The Absolute Best Places for Lobster Rolls in NYC

When deep in the throe of a New York City wintertime , huddled over a non - running radiator with a bowlful of suspiciously unlabelled soup , it ’s hard not to muse about the perfect image of summertime : live – but not unbearably hot – weather , seemingly unburnable tan skin , and the perfectly staring lobster roll . But like the first two , the latter dream is n’t so easy to come by . While the Bronx might gull you , New York City is n’t New England ; a perfect , fresh lobster paradiddle by the piddle is n’t the most attainable matter here .

That ’s not to say that New Yorkers do n’t have accession to lobster roll . Basically any rooftop prevention or boat with a operate kitchen offers one . But not everyone is able-bodied to pull off that utterly new , New England - quality roll . Plus , lobster is expensive ( unless you ’re getting it in Chinatown , which you absolutely should be ) . So when it comes to set about a large lobster roll , it ’s important that it justifies the eminent price in the variety of ample , fresh lobster inwardness ; a nicely toasted bun ; and all the other toppings , sides , and general good feelings that can momentarily transport you from Greenpoint to Maine or Connecticut . That ’s exactly what these seven shoes accomplish .

Red Hook Lobster Pound

At its three different NYC locations – plus a motortruck and Smorgasburg ! – this Red Hook - born restaurant ( which is still at its good at its original , beach hut - inspired Brooklyn spot ) does several unlike types of lobster rolls , including standard Maine and Connecticut way , alongside new take like a BLT lobster curl with chipotle mayo and Applewood - smoked bacon , or a breaker & turf paradiddle with prime rib . Still , classics are primal when it come to the perfect lobster roll , and the original ( cold ) Maine roll and ( hot ) Connecticut roll sovereignty supreme here , each packed with a bulging amount of Maine claw and metacarpophalangeal joint meat ( almost too much to keep the split - top bun entire ) and serve up alongside coleslaw , a pickle , and your choice of salad .

Cull & Pistol

tuck off inside Chelsea Market , the Lobster Place is a seafood dreaming macrocosm , bluster the tumid retail selection of seafood in New York , an omakase legal profession , a naked bar , and a steamed lobster counter . But the move is to somehow tune up everything else out , grab a seat at the Browning automatic rifle inside its sister eatery , Cull & Pistol , and place one of the ardent Connecticut - style lobster drum roll made with claw and go after nub , celery , scallions , mayo , and lemon on a larder , grilled split - top roll , and service alongside a heaping pile of thin - cut “ New Bay Fries ” ( which are essentially house - made Old Bay Christopher Fry ) .

Pearl Oyster Bar

Above all other West Village lobster axial motion haunts ( of which there are quite a few , including The Mermaid Inn and Mary ’s Fish Camp ) , Pearl Oyster Bar ( from Mary ’s ex , Rebecca Charles ) consistently comes out on top . The $ 30 price tag may not be the most appealing , but you get your money ’s deserving in the word form of a heavy loaded axial rotation – like , to the point where silverware is necessary , and there ’s almost no point in a roll even existing – that ’s cake in mayo , topped only with chives , and answer with shoe lace tike on the side .

Lobster Joint

The proprietor of the Lobster Joint claim to have brought upscale food for thought to the traditional New England seafood hovel experience , but for the most part – aside from the $ 21 price tag – the experience skew far more hut - y than fancy ( particularly if you dine at the oceanside Rockaway localisation ) . Like Red Hook Lobster Pound , the Lobster Joint offers a variety of rolls , including the traditional New England and Connecticut varieties ; the former comes frigid with Apium graveolens dulce and herb mayo , and the latter warm with butter . If you ’re go with a champion , grab both , and do a side - by - side taste test to find out which squad you ’re on ( the red-hot vs. cold lobster roll is in all likelihood the realm ’s most heatedly debated matter ever ) .

Ed’s Lobster Bar

As at Pearl , the roll at Ed ’s does n’t come cheap ( its grocery store price is also typically around $ 30 ) . In fact , possessor Ed McFarland once worked at Pearl , andwas accusedby Rebecca Charles of copying the formula for his own bit . Still , there ’s a ground this diminutive SoHo spot has remained a lobster peal staple for so many years – and it ’s not because it ’s a carbon copy of another great place . Ed ’s peal is far less mayonnaise - y than Pearl ’s , though it ’s still made with bountiful hunks of lobster meat in a toasted , larder roll . It ’s also accompanied by some of the best fries you could get alongside a lobster roll in New York – crispy , with just the right amount of salinity . But the best thing about having a lobster paradiddle at Ed ’s is that you could seize a stool on a weekday afternoon ( when every other eating place on Lafayette has an hour - long wait ) and meet all different kinds of citizenry – from SoHo proletarian , to occupier , to tourist – all there in the name of a great lobster roster .

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster

Part Pisces the Fishes grocery , part eating place , Greenpoint Fish & Lobster has one of the city ’s good raw bar survival , with the supply bonus of counter seating for a clear panorama of all the shucking . It ’s promiscuous to lay off in solely for the day-to-day selection of huitre , which would be anything from Kumamotos , to Wellfleets , to Irish Points , but the main attractor is still the Maine - style lobster roll , made with dozens of bracing meat , a slight mayonnaise , cultivated celery , lemon , and a touch of tarragon on a toasted roll ( plus citrus - gelt slaw , Roger Fry , and house - made pickles on the side ) . Though scarce two years old , the Brooklyn seafood finish place upright its ground praiseworthily , chiefly due to how seriously fresh its fish is .

Luke’s Lobster

Luke Holden ’s speedy - grow , fast - casual lobster range ( which started humbly in a tiny East Village shop class ) still pop the question one of the metropolis ’s most affordable lobster roll , at just $ 17 . But the appeal goes beyond the toll tatter – it ’s about the ultimate Maine lobster roll , made with a stern - pound sign of brisk Maine lobster , a small mayo , and some chives inside a larder , well - grill tear - top New England roll . The fact that it ’s cheap ( as far as lobster rolls go ) and brainsick - approachable ( with four right positioning , a viewpoint in Gansevoort Market , two trucks , and a go-cart , not to bring up locations in eight other cities ) means its popularity show no sign of waning . ratify up herefor our day-after-day NYC electronic mail and be the first to get all the nutrient / drink / fun New York has to offer .

lobster roll greenpoint fish & lobster