Late Lunch in Salem : The Lobster Shanty

Before the end of the year, I took a trip to Salem to see what the seaside town has to offer. I’ve already learned about the witch hunts and trials, but I know there is so much more to Salem, including some fresh seafood! 

I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the Peabody Essex Museum so my fiancé and I made the drive to see two current exhibits that looked interesting, one of which was showcasing the life and art of Georgia O’Keeffe. Seeing some of her original works in person was absolutely stunning!

After spending a couple hours exploring the exhibits and the remainder of the museum, we were starving and decided it was time to grab a late lunch. Because I don’t spend much time in Salem, I did a quick Google search and decided that The Lobster Shanty was the place to go.

I walked into a small bar/restaurant that was a little dark, but filled with memorabilia – and locals!  The bar and dining room were both fairly full for a Sunday afternoon, and there was enough space for us to squeeze into a table. The menu consisted of all the usual suspects of a coastal Massachusetts restaurant (clam chowder, lobster roll, fried calamari, etc.) plus some interesting creations that have been reviewed by Guy Fieri on Diners,Drive-Ins, and Dives! The ‘Lobstertini’ seems to be the main attraction on the menu, but I decided to save that for another visit.

Immediately, I knew I had to try the clam chowder. It was a cold day in Salem and my body needed the warm clam chowder - luckily it was everything I had hoped for! The soup was thick and creamy, with large pieces of potato, local clams, and house-smoked bacon. While there