When I first sat down to write my first blog post I encountered a small obstruction. I was unable to use my keyboard because of Japanese snacks. Yes, a mountain of Japanese snacks literally got in my way of writing this one. Just got back from 2 weeks long vacation in Tokyo, following posts will portray some of Tokyo’s sights, adventures and (mostly) food. I’ve actually started writing this post while standing in line of one of the most delicious burgers in Tokyo. So here we go..

We discovered Luke’s Lobsters Rolls on our second day in Harajuku, passing some time before our lunch at Ukai-tei. What caught my attention was the long line trailing from this small booth. Later I learned that Luke’s Lobsters is a New York institution opened back in 2009. Now it already has more than 15 locations and is considered an east coast staple.

There was quite a long line when we got there at lunch time, but fear not! It advances pretty quickly. I read that even when the place opens, at 11AM on weekdays there’s already a line, so I’m not sure this is really avoidable.

The menu at Luke’s is to the point – you can get the Lobster roll, and some other roll variations, including crab meet and shrimp. For the lobster roll they offer two versions – both with the same size of bread but the US version (¥1580) offers much more Lobster meat than the Regular (¥980). We opted for the regular, as well as passed up the (bag of) chips, since we had some more food joints we wanted to check.

Sitting is outside only, on wooden benches with some small tables scattered around. Luckily we were able to catch a sit right after ordering. After a short wait we got our rolls, which were really delicious. We were surprised that the lobster meat was cold but apparently that’s the Maine style, as they their site says:

“We make our rolls Maine-style -seafood served chilled atop a buttered, toasted New England-style split-top bun with a swipe of mayo, a sprinkle of lemon butter and a dash of our secret spices.”

Every part of the roll is well thought of and well executed. The bread is lightly toasted and the seasoning was spot on. There was enough lobster meat in every bite and the overall size was pretty satisfying.

I know for some it might sound weird – why go all the way to Tokyo to eat non-Japanese food. But really, after 2 weeks of eating TONS of Japanese food + the fact that lobsters are not easy to come by in Israel + OMG just look at that lobster roll, I just couldn’t think of passing up this opportunity.

If you are willing to stand in line for a little while you are up for a great treat. I will definitely look for them next time I’m traveling the east coast.

Luke’s Lobster Online:

Getting There:

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