Neptune Oyster
Venue Brief
Tiny Salem Street oyster bar in the North End with a queue out the door most days, famous for its hot buttered lobster roll and a raw bar of local shellfish.
Venue Details
- Vibe
- CasualUpbeat
- Age guide
- 25-45
- Dress code
- Casual
- Cuisine
- SeafoodAmerican
- Demographic
- TouristsLocals
- Music genre
- Lounge/Chill House
- Price
- $$$$
- Open season
- Year-round
- Clientele
- LocalsAmericanTourists
- Offerings
- Table Service
- Open times
- Mon 11 AM – 9:30 PMTue 11 AM – 9:30 PMWed 11 AM – 9:30 PMThu 11 AM – 9:30 PMFri 11 AM – 10:30 PM BestSat 11 AM – 10:30 PM BusySun 11 AM – 9:30 PM Busy
- Vibe score
- 6.9 / 10
Address
Contact
About Neptune Oyster
Around 40 seats fit under a pressed-tin ceiling, split between a marble raw bar, a red banquette and a few tables where strangers sometimes end up sharing. No bookings are taken, so the line on Salem Street is part of the ritual: 30 minutes on a good day and past 90 on a bad one. The order nearly everyone places is the warm lobster roll bathed in butter with fries, followed by oysters from Massachusetts and beyond, clam chowder, the johnnycake and cioppino. Opinions split sharply. Fans call it the best lobster roll they have eaten, while a vocal minority find it bland for the wait and the price, and several recent visitors describe curt service, especially toward solo diners at the bar. Beers come in $14 short pours. Hours run 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, an hour later on Friday and Saturday. With 4,992 Google reviews averaging 4.3, it is one of the most reviewed restaurants in Boston.
