1 🦞 We used to say that the lobster rolls in NYC could never live up to the one you'll eat during a summer day on a Cape Cod beach, and that's still true. Except when it comes to Smithereens. The seafood restaurant in the East Village makes a shamelessly saucy roll that will change the minds of mayo haters across the city. They take a warm buttery bun, cover it with Old Bay-like seasoning, and fill it with cubes of cold lobster slathered in lobster-shell-infused mayo and butter.

2 🦞 The lobster in Grand Army’s roll tastes like someone fished it out of the ocean that morning, and then drove as fast as they could back to this bar in Downtown Brooklyn. Ordering a lobster roll adorned with celery and dressed with just enough mayo feels pretty gluttonous all by itself, but if you want to go even bigger, you can order the three-tier “Highbrow” seafood tower, which includes 12 oysters, six littleneck clams, six shrimp, ceviche, and the lobster roll in question.

3 🦞 Unlike some of the other spots on this list, Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. makes both mayo-based and butter-based lobster rolls. Commendable. Whichever you choose, you can expect extra-fresh lobster—this place is also a fish market, after all—dressed minimally, so that the crustacean really shines. Each roll comes with fries, and you should eat yours outside with a michelada, a dozen oysters, and the daily crudo. Ideally at Happy Hour, which is every day from 12-6pm.

4 🦞 It's true that Chelsea Market is one of the more stressful places you can step foot in on the island of Manhattan. But once you're inside the large oasis that is Lobster Place, you’ll find not just lobster, but also a sushi counter, an oyster bar, and a fish market. The lobster roll here is mayo-based but very lemony—perfect for the person who finds the typical classic roll just a tad heavy. There’s also a healthy sprinkle of scallions.

5 🦞 Red Hook Lobster Pound does lobster rolls, and they do them big. They’ve got the classic Maine and Connecticut varieties, but also a lobster BLT, a California-style roll with cucumber and avocado, and, for the crustacean-curious, a fried lobster roll, with lobster caramel and kewpie mayo. This place gets bonus points for being in Red Hook, because if you want, you can take your roll to go, and eat it on the pier.

6 🦞 The lobster meat is, of course, the most important part of a lobster roll. But at Mermaid Inn in Chelsea, butter is also key. Their buttery brioche bun at this classic Oyster Happy Hour spot is well-toasted and finished off with a generous pour of melted butter, resulting in something like a big, semi-soft crouton. Inside, there’s fresh, tender lobster meat mixed with minimal mayo, relatively big slices of celery, and a blend of salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder.

7 🦞 What stands out most about the lobster roll at this West Village seafood spot is the size. It's one of the largest sandwiches on this list. The bread is lined with thin, lightly-pickled cucumber slices, and the meat is dressed with a good amount of herb mayo with celery, chives, and a few sprigs of dill. The brioche roll is buttered and grilled, and looks like it'll be on the hard side, but is actually very soft.

8 🦞 The Fulton's lobster roll consists of plump, un-chopped portions of whole claw meat in a soft and buttered potato bun. This Seaport spot’s lobster salad has a good amount of salt as well as a little spice from Tabasco and black pepper, and the celery and gem lettuce provide a lot of crunch. On the side, you'll get house-made potato chips with a dusting of malt vinegar powder—not as fantastic as a side of fries, but worlds better than a side salad.

9 🦞 Lure Fishbar charges $38 for their lobster roll, which isn’t so different from the other places on this list. But when you factor in that you’ll probably also order at least one $20 cocktail at this subterranean, yacht-themed, Soho restaurant, things can add up. The roll is good though, and if you’ve been dying to check out a scene that ranges from pop stars on arena tours to retirees who’ve developed a taste for Balenciaga, pop in and enjoy.

10 🦞 We remember when Luke's was just a lonely little seafood shack in the East Village, but now they're all over the country (as well as in parts of Asia). The rolls here are for purists—what you'll mostly taste is unadorned lobster. The bread is buttered, but not too heavily, and you'll detect only a light swipe of mayo and just a trace of lemon butter. There's a dusting of secret seasoning too. (We think there's some oregano in there.)

11 🦞 Sometimes, places will put one piece of lettuce on their lobster rolls. One. (We generally find this unnecessary.) But Fish Tales, a fish market in Cobble Hill, makes a case for something new—shredded lettuce. Each roll has a bed of shredded lettuce, and then a handful of big chunks of creamy lobster. If you're coming here to pick up fish for dinner, definitely get the roll or lunch. There’s nowhere to sit, so head to nearby Cobble Hill Park and work on it there.

12 🦞 Seamore’s has a pretty delightful lobster roll. It’s creamy without being overpowering, with a formidable shower of celery, a light sprinkle of Old Bay, and chives. The bun could use a bit more butter, and slightly more time on the griddle, and everything else about this large Dumbo restaurant is pretty much forgettable, but for a crustacean sandwich about a block from the waterfront, you could do much worse. Bring your visitors here at Happy Hour, then take them on a ferry ride.

13 🦞 Medusa, one of our favorite late-night Greek spots, has a lobster gyro, and though there’s no lobster on a spit here, this is still exciting news. A generous serving of chilled lobster salad, mixed in with herbed mayo, celery and Old Bay, is slathered onto a hot buttery pita, topped with crunchy red cabbage, a squirt of tzatziki, and some tomato. It’s flavorful, hearty, and further confirmation that when it comes to seafood, Greek restaurants really know what they’re doing.

14 🦞 The Crown Heights crab specialists do lobster too, and do it well. Everything on the menu gets the garlic-butter treatment, so expect big pieces of claw and tail meat on a hot dog-esque bun, drenched in butter, and flecked with Old Bay. It would be even better on a potato roll, but we’ll let it slide, because they also have a unique Clobster Roll: a bun with crab on one side, and lobster on the other. Get a spread (which includes their crab BLT with crumbled bacon), plus a frozen cocktail.

15 🦞 Burger & Lobster does two things, and it does one of them pretty well (hint, it’s not the burger). Even their Classic Lobster Roll isn't exactly exceptional on its own, but it comes with a large silver gravy boat filled with a cheat-code sauce of creamy lemon and garlic butter. This dip-and-douse lobster roll experience may not pass muster with purists, but it is delicious.