Legal Sea Foods

I’m used to going to the Legal in Boston quite often, so I knew what I was in for when I got here. The chowder is excellent as always. Our server wasn’t the best, but he worked out in the end. I tried the catfish matrimony and didn’t care for it (I usually get something else).

A friend works near Montgomery Mall so we meet at the Legal Seafood for lunch a few times a year. I’ve never reviewed it before because I’ve never thought of anything either good or bad to say about it. Went there for lunch today and I ordered a crab cake sandwich with fries (less calories than rice?!), and Cole slaw. Must say, it was one of the best crab cakes I’ve had besides my mother’s. It was good lump crab meat with little filler; and no onion or pepper, which should never be in a crab cake. It could have been hotter, but was such good crab meat I forgave them. The fries were hot and crisp and the Cole slaw was crunchy, with not too much mayonnaise. My friend had a «Crab Roll», kind of a crab salad on a roll with a side of broccoli and cheese. Our server told her she could pick another side but she declined. She loved her crab roll. She did send the broccoli back because it was sitting in a pool of water. The waiter replaced it without any problem. Usually when we meet for lunch the restaurant pretty much fills up as we’re eating. Today the dining room was almost empty during our lunch. Not sure what the problem was, if it was a one time thing or a trend for the restaurant. Our service was fine, nothing special, but not bad. When I go again, I’ll definitely get the crab cake sandwich or salad.

Kitchen is under renovation so we took another opportunity to dine out at Legal, my favorite of the many great restaurants in Bethesda. Our usual fare is the steamers and crab cake. Legal is the only place I’ve found outside of New England where you can get those marvelous long-​neck Ipswich steamed clams. Note: if you peel off the tail coating you can eat the whole thing! And IMHO Legal makes the best crab cakes in the business. Big lumps of crab help together by… What? A hope and a prayer? Yesterday instead of our comfort-​food steamers we shared the fried oyster appetizer and a owl of the NE clam chowder. Both were perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious. I also recommend the 3-​way calamari appetizer, but note that one is hot and one has peanuts.

I don’t eat fish, but I do eat shrimp, and there were plenty of choices tonight. The wood grilled shrimp were plentiful and very nicely seasoned. Dining partners had oysters, salad with chicken, New England clam chowder, rainbow trout, with a double order of broccoli and cheese, and all were pleased. Service was attentive, but not overbearing and food was delivered in timely, but not rushed, manner. The salad was served in too small a bowl (it was overflowing and the waiter quickly took it away and placed it into a much larger serving dish He also had the chicken cut up ahead, as requested. I have never had a bad meal here, and will continue to go. Great meal.

Bring something warm to wear, the place was freezing. Gotta turn those tables, ya know…

The fish tacos are amazing !!! Also try the red sangria

The service was so bad I had to walk out without a drink or food or anyone acknowledging my presence. Too bad I tip well. I will not be returning to this one FAIL!

My review is just for their happy hour, which I think is pretty decent. 6 for 6 oysters on a half shell, and other appetizer options are between $ 4.95-$ 6.95. They also have draft beers and some wine options for cheap. The happy hour lasts till 6:00PM, and we made it by 5:45PM and then quickly ordered a ton of oysters to relish and savor slowly! The oysters were small-​medium sized, and while my meal-​mate was wondering why the half-​shell was not the size of their palm, I will calmly inform you that you are getting the oyster for $ 1. What do you expect?
The lamb kabob was SO SALTY. There’s a funny pun to this, but i’ll leave that off because it doesn’t originate in the English language and the translation will just kill it.
Unfortunately, this place is located in Montgomery Mall, I feel that many don’t know where it is (pointing at self), but we eventually found it. The regular dinner menu prices are… SKYYY HIGHHHH but happy hour is a boon for your wallet.

Oh my what a disgusting place. I say this because my mother and I made the mistake of coming here for dinner this evening. The clam chowder was too salty. The crab soup was actually decent so one star for that. However, the main courses were TERRIBLE!
Mom had the double stuffed shrimp that was stuffed with something that tasted like dried up gobs of wonder bread. I had the seafood casserole that had a strange tasting piece of fish in it; think: cardboard. It certainly was not worth the 25 bucks they charged for it.
The worst is that when the waiter came by, I told him mom did not like the shrimp expecting the charge to be reversed! NOT! so, to make matters worse we paid for that terrible food.
We paid a lot of money for gross food. We left pretty upset and will NEVER return. We should have had popcorn shrimp at the Popeye’s instead– it’s way better than this sorry excuse for food.

