Anthony Bourdain Ate A New England-Style Feast At This Boston Seafood Restaurant

Located just outside of Boston in Winthrop, Massachusetts, with Boston Logan International Airport right across the water, Belle Isle Seafood is a no-frills sort of joint — the kind of place where walls covered in taxidermied fish and aging interior decor belie what you know will be an excellent menu. When Anthony Bourdain visited Belle Isle seafood in an episode of "No Reservations," the voiceover specifically noted that the restaurants chosen for this particular episode were "not the best of Boston," not a list of "what you need to know about Boston," not even, in Bourdain's own words, "a fair and balanced portrait of a great city." The goal of  was simply to show some of the excellent and inexpensive spots that his friend and guest, Mike Ruffino, might have trafficked on "a rock and roll budget."

Belle Isle Seafood isn't the sort of restaurant where one expects a plate to come out with a smear of bright sauce artfully spread around the edge to tease the eyes. No, this is a place where all of Boston can come to enjoy the fruits of the sea in portions of frankly stunning magnitude, with teetering towers of fried fish and buttery rolls overflowing with that sweet flesh of the northeastern U.S.'s most-prized crustaceans. Despite more than 80 years in business and an appearance on one of the most popular food and travel shows out there, Belle Isle Seafood is the type of place that still doesn't seem to think that a website would do it any good let alone an Instagram account. With Bourdain's approval, it just isn't necessary — and when you see the food they're slinging, it all starts to make sense.

While you might not spot Belle Isle Seafood on the list of the best seafood restaurants in Boston, that certainly doesn't mean that it isn't worth a visit. In fact, flying under the radar, to some extent, might be exactly what makes it a spot you need to visit. Anthony Bourdain and Mike Ruffino's meal started with a cup of classic New England clam chowder that the pair agreed was not only delicious, but "life-giving." Bourdain raised an eyebrow at using a roux to thicken the chowder, but deemed it acceptable. Much more acceptable, in his opinion, then Manhattan clam chowder — which for him wasn't a chowder at all, but a soup.

Next, the pair enjoyed a seafood plate to end all seafood plates — fried shrimp, haddock, clams, scallops, and lobster piled to precipitous heights and crowned with what Bourdain described as a "halo of onion rings." While the serving size was certainly eye-catching, it was the quality of the seafood that drew the pair's praise, as all of the fish and shellfish is bought fresh each morning. However, there is one must-try Boston classic food without which no seafood feast in Boston could be complete: the lobster roll, and Belle Isle Seafood's offering did not disappoint. 

Each lobster roll served at Belle Isle comes jam-packed with sweet, tender crustacean flesh, boasting at least a ½ pound of meat tucked into each roll. The proper dressing for this Northeast delicacy is a matter of closely-held opinions that can quickly flare tempers. But both diners relished the restaurant's minimalist approach, which Ruffino described as just an "essence of mayonnaise." It might not be fancy, but clearly the folks at Belle Isle Seafood know exactly what they're doing.