The best fish and chips I've ever had. The service was great, the food was great, the drinks were great, the atmosphere was great...I will definitely came here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish Chips
Seba Malik
Review of Hook + Line
I recently visited Hook + Line, a seafood restaurant that has garnered a lot of attention in the area, but unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired.
First, let’s start with the positives. The food itself was quite tasty. The seafood was fresh, and the dishes were well-seasoned. I had the crab dip and oysters, which were flavorful, and my companion enjoyed the calamari. However, the overall dining experience was marred by the service and the unpleasant behavior of the owner.
While our server was friendly and efficient, it was hard to ignore the tension in the air, which seemed to stem from the owner’s constant belittling of the staff. Throughout the meal, I witnessed the owner repeatedly berate the employees in front of customers. At one point, I saw him yell at a young waitress for making a minor mistake with an order. The way he spoke to her was incredibly disrespectful and uncomfortable to witness. It was clear that the staff was doing their best, but the owner’s attitude created an unnecessarily hostile environment.
Unfortunately, this behavior overshadowed what could have been a pleasant dining experience. Good service is as important as good food, and in this case, the lack of respect for the employees made me hesitant to return. It’s hard to enjoy a meal when the staff is clearly under so much pressure and stress from the person running the place.
Overall, while the food at Hook + Line is solid, the negative atmosphere created by the owner’s treatment of the employees left a sour taste. If you decide to visit, I hope the owner considers the impact of their actions on both their staff and customers.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bob Businger
Nice location. Food was good. Service staff was pleasant and helpful. Very clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anuj Gupta
Sorry but this has to be the worst clam chowder I’ve ever had . It was buy one get one free and I still overpaid .
Food: 1
Edward Wayland
NEVER AGAIN. Went for my birthday, which they knew from the booking, and the service was abysmal from the get-go. Took too long for someone to ask if we wanted anything besides tap water to drink. Then the waitress announced that if we wanted oysters it would be a long wait. I didn’t, but…really? You’re running a high end seafood place and you don’t have enough people shucking oysters on a Saturday night to meet demand? Then I heard a neighboring table ask the hostess for something because they hadn’t seen their waiter in a while and I thought “uh oh.” Our reservation was for 7pm and we arrived at maybe 705. At 735 we were still sitting there sipping tap water with menus and nobody had taken a drink order. Or any order. Then it took 12 minutes for the bottle of wine I ordered to arrive. Then the waiter — or guy our waitress delegated her job to after taking the wine order and disappearing — asked if I wanted a bucket of ice water to keep the white wine cold. No, I’m a white wine masochist and want it to sink to room temperature. That took way too long to arrive too. It was about 45 minutes of sitting there before they took the food order. In doing so waiter 2 convinced us to order a starter because the flat fish my girlfriend wanted “might take up to 20 minutes” to cook. Because, reasons. It took that long to get the starter, which was mostly raw tuna. It was about 825 when our entrees finally arrived and by that point we’d drunk most of the wine and I was actively looking for either “waiter” to tell them I’d had it and wanted to leave. Then the food was not great either. That 40 minute flat fish? Was under cooked and had a “sauce” that tasted like someone dumped a bottle of bbq sauce on it. My fish was unremarkable. And you have to order sides because none of the entrees come with anything at all. The Brussels sprouts were good but broccolini was not. On top of all that the ambience of this place was just as disappointing as anything. It looks look a cool, chic place from the outside. But the experience of dining there is like eating at Appleby's. It is loud, with lots of big parties of loud people with (inexplicably at 830 on a Saturday night in the Seaport) small children (?!). On the way out some guy at the bar was so drunk his buddies had to hold him up to make him walk. Aren’t they supposed to stop serving someone long before it gets to that? Finally, our waitress (back from the grave or something) barely asked if we wanted dessert before handing us the bill. They could not care less it was a special occasion. Could not care less in general.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Angel Rivera
The food was cold and overpriced. The service was slow, unattentive, and unhelpful. The atmosphere is like a hotel bar with indie music from 10 years on repeat. The restaurant was highly recommended and an extreme disappointment. Also, note that they add a 5% fee onto the bill, before the tip! We dropped $160 for two people with one drink. I find it hard to believe they can't pay their cooks and backroom a decent rate at those prices! The fish was OK, but way too overseasoned and oily. There are so many other great seafood places in Boston, I would never this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Chris Hanley
I had the half of a roasted chicken and it was the best chicken I ever had! Super tender and beautifully seasoned! Highly recommend this restaurant! Great job Tom…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Roasted Branzino
Kerri Hanley
Great food in an amazing setting! Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marisa Marino
Perfect night! The food was fantastic from the appetizers to the deserts. The service spot on. All in a fun lively atmosphere. We will be back very soon!
