Lobster Trap

Great restaurant and bar. Not you typical clam shack. Owners Dave and Dan work hard to make it a huge success. Never have we been disappointed!

The Lobster Trap has been a favorite go-​to spot of mine years; my husband and I were regulars back when the tables were plastic, orders were taken from a front counter and the makeshift bar was merely wooden plank, where the owner himself served wine and beer in plastic cups. It was truly a hidden gem.
I’ve since watched the Lobster Trap evolve into a destination on Cape Cod, complete with a hip bar, trendy cocktails and service-​only tables requiring a long wait to sit.
I’m admittedly not a fan of the changes at LT and I still long for the days when I could go in flip flops, order lobster rolls from the counter and sit at the water with a cold beer in hand. These days, there is always a long wait for a table, year round, but especially in the summer. Expect to wait an hour on a Saturday in July or August. The service is shaky at best — young waitresses who seem inexperienced in the restaurant industry, and lots of turnover. It’s impossible to get a seat at the bar (or standing room for that matter). It’s still an overall casual, laid back atmosphere but there’s a hint of trying too hard to be something it’s not…
And yet, I still give the LT a solid 4 stars. Why? Firstly, it’s still casual enough that we take our kids and if the baby cries or the toddler throws food, we don’t get the evil eye. Secondly, food is simply phenomenal — in my opinion it rivals the best seafood restaurants on the Cape. It is a simple menu and everything is consistently fresh, flavorful and well-​done. No matter how cranky I am when I sit down after waiting over an hour for a table in the crowded bar, as soon as my appetizers arrive I am happy.
Our regular favorites include: muscles appetizer, local oysters, the baked cod and baked scallops, and great fish tacos. You truly can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
I highly recommend the LT but if you’re like me — spend lots of time on Cape Cod and not a fan of the tourist rush in the summer — I would wait and go off-​season, and early.

Drove up to the cape on a rainy Wednesday in October. Wanted to find something to eat. This place had good reviews and more importantly lobster rolls.
The parking lot was packed at 2:30., a good sign. We sat in the bar area, with a great view if the water. Had oysters, clam chowder and lobster rolls with fries. I’m a Georgia girl, so I am partial to apalachacola bay Florida oysters. But the oysters were briny, salty fresh. The clam chowder was thick. Lots of clams. The lobster roll was stuffed to the point of meat falling out. And the fries were great. We will come back..

After a day spent at Edaville, was looking for some dinner. Opened Unilocal and looked around for some seafood recommendations. Why would you eat anything else out here if you’re a tourist? Decided on Lobster Trap since it was close to our rental and glad we chose it.
Had some doubts when we arrived that it wasn’t really kid/​baby friendly nor group friendly since it was crowded and tight in there. We had 6 adults, 2 kids and 2 babies in car seats because they were still sleeping.
We had about a 30 – 45 minute wait which I think was excellent for 7pm on a Saturday night. Parking was easy with their free valet. There were some seats outside and a very cool looking lobster trap bench that was comfortable according to the wife. They also had a little sand box for the kids to play in while we waited. Nice touch! Walked up to the bar to order some pre-​dinner drinks. Alot of people were ordering the mudslide. Got that for the wives who said it was really good. Was so happy that they had my fave Magic Hat #9 on tap. The host was great with assisting with the seating arrangement and we all got to sit around the table comfortably including the babies. Service was excellent all around at the Lobster Trap.
Menu was simple, not overloaded so you know everything will be real fresh. For my family we ordered;
Appetizers: oysters and clams on the half shell, stuffed quahog, calamari, clam chowder
Entrees: The Bucket, lobster roll, mac&cheese (for the boy)
Oysters and clams = super fresh. Nothing beats raw oysters and clams that were harvested that morning. We can never get that in NYC so we had to have it here. The stuff quahog was delicious, though it was the first time I’ve ever had one so can’t compare it to any other one. Calamari, was awesome with the thai flavor going for it. My boy loved it. Clam chowder was loved by the wife so that means it was kick ass for me. She is very picky about her chowder. Lobster roll was overstuffed and yummy. It is by far the best one I’ve had to date. Very meaty and little mayo/​no fillers. Could’ve ate it on its own as my entrée. The bucket had a super tasty linguica. My boy enjoyed it so you know it was good. The steamers had a little sand but did not detract from the experience. Lobster was nice and firm, not watery. Mac & cheese was your box stuff. The boy was full from the linguica and calamari so he barely made a dent in it. We were all so full afterwards, none of us could go for dessert.
When we go back to the Cape, this is a mandatory dinner stop.

This is a fabulous scenic spot for all things seafood! It’s fun with the family or friends. The food is served up fresh and hot. We’ve never had a bad meal.
Of course we love their lobster dinners and lobster rolls. The fried items are light and tasty. They have a full menu too.
Seating indoor or out on the patio — a lively bar scene too.
The wait staff are super friendly and efficient. It is always worth the wait… even if the valet parking looks crazy — stop in you won’t regret it!

