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A cold lobster roll with a lemon wedge, fries, and ketchup.
The cold lobster roll at Little Whale Oyster Bar on Newbury Street.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

8 Fantastic Lobster Rolls in Boston

The area is full of lobster rolls — here’s where to find a handful of excellent ones

by Erika Adams and Terrence Doyle Updated
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The cold lobster roll at Little Whale Oyster Bar on Newbury Street.
| Erika Adams/Eater Boston
by Erika Adams and Terrence Doyle Updated

The lobster roll — with its few, simple ingredients — might be the most polarizing of all polarizing New England fare. Some eaters favor their meat served cold, dressed with mayonnaise, and stuffed between a hot dog bun with lettuce and tomato; others eschew “excessive” accoutrement, preferring their lobster served hot, dressed simply with butter, and packed into a warm, buttered New England-style hot dog bun. Honestly, there’s no wrong way to eat a lobster roll. (Although, let’s be real here, why would anyone order a hot lobster roll and risk a soggy bun?) Here are 8 essential lobster rolls to snack on when in or near the city.

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Pauli's

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This North End sandwich shop serves its lobster rolls “classic cold” or “hot in butter,” but note that both versions include mayo. There are three different sizes, including the 28-ounce “Lobstitution.” The smallest size comes on the traditional New England-style hot dog bun, while the others come on sub rolls. Want to send an out-of-town friend a taste of Boston? Pauli’s ships lobster roll kits and whoopie pies nationwide.

65 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
(857) 284-7064
(857) 284-7064

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Neptune Oyster

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Served on toasted brioche, Neptune Oyster’s lobster roll is available hot and buttered as well as cold with mayo. Keep in mind: Neptune’s roll is massive, not one of those four- or five-bite situations. And, expect to wait in line outside — Neptune is a super popular North End haunt and doesn’t take reservations.

63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 742-3474
(617) 742-3474
An overhead photo of a lobster roll with a grilled hot dog bun and a pile of fries on the side.
Neptune Oyster’s hot lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Also featured in:

James Hook & Co.

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James Hook & Co. sells an iconic roll in an iconic waterfront dining room. These cats have been in business since 1925, and trap their own lobster that they sell in the restaurant.

15-17 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02110
(617) 423-5501
(617) 423-5501
Lobster meat is piled into a hot dog bun, which sits on aluminum foil in a red and white paper holder. It sits on an aged picnic table outdoors, with more tables and chairs, as well as some greenery, visible in the background.
A lobster roll on the patio at James Hook.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

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Woods Hill Pier 4

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Woods Hill Pier 4’s lobster roll is also a bit of an iconoclast in that it is not served on the more traditional New England-style hot dog bun. Instead, Woods Hill Pier 4 packs loads of lobster meat into a split-open popover. Traditions be damned. Find it on the weekend brunch menu.

300 Pier Four Blvd, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 981-4577
(617) 981-4577
A popover is split open to reveal a lobster salad filling.
A lobster-stuffed popover at Woods Hill Pier 4.
Woods Hill Pier 4

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Saltie Girl

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Saltie Girl’s Gloucester lobster roll is an homage to the lobster fishers pulling bugs out of the waters off Cape Ann, which is about half an hour north of the city. It is served either hot or cold alongside a helping of housemade sea salt and vinegar potato chips.

279 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 267-0691
(617) 267-0691
A lobster roll, lemon wedge, and blue package of potato chips on a plate.
Saltie Girl’s cold lobster roll with housemade potato chips.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Row 34

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This trendy oyster and beer bar in Fort Point is co-owned by Jeremy Sewall, whose cousin Mark Sewall catches the lobsters in York Harbor, Maine. Row 34 has both a hot, buttered option, and a version dressed with mayonnaise and creme fraiche. Find other locations in Burlington, Cambridge, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 553-5900
(617) 553-5900
A lobster roll on a white plate with a side cup of slaw and potato chips.
Row 34’s lobster roll.
Michael Harlan Turkell/Row 34

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Little Whale Oyster Bar

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Okay, let’s get this out of the way first: Little Whale’s lobster roll is $55. Pound for pound, it is the most expensive lobster roll on this list and perhaps the most expensive lobster roll in Boston. But, in the hands of chef Michael Serpa, it is also perhaps the best lobster roll in Boston. According to server Evan Bradford, the price takes into consideration the following steps: Fresh lobster (which hit $48 per pound this summer; double pre-pandemic rates) is delivered to the restaurant every morning from their purveyor. Each roll comes with 8.5 to 9 ounces of meat, expertly prepared in either hot or cold fashion, piled into a sturdy Iggy’s brioche bun, and served with a generous pile of fries on the side. When it comes to traditional lobster rolls, this one is absolutely delicious.

314 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
(857) 277-0800
(857) 277-0800

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Eventide Fenway

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Like Little Whale, Eventide’s lobster roll is also one of the more controversial options on this list. Eventide’s roll costs $19 for what is essentially a lobster roll appetizer — it’s about four bites in total, served without any sides. It’s definitely not a full meal in the way that the other options on this list are. But it’s doing something that no one else on this list has dared to do: buck tradition. Eventide’s roll is only served one way, hot, and tossed in brown butter instead of the usual melted regular butter. Brown butter, otherwise known as butter that has been “toasted,” or slowly heated past its melting point, adopts a wonderfully nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the neutral lobster meat. In a town that loves its traditions, Eventide’s lobster roll suggests that the accepted way is not the only right way, and we are all better for it.

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215
(617) 545-1060
(617) 545-1060
An overhead shot of a small lobster roll dressed in brown butter and garnished with chives, set on a slate serving slab.
Eventide’s lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Pauli's

65 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113

This North End sandwich shop serves its lobster rolls “classic cold” or “hot in butter,” but note that both versions include mayo. There are three different sizes, including the 28-ounce “Lobstitution.” The smallest size comes on the traditional New England-style hot dog bun, while the others come on sub rolls. Want to send an out-of-town friend a taste of Boston? Pauli’s ships lobster roll kits and whoopie pies nationwide.

65 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
(857) 284-7064
(857) 284-7064

Neptune Oyster

63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113

Served on toasted brioche, Neptune Oyster’s lobster roll is available hot and buttered as well as cold with mayo. Keep in mind: Neptune’s roll is massive, not one of those four- or five-bite situations. And, expect to wait in line outside — Neptune is a super popular North End haunt and doesn’t take reservations.

63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 742-3474
(617) 742-3474
An overhead photo of a lobster roll with a grilled hot dog bun and a pile of fries on the side.
Neptune Oyster’s hot lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

James Hook & Co.

15-17 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02110

James Hook & Co. sells an iconic roll in an iconic waterfront dining room. These cats have been in business since 1925, and trap their own lobster that they sell in the restaurant.

15-17 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02110
(617) 423-5501
(617) 423-5501
Lobster meat is piled into a hot dog bun, which sits on aluminum foil in a red and white paper holder. It sits on an aged picnic table outdoors, with more tables and chairs, as well as some greenery, visible in the background.
A lobster roll on the patio at James Hook.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Woods Hill Pier 4

300 Pier Four Blvd, Boston, MA 02210

Woods Hill Pier 4’s lobster roll is also a bit of an iconoclast in that it is not served on the more traditional New England-style hot dog bun. Instead, Woods Hill Pier 4 packs loads of lobster meat into a split-open popover. Traditions be damned. Find it on the weekend brunch menu.

300 Pier Four Blvd, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 981-4577
(617) 981-4577
A popover is split open to reveal a lobster salad filling.
A lobster-stuffed popover at Woods Hill Pier 4.
Woods Hill Pier 4

Saltie Girl

279 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116

Saltie Girl’s Gloucester lobster roll is an homage to the lobster fishers pulling bugs out of the waters off Cape Ann, which is about half an hour north of the city. It is served either hot or cold alongside a helping of housemade sea salt and vinegar potato chips.

279 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 267-0691
(617) 267-0691
A lobster roll, lemon wedge, and blue package of potato chips on a plate.
Saltie Girl’s cold lobster roll with housemade potato chips.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Row 34

383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

This trendy oyster and beer bar in Fort Point is co-owned by Jeremy Sewall, whose cousin Mark Sewall catches the lobsters in York Harbor, Maine. Row 34 has both a hot, buttered option, and a version dressed with mayonnaise and creme fraiche. Find other locations in Burlington, Cambridge, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 553-5900
(617) 553-5900
A lobster roll on a white plate with a side cup of slaw and potato chips.
Row 34’s lobster roll.
Michael Harlan Turkell/Row 34

Little Whale Oyster Bar

314 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115

Okay, let’s get this out of the way first: Little Whale’s lobster roll is $55. Pound for pound, it is the most expensive lobster roll on this list and perhaps the most expensive lobster roll in Boston. But, in the hands of chef Michael Serpa, it is also perhaps the best lobster roll in Boston. According to server Evan Bradford, the price takes into consideration the following steps: Fresh lobster (which hit $48 per pound this summer; double pre-pandemic rates) is delivered to the restaurant every morning from their purveyor. Each roll comes with 8.5 to 9 ounces of meat, expertly prepared in either hot or cold fashion, piled into a sturdy Iggy’s brioche bun, and served with a generous pile of fries on the side. When it comes to traditional lobster rolls, this one is absolutely delicious.

314 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
(857) 277-0800
(857) 277-0800

Eventide Fenway

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215

Like Little Whale, Eventide’s lobster roll is also one of the more controversial options on this list. Eventide’s roll costs $19 for what is essentially a lobster roll appetizer — it’s about four bites in total, served without any sides. It’s definitely not a full meal in the way that the other options on this list are. But it’s doing something that no one else on this list has dared to do: buck tradition. Eventide’s roll is only served one way, hot, and tossed in brown butter instead of the usual melted regular butter. Brown butter, otherwise known as butter that has been “toasted,” or slowly heated past its melting point, adopts a wonderfully nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the neutral lobster meat. In a town that loves its traditions, Eventide’s lobster roll suggests that the accepted way is not the only right way, and we are all better for it.

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215
(617) 545-1060
(617) 545-1060
An overhead shot of a small lobster roll dressed in brown butter and garnished with chives, set on a slate serving slab.
Eventide’s lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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