Lefty's Lobster and Chowder House

The best! Great service! Wonderful atmosphere. As a family of 6 including 2 teens, we all loved our food. Lobster was melt in your mouth. All entrees of stuffed snapper, lobster, steak, salmon, and seafood pasta were outstanding! We cleaned our plates. Our waiter was on top of service. He made our granddaughter's birthday special.. Can't wait to go back!!

Lobster is good, we go at least a few times a year during the evening with another couple and have done for many years. 4 people sharing 6 lobsters each having a couple of drinks and a salad, one also had another fish plate and the bill was around 400 dollars (before tip). Not bad for these days (Lefty's is cheaper because of the type of lobster they sell), but then they add a 4 percent fee for using a credit card or debit card? Who brings cash to a restaurant these days, aside from maybe for tips? And since when is any credit card fee 4 percent? We won't be back. You should be up front and honest with your customers that this fee will be on their meal receipt. Paying for food and service is no longer good enough, you know want us to not only tip your waiters but pay your transaction fees too? And there was another fee for alcohol. They are literally transferring their operational costs to us. Nope, don't be back.

This is a small cozy restaurant with an Italian family ambiance. The people here are good to the bone. I had the stuffed snapper and it was rich and buttery and definitely something I'll think about until I can get back to Addison to indulge in again!

My favorite place for lobster bisque! This place has been my go to for lobster bisque for better than 20 years. Quiet, quaint and unobtrusive service make it a great date night location. Get there early or there will be a wait!

Most amazing staff and cook staff. Owners are amazing. Had the Branzino dinner special and thought I had died and gone to heaven. Tried to eat it slowly in case I ate it too fast and there was none left. Please don't pass up this place because you don't want Chowder. Would be a huge mistake. Visit enjoy the staff, the restaurant is not a mega place but the best seafood you'll find around. Oh ya - the steaks are great and prepared to your liking. Don't forget the mushrooms. Picture is of my sister's lobster tail

Excellent food, The server for our table wasn't very attentive, long waiting period for our appetizers. We were a party of 4 people and our meals served cool and mixed up. Didn't get one of 3 appetizers till the main entrees were served. Prices were high for the quality and amount of food ordered.

The decor is kind of all over the place and the waitstaff is a bit over eager at times. I got the feeling that they trying to rush us through our courses by asking often if they could take plates. I came in with a friend around 5:30pm on Saturday. It got progressively busier throughout the evening and it felt as if they wanted to speed us through to keep tables open for a potential busier evening crowd. I didn't like that. Nevertheless, the food was good. I'd visit again for a midday dining experience as I feel that the evening would likely be a bit pretentious.

Great service, nice small selection of beers. Good quality not quite as nice. The crab cake looked lovely, but the bottom side was burnt. Not slightly overcooked, it was full on black from being overcooked. Got the Fra Diavlo. It was the most overcooked lobster I have ever been served. The shrimp was ok, shellfish was slightly overcooked but the lobster was barely edible. I did bring up the crab cakes, but since no one gave a crap about that, I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the lobster. Super disappointed.

Words cant describe how freaking delicious this place is . it felt like eating at your aunties house! Thats how cozy and comfy the environment is! Servers were great

The best!! I think you can't go wrong with anything here but my faves are the crab fingers, clams (app), lefty's pasta, and linguini and clams!

My friend and I had an incredibly unpleasant experience at Lefty's Lobster and Chowder House. Midway through our meal, my friend discovered a sizable cockroach on her neck, which had apparently flown onto our table. The dim lighting in the restaurant forced us to use our phone flashlights even before this incident. We promptly brought it to the waiter's attention, who then summoned the owner, Gus Papa George. Unfortunately, by the time the owner arrived, the roach had evaded our sight and flown under the booth where we were sitting. We showed Mr. Papa George a picture of the roach on the table near our food. However, his response was shockingly dismissive. He didn't bother getting down on his knees to check where the bug had gone, displaying a lack of concern for sanitation. Instead, he nonchalantly stated that it's cold outside, bugs are everywhere in Texas, and they are likely to come inside. This indifferent attitude left us astounded - what owner responds to a customer complaint in such a manner? Shockingly, he didn't apologize, offer to handle our bill, or make any effort to address the situation. Instead, he argued with us, belittled my knowledge of the restaurant industry due to my age, and insisted that bugs in restaurants were normal. To our disbelief, he only agreed to remove my meal from the bill, leaving my friend to cover her entire meal or split the bill. After more argument, he rudely kicked us out without payment. Overall, it was a disheartening experience with poor customer service and a complete lack of accountability, highlighting the management's dismissive and confrontational approach.

