Legal Sea Foods

Great service! I wasn’t expecting it to be crowded on a Monday so I’m glad I made a reservation. I was planning to order the steamed lobster but my server recommend the lobster with king crab for the same price. I’m glad he made the recommendation. It was good but a little dry.

Legal Seafood had a huge rush of business for the Valentines Day weeks crowd. Despite this their service and hospitality did not lapse. We made an 8:00pm reservation for two and it was honored from the moment we walked in the door. There were entrée specials in which our waitress informed us about. The stuffed lobster with crabmeat was delectable. My date go the Catfish special which he really enjoyed. I want to add he is from New Orleans and very critical of how restaurants in the north prepare catfish, he often complains it lacks seasoning. However he scraped the plate and had no complaints on the catfish. Although the restaurant was a full house, our waitress and even the manager check on us to ensure we were enjoying our dinning. Legal seafood is infamous for their lump crab cake! You must try it as a meal or entrée. Lastly, I almost tripped on the carpet exiting the restaurant, but I found my footing and the front desk manager was right there ready to catch me if I fell. It was so impressive.

I loved this place! The food was phenomenal, the service was amazing, atmosphere was classy and relaxed. You could tell everything was fresh. We were very happy our dinner here I would recommend to anyone ! It’s a little pricey but I’m telling you it’s worth the money!

Great food, great atmosphere. Had ribs and shrimp, very tasty! Hostess the was extremely friendly and explained the specials and menu.
Can’t go wrong, here!

1÷20÷15 Updating review because this branch of Legal Sea Foods has gotten worse recently. I heard that their chef had left and there is also a new manager. The food is just not as good as it once was. The last couple of times I went, the scrod was undercooked (parts were nearly raw), the mashed potatoes weren’t hot, the tomato with the scrod was burnt and the broccoli with the dish was almost raw and very crunchy. Something here has declined under the new management.
The Chinatown DC branch seems to be better and also has mashed sweet potatoes available.
Also It’s a shame that as a Boston-​based chain, they don’t have real Boston Cream Pie, just something that has a lot of cream and some chocolate but very little cake/​pie. The real Boston Cream Pie has 2 layers of vanilla yellow cake, with a thin layer of cream filling and a layer of dark chocolate frosting.

This is just another average spot in crystal city. If you are looking for good seafood I would opt for Hank’s Oyster Bar, Oceanaire, Johnny’s Half Shell, DC Coast or Fiola Mare. If you need to stay in the area then opt for Bonefish in Pentagon City… only a couple minutes away.

This is a welcome addition to the Reagan Airport food scene. Unfortunately it’s not quite as good as the brick and mortar location in Chinatown.
We started with the calamari which was tasty despite their being out of the Thai peanut and pineapple sauce.
Main courses were disappointing. Lime shrimp tacos were bland and most of the taste came from the mayo based dressing. Shrimp were small and gamey. The wife’s shrimp looked better but the broccoli they were served with was dredged in butter, which seeped onto the rest of the plate and made everything on the dish pretty soggy.
Good, quick, friendly service despite being busy and a bit cramped. Also, pretty extensive list of wines by the glass – the cake bread Sauvignon blanc was $ 13, but a generous pour and paired well with the food.
Overall a solid B. Don’t expect it to be as good as the regular LS locations, because it’s a notch or two down in quality. But for airport food it’s just fine.

I really wanted this place to be better based on the other reviews I read on Unilocal,but it had some problems.
I will say, I was seated quickly, and the service was good. Bread came to the table fresh and warm and my glass stayed (mostly) full.
I ordered the crab cake combo (crab cake, sea scallops, shrimp, with a salad). When it was delivered to my table, I was shocked at small it was for the price. And there were a few things that kept it from being really delicious.
First, the salad was served on the same plate as the entrée, which was warm, so the lettuce wilted and the sauce from the entrée got onto my greens.
Second, the crab cake was full of big chunks of crab, but it hadn’t been cleaned over well and had a slightly fishy taste to it which was a bit off-​putting.
Third, the scallops, which were cooked perfectly, had also not been cleaned well, so in between bites of a deliciously tender grilled scallop, there was grit. Yuck.
Finally, the shrimp was very well prepared: grilled, seasoned just right, and not cooked until it was chewy. However, there were only four of them on the plate!
I’m visiting so probably won’t be back, but I’d have to think twice before returning — at that price, I expect everything to be very good, and tonight was a bit of a miss.

Best meal Ive had in DC. Had the grilled snapper. Beer taps were down. Good service.

