Ed’s Lobster Bar

I absolutely love this place! I’ve only eaten here once (as I’ve only been to New York once) and I think about, talk about, and dream about Ed’s every day! Of course I had the roll and unfortunately as I’m writing this three months after my initial visit I don’t remember what else I ordered. I made it a stipulation of the next visit I make to New York that this must be the first and last restaurant I eat at. See you next week!

This place ain’t cheap, but whoo doggy is it delicious. No frills, menu up on several chalk boards throughout the small, mostly white seating area. Fresh shellfish and crustaceans on ice behind the bar. It was a Saturday afternoon, so naturally I had a Bloody Mary, not watery, very good taste. We started with the oyster sampler, freshly shucked, and with a varied selection. I am partial to West Coast oysters, and they’ve got ‘em. We also had lobster rolls, I fancy myself something of a lobster roll connoisseur, this one hits the mark. Complete with hot, delicious, crispy fries.
I guess what I am saying is, if you are in the area TREAT YO SELF.

Small space, but loud and high energy place. Service was okay, nothing outstanding. The food made for a great reunion with an old friend and we stuffed ourselves with one of the best lobster rolls I’ve ever had. Buttery goodness for a roll and fresh, simple lobster meat washed down with several glasses of crisp white wine. Good times.

By far, my favorite lobster roll in the city. And… I’ve tried a lot of them. I’m basing my review solely on the lobster roll. I also had wine and oysters which were delicious but nothing to write home about. Standard.
But the lobster rolls… holy, holy mackerel the lobster rolls. The bun is toasted and brushed with melted butter, and then tucked inside is so much lobster I almost wanted to ask for a second bun so I could savor the dripping-​butter-​bread with every bite. Not too much mayo, not too much celery or other superfluous green extras, just a giant pile of lobster.
It’s a tiny bit expensive, but it’s worth every penny. The fries are whatever (such a beauty doesn’t really need a garnish) but the pickles they make in house are outstanding. Super spicy, crunchy, perfection. I can’t recommend this place enough.

Ordered the Lobster roll
First bite was amazing! The roll is dipped in butter or something it was amazing. the lobster pieces are huge, the fries are fries and the vinergar pickles are yummy
It was $ 30 for this meal which was steep for me but hey gotta splurge sometimes.
Staff wasnt very attentive i walked in and wasnt asked what i want or any type of greeting a bit awkward… and made me feel like i didnt belong in the place. The place is TINY make sure your not wearing anything bulky or you wont fit down the bar isle to the tables in the back
I also got a severe stomach ache after i ate the food but it was still delish so it was just probably very rich and my belly couldnt take it.

I’ve been several times and I think my favorites are the crudo specials, the raw shellfish and the little fried clam rolls. I think I’ve only had lobster once here. Great neighborhood place.

I kind of love this spot. The garden patio in the back is perfect for when you want to dine al fresco but don’t really want bus fumes and obnoxious honking ruining the experience!
The first time I came here a friend and I split a bunch of dishes. The mini lobster rolls and oyster sliders weren’t really my thing, but the scallops we had were so good. The mussels were great but I’m starting to think I’m developing an allergy to them as I’ve been getting sick every time I eat them.
A month passed and I was really craving scallops so the same friend and I came back to split more dishes. This time we went for the tuna crudo, clam chowder, chilled seafood salad and those amazing scallops. All were delicious! I will definitely be returning again and again!