We sat in the outdoor patio area for dinner and had a very nice view of the water and the supermoon!
I was with one other person and ordered the fries calamari, scallops, clams, seafood stew, and clam chowder. There was a lot of food for just two people! The portions are huge. We had a ton of left overs and could have fed another person.
The clam chowder was delicious and had definitely had chunks of clam in it! Our favorite was the calamari though. The seafood is definitely very fresh.
During our visit, there was a party in the bar area and it definitely looks like a good time. The staff was very nice and friendly.

Lovely location, awesome food, great service!
Had the clam chowder, lobster stew, calamari, scallops and clams. Everything is very fresh! Lovely sitting outside, with a view of the water, right by an outside heater. Definitely coming here again!
About 1.5h out of Boston.

The paddle board shop recommended the Lobster Trap and we were sooo very happy we asked for a local recommendation. We sat outside on a beautiful September afternoon and devoured some raw oysters, seafood stew, surf n turf burger and a clam strip roll.
First off, YUM! That burger was out of this world! The seafood stew was amazing. We were so happy with the food we ended up buying lobster cakes, crab cakes, stuffed scallops, stuffed quahog, and clam chowder to go from their fish market. They were awesome helping us pack it all on ice for the long drive home. It all survived and we will be back!!!
Great scenery and the server was super helpful and friendly.

Ate here for a really late lunch, and so it was technically between lunch and dinner service. Service was very friendly and courteous; unfortunately, it was also slow in getting our meal and drinks. There is parking, including a valet option. The bathroom was clean. Sampled the oysters, the fried clams, and a lobster roll (generous helping). All were very good! We also ordered a half pan dinner to go — the Asian steak skewers were my pick after talking to a staff member on the phone (we were going to refrigerate that and reheat the next day.) It was delicious and an affordable price. There is plenty of parking, plus valet attendants if needed.

Yummmmmmmmy!
I love the menu! Tried everything that our party ordered and it was all great! The view was lovely. We had so much fun talking and munching on our meals while looking at the marsh. The red sangria is very, very good. I recommend it if you have a bit of a wait for your table, since this place is popular on weekends! ;)

Holy jebus!
Food: 5
Service: 5
For appetizer we ordered mussels and seafood stew. DELICIOUS. Mussels were in this amazing buttery sauce, seafood stew was creamy.
For main course we ordered the lobster rolls and fried seafood platter. Lobster roll taste was 4.5÷5 but it was STUFFED, with amazing fries. Seafood platter had a lot of scallops, very good.
Our server Tess she was amazing. However the front desk was a little scrambled.

I have been coming to lobster trap for years and always loved it. That being said, the service has taken a serious nosedive as has the food.
Waited forever for our order only to have my food arrive cold. Sent it back and waited a very long time only to have it come back totally different and downright bad. The waitress was very indifferent and on top of all of this we waited so long for our check that we had to go to the counter, where we also waited a very long time, and ended up going back to the table and waiting.
I’m hoping this place turns it around, I have always loved it and was sad to have such a negative experience after many good ones. I think switching over to full service instead of ordering at the counter maybe was a bad move, was way better before.

Best clam chowder I have ever had. Really fresh and very creamy. Pure delight.
Entrée was swordfish with ravioli, pesto and dried tomatoes. All of the flavors were balanced and complimentary. Swordfish was fresh and nicely prepared. Ravioli was amazingly good.
Spending hard earned money on dining out, sometimes you hope to be wowed with your food. Tonight was one of those nights for me. Highly recommend.

I’ve been going to The Lobster Trap for years. Recent changes to this restaurants menu, process and look and feel are great but last night was very disappointing. The usually great clam chowder was filled with sand. Apparently someone forgot to wash the clams. But I was most disappointed with my crab cake order. Usually an order of crab cakes comes with 2 crab cakes… My order came with one crab cake. The presentation was very nice. Guacamole was under the crab cake and chutney on top of the crab cake. The crab cake was on the small side and the ratio of crab to filling was shocking. Maybe 20 percent crab. That is a good guess as I only spotted one small piece of crab on one of my last bites.
For 12 dollars I truly believe there should have been 2 crab cakes or at least one with more crab then cake.

The food was great both times we were here, but the service was mixed and at times pretty bad and sloppy. The one waitress kept forgetting us and forgot several things from our drink order. But the second time we were there the service was great. Well say the hostesses at the entrance could look a bit more happy to see customers and not hang about looking bored and talking to their friends. But despite the glitches I really recommend the place.
I recommend the lobster roll and clam chowder.

