Take the subway. Trust me. There is NO VALET and you could be driving down side streets for hours, unless you wanted to pay a steeper garage fee. Take the subway to the Haymarket stop on the Orange line. It's a 5 minute walk to Salem Street (the heart of the North End) from there.
PAYMENT
POPULAR DISH
The draw of Neptune Oyster is the raw bar. Daily specials are in abundance and the shellfi sh platters are some of the freshest I have ever tasted. And that's coming from a son of seafood chefs.
UNIQUE DISH
The Maine lobster roll is the star at Neptune Oyster. This little guy (I should NOT say is little because it's packed with lobster meat) is what a New England lobster roll should taste like. And if that wasn't it, the folks at Neptune serve this either cold (with mayo) or hot (with butter), your choice!The Maine lobster roll is the star at Neptune Oyster. This little guy (I should NOT say is little because it's packed with lobster meat) is what a New England lobster roll should taste like. And if that wasn't it, the folks at Neptune serve this either cold (with mayo) or hot (with butter), your choice!
DRINKS
Wine (great wine list!); Beer
SEATING
Only 30 seats or so, including the bar. Very small. You may have to wait a bit for a table.
AMBIENCE/CLIENTELE
Neptune Oyster reminds me of Paris. It's simple and very pleasant even though it's a bit cramped amongst the tiled fl oor with mirrors and white tile on the walls and marble table
tops. The staff here was exceptionally helpful when it came to raw bar and champagne pairings and were very knowledgeable about the inside workings of the menu and were very enthusiastic about welcoming us and suggesting the special fl avors of the day we'd most likely be in the mood for.
Extras/Notes
Neptune is more than a great oyster bar. There are many outstanding creative Italian dishes such as Cioppino (a spicy and involved tomato soup with fish and saffron rice), there are Scallop entrees, fried oyster Po'Boy's, salmon fi llets, fried clam plates and anything else you could ever dream of.
As a bonus Neptune Oyster cooks creatively, not being afraid to use bold fl avors, even though their seafood is so fresh I'd eat it off the fl oor (especially the Wellfl eets!). In my opinion this (expensive) Oyster house beats B&G Oysters hands down as the most savory oyster house in Boston.