CONCLUSION: I would give this a 3.8 as the food is above average for the price. The device was congenial and the atmosphere was nice. . PROS: good service, decent menu selection. Food is about right portions and above average for flavor. . CONS: sauce on the dishes was too much in quantity and too overpowering in flavor. . NOTES: . SCORES: ratings (out of 5) will be based on equivalent business levels. Mid level seafood restaurant Food quality: 4 Food flavor: 3.5 Food quantity: 3.5 Price: 3 Value:3.5 Service: 4.5 Cleanliness: 4.5 Decor: 4.3 Parking: 4.5

The ambiance was that of an old timey steak and seafood restaurant. Small and dark. Very dark. There was one other one eating solo so I felt comfortable. The service was very good. Start to end I was never forgotten about. Started with a dinner salad, not too exciting but the vegetables were fresh and crisp and the vinaigrette dressing was superb. My main was the Chilean Sea Bass. A must if you want to enter fish heaven. My first time trying it and now I'm going to want it again and again. It came with a very buttery caper crab sauce. The crab was substantial. Had the asparagus as the veggie and it was not an up- charge it came with the dinner. Also on the plate was a Lobster and Poblano Pepper Potato Cake. I would have been happier with a baked potato. I am not a fan of Crab or Lobster cakes. I may just go back on my last day in Dallas and have a steak.

The food here was delicious, we came at 5pm on a Saturday, place got crowded around 7pm. They have online reservation on their website through open table. The lefty's pasta was very creamy with a lot of crawfish tails, portion huge. The lobsters came with 2 sides.

Really disappointed tonight. We live 45 min away and the food was ok but not sure we will ever return. Positives: They have topo chico! They offer blue point raw oysters. Their bathrooms are clean. Angel was a good server. Negatives: Chicken Parmesan was tasteless and dry and my daughter would not finish it. I liked the pistachio encrusted trout but the sauce was not complimentary and the broccoli and corn were steamed and not seasoned at all. I ordered a vodka tonic and sent it back because the tonic was flat and it just came back flat again so I just mixed it with my topo Chico for carbonation. The bread they served was old, cold and not good. The raw oysters came with old crackers. The oysters were also not shucked so be aware. They said it's because they get accused of serving wrong oysters. Whatever..... The lobster my husband ordered was over cooked and tough. We hoped this would be a great dining experience but definitely not worth the drive nor the expense. Bummer

Sat at the bar and had Lefty's pasta which was excellent. Portion was nice. Coupled with a nice margarita. First time here but not my last.

Atmosphere: Little place, with red lighting and fishing garb around the place. There are tons and tons of pictures of all the people (including famous) that have visited the place. Service / Food: Service was great, we had Alexandro and he was on it the entire time we were there. Started with the crab claws they were delicious. A couple of us also had the lobster bisque with the lobster meat and it was good too, lots of lobster meat . For dinner, two of us had lobster and the others had pistachio crusted fish. If you get a lobster that is more than 2lbs they slice it in half for you and bring it out ready for you to dig in. If its less than 2lbs they steam it and bring it out whole, with the tail slit for you to do the work. All in all it was good food with no complaints!

Best restaurant so far this week in my visit to Dallas. Andy is a great waiter. Food is superb, awesome atmosphere and history. Going back again.

A true Addison institution since 1995. Been visiting for decades and not much has changed. Don't fix it if it ain't broke! Always super fresh seafood, and a nice variety of bites to choose from. Obs, get some lobsta! And the chowder is legit east coast. Nom and nom! The smoked salmon is always a MUST starter to share. The interior is dimly lit and you can definitely tell the age...not in a bad way. Always have received fast and friendly service. Bottom line, if you're in north Dallas, please stop reading already and vroom vroom over!

Highly Recommend this Restaurant. Excellent service and Ambiance. Well trained Staff.

Consistently good food but this last visit i ordered the tempura soft shell crab sandwich. It was over-battered and over-cooked to the point of some parts being burned. Soft shell crab needs very little. Unless your tempura is very light then a seasoned flour dredge is all you need. I'll stick with the seafood salad next time, it's always very good.