We were very very hungry. First time on the Cape, and our time was unfortunately very limited, so we wanted to go somewhere we could get all the local dishes I’d been hearing about: clam chowder, lobster roll, stuffed quahogs. I hurriedly consulted Unilocal,and found this place. Turned out to be a great choice!
The restaurant is in a very cool location, looks right out onto the water. Has some kind of store attached where I’m assuming you can buy fresh caught seafood, but we didn’t go in. We were there on a mission, to get food in our bellies. Service was pretty good, they knew we were from out of town and were very informative and friendly. They play country music loudly throughout the place, but oh well. A minor flaw. ;)
Our food came out fast. My husband and I ordered all the things we wanted to try and just split everything. The lobster roll was gigantic, very light on the mayo, and had giant pieces of lobster meat. The bun was toasted perfectly. And it was definitely big enough to share, no way I could have eaten that by myself. So so good. And the fries on the side were really great too.
And the clam chowder! Amazing. I actually put some of the hunks of lobster falling out of my sandwich in my chowder. Made it even better! But it was the perfect texture, not too thick or too thin, and great ratio of potatoes and clams.
The only thing I was a little disappointed in and would maybe try elsewhere was the stuffed quahog. It was good, but it just tasted like stove top stuffing to me. It’s my first time eating one, so maybe that’s what it’s supposed to be like, but it wasn’t really anything special. Still, not too bad.
I got iced tea everywhere we went all weekend long (it’s my summer drink of choice), and it kept getting better and better at every restaurant. Their cocktails are pretty good too. Got something with coconut rum, and it was fantastic!
Free valet parking was nice as it was very busy!

The open floor plan almost looks like a beer hall, but better because: seafood. Definitely a must for anyone in the area. With moderately high prices but amazing food this a great family restaurant or bar for friendly drinks. High top and picnic style tables paired with a bar area, make it a perfect spot for any occasion. I recommend the chowder, lobster roll, and the oysters.

The Lobster Trap is the first place I went to eat at Cape Cod — wasn’t completely satisfied but wasn’t completely disappointed either.
The overall ambiance of the place is great. You can tell its not too stiff and fancy although they have valet parking and a slightly more expensive menu but its expected for a seafood restaurant. The waitress we had was very nice and accomodating. The interior was casual and welcoming. There’s a nice bar in the back and a great view to look out at. They also have very clean private bathrooms, which is always a plus.
We started off with a cup of the clam chowder. I liked it because it seemed to have a lot of things in it (normally when i eat clam chowder, it doesnt have much actual clams or chunks of potato). ⁹⁄₁₀
For the entrees, we had the lobster reuben sandwich, swordfish, and fried calamari.
The lobster reuben was exactly what you would expect it would taste like especially if you ever had a reuben sandwich before and lobster. The fries on the side were also perfect. Not too crispy, not too soft. They had a nice cut to them too. ⁷⁄₁₀
The swordfish entrée was interesting. It came on a bed of pea-​filled ravioli with some sundried tomatos and arugula on top. The cream sauce in the entire dish is delicious. However, the pasta of the ravioli was a little hard and the filling not so enticing. The swordfish itself was okay. There wasn’t much flavor. ⁵⁄₁₀
The fried calamari was said to be a good dish to get here and I can understand why. They really transformed a typical fried calamari dish into something special. Adding different sauces and toppings and other elements to the dish. I think there was balsamic vinegar and sweet and sour sauce… However, I’m not a huge fan of that much flavor when I’m not expecting it. It also seemed a bit more oily than it could be. ⁴⁄₁₀
Lastly, I had the black and white milkshake. Very good if youre a fan of sweets. ¹⁰⁄₁₀. It’s really hard to mess up a milkshake though.

Found a gem while touring around the Cape Cod Canal. Excellent food and friendly service as well as some entertaining conversation with local patrons. Clam Chowder, the real thing with identifiable pieces of clams and a flavorful stock, not thickened.
I need to go back 4 – 5 times to try some of the other dishes, tough decision for my first trip but went with the local favorite Swordfish Sandwich, suggested by our cheery waitress. I posted a copy of the menu to Facebook and a friend in South Carolina replied «I read the menu and want you to bring home one of everything».
We will be back.

Can we just talk about how this was the best lobster roll I’ve ever had?
We were in the area due to some not-​so-​good news, and needed a place to have dinner. I’m so glad my inlaws picked this place because it was out of control good.
When you walk in the aroma of fresh seafood really hits you. Then you proceed to seat yourself. I loved the atmosphere. You felt like you were below deck in a fishing boat. It was really cool. Our waiter was very efficient. This place was no frills but the food was exceptional.
We started off with the New England clam chowder and onion rings. The chowder was the perfect consistency. Creamy but not thick like glue with a perfect briney bite. I was hooked. The onion rings were perfect as well. Thin but had a crispy texture.
My fiancé and I each had the lobster roll. There must have been at least a pound of meat on it. Lightly dressed with mayo and lettuce on a perfectly buttered and crisp brioche bun. I can’t say enough good things about it. It was incredible. Paired with perfect french fries for $ 21?! A steal.
My father-​in-​law ordered the calamari. His first order was dropped on the floor before it arrived at our table but they remedied it quickly and brought a hot, fresh plate and it was perfectly cooked. My mother-​in-​law and sister-​in-​law shared the fried seafood platter and were also very pleased with their meals.
I’ll be dreaming of this lobster roll for many years to come…