During the warm weather, I would plan a road trip to Maine for the purpose of eating Maine Lobster Rolls. Why do I preface “Lobster Rolls” with the word “Maine”? Well, a true Mainer will tell you that you have to come to Maine to have the sweetest lobsters. They say that the poor lobsters will get car sick on the drive South down to Boston where I live and never recover. There is a lot of truth to that, as the lobsters that I buy in Boston never compare in sweetness to the ones that I eat in Maine!
Red’s Eats: Let us start with the granddaddy of them all in Wiscasset ME. This is the benchmark against which all lobster rolls should be measured. Their location has been used as an eatery since 1938, and the current shack was built in 1954.
You have to count on standing in line to place your order. On a typical Summer day, whether weekday or weekend, the wait could be up to an hour and a half, but I guarantee that it will be worth it!
From left to right: you get wonderful garden salad along with the lobster meat in the Deconstructed Lobster Roll without Bun, a traditional Lobster Roll along with Fried Scallops, and Maine Fried Clams; all washed down with a “Lemon Sting” from Green Bee Honey Soda! Excellent!
Bite into Maine: You would think twice about getting a Lobster Roll from a trailer, wouldn’t you? I mean it’s not even a truck, it’s just a trailer!
In this case, this food trailer located in Fort Williams Park on Cape Elizabeth, Maine will surprise you. Not only do they serve Lobster Rolls, they serve them in 6, count them, SIX flavors! There’s “Maine” (mayo + chives), “Connecticut” (warm butter), “Picnic” (coleslaw, butter, celery salt), “Wasabi” (zingy wasabi mayo), “Chipotle” (smoky chipotle mayo), and “Curry” (yellow Indian curry mayo)! I know of no other lobster roll eatery that does this.
These lobster rolls are so good that we eagerly devoured half of the Curry and Chipotle before we remembered to take pictures, sorry…
Portland Head Light is also located in Fort Williams Park. It is said to the the most photographed lighthouse in the world! So, you get to eat the delicious lobster rolls while enjoying the gorgeous Maine coastline scenery!
Muscongus Bay Lobster: Here’s an authentic lobster wharf which has its own lobster boats. Surprisingly, there are quite a few of these establishments in Maine.
You can walk up and put in your order, then find one of the many picnic tables scattered around the wharf.
On the top plate are two Maine Lobster Dinners consisting of 2 lobsters, corn on the cob, and Steamer Clams. On the bottom plate are a Lobster Roll and Bacon Wrapped Scallops. Everything is delicious!
Round Pond, Maine offers this beautiful view to go with your wonderful dinner!
Erica’s Seafood: Tucked into one of those thin fingers of land that reaches into the North Atlantic, Erica’s offers a scenic setting to enjoy their seafood offerings. This eatery is known for expertly prepared food at reasonable prices.
From top left to bottom right: Space-A IPA from Flight Deck Brewing, Clam Chowder and Fried Clams, 2 Lobster Rolls flanking a Crabmeat Roll. These are all delicious!
This Lobster Roll Tour took place in September 2020. Maine has a good profile in this COVID-19 pandemic, so I figured that as long as masks are used and social distancing kept, it would be a safe trip. I hope the lobster rolls and beautiful Maine scenery will entice you to do your own exploration.
