Celebrate National Lobster Day in NYC 2026 on September 25 with 29 standout destinations, from Luke’s Lobster to Le Bernardin, serving rolls, bisques, seafood towers, and inventive new dishes.

Last updated: September 1, 2026 | Originally published: September 18, 2024

National Lobster Day lands on Friday, September 25, 2026, and New York does not treat it as a niche occasion. The city has spent decades folding lobster into everything from a Maine-style roll on a paper boat to a tower built for sharing, and this list is where to find the best of it, from Brooklyn waterfronts to Midtown dining rooms.

This updated guide keeps the enduring favorites while adding five restaurants and dishes that are new for 2026. The selections are organized by what is new and where to find it, from Brooklyn waterfronts to Midtown dining rooms.

How to Celebrate National Lobster Day in NYC

Start in Brooklyn at Luke’s Lobster in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the lobster roll has been the same reliable order for years: a toasted, buttered bun, generously packed, seasoned just enough to let the lobster do the talking.

Across the river, The Lobster Club in Manhattan runs a completely different playbook—sleek, Japanese-influenced, and built around reinventing lobster in as many forms as the menu can hold: tempura, surf and turf, avocado salad, wasabi lobster, wok lobster, dumplings, and a whole lobster prepared with real precision. It is less a meal than a demonstration of how far the ingredient can stretch.

Those two alone cover a lot of ground, but they are only the start. What follows is the rest of the city’s best lobster, organized by borough and by what is actually new this year.

New for 2026: FIVE FRESH LOBSTER DESTINATIONS

Five places that opened or reopened this year, each with something worth ordering for the occasion. These are separate from the ‘Fresh Takes’ list below, which covers restaurants that joined the guide in 2025 and have held their place since.

Sailor & Siren

📍 Location: 817A Manhattan Avenue [at Calyer Street] — Greenpoint, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Sailor & Siren

A year of pop-ups around North Brooklyn turned into a permanent, butter-yellow storefront this summer. Founder Natalie Borowski’s in-laws run a wharf in Maine, and the lobster arrives by truck the same day it goes into the Simple Sailor roll: an entire 1.25-pound lobster, butter, a light swipe of mayo, toasted bun, $30.

Add uni for $10 or caviar for $20 if you want to see how far a lobster roll can go. The shop is open Friday through Sunday from noon until it sells out or 8 PM, whichever comes first. Expect a line.

Mary’s Fish Camp

📍 Location: 626 Hudson Street [at Jane Street] — West Village, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Mary’s Fish Camp

Mary Redding closed the original Charles Street location in April 2024 after more than twenty years, and reopened this summer a few blocks away. The lobster roll that built the restaurant’s reputation is back exactly as regulars remember it, mayo-forward, generous, unfussy.

Sarah Jessica Parker, a longtime regular, publicly volunteered to help with the reopening when it was announced, which tells you something about the following this roll has built.

Zig Zag Oyster Bar

📍 Location: 406 Prospect Place — Prospect Heights, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Zig Zag Oyster Bar

The team behind Cervo’s, Hart’s, The Fly, and Eel Bar opened their fifth spot in late July, and it is the most bar-forward of the group. Floor-to-ceiling windows, classic cocktails, and a seafood tower nearly everyone at the table ends up ordering.

The base tower runs $90; the deluxe version adds $70 and brings pickled mackerel, snow crab, and lobster salad into the mix. Reservations are available for larger parties, but most of the room is held for walk-ins.

Maison Madison

📍 Location: 301 South End Avenue — Battery Park City, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Maison Madison

A new Parisian-inspired cocktail lounge in Battery Park City, built around champagne, caviar, and a menu of small, precise plates. The Petit Lobster Rolls—butter-poached lobster on toasted brioche with chervil anchor a $95 shared platter alongside escargot spoons, tuna tartare, and crispy potato bites with caviar.

Weekday happy hour runs 4 PM to 6 PM with $12 prosecco and $12 escargot at the bar, if you want to make a smaller occasion of it.

Angry Lobster Roll at Yankee Stadium

📍 Location: 1 East 161 Street — Bronx | 🌐 Website: Yankee Stadium

Not a restaurant, but new for 2026 and real lobster: King’s Hawaiian’s stand at Yankee Stadium added an Angry Lobster Roll to the ballpark’s overhauled food lineup this season.

If a home game lines up with September 25, it is a legitimately funny way to mark the day. No reservation, no dress code, and a very different vantage point on the holiday than anything else on this list.

Fresh Takes on Lobster in NYC

These five joined the list in 2025 and have held their place for a second year running, proof the dishes were worth keeping around, not just worth trying once.

