Taste Maine's Best Lobster Rolls From Classic to Creative

Hundreds of restaurants, seafood shacks, grocery stores, and even gas stations in Maine serve countless delightful lobster rolls, drawing upon the United States’ biggest lobster fishery to stuff sweet, succulent chunks of lobster meat into split-top buns commonly griddled in butter.

Lobster rolls often come with fries and coleslaw, but for many of us the most important side is the view, and the first two spots are a feast for the senses. For the many visitors staying the night in Maine, hotels and resorts are no strangers to memorable lobster rolls, and we have two destinations for a roll with a room, not to mention a view.

Last, Maine’s biggest city and its renowned dining epicenter, Portland houses some of the state’s least traditional lobster rolls, which replace the classic split-top bun with other buttery bread products. Eventide Oyster Co.’s brown-butter lobster roll in a steamed bao is the most famous example, but there are plenty more that will have you exploring the existential boundaries of a lobster roll. Here’s how to navigate the selection.

Luke’s Lobster (Portland)

Courtesy of Luke’s Lobster

Though Luke’s Lobster started in New York City, sells lobster meat in grocery stores across the country, and operates lobster shacks in places as far-flung as Japan and Singapore, the company has its roots in Maine, where founder and third-generation lobsterman Luke Holden is from. His two-story flagship restaurant is hidden away at the end of Portland Pier. With floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple balconies, and outdoor seating, it has the best up-close views of the Old Port’s working waterfront, including harbor seals patrolling for snacks while lobster boats drop off their catch at Luke’s buying station next door. The signature lobster roll is a treat: Mayo and lemon butter come together in a happy marriage of Maine and Connecticut styles.

McLoons Lobster Shack (South Thomaston)

Courtesy of McLoons Lobster Shack

The working waterfront of Spruce Head Island looks a little different than that of downtown Portland, with more evergreens and less clamor, though the serene scene is still peppered liberally by the comings and goings of lobstermen delivering fresh crustaceans. McLoons Lobster Shack is beloved for its lobster roll, which comes in two sizes: a standard quarter-pounder and a whopping half-pounder on a bun that can barely contain all the tail, knuckle, and claw meat.

Nubb’s Lobster Shack at Cliff House Maine (Cape Neddick)

Courtesy of Cliff House Maine

This resort takes full advantage of its unparalleled location atop Bald Head Cliff, where an outdoor hot tub and saltwater pool overlook the full force of the Atlantic Ocean crashing down below, and rooms have stunning views — sometimes literally plural, as in the case of corner suites with two balconies. The Maine-style chilled lobster roll at Nubb’s Lobster Shack lives up, letting fresh ingredients shine atop a bed of slender steak fries. Technically you don’t need to stay at Cliff House Maine to try the lobster roll, as the casual shack is open to the public, but why wouldn’t you?

Latitudes at Nonantum Resort (Kennebunkport)

Capshore Photography

The Nonantum Resort is a family-friendly getaway, including tons of arts and crafts activities and sports for kids as part of Camp Nonantum, in the tourist-favorite coastal town of Kennebunkport. The lobster roll here comes on a fluffy brioche bun dressed with lemon-parsley aioli or warm butter. Eat it on the Latitudes rooftop, where you can take in the majesty of the Kennebunk River or while relaxing by the heated pool.

Twelve (Portland)

Meredith Brockington

Don’t be fooled by the understatement on Twelve’s menu, which promises only a lobster roll “served warm, with butter.” As you might expect from a team that includes chef Colin Wyatt, an Eleven Madison Park alum, this is no simple Connecticut-style roll. Pastry chef Georgia Macon, who honed her skills at San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery, has entered the lobster roll canon with a flaky puff pastry, as crackly at the edges as the hunks of lobster are tender.

Sur Lie (Portland)

Renaud Film & Photo

Veering further from the traditional shape of a lobster roll, Sur Lie chef Mimi Weissenborn’s hot, herbaceous lobster popover pays decadent homage to another Maine classic, the popover at Jordan House Pond in Acadia National Park. The luscious claw meat peeks out the side, and it’s a pleasant surprise to bite into the airy pastry and reveal the cream of corn and beurre monté sauce inside.

Il Leone (Peaks Island)

Courtesy of Il Leone

Peaks Island is a short, sweet ferry ride from Portland’s mainland, and seasonal spot Il Leone is a short, sweet walk from the ferry landing. Make sure the weather’s good when you visit, as you’ll be enjoying Ben Wexler-Waite’s wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza alfresco, under a shady canopy of trees. Lobster pizza may be the most avant-garde interpretation on this list, but hey, it’s a beautifully charred crust piled with lobster meat and lavished with fat — in this case, Sicilian extra virgin olive oil. If that’s not a super-sized lobster roll, I don’t want to know.

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