Anyways, I visited THE classic spot for a lobster roll in The Hamptons, albeit in a new location. The Lobster Roll in Amagansett was where I got my first lobster roll and many more. The Southampton location is in the perfect spot right off the highway to enjoy lobster rolls year-round since the Amagansett location is only seasonally open. They kept the beachy/fishing vibe from the Amagansett location on the inside, even though the outside may look shiny and new.
With the same menu from the Amagansett location, this place looks like the real deal. I did feel like something was missing without the fresh beach air and worn in look of the other location, but it was 30 degrees out and I can’t currently go to the other location, so I’ll take the availability here.
Our server was super friendly and managed to remember 7 people’s food and drink orders (with substitutions, additions, multipliers, dividers, and all) without writing anything down, which I found insanely impressive. We started with the fried clam strips – one of my favorite seafood snacks (shoutout Ivar’s in the Seattle area) and fried calamari. Both fried seafood starters were great and I would highly recommend these if you’re trying to get a picky eater into seafood. Both were battered to perfection, hot, crispy, and the perfect blend of seafood and deep fried goodness. Pro tip – get cocktail sauce for the fried clams. You won’t regret it.
As you may have noticed, I am a big fan of this place. I have so many memories of the original location and as the first place I ever ate a lobster roll it is hard to remain unbiased, but I will do my best to remain impartial. I will never forgive them for getting rid of the cool dog, though (yes, a hot dog but with ice cream in a sausage shape instead of a frank, AKA the best thing ever). Unless that was just a fever dream, which is totally and completely possible.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the lobster roll. The lobster meat here was the best by far. Perfectly tender and juicy, it was everything I remembered. The lobster salad was great but not overwhelmingly creamy and had a fair amount of celery pieces. The one thing that detracted from the experience was the bun. Don’t get me wrong, this was a perfect top-sliced bun – nice and fluffy, buttery, and my top pick for lobster roll buns – but the slice was really off. I know this sounds very weird but the bun wasn’t sliced down the middle, it was sliced like 1/5 of the way into the bun, so one side was really bready and the other wasn’t. It threw me off a bit but I digress, everything else was great.
The roll was served with a lemon (much appreciated), lettuce, coleslaw, and crinkle-cut fries. The fries were nicely fried, super fluffy on the inside, and stayed hot throughout the meal. They weren’t as crispy as some of the other fries I have tried, but they are the perfect version of crinkle-cut fries.
Overall a great experience at the lobster roll, this new location is the perfect place to get drinks with friends after work and to satisfy that lobster roll craving in the off season. The roll earns a 3.5 and I will definitely be back soon for more. We also heard some rumors about live music coming soon, so make sure to check out their social media for more updates on that!
