Legal Sea Foods

“The calamari, Rhode Island style with peppers and garlic, was excellent and the spice cut the fried breading well.”

“Most impressive to me was the fact that they actually ask about allergies.”

“Happy hour but ordered the Steamers x2, Weee 'twas fulfilling with the happy hour menus..”

Legal Sea Foods

Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes

Price range.

$$$ Price range $31-60

8 reviews

  1. So I thought this was going to be a bad experience because it was Mother's Day weekend. Well, I was wrong! We had made reservations and were seated within five minutes of showing up….so far so good. The waitress was really nice and very attentive to our presence. Ordered a few drinks, studied the menu, came to a conclusion. Appetizer time comes around, I get mine, my guest didn't get hers. She has some allergies, they went over everything and "no soup for you"!! So instead of informing us that the soup wasn't served because of allergy concerns, they just didn't do anything. The waitress was very apologetic and then the manager comes over. He seemed less than thrilled to be there and I can't blame him, it's Mother's Day weekend. He explains that because of allergy concerns they didn't serve it. My guest explains that she has had the soup before and it's not a problem. I'm not sure why that got lost in translation. Eventually the soup came out and they comped it because of the screw up. Dinner went off without a hitch, but a minor hiccup turned into a huge production. Will definitely go again, but perhaps on a more mellow evening.

  2. Ambiance/Decor/Atmosphere: I find the decor to be a bit strange; it's nautical in theme but also tackily diner like with slight upscale hints.  Nonetheless, the atmosphere is still more appealing than other restaurants and is fun in nature.

    Noise/sound level: Legal Seafood is relatively large and decently popular in the mall so it might get busy from time to time.  But, the sound level is not disconcerting if you're out for an intimate moment with a date or spouse.

    Menu: About medium sized and strategically centered on seafood…obviously with some grill options for the non-fish eaters out there.  Most of the items have been done before, but there are a few eclectic items to peak someone's interest.

    Service: The service was pretty attentive, friendly, warm, and informative.  The service staff also utilizes technology to assist with paying the bill which slightly speeds up check out.  Ticket times were fair, not too long, but not rushed either which is probably a good thing considering how much money you're going to spend.  

    Food: I had cioppino which I found to be really nice.  The broth was seasoned well, and there was plenty of fish in the bowl.  I had this over rice as opposed to pasta.  Out of three different places this was not the best, but not the worst.  I would however eat it again.

    Bar: Full.  Pretty strong list of craft and Belgian beers available if you like that kind of stuff.

    Price: Quite expensive for a chain restaurant, whether or not the food is frozen or fresh.  Expect to pay about $100 for food and drinks for two people.

    Overall: Despite being a chain restaurant it's a pretty good place for tasty fish options.  I've only been twice so subsequent visits would assist me in determining how much fresh food is used over frozen.  Like in Bonefish's case; how many years can you serve the same side dish before it's out of season or should be changed???

  3. I came here with my husband on a Saturday night. We were in the area and this was the only place that was willing to take us without reservations. We had steamers as a starter and they were good and I have no cons for them. For entree I had the crab cakes which did not taste fresh. My husband had the lobster ravioli which he thought were good but pretty average. A positive benefit this place has a bar. Overall we were disappointed and probably will not go back.

