Lobster Rolls in and around Boothbay Harbor

[cheflette]

I'm relatively familiary with the area but haven't been for quite some time. Can anyone suggest a good place for a lobster roll - hot or cold? I'm sure I don't recognize a lot of the places in the town, but I will have a car and am willing to drive for a great lobster roll. Thanks.

[ccalabro]

I just returned from Maine (I live in Philadelphia) on Monday night, and while I was up there, I had a delicious lobster roll from Red's (after waiting in line for about an hour and a half!). I must say, I also tried a lobster roll and a crab roll from Larson's Lunch Box which is in Damariscotta (close to Boothbay Harbor) and I thought it was absolutely delicious! Larson's is slightly less packed with lobster (and about $3 cheaper), and is mixed with the tiniest bit of mayo to give it some flavor and hold the meat together. Dare I say, I almost liked it BETTER than Red's? Also, the crab roll was the surprise of the meal - unbelievably flavorful, packed with perfectly shredded crab, yum.

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Larson's Lunch Box
430 Main St, Damariscotta, ME 04543

[catnip]

I agree with you about Larson's;outstanding lobster rolls .
Another great lobster roll(and a great view as well of the harbor) can be had at another of our favoirite lobster roll places The Pemaquid Lobster Co-op.

[Msample]

A 90 minute wait for a lobster roll?? That's insane, I don't care how good it is.

[dwdunn]

go to them all, eat every lobster roll that you can find, it's all good!
Red's is the best though.

[Apple]

yep - that's what we did this past week.

We tried the lobster rolls at the Lobster Dock in BBH - pretty good - standard
Hot dog stand - freeport - not bad tor the price - mostly rubbery puny leg and claw meat
Shaw's in New Habour - no complaints - reasonable size

Of course, all of this changed when we hit Red's. We actually planned to go on weekday lunch - waited 15 mins in line - and had the most massive, delicious, moist lobster roll. the next day we happened to be driving by and saw no line up. So we stopped in with no wait. Red's is a head above because no other lobster shack included tail meat in the rolls. It was teeming with lobster which needed to be picked off and eaten before even attempting the lobster rolls. (also liked the fries with their cocktail sauce.) yum. we'll be back next year.

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Lobster Dock
49 Atlantic Ave, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

[HDinCentralME]

The Lobster Dock (good crabcakes too).

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Lobster Dock
49 Atlantic Ave, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

[Mainegal]

Trevett Country Store, Barters Island Road.

[kmhayes]

I'll second Trevett's for an excellent cold lobster roll close to Boothbay Harbor.

[nsenada]

I know a lot of people think that only a rube would wait in the line for a lobster roll at Red's Eats in Wiscasset, but it truly is the best lobster roll I've ever had. And huge.

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Red's Eats
Main, Wiscasset, ME 04578

[monopod]

Seconded. If adoring a roll that's basically a giant pile of fresh lobster (dwarfing the poor little butter-grilled bun) makes me a rube, then I'm a rube.

[westie]

I have a question about lobster rolls since the ingredients differ from state to state. It looks like Red's is basically lobster on a buttered grilled roll that you have a choice of adding mellted butter or may to. Is that what I will receive when I order a lobster roll at most places in Maine or do some/most serve it with mayo and celery?

[nsenada]

Most tend to be already turned into some kind of salad, mixed with mayo, celery, etc. And most tend to contain a lot of knuckle and claw meat.

[jackattack]

http://merecat.org/food/dining/lobste...

[monopod]

And I have to say that I find that merecat article kind of funny; the author takes points off of a lobster roll if it has TOO MUCH lobster in it. ("I like a fully-packed roll, but not so full that I need to eat it with a fork first. A lobster roll is a sandwich, and I want to pick it up like a sandwich and eat it.")

That's just ridiculous to me. Who in the world thinks extra lobster is a bad thing? Just take it off and eat it as scrumptious, delightful bites of pure lobster until you're down to a manageable roll size. Or if it really bothers you, call me - I'll come and eat your extras, and only charge you for my mileage.

[monopod]

Nsenada is correct - most of the time you get the lobster premixed with mayo. That's fine when they get the proportions right (i.e. just enough mayo to moisten and hold it together a bit), but since lobster is so expensive the temptation is always to increase the amount of mayo in order to make it go farther. I hate when I get a roll that's gloppy with mayo, personally. So, I'm partial to the do-it-yourself approach of Red's and a few other places.

In my experience, celery is pretty rare in Maine, as is melted butter. It's usually just lobster and mayo, maybe with a few chives sprinkled on top.

[nsenada]

Just had a Red's roll over the weekend - massive and delicious as ever. Also, there's a wine and "fancy foods" shop a block up and across the street. Got a nice bottle of rose to go with the lobster roll, and some really good chocolate toffee cookies for dessert. While waiting in line, we had one of the kids go to Sprague's across the street to get one of their rolls, for comparison purposes. It was actually pretty similar to the Red's roll, with less lobster. The meat was quite good, but didn't have the same glisten as the Red's lobster. The 15 minute vs. 1 hour 45 minute wait was a fairly compelling factor in favor of Sprague's, but I would still wait for Red's.

[MidCoastMaineiac]

What's the price difference?

[nsenada]

I think they cost the same ($16.99), but Red's has a lot more meat on it.

[jackattack]

Kaler's is the place to go for seafood in Boothbay, but it gets crowded and noisy. Phil's Bakery on Wiscasset Road is famous for lobster rolls, crab rolls and chowder. Fresh baked rolls are the main attraction.