Editors’ Choice
Bob Lobster
Newbury
Sure, you can get a perfect version of the classic—top-split butter-griddled roll stuffed with lightly dressed fresh-picked lobster meat, but why not branch out? Chef Brad DeLibero’s specials, like the tongue-tingling, spicy lobster roll dressed with sriracha aioli and fried banana peppers or the umami bomb that is the butter-poached lobster served on a toasted brioche topped with fried avocado, are inventive while allowing the fresh meat to shine through. Want all the classic clam shack fare on a single roll? Try the insane Fat Lobster—a lobster roll topped with fried clams, coleslaw, and onion rings. They have lots of outdoor dining but you can take your order to go, too, if the greenheads are biting.
49 Plum Island Turnpike, Newbury, 978-465-7100, boblobster.com
Readers’ Choice
Little Harbor Lobster Company
Marblehead
You get a third of a pound of lobster meat, shucked fresh from boats that pull up to the back door at this fish market tucked down a windy road. There’s a single picnic table on the harbor, if you just can’t wait to dig in.
3 Beacon St., Marblehead, 781-639-1961, littleharborlobster.com