Today’s lobster location was full of surprises. Shinnecock Lobster Factory is conveniently located on Montauk Highway on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation. Directly next to Cloud 9 Convenience, this little red building attracts giant lines in the summer. After passing it multiple times last summer because of said line, I was excited to find it less busy in the off-season. I parked in the lot directly in front of the giant banner stating they have “the best lobster roll in The Hamptons,” so the expectations were high.
Walking up to the building, there are a few picnic tables surrounded by chains of lights. The two windows to order at are accompanied by menus on either side with an impressive variety of lobster and seafood dishes. The highlight is obviously the lobster roll, but my favorite part of the whole experience is that you can order 3 different sizes of lobster roll in 6 different flavors. I went with the classic to be able to rate this roll on the same basis as the other reviews I have done, but as the completionist that I am, I feel like I may have to do a secondary review on all the other flavors they offer. There is also a second patio to the left of the windows where my coworker and I waited impatiently for our dishes, although the service was quick and the cashier was very friendly.
Now to the good stuff – I got the “shark” (medium) sized classic flavored roll, and this roll was PACKED with lobster salad in the best way. I honestly couldn’t imagine what the large is like. The rest of the takeout container was filled with homemade potato chips which were perfectly browned as well as a quarter pickle, the amount of these I have seen alongside a lobster roll is astonishing.
The lobster salad was great – it was a little creamier than the other rolls I’ve tried but it had fantastic flavor, and the meat was cooked well. It all laid on top of a bed of lettuce (the lobster rolls are getting healthier every week!) and the bun was soft and tasty. There wasn’t as much crunch in this roll with a bit of a lack in celery pieces, but this is where the crunchy chips shined. Adding a couple broken-up chips on top of this roll, or just having a chip after taking a bite contributed a lot to the experience and I would highly recommend this pro strat.
Shinnecock Lobster Factory gets a very solid 3.5 as well as my seal of approval, and I would highly recommend you try this place out any time of year.
