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New Englanders grow up on unfussy seafood like lobster rolls the way other people grow up on tacos or barbecue—foods so embedded in the way of life of a particular place that you don’t realize how special they are until you start traveling. Now, when I’m away from home, I find that lobster rolls are seen as an expensive delicacy. Yes, lobster rolls are special; they exist in the city’s glitzier and fine-dining restaurants, and their prices have skyrocketed in more recent years. But they’re also just as common at fast food counters in the suburbs and fishmonger docks up and down the coast. And just like paying $6 a gallon for gas on a California road trip, or $43 for a martini at Bemelman’s Bar in Manhattan, having a lobster roll in Boston is a worthwhile investment every once in a while. It’s simply what you do when you’re here.
That being said, not all lobster rolls are created equal—and many (sometimes controversial) variations exist. A purist will say that a proper one must—must!—be served on a split-top bun that’s been griddled until golden brown, while others make compelling arguments for fancy swaps like brioche rolls. Then there’s the lobster meat itself, served either as a simply dressed cold salad (Maine style) or warm and buttered (Connecticut style)—but that’s more of a personal preference.
The good news? There are many, many lobster rolls to experience in Boston, ranging from textbook classics to more chef-driven interpretations. Here’s where to find the best.
Row 34
Chef Jeremy Sewall knows a thing or two about good fish, and his popular Row 34 restaurants (with locations in Fort Point and in Cambridge’s Kendall Square) are where you go for excellent beer, interesting wines, and a chef’s sensibility. Here, the lobster roll is surprisingly personal, with lobster sourced from chef Sewall’s cousin Mark, who captains a boat in York Harbor, Maine. There are two versions here: a warm buttered roll with steamed tail, claw and knuckle meat and tucked into a traditional split-top bun; and the other, the Ethel’s Creamy Lobster Roll, named for Sewall’s grandmother and folded together with celery, red onion, pickles, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, lemon, celery salt and black pepper. The cold, creamy one comes on a rosemary brioche bun that is griddled to order and is nothing short of heavenly.
