’t jive. Maybe not enough butter? Roll (which is soft and lightly toasted) not crunchy enough? Dunno. All I know is that I’ve had better elsewhere (even in like San Diego and Denver … Where they do not have lobsters nor are close to any).
I guess you should come here and navigate the wait to see for yourself. But yea … Didn’t do it for me.

Two words: Lobster Roll. I have been dying for a couple years now to try a lobster roll and I am so glad my first opportunity to be able to do so was when I was on vacation in Boston @ Neptune Oysters. My friends and I came here for lunch on a Friday and put our name down for a table and there was an hour wait. In the mean time we made a quick trip to the Bunker Hill monument (only one mile away).
My friends and I all ordered the Hot Lobster roll with butter & it came with a side of french fries. I thought I might have needed some type of hot sauce or dipping sauce, but no, it is amazing as is. This roll was possibly the best entrée I had when I was in Boston. I wish I could come here more often!

I came to Boston for 2 reasons — first and foremost, my love wanted to come here for her birthday. But a distant second reason was for lobster rolls. The intention was to eat 1 or 2 per day. It was a lofty goal — like hitting a home run in each game over 4 days when each day was a double header. Okay, not like that at all, but if you’re fat and hungry and want lobster, it seems like a loftier goal. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and in fact, the only lobster rolls we had were our first day. This was our first. It was not the best of the two, and for that reason, it doesn’t get the 5^th star. I am sure there is room for more than one 5-​star lobster roll in Boston, but when you only have 2 of them, it’s difficult to justify both getting 5 stars when you liked one more.
Anyway, we came straight here after dropping off our luggage. All of the reviews warn of the wait, but thankfully, it was a Wednesday afternoon, so the wait was only 30 minutes. The entire restaurant — not that there is much of it — is governed by the wait, including the bar, so you have to wait. 30 minutes isn’t bad though and we grabbed some chowder from Pauli’s next door while we waited (note that we almost decided to grab a lobster roll at Pauli’s before coming into Neptune’s for a lobster roll, but that would have been madness! Delicious, wonderful, madness). They called my phone to tell me our seats were ready, so we finished our chowdah and walked back.
Seated at the bar, the service was fine and seats comfortable enough. We already knew what we were getting, and by now, so do you. The wait for the food probably wasn’t that long, but the anticipation was killing me and made me feel like it was an hour or more. It wasn’t, and the lobster rolls came out and I freaking devoured this thing.
Delicious, chunky, warm lobster served on a warm, buttery, roll. It just slides down your throat and makes you thank the lord we didn’t lose New England in any war with the British or French. And the fries — seriously, some of the best french fries I have ever had. Fresh cut, fried in some wonderful oil (probably duck or bacon grease, and if not, then they should do that) and salted to wonderful perfection. I actually didn’t finish the fries, knowing I was going to do some serious damage to myself this weekend and a gigantic plate of fries wasn’t necessary, but it was so hard to stop.
So, if I was in such heaven, why am I only going 4 stars? Like I said, I loved it, but I liked the one at Island Creek Oyster Bar better and I don’t have the use of a ½ star. Which brings up the question, how in the world am I going to come up with the right description of that one!!!

Being a seafood lover, I did some research before deciding on Neptune oyster for my New England lobster roll– It was rated the best! I figured I had to get a lobster roll from here.
I had time to kill, so I walked around for the 45 minute wait for a party of 1. That’s to get a seat at the bar. I can’t imagine the wait for a table.
Nonetheless, when I was finally seated, I know exactly what to get. Lobster roll with warm butter on delicious bread with fries.
It was a great looking roll! Packed with lobster meat and claws. It was a big roll. Def getting your money’s worth. Its a 30 dollar roll compared to every other spot in Boston which less than 20. It was good roll but if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t. The roll was LOADED with pepper. I mean, a lot of pepper folks took away the flavor of the lobster and butter.
Perhaps it was just bad luck but I def was disappointed. Maybe I’m mediocre and don’t know any better but I’ll take a Luke’s lobster roll over this any day.

WARNING: GO INTO THE RESTAURANT BY 2PM, TO PLACE YOUR NAME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO EAT HERE FOR DINNER THAT NIGHT. They do not take reservations by phone and the list for dinner is full for the same night by 3:30pm.
Really really fresh raw seafood! There are freshly opened and you can have a great view of the amazingness in front of their window. The portions here are made for one person servings, so order a few. The restaurant is small, so everyone is sharing tables. This is a chance for you guys to sit closer to each other.