This Wilmington Restaurant Is Where You’ll Find The Best Lobster Roll In North Carolina
Love lobster? You don’t have to go to Maine to get a mouthwatering lobster roll. In fact, you can get a highly recommended one right here in North Carolina. A lobster roll is a classic New England dish that tastes like vacation. It features lobster meat (typically tail, claw, and knuckle) prepared with butter (or sometimes may0), lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. It’s then served on a fluffy hot dog-style bun (though think elevated in quality from your typical hot dog bun). Restaurants often serve them even if they don’t serve whole lobster or lobster tails. In fact, locally even Harris Teeter has them at some point. But the best lobster roll in North Carolina? You’ll have to drive to the coast to try it.
The Best Lobster Roll In North Carolina
And in most cases, the freshest and best seafood is at the coast so it makes perfect sense. The team at Yelp created a list of the best lobster rolls in each state. They also ranked the top 5 which included our neighbors to the south-South Carolina. According to Yelp, this is an “all-time list of the Top Lobster Roll Spots in every state.” To create the list they first identified food and restaurant businesses on Yelp that included a high concentration of reviews mentioning “lobster roll,”. They then ranked the spots on factors such as the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning “lobster roll.” Only restaurants located in the United States with five or fewer locations were considered.
They determined that the best lobster roll in North Carolina is found in Wilmington at Maine Lobster Roll Co. The restaurant’s website says it best- “catch a mouthful of Maine.” And if you’re going to do lobster rolls you may as well do it the best way. Maine Lobster Roll Co. is owned and operated by Bill & Monica Irwin who moved to Wilmington from Maine. After they were constantly asked about the area’s signature dish the pair decided to open Maine Lobster Roll Co in the fall of 2019.
You’ll find only delicious Maine lobster meat sourced directly from Maine here. It’s served on a toasted New England style hot dog bun – as they say “the traditional Maine way”. They also recommend you have it with “an ice cold bottle of Moxie soda to wash it all down, just like a real Mainer would.” The menu features 4 lobster rolls The Mainah, The Stonington, The Portland, and The Rockland. And while you should absolutely try the lobster roll there are other dishes like clam chowder, lobster bisque, lobster mac and cheese, and a lobster grilled cheese.
View the full menu here. Read the full Yelp list of the best lobster roll in each state here.