Insider Pages Reviews for Summer Shack

5 Stars: SPRING SOUP=Amazing (by foodislove)

foodislove — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:00:00 GMT

you must try the split pea corn chowder soups...half of the bowl is filled with each soup...you can mix or have one at a time...anyway its inventive and it tastes amazing. i had it tonight and i am def going back.

4 Stars: Loved it!! (by CSMobileUser)

CSMobileUser — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:00:00 GMT

I love this place soooo much, I'm not really a seafood lover but after coming here, that changed. If your in Boston and looking for good, quality food, Summer Shack is the place to go!

4 Stars: great (by Jerome B.)

Jerome B. — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:31:00 GMT

The chicken here was cooked to perfection. In addition to that, the prices were not hefty at all. I left this restaurant stuffed, and completely satisfied!

1 Stars: horrible restaurant (by Sarita8219)

Sarita8219 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:00:00 GMT

i was recently vacationing in boston when we decided to get some oysters at the summer shack. being from texas i couldn't wait to get some amazing oysters...i did NOT find anything amazing here. I was starving when we arrived and i was Starving when we left. Yet, i still managed to spend 40 dollars. I shared a dozen oysters for 33 dollars and only ate 3. I consider myself an oyster lover and do not mind at all to pay for good food but i definitely had the hardest time paying for this awful dinner. I ordered the shrimp salad and could not even eat it, i had 4 of my friends taste it to see if maybe i was being picky. They thought it was just as disgusting. All in all definitely the worst food i have probably ever eaten.... or not eaten??? Stay away from this restaurant, it was obviously empty for a reason.

blah!

5 Stars: good food, good service! (by ll268)

ll268 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:00:00 GMT

we had a wonderful lunch at the summer shack this past sunday while taking an early drive. it was a great choice. service was on point... fast, friendly, and relaxed. the bermudian fish chowder, pan roasted lobster and crab club sandwich... all were excellent.... fish in the soup was fresh and abundant, the lobster in herbed butter sauce was succulent, and the crab in the sandwich was sweet & plentiful. even the bartender was on point..... the mango mohitos were really good! great simple seafood, relaxed atmosphere, all done well.

1 Stars: Horrible Service (by bostonhorns)

bostonhorns — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

After several favorable reviews on the Phantom Gourmet, we decided to take a walk to the Boston Summer Shack. It took us two hours to get our clams, lobster roll and burger. The bartender/waiter was disinterested, and complained of is woes on graduation weekend. The clams were ok. The burger was great! The lobster roll was the smallest I have ever had. There is no way it had the meat from a one pound lobster in it. We won't be running back.

1 Stars: Terrible food - over cooked and over priced (by johnodoyle)

johnodoyle — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 01:00:00 GMT

December 2007. We came as a party of over 20, and every aspect of the dinner was terrible. Cold soup, overcooked appetizers, incorrect meals. The main dishes were all overcooked. Most of the clams and mussels in my meal were empty, and those that were in their poor shell were cooked beyond recognition.. They were rubbery, and full of sand. The lobster was cooked normally, but for $36, this meal was pitiful. Five of us got this, and all were dried out the same. All of the fish plates were overcooked. Desserts were microwaved and burnt (peach crisp). Really, the only good thing here was the beer, bread and pudding dessert - all things not made by them. Service was via college kids, who didnt care, and rarely came by the tables. The cooking staff were throwing things in the kitchen. What a disappointment, I will never go there again. You can eat better at Legal's, and the prices are cheaper! Dont even go here for a drink, go next door to Bukowski's. This is possibly the worse restaurant I have ever been to, its actually comical how bad the food was. What a waste of good crustaceans.

5 Stars: Great Customer Service (by gretski)

gretski — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 01:00:00 GMT

After an VERY disapointing experince at Kings, my party of 25 was able to be quickly seated, and given free appetizers! Excellent food and drinks- The special Apple Spice Martini was great. The menu had something for everyone- even our non-fisheating friends! Our waitress was great. Everything at Summer Shack was a positive experince!
Will be returning there very soon!

