Legal Sea Foods - Chicago

4.5 stars!!! All around great experience. My boyfriend and I happened to be on the Riverwalk when we noticed this restaurant was finally open, and we figured we'd stop in for a drink and oysters. No wait, which is surprising...but I realized they only just opened a few weeks ago.We sat outside on the long patio. Very intimate setting. Gorgeous view of the river and surrounding buildings in the city. They brought out a light when it got dark outside, free warm bread and butter, and the water glasses were cute and easy to hold (which is important when it's hot outside). Our server, Veronica, was super friendly, knowledgeable, loves her job, and is proud of the company. She let us know they are Boston based and convinced us to get a dozen oysters instead of 6 because they were on special for $2/oyser. We were VERY happy she did, because the oysters were hella fresh & chilled. We ordered espresso martinis which were delicious.We noticed the HALF POUND lobster roll was listed as one of their special dishes, and OH BOY it wad fireeeee. We chose the warm butter version and split it between both of us. It was HUGE and only $43 (see picture). Best bang for your buck. It's definitely no RPM Seafood lobster roll, but the amount of lobster we got was insane! We also appreciated the fries and coleslaw that came with it. The coleslaw paired very well with the lobster roll.Salt water taffy came with our check, for a perfect ending to our meal. Will definitely go again to try more items on the menu!

They recently opened In terrific space at Marina City overlooking the river. I worked in Boston and legal was my go to restaurant. The Chicago menu has a nice selection of food and wines. I think the kitchen is still finding their legs. First was the service which was outstanding by Jason. I love the clam chowder and it was right on!The entrees were so so. The 4 of us tried the scallops, grilled and fried and 2 white fish. My grilled scallops were ok but the jasmine rice was dry and the broccoli was grilled and overly crunchy. In Boston I would order those sides and the rice was always moist and the broccoli steamed. We need to try some other items, to be fair, and see if they get things sorted out.

Veronica gave us the BEST service. We ordered alllll the things... oysters, chowder, bisque, rolls, and ciopinno.THANK You.

Perfect location right on the Chicago river, with both indoor and outdoor seating. This place is huge! The upstairs has its own bar area, and the downstairs bar & restaurant is gigantic. Since they are brand new, I think they are still scaling up with servers, etc. because there were no reservations available online but plenty of open seating. I really liked how the restaurant was styled and the lively ambiance. Even though we weren't able to sit on the patio, we snagged a table adjacent that had the indoor/outdoor feel with a view of the river.As far as food, their menu is also gigantic and I had a hard time choosing from all the options, but settled on the fish tacos (starter) since I wasn't crazy hungry. They ended up being delicious and I would definitely order them again! On the other hand, I was disappointed to see only one non-alcoholic cocktail on the menu called All Day Rose, which tasted like a sugary fruit punch. Overall, service was ok - I had read other reviews from when they were just opening and finding their feet so my expectations were low but I felt the effort was there. All in all, we had a nice time and a nice meal - Legal Sea Foods is definitely a welcome addition to the river dining lineup.

Legal Seafoods has an unbeatable location with its beautiful patio overlooking the Chicago River. The open-air seating offers a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the fresh air.We started with some sangria, which was refreshing and enjoyable. The clam chowder followed, and it was easily the highlight of the meal--fresh, creamy, and full of flavor.Unfortunately, the rest of the meal didn't measure up. The waitress recommended that the tuna burger be served rare, but I opted for medium-rare. When it arrived, it was extremely well done--almost burnt. The basic toppings of lettuce and tomato didn't do much to improve the experience, making it a bit of a disappointment. The crispy fish sandwich was decent, and a generic burger we ordered was alright as well.The menu, overall, was less exciting than expected. While the location is fantastic, the food left much to be desired. I would recommend this location for drinks along the river.

The restaurant has not had a grand opening yet, but is open. I visited on a beautiful sunny day for lunch. The service was outstanding, and we had a nice seat on the river.We had fried calamari and 2 Sushi rolls.Everything tasted good and fresh.Our dessert was a little disappointing, as it came out still frozen. We were not able to eat most of it. I will go back once the restaurant has its official opening.

Legal Seafood is known to be a big deal in Boston, which I didn't know until my friend from Boston Mass informed me. Stepped in last night to check it out and the menu looks great! HOWEVER to be perfectly fair, they are still in a soft opening period and are NOT at all prepared to open. I meant it! Management should strongly consider delaying the Grand Opening next week. Staff does not even know the menu or let alone know to give utencils and napkins until you ask. The scallop roll sushi took 40 minutes to come out and presentation was sad and sloppy. Was not flammed, just raw and tasted funky. For the main, I ordered a seared ahi tuna burger with a side of wedge potato fries and asked to substitute the sauce due to a bell pepper allergy. The ahi burger came out before the sushi roll, was burnt to a crisp, cold soggy fries and had a side of oilve oil, wierd!! It was unedible and hard like a rock! C'mon, this can't be legal for seafood! Lol and what's with the olive oil? Is that supposed to be a substitute for remulade or do the folks in the Kitchen still need training? Oddly the manager said they can't do a seared tuna because of the Ahi. This tells me it isn't high enough quality of tuna to serve seared. Are you or are you not a serious seafood establishment? With a location as PRIME as this, at the base level of Marina Towers overlooking the Riverfront the food and quality of a dinning experience needs to be TOP NOTCH. This isn't it - yet! My advice is give them time to sort out these issues. Gave two stars because the waitress was really trying and I do want to see this place turn my first impression around.

Awesome, authentic New England seafood! Great sushi too. Upstairs bar is perfect happy hour spot with incredibly fresh Oysters!!!

I have been a fan of Legal seafood for 30 years or more. I ate their food in Boston when I was there for an interview. I told my family we had to go there when I saw they were opening on Thursday. We scheduled reservations for Sunday evening. When we got got there we were promptly seated. Our waitress told us they were out of clam chowder. This is my favorite restaurant for clam chowder. I told the waitress to please ask the manager to come and see me. He came over and told us the store just opened on Thursday and they have been overwhelmed with customers. They ran out of product. I totally understood that. I proceeded to give my family other appetizers o the house to make up for our disappointment. He also gave us vouchers for our next visit to get calm chowder on the house. The managers name was Dino Masciopinto. We really appreciated how he went out of his way to make sure we were satisfied. We will be back.Gregg Elmore & Family

Food was amazing, service was fabulous, and the patio tables were beautiful. Definitely coming back. Make sure you request for Chris. His wine knowledge is impeccable.