What is it about lobster that conjures summer? Is it the briny, fresh-from-the-sea taste? The memory of road food on the way to a family vacation? The relaxed traditions that surround a good old fashioned lobster bake with the guilty pleasure of melted butter (and lots of it!) and the requisite bibs?
Is your mouth watering yet? Read on for the best lobster restaurants and dishes in and around Bergen County.
What’s in a name? When your name is Jack’s Lobster Shack, pretty much everything. At Jack’s, you can have your lobster steamed, in a roll (Maine or Connecticut style), in a salad, in a steam pot, in a bisque, in fritters or in grilled cheese. And if you don’t want to dine-in? Jack’s will sell you a live lobster or steam one for you to take home. Jack’s Lobster Shack, 1040 River Road, Edgewater, 201-224-2808
Start with a three-floor floating lobster shack, add views of Midtown Manhattan, top it all off with fun drinks, a casual menu and short cruises into the Hudson, and you’ve got the North River Lobster Company. For only $10 per cruise plus the cost of your meal, you can enjoy lunch or dinner options including a traditional lobster bake, lobster rolls, a raw bar and, if you’re feeling a little parched, a Pop-Sea-Cle, a mason jar cocktail with popsicle finish. North River Lobster Company, Pier 81, West 41st and the Hudson River, 212-630-8831
It’s not surprising that the menu at Sofia, Englewood’s outpost for sophisticated casual fare, offers inventive options like lobster in a fra diavolo sauce or lobster tail flambéed in cognac, in addition to lobster by the pound served steamed, broiled or angry (spicy). Sit in the open window, order up a craft cocktail from the full bar and people-watch to your heart’s content. Sofia, 36 Engle Street, Englewood, 201-541-8530
For lobster with a Spanish flair, visit Granada Restaurant in Hawthorne. Choose from paella two ways, Mariscada (Portuguese seafood stew), lobster tails or surf and turf, and wash it all down with a glass of sangria or a cocktail from the full bar. Granada Restaurant, 410 Wagaraw Road, Hawthorne, 973-427-5424
Tapas anyone? Head to family-owned Segovia Restaurant in Moonachie where they source the freshest ingredients to bring you little plates but also lobster tails, lobster ravioli or lobster stuffed with crab meat and shrimp. Segovia Restaurant, 150 Moonachie Road, Moonachie, 201-641-4266
Although they’ve closed their Hoboken location, Luke’s Lobster has just opened their first Jersey Shore shack just a short car ride away in Long Branch. So if you’re hankerin’ for traceable, sustainable lobster in the form of a roll (try the trio- ½ lobster roll, ½ crab roll and ½ shrimp roll), bisque, tails or a lobster salad, hop in the car. You’ll be there before you can say, “Ouch, he pinched me!” Luke’s Lobster, 84 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch, 732-361-4171
Okay, so the Boiling Pot is really more of a Louisiana crawfish place than a lobster place, but lobster is on the menu, and if you like it Cajun spicy, this is the place to come. Place your order, then start off with a bag of piping hot popcorn, and when your food comes, help yourself to free rice right from the cooker. Then, tie on your bib, snap on your gloves and dig in. No utensils at this place. Just your fingers, some claw crackers and a great time. The Boiling Pot, 124 Main Street, Fort Lee, 201-461-0444
Finally, if your dinner plans include a few landlubbers, head to a local steak house to get your lobster fix. Try the lobster mac and cheese at The Capital Grille, the lobster cocktail at the Sparkill Steakhouse, or the lobster cobb at Roots in Ridgewood. You can have your crustacean and let them eat steak. The Capital Grille, 1 Garden State Plaza Blvd, Paramus, 201-845-7040, Sparkill Steakhouse, 500 Route 340, Sparkill, NY, 845-398-3300, Roots Steakhouse, 17 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, 201-444-1922
