OK - Where is the best restaurant for lobster in Boston? I'm not looking for the ambiance or the most expensive place, just a good tasting lobster. We're there just a day and a half and staying on Tremont ST.

In addition to Legal Seafood, you could try to more casual places - Jasper White's Summer Shack and the Barking Crab. Summer Shack is in the Back Bay just off Boyleston St. Barking Crab is on the waterfront heading toward South Boston.

If you go for the Barking Crab, take a cab to get there. We tried walking and landed up in the middle of a building site!

Legal and the Barking Crab are like chalk and cheese. Legal is all smooth and comfortable, pretty much the same whichever branch you go to. The Barking Crab is much more local. As a Brit who is not used to getting seafood this good/fresh (don't ask me why, we have enough coast....) both seemed great to me. I'd especially recommend the Barking Crab in summer.

I was over last week and in Boston for 1 night, luckily my clients chose to go to Legal, and I thought the lobster (which I had with clams) was great.

For total freshness - you can't beat Legal - but you'll pay dearly for it. Drive to Ipswich and eat at Woodman's - worth the ride.

If you're in Boston just a day and a half, don't drive to Woodman's. Go to Legal Seafoods.

My vote is for Summer Shack in Cambridge. It is at northern end of MBTA Red line (Alewife) and just a short walk across a parking lot from there. They have these huge lobster tanks in the middle of the restaurant and big cauldrons into which they put mesh bags with a calmbake (or you can just get the lobster). Atmosphere is very informal - booths or tables. Excellent other seafood and one of the few places I feel safe eating raw shellfish (clams, oysters) if that is your thing.

There is a Summer Shack in Boston too (I googled it to get a menu ...you sure made it sound good! )

Boston telephone 617-867-9955

50 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, across from the Sheraton Hotel entrance and the Hynes Auditorium. Upstairs from Kings Bowling Alley.

You can't beat Legals for freshness and quality. It's one of a small number of places where I feel 100%confident eating raw shellfish--their testing standards are just so stringent. The LongWharf location is one of my favorites (on the water next to the New England Aquarium), but the Prudential Legals just reopened after a complete renovation (haven't been in yet).
Summer Shack is also a good choice. Jasper just opened another location at Logan Airport at the Delta Terminal for anyone flying in or out on Delta.
Personally, I would avoid the Barking Crab. It's less expensive but they've had sanitation issues in the past (they were closed down for a while), and, IMHO, you get what you pay for.

My house! You can wipe your hands on your clothes! Seriously, I get a kick out of the best lobster questions all over New England. Lobster is lobster. It's just a question of what you want to pay and ambiance figures majorly into the price. CVan't really advise bcs I never order it out, just have it at home for special occasions.