City Island Lobster House

Not my first time here, but the first time (a few years ago?) Was much better.
While our waiter was humorous, i found certain aspects of his waiting to be lacking. I think it’s great to have policies that set an establishment apart from others, as long as they make sense. These guys definitely fit into that group, but I think it’s best to communicate these things to your customers.
Whipped cream topping of the strawberry daiquiri? Great idea. BUT I HATE FREAKING WHIPPED CREAM.
Want to remove the «innards» of the twin lobsters I’m paying $ 40 for? Very considerate of you BUT THE DAMNED TOMALLEY IS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE LOBSTER!
I have to say, when you sit down, they bring you a free salad, a free dish of olives, marinated mushrooms, pimento, and various greens, as well as a beautifully done garlic bread. That alone was a lot of food, even for my party of 4, and it was really good. My daiquiri was great, too, despite having to remove the whipped cream.
One more tip on the service:
Before you serve the mains, have someone hit the table with the essentials, such as ketchup, the lobster shell crackers, the bibs, and the small forks. I did have an empty bowl, but that just made me think you weren’t going to give me the other accessories.
The lobster itself was fine, though I was disappointed that the biggest you had was a 2 pounder (you ran out of anything bigger), but I know that happens.
The valet guy has been working there for some time and is an asset. What else can I say?

Loved this place. Super casual outdoor area to sit, relax and enjoy the fabulous seafood. Shrimps, Lobster and Mussels were great. I have nothing negative to say about this place. Can’t wait til it gets warm again to go back.

One star because we are waiting 40 min to leave the car with the valet. This is unacceptable. The food was great BUT 40 min for the valet NO. Manny our waiter was great. So I suggest if you go to the Lobster House find parking on the street. I had the seafood special and took at least half of it home.

A unique restaurant that compensates customers for waiting so long. Yeah, you heard me right. You come to this place and the order takes too long before serving, they will give you extremely good garlic bread and that nice cheese platter that would occupy you while waiting for your orders.
The food is also fresh, definitely worth it.

ARMANDO… Excellent waiter… The food is fantastic… Delicious!!! To be honest the food is OUTSTANDING! They serve complimentary appetizers; garlic bread– to DIEEEE FOR, antipasta, salad… Etc. As we were leaving we met Joe Joe. Great guy! The Staff are all very accommodating. The drinks are delicious! Try the blue ocean and the Incredible Hulk it will have you on your back!!! Enjoy… Thank me later… Btw I had the lobster broiled in scampi sauce. The lobster was the best I’ve EVER had… My co-​worker had the steak… Prime RIB… Tasty, tender and delicious. Thank me later :)

What a GREAT dinning experience! It started with our wonderful waiter Anthony and the BIGGEST plate of great food ever seen. it is great place for that special occasion. date night or birthday… I have been coming here for at least 17 years. and it gets better and better!

Buenísimo !!! Fresco, buen servicio. Para toda la familia. Las patas de cangrejo son las mejores !!! todo es grande !!!

It’s rare to find seafood restaurants that don’t kill the food from the sea with salt or by frying. This is a gem for sure! The prices are fair and the portions are just extravagant nothing was over cooked or funky. And bonus: the waitstaff was extremely friendly! Will be raving and recommending this place to my circle. Keep doing you, guys

I have over 20 years going next door to JP’s, and I was always skeptical in trying a new restaurant in City Island. My husband and I took a gamble at City Island Lobster House and we won.
The food was amazing and tasteful. I’m still craving their king crabs and lobster. We order the bbq feast and the ribs were to die for. I can’t wait to go back. I’ve been telling my friends already about this place.

Big
Portions,
Nice views. The
Food may not taste
The best or be good for you but yolo.

Not sure why some not so good reviews. But we love it!
Had oysters and a lobster roll. Oysters crisp and fresh, Great lobster roll too! The free cheese and loaf of bread with other little things to nibble on is awesome!
Cool ambiance, old rustic, feels like youre in a maze when you walk around.
Bathrooms are upstairs which kind of stinks but its OLD! Great waiter too!
I love City Island and it’s even more fun after a Yankees win to stop here. It is da Bronx!

