Boston: Oysters & Lobster Roll at Neptune

One of the places I revisited on this past Boston trip was Neptune Oyster. I had been before 3 years ago and fell in love with their lobster roll. They also make a pretty snazzy clam chowder but I didn’t get it this time. I wanted to try their cioppino since I love nothing better than a big bowl of seafood. When we arrived, we were told there’d be a 30-45 minute wait. An hour and half later (so double the time they said), we were finally seated in the tight, cramped restaurant. It’s a good thing we just had dim sum a few hours before! I looked longingly at the bar which seemed spacious (not really) compared to the tables smushed up against each other. We tried to pretend we didn’t notice every little thing the next table was doing; including the fact they were apparently making fun of our picture taking with picture taking of their own (with flash- the horror!).

In any case, we tried our best to ignore them as our oysters hit the table. Oh, lovely fresh briny and creamy things. How I love oysters!

 

I hadn’t had such good oysters since New Orleans and before that Seattle. I like the oysters in LA but somehow being near oyster-rich waters was so much better.

 

And the shells are so pretty.

 

The ciopinno had a lot of seafood but I didn’t care for the broth. I wanted it to be more tomato-y, more herb-y. Probably a handful of fresh parsley would have helped. I did however really like the shrimp and the clams. After poking around at a few other tidbits, I turned the bowl over to TreasureMA with my blessings.

 

No, we were here really for the lobster roll. From what I understand, it’s “traditionally” made with celery and mayo. It’s served cold and on a hot dog bun. Neptune has a cold, mayo version but I’ve never gotten it because I favored the hot, buttery version. Ah, joy. Fresh, huge chunks of lobster. Silky smooth butter….that I dripped all over the fries. I was finally in my seafood nirvana. I’m also glad to report the price of the roll remained the same 3 years later. Glad it’s still awesome.

And worth the 1.5 hour wait.

Neptune Oyster Bar

63 Salem St., Boston, MA 02113 — (617) 742-3474

 

© The Minty  2012