Neptune Oyster
Seafood restaurant · North End ·
Fresh oysters, iconic lobster rolls, and daily specials await
Fresh oysters, iconic lobster rolls, and daily specials await
"A North End institution where the kitchen turns out wood-fired pizzas and Johnnycakes topped with caviar." - Sharan Kuganesan, Oset Babür-Winter
"Slip in to chase a bit of summer with lobster rolls and a crisp glass of white, the ultimate cold‑weather daydream." - Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman is a New York-based writer and editor who specializes in travel, lifestyle, food, and shopping content. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"In a small North End dining room with marble-topped bar, subway tile, and a red banquette, this refined oyster bar marries classic seafood to Italian inflection—top-tier lobster rolls (considered among the best in town), Wellfleet clams, crudos finished with Duxbury sea salt, and standout dishes like Spanish octopus with marcona almond romesco and a Neptune Johnnycake with honey butter, smoked bluefish, and sturgeon caviar that inspire long lines from tourists and locals alike." - Todd Plummer, Shannon McMahon
"While Neptune Oyster is cramped, crowded, and almost always filled with tourists, if we’re ever in the area and there’s a break in the line, we’ll absolutely head in and take a seat at the bar, even if we just ate. It’s that good, and it’s the type of oyster bar that makes you wonder why you don’t make plans to house shellfish at 3pm more often. Seriously, even if you just downed a plate of clams over linguine around the corner, snag that bar seat and buckle up for the johnnycake, crudo, and one of Boston’s best lobster rolls." - tanya edwards, jonathan smith
"It should be Boston law that if you walk past Neptune and there’s no line, you have to go inside. It doesn’t matter if you just housed a different lobster roll or a heaping plate of calamari from any of the lesser oyster bars in town. To be fair, a lineless Neptune happens about as often as a total solar eclipse over Boston, but when it does, thank whatever god you pray to and grab a bar stool. All those people standing outside on the street—tourists, sure, but also lifelong North End residents—know the same thing: Neptune is special. The tiny dining room feels like a New England travel brochure came to life and threw a great party. Shellfish is everywhere, from the shucking station in front of the window, to nearly every table, to the selection written up daily on a giant mirror behind the bar." - arden shore, team infatuation