Lazy Lobster opens takeout spot in Massapequa
A warm Connecticut-style lobster roll and fries from Lazy Lobster in Massapequa. Credit: Newsday/Corin Hirsch
Lazy Lobster is a summer stalwart in East Rockaway: A bayside, laid-back idyll of picnic tables, lobster rolls and merrymaking, with a bar serving from shipping containers and a food truck as a kitchen. Come early October, though, it closes for the season.
Those who crave Lazy Lobster rolls during the winter generally have a long wait ’til late spring. This year, though, they can tack east to Massapequa, where Lazy Lobster’s owners just opened a tiny, takeout-focused satellite
Asked why he and his partners wanted to open a second location, co-owner Paul Pandolfi quipped, “Because we’re crazy.”
And this one is a fraction of the size: Four tables, a counter and an open grill are the whole of it. The menu is the same, though, and as in East Rockaway, its pièces de résistance are three lobster rolls: A chilled Maine-style lobster salad roll; a warm, butter-soaked Connecticut lobster roll; and an “angry” roll spiked with sriracha mayo. All are piled with claw meat and served on buttered, grilled split top buns with coleslaw and shoestring fries (sometimes an add on, sometimes included). On a recent weekday, the roll’s market price was $26, a relative snip as far as this summer goes.
Summery dishes such as chili pop shrimp, ahi tuna nachos, and tacos ($14 to $15, for three, including grouper, ahi tuna, chicken, shrimp, pulled pork) fill out the balance of the menu, again the work of executive chef-partner Keith Gleason. On the sandwich front ($15 to $16) are a shrimp po’boy, pulled-pork sandwich, crispy mahi-mahi sandwich and an 8-ounce burger you can top with lobster, of course, for a $12 upcharge.
There’s no bar but a robust roster of adult beverages, including wine, a few beers on tap, red and white sangria and Lazy Lobster’s frosé, which will now flow year-round. Like the food, it can be taken to go — which is a boon, as there is no customer bathroom.
Lazy Lobster is open for lunch and dinner every day except for Monday at 5089 Merrick Rd, Massapequa; 516-308-4742, lazylobsterny.com