The best seafood in Dallas Been a customer for 20 years. Never a bad meal . Great steaks and lobster

Best Key Lime Pie in the world! The WHOLE WORLD! Yes I said that. Best Greek Salad also. Seafood is always good but that Key Lime Pie is Stupid Good!

Alway amazing food and great service. Cozy space and can get noisy, but that does not take away from the feeling of a small-town seafood restaurant. Seafood in Dallas is pricey anywhere you go, so be prepared for that.

We went here on a whim, had no real plan but the reviews were good on Yelp and we were in the mood for seafood. It turned out to be good decision. I like the ambience--it feels like a seafood place on the East coast. Having lived on the east coast when I was younger, it was like a throw back to my youth. The food was excellent. I had the sea bass and the wife had the halibut. Both were cooked absolutely perfectly. I was impressed that neither tasted like they had been frozen although because we are in Dallas you know they had to have been. Both were light, tender, and not at all dry. Very impressive. The sauces were good too and not overpowering. The sides were very tasty. The asparagus was cooked just past al dente and I really liked the garlic mashed potatoes. I also tried the kids fried shrimp and they were excellent. Light, cooked perfectly and not at all greasy. My one quibble was that they oysters were not fully shucked so they remained connected to the shell that made them somewhat difficult to remove instead of being able to slurp them out. In the end I decided that miscue was not worth a one star penalty but others may feel differently. Our server was friendly and very efficient. We both left extremely full and very impressed. I have a feeling that we will be back!

I really liked this cute lil restaurant. As you walk in, the bar greets you, sounds like my kinda thing :) Seemed like everyone works together, we were greeted by the bartender then got seated by our server who was amazing, his name was Angel. He was knowledgeable and helped us decide on our entrees. I had the lobster bisque to start, I thought a seafood place probably makes a good one and I was right, as always :)))))) Their bread was really good too. I had the shrimp scampi with baked potato, wow, was super tasty. Wanted to have desert but had no space so will definitely be back for more. I also liked the booth , was comfy, gives a homey feel to it. Nice atmosphere, crew was attentive I'm pleased with it all! Oh I almost forget the margaritas...... tasty, did not lack on alcohol let me tell you. Big shout out again for Angel who made the experience even better.

On December 1st, 2023 at 8:10pm. My friend and I dined at Lefty's Lobster and Chowder House and had the worst experience of our life! Everything was going well up until I felt like my hair was tickling my neck. Come to find out it was a huge cockroach as long as my finger on my neck that eventually flew onto the table. Not sure how long the roach was on me or if it was in my food because the restaurant keeps it dark in there where I literally had to pull out my phone with the flash light to see what I was eating before all this happened. I brought it to the waiters attention and showed him the roach on the table and he got the manager/owner. By then when the manager came the roach was making its way from the table then jumped/flew under the booth where we were sitting. He did not get down on his knees to see where the bug went as if he didn't even care! He literally said "that it's cold outside and it's Texas...bugs are everywhere and are likely to come inside." We couldn't believe what this manager said! He didn't even first apologize or offer the take care of our bill. He said he would be right back to look at our bill...just to find him at the bar eating a crab cake. Then he came back...this is what was insane to me, he decided that he would take off my friends meal but put my meal all on one ticket and thought I would just be paying for it or we split the bill? I also showed him a picture of the bug on the table to prove to him that we weren't lying! He acted as if it was no big deal! He continued to argue with my friend and rudely kicked us out since we were pushing back on paying for anything. My only regret is that we didn't record and make a video. Something tells me that the manager is aware of the bugs roaming around the restaurant. At the end of the day, the manager was very unprofessional and gave us discriminatory racist vibes. We were very disappointed as it ruined our whole night. I highly recommend to not patronize this business for lack of care for their customers.

My husband and I have frequented Lefty's for many years and have never been disappointed. Tonite we were served the tempura cod special. It was one of their best fishes yet. The cod was very fresh, cooked to perfection without a hint of greasiness. We are originally from the Maine coast and enjoy the fish and lobster here as they actually know how to cook seafood!

The lobster is cooked perfectly and reasonably priced. The sides are not seasoned and lack taste. Be careful of the picture of Lefty's pasta, it is deceiving and a bit on the fishy side. The service was good and efficient. The ambiance is simple and clean.