Had one of the worst dinner experiences of my life here. Went for a birthday dinner with 4 friends. They sat us in the back room where they sit 3 six to eight-​tops. Extremely loud and isolated. Got there at 8:30 on a Friday night. We ordered a lobster roll, a lobster bisque, calamari, mussels, and lobster tacos. They asked if we would like the food brought as they were made or we wanted it all at once. We said to just bring it in the order they were made. The waitress told us around 9:30 that the food should be out soon and sorry for the delay. At 10:00 (an hour and a half into dinner) the mussels, lobster bisque, and calamari came out. At 10:40 (an hour and 40 minutes into dinner), we were ready to walk out. At 11pm we all got up to leave and they brought out the lobster roll and lobster tacos. First of all the lobster roll is $ 27 — it came out on a small little hotdog roll with about $ 10 worth of mediocre lobster and $ 17 worth of cheap soggy french fries. I could hold all three lobster tacos with one hand. I have no clue what took two hours. The bill came and they charged us twice for the lobster bisque. Took another 15 minutes for them to fix that error on the bill. Management didn’t even offer to comp anything or apologize for the ridiculous wait and the sub-​par food experience. I would never go back to a place that took advantage of a large group of younger people (all mid twenties compared to the older crowd in the main dining room). I feel sorry for the waitstaff as it was likely the fault of the kitchen.

She had the lobster slider sampler, which included a lobster meatball, a bacon wrapped lobster burger, and I can’t remember the third (lingered later into the night with Jameson). I had the special, squid ink pasta with mussels, clams and calamari in a butter garlic sauce.
Both were kinda perfect, mine startlingly so.
We sat at the bar, watched basketball, sipped martinis and slurped a few oysters.
Wow.
Great service, great food. The only downer was that Miami beat Boston.
We’ll be back.

C and I came here — I got the fresh muddle lemonade. Really good. C got some sort of white wine.
We shared the following:
Raw Oysters — I love the fact they have FRESH horse radish like Blue Ribbon.
Shrimp Tacos — I had to take down one star for this dish. The shrimp were really funky and totally not into the way they used the old bay seasoning here. Those baby shrimps just didn’t work well in these tacos. DISGUSTING.
Lobster Sliders — not bad, but didn’t win me over as the best lobster roll or anything.
New England Clam Chowder — a bit too watery for my taste. Good flavour, but I wish it was heartier.
Lobster Meatballs — I wasn’t too into the lobster meatball, but the pasta itself was really good.
The service — our waiter the cute black dude with glasses was super duper cool and exceptional service!
So far I like this place better than the original one.

Went for my birthday dinner. Service was awful — we waited about 45 minutes for our food and saw other tables that arrived after us plated first. They were simply understaffed. Portions were laughable. We spent about 70 each and were still all hungry afterwards. Crudo was so small I thought it was a joke. We had the lobster and the lobster rolls. Lobster was full of water. The oysters were decent. The food reflected a lack of skill in preparation and plating; claws were broken sloppily, oysters had bits of shell in them. Would not return.

Me and a date were wandering around the LES in our Sperrys in search of booze and food when we came across Ed’s Lobster bar. Clams, Oysters, Gin and Tonics and a Margarita the bartender was so excited to make he ran across the street to buy tequila. We had the whole outdoor patio to ourselves… although No Smoking allowed. Grrrrrrr.

The guy and I were wondering around on a Saturday afternoon both being very hungry and looking for a place that neither of us had been to. Enter Ed’s Lobster Bar Annex. Thank you to the previous Unilocal reviewers as you made it easy for us to finally decide on a place. I quickly learned that although I tend to review places, he always checks out the Unilocal reviews before committing to enter. It’s all about balance right?
We ordered the lobster tacos, lobster meatballs and oyster sliders with bacon. All tasty options if I must say myself. None of the options absolutely overwhelmed me, but I enjoyed everything. The waiter was was very nice and attentive without being overbearing, which must be difficult when you are the only people dining in the restaurant.
We were able to order a cocktail though they don’t have a full bar.
The bonus was that the day was pretty nice and they have an outdoor dining area. If you hate lobster and/​or seafood you should choose another place, but being a lover of both, I’d definitely return.

