Skipjacks

While in Needham on business, a coworker and I visited this place on 6÷5÷12 for lunch. The exterior looked inviting enough. The décor inside looked inviting enough when we walked in. It was clean and very nicely decorated/​arranged.
The two knuckleheads who were at the host’s podium inside the place were less-​than-​inviting, cold fish. The waiter was moderately efficient, but had the personality of a soap dish.
The food? So-​so. I had the Teriyaki Mahi-​mahi. It was good, yet a tad overcooked (i.e., a bit dry). The bed of noodles and veggies were good.
The comment my coworker made on the fish & chips: «It’s all right.»
I’ll be here for three more weeks on business. I won’t be back to give the crew a second chance to act like they care they’re employed because of their clientele.

I’ve been to Skipjack’s several times, and I am a fan. However I felt like I needed this time to share my good experience. I took my parents out for dinner. We are no strangers to this restaurant.. My dad stated it was his birthday. While they don’t have a free slice of cake, the waiter did something no other waiter has probably ever done. My dad inquired about a special cocktail. Rather then order it, the waiter offered him a small taste. It was brought to him for free in a small wine glass, with what looked to be at least 2 shots worth of booze. He was very pleased and it was a good way to end the meal.
After having a very disappointing meal a few weeks back at Trade in Boston, Skipjack’s really came through. It’s a great alternative to Legal. Furthermore, this location doesn’t have the noise issues that the Framingham Legal Seafoods has.
Objectively the only issue is their lack of dessert menu. However we were all so stuffed from our entrees that it wasn’t a big deal. I would recommend the Seafood Cobb Salad, Wasabi Encrusted Salmon, and the Gingered Chilean Sea Bass. The raw options are good, especially the Cherrystone Clams.
I would recommend that if you are in the mood for lobster, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of cracking the animal open, get the Seafood Cobb Salad, Lobster Roll, or one of their salads topped with lobster. They put a generous portion of lobster meat on top of all these dishes. I honestly think it’s a bargain for the prices they charge.
Reading the other reviews, I don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to portion size. Portion size is always fair. You get a good amount of delicious food for your buck.

It’s been many years since I’ve eaten here, but my mother in law wanted seafood and my husband and I thought this might be a good place to for a nice meal out (even with two kids in tow). The apps were great, calamari was fresh and battered just right. The crab cake was meaty and the slaw it came dressed with had a nice kick. We also ordered a soft shell crab sushi roll and a special hand roll. I didn’t have the soft shell crab, but I ate the hand roll and it was delicious! If you are watching carbs it’s perfect-​salmon, crabstick, cukes, and spicy mayo in a cucumber wrap. It even came with a bit of extra stuffing on the side, what a nice surprise!
Getting to the meal, I was debating between the scrod special and signature wasabi salmon. My waitress recommended the salmon. After getting the salmon I really wished I had gotten the scrod. The salmon was fully cooked (so much for having a star on the menu to indicate it’s served undercooked…) and there was NO sign of wasabi flavor. I’m not sure if it was because I had just eaten wasabi with the handroll, but I had others at the table try it and they agreed. Luckily, I had some wasabi left over from my handroll and was able to add it to the salmon for the kick I was expecting. There overall miso sauce was tasty, and the stir-​fry veggies that came with the salmon were nicely done. The meal would have been better described as a miso salmon dish.
For the other main dishes ordered at the table. My mother in law thought the fried clams were large and meaty, and my husband’s ginger seas bass melted in your mouth, and was the best dish ordered. The $ 9 chicken fingers and fries I ordered for my 2 year old came after all the adult entrees arrived (usually the reverse happens). The chicken fingers were fresh out of the fryer, but were not fresh – they were chewy/​tough to eat (I’m guessing they were just defrosted and battered in the same type of dressing as the clams – not worth the $ 9).
Re: service. It was average, we were having dinner late and the restaurant wasn’t full. Wait staff checked in quickly now and again. I wanted to mention the flavoring and the over cooked-​ness to my server, but she had checked in on us before I tried my dish (I was feeding my 9 month old), and didn’t come back for some time. I was hungry and preferred to eat with my family, and didn’t want to be «that customer» who ate most of the food they were complaining about…).
FYI, for other parents who like to dine out with their young-​well-​behaved kids, I did get a few stares in the bar area when I took my 9 month old for a stroll while waiting for food, and felt I got a few dirty looks from other patrons-​like why didn’t I hire a baby sitter. And more importantly, there was NO CHANGING TABLE in the bathroom…
Most memorable food – the sushi rolls and sea bass were REALLY GOOD!

