Neptune Oyster is a fantastic spot for some of the best oysters in Boston. The variety is impressive, and everything we tried was incredibly fresh and well prepared. The space is very small, so plan accordingly—arrive early or be prepared for a wait, which can easily stretch over an hour. That said, the quality more than justifies the wait. If you’re an oyster lover or looking for a classic Boston seafood experience, Neptune Oyster is absolutely worth a visit.
LoafJugThouTree
The weather was cold and damp and we had to wait in line outdoors. "This place better be good," I was thinking to myself while putting on a happy face for my wife. We sat down after about 15 minutes or so. The place was absolutely jam packed. We each had a dozen oysters and a beautiful bottle of white wine. So, was it worth it? No question about it. On the one hand, it was a dining experience. On the other hand, the oysters were marvelous, the service was great, and the atmosphere -- loud, packed together like sardines -- totally fun. If you love oysters, you'll adore Neptune.
Jason Guerrero
One of the best lobster rolls I have had. The clam chowder was good. I wish I liked oysters because they have such a great variety & a large selection of sea urchin as well. Service was very good & the ppl warm.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Wei Yun Chen
The food here is decent, but the service was terrible. One of the waitresses was extremely impolite to my family even though we were asking politely about our order. She told us that we’d get our food only after the people seated before us, then threw the check on our table and said, “If you want to leave, you can leave anytime.”
Also I see people who were seated after us received their food much earlier. I understand that the restaurant was busy, but that’s no excuse for rudeness. This person should not be serving customers. Because of this experience, I do not feel they deserved any tips.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
jon belmont
Only minor criticism is that it can get a bit cramped in there. Everything else was fantastic and I didn't even mind the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor G
Truly fantastic selection of oysters. The Johnny cake was also delicious.
T. Hunter
Amazing food and service, but be warned that you’ll be packed in like a can of sardines… which seems on par for this type of establishment.
You WILL wait a while before you’re able to get inside the restaurant, but it’s totally worth it. I’d highly recommend the hot butter lobster roll, and I was told to also try the raw bar (a little too steep for my budget on that trip).
We opted to not eat inside the restaurant, but took our food to a local park (a block or two away from Neptune).
Best of luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andy Padleckas
As summarized very fresh tasty oysters with a large variety to select from. Had the Sea Scalloos. Amazing! Three huge scallops perfectly seared with the other ingredients complimenting the scallops verses taking away from the seafood. Bar tender poured a nice Chardonnay that went nicely with everything. Also as summarized there was a line to get in (1/2 hour) and the inside is very cramped. I sat at the bar and it was shoulder to shoulder. The clientele were all friendly, so the wait went quick and the tight quarters tolerable. Wait staff was fun friendly and has a little Boston savvy to them. Great lunch. Would go again!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aaron Orton
Wow, I will remember this place for as long as I live. In Boston for the weekend and had a friend tell me this was THE place to get a lobster roll and no where else would cut it. Fortunately I was solo and was able to secure a seat at the bar without more than a fifteen minute wait. I was greeted by a very friendly bartender in a very quaint atmosphere with the light aromatizing smell of seafood and wine.
The bartender informed me of her favorite oysters to start with and I indulged along with ordering the hot lobster roll with a salad. All of it was so fresh and phenomenal and even though there wasn’t a seat available in the house it came out timely and perfectly.
