The Best Lobster Rolls In NYC, Ranked

A lobster roll is always going to taste best by the ocean. But not everyone knows someone with a Hamptons house, and sometimes you just really need a buttery griddled roll stuffed with big chunks of crustacean—even if you have to eat it standing on the steaming city sidewalk. There are a lot of overpriced, oversized buns filled with a tablespoon of limp shellfish out there, so for NYC lobster rolls that are actually worth it, use this guide.

THE SPOTS

Oyster Party

Oyster Party is a slightly misleading name, because besides fresh bivalves, this pop-up also makes some of our favorite lobster rolls in the city. To try one, you’ll either need to go to Smorgasburg in Prospect Park or Williamsburg, or keep tabs on their frequent appearances Upstate. If you do track them down, you’ll be rewarded with a buttery griddled bun, stuffed with lightly dressed, impeccably tender lobster, and dusted with Old Bay. They also cater, in case you want to be the most popular party host there ever was.

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.

Unlike some of the other spots on this list, Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. makes both mayo-based and butter-based lobster rolls. Commendable. Whichever you choose, you can expect extra-fresh lobster—this place is also a fish market, after all—dressed minimally, so that the crustacean really shines. Each roll comes with fries, and you should eat yours outside with a michelada, a dozen oysters, and the daily crudo. Ideally at Happy Hour, which is every day from 12-6pm.

Lobster Place

It's true that Chelsea Market is one of the more stressful places you can step foot in on the island of Manhattan. But once you're inside the large oasis that is Lobster Place, you’ll find not just lobster, but also a sushi counter, an oyster bar, and a fish market. The lobster roll here is mayo-based but very lemony—perfect for the person who finds the typical classic roll just a tad heavy. There’s also a healthy sprinkle of scallions. Come for a lunch-treat roll, or for an early dinner, and round out your order with some hamachi sashimi, and a frozen spicy mango margarita.

Red Hook Lobster Pound

Red Hook Lobster Pound does lobster rolls, and they do them big. They’ve got the classic Maine and Connecticut varieties, but also a lobster BLT, a California-style roll with cucumber and avocado, and, for the crustacean-curious, a fried lobster roll, with lobster caramel and kewpie mayo. This place gets bonus points for being in Red Hook , because if you want, you can take your roll to go, and eat it on the pier. You probably shouldn’t swim in the water you’re looking at, but it almost feels like the lobster you’re eating came out of the ocean earlier this morning. Almost.

The Mermaid Inn

The lobster meat is, of course, the most important part of a lobster roll. But at Mermaid Inn in Chelsea, butter is also key. Their buttery brioche bun at this classic Oyster Happy Hour spot is well-toasted and finished off with a generous pour of melted butter, resulting in something like a big, semi-soft crouton. Inside, there’s fresh, tender lobster meat mixed with minimal mayo, relatively big slices of celery, and a blend of salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. The fries on the side are a big draw too—like slightly well-done McDonald's fries, but with Old Bay seasoning.

Jeffrey’s Grocery

What stands out most about the lobster roll at this West Village seafood spot is the size. It's one of the largest sandwiches on this list. The bread is lined with thin, lightly-pickled cucumber slices, and the meat is dressed with a good amount of herb mayo with celery, chives, and a few sprigs of dill. The brioche roll is buttered and grilled, and looks like it'll be on the hard side, but is actually very soft. You can get house chips or thick, stubby fries with Old Bay seasoning on the side. Get the fries.

Grand Banks

Grand Banks is a restaurant on a boat, which is a perfectly appropriate place to eat a lobster roll. A buttered and griddled potato bun is stuffed with a generous amount of lobster salad—the mixture is pretty creamy and well-salted, and has little chunks of fennel instead of the typical pieces of chopped celery. The most unique ingredient is an emulsion made from dulse, which is a type of red seaweed. Note that you only get a handful of greens on the side, and if you want fries, they're extra.

