Best of Boston

2001 Best Seafood Restaurant, Affordable

The Barking Crab

Down East meets downtown at this beloved inner-city fish shack, where cheap buckets of buttery steamers and crispy calamari are perfectly paired with cold beer, cool breezes, and an unobstructed view of the city from across the Fort Point Channel. Packs of yuppie regulars sit elbow-to-elbow with tourists, businessfolk, and fishermen in the fishnet- and-lantern-scattered rooms. The service is attentive and friendly, and banter with random strangers at the long, communal tables is all but guaranteed.

88 Sleeper St., Boston, 617-426-2722, barkingcrab.com/