Anthony's Pier 4 Restaurant

-very simple agreed upon arrangements made with the event planner for our small wedding dinner were completely ignored by the management on site more

Recently...May 2011....our party of 13 shared an afternnon dinner at Pier 4......The food was o.k..... a bit high priced for what you got.....service was o.k...nothing exceptional.....One of two waiters, the senior one who presented us with the bill.....was totally out of line + obnoxious in doing so. Insisted on a 20% tip counting sales tax as part of the bill..........Wouldn't leave my side while I was figuring out who owed what.....He took our credit cards + cash, came back + said we were short $20....I reminded him that the tip at 20% of the bill, not including tax....which he wanted to include......I paid him his 20% not incl.tax amount.........Later I realized that he pressured me to tip 20%...and that restaurant policy left it up to the customers as to what tip to leave.......WATCH OUT FOR THIS GUY IF YOU GO THERE.........he damaged an otherwise o.k. time....a special occasion for someone we were there for...... He's an older waiter, who upon presenting us with the check, was pushy as all hell!..........He ought to be talked to about this + set straight, and cut out the strong-arming tactics! His actions leaves a bad taste behind. more

Albanian hospitality is evident at Pier 4. The food, service, and ambience are very appealing. The lobster bisque was amazing. The stuffed lobster was scrumptious and delectable with enough moisture in each bite to make me savor each morsel. The bread, and soufle were served fresh and represent what I consider to be that extra effort that true restaurants should take to make the dining experience more pleasurable. The Lobster tank and memorabilia were very entertaining. It is clear that the class and charm in this family has been passed down for three generations and the traditions remain strong. I can't wait to return. It was expensive, but worth every dollar. more

The food was fabulous. I recommend the lobster special and always the fresh sea food specials. Anthony's is an iconic Boston restaurant. If you are ever passing through the city you must stop by for at least a cup of chowder and a fresh warm popover. I LOVED IT Pros: Great dinning atmosphere that overlooks the harbor more

This place is terribly over-priced and the management is quite unfriendly. The wait staff seemed ok but I felt bad for how they were treated. It seemed as if they were not happy with their jobs. This is supposed to be a must see attraction for people visiting Boston but it just an expensive, cheesy tourist trap. The food was pretty good but definitely not worth it. Pros: food is pretty good Cons: Over-priced more

I had a surprise birthday dinner of 20+ people at Anthony's. My waiter was a petite man with white hair who had the personality of a wet blanket. He acted as if we were imposing on his time. He didn't even tell me whether or not a salad came with my lobster - I had to ask! The waiter never returned to our table to ask how my food was. The food was good, but not great - and certainly not worth high price. The decor was stuffy and outdated. Staff surrounded our table staring at us and making us feel awkward. When I crossed over the ""bridge"" near the front desk I had at least 5 male staff standing around staring at me and making me feel uncomfortable. At the end of the night, the staff gave up on serving my party water. Since the heat was turned up so high, everyone was warm and thirsty. I actually had to get up and start pouring my guests water - and no staff offered to assist me!! The worst part of the night was when the waitress asked one of my guests why the tip was less than their ""expected"" $200. I had to wait around for my guests to figure out who had to pitch in more money to please this arrogant and unprofessional staff. A famous restaurant that I used to enjoy growing up is now, sadly, forever in my past. Pros: Great view and tasty popovers Cons: Rude Service - over-priced everything! more

We wanted to have a nice meal on an early Saturday evening, remembering old good times at the Restaurant. more

Spectacular view is about all Anthony's Pier has left. People need to get over what it ""once was"". I'm sure they have their moments when food and service is impeccable but a place such as that for it's money and potential should be consistent. As a former restuarant manager and a dining out expert, I felt our server was horrendous and was annoyed to see us coming in from theTrade Center home show. I had never felt a server to acually dislike me. It was off peak hours and very quiet so I usually don't expect as much ""ambiance"" but for 3 servers, breadboy, host and chef to be all lined up staring at all the tables was awkward. Also for not having much to do, our server never once did a check back. The worst part was, the crabcakes were tasteless and the fried oysters were heavy and stunk. I was envious of the table next to us who did have a friendly server. more