The food was good and the portions were filling. I know how seafood places can be a bit spotty so I was a bit skeptical prior.
The service started off well, then sort of tumbled downward. It seemed like there was a bit of miscommunication between the server and the kitchen — not quite sure what was happening but it wasn’t too pleasant to deal with or watch; but, not a deal-​breaker.
All-​in-​all, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and size of the meals.

The food is great here and service fantastic! This location is extremely convenient, especially in comparison to the downtown/​Chinatown DC location and the quality is the same if not superior.
Parking in the downtown area is so frustrating, and I’ve actually skipped the place altogether because the parking situation drove me absolutely bonkers in DC. Your options are: (1) circling around for an hour and hunting for a space while being flipped by your fellow DC drivers; or (2) paying 10 bucks for 1 hour for parking. Only occasionally, you may find a *working* meter and that’s only when you’ve been so good that the Almighty decides to shine upon you and rewards you for once in life.
Seriously, that’s just too much of a hassle to enjoy a meal in a restaurant. Instead, I always come the Bethesda location now. Parking spaces are aplenty anytime, any day of the week. Even though the restaurant is busy, you can usually walk in and get a table immediately, especially if you are going in during the brunch time or early dinner time slot. For dinner on weekends, it’s probably safer to make a reservation. You can make your reservation and it’s super easy. You can also cancel online if anything unexpected comes up.
As for the food, everything on the menu is great but the raw little necks are absolutely out of this world! You must try them if you visit here (they are better here than in the DC location). I usually order two plates just for myself. It’s truly an indulgence. Lobster, crab cakes are also great. I’ve had them all and everything is beyond yummy. Drop by and check it out for yourself. The waiters really do attend to your every need and take care of you well, so just don’t forget to leave a nice tip.

I’ve been there several times and it is a good «family «restaurant.
The service is generic and just OK. The décor and ambiance fit right into its surroundings in the Mall. Its usually a last ditch compromise when we go there.
The signature clam chowder is great, everything else I have had is OK, no complaints, no big deal.
For the price I’d like a little more.

I’m usually pleased with Legal Seafoods for their consistency but I’ve noticed a steep contrast in quality over the past few visits.
Complimentary bread was nice, hot & fresh. Bf’s MD Creamy Crab Soup was good but my New England Clam Chowder tasted luke-​warm and from a can. My main dish (Nutty Salmon w/​mushroom ravioli & spinach) wasn’t completely cooked (the salmon) & the mushroom ravioli was dry. Better luck next time…

We came in 15 mins before they were closing. Called in, they said it was okay so we went. Place is a little upscale since, nice American seafood restaurant.
Drinks: pumpkin beer and water both tasted as they should
Appetizers: they give you bread and butter while you’re waiting for your food. Bread was pretty hard or you can think extra crunchy. I had ordered clam chowder soup. Pretty good, came out warm and was creamy. Had a decent amount of clams in it.
Entrees: My bf and I shared the Cioppino. They had split it for us and since we were the last ones there, they gave us extra of what they had in the back. There was so much food and really tasty. I couldn’t finish my half so I had to pack it to go. Had a good amount of everything, if you want a variety of seafood, get this plate. Friends ordered some fish with rice. Didn’t look very exciting and tasted okay.
Service: Since we were the last ones, they did seem a bit annoyed with us, but if they said it was okay for us to come in they shouldn’t take it out on us. Everything came out in a timely manner.

I had & definitely recommend if you go… the fried calamari for an app., and for my entrée Shrimp and Garlic w/​a side of Caesar salad.
My experience:
I had my birthday dinner here, and must say for it being my first time trying out this place I was NOT impressed! We had a party of about 10 people (2 kids included), and out of the 10, 2 of the entrees had to go back… due to them not being edible &/​or cold. The other down fall was that their wasn’t too many appealing entrees to choose from, off the menu especially for the little ones (they always get stuck with the same boring choices) & then to top it all off our waiter seemed like he was «tipsy», and often got «lost»… smh
The one thing that I am happy to say is that they did at least allow us to bring in our own cake to celebrate over! =^)

Wish I could give this location less than 1 star!
Extremely poor service — saw our waitress maybe once from the moment we sat and she took our order.
I ordered the Cioppino. I can sum this dish up in one word: DISGUSTING! I LOVE Cioppino, however, the seafood in WATER they serve here is nowhere near the Cioppino I’m used to.
It’s sad b/​c my experience at the Legal Sea Foods in Chinatown was great… this location however would put anyone off from Legal Seafoods permanently! (I didn’t have the Cioppino in Chinatown so I can’t speak to how good it was there, but I got the catfish dish which was delicious!)

