If you’re driving up to Maine, Bob’s Clam Hut should be your first stop once you’ve crossed the state’s southern border. They make the best lobster roll in the entire state. You can choose between hot butter or mayo on your roll, but the cold version is our pick because it showcases the fresh, sweet lobster without overpowering it. Between the buttered roll and the accompanying well-seasoned fries, you’ll definitely need some of the provided wet naps after eating this one.

As soon as you utter the words “Maine” or “lobster roll” near your phone, you’ll probably start getting dozens of TikToks telling you to visit Red’s Eats in Wiscasset. And they’re right. The lobster roll is fantastic, but you should be prepared to set aside a few hours of your day to enjoy it. You’ll see a block-long line coming from this riverside shack at pretty much any time of day, but your patience will be rewarded with a mountainous roll that contains a whole lobster tail and knuckles.

This off-road seafood shack is slightly off the beaten path towards Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, but it’s worth the small detour to try their fresh sweet lobster. Pieces of claws, knuckles, and chopped-up tail are tender, and mayo lends a soft creaminess to each bite. The bun is on the softer side, but the lobster is so fresh you won’t even care if the bread starts to fall apart after a few bites.

Eventide Oyster Co is a seafood go-to in Portland, where you can spend an evening trying more than a dozen different local bivalves with accoutrements like kimchi and horseradish ice. You might raise an eyebrow at Eventide’s non-traditional brown butter preparation and steamed bun, but sometimes innovation is a path to greatness. The steamed bun feels like a happy marriage between the New England hot dog roll and a bao, the chives add brightness, and pillowy soft dough absorbs moisture.

Saltie Girl in Boston has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to seafood. And while their regular lobster roll is great, served cold or hot with a white wine butter sauce, where they really level up is with their top-secret off-menu roll. The lobster is fried in a light, tempura-like batter and tossed in beurre blanc sauce before being piled into a warm buttered roll and served alongside housemade salt and vinegar chips.

The views at Belle Isle, which is just a few minutes outside of Boston, are matched only by the size of their overstuffed (and best-in-class) lobster rolls. You can choose a classic lobster meat roll or upgrade to an all-tail roll for a few bucks more. The latter, even though it’s over $40, is beyond worth it for how much meat you get. Each is served with your choice of french fries, onion rings, coleslaw, or rice pilaf.

Mac’s has a number of locations across the Outer Cape now, but their original Wellfleet location is the best. It’s arguably the best place for fried clams (with gluten-free breading) and an amazing lobster in Cape Cod that you should eat at a picnic table on the sand overlooking the bay. Mac’s is perfect for a great lunch, but an equally good casual dinner. It’s a meal you’ll remember months later when the sun is setting at 4pm and you can't go outside without a puffy coat.

You can’t have an East Coast vacation without a perfect summer shack that serves lobster rolls and fried clams, and the Lookout is the best version of that on Martha’s Vineyard. With views overlooking Oak Bluffs, you can watch people file out of the ferry, or just gaze at the ocean while tucking into that aforementioned toasted and buttery lobster roll. They also do a refreshing rum punch and margaritas.

Even in downtown Providence, you’re still in Rhode Island, which means you’re only a few miles from water (and impeccable seafood) at all times. Case in point: Dune Brothers, a seafood shack with a great lobster roll that’s packed with tail and claw meat, mixed with just the right amount of mayo. And we know this is a lobster roll guide, but the rotating special Jonah crab roll with a shake of Old Bay is a sleeper hit.

Mystic, Connecticut is another town on the New England coast where the lobster roll eating—at a picnic table, overlooking the water—is elite. Seaview does all the sea shack-style classics well, including fried clam, scallop, and shrimp platters, along with juicy little burgers. And of course, lobster rolls—theirs come with flaky bits of lobster and chunks of claw meat mixed with sweet mayonnaise. When you’re done, walk around the building to Twisters for a soft serve cone with sprinkles.