Founded in 1950, Legal Sea Foods started out as a single fish market and quickly grew to become the iconic Boston seafood empire that visitors know and love today. The company now has more than 30 locations around New England and beyond. Known for sourcing the highest quality ingredients and providing a superior dining experience that customers have come to expect. The seafood giant recently opened up a new location in Park Square.
“Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group is a beloved New England-based restaurant brand with over 20 locations along the East Coast, including its own Quality Control Center on Boston Harbor,” Ann Marie Escobar, Brand President and Chief Operating Officer of Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group said of the company, “The family-born brand began as a fish market in the Inman Square neighborhood in Cambridge, MA in 1950. The first Legal Sea Foods restaurant opened in 1968, right beside the fish market.”
“Today, the company continues to grow globally and remains committed to high-quality standards, freshness, and integrity. Legal Sea Foods maintains deeply anchored relationships with its local partners, including North Coast Seafoods, Night Shift Brewing, Scorton Creek Oysters, and winemakers Louis Latour and Trimbach, who are all equally committed to excellence. The brand’s slogan, “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal,” is a sentiment that the company has sustained for over half a century.”
Inside Legal Seafoods Park Square
“The new location marks the highly anticipated return to the Park Square area for Legal Sea Foods,” Escobar told us. “The restaurant brand has deep roots in the area, originally opening a restaurant at the Park Plaza hotel in 1980. The location quickly became a flagship restaurant for the brand. The restaurant relocated a block away to the Motor Mart Garage building a few decades later, where they resided for twenty years. The location ultimately closed its doors as the lease came to its end amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the restaurant brand triumphantly returns with a new location, highlighting the brand’s continued growth, perseverance, and unwavering support over the years.”
Seafood lovers have a lot to enjoy on the Legal Sea Foods menu, with a variety of classic seafood favorites and various fun flavors in the mix too. “Legal Sea Foods has a lot of incredible dishes on the menu. Our traditional New England Baked Haddock – Anna’s Way is the perfect warm and hearty dish to comfort the soul, especially as we head into winter,” Escobar said of the menu. “It’s topped with buttered crumbs, roasted tomato, herbed rice pilaf and broccoli. The dish is inspired by Legal Sea Food’s first employee, Anna McAllister, who was the backbone of the restaurant during her time. McAllister had an enormous impact on the Legal Sea Foods’ menu, and in 1970 she presented her family recipe for Baked Haddock, and it has been a restaurant favorite ever since.”
When in doubt, get the clam chowder. “Our famous New England Clam Chowder is an award winner,” Escobar told us. “The creamy and flavorful recipe, which is chock-full of tender Cape Cod clams and served with oyster crackers, has been served at almost every presidential inauguration since 1981, making it a true American classic.”
The newest restaurant features an expansive space and plenty of room for groups of all sizes. “The Park Square location presents guests with a warm and inviting atmosphere from the moment they enter through the doors,” Escobar said. “The venue measures 7,500 square feet and features an expansive lounge and dining area, perfect for friends and family to gather. Guests can enjoy a drink at the large horseshoe-shaped bar and soak up the charming and vibrant views of the area on the patio space. The location includes a private, 25-seat dining room perfect for special occasions and corporate events. Altogether, the restaurant can accommodate over 180 guests inside and an additional 60 outside.”
If you’re looking for recommendations, you can’t go wrong with suggestions from one of the brand’s leaders. “It’s hard to choose favorites, but guests can’t go wrong with a Legal Sea Foods’ staple: the Half Pound Maine Lobster Roll. This classic seafood recipe really lets the lobster shine,” Escobar said of her personal selections. “It’s filled with chunks of delicious lobster meat and served either warm butter-poached or traditional with lemon mayo, french fries & coleslaw.”