  4. Went here on an outing with my aunt for a belated birthday dinner. I was craving seafood and it had been a while. I liked that this place was never too packed and had very good food in past visits. Our waiter was very nice just on a little bit too on us to get our order I which was a bit of pain bc I hadn't seen my aunt in a while and we were trying to catch up. For an appetizer we ordered the original calamari. I wanted to get the spicy one but my aunt didn't so we go that. My aunt requested that they don't give us the little funky looking ones with the legs and the waiter said that was fine. So we got our calamari and it was pretty good.  Not stringy nice and light with lemon and sauce. NO LEGS! The I ordered the Legal's Signature Crab Cake Combo which had one jumbo lump crab cake, grilled shrimp and scallops mustard sauce, seasonal salad The crab cake was awesome lots of flavor and no hint of breadcrumbs. The texture was very smooth as if the bread crumbs were put into a blender. I liked it. The crab meat itself was sweet and a nice portion of actual crab with the other ingredients. The scallops were a little bland. The shrimp had a zesty seasoning on it. The only thing I didn't like was that the food was served a la carte. The portion was also small I think It was 3 shrimp two scallops and a small crab cake with  5  pieces of lettuce for $30 I was expecting more food on my plate then that. We had skipped the bread basket bc we figured we would be stuffed from all the food, but that wasn't the case. I also was planning on getting a cup of clam chowder bc its PHENOMINAL there. Probably one of the best I have ever had. My aunt had the Jumbo lump crabmeat appetizer for $15.50, which was a joke bc there was nothing jumbo about it… It was a small, small portion and she was still hungry. The waiter went and did something pretty nice for me though, he knew it was my birthday and brought me dessert on the house. They were like little chocolate bon bon's with vanilla ice cream in the middle. So that was nice bc I was still hungry. Overall food is good, but pricey, service is spotty, ambiance is decent and don't come starving unless you plan on spending over $50 a person for dinner. I will be back for the chowder or if I win the lotto….

  5. I went there on a weekend late dinner. I was very skeptical because I'm not a big fan of franchise restaurants. I was Just expecting to have a good time with my friends. We ordered bottle of wine and steamers(longneck clams), crab cake, salad, New England clam chowder, fish and chips and fried calamari. It was all appetizer menu but the portions were appropriate for us. I was already full with appetizer size steamers(longneck clams) and clam chowder.
    Service was impeccable. Restaurant wasn't busy due to weather and late time. But our server Jennifer was very efficient  and gave us a great service.
    Our food were decent but fish&chips were just so so. Didn't like batter and texture when I chew. We didn't try main dinner menu but generally a bit pricey.

  6. Definitely one of the better branches for Legal Seafoods. Why? Freshness for one but the prime reason would be:

    SERVICE. My boyfriend and I came here yesterday for dinner. We were somewhat torn about a couple of the things on the menu and had a few questions about what was included in a TREASURES OF THE REEF raw bar platter. We have had it once before but didn't recall what exactly was given. Our server had mention clams as part of the platter which we weren't a fan of, and our server said that she would double check if substitutions could be made. In the end they were and we had successfully eaten everything on the platter.

    What I too also liked was at the end of our meal, she brought out warm wet naps that had lemon juice squeezed all over them, and had squeezed lemons into our hands before giving us our wet naps. It was a lovely touch.

    Sadly I had failed to get our server's name, nor did she mention it to us when she had first greeted us.

  7. They always have fresh seafood and catches of the day, which is awesome. The staff is always friendly and attentive.

    The food is alright. The lobster bisque is always amazing. Most of their appetizers and sides are really great.

    The lobster ravioli I had was alright. The sauce was supposed to be a little spicy but it wasn't. I often find their other main dishes just alright. Not out of this world amazing but pretty decent. I sometimes find it a bit bland sadly.

    It is a bit pricey though but look around, it's a nice establishment. Though, often other clientele don't treat it that way as evidenced by the crying 5 year old behind me whining and complaining.

  8. I felt like seafood and this was the suggested restaurant. Went here for lunch on 10/7. I was a little concern due to the poor reviews. But I was pleasantly surprised and had a great lunch. The place was empty at around 12:30pm. We were seated right away.
    Ambience: great place for a business lunch. Pretty quiet overall.
    Service: was fair. Server came around and took our order. Food came out at a decent pace (prob cuz the place was empty). Once the food was brought out, he pretty much disappeared. Drinks were refilled once.
    Food: I was pretty happy with the food. I started out with the clam chowder. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad. It had a ton of clams in it. I then had the jumbo shrimp. It came with 5-6 large shrimps. You can't really go wrong with jumbo shrimp. But the climax of the meal was my lobster roll. The only one I can compare it to was the rolls I had from Boston and this was came really close to topping it. Tons of lobster meat that were cut into nice size (big). Not drench with mayo so you can still taste the sweet goodness of the lobster. The roll was also nice, soft, And buttery. I would have loved to have ordered another one.

    All in all, a great lunch. I would return.

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Garden State Plaza Boulevard 1
Paramus 07652 NJ US
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Monday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Tuesday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Thursday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Friday, 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Saturday, 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Sunday, 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm