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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. 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

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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
Lobster meat packed into a buttered bun with a steel cup of salt and vinegar chips on the side of the plate.
Saltie Girl’s hot lobster roll.
Saltie Girl

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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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At Little Whale Oyster Bar, 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
A cold lobster roll with a lemon wedge, fries, and ketchup.
Little Whale’s cold lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Also featured in:

Eventide Fenway

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Eventide’s roll is only served one way, hot, and tossed in brown butter instead of the usual melted regular butter, giving it a wonderfully nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the neutral lobster meat. It’s also more of an appetizer — about four bites in total, served without any sides — but the more experimental path here works well. In a town that loves its traditions, Eventide’s lobster roll suggests that the original 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

Also featured in:

Le Madeline

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One of the city’s hottest new debuts so far in 2024 has been Le Madeline, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant that has a menu with a must-try riff on a lobster roll. The tôm hùm rang me boasts fried chunks of lobster meat slicked in a tamarind sauce and garnished with heaps of tomiko, a bright orange fish roe, all stuffed into a buttered brioche roll. It’s a decadent, delightful new entry to this list.

409 Hancock St (Billings Road), Quincy, MA 02171
(617) 328-9600
(617) 328-9600
An overhead shot of a lobster roll topped with orange roe and green scallion pieces, plus potato chips on the side.
Le Madeline’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

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
Lobster meat packed into a buttered bun with a steel cup of salt and vinegar chips on the side of the plate.
Saltie Girl’s hot lobster roll.
Saltie Girl

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

At Little Whale Oyster Bar, 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
A cold lobster roll with a lemon wedge, fries, and ketchup.
Little Whale’s cold lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Eventide Fenway

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215

Eventide’s roll is only served one way, hot, and tossed in brown butter instead of the usual melted regular butter, giving it a wonderfully nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the neutral lobster meat. It’s also more of an appetizer — about four bites in total, served without any sides — but the more experimental path here works well. In a town that loves its traditions, Eventide’s lobster roll suggests that the original 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

Le Madeline

409 Hancock St (Billings Road), Quincy, MA 02171

One of the city’s hottest new debuts so far in 2024 has been Le Madeline, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant that has a menu with a must-try riff on a lobster roll. The tôm hùm rang me boasts fried chunks of lobster meat slicked in a tamarind sauce and garnished with heaps of tomiko, a bright orange fish roe, all stuffed into a buttered brioche roll. It’s a decadent, delightful new entry to this list.

409 Hancock St (Billings Road), Quincy, MA 02171
(617) 328-9600
(617) 328-9600
An overhead shot of a lobster roll topped with orange roe and green scallion pieces, plus potato chips on the side.
Le Madeline’s lobster roll.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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