Legal Sea Foods – Harborside

Legal Sea Foods – Harborside

Specializing in upmarket seafood, this contemporary chain also serves steaks & cocktails. The brand Legal Sea Foods was born in 1950 with the Berkowitz family opening of a fish market in the Inman Square neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. At that time there was also a related family business adjacent to the market, a grocery store, known as Legal Cash Market, where customers were given “Legal Stamps” (forerunners of S&H green stamps) with their purchases. It’s here that the “Legal” name became synonymous with quality and freshness.

In 1968, the first Legal Sea Foods restaurant opened, right next to the fish market. The fish was simply prepared, either broiled or fried, and served on paper plates at communal picnic tables. Despite the low-key trappings, the food was second to none and word quickly spread. This early success led to further expansion; and, ultimately led PPX Hospitality Brands (another Boston-based restaurant company and the parent company to Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group Inc.) to acquire the corporate facility (Quality Control Center) and 23 restaurants as of December 2020.

Today, the Company maintains its commitment to quality standards, freshness, and the integrity behind the entire pier-to-plate process. We continue to reach for higher standards to set the brand apart from the competition by focusing on people (our employees and guests) and excellence in all that we do. So, when we say, “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal!,” we renew a commitment that has sustained the brand for over a half-century.