Was in town on a Monday night and had a hankering for New England seafood. The service was good and food was OK. I liked the presentation of the lobster bisque but it could have been a tad warmer a little less salty. The calamari was fantastic! My friends enjoyed their meals and cleaned their plates. The only other thing is there’s an unpleasant smell like cleaning solution when you walk in.

Wow, WAAAY overpriced for the lack of food on the plate. At least with Legals you pay the same amount of money and a large portion size, plus it’s yummy. This place is terrible. I left there tonight paying $ 40 for an ice tea, sharing an app, and a salad + chicken and I left starving. Never again.

I really enjoyed Skipjack’s! Their mahi mahi was super fresh and the teriyaki flavors were terrific with the fish. The waitress was kind and attentive to our orders. One star off because the portions were a bit small, probably will order an appetizer next time.

Decent regional chain (ok.only 3 locations but I expect they will expand). I’ve only been to, and probably would only frequent, the Newton location. Honestly, I think Legal has absolutely nothing on this place.
I also like the bar which is chill and works pretty well for an after-​work cocktail.

This place is down right awesome. I went with my whole family, including my grandmoms, and wow did we have a great time. They nailed it with the appetizers. Calamari, sushi, chicken wings, they got it all, and they knocked it out of the park. Next came the main course. BLAM! Everybody got sea food but me, my dad and my brother in law got steak tips. BOOM! they nailed it again.
We had this wonderful little asian fellow as a waiter and man, i’m telling you, this guy was the best. He was right there all night long keeping our waters filled and had us rolling in the isles with his humor. He even told me my head was shaped like a sushi roll, which was awesome. Thats was one sweet little dude. Whoever is in charge of payroll, give this man a raise. I’m telling you, He’s worth it. He did however bring me a second beer when I asked for a water, but buddy, I’ll easily drink that thing, no problem.
However, there was some sort of semi-​goon manager floor-​boss wearing rhine stoned potato-​nose cowboy glasses occasionally skating back and forth eye balling our table and it seemed like he was up to no good, but I assumed he was just doing his job.
I love good food and I love skip Jacks. Its the best. I did however blast myself half way to the moon when I got home, but whatever, all sea food will do that to you.
Thanks bro.

I love Skipjack’s. Whenever, we’re in town for a meeting at our home office we make a trip to Skipjack’s. The lobster roll was delicious! The drinks are great. Last month, there were about 15 of us and we sampled just about everything on the menu — we had the calamari, clams and mussels. Everything was perfect and fresh. The portions were just right for a large group. The clam chowder was great, as well as the lobster bisque. My entrée was the fried seafood platter and of course after eating all the appetizers, there wasn’t room enough to finish — however it heated up nicely for breakfast the next day! I definitely recommend it! Parking is extremely difficult as it gets later into the evening, so carpool! All the towing signs scare me!

The Skipjacks lobster roll is awesome. I just ate the lobster meat, and it was great having chunks of lobster, not overly flavored or battered, or covered in mayo. Throughout my Boston trip, my fellow travelers had ordered lobster rolls at two other restaurants — one was fried, and one was mashed up so much it just looked kind of like a tuna salad. The one at Skipjacks definitely was best.
A dining companion raved about the ginger sea bass. The others had bowls of clam chowder (they were doing a chowder-​off, and the two people had 5 bowls of chowder each). The restaurant ended up not serving anymore, cuz they said they had finished all the chowder for the night. :) Food was good, price is acceptable.

Don’t eat here if you have a love of good food. The chef does not know what appetizer means. I can tell you this, it’s not platter portion size and unless you order a side of fries, your app shouldn’t include a full serving of them! The appetizer is supposed to sustain the guest during the wait for the main course. It shouldn’t BE the main course!
I ordered a Chopped salad (that was significantly bigger than my head) and the crab cake (yeah, that’s right, singular on the menu) for an appetizer. What I got was a huge plate with a burger size crab cake and a big fat side of fries. Don’t get me wrong, I love crab cake and french fries! Love! But, that’s not what I ordered… or, so I thought…
Me: Oh, I don’t think this is mine. I got just got the appetizer crab cake.
Waitress: Yeah, that’s it.
Me: No, this is a huge plate with french fries and a very large crabby patty.
Waitress: Yeah, the crab cake appetizer is the crab cake burger entrée without the bun.
Me: Well, uh, technically, that’s not an appetizer. Does the chef know that?
Waitress: I’m sorry. Can I get you something else instead? (she’s really nice and the menu is not her fault!)
Me: No (looking to my friend, who loves fries and is already grabbing them off of my plate), we’ll find a way to choke them down (smiling) but, thank you for asking!
And, scene.
I have no desire to go back. Ever. The fries were super cold and the crab cake bland. The salad was delicious but could have fed a family of four.
Average, cheap food. I don’t have time in my life for you!