This place keeps getting better. We went on a week night, so it was a much more relaxed atmosphere. The service was very good. They are beyond generous with their food — freebies and large portions. Plus, the food is really good. As everyone points out, the free starters (relish tray, house salad, breads) are all good and bought immediately upon sitting down. This is a great way to start. The fried seafood combo was not just tasty, but gargantuan.
But the Chilean sea bass, ah the Chilean sea bass… It was like seeing the face of god. Perfectly grilled and rich beyond belief. The best Chilean sea bass I’ve ever had. I highly recommend that you try it.
When it was all over, the complimentary Amaretto was a nice touch too.
I can’t say why there are negative reviews, I guess that’s the way it always is. But we’re pretty picky. We’ve dined here twice and they were both quite good.

Value and view! Lobster was good too. I like eating outside best.
It has views of Long Island sound even though you are still in Bronx. This is a separate Island accessed by a single bridge. Pretty much the first restaurant as you cross over the bridge. Also so far the only restaurant with more than 3 stars in the area.
I like the crab legs and the lobster and the garlic bread. Best of all the view from the open eating area is hard to find. I feel I went far in Long Island when I am only 12 miles from the city.
Make sure you ask for the garlic bread and the pickles with olives and cheese for the table that comes with your order that they may forget to give you.
There is parking — free — but do give a tip.
Otherwise, you can also park in the street or maybe you can take a bus BMX8 from Midtown and walk over.
Someday, I will try their various flavor a of Spumoni.

For the hype of city island, this place was a huge disappointment. Only get two stars because the mango margarita was nice & the water was pretty good. The waiter was pretty attentive. The garlic bread, blueberry cake & plate of Cheeses & olives & mushrooms was a good appetizer.
I ordered the broiled seafood combo meal & it was just okay. The seafood tasted bland & was way overpriced. I expect to go to city island again but wouldn’t visit place again.

Came here with a group of friends on Saturday afternoon. The place was pretty packed.
The unlimited blueberry corn bread was delicious. The food was really good. We weren’t rushed we had a really great time.
The reason I’m giving four stars is because drinks weren’t good, very weak… But hopefully next time I’ll give them five

This is my third time here and my experience gets better and better. Expect a longer wait for patio seating. We waited about 20 – 25 minutes… not too bad you could always sit at the bar or enjoy a drink from the bar at one of their hula hut waiting tables. We were promptly seated and salad was served almost immediately at our table. They also give you fresh garlic and blueberry bread (my fav!) we ordered our favorite mussels with garlic sauce and crabcakes! Mmm always a favorite and always so succulent! The mussels are drenched in a rich garlic and buttery sauce. The crabcakes were meaty and baked to perfection. They were a lot bigger than crabcakes I’ve had anywhere else… and it is stuffed with more crabmeat than other places! You get two but it’s worth it. Their spicy mayo sauce is perfection.
Our main entrée included the whole lobster broiled combined with pork ribs! This entrée is definitely big enough to share between 2 – 3 people. We usually order 1 – 2 appetizers and share 1 entrée because their portions are great for sharing!
Service was great and they had a very attentive staff who would take away dirty and finished dishes to clear the table. We also ordered a piña colada and it was quite refreshing!
I definitely suggest sitting in the patio dining area around sunset so you’ll see the beautiful marina view and sunset. We were lucky enough to catch a great view of the fireworks show nearby.
Overall we love coming here… from fast valet to fast service. A pleasant experience in its entirety. Will definitely come back! :)

Went on a drizzly Saturday. Maybe that’s why it wasn’t crowded. We originally thought we should stay indoors, but after seeing the covered outdoors, we decided to sit outside and look at the boats and the water. We ordered from the lunch menu a lobster roll and the fried jumbo shrimp. The best part is all the things that comes complimentary: fresh garlic bread, olives + cheese + mushroom in oil, blueberry bread, and a plate of salad. I was so full from all of these that i skipped dessert. However my bf did get it and it is a brownie on the outside with ice cream on the inside kinda swirl thing, with whip cream on top. I had a bite and it was really good.
I believe it would be a lot of people if the weather is nice. Also the waiters were greeting customers by first name so I knew they have a lot of loyal customers. It is somewhere to relax and have a good meal.

