The Oceanaire Seafood Room

Reviews

• MG

  Marc Gup

  Mar 30, 2026
  3.0
  We recently went to the Oceanaire for dinner and had 6 o’clock reservations for four people. We were seated promptly. The waiter first came to the table at 6:20 and took our order. We told him that we needed to be finished by 7:20 so we could get to a concert for 8 PM. He assured us that would be no problem and would set his phone to keep things on track. Our food arrived at 7:12, only because I asked one of the other servers where our food was. Our waiter also forgot to bring the side dishes and only brought them when he gave us the bill, after I told him that he forgot to bring them. This gave us about eight minutes to eat. We spoke with the manager, who was very accommodating and apologetic. She made a price adjustment, but we rather would’ve had a relaxing dinner with friends. We’ve been going to this restaurant for about 15 years for social and work events. Two of the last three times we’ve had a similar experience. Sadly, I think this will be our last time there. Boston has lots of other great restaurants, where the service is much more predictable.
• DL

  Derek Lincoln

  Mar 21, 2026
  5.0
  Our dining experience at this restaurant was exceptional, with high-quality food, attentive service, and a welcoming atmosphere. The chicken fried lobster was the highlight of the meal — expertly prepared, flavorful, and indulgent. The menu offers a range of dishes that showcase fresh seafood and thoughtful preparation, including standout items such as the oysters and the shrimp and lobster fried rice, both of which I highly recommend. Our server went above and beyond to ensure we had a memorable experience, providing attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable service throughout the meal. Prices are reasonable considering the quality and portion sizes, making it an excellent value for a fine seafood dining experience. From start to finish, the combination of delicious dishes, exceptional service, and a comfortable atmosphere created a truly enjoyable evening. This restaurant comes highly recommended for anyone seeking flavorful seafood and attentive, professional service.
• GS

  Georgie Simmons

  Mar 11, 2026
  3.0
  I was really hoping to experience awesome seafood and service. But boy did the chef screw up the lobster bisque way too salty. Key lime was the worse I've ever had way too sweet. Service was also slow.
• MG

  Maria jose Ghafouri

  Mar 8, 2026
  5.0
  Food was really good, need to work on their wine list some of the bottles were not available but that was not something that changed our overall dining experience, Brigitte our server was kind, attentive and knowledgeable they really took care of us from the beginning to the end I also loved the atmosphere not too much noise just a pleasant ambiance that I would definitely come back to.
• MF

  Michael Feinstein

  Feb 15, 2026
  1.0
  Our Valentine’s Day dinner was nearly ruined by horrible front of house organization and staffing at Oceanaire. We had an 8:15 PM reservation and arrived a few minutes before. The waiting area of the restaurant was packed with people waiting for their tables. There was a couple ahead of us at the hostess desk who didn’t have a reservation and was trying to get a sense of how long it might take them to get seated. They were sent to the bar to wait. When we checked in, we were told that they were behind and that our table wasn’t ready. We were also sent to the bar to wait. At 8:30 PM, I went back to the hostess desk to get a sense of how long we might wait. I was told that there were a lot of people ahead of us and that people were ‘lingering over their dessert’. They expected a lot of people to leave soon and that we would then be seated. Another couple at the bar had an 8:30 reservation and was in the same boat as us. We also talked to a couple that were seated at a table in the bar area. They had been seated for 1 ½ hours and hadn’t yet received their entrees. Clearly, the kitchen was way behind. As we watched and waited, we noticed that as diners left the restaurant was very slow in resetting tables for new diners. There were quite a few tables that had dirty dishes and glasses on them for over 30 minutes while no one reset them. There were people from the front desk walking around with iPads tracking empty tables, but none of them took action to clear the tables. We got increasingly angry. At about 8:50 PM I went to the hostess desk again for an update. We were told the same thing as before – they expected people to leave soon and that we would be seated soon. We decided to check OpenTable to see if there were any other restaurants nearby where we could get a 9 PM reservation so we could eat. In the end, we decided to stay a bit longer. Finally, at 9:15 PM, we were seated. The couple with the 8:30 PM reservation was seated at the same time. So was the couple that had walked in immediately before us with no reservation! While waiting at the bar, we overheard someone say that the restaurant doesn’t turn away walk-ins and will seat them even if it means that those with reservations get delayed. That completely defeats the purpose of having a reservation. Once seated, the service and food were great. The server told us that the place was short-staffed and that as the kitchen fell behind it backed up into the tables being held much longer than normal while people waited for their food. This is not the type of organization I would expect from a very nice steak and seafood place. Plenty of other restaurants seem to be able to handle crowds, and Valentine’s Day is obviously a big dinner out night. We would never return to a place that was run so poorly. Seeing the empty tables sitting there without being reset for more than 30 minutes while many people are waiting to sit is unacceptable. We saw quite a few people give up and leave before the night was through. No manager or anyone else apologized or offered any compensation like a free drink or free dessert. There are plenty of similar places in Boston that are run much more efficiently. Don’t waste your time at Oceanaire.

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