Love this place! Have for 20+ years...not going to date myself! Food is amazing! Sea bass, stuffed shrimp and veggies are amazing! Wine list is amazing, you're going to love it!

If you like the smell and taste of rancid grease, this is your place. Absolutely tasteless and gross fried lobster sandwich with brown tinged lettuce leaves will keep me away.

Love love lefty's, one of my favorites seafood restaurants. It's been around for over 30 years and every waiter we've had were great. Every dishes we've ordered had been fantastic. If you like seafood, you can't go wrong with Lefty's. You gotta try the sautéed crab claws and crab cake appetizers! and clams chowder- the best! It is a small casual restaurant, but clean and unpretentious vibe.

My husband and I have been coming here for many years. A dear friend was in town and I wanted her to experience Lefty's. Most excellent experience. The chocolate martini is delicious.

Love this restaurant. The food is delicious and creative. The Cesar salad is top notch. We love ordering the specials which change weekly. The owners are there which gives it that personal touch. Our waiter Brent is hands down the best! It's gets very crowded so reservations are best.

Never got to try the food that looks amazing. Unfortunately the Host who I suspect is the owner or manager was an absolute garbage human. I understand restaurants are understaffed and this place was very busy. I also understand we didn't have a reservation, but came just based on Yelp reviews like I always do. When I went up to this trash man I asked for a table for 2, his response, " Do you have a reservation!?" I said, 'no just walk in.' Instead of giving me a simple 'we've got a long wait', he tells me, "I dont have anything we're full!" I said 'nothing at all?' He said "Earliest I can get you in is 8:30" never looked up, just rude as hell. I walked out and never planned to go back here again. Halfway back to my car my girlfriend said I'll go ask cause we're already here. She goes in and its the same POS host, she says 'can I put in my name in for two?' He threw his hands up and said "I'm not taking any names! It will be at least 8:30!" She calmly said 'ok so its an hour wait can I put my name down?' He scribbled her name down on a scrap piece of paper and said, "I'll holler your name, Sammy" with total attitude. Just a total jerk. A couple came in after us and got just the same treatment but they actually had a reservation!! They were told they had to wait, and he rudely told them they had to wait outside. It's understandable that its a small area, but the attitude of this trash human has to be addressed. I'm sure the food is amazing, but if this man is actually the owner, I could never recommend this place. If he is the manager, I hope he gets canned because there are much better employees out there who won't turn away business.

Wow. We didn't know what to expect and rolled up without a reservation on a Friday night but they were able to seat us immediately at a high top hidden in the bar. I thought for sure we'd be forgotten and yet we interacted with the sweetest staff! We ordered drinks, the crabcake and the lobster bisque American to start and ended up with an additional half and halt chowder bisque - delicious! My husband will never order anything else again! For mains, I had ordered my own lobster bisque American and a Caesar salad - one of the best Caesars I've had in Dallas! My husband got the single lobster and boy was he a happy camper! Great service, great food, we'll definitely be back!

Excellent quality and service! We will be back! The lobster bisque and shrimp cocktail were our favorites and the Bourbon selection was amazing!

Service was absolutely amazing thank you to our server Angel.. He took his time and patiently explained the menu with our table of first timers, the food was great, but with the amount of people we had we should have been given more space.. Felt a little crammed in but the food and service was great..

Solid Bisque, I wasn't too hungry and the soup with lobster was soooo good. Otherwise, great place and a classic location.

First time to Lefty's. It seemed busy, but the whole place seemed to be serviced by 1 person. It took forever to get greeted and get drink orders. So because it seemed like the waiter didn't have much time to talk to us, I asked him to pick for us. He most likely picked the most expensive thing on the menu, which was o.k. I would probably I would have preferred he told us what he was picking before he ran off to order It was a pasta with 2 small lobster pieces in it and other stuff. I was hard to taste any of it because it was covered in some sauce, which was overwhelming and the cut lobster was still in its shell. I think they could have done a better job with the service. It's seems like they have been there for a while. I am not sure we will return, simply because there are better options near.

I drive or fly to this very special place from Stillwater Oklahoma. Excellent food service and drinks. These are career chefs, staff, and on site owners. 10

Excellent lobster bisque, King crab legs are to die for. Great win selection too. The 1kb Lobster tail was huge.

Great food best seafood in Dallas. Wonderful wait staff. Please don't go here or it will get too hard to make reservations.

