Nothing says summer quite like a lobster roll. It’s a seaside paradise in sandwich form. From coast to coast, we’ve chosen some of the nation’s most-impressive options. So wherever you find yourself journeying to this summer, here’s hoping you get your hands around one of these beauties.

When it comes to lobster, you’ll find they do things a bit differently in Connecticut. This state’s claim to fame is not a traditional cold lobster-salad sandwich, but a hot buttered lobster roll like the one you’ll find at Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock, a quaint fish market and lobster shack on Shaw’s Cove in New London. Named for Captain Thomas A. Scott, who arrived in New London in 1871 to build the Race Rock Lighthouse, the restaurant’s signature lobster roll comes on a toasted split bun, full of hot, buttery pieces of lobster meat, topped off simply with sliced lemon. Grab a picnic table and a view of the water, and you’ll need little else.

Set on the salty seacoast of New Hampshire, The Beach Plum has been serving overstuffed lobster rolls since 1992. In the dog days of summer, locals line up for the sandwiches, which come in three sizes — six, eight and 10 ounces, which you can choose according to your own personal lobster-eating capacity. You won’t find celery, lettuce, tomato or anything other than just a touch of mayo to hold the hard-shell lobster meat together. It's served on a roll that’s fresh off the griddle but sometimes can’t contain the mile-high pile of lobster, so mind your swimsuit; this one’s as good as it is messy.

Come lunchtime at Atlanta Westside hot spot The Optimist Fish Camp and Oyster Bar, you’ll probably find chef-owner Ford Fry and executive chef Adam Evans butter-poaching Maine lobsters to order. The sweet, succulent meat is then dressed with mayo, chives and a squeeze of lemon, overstuffed in split-top buns and served alongside housemade shoestring fries. It’s a sandwich that’s authentic and transporting, like putting your ear to a seashell; you can practically hear the waves crashing.
Photo by Emily Schultz