Luke’s Lobster: East Village – New York, NY, USA
Luke’s Lobster has many locations and is not localized to New York, but being that it is famous for its lobster roll, I felt that I really needed to try it. In addition, it was right across the street from where I was staying so that made it ridiculously convenient. They have three types of rolls: lobster roll, crab roll, and shrimp roll. You can get various combinations such as the Taste of Maine or Noah’s Ark where they combine two rolls. Basically these combos can feed two people. A sample menu can be found here. I actually ate Luke’s Lobster twice because my friend wanted to try it on my last day here. It wasn’t say amazing but I am also not the type to turn down a lobster roll for a second time especially if it tastes decently. Things tried over both visits:
- Lobster roll (1.5 rolls total)
- Crab 1/2 roll
- lobster bisque
- crab claws
Lobster Roll
PROS
- really good flavor
- bread was warm, not soggy with the butter
- good seasoning of lobster meat
CONS
- way too small for $20 for a whole roll
- not enough meat, compared to the one in ATL
- if you get a half-roll, you will not be satisfied, guarantee it.

lobster roll (full)
Crab Roll
PROS
- awesomeness with bread
- sufficient meat but not awesome
- good flavor, not overly doused with dressing
CONS
- not as filling as the lobster roll (meat is not hefty enough)
- could have more crab meat as well but more in a half-roll than a half-lobster roll
Lobster Bisque
PROS
- good serving size for price
- not overly creamy/thick
CONS
- too salty
- not good cream to meat ratio (I want equally distributed chunks of lobster in my soup please, not just 3 large chunks in one cup and then flakes here and there)
Crab Claws
PROS
- great quantity for price
- clean tasting, not fried
CONS
- not sure if I have any? it’s $2 per claw though so take it as you will.

crab claws
I just wish the portion of the roll was bigger overall. I can’t say that I’m a fan of the bisque as much as I love crab bisque and lobster bisque. Most of the time I am disappointed with seafood chowders because they never have the right ratio of seafood to soup. All in all though it’s not too bad. A total summary:
- lobster roll:***.8 (3.8 stars)
- crab roll: ***.5 (3.5 stars)
- lobster bisque: *** (3 stars)
- crab claws: ***.8 (3.8 stars)
I recommend going to the Luke’s Lobster website for various cities as they have multiple locations. Be prepared for takeout as the East Village location is really small. Until next time, love what you eat!
R/g
Wish I could have a lobster roll right now! Thanks for the review–will keep this restaurant in mind the next time I’m in NYC!
Awesome! It’s pretty small and you may miss it but if you keep that in mind, then it won’t be hard at all. I hope you get to try it one day!
Wow!!! I want that lobster immediately!!! 😀
it was pretty tasty. small but still tasty. just get ready to shell out for it 🙂