Hi.

Going to Maine in a couple weeks and hear I need to try something called a lobster roll. We are travelling the length of the Maine coastline. Recommendations on the best?

thank you.

Just pull into any place where there are lots of cars. The larger the crowd, the better the food. Don't let any of the shanty-like shacks fool you. They are the best.

Enjoy!

In Maine, many of the McDonalds sell Lobster rolls for $4.99. Make sure you don't buy one there.

We just got back from Maine. We travel there a couple times a year from MD. We go to a little place in Round Pond,ME on the Pemaquid Peninsula, near Bristol,ME. I think the place is called Muscongus Bay Seafood. It is a fantastic little place. You can only get lobster,clams, and corn. I don't think you can geta Lobster Roll, but if you want a great lobster dinner,fresh and cheap you gotta go. Have a great trip

The best lobster rolls are made with just enough mayonnaise, perhaps a tad of finely minced celery served on a toasted ROLL (not an icky grilled hot dog thing). As for where to get them, I'm just not telling, as the lines would be way too long and they'd run out before I get there.

Except for Red Lobster (don't know if there are any in Maine) and McDonalds (haven't tried them).. any place along the road or the water...Weathervane or any of the places along Route ! will be perfect. The main ingredient is lobster and everybody has their own way of making it..it's like spaghetti sauce..A grilled roll is just right...with some french fries...yummy. Jeannine is right...

I LOVE good crusty bread.

But NOT for a lobster roll! It HAS to be a grilled hot dog roll. Lets the lobster shine through. Hold the celery, too. I haven't finished my research, don't know who has the best.

Meg,

If your toasted lobster roll is a long roll that is toasted on the sides, then it is a hot dog roll.

Some place make their lobster rolls with only chunks of lostere no mayo or other fillers.

Stay the heck away from Red Lobster -- there's an excellent seafood shack just across the river from Augusta that has the best lobstarolls -- can someone supply the name?

Outside Maine, guess what? We have GREAT lobster rolls in Chapel Hill, NC, at the Nantucket Cafe. They really know how to do them RIGHT there -- not too much mayo, enough crunch of celery, and even the right soft roll. Not cheap, but I'll pay it for the Right Stuff.

Coastal Living magazine had an article on lobster rolls (with recommendations on where to get them in Maine) in one or thier latest issues. Try thier website for more info.

We just got back from our coastal Maine trip---and my first recommendation is: DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT get a lobster roll at McDonald's. I really think it tainted all the rest of the lobster rolls we had after that. The last time I was in Maine (1994), I had great lobster rolls----this time, I must have just hit all of the wrong places 'cus I didn't love them the way I did in '94. The Coastal Living Magzne suggested the following: 2 Lights Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, Reds in Wiscasset (we ate at Sarah's Cafe right across the street----it had excellent food, but the lines were non-stop at Reds for the lobster rolls----didn't try one 'cus we'd been stung twice that day already at other establishments). Good luck!!!

Why anyone would come to Maine and eat lobster at Macdonalds or Red Lobster is beyond me. After living in Maine most of my life I can tell you without a doubt the best lobster roll is found at Lords Harborside in Wells Maine. NO fillers , tons of lobster meat, mayo or butter on the side and a perfectly grilled roll. Must be preceeded by a perfect cup of seafood chowder.

Sometimes, you'll know when you see some sort of lobster sign, an overflowing parking lot, and long long lines. The very best, though, are off the beaten path.

The Food Network just the other day had a place featured for its lobster rolls (in Maine) but I forget the name...had a family name attached, sat on a rocky point, and had only outdoor tables. Anyone see the show and recall the name?

Shari---yea,yea, I know, it was stupid to eat a lobster roll at Macs, but the airlines fed us NOTHING from WI to NH (we were supposed to get food, but it was then announced that only 1st class got the food) and we were famished. Also we were curious about Macs lobster rolls. I just wanted to warn other "hungry off the plane and can't wait to get something in their stomachs" travelers to eat the Big Mac (teehee) and bypass the l. rolls.

Capn Simeon's Galley near Kittery;
Warren's Seafood House in Kittery;
Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth;
Rockland Cafe in Rockland/Cam;den
Village Restaurant in Camden (also great Native Maine Fried Shrimp!);
Lobster Pound in Lincolnville;
Blueberry Bay Cafe in Belfast;
Chowder House in Bar Harbor;

In the state capitol, Augusta House of Pancakes makes a great Lobster STEW, (which is basically just lobster chunks swimming in butter&cream broth.}
Augusta is also the home of a terrific State History museum - a great introduction to the state especially if there are kids with you.

Sorry, can't recommend the Weathervane chain for lobster rolls. They do a decent job with fried seafood platters and clam chowder however.

We tried lobster rolls along the coast of Maine in several places and they were all terrible. Picture tons of mayo, little or no lobster meat, poor seasonings and a hot dog roll. Yuck! A heart attack ready to happen! What's all the fuss about?

Check Chowhound.com click on the New England board there are tons of recommendations for Maine lobster rolls-Place called Redds seems to be the favorite

The best way to get a good lobster roll is to make it yourself. Failing that, go to any coastal town where they do lobstering for a living. Ask any local where they go--there are lots of restaurants catering to the tourist trade, but the best places are the hideaways where you can get lobster "in the rough," which means paper plates, picnic tables and just lobster. Tourist restaurants have only a ten-week summer season to make money, so the prices are high: a full lobster dinner can easily run over $20; a roll can be $7-10. Traditionally a lobster roll is a standard hot dog roll filled with a lobster "salad" of meat and mayo. I don't care whether they are toasted or not, although toasting is a nice touch. But I am picky about the innards. A good lobster roll should have the least amount of mayo the chef can get away with, just enough to bind the lobster. It should have a good portion of both claw and tail meat. Celery is generally minced and added for texture; I don't like it because it also interferes with the pure lobster taste, which is quite delicate. In the early summer, any place that offers you a choice between hard shell or soft shell lobster knows what it's doing. Lobsters molt. When they are ready to molt, the shell is very hard and the meat is jammed into it (I have used a hammer to get through the big claw--it's an art to eat a really hard-shelled lobster without shell bits interfering, but the flavor is magnificent). Soft shells are sometimes so soft that you can pull the shell off the lobster with your fingers, but the shells are over-sized for the actual lobster meat (because the lobster would have grown into the new shell), so sometimes they are also full of water--which means that you are paying for water weight: at $5+ per pound, that can be off-putting. No cheating here--just nature at work: until the lobster grows into the new shell, the extra space is filled with sea water! Likewise, when the shell is at its hardest it is also at its heaviest, so that means you are paying for shell weight...etc. Don't fuss--try one of each, see what you like, and decide it's all just part of the vacation fun. A lot of real Mainers prefer soft shells because the flavor is very delicate--for the short period of the molt, the chemistry of the lobster changes, and it affects the flavor and texture--it's "softer." I get dreamy no matter what--it's a true gift from the sea either way. Oh--a lobster roll is really just a way for someone else to do the work of getting at the meat. So why not go for the full shebang: get down and dirty (and wet and sticky), and DIY!
Order a plain boiled lobster, don't be shy about asking for help, and learn to do it yourself. You get bragging rights and a feast in one go!!

Claw, you should have checked with fodorites before wasting your time on those lousy lobster salad rolls!