Luke’s Lobster

I waited with great anticipation for the opening of Luke’s Lobster – DC’s first outpost of the increasingly popular Manhattan seafood shack founded by former investment banker and Georgetown graduate Luke Holden. Located a stone’s throw from the Verizon Center, I opted to skip the lunch-crowd madness on opening day and settled for a late afternoon snack around 4 PM.

All-in-all, Luke’s did not disappoint, except for the price.

The seafood is flown in daily. The buns are toasted (and tasty), and the portions are large – almost too large for the buns, actually.

The only real issue is the price. It’s a whopping $15 before tax for a lobster roll, and $17 if you add in chips and a drink. I chose the crab roll, which rung in at $12. Still steep, but do-able. Overall, the rolls are good. There’s no coleslaw or creamy, mayo-infused sauce drizzled all over it. It’s a basic toasted-potato roll (with a slight butter spread over it), topped with a boatload (no pun intended) of seafood so fresh you can almost taste the salt water.

I’ll definitely head back.

If the price drops, I’ll become a regular for sure.