Best of Boston
Best Lobster Roll
Neptune Oyster's lobster roll (the buttered version). / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Saltie Girl
Boston
The secret is out: Saltie Girl’s off-menu fried-lobster roll is a winner. Tail, knuckle, and claw meat is spiced up with Korean chili flakes, dressed [...] read more»
2023 Best Lobster Roll
Neptune Oyster
North End
Nineteen years in, Neptune still draws lines of eager diners daily, most seeking the lobster roll. It’s no mystery why: The generous portion of meat, [...] read more»
2022 Best Lobster Roll
Eventide Fenway
Boston
When it comes to New England lobster rolls, there are two major types: “hot and buttered” and “cold and mayo’d.” And then there’s Eventide’s, a [...] read more»
2021 Best Lobster Roll
Row 34
The recent shuttering of seafood landmark Island Creek Oyster Bar has made us even more protective of chef Jeremy Sewall’s legendary lobster roll, which lives [...] read more»
2020 Best Lobster Roll
Cusser’s
Boston
During COVID, expanded hours and new sidewalk seating helped us rediscover the revelatory lobster rolls at Cusser’s, the street-level takeout window chef Carolyn Johnson built [...] read more»
2019 Best Lobster Roll
Island Creek Oyster Bar
Boston
For Ethel’s Lobster Roll, named for his beloved grandmother, chef Jeremy Sewall sources delicate, ultra-fresh meat from his Maine fisherman cousin, then classes it up [...] read more»
2018 Best Lobster Roll
Island Creek Oyster Bar
Boston
Forget the hot butter for a minute. Named for chef Jeremy Sewall’s grandmother, Ethel’s Lobster Roll at ICOB updates the cold Maine style for a [...] read more»
2017 Best Lobster Roll
Neptune Oyster
Boston
It takes a special kind of hot lobster roll to best its chilled brethren, but Neptune's much-beloved version manages to pull it off. Seven ounces [...] read more»
2016 Best Lobster Roll
Yankee Lobster Company
Boston
When it comes to a lobster roll, sometimes a straightforward, no-frills version is just what you crave—bonus points for shanty charm. Yankee Lobster’s traditional counter-service [...] read more»
2015 Best Lobster Roll
James Hook + Co.
Boston
There's only one decision you need to make at this waterfront institution: regular roll ($16) or large ($19)? After that, pull up a chair and [...] read more»
2014 Best Lobster Roll
Alive & Kicking
Cambridge
Call us iconoclasts, but this year, the lobster roll that impressed us most technically isn’t a lobster roll at all. Let us introduce you to [...] read more»