When I visit New York, I take a walk down memory lane. My wife and I treat ourselves to a great seafood dinner. Our first choice is the lobster house. Mind you I haven’t been to the lobster house since late last year.
When I walked in JoJo the owner saw me and greeted us. He past us off to his best server. When I think of a waiter, he is the ideal type. He was attentive and engaging, making us feel like we are home. Our drinks were never empty. Oh the pampering. Yeah I forgot to mention the restaurant was packed and busy as can be. He made us feel like we were the only ones there. Thank you Anthony, your the best.
On to the food, my wife and my son ordered the broil lobster dinner. The lobster was perfectly cooked. The best part of this dinner is they pre crack the lobster, making it easy and pleasurable to eat. So your fellow diner can be safe from flying lobster shrapnel.
I big daddy order the shellfish extravaganza. Why wouldn’t I. I did mention we were treating ourselves. The plate came with 6 jumbo shrimp that were butterflied and seasoned perfectly. Now throw a two pound broiled lobster on top. Yummy can it get better? Yuuup! Now add 3 king crab legs to this seafood delight. Oh the humanity. If that wasn’t enough, now add snow crab legs. I dare one person to eat this alone! You can’t!
Needless to say I was completely satisfied with my experience. They put a bow on this amazing experience by handing you a warm towel to clean up with and boy was there a lot to clean up from. Lobster house is a can’t miss.

The restaurant is HUGE and there is seating all over the place. It’s almost like a few restaurants combined because you have a choice of indoor or outdoor, darker or brighter lighting, more intimate lounge or bar, whatever the occasion.
I was surprised at the amount of complimentary items we were presented with.
–a large table salad with cucumber, olives, tomato, chick peas, and onions, mixed with homemade balsamic dressing
–a cheese, olive, and mushroom platter in oil atop a bed of garlic bread and blueberry sweet bread. YUM. Good thing my friend advised me not to fill up t
We shared the shellfish extravaganza which you can get steamed or broiled. We ordered steamed and they brought us broiled. That was the biggest bummer but we were having such a nice time that I didn’t let it taint the experience. The lobster is enormous and cooked very nicely. I enjoyed the lobster and the clams the most. The shrimp was a little too breaded for my liking. Nevertheless, the platter was remarkable.
We had two glasses of wine each and the dinner for 2 and our bill was under $ 100. Not to mention the appetizers that were on the house. We wined and dined like a couple fancy ladies and sat outside on the water as a beautiful sunset lit up the sky.
I would certainly come back to The Lobster House. It’s nice to find these gems of the Bronx. Great for a party group or a romantic table for two.

The food here use to be considered good. Not sure what happened. I can chalk it up to having a more mature appetite for things.
To start, the place feels a little ghetto. The service is spotty. You have one guy that smiles and serves you like a champ. Then you have other guys who aren’t doing a thing. One guy in the special pink shirt was totally confused serving us.
As for the food. The olives and cheese were as sour as I remembered. The garlic bread has whole cloves of inedible garlic. Blueberry corn bread was good though.
Calamari felt tasteless. No legs either. Just the squid body.
The whole lobster with shrimp cost $ 42 but the lobster was burnt, had little meat and the shrimp was dry.
Overall just a waste of money. Never coming back.

I think I need help ordering seafood, because I never seem to get the best option. I ordered a grilled swordfish because, well, I wanted to try swordfish. But each fish has its specialty preparation, and I just think maybe grilling swordfish isn’t the best choice. The fish lacked any real taste and was dry. Even dousing it in lemon didn’t seem to help.
So why 3 stars if my meal wasn’t that good? Well, because I picked off my parents lobster platter and that was delicious. And my fries filled me up as well. And I think ordering grilled swordfish as opposed to the other options presented to me was a bad idea, I should have asked for a recommendation on how it is best prepared. The serving staff was really nice and efficient.
Being that this is one of my grandparents favorite restaurants, I will return again, and next time I will order something properly and that fits my taste better. Maybe I’ll order the lobster plate instead of stealing it off my parents.
Some other things to note: it’s best to make reservations during a weekend. We went right before prime dinner time (around 4:30/5) and had no problem getting a table. When we walked out there was already a long line waiting, and this was only about an hour after. Parking is valet, but you may be able to find parking on the street. MAY. City Island is a tiny island with a lot of people on it. So keep in mind the sheer volume of people and transportation there. You may just be better off with the valet.