The Fulton

The Fulton's lobster roll consists of plump, un-chopped portions of whole claw meat in a soft and buttered potato bun. This Seaport spot’s lobster salad has a good amount of salt as well as a little spice from Tabasco and black pepper, and the celery and gem lettuce provide a lot of crunch. On the side, you'll get house-made potato chips with a dusting of malt vinegar powder—not as fantastic as a side of fries, but worlds better than a side salad. This lobster roll is only available at lunch and brunch, so stop by on a nice afternoon and eat one on the outdoor patio.

Lure Fishbar

Lure Fishbar charges $38 for their lobster roll, which isn’t so different from the other places on this list. But when you factor in that you’ll probably also order at least one $20 cocktail at this subterranean, yacht-themed, Soho restaurant, things can add up. The roll is good though, and if you’ve been dying to check out a scene that ranges from pop stars on arena tours to retirees who’ve developed a taste for Balenciaga, pop in and enjoy a mound of lobster, lightly dressed with mayo and chives, on a toasted brioche bun soaked in butter.

Luke's Lobster

We remember when Luke's was just a lonely little seafood shack in the East Village, but now they're all over the country (as well as in parts of Asia). The rolls here are for purists—what you'll mostly taste is unadorned lobster. The bread is buttered, but not too heavily, and you'll detect only a light swipe of mayo and just a trace of lemon butter. There's a dusting of secret seasoning too. (We think there's some oregano in there.) If you're not in the mood for the classic roll, give one of their special varieties like truffle or spicy honey butter a try.

Fish Tales

Sometimes, places will put one piece of lettuce on their lobster rolls. One. (We generally find this unnecessary.) But Fish Tales, a fish market in Cobble Hill, makes a case for something new—shredded lettuce. Each roll has a bed of shredded lettuce, and then a handful of big chunks of creamy lobster. If you're coming here to pick up fish for dinner, definitely get the roll or lunch. There’s nowhere to sit, so head to nearby Cobble Hill Park and work on it there.

Seamore's

Seamore’s has a pretty delightful lobster roll. It’s creamy without being overpowering, with a formidable shower of celery, a light sprinkle of Old Bay, and chives. The bun could use a bit more butter, and slightly more time on the griddle, and everything else about this large Dumbo restaurant is pretty much forgettable, but for a crustacean sandwich about a block from the waterfront, you could do much worse. Bring your visitors here at Happy Hour, then take them on a ferry ride.

Medusa

Medusa, one of our favorite late-night Greek spots, has a lobster gyro, and though there’s no lobster on a spit here, this is still exciting news. A generous serving of chilled lobster salad, mixed in with herbed mayo, celery and Old Bay, is slathered onto a hot buttery pita, topped with crunchy red cabbage, a squirt of tzatziki, and some tomato. It’s flavorful, hearty, and further confirmation that when it comes to seafood, Greek restaurants really know what they’re doing.

The Crabby Shack

The Crown Heights crab specialists do lobster too, and do it well. Everything on the menu gets the garlic-butter treatment, so expect big pieces of claw and tail meat on a hot dog-esque bun, drenched in butter, and flecked with Old Bay. It would be even better on a potato roll, but we’ll let it slide, because they also have a unique Clobster Roll: a bun with crab on one side, and lobster on the other. Get a spread (which includes their crab BLT with crumbled bacon), plus a frozen cocktail, and head to Prospect Park.

Burger & Lobster

Burger & Lobster does two things, and it does one of them pretty well (hint, it’s not the burger). Even their Classic Lobster Roll isn't exactly exceptional on its own, but it comes with a large silver gravy boat filled with a cheat-code sauce of creamy lemon and garlic butter. This dip-and-douse lobster roll experience may not pass muster with purists, but it is delicious. Served with a salad or fries (get fries and dip them too), the roll is $30, which—this close to Times Square and in the context of NYC lobster priced in general—is actually kind of reasonable.