Truly an excellent experience for us. We were looking for a great seafood place for dinner and Legal completely nailed it.
Service was excellent, drinks were at our table in quick order. Or water was kept filled the whole night and out waitress kept a close eye on the level of our beer as well (Alagash White ale btw).
Don’t miss this clam chowder. I’ve not had similar since the last time I was in Boston. Very creamy, potatoes were done, but still crisp, and loaded with clams.
I had the chef’s assortment, which turned out to be a stellar choice. 3×2 oz fillets (tonight’s selections were tuna, swordfish and salmon), shrimp and Scallops. This fish fillets were done medium rare, with a minimum of seasoning serving to heighten the natural unique flavor of each fish. The shrimp was «al-​dente»; well done with just enough snap/​bite left to it. As my sides I had the bacon braised greens and the crab stuffed baked potato. The greens were richly flavored without being greasy, and were actually sweet instead of the normal overwhelmingly bitter for greens often have. The potato was good, very cheesy, but I really didn’t taste much of the crab.
Definitely would recommend, and will make my way back here next time I’m in DC!

Friendly staff with dishes on the pricier side. The restaurant is large and clean and there was no wait during dinner time. They also have a take out menu at the front.
They serve you free bread and butter first but the bread was pretty terrible. It was extremely hard and difficult to eat. Ordered the fried oysters and fries for my dish ($ 21). It was tasty and very filling. It came with a side of cole slaw and tartar sauce and they gave a generous serving of oysters. Overall good food but not necessarily worth the price.

I am always a bit skeptic regarding their name… usually when a business claims something could turn out to the contrary in reality… If that logic follows, they would have «illegal» sea foods? Good thing I did not notice anything fishy on their menu like whales or any endangered fishes. The place can get quite busy during dinner hours and after as well, making a reservation is highly recommended. This one felt a bit small than the one I visited in Boston. They are right outside of the front door if you are staying at the Hilton in Crystal City.
They have some interesting twist with Calamari here, and we got some with Thai style. They turned out just slight spicy with right degree of tenderness.
Our table got a bunch of other dishes including the Crab Cake Combo, Steamed Whole Lobster, Portuguese Fisherman Stew, and Seafood Paella. The combo and lobster tasted quite delicious, and the crab cake was pretty good, scallop was delicious, and lobster was fresh enough. The stew and paella were a bit of mess though, as the flavors in the mixes were a bit off. All the seafood in there were a bit overcooked and seasoning in the Paella was way off, and the whole was not done very well too.
I suppose I have mixed feeling about this Legal Sea Food location, few dishes were amazing, but few were a bit off. Perhaps you just need to know what to order and what to avoid here.

Consensus: Good food, hit-​or-​miss service.
We were seated around 8:10pm. About half the tables were occupied. We were seated for 10 minutes with no one coming to check up on us or even offer us water. We had to flag down a passing waiter to request that they help us find our server. When she finally came around, she was apologetic and attentive, taking our order down and answering questions. The rest of the night went off without too many other glitches.
We decided to share the lobster bake and get a second cup of clam chowder since the lobster bake comes with one. The lobster bake is MP ($ 42 when we went) and comes with a steamed pile of littlenecks, mussels, 1 – 1.25 pound lobster, corn on the cob, Chorizo sausage, and a cup of clam chowder. The clam chowder was delicious. Creamy and with a decent amount of clams. The lobster bake is a great shareable entrée. It comes in this large plate with lots of littlenecks and mussels underneath a small lobster, with corn on the cob and a sausage on the side. A small bowl of clam juice and butter dipping sauce is provided.
The lobster bake was good. Succulent lobster, tasty mussels and littlenecks, good corn on the cob. There was little sand in the mussels and clams. For $ 42, it was a pretty good deal. Split between two people, the check comes out to be just over $ 20.

I’m a fan! I visited Legal Sea Foods for the very first time with my fiancé last weekend for a Sunday dinner and I absolutely loved it. We didn’t have reservations and, though the restaurant was quite crowded at that time, got seated almost immediately. Our waiter was very polite and attentive throughout our meal and gave us some great recommendations. The atmosphere is halfway between casual and upscale, with the prices in the middle as well.
The food was excellent! We ordered a cup of New England clam chowder each to start and it’s one of the best clam chowder soups I’ve ever had! Perfectly creamy with a good amount of clam and other little tidbits. We also ordered the combination Crispy Montauk calimari platter, which came with 3 types of calimari with different sauces. There was calimari plain (with marinara sauce on the side as a sauce), Rhode Island style calimari (with hot peppers and garlic), and Thai style calimari (with pineapples and peanuts). They were all very delicious, and what a excellent portion! For our entrees, we both ordered the Legal’s Signature Crab Cake Combo, which came with jumbo lump crab cake, shrimp, scallops, mustard sauce, and seasonal salad. VERY delicious! What a great combo and generous portions of seafood!
We also ordered some drinks — I got 2 glasses of wine. My first (a riesling) was excellent, but I wasn’t a huge fan of my second (rose — and I’m usually a fan of those). My fiancé got a Manhattan cocktail and enjoyed it. He also enjoyed the subsequent beer he ordered.
Oh, and they gave us complimentary chocolate at the end! :)
Bottom line — Very excellent seafood. I’m sure you could find better seafood at a more upscale restaurant, but for the price, the food and service were excellent and we would certainly love to visit again!