Ed’s Lobster Bar truly gave an amazing meal. My boyfriend and I decided on the Clinton location because we were hoping it wouldn’t be too many people. We got seated in the back of the restaurant which extended out to the backyard.
The food we ordered were simple, some great some not to great.
The oyster sampler were good, supposedly $ 27 but we got charged $ 20… odd but I’m definitely not complaining.
The crudo selection for the night, we chose tuna and it was so simple that it was plainly delicious. Thinly sliced tuna with olive oil and coarse sea salt.
Moving on to a plate of mussels with lobster broth and fennel, that was a bang for the buck. It was only $ 10 and you get a sufficient amount of mussels and also 2 slices of bread that’s soaked in butter.
Lastly, my boyfriend had the special of the night which was any 3 sliders with fries and I had the Seared Day Boat Scallops. Out of the 3 sliders (Lobster Burger, Skate Slider, Fried Oyster Slider with Bacon) the best was the Fried Oysters, the others lack flavor. The scallop dish was the best, sauteed spinach with mash potatoes and 4 scallops.
The food and atmosphere at Ed’s was perfect. The staff was nice and helpful also.

Cutie Patroller Patrolling Report
Hello is it summer in the city (^_​^) in February? This place brings the feel of New England /​Long Island fish shack right to Soho. It’s the middle of winter and I’m imagining wearing a summer sundress & flip flops with the bright light, white walls & marble counter and open raw bar kitchen. Though the place is small with a dining room in back, the best location is the counter so make sure to grab a good seat. Order a chilled Sauvignon Blanc and watch the guy crack open the lobsters and oysters. This place is famous for its lobster roll ($ 27 market price) & raw bar but I didn’t order any of that as I want to try something new. I started with the crab & artichoke dip (great but Freeman’s artichoke dip places the bar high) and enjoyed their tuna tartar with sea salted zucchini tempura. The skate, the fresh fish of the day, was a great choice simply seasoned and seared in olive oil & butter. P. S. Who’s Ed? Owner/​chef Ed McFarland worked at Pearl Oyster Bar, which I adore for 6 years before opening his own place. Make sense!
ps Ed’s Lobster bar now has 3 location in city of New York. I can’t wait to patrol neweast Lower East Side location.
Cutie Patroller is always on the prowl in downtown NYC for cute places and great food.

The concept of lobster rolls does not exist here in South Australia. Maybe it’s because lobsters here cost approximately $ 1.1bajillion dollars, maybe it’s some other reason. All I can say is that we are a much, much poorer country for it.
So you can imagine my pleasure, on a recent trip it NYC, that Ed’s Lobster Bar Annex had opened up 2 doors down from my apartment.
Seeing said lobster rolls on the menu and their mouth watering description was cause to wonder aloud whether ordering in quantities of 10 would be a tad excessive. It was, but the one roll I did have was nothing short of delicious. The roll was the perfect combo of fluffy and crunchy, the lobster was sweet and tasty, the creamy sauce was so light, and I’m considering importing mass quantities of the Ed’s pickles accompaniment.
The vibe was nice and friendly, service was great and there was a nice selection of wine (important for Lady Drink-​a-​lot over here).
5 lobster claws out of 5, me hearties.

As with most restaurants that open in the hood I have high hopes and great expectations. Ed’s has never disappointed us — not one time. I was never a big lobster person having only tried lobster maybe twice in my life. It just wasn’t that appealing to me — not a lot of taste so I thought. Coming to ed’s (now, almost biweekly) has definitely set the bar for me. The food is amazing and the service is great.
They give a very generous portion on the whole lobster roll as well as the mini sliders. Whole lobster is great — they only serve the best — 1 ½ pounders. I have come to learn this is optimal size for a lobster in terms of tenderness and taste. I have also had the scallops and mussels which are also great for those not into lobster — but this is a lobster bar — roll up your sleeves and get some lobster!
HANDS DOWN the best oysters I have had in NYC. Not only taste, the fresh horseradish is amazing I recommend the Malqeque and St. Simon for sure.
Now onto the tapas sized items: Personally I view the prportions as fair despite what my neighbor says below. The lobster meatballs are great and definitely a unique take on traditional lobster if you are looking to try something different. The seafood salad is also amazing. EVERYTHING is so fresh. The fries are awesome. I had the mini thermidor pizzas a while ago — they were good and another unique direction on the traditional. I mentioned the mini lobster rolls already — a great way to taste the real thing without all the commitment. They have a great special sometimes for 3 tapas sized selections with fries — a great dinner deal!
Finally, the staff — we have been a bunch so its always good to chat it up with Benny, Mike, Max and Marco. The guys behind the oyster shucking are also awesome sorry i’m bad with names. Big hugs to you all for continuing to tolerate us when we drink too much Isabel wine and martinis!