An amazing establishment and MUST TRY in Boston.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Francesco bisiesto
We were in line for more than an hour and a half waiting to be seated but during this time while we were waiting the hostess kept letting in groups of two that had recently arrived. We, a group of three, were never being prioritized despite the fact we had been waiting more than an hour and a half. At one point, to kill some time while waiting to get seated, I was looking into the restaurant window to observe how the chef was opening oysters. This same hostess (dressed in a bunny costume and wig for Halloween) rudely told me to not block the restaurant door entrance because of potential trick or treaters. She clearly was prioritizing them as opposed to customers, especially those that had been waiting over an hour and a half such as myself. Twenty minutes after I was rudely told to move away from the door, this same hostess had another group of four, waiting behind us, enter and be seated at a table. We, a group of three were bypassed AGAIN!! How does this make sense? It does not! This demonstrates very poor management skills. As a hostess she is unable to manage the line correctly and fairly. She picks and chooses who she lets in. Almost two hours later when we finally got let in we were seated at a very crowded bar, not even a table! All that waiting only to be uncomfortably placed on a bar stool! How unfair and wrong is that! Soon after we had ordered food, this same hostess told me to squeeze in closer with my bar stool because others had to be accommodated as well. This already crowded bar seating area needed to hold more guests!? Ridiculous! To her “request” I said quite simply, “This is disappointing.” This same hostess then told me that she was upset with me and would refrain from serving me any longer in that restaurant. In simple words she “kicked me out”. After two hours of waiting to have dinner with my family only to be “kicked out” how can she be upset? If anybody is to be upset, and let me tell you we are more than upset, it’s me and my family. This “restaurant“ for lack of a better word, does not deserve your business! Very poorly managed and run! Prices are exorbitantly high and the customer service is far from existing. It is an over rated place to eat. These people that run the place do not appreciate your business as demonstrated by how quickly they are to kick you out! Customer service is definitely not a priority for them. Avoid going there, even if you don’t have to wait forever and a day to be let in. It is too small a place to be able to relax and enjoy a dinner or drink due to being overcrowded and very noisy!
I ordered the bisque and a warm lobster roll. The lobster roll arrived first, which struck me as unusual, and when I asked, the server explained that “everything comes out when it comes out.” After taking one bite of the roll, my soup arrived, so I set the sandwich aside to eat the bisque—only for the roll and fries to grow cold in the meantime.
I pointed this out to the server, who then offered to bring some hot butter—presumably to reheat the lobster—but that took nearly ten minutes to arrive. As I waited, another server got into a heated argument with a table of four elderly guests and ultimately kicked them out.
The entire experience was chaotic and disappointing. I won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Alicia Vought
The server we had this morning was extremely rude - yelled at us for taking too long to order (we ended up leaving before the two parties on each side of us that were seated at the same time). It was clear she only cared about flipping the tables. It was a disappointing experience.
The seats are terrible to sit in and it’s almost like they want to kick you out asap. Our server got the wrong order and took forever for the right thing to come out. The lobster roll was the worst I’ve had and it was bland as if they just boiled it and put it on a bun. The cioppino was pretty good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Amber Drake
Not worth the wait. Oysters were good, lobster roll below average.
Neptune Oyster is a fantastic spot for some of the best oysters in Boston. The variety is impressive, and everything we tried was incredibly fresh and well prepared. The space is very small, so plan accordingly—arrive early or be prepared for a wait, which can easily stretch over an hour. That said, the quality more than justifies the wait. If you’re an oyster lover or looking for a classic Boston seafood experience, Neptune Oyster is absolutely worth a visit.
The weather was cold and damp and we had to wait in line outdoors. "This place better be good," I was thinking to myself while putting on a happy face for my wife. We sat down after about 15 minutes or so. The place was absolutely jam packed. We each had a dozen oysters and a beautiful bottle of white wine. So, was it worth it? No question about it. On the one hand, it was a dining experience. On the other hand, the oysters were marvelous, the service was great, and the atmosphere -- loud, packed together like sardines -- totally fun. If you love oysters, you'll adore Neptune.
One of the best lobster rolls I have had. The clam chowder was good. I wish I liked oysters because they have such a great variety & a large selection of sea urchin as well. Service was very good & the ppl warm.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food here is decent, but the service was terrible. One of the waitresses was extremely impolite to my family even though we were asking politely about our order. She told us that we’d get our food only after the people seated before us, then threw the check on our table and said, “If you want to leave, you can leave anytime.”
Also I see people who were seated after us received their food much earlier. I understand that the restaurant was busy, but that’s no excuse for rudeness. This person should not be serving customers. Because of this experience, I do not feel they deserved any tips.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Only minor criticism is that it can get a bit cramped in there. Everything else was fantastic and I didn't even mind the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Truly fantastic selection of oysters. The Johnny cake was also delicious.
Amazing food and service, but be warned that you’ll be packed in like a can of sardines… which seems on par for this type of establishment.
You WILL wait a while before you’re able to get inside the restaurant, but it’s totally worth it. I’d highly recommend the hot butter lobster roll, and I was told to also try the raw bar (a little too steep for my budget on that trip).
We opted to not eat inside the restaurant, but took our food to a local park (a block or two away from Neptune).