I heart this place. The atmosphere is very nice, kinda upscale, but the attire is casual so its a good mix. They have dining tables in the front area, which is a smaller room — as well as the back.
The free bread is always warm and delicious. I almost always get the lobster roll there, which is not drenched in mayo or other sauces like many lobster rolls are — just like I like em!
Only reason I knocked one star off is because the service can be fickle. More often that not, the service is great. But every so often it will be quite sub par with unfriendly or inattentive staff. Still my favorite seafood place in the area!

I love Skipjacks in the Back Bay, but the Newton location is just not the same.
I ate here last Saturday night at around 9pm. As a bonus for the burbs, they take reservations until 11, so when we got there at 9 we were pleased that we were not the only ones in the dining room.
The hot buttery rolls were delicious, as they always are. This location also includes a house or Caesar salad with any entrée, and the salad was fresh and satisfying.
My salmon, however, was not the best. I ordered my salmon «Skipjack style» and without skin. They really butchered the salmon. I know its not easy to get the skin off, but come on, this is a fish place. They should be able to do a better job than I do at home.
The salmon was also grossly overcooked, and I like my fish well-​done so that’s really saying something. It just tasted off– fishy and not as fresh as it should have been.
Next time, I’ll make the trek into the Back Bay.

The rolls arrived warm and glistening from their coat of butter along with pats of wrapped spreadable butter. Yum!
The children’s menus arrived with a pair of 3D glasses — fun! And salads were offered with each adult entrée, with a choice of the wedge, arugula, and house — none of them being the basic iceberg lettuce accompanied by a slice or two of tomato, cucumber, and red onion. I got the house, which was a nice bowl of lightly dressed mixed greens, dried cranberries and toasted pumpkin seeds.
The steamers arrived with a shell bowl, and cups of rinsing liquid and butter. De-​shoeing the clams got my fingers all gritty-​dirty, which I had to clean with my napkin. Paper napkins would have been useful at this point.
After the table was cleared, my ciopinno arrived minus the mentioned garlic toast (Is it underneath? the waitress asked. Umm… no, and that would have made it garlic mush…) and without a shell bowl. The portion was decent with quite a lot of calamari pieces, a nice piece of fatty chilean sea bass, and several mussels, mid size shrimp, and mid/​large scallop. The missing toast was quickly remedied, however, when water refills were offered, one glass was not tended to.
Reservations are accepted. Their slim parking lot is located to the left of the restaurant. Bathrooms are awkwardly situated between the entrance and the hostess station, so you have to pass by the folks in the waiting area in order to go wash your hands.

Came here recently. Nice atmosphere… kind of upscale. It’s a place you’d have a banquet.
They were playing great jazz music when I came, but then the music got crappy as the night went on. I was there with my 2-​year old nephew, and he was quite happy with the kids menu.
The mussels appetizer was rocking (got it with marniere sauce). I wish I could say the same about the main course. I was unimpressed with the presentation of the food (very plain), and it was bland (I love seasoning on my seafood, whether it is Old Bay or Greek style or cajun or whatever… it’s gotta be something). I got Sea Bass Cioppini, which was just a pile of different kinds of seafood (sea bass, squid, mussels, scallops, shrimp). The sauce was uninteresting and there were no other gastronomic components to it… no vegetables or mashed potatoes or something to contrast the fish flesh. My brother got the wild Alaskan salmon… and it was well done (this just after watching Alton Brown tell both of us to NEVER overcook wild Alaskan salmon). My sister-​in-​law got a hot dog bun with fried clams in it… I didn’t like it but they loved it.
Service was great, though. All in all, a good spot… but not the culinary craftsmanship I had hoped for.