Legal Sea Foods in my opinion is just a step above McCormick and Schmick’s.
I’ve dined at Legal in Boston, Tysons, and now Montgomery Mall. Much to my surprise during our last two visits at Montgomery Mall, my family actually enjoyed their food and service! I wasn’t expecting much in regards to the crab cakes, but the waiter highly recommended it. It was a hit. No fillers and lots of jumbo crab meat with a hint of mustard. The surf and turf and dayboat halibut werealso very good.
This place ain’t cheap, about $ 60 per person for a 3 course meal and one bottle of wine.
Overall, It’s a good place to take your parents and taking a break from shopping while enjoying their happy hour specials.

We went to the one at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, MD. The food was alright. I had the stuffed shrimp and it came with 4 large shrimp stuffed with a heavy stuffing. My husband had the double crab cakes and we ended up switching because I didn’t really enjoy the shrimp. The crab cakes were alright. For the price, we could of gotten more food from Timbuktu. I wouldn’t go there again.

One of my FAVORITE places to go to for seafood and some reliable, fresh, delicious food. I’ve been here more times than I can count and have also gotten their clam chowder and lobsters delivered to my house via their catalog. Carry-​out is also done pretty quickly.
The service can be pretty slow on busy nights, but that is forgivable given that this restaurant is located inside Montgomery Mall and there are usually tons of hungry shoppers on Fri/​Sat/​Sun nights waiting for a table. That being said, the wait staff is polite and prompt from my personal experiences. The food is served quickly and your water cup is always filled.
Agreed with the other reviews to try the calamari — it is DELICIOUS. I am an absolute calamari fiend and must try it at every restaurant I go to, and Legal is no different. They know how to do calamari right. My dad frequents the Mahi Mahi, which he says is delicious… this coming from a guy who usually hates dining out. My mom and I always go for the clam chowder or crab soup, both of which are amazing. I’ve never had a problem with skimping on clams or crab pieces in my soups. Really, almost everything I’ve tried there has been fantastic and always fresh-​tasting. Not much room for error here.
A pretty small space, so large groups will feel a little crowded, but I have seen larger families here (5 – 6 people), and they are seated just fine. Just take note that sometimes the wait will be upwards of 15 – 30 minutes during the dinner rush. Luckily, you can shop while you wait! :)

How unmemorable was my meal at Legal? First, it’s been 2 months and only now do I have motivation to write anything, and that’s only b/​c I have nothing else to review. Second, I’m not even going to use 30% of the character allotment Unilocal allows me for reviews.
Food — MD cream of crab soup ($ 6.95) — ooooo frikkin la! They bring the crab out on a plate and pour the soup from a nice looking container. *yawn* reminds me of putting milk on a Shredded Wheat. The soup was pretty good, however, w/​good-​sized chunks of lump crab meat. Oyster sampler — Meeh. Mahi Mahi ($ 23.95) — served w/​a lone shrimp tail on top (see pics) on a bed of mashed potatoes. Wild Atlantic Salmon ($ 25.95) — couldn’t really tell how wild this salmon was. The mussels were a bit shriveled and the person in our group who ordered the fish & chips was the most satisfied w/​their meal. Portions are a bit measly for the price. Thank goodness there’s a McD’s in the food court.
Location — pretty nice interior. Good for large parties. Saw many families w/​young kids there.
Service — It wasn’t really good and it wasn’t really bad, so let’s just say this place will give you service.
I like the one in China Town, but this place is just ok. Like driving 55mph in the left lane; like clipping your toenails at your office desk; like clogging the toilet chock full of crap and just leaving it for someone else to discover; the sea foods here are legal, but that doesn’t mean they’re very good.