Best of luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
As summarized very fresh tasty oysters with a large variety to select from. Had the Sea Scalloos. Amazing! Three huge scallops perfectly seared with the other ingredients complimenting the scallops verses taking away from the seafood. Bar tender poured a nice Chardonnay that went nicely with everything.
Also as summarized there was a line to get in (1/2 hour) and the inside is very cramped. I sat at the bar and it was shoulder to shoulder. The clientele were all friendly, so the wait went quick and the tight quarters tolerable.
Wait staff was fun friendly and has a little Boston savvy to them.
Great lunch. Would go again!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow, I will remember this place for as long as I live. In Boston for the weekend and had a friend tell me this was THE place to get a lobster roll and no where else would cut it. Fortunately I was solo and was able to secure a seat at the bar without more than a fifteen minute wait. I was greeted by a very friendly bartender in a very quaint atmosphere with the light aromatizing smell of seafood and wine.
The bartender informed me of her favorite oysters to start with and I indulged along with ordering the hot lobster roll with a salad. All of it was so fresh and phenomenal and even though there wasn’t a seat available in the house it came out timely and perfectly.
An amazing establishment and MUST TRY in Boston.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were in line for more than an hour and a half waiting to be seated but during this time while we were waiting the hostess kept letting in groups of two that had recently arrived. We, a group of three, were never being prioritized despite the fact we had been waiting more than an hour and a half. At one point, to kill some time while waiting to get seated, I was looking into the restaurant window to observe how the chef was opening oysters. This same hostess (dressed in a bunny costume and wig for Halloween) rudely told me to not block the restaurant door entrance because of potential trick or treaters. She clearly was prioritizing them as opposed to customers, especially those that had been waiting over an hour and a half such as myself. Twenty minutes after I was rudely told to move away from the door, this same hostess had another group of four, waiting behind us, enter and be seated at a table. We, a group of three were bypassed AGAIN!! How does this make sense? It does not! This demonstrates very poor management skills. As a hostess she is unable to manage the line correctly and fairly. She picks and chooses who she lets in. Almost two hours later when we finally got let in we were seated at a very crowded bar, not even a table! All that waiting only to be uncomfortably placed on a bar stool! How unfair and wrong is that! Soon after we had ordered food, this same
hostess told me to squeeze in closer with my bar stool because others had to be accommodated as well. This already crowded bar seating area needed to hold more guests!? Ridiculous! To her “request” I said quite simply, “This is disappointing.” This same hostess then told me that she was upset with me and would refrain from serving me any longer in that restaurant. In simple words she “kicked me out”. After two hours of waiting to have dinner with my family only to be “kicked out” how can she be upset? If anybody is to be upset, and let me tell you we are more than upset, it’s me and my family. This “restaurant“ for lack of a better word, does not deserve your business! Very poorly managed and run! Prices are exorbitantly high and the customer service is far from existing. It is an over rated place to eat. These people that run the place do not appreciate your business as demonstrated by how quickly they are to kick you out! Customer service is definitely not a priority for them. Avoid going there, even if you don’t have to wait forever and a day to be let in. It is too small a place to be able to relax and enjoy a dinner or drink due to being overcrowded and very noisy!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I ordered the bisque and a warm lobster roll. The lobster roll arrived first, which struck me as unusual, and when I asked, the server explained that “everything comes out when it comes out.” After taking one bite of the roll, my soup arrived, so I set the sandwich aside to eat the bisque—only for the roll and fries to grow cold in the meantime.
I pointed this out to the server, who then offered to bring some hot butter—presumably to reheat the lobster—but that took nearly ten minutes to arrive. As I waited, another server got into a heated argument with a table of four elderly guests and ultimately kicked them out.
The entire experience was chaotic and disappointing. I won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
The server we had this morning was extremely rude - yelled at us for taking too long to order (we ended up leaving before the two parties on each side of us that were seated at the same time). It was clear she only cared about flipping the tables. It was a disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Over priced food . Crazy prices
1 sea urchin $24 that’s nuts
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
The seats are terrible to sit in and it’s almost like they want to kick you out asap. Our server got the wrong order and took forever for the right thing to come out. The lobster roll was the worst I’ve had and it was bland as if they just boiled it and put it on a bun. The cioppino was pretty good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Not worth the wait. Oysters were good, lobster roll below average.
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