In Praise of Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough: A Connecticut Summer Seafood Staple

Summertime in southeastern Connecticut officially begins on the first Friday in May, when Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough opens for the season. Eager customers queue up beneath the red-and-white awning, ready to place their orders when the window opens at 11 am, a longstanding tradition of loyalty and fun at Abbott’s.

Why are people so eager to ring in early summer at this largest and best-known of Connecticut seafood shacks? Some are shaking off the winter doldrums and getting an early start on the warm, sunny days to come. Others can’t wait to take in the beautiful views out back of the shack. But most are here for something else altogether: lobster!

Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough first opened in 1947, when Ernie Abbott bought a disused bisque and chowder cannery and transformed it into a waterside, dine-in-the-rough restaurant. Jerry and Ruth Mears, Abbott’s regulars in the 1970s, purchased the shack in the early 1980s, kept the name, and upped the game, turning Abbott’s into a multifaceted destination restaurant that is currently under the second and third generations of Mears family ownership.

Finding Abbott’s can be challenging, but GPS is your best guide to navigating the narrow streets of nautical Noank to Abbott’s parking lot and shack. Study the menus at the order window, then place your order with the friendly staff. You pay for your goodies and then receive a numbered ticket redeemable at the bright, red pickup window in the adjacent room, Abbott’s only indoor dining area.

While you wait, feel free to stake out a picnic table on Abbott’s broad, grassy grounds or pier out back. There’s also a roomy red-and-white tent covering a dozen or so tables, providing shade from the sun and shelter from rain. All tables have commanding views of the scenic Mystic River and Fishers Island Sound. Order numbers are announced via loudspeaker, so grab a table and listen for your number.

The most popular item on the menu at Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough is the lobster roll. Or should we say rolls? There’s the basic lobster roll of four ounces of lobster meat on a toasted hamburger-style bun. Then there’s the OMG lobster roll with twice the amount of meat, and the LOL lobster roll with a stupefying full pound of the good stuff. All these rolls are served in classic Connecticut style: warm lobster meat with melted butter. There’s also a cold New England-style lobster roll with chilled lobster meat, house dressing, and celery.

For those who prefer whole lobster, Abbott’s has a great selection from which to choose. Procured from the chilly waters of Canada and northern Maine, Abbott’s meaty lobsters are slow-steamed in vintage cast-iron vaults. They range in size from 1 1/4 pounds to 2 1/2 pounds and larger upon request. Each dinner comes with potato chips, coleslaw, and drawn butter. For those not inclined to dine on shellfish, there’s oven-roasted chicken, ribs, various sandwiches, and several tempting pasta dishes.

But wait, there’s more! Starters and sides include a fruit, veg, and cheese platter, steamed mussels and clams, crab cakes, shrimp in the rough, stuffed clams, lobster bisque, clam chowder, and a very nice steamed artichoke. An adorable raw bar serves up fresh clams and oysters on the half shell, and an adjacent dessert stand has fresh-baked goods and Gifford’s ice cream from Maine. Abbott’s is BYO, by the way, so be sure to bring along your favorite alcoholic beverages.  

 If it’s deep-fried seafood you crave, Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough has a companion shack a couple hundred yards down the road called (what else?) Costello’s Clam Shack. You may enjoy deep-fried goodies from there and even order them at Abbott’s, pick them up, and bring them back.

Sitting outdoors at a table, digging into a lobster feast, and watching the pleasure craft glide by on the Mystic River is a rite of passage in this corner of Connecticut—one that people in the know practice year after year from the first Friday in May through mid-October.

Have you ever visited Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough?

See More:
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