Lefty's has been on our list of places to try for over a year, but our recent attempt to eat there will most definitely be our last. We made a reservation for 7:30 on a Saturday night and checked in with the hostess upon our arrival at 7:25. She told us it would be just a few minutes until the table was ready, which was understandable considering we were a few minutes early and they were obviously very busy. We walked into the bar area to stand and wait with multiple other parties. With no designated waiting area in the restaurant, the bar area was packed and quite loud. After waiting for over 20 minutes (well more than the few the hostess had mentioned at check in), and noticing very few tables had turned over or were looking like they were anywhere close to being done, my husband asked me to check in with the hostess for an eta. At this point, we were already 18 minutes past our stated reservation time and we were debating leaving to eat elsewhere if the wait was going to be too much longer, as we were getting very hungry . I approached the hostess stand to ask and a man standing with the hostess asked if I'd checked in. I told him I had checked in over 20 minutes ago but we were now almost 20 minutes past the reservation time. Rather than apologizing or offering an adjusted eta on when we could expect to be sat, he flipped to full on nuclear mode and in an incredibly condescending tone told me that if I want to eat good food, I'm going to have to wait and I can probably leave and go somewhere else that has an opening, but the only reason they'll be able to seat me is because their food isn't any good. I was shocked at his rudeness and arrogance, speaking to me like I was a clueless child who had never eaten in a restaurant before and that I should be so privileged to wait for a table in his restaurant, especially considering I wasn't yelling at him or being rude when I stated my concern. I told him to take us off his list and left. As people who travel often and who've eaten in plenty of fantastic restaurants, I am certain that we are not unreasonable in expecting a table to be ready or close to ready for us at our stated reservation time. It seems lefty's thinks that a reservation means you are reserving your right to put your name on a waitlist when you arrive, not reserving an actual table for that time. Had we known we were just going to be put on a waitlist, we would have reserved a table somewhere else, where we know FOH is managed well and reservations are honored. It was a shame because the food we saw coming out while waiting did look and smell delicious, however, the behavior of the man at the hostess stand was unacceptable. We will not support any restaurant that thinks it is ok to speak to people the way he spoke to me and we will be sure to tell all of our friends, family, and colleagues to stay far away from this place.

I just wish we lived closer!!! We love seafood and Lefty's. We both enjoyed our meals. Sea bass and grilled snapper were cooked to perfection. The staff kept our drinks full and checked on us often. Most of the customers seem to be regulars which is always a good sign.

If your not a regular, don't expect great service. Avoid the oysters unless you can shuck them yourself! Food is good but the service and atmosphere isn't worth promoting this restaurant. We watched a waiter look at his tip a customer left him on the receipt and walk up to the bar to show another customer how much it was and look over at that table. Very Unprofessional!!!!

I've been coming to Lefty's for great seafood & great service for 10+ years. If you go on a weekend, it'll be busy--but the service is still quick & caring...and SO many diners, or people having a drink at the bar, are regulars. We keep coming back because the owners CARE about taking care of customers!

Husband said the salmon was good. the oyster po boy was terrible. Greasy soggy bread. though Some may enjoy oysters as big as the salt shaker (, I absolutely kid you not) , I did not. Plus they were overbreaded and gummy. Service was slow and inattentive. I had to go to the front and get our own menus. never again.

Don't go unless you are a regular as you may be treated poorly. We go to Lefty's as a family once a year as a special treat during the holidays. I booked our reservation online in advance, specifically requesting the corner window table by the door where we had sat prior years. The same male host was there, who is mentioned in other reviews as being rude. We were no exception. It was early and the restaurant was largely empty. I explained that we had a reservation and had requested the corner window table that I noticed was available. He first said curtly "you must have made an online reservation" as if we had done something wrong. He then proceeded to explain "We have special guests who come in three times a week and that is where they sit. You cannot sit there." I immediately felt very "un-special" and took the smaller second table. Thirty minutes later the "special" couple arrived and sat at the table that we had requested and had been available when we arrived. We had an amazing waiter which made all the difference and the food was good as always...but the mood was still dampened by the curt host who treats regulars more special. Lesson learned...we will find another place to carry on our family tradition and it will be one that treats all guests special.

This is a Great Spot. One of my All Time Favorites. The atmosphere and service are Superb! Ribeye is off the charts good. Great staff!