Palermo Argentinian Bistro Gramercy

📍 Location: 53 Irving Place — Flatiron, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Palermo Argentinian Bistro Gramercy | Phone: [917] 319-7301

Palermo Argentinian Bistro Gramercy brings Buenos Aires warmth to a quiet stretch of Irving Place, and its Seafood Tower is designed for sharing, not a single diner: a whole lobster crowning three tiers of oysters, shrimp, king crab, and crudo.

Pair it with a glass of Argentine malbec, and it turns dinner into an occasion.

Make Reservations via OpenTable

PB Brasserie

📍 Location: 60 West 125th Street — Harlem, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: PB Brasserie | Phone: [646] 918-6874

In Harlem, PB Brasserie pairs French technique with real neighborhood warmth. Its Lobster Shrimp Spaghetti layers half a lobster and jumbo shrimp over pasta in a garlic white wine sauce, finished with fresh basil.

The portion feels celebratory while retaining the comfort of a familiar pasta dish.

Make Reservations via PB Brasserie

Nerina

📍 Location: 35 Commercial Street — Greenpoint, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Nerina | Phone: [718] 509-9339

Nerina serves Mediterranean cooking rooted in Greek tradition, and its Lobster Orzotto is the reason to book. Orzo simmers in a bisque-like stock made from lobster shells, Metaxa, red pepper, and cream, then is topped with sliced poached Maine lobster tail and fresh tarragon.

The result is coastal comfort with a Greek accent.

Make Reservations via OpenTable

Atik

📍 Location: 555 City Island Avenue — City Island, East Bronx | 🌐 Website: Atik | Phone: [646] 375-3133

City Island’s first fine-dining Mediterranean spot, Atik, treats lobster as the main event. The Lobster Orzo Mac and Cheese folds sweet lobster into a four-cheese blend under a panko crust, crowned with a claw.

The Seafood Tower layers lobster with oysters, shrimp, clams, and stone crab; the Lobster Ravioli leans into sun-dried tomato and cream; and the Lobster Linguini pairs a 1.5-pound Maine lobster with squid-ink pasta.

Ask for a table outside; the Manhattan skyline across the water is most of the draw.

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Blu Ember

📍 Location: 137-49 Northern Boulevard — Flushing, Queens | 🌐 Website: Blu Ember | Phone: [718] 886-8000

Blu Ember serves a New American menu shaped by Asian influences in Flushing. The Ardent Toro Roll pairs spicy lobster with buttery toro and creamy avocado for a layered bite that feels indulgent without becoming overly rich.

Make Reservations via OpenTable

Celebrate National Lobster Day in Brooklyn

Psaraki

📍 Location: 420 Kent Avenue — South Williamsburg, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Psaraki | Phone: [212] 220-5035

Psaraki is a waterfront Greek taverna from founder James Paloumbis. Views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan skyline, and Williamsburg Bridge make it feel like an escape despite its location steps from Domino Park. The Lobster Pasta pairs tender lobster with al dente pasta in garlic olive oil, brightened by cherry tomatoes and scallions.

Designed for sharing, the Seafood Tower combines lobster, lump crab, jumbo shrimp, and oysters on ice with lemon vinaigrette and cocktail sauce. Psaraki is reachable by ferry from Midtown or Wall Street, making the journey part of the appeal.

Make Reservations via Psaraki

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster

📍 Location: 114 Nassau Avenue — Greenpoint, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Greenpoint Fish & Lobster | Phone: [718] 349 0400

Since 2014, Greenpoint Fish & Lobster has operated as part fish market and part restaurant at the corner of Nassau and Eckford, with sustainable seafood at its core. The Lobster Bisque is rich and classic, while the Lobster Roll, served with mayo or butter, is the order regulars return for.

Together, they make this unpretentious, well-sourced spot one of Brooklyn’s most reliable lobster destinations.

Make Reservations via Resy

Randazzo’s Clam Bar

📍 Location: 2017 Emmons Avenue — Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Randazzo’s Clam Bar | Phone: [718] 615-0010

The Randazzo family has anchored Sheepshead Bay since 1986, and the lobster selection is extensive. Lobster Randazzo pairs a split whole lobster with shrimp, clams, and pasta in a buttery lemon-garlic sauce; Lobster Fra Diavolo brings the same combination with real heat.

Stuffed lobster, broiled South African lobster tail, and steamed lobster [hot or cold] round out the menu, alongside lobster sauce over spaghetti, linguine, or rigatoni.

Brooklyn families have marked milestones here for decades, and the expansive menu suits that celebratory tradition.

