By Tommy Tobin
Lobster rolls are a New England specialty. With Maine just a short drive away, lobster is not too hard to find on the menus of many eateries around Boston. What is harder to find is a place where you can get high quality lobster for a generally reasonable price.
Lobster rolls come in many sizes and variations. Components are generally simple: roll, lobster, mayonnaise, and sometimes celery or scallions. Whether hoagie rolls or small buttery buns, the roll should be smooth and easy to eat. It’s safe to say though, if you’re ordering a lobster roll you’re likely not getting it for the bread or the celery. You’re in it for the lobster, the titular star of the dish. The amount of lobster is a true testament to the value for money in the roll. Served cold or warm with drawn butter, the lobster is the most delectable part of the lobster roll. That said, places can serve small portions of lobster for prices up to $30 per roll!
That’s where Pauli’s in the North End has you covered. Their lobster rolls are stuffed full of lobster and everything about the sandwich just works. The bread is soft, not soggy, and adds to the flavor of the lobster. Biting into the warm bread is pleasant and toothsome. The celery is nowhere to be found and the mayo is light, allowing you to focus on the heaping mounds of lobster before you. Whole claws are visible and the roll is filled to the brim with wicked good lobster. A roll and a bag of chips will set you back around $16. If you want more of an experience, the $30 “Lobsta Sub” is the way to go. It’s enough for two people and is a marvel of sandwich engineering. If you’re debating between the two, go with the sub, which comes either cold or warm with butter.
This is no fancy joint. It’s a cross between a neighbourhood pizza place and a sports bar, delivering to several communities around town. While you wouldn’t necessarily take your mother there (take her to Neptune Oysters next door!), Pauli’s a great place if you’re looking to try a monster of a lobster (or lobsta) roll and walk around the North End area. Pauli’s is less than five minutes walking to the nearby Improv Asylum or Mike’s Pastry if you wanted to make it more of a day trip to the North End.
4/5
Pauli’s
65 Salem Street, North End
Boston
M-Sat 8am-9pm; Sunday 9am-5pm
www.PaulisNorthEnd.com