This is one of those «we know you are trapped in Crystal City so we don’t give a damn about you» places.
It shows from the reception at the front to the way the service staff act.
It is food so you get what you pay for. Not good at refilling the iced tea. Actively ignored as a matter of fact. Took three requests to get a refil.
Fish ok, rice cold.
Not liking the place at all.
Either travel out of Crystal City or just have a pizza.
Not worth the price.

Whenever I am in the DC-​area, I have to have those famous Maryland crab cakes, which Legal Sea Foods does an amazzzing job at making. The crab cakes were lumpy with fresh crab meat — and not with unnecessary extra breading or anything else that some places are guilty of doing. They’re also lightly fried, which I really liked because you can really taste the quality of the crab. It’s 30 bucks for two crab cakes that aren’t that big, and only comes with a small spring mix salad that I needed more of, but they were freaking good. I figured since I live so far away from getting real Maryland crab cakes, I best pay up on a rare delicacy.
My boyfriend and I went here on a Monday evening, an hour before closing, and the place was packed. Fortunately we were able to get a table without reservations. The server was really nice and kept checking up on us, making sure we didn’t need anything else.
The drink list offers flight of wines that would go well with seafood, as well as local wines. But if you want beer, there were only four beers on tap.

Service is hit or miss. After a few disappointments, the last two visits it was very good – Meredith did a great job both times. However, the three people at the host/​hostess stand were not very welcoming. They seemed inconvenienced by having another customer.
Still no wifi.
Swordfish was nicely grilled. The sea weed salad and sautéed sugar snap peas were delicious. Oysters were fresh and properly shucked. Some nice choices of wine by the half-​bottle.
Atmosphere was very loud, but it was very busy.
A great kitchen. It will take another visit or two to see if the service has been really turned around. The people at the front door might need to be reminded that it’s their job to welcome customers, not merely seat them when it’s convenient.

Excellent service by Ms. Raevin. Since it has been several years since I dined at a legal seafood, she took time to explain the menu. I couldn’t decide which wine to order, she was so patient with me and made great suggestions. I couldn’t decide what to order after my oysters appetizer either. She was again so patient with me and suggested I order one at a time to see how’s my tummy doing after each dish. Great idea.
On this visit, I ended up ordering Italian Reds samplers wine, tasting three different wine helped me which one I liked the most and proceeded with ordering two or three more glasses after that.
Since I wanted to eat the smallest size oysters (similar to my favorite kumamotos), I ordered kusshi, a half dozen. I enjoyed each one of my oysters and was pleased with the quality of oysters served that night.
Crab cake and campus clam chowder were exactly the way I remembered from previous visits. Still the same, still good!
My friend ordered Boston cream pie for desert and kindly shared with me. A moment I put a spoonful of dessert, it melted in my mouth and tasted so good.
After all these years, the food quality is still consistent and good. Service is excellent, I highly recommend for good food.

Pretty awesome for airport food. Does not have the mojo it had when it was on C. But some solid service and Starr was just that. Thanks for the lobster roll, I will be back. Wish it was on the other side of TSA

If it ain’t fresh it ain’t legal they say — and they are right! This restaurant is semi-​upscale in décor but not stuffy; and even if you are dressed so what casually they will let you in.
The service is friendly and professional with servers knowledgeable about the offerings. And each time you go they will bring out their fresh hot rolls for you to munch on while waiting for your food!
I highly recommend the buffalo shrimp — it’s crisply breaded, and the buffalo sauce is complemented with blue cheese and avocado pieces to soften the heat! Yum!
The clam chowder is a signature dish and is provided to the White House — so treat yourself to the full version (not the lite one!)

My first time to Legal Seafood was last week. All over experience was pretty good. We made reservations, but we didn’t need them. Parking for this location isn’t that good. Its in crystal city so you have to live there or park in a garage. When you walk in its a little tight, there’s a bar with tvs leading into the dinning room filled with tables and booths. The atmosphere was not that cozy, more open and cold. We were greeted with a great server. She got our drinks quick. The bread, maybe we just came at a bad time, but it was rock solid. We didn’t eat any of it, which would have been nice if we could have. Our dinners came out in a timely manner, Lobster was good, and we also had shrimp with rice that was good. For desert we had the bananas foster, it was good as well. I want to be clear, the food was good. Nothing excellent. Our bill for 3 people was $ 150. Not worth it.

Even though the Unilocal reviews were mixed I really enjoyed this place.
For appetizers we ordered the Hot Lump Crab Dip and for entrees the Grilled Salmon.
Both were quite tasty and in particular the Salmon was excellent — perfectly grilled and with solid accompaniments.
The service was quick and efficient as were the hosts seating people.
Overall a solid seafood restaurant and I would come back again next time I am in town.

I almost feel ashamed to have never visited Legal Seafoods. For this location in particular, I decided to dine at the bar. Pretty small for most bar settings. However, the bartenders are attentive. You are never left requesting or raising your hand to purchase another item.
I ordered the trio meal which in includes; shrimp, scallops, crabs and a spinach salad for $ 29. The Oyster are to die for!
HH starts at 4pm and ends at 6pm with Mixed Top Shelf drinks for $ 6.95 and appetizers discounts.