First Up: The Clam Shack, Kennebunkport, Maine
📍 Quintessential Maine, Toasted Buns, and Fried Dreams

I love a great lobster roll like I love a great pizza or burger—deeply, truly, and with travel plans attached. If the lobster’s sweet, the butter’s warm, and the view screams “New England postcard,” I’m already halfway there (wallet permitting).

Fresh off a Paris trip where I tried Homer Lobster’s slick Euro-take (spoiler: pretty good!), I couldn’t stop dreaming about the OG rolls of summer. So here we go—five terrific lobster rolls that are worth the trip, with today’s spotlight on an iconic gem:

🏖️ The Clam Shack – Kennebunkport, Maine

🦞 Established: 1968
👨 Owner: Steve Kingston
🌉 Setting: Perched above the Kennebunk River
🚶♂️ Crowd Level: Tourist-packed, lobster-hungry, long lines likely
💰 Budget Warning: More “treat” than “cheap eat”

This is no basic shack. It’s a time-traveling taste of Maine summer. Starting as a little seafood stand, it’s grown into a full hut with what they call a terrace (others call it a parking lot with personality).

Locals, lobster lovers, and Instagram pilgrims line up for the lobster roll that made this place famous:
🥖 A (mildly) toasted round bun (not your classic hotdog roll!)
🧈 A choice of butter, mayo, or both—i prefer it butter, but feel free to go both
🦞 Packed with fresh, hand-picked Maine lobster

Some critics say the lobster roll is big. They’re wrong. It's not, but the lobster-to-bun ratio is on point. The Clam Shack even crowned itself “America’s Best Lobster Roll”—honestly, it’s not entirely delusional, and many critics seem to agree!

But that’s just the start of the feast...

🍤 Sides That Steal the Show

• 🧅 Onion Rings: Crispy, golden, totally addictive

• 🍟 French Fries: Pro tip—order them without salt for a cleaner, healthier crunch

• 🍲 Clam Chowder: Surprisingly dreamy for a roadside shack

• 🦑 Fried Seafood Lunch Box [served with French fries, cole slaw, and sauce (don't forget the lemon)]: Clams, haddock, scallops, shrimp—you choose, it’s probably sizzling 

Also on the menu: tuna rolls, crab sandwiches, grilled cheese, burgers, hot dogs, lemonade, and the soul of summer in cardboard boxes.

Expect to drop $100+ for two if you go hard (which you will). 👉 Check out The Clam Shack’s full menu here. And remember—it’s a seasonal operation: open around Memorial Day through October.

Prefer a burger in Manhattan?
Check this out...

🏞️ After the Feast: Waddle, Walk, or Window Shop

Digest with a stroll through Kennebunkport’s:

• 🛍️ Souvenir shops & galleries

• ⛵ Schooner views & the harbor

• 🏖️ Goose Rocks & Arundel beaches

• 🚋 Seashore Trolley Museum

• 🏠 The Bush family’s Walker’s Point (no, they won’t let you in)

Kennebunkport is a postcard-perfect coastal village that oozes Maine charm, with a splash of presidential prestige.

🧭 Verdict:

✅ Fun
✅ Fresh
✅ Fried to Perfection
💸 A bit pricey, but worth the splurge
🧭 Very Maine, very summer, very much worth the trip