Pretty horrible setup. Overpriced for quantity served. Really terrible management. Arrived, no one greeted us. Wasn’t clear if we had to order to go at the market or couldn’t down inside. Forced to order to go on overpriced limited menu. Real shame. Wanted to try main menu.
Excellent food and service. Prices and size of plates are in-line with what you would expect going to a restaurant in seaport. The restaurant was nicely designed and in a really nice spot. Would definitely come back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Brown Butter Crab Dip
Jason Barth REALTOR
Located in the Seaport/Pier District of Boston. I Had Clam Chowder for the FIRST TIME! Tasted great!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tim Prior
best branzino ive ever had, overall great spot. however service can sometimes be slow
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Whole Branzino
Kevin Oxsalida
This place is run by people who do not care about anyone but themselves. Really not a fun environment with a team that argues in front of guests.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Dave Frati
Atmosphere and Waiters are very nice, professional and welcoming. However, waiting time for food was way too long. We could hear the workers in the kitchen scream against each other, which was a bit annoying and sad. Food was overall OK, but we were a bit disappointed from the swordfish that we ordered. The espresso was absolutely terrible unfortunately.
The best fish and chips I've ever had. The service was great, the food was great, the drinks were great, the atmosphere was great...I will definitely came here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish Chips
Review of Hook + Line
I recently visited Hook + Line, a seafood restaurant that has garnered a lot of attention in the area, but unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired.
First, let’s start with the positives. The food itself was quite tasty. The seafood was fresh, and the dishes were well-seasoned. I had the crab dip and oysters, which were flavorful, and my companion enjoyed the calamari. However, the overall dining experience was marred by the service and the unpleasant behavior of the owner.
While our server was friendly and efficient, it was hard to ignore the tension in the air, which seemed to stem from the owner’s constant belittling of the staff. Throughout the meal, I witnessed the owner repeatedly berate the employees in front of customers. At one point, I saw him yell at a young waitress for making a minor mistake with an order. The way he spoke to her was incredibly disrespectful and uncomfortable to witness. It was clear that the staff was doing their best, but the owner’s attitude created an unnecessarily hostile environment.
Unfortunately, this behavior overshadowed what could have been a pleasant dining experience. Good service is as important as good food, and in this case, the lack of respect for the employees made me hesitant to return. It’s hard to enjoy a meal when the staff is clearly under so much pressure and stress from the person running the place.
Overall, while the food at Hook + Line is solid, the negative atmosphere created by the owner’s treatment of the employees left a sour taste. If you decide to visit, I hope the owner considers the impact of their actions on both their staff and customers.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice location.
Food was good.
Service staff was pleasant and helpful.
Very clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sorry but this has to be the worst clam chowder I’ve ever had . It was buy one get one free and I still overpaid .