I’ve eaten here a couple of times, had enjoyable experiences and believe the food is very good. The sushi is great and you really can’t go wrong with the menu.
However, for those looking to gather for a small, impromptu business meeting around a few appetizers, think again. I was really disappointed tonight when I asked for a table for apps and drinks. Despite there being plenty of available tables near the bar, I was told that unless we were having entrees, they wouldn’t seat us. If this were a Thurs — Sunday, I might understand, but this was a Monday night.
Rather than relocate somewhere else, we huddled around the bar and pulled together five chairs for our meeting. In the 90 minutes we were there, never once were all the tables full and they never offered to seat us.
That said, despite the quality of the food, I believe the service is poor and won’t be going here again solely based on that.

Sunday. Twin lobster dinner. Yes, please.
Their Rhode Island calamari and steamed bucket of seafood with mussels, clams and shrimp dusted with Old Bay was delicious! If you like creamy dips, you’ll enjoy the crab dip. I wasn’t such a fan. The lobster was fresh and delicious, which I is what I expect from my lobster. My mom got the best entrée at the table. She ordered the gingered Chilean Sea Bass. That was the best bite of seafood I had the whole night.
The place is a little bit crowded, pretty casual, and family oriented. I would go here again, but I wouldn’t gun for it.

It is simple. If you are looking for overpriced average seafood and steak come to this place. Servers are not personable. They make you feel like you owe them something. If you LOVE Legal Seafood you’ll love this place. Garbage seafood. Garbage prices. Find a local seafood place and bring your investment there. You will be happier. Drinks are good though :)

Went here for a work dinner on a Tuesday night. First of all, the parking lot is a bit on the small side, so finding a spot during peak hours must be close to impossible. Luckily I found a spot… on a three inch thick sheet of ice.
After I wobbled across the parking lot, I was sat by the brusque hostess. The servers were nice, although visibly harried given the size of our group. I think they relaxed when they saw we were in no hurry to eat. Throughout the meal they were pretty quick when asked for a refill or a napkin or what have you, especially considering the number of us making such requests.
Appetizers were pretty good. I had some fried calamari which was a little too greasy and a little less crispy than I prefer it. I also had a small Caesar salad and barbecue scallops. I don’t know what it was, maybe those damn appetizing rolls, but by the time I received my entrée I was barely hungry. What the hell? The meal came with a few onion rings, mashed potatoes and, obviously, scallops. I made it about halfway through each item. I even tried the ‘join a conversation and come back to the meal in the hopes that your stomach will have made room’, but it was futile. As luck would have it, pretty much everything on my plate would have been destroyed had I attempted to re-​heat it so I had to silently mourn the fact that my meal would not be making a reappearance as lunch the next day.
Looking around, it definitely appeared to be a popular spot with work groups. And given the menu, the drinks and the location it is no wonder. If we’re given the option of Skipjack’s as a work destination in the future, it gets my vote.

Reviewing certain types of restaurants can be tough because standards on certain types of items vary from place to place. Due to the proximity and variety of selections, a fish place in Boston probably should be held to a different standard from certain other places. That’s the issue with giving Skipjack’s only three stars instead of four. While it might be considered exemplary in some places it’s very good — but really not overly special — in the Boston area.
It just misses getting four stars instead of three and with a few changes and alterations to the cuisine and facility itself it could easily rate higher. The menu offers a decent sized but not extensive lineup of standard local seafood selections with no discernable twist or theme. There could certainly be a few additions to and variations in its seafood lineup. It isn’t truly representative of seafood in the Boston area but with a few more items it would be markedly improved.
On a recent visit two of us tried the shrimp scampi with spinich over angel hair pasta, one had scallops and another had the schrod. All selections offered reasonable portions, were cooked to order, and, aside from a generous amount of garlic in the scampis, weren’t overly spicy. Salads before the main meal were fresh, and of note was the «Chop Chop,» salad with a variety of veggies and just the right amount of light dressing.
Skipjacks features a bar but we opted for drinks at our table. There’s an extensive wine list and the staff seemed knowledgable about its offerings. Two of us had Chardonnay while the others opted for non-​alcoholic beverages. Coffee, for which we opted instead of dessert, was fresh all around. Service was relatively fast and, to the staff’s credit, we weren’t rushed from our table after dinner. Our server was relatively new and for that we can forgive his constant hovering during the meal.
Probably our biggest complaint involved the parking and on even moderately slow weekday night we couldn’t get spaces in its tiny lot and had to leave our cars in another lot across busy Needham Street. The owners could do something about shifting the orientation of the men’s room facilities too, for the location of mirrors, commodes, etc., can lead to some embarassing vistas for diners waiting for tables. Despite that, we found Skipjack’s pleasant and satisfying… very good and probably worth a return visit.