I just completed the review about my first date at Pier 4 40 years ago!! Then I read the negative reviews ! I have always found the waitsraff attentive and the fish outstanding. If the Bisque is not hot enough they immediately correct it. No restaurant is perfect but these nrlegative opinions do not do justic to this great restaurant. Yes, it is a very big restaurant and not as crowded as it was 40 years ago when there were Lin lines to get in. But I kind of like a restaurant that is accessible with plenty of parking without the clatter of dishes and cacaphony of sound in upscale trendy restaurants such as Legal Seafood! My family won't go to Legal Seafood anymore after several undercooked and very bad experiences. I hope this helps some folks to at least give Pier 4 a try. more

I went to Anthony's Pier 4 for lunch with my husband and 2 kids and expected a great experience, but instead were greatly disappointed, even angry for spending $110 on a lunch no portion of which tasted half decent. Clam chowder was clearly out of a can and arrived to the table cold. Kids pasta was so bland they would not touch it after a few bites. Sashimi plate had old pieces of salad in it and the fish itself appeared to be cut by a plastic knife - just didn't look professional. A side dish of asparagus was overcooked and came with a disgusting tasting hollandaise sauce. Cajin Tuna was ok, but nothing special. Pros: There are no pros. Cons: below average food; way way over priced more

You must stop at Peir 4. If you want to escape the new world of hurry up and eat so you can leave. Fine dinning for many years with great seafood. Everyone who gives this place a bad review doesn't know good dining. MUST GO!!!!! Pros: Good parking, great dining, good time. Cons: Old fashion dinning..... con more

THE RESTAURANT HAVE A NICE VIEW AND LOCATION, BUT BESIDE THAT EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE more

I had very high expectations about my first dinner at Anthony's Pier 4. I thought it was Boston's premier seafood restaurant, but was very disappointed. The decor was nice, but clearly outdated and poorly maintained. The restaurant was nearly empty and my party of six had a reservation, yet we had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. The waitstaff was friendly, but not very attentive to detail as they brought my father clam chowder instead of the fish chowder he ordered and included fried clams, which weren't listed, in the fisherman's platter. The bisque I ordered was cool upon arrival. My sister and I ordered a half-dozen oysters for an appetizer and were disgusted to find the remains of an eaten cocktail shrimp in the tray that carried the accompanying sauces. Finally, my meal (clams linguini) was under-portioned AND there were two small circular pieces of paper in my dish that must have been from the top of a wine bottle. Overall I have to say that the food was way over-priced and lacking the quality I expected from a restaurant that holds itself in such high regard (don't be fooled by their website). We should have gone to Legal. Pros: Barstaff and view of the waterfront Cons: Price, food quality more

What a prime piece of real estate! What a shame the experience was not as prime! To put it bluntly ..This place needs an entire new staff and a good Chef & it would be fabulous!. The picture they show here is not the way it looks today. The Nastalgia is great but every waiter had to be 60 plus in years and that wouldn't be bad if they could speak english and had a personality. Their uniforms didn't fit and looked sloppy not to mention looked like they have not ever been washed . I would expect more for my dollar.I didn't see one waiter or waitress smile the entire time I was there, in fact NO staff member smiled and made you feel invited. It was very uncomfortable. The food was way over priced considering the quality. I could get a better meal at Long Horns! The owner clearly needs to walk thru Abe & Loui's or Grill 23 or any other quality restaurant in the city and look around at the staff and the menu prices and the service and see the quality meal you can get for the same price that they are charging at Peir 4 for a medioker at best meal. more

TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS! Pier 4 was recommended to us by friends. We made a reservation for a window seat, party of 8 three weeks prior. At that time, we were told that it was not a problem. Upon arrival the initial two of our party informed the hose of our arrival. He asked them to wait in the bar until our entire party arrived. She (my mother) then confirmed that we were getting our window seat as reserved....he promised a ""good view"" of which she then was more stern and requested our window seat. He dismissed her like she was someone who didn't deserve her attention. After our party of 8 was there - they did seat up promptly, however, the host kept looking over with a smug look. No sooner did we sit down were menu's handed to us and a drink order taken. Before the drinks were delivered another server came over and asked to take our order. Approx 2 minutes after sitting. It was an apparent move to rush us - even though 90% of the tables were vacant. I am not an aficionado of restaurants, but so far - I was not happy at all. We had two waiters and a bus boy. Both waiters were glum and older....the older I don't mind, but lacked personality completely. Almost as if they were upset they had to work. That was the feeling all through dinner. Pros: The View and plenty of parking! Cons: Host(s) are arrogant and not helpful, Staff awful. Saw one waiter swearing about losing a table! more