1 Stars: NOT GOOD...AVOID !!! (by Wackynutty)

Wackynutty — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Tourist Trap.. We went there for lunch one afternnon. The waiter actually was tucking in his shirt as we placed our order
Food was Dry and portions were small not to say over-over priced
ahnd did I say Over Priced.
Just NOT a GOOD PLACE

3 Stars: i can not have enough of the shack-o (by vz847)

vz847 — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 01:00:00 GMT

i go to the shack-o almost every friday or saturday it is such a good place to go hang out and have drinks and some oyster...i love there work shirts and how friendly they are. especialy moy boy jordan...

4 Stars: whole belly clams yum! (by beansbean)

beansbean — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:00:00 GMT

a little on the expensive side, but their whole belly clams are to die for. it's a little fancy, at odds with the people with bibs and hammers and paper table cloths. A fun place to go to with friends though, and prompt service. their fish is okay, but their clams, lobster and crabs are way better!

5 Stars: Pan-Roasted Lobster To Die For! (by dougj33)

dougj33 — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 02:00:00 GMT

Great seafood and fun, too! Take time to watch the cooks do their thing. We'll make it a regular stop on all our Boston trips.

5 Stars: Mmmm... lobster! (by experiencer)

experiencer — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 02:00:00 GMT

Summer Shack is a great place to go whether you are looking for casual seafood or the cream of the crop. They have a huge selection of oysters, great lobsters available in 4 different sizes and a very fun atmosphere. It is a great place for groups, parties and kids. The wait can be long at times so be sure to make a reservation.

5 Stars: Great place! (by jameshoskins1)

jameshoskins1 — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

As tourists to Boston attending a medical conference in June, 2005, we tried as many restaurants as we could during our four day stay in the Back Bay area. We also had our 4 year old twins in tow, so we were able to test the "family friendliness" of each place we dined. The summer shack was the best seafood we had while in boston. I had the broiled scrod. Also recommended are the corn, fried clams, and baked beans. Fantastic!

5 Stars: Great Food, great atmosphere! (by kwinter74)

kwinter74 — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

Fun place for family and friends. Friendly staff. Great food!

5 Stars: seafood at its best (by letseatalot)

letseatalot — Fri, 27 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

Some friends and I recently ate at the Summer Shack. I had passed by the restaurant several times and never stopped in, I'm glad I finally did. The place has a very fun and lively atmosphere. The servers were outfitted in brightly colored logo tshirts that had clever sayings on them. The food is why I am taking the time to write this. It was sooo good. I consider myself a bit of a seafood snob, I am rather critical of seafood quality and freshness. Everything we had: oysters on the halfshell, softshell crabs, shad roe, fried clams, grilled salmon & halibut were all wonderful. The only thing that was sub par was a salad with too much dressing. I can't wait to go back, we had a great time and a great meal.

5 Stars: Flawless (by hugneville)

hugneville — Fri, 27 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

We visited the Summer Shack for lunch for a graduation celebration, and our lunch was perfect. From the exceptional service, to the always exquisite food and the happy surroundings, it was flawless. Our group was composed of people from all corners of the country, and all ages -- we were thrilled to be able to introduce everyone to Jasper's magic. I must say, as a longtime patron, Summer Shack is consistently wonderful.

5 Stars: Pleasing the boss (by kennedymissy)

kennedymissy — Thu, 26 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

I recently had my CEO in-town and was perplexed where to take him for dinner. He typically only eats at the fanciest of restaurants and has a negative comment about any new restaurant. After a long day at a downtown tradeshow, I was too exhausted to spend hours working through a Mortons-meal. Staying at the nearby Hilton, I brought him over to the Summer Shack thinking we could get a quick bite and I could be back in my bed in no-timebut once we got there and started to order apps and oysters we were having a ton of fun and thoroughly enjoying the food. He had tuna and I had the pan-roasted lobster which was amazing! He always stays at the Hilton and based upon his remarks that night, Mr. Scrooge will be spending a lot of time at the Shack on future trips.

5 Stars: Highly recommended!!! (by mary9jane)

mary9jane — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 01:00:00 GMT

The food was awesome!! I wanted to lick the plate after eating the pan roasted lobster - the sauce is to die for!! My friend had the yellowfin tuna special, which he ordered rare since it was sushi-grade, and it was delicious! The fish was super fresh and the soy/wasabi sauce they served it with was great. The ambiance is fun, casual, and relaxed and the staff was very accommodating, friendly, and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't already!! Also, I noticed that some people complained about prices/portions but I thought the portions were just fine and of course fresh seafood is a bit more expensive than frozen - I'd rather pay a few extra dollars for high end quality seafood - if you don't, then go to red lobster!

2 Stars: Staff, (by stopmenot2002)

stopmenot2002 — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 01:00:00 GMT

I went to this place twice, because i thought it's a nice place to go, Seafoood is ok, But the Waiter staff aren't helpful, they Ignored us everytime we went, they'll bring you food but after that they just disappear even though they are not busy. Unfriendly Atmospere., Bad service.

5 Stars: summer shack (by jaden)

jaden — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 02:00:00 GMT

I've eaten at the summer shack in CT.numerous times I just happend to be in the boston area on business. I've had so many enjoyable dinners in CT. I deceided to eat in one of the boston rest and was pleased to know that the same quality of food and service was above and beyond my expectations. I have and will recommend this rest to all of my co workers and friends great concept jasper.

4 Stars: High-end shack (by rantipole)

rantipole — Wed, 17 Sep 2003 02:00:00 GMT

I've been to the Back Bay Shack twice within the last month (Sept 2003). There is no "window service". The table seating was comfortable. Service was friendly and mostly efficient both times. One time, the oysters took a little too long to come out, but the waiter was apologetic, and they threw in an extra oyster for me. I found the prices to be reasonable for high-quality seafood. Sometimes people forget that good seafood is costs more than other foods, and so complain about the price. (Still, there are exceptions here: the oysters are slightly pricey, and a scallop special I had was a bit much.) The "clam bake" (I forget what it was called on the menu) at around $25 was an incredible deal. The "spicy and greasy" calamari is the best I've had anywhere, including places which have charged a lot more. I will definitely go back.

5 Stars: different atmosphere (by guess12338)

guess12338 — Sat, 12 Jul 2003 02:00:00 GMT

for now on i hope they don't swith self service to full service any more . i went there when they were self service and i didn't like the place at all ,but i tried the full service. like i did in cambridge . the wait staff showed that they knew it pretty much the menu. for now on after the second try i'll be always at the summer shack in boston . AWSOME I LOVE THE PAN ROASTED LOBSTER !

you need to try once !

5 Stars: fun fun fun (by yeeha)

yeeha — Thu, 22 May 2003 02:00:00 GMT

If only the ocean splashed at the door this place would be perfect. The staff is fun and energetic, and jasper has done it again w/ this clam shack in a concrete jungle. the prices are out of this world for the quality of live & fresh cut seafood. The prices are right and it is fun to go to the window and order the food. I went before a baseball game. The food was fast and it wasn't as crowded as by Fenway.

2 Stars: I don't understand the hype. (by lagemann)

lagemann — Sun, 18 May 2003 02:00:00 GMT

Went to Summer Shack for Mother's Day. We expected lively ambiance, but could have done without the uncomfortable bench seating. Thats OK at a place where fish and chips cost $5, not $15. We ordered Halibut with "red pepper and mango oil," Jerk Salmon, and "Jasper's Pan Roasted Lobster." Halibut was nothing more than a grilled fillet topped with diced mango- OK, but not worth the $18. The salmon was dry as a shoe sole! Overdone by at least 5 minutes, and the "jerk" was weak. Terrible. Pan roasted lobster was good, however the server mistakenly told us that the lobster was shelled, which it wasn't. It came cut up into 6 pieces, and we were left to crack the claws and knuckles covered in gooey brandy/butter sauce- very messy! Overall, we weren't impressed and won't go back- countless places with better seafood at better prices all over NE.

5 Stars: Don't Miss It! (by stargirll)

stargirll — Thu, 01 May 2003 02:00:00 GMT

I ate at Summer Shack last week and the food was great. If you're not a seafood lover, definitely try the chicken fingers, they're not greasy at all. The staff was super-friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. Don't leave without trying the fries!