Food: 1
NEVER AGAIN. Went for my birthday, which they knew from the booking, and the service was abysmal from the get-go. Took too long for someone to ask if we wanted anything besides tap water to drink. Then the waitress announced that if we wanted oysters it would be a long wait. I didn’t, but…really? You’re running a high end seafood place and you don’t have enough people shucking oysters on a Saturday night to meet demand? Then I heard a neighboring table ask the hostess for something because they hadn’t seen their waiter in a while and I thought “uh oh.” Our reservation was for 7pm and we arrived at maybe 705. At 735 we were still sitting there sipping tap water with menus and nobody had taken a drink order. Or any order. Then it took 12 minutes for the bottle of wine I ordered to arrive. Then the waiter — or guy our waitress delegated her job to after taking the wine order and disappearing — asked if I wanted a bucket of ice water to keep the white wine cold. No, I’m a white wine masochist and want it to sink to room temperature. That took way too long to arrive too. It was about 45 minutes of sitting there before they took the food order. In doing so waiter 2 convinced us to order a starter because the flat fish my girlfriend wanted “might take up to 20 minutes” to cook. Because, reasons. It took that long to get the starter, which was mostly raw tuna. It was about 825 when our entrees finally arrived and by that point we’d drunk most of the wine and I was actively looking for either “waiter” to tell them I’d had it and wanted to leave. Then the food was not great either. That 40 minute flat fish? Was under cooked and had a “sauce” that tasted like someone dumped a bottle of bbq sauce on it. My fish was unremarkable. And you have to order sides because none of the entrees come with anything at all. The Brussels sprouts were good but broccolini was not. On top of all that the ambience of this place was just as disappointing as anything. It looks look a cool, chic place from the outside. But the experience of dining there is like eating at Appleby's. It is loud, with lots of big parties of loud people with (inexplicably at 830 on a Saturday night in the Seaport) small children (?!). On the way out some guy at the bar was so drunk his buddies had to hold him up to make him walk. Aren’t they supposed to stop serving someone long before it gets to that? Finally, our waitress (back from the grave or something) barely asked if we wanted dessert before handing us the bill. They could not care less it was a special occasion. Could not care less in general.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
The food was cold and overpriced. The service was slow, unattentive, and unhelpful. The atmosphere is like a hotel bar with indie music from 10 years on repeat. The restaurant was highly recommended and an extreme disappointment. Also, note that they add a 5% fee onto the bill, before the tip! We dropped $160 for two people with one drink. I find it hard to believe they can't pay their cooks and backroom a decent rate at those prices! The fish was OK, but way too overseasoned and oily. There are so many other great seafood places in Boston, I would never this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
I had the half of a roasted chicken and it was the best chicken I ever had! Super tender and beautifully seasoned! Highly recommend this restaurant! Great job Tom…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Roasted Branzino
Great food in an amazing setting! Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Perfect night!
The food was fantastic from the appetizers to the deserts.
The service spot on. All in a fun lively atmosphere.
We will be back very soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Branzino, Stuffies, Caesar Salad, Za'Atar Crusted Tuna Loin, Whole Roasted Branzino, Seafood Tower, Clam Chowder
Pretty horrible setup. Overpriced for quantity served. Really terrible management. Arrived, no one greeted us. Wasn’t clear if we had to order to go at the market or couldn’t down inside. Forced to order to go on overpriced limited menu. Real shame. Wanted to try main menu.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent food and service. Prices and size of plates are in-line with what you would expect going to a restaurant in seaport. The restaurant was nicely designed and in a really nice spot. Would definitely come back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Brown Butter Crab Dip
Located in the Seaport/Pier District of Boston. I Had Clam Chowder for the FIRST TIME! Tasted great!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
best branzino ive ever had, overall great spot. however service can sometimes be slow
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Whole Branzino
This place is run by people who do not care about anyone but themselves. Really not a fun environment with a team that argues in front of guests.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere and Waiters are very nice, professional and welcoming. However, waiting time for food was way too long. We could hear the workers in the kitchen scream against each other, which was a bit annoying and sad. Food was overall OK, but we were a bit disappointed from the swordfish that we ordered. The espresso was absolutely terrible unfortunately.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
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