Anthony's Pier four is by far one of the best restaraunts I have ever been to. My boyfriend took me there for our anniversary and it was amazing. We sat near the waterfront and our view of the lit-up boston skyline was so romantic. When we went it was end of summer and they were running a 3course special which we both got. We ordered lobster bisque (fantastic), filet migneon and desert. All delicious. Our waiter was more than accomodating and was extremely polite. It was awesome when you walked in to see all the pictures of famous people that have visited the restaraunt. After, seeing the reviews I am in shock. Yes, Anthony's Pier Four is on the pricier side, but its higher class dining, what do you expect? I think the other people that reviewed this should go to a Bertuccis or something. That seems to be more their kind of restaraunt. I highly, highly recommend Anthony's Pier Four to anyone willing to spend more money for high class dining. Anthony's is truely a wonderful experience! Pros: food, parking, view, service Cons: you have to request a window seat when you get there and can't do it in advance more

Worst dining experience ever, surroundings were shabby and outdated. Dishes and glassware dated. Waiter at next table was loud , rude and totally inappropriate. Food however was the key complaint, it was appalling. Flavor of the bouillabaisse was quite the worst thing I have eaten, flavor gross and quite nauseating, even the side dish of asparagus was vile. For the four of us in the party only the lobster bisque was in any way appetizing. This establishment is over priced, over hyped and we would thoroughly recommend avoiding this restaurant as a place to go in Boston. Pros: Harbor view and the Lobster bisque Cons: Rest of the menu more

Meal was very good. View was excellent of the harbor. The entertainment was disgusting. A bus boy, man, was clearing a table and a waiter started to curse him, stupid, dumb and then the swearing came out in hearing range of about 4-5 tables of people. Another waiter got the manager and he came over and apologized to a table with two people who said they were ready to leave. I motioned for him to come to my table and told him for a so called high class restaurant it was embarrassing and derogatory to have a waiter talk down to this bus boy, man, and in front of my wife and others to see & hear loud enough for others to hear and for no reason in this place. He apologized and walked away. I was caught off guard and talked to the manager after I ate and told him in baseball they eject the player, he said, well I wasn?t going to send him home in the middle of his shift. If he was a real manager he should have had the waiter apologize to the bus boy, man and customers then sent home. I said I would be sending the owners a little note hoping they would fire both the waiter and manager. They bus boy, man, should have been rewarded as the busboy said or did nothing except finish cleaning other tables. I?d like to see what a restaurant like at the four seasons would have done. I?m sure both the waiter and the manager would have been fired on the spot. So if you don?t like swearing while eating or belittling another employee and the manager doing nothing, avoid Anthony?s at all cost. I?ve been to Anthony?s numerous times for over 40 years but this is it. It shows that they just don?t get it. ALso, there is no contact on their website except to make a reservation or banquet appointment. Fuuny isn't it, only one I've seen like that. Like I said they still don't get it after all these years. Kind of goes with some of the other reviews. Pros: View and food Cons: Waiter and Manager more

Yesterday my mother and I went to lunch at Anthony's Pier 4. It appears as if the restaurant may have been a decent place many years ago but has completely come into disrepair at some point. We were promptly sat at a pretty good table, so no issues there but our waiters uniform was covered in food stains- and not as if he had just spilled something, I mean it looked as if it hadn't been washed in months.. if ever. He was unpleasant and spoke to us as if we owed him something. When he brought our raw bar appetizer (2 shrimp and 4 oysters for $20) he also brought a plate of mushrooms in some sort of oil (not sure what they were for) and proceeded to spill the oil all over the table with no appology. Pros: Seafood Cons: Everything more

The owner was more than welcoming and the food was incredible. Yes it is upscale but that's the charm that made it famous. If you're looking for a cheap, casual meal this isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for great fresh food (a little pricey) I highly recommend it. The raw cherry stone clams on the half shell were some of the best that I've ever had (and I've been eating them since I was little) and the scallops were cooked to perfection with a great simple sauce. The waiter was not only friendly but also informative. Anthony's Pier 4 has an expectation of its customers coming dressed appropriately because it is not a fast food restaurant. Although it isn't as popular as it used to be, the food and service are as good as ever. (fun fact: It is the only restaurant to ever be spoofed on SNL) Pros: the freshness and quality of the food Cons: it isn't a restuarant that you can go to every night more