My brother has been talking about trying this place for weeks and we finally made it in last Saturday around 730 — surprisingly uncrowded.
Service was good — great food and wine recommendations and they were really attentive. Wine was reasonably priced and perfect with the food. And ahhh, the food. Between 3 of us we got fried calamari (with amaaazing spiced mayo), mussels in lobster broth with fennel (the mussels were HUGE and the broth was so good that we ordered extra bread to dip), lobster ravioli (my favorite! sooo yummy), lobster meatball sliders (with mozzarella, and huge — my brother couldn’t even finish all 3), and lobster rolls (good, nothing too exceptional).
Another plus: oyster crackers at every seat. I’m sure we’ll be back!

This place is fun… the food is good… that last review is way too critical… great unique lobster dishes… a great little find walking thru the les… if youre complaining about the prices, just remember, its lobster and youre in new york so stop yer whining… def a great date night place. My only suggestion iss to separate some items on the menu by hot and cold items… but other than that, man this place is good!

We were sooooo excited to have this place open up in our hood. It’s way early — and we’re still giving them the benefit of the doubt. But, as of now (Oct 2011), I will say this: too much bs for a no-​bs neighborhood. Portions are laughable and insulting when considering the prices. Lobster buns («slider» sized buns, NOT rolls) @ $ 5/​bun were the only items we did not complain about — and we rarely complain!
The lobster bisque was very salty and appeared to have been heated by a microwave as each bite had an inconsistent temp, and the «dumplings» inside were hard and cold. The soup had a salty burnt-​parts flavor to it. We were in shock they had even served it to us, especially after witnessing several cooks and washers eating it (kitchen is visible from bar).
The next and last disaster was the lobster tacos, which ought to be renamed «coleslaw tacos wish hint of sea». First, the appearance had us nearly bursting with laughter. Imagine 3 bit sized tacos that, if were combined into one, would have difficulty matching the volume of the nearest $ 3 fish taco served elsewhere. If that is not bad enough, consider the $ 16 price-​tag and, worse, the fact that the Cole slaw was so abundant and overpowering, I had to ask my wife if we had ordered something other than the lobster tacos. This was the main reason they were sent back… at these prices, there had better be some hearty chunks of fresh lobster in there. You could maybe find tweezer sized bits, but nothing capable of stealing any of the slaw’s spotlight. Either rename this dish, or start over.
Aside from the food, there are too many folks working there and eating food, the menu is trying too hard and is way too extensive considering the main ingredient and space («lobster bar»). The layout is tight, bizarre, and unwelcoming. Its not midtown, so some more two-​tops and candlelight might convince local residents to stay.
What matters: sobering prices with no substance. I think Ed would easily make hand over fist in this hood selling hearty rolls like you find in Red Hook, UES, and, well, all over New England, with bag of chips and soda for $ 10 less than what he is proposing. Unfortunately, if he doesn’t act fast, he’ll learn the hard way and residents will have only been teased. I assume Ed is targeting the same people who dine at Alias, Topeo, Falai, Azul, and Schillers, but these people are not very forgiving especially when many $$$ are involved.
Drop prices, scale the lobster portions, and simplify… something between this and a shack and it might work on this block and in this economy.