7 of the best spots in RI for your lobster-roll fix

Jenna Pelletier, The Providence Journal
·5 min read

I look like my mother, but eat like my father. Basically, we both love lobster.

When I was growing up, the crustacean was included — stuffed, steamed or in a roll — in just about every family celebration, from a work promotion to Christmas Eve. And it wasn't just for the adults. There's a photo of me as a toddler, furiously cutting into a lobster tail with a kid-safe butter knife.

Recently retired, my dad is now on a budget, but still manages to regularly get his lobster fix — from a "secret" truck that sells New Bedford seafood at close-to-wholesale prices.

Of course, I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have along to help me eat through the state's lobster rolls as part of research for this story. With the promise that I wouldn't reveal the location of his seafood truck, he agreed to come along on a lobster roll tour.

Rhode Island's go-to recipe is fabulously simple: cold lobster lightly dressed with mayonnaise and served in a warm hot dog bun, usually with a little bit of lettuce and sometimes celery.

Our two-day journey revealed that every restaurant has a slightly different take. Spices, bun size, and lobster-to-mayo ratio are among the variables. A few even offer the hot buttered version favored in Connecticut in addition to a cold roll. And you can order them in atmospheres ranging from rustic clam shack to refined dining room.

1. The Classic: Anthony's Seafood

Anthony's Seafood in Middletown serves up nearly a half-pound of hand-picked meat with a little peppered mayonnaise and chopped celery. A leaf of lettuce placed between the bun and the lobster helps prevent sogginess.
Anthony's Seafood in Middletown serves up nearly a half-pound of hand-picked meat with a little peppered mayonnaise and chopped celery. A leaf of lettuce placed between the bun and the lobster helps prevent sogginess.

For its simple but stellar version, Anthony's Seafood starts with an oversized buttered and griddled hot dog bun, then adds nearly a half-pound of hand-picked knuckle, claw and tail meat with a little peppered mayonnaise and chopped celery. A leaf of lettuce placed between the bun and the lobster helps prevent sogginess.

Served with fries and coleslaw, the sandwich can be eaten in the casual, kid-friendly dining room or ordered to go. Anthony's sells about 150 of them each weekend in the summer, said Logan Bucolo, who helps his father, Stephen, run the Middletown restaurant.

Dad's notes: "Excellent traditional roll." "Nice seafood shop in the same building."

963 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown. (401) 846-9620, anthonysseafood.net.

2. Sweet Side: Quito's Restaurant

The lobster roll from Quito's, in Bristol, includes mayo, dill, a touch of sugar and some other "secret ingredients" the kitchen won’t divulge.
The lobster roll from Quito's, in Bristol, includes mayo, dill, a touch of sugar and some other "secret ingredients" the kitchen won’t divulge.

A delicacy on its own, lobster doesn't usually need much dressing up. Quito's goes bolder than most restaurants with its lobster roll seasonings, and fortunately they enhance, rather than detract, from the taste of the seafood. In addition to mayo and lobster, the salad includes dill, a touch of sugar and some other "secret ingredients" the kitchen won't divulge.

The Bristol waterfront restaurant serves the sandwich on a warm brioche bun, which adds another layer of subtle sweetness.

Dad's notes: "Sweetest lobster roll." "Near Colt State Park, Bristol Harbor, East Bay Bike Path."

411 Thames St., Bristol. (401) 253-4500, quitosrestaurant.com.

3. Impressive Roll: Matunuck Oyster Bar

The lobster roll at Matunuck Oyster Bar, in South Kingstown, includes larger-than-average chunks of lobster, artfully arranged in a hefty split-top roll warmed with lots of butter.
The lobster roll at Matunuck Oyster Bar, in South Kingstown, includes larger-than-average chunks of lobster, artfully arranged in a hefty split-top roll warmed with lots of butter.

Matunuck Oyster Bar's oversized version includes larger-than-average chunks of lobster, artfully arranged in a hefty split-top roll warmed with lots of butter. Made with crustaceans from Maine and Rhode Island waters, it's light on mayo, with a touch of shredded lettuce and celery.

The sandwich is large enough to share and comes with either a pile of fries or a side salad. An even better combo? Start your meal with some of the oysters owner Perry Raso grows on the property.

Dad's notes: "Great service and view of pond." "Have a drink at Ocean Mist first."

629 Succotash Rd., South Kingstown. (401) 783-4202, rhodyoysters.com.

4. Fancy Take: The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar

Think of The Mooring's Lobster Croissant as the designer dress equivalent of a lobster roll. It's a little smaller, and bit more expensive than most, but so worth it.

Executive chef Brian Pawlak sandwiches chilled, lightly dressed claw and knuckle meat between halves of a warm croissant from Cape Cod bakery Pain D'Avignon. A touch of fresh tarragon adds some herbaceousness.

Sold at the downtown Newport restaurant for the last 15 years, the rich, buttery sandwich is a best-seller and not coming off the menu anytime soon, Pawlak said.

Dad's notes: "Newport tourism feeling." "Lighter appetite."

Sayers Wharf, Newport. (401) 846-2260, mooringrestaurant.com.

5. The Biggie: Blount Clam Shack

The Blount Clam Shack’s Giant Lobster Roll lives up to its name, with a heaping half-pound of lobster piled into an extra-long grilled roll.
The Blount Clam Shack’s Giant Lobster Roll lives up to its name, with a heaping half-pound of lobster piled into an extra-long grilled roll.

The Blount Clam Shack's Giant Lobster Roll lives up to its name, with a heaping half-pound of lobster piled into an extra-long grilled roll. Large enough to share, the impressive-looking sandwich, mostly made with Canadian lobster, comes in two versions: undressed lobster served with warm butter on the side or tossed in a dill-mayo sauce.

There are also a ton of side options, including French fries, house-made potato chips, fruit salad, onion rings, and — can't beat this — a clam cake.

Blount offers outdoor dining seasonally at two locations: on the Warren waterfront and at East Providence's Crescent Park.

Dad's notes: "Most lobster for the money." "It lends itself to eat with a fork."

335 Water St., Warren, (401) 245-3210, blountretail.com/warren/home and 684 Bullocks Point Ave., East Providence, (401) 628-0485.

6. By the Dock: Champlin's Seafood

Champlin's Seafood, in Narragansett, follows the classic recipe — cold lobster, warm buttery bun, with a little bit of mayo, iceberg and celery.
Champlin's Seafood, in Narragansett, follows the classic recipe — cold lobster, warm buttery bun, with a little bit of mayo, iceberg and celery.

Champlin's Seafood gets bonus points for freshness. From the restaurant's casual dining room, you can watch fisherman unloading the day's catch, including lobsters, from the owners' own boats at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett Bay.

Champlin's is known for letting customers choose their own lobsters from the tank in its downstairs seafood market and bring them upstairs to the kitchen to steam. But if you're not up for the work, and the mess, that goes into eating a whole one, the lobster roll is a great alternative. The medium-sized sandwich follows the classic recipe — cold lobster, warm buttery bun, with a little bit of mayo, iceberg and celery.

Dad's notes: "Close to Block Island Ferry." "Beautiful view of water outside."

256 Great Island Rd., Narragansett. (401) 783-3152, champlins.com.

7. The Deal: Iggy's Boardwalk

Iggy's Boardwalk, in Warwick, serves a toasted hot dog bun heaping with Maine lobster, plus fries, coleslaw and a cup of red, white or clear chowder
Iggy's Boardwalk, in Warwick, serves a toasted hot dog bun heaping with Maine lobster, plus fries, coleslaw and a cup of red, white or clear chowder

Lobster rolls are often considered a splurge. But Iggy's Boardwalk, at Oakland Beach, offers an option that won't break the bank.

It serves a toasted hot dog bun heaping with Maine lobster, plus fries, coleslaw and a cup of red, white or clear chowder. It's not the largest sandwich around, but it'll satisfy any crustacean craving.

Dad's notes: "Great value." "Day-old leftovers from daughter still taste good."

889 Oakland Beach Ave., Warwick. (401) 737-9459, iggysri.com

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 7 of the best lobster rolls around RI: From fancy to classic