Red Hook Lobster Pound

📍 Location: 284 Van Brunt Street — Red Hook, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Red Hook Lobster Pound | Phone: [718] 858-7650

Ralph Gorham and Susan Povich started Red Hook Lobster Pound at their kitchen table in 2008, and it has since become one of the borough’s defining seafood spots. The rolls anchor the menu: Maine [lobster salad, mayo, paprika, and scallions], Connecticut [warm lobster poached in butter and lemon], California [lettuce, cucumber, and avocado], BLT [chipotle mayo and applewood bacon], and a fried version tossed in lobster caramel with Kewpie mayo.

Beyond the rolls, the menu includes lobster mac and cheese, a 1.5-pound Maine lobster dinner, and group platters such as the Captain’s Dinner for four to six and the First Mate for two to three.

Make Reservations via Red Hook Lobster Pound

Bankside by Wonder

📍 Location: Multiple Locations throughout Manhattan + Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Wonder

Bankside by Wonder builds its menu around seasonal, organic ingredients and sustainable seafood partnerships. The Lobster Roll by Chef JJ combines lobster, pickled mustard seeds, and cabbage slaw in a buttery brioche roll, while the Lobster Cobb pairs lobster with radicchio, avocado, cheddar, and applewood bacon, finished with mustard vinaigrette.

CELEBRATE NATIONAL LOBSTER DAY IN MANHATTAN

Le Bernardin

📍 Location: 155 West 51st Street — Midtown West, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Le Bernardin | Phone: [212] 554-1515

Founded in Paris in 1972 by siblings Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, Le Bernardin opened in New York in 1986 after earning three Michelin stars in France. Under Chef Eric Ripert, it remains one of the world’s most respected seafood restaurants.

In the lounge, the LB Lobster Roll offers a playful counterpoint to the formal dining room: warm lobster tucked into a black truffle bun.

Make Reservations via Le Bernardin

Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar

📍 Location: 75 9th Avenue — Chelsea, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar | Phone: [646] 568-1223

Cull & Pistol has operated inside Chelsea Market since 2013, sourcing directly from its sister market, The Lobster Place, next door. The Grilled Lobster Poutine tops crispy fries and gravy with smoky grilled lobster and cheese curds. The Lobster Roll comes chilled with mayo and scallions or warm with knuckle and claw meat, Kewpie mayo, and Old Bay fries on the side.

For a group, the Lobster Bake serves two with a 1.5-pound lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp, chorizo, corn, and potatoes in broth. The Whole Grilled Lobster, basted in lemon-thyme butter, is the simplest and perhaps best order on the menu.

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Le Tout Va Bien

📍 Location: 311 West 51st Street — Theater District, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Le Tout Va Bien | Phone: [212] 265-0190

A Midtown fixture since 1949, Le Tout Va Bien pairs old-world French bistro charm with proximity to Broadway. The Lobster Mac N’ Cheese, baked in cast iron with truffled cream sauce and cheddar, is the standout; the Classic Caesar Salad can be topped with lobster and shrimp for something lighter without losing the indulgence.

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Urban Cove Society & Kitchen

📍 Location: 33 Peck Slip — Seaport, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Urban Cove Society & Kitchen | Phone: [929] 263-0319

Inside the 33 Hotel in the Seaport District, Urban Cove Society & Kitchen pairs exposed brick with a globally influenced menu. The Warm Lobster Roll tucks claw and knuckle meat into a buttery bun with herbs, lemon, and Kewpie mayo.

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CATCH New York

📍 Location: 21 9th Avenue — Meatpacking, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: CATCH New York | Phone: [212] 392-5978

CATCH New York is a high-energy, multi-level Meatpacking restaurant with one of the city’s better rooftops. Its long-running signature, the Crispy Cantonese Lobster, is wok-fried and flambéed with sake and soy, then finished with charred ginger and jalapeño.

The Wagyu Surf & Turf Roll pairs lobster with crispy potato and truffle aioli in a sushi-inspired format, rounding out the lobster options.

Make Reservations via SevenRooms

Marea

📍 Location: 240 Central Park South — Midtown West, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Marea New York | Phone: [212] 582-5100

Michelin-starred Marea brings coastal Italian cooking to Central Park South. The Marea Lobster Roll layers Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, basil, and eggplant al funghetto in a brioche bun, offering an Italian interpretation of the New England staple.

The Risotto all’Aragosta combines lobster with hazelnut brown butter and tarragon for a quieter but equally considered option.

Make Reservations via SevenRooms

Nomad Tea Parlour

📍 Location: 244 5thAvenue [at 28th Street] — Nomad, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Nomad Tea Parlour

Nomad Tea Parlour draws on a Hong Kong cinema aesthetic, with a striped awning, bi-level dining room, and family-style platters designed for groups. The Lobster Yee Mein pairs lobster with longevity noodles, bell peppers, scallions, and fresh herbs. Traditionally associated with prosperity and long life, the noodles make it a fitting order for the occasion.

