Is there any other dish that better denotes July and August in New England than the lobster roll? This signature summer sandwich doesn’t have to be fancy to taste awesome. In fact, when it comes to lobster rolls, less is always deliciously more. Freshness is essential—most city shacks are also fish markets that sell (as well as cook) recently caught fish and shellfish in addition to lobsters.
Fortunately, you don’t have to drive to Maine or Cape Cod to indulge. While Boston’s seafood shanties may not be as atmospheric as their coastal New England counterparts, there’s an unabashed, no-frills simplicity to city lobster shacks that is refreshingly free of artifice. Such establishments understand that the combination of crustacean and mayo on bread is heaven sent. Check out the following urban lobster shacks when you want to rock a roll.
Where to Find Lobster Rolls in Boston
Alive & Kicking Lobsters
Unexpectedly located in a blacktopped yard stacked with lobster traps in a residential Cambridge neighborhood, Alive & Kicking Lobsters‘ roll is more precisely a lobster sandwich ($16.95) of chunked lobster and a smidgen of mayonnaise layered between two slices of toasted scali bread. Order at the counter inside, and eat outdoors at one of a handful of aging picnic tables. A bag of chips is gratis.
James Hook & Co.
This 90-year-old seafood wholesaler and retailer offers a beautifully basic lobster and mayo blend on toasted hotdog buns in two sizes: regular ($16) or large ($19). The trailer-shaped retail shop for James Hook & Co. (which replaced the original building destroyed in a seven-alarm fire in 2008) at the Atlantic Avenue side of the old Northern Avenue Bridge has a few tables indoors, but most guests dine at picnic tables under faded umbrellas in the parking lot across from the Greenway. A bag of chips costs $1.
Yankee Lobster
Choose between three styles of lobster rolls at this Seaport favorite: lobster meat mixed with mayonnaise ($19.99), lobster dredged in cornmeal and Old Bay Seasoning and deep-fried ($20.99), and warm lobster dressed in herb butter ($22.99)—all served on a grilled bun with chopped lettuce, fries and slaw on the side. Yankee Lobster is tiny, so the best seats are on the cute al fresco patio with its plastic lobsters and marine mural.
Belle Isle Seafood
The famed Winthrop restaurant and fish market (Anthony Bourdain paid homage on the Travel Channel in 2011) serves both a lobster and mayo roll ($23.99) and a tail-only roll ($30.99) in sweet, grilled Portuguese bread buns with iceberg lettuce. Your choice of onion rings, fries, slaw or rice pilaf. A giant fiberglass buccaneer welcomes you into the utilitarian room (with adjoining harbor-side deck). Lobster-shaped pagers light up and vibrate when dinner is ready. Cash only at Belle Isle Seafood.
Savor the Taste of Summer in Boston
In a city where seafood is part of the cultural fabric, the lobster roll remains one of the simplest and most satisfying ways to experience a New England summer. Whether you prefer yours warm with butter or chilled with mayo, Boston’s no-nonsense seafood counters prove that great lobster doesn’t need much embellishment to shine. From dockside markets to neighborhood institutions, these spots make it easy to enjoy the region’s most iconic sandwich without ever leaving Boston—just bring an appetite and be ready for a little bit of delicious mess.
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