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Flex Mussels

📍 Location: 1431 3rd Avenue — Yorkville, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Flex Mussels | Phone: [212] 717-7772

Flex Mussels built its name on Prince Edward Island mussels, but the Lobster Roll is reason enough to make the trip uptown. Tender lobster, light mayo dressing, and crisp celery fill a toasted bun, with fries served alongside. No reinvention is necessary; it is exactly what a lobster roll should be.

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The Capital Grille

📍 Location: Rockefeller Center [120 West 51st Street] — Midtown West, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: The Capital Grille | Phone: [212] 246-0154

The Capital Grille pairs African mahogany paneling and Art Deco chandeliers with a menu that gives lobster a place across several courses. The Lobster Bisque opens the meal, while the Lobster and Crab Cake with Lemon Basil Aioli offers another strong starter.

For something lighter, the Maine Lobster Salad combines chilled lobster with citrus vinaigrette, avocado, and arugula. At the richer end of the menu, the Lobster Mac ’N’ Cheese is finished with truffle and a breadcrumb crust.

Make Reservations via The Capital Grille

A Few More Worth Knowing

Blu on the Hudson

📍 Location: 1200 Harbor Boulevard — Weehawken, NJ | 🌐 Website: Blu on the Hudson

Open since 2023 just across the river from Manhattan, Blu on the Hudson pairs skyline views with a seafood-forward menu from Executive Chef J.C. Ortega. The Roasted Two-Pound Maine Lobster, finished with herb breadcrumbs and drawn butter, is the showpiece. The warm Lobster Roll, served with waffle fries, carries a hint of tarragon.

The Lobster Mac & Cheese combines lobster béchamel with sharp white cheddar, while the Chilled Maine Lobster with avocado-yuzu aioli provides a lighter option. The Blu Roll pairs spicy lobster with bluefin tuna, and the Lobster Fra Diavolo brings heat through a spicy tomato sauce.

Make Reservations via Blu on the Hudson

Madam Mikette’s

📍 Location: 987 2nd Avenue — Midtown East, Manhattan | 🌐 Website: Madam Mikette’s

Madam Mikette’s is a 1920s-inspired Midtown East brasserie known for shareable plates and a cocktail list that moves between classics and seasonal riffs.

The Maine Lobster Pot Pie, once the reason to visit, remains off the menu, so the Lobster Roll is now the order: straightforward, generous, and served on a toasted bun without much else competing for attention.

Make Reservations via Madam Mikette’s

Nick’s Lobster House

📍 Location: 2777 Flatbush Avenue — Flatbush, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Nick’s Lobster House

Nick’s Lobster House dates to 1955, when “Big Nick” opened the original shack, and it remains family-run today. The Lobster Roll comes on a soft pretzel roll with mayo, Dijon, celery, and dill. The Lobster Bisque is deep and briny, while the Lobster Cream Pizza is the kind of crowd-pleaser ordered as a starter and finished as a main.

The Seafood Boat includes a 1.25-pound Canadian lobster with oysters, shrimp, and clams, while the Lobster Cream Pasta offers another substantial option. For larger appetites, there is the Surf and Turf with ribeye and a whole lobster, along with the Surf and Turf Burger. Traditional steamed or broiled Canadian hard-shell lobster remains the anchor of the menu, just as it always has.

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Verde on Smith

📍 Location: 216 Smith Street — Cobble Hill, Brooklyn | 🌐 Website: Verde on Smith

Verde on Smith has served approachable Italian comfort food in Cobble Hill since 2009. The Lobster Feast is the reason to visit for National Lobster Day: an Oreganata-style half lobster with baked clams and shrimp, all finished in a garlic-butter sauce substantial enough to turn a weeknight dinner into an occasion.

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National Lobster Day on Wheels

Cousins Maine Lobster

Not every National Lobster Day plan has to end at a table. Cousins Maine Lobster began as a food truck founded by two cousins and expanded after an appearance on Shark Tank into more than 85 trucks and restaurants nationwide.

The signature order is the lobster roll, served Maine-style with mayo or Connecticut-style with butter, with lobster tacos and bisque also available. Check the location schedule before heading out, since the New York trucks move throughout the region.

Where to Celebrate National Lobster Day in NYC

However you spend September 25, New York offers a version for nearly every appetite, from a lobster roll eaten by the waterfront to a seafood tower shared over dinner or a carefully composed plate in a formal dining room. Each restaurant approaches the ingredient differently, giving you plenty of ways to build the celebration around the experience you want.

National Lobster Day also falls during Negroni Week. If cocktails are part of the plan, explore our guide to Negroni Week NYC for eight distinctive versions to try across Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Where do you go for lobster in New York? Share your favorite restaurant or dish, and we will continue updating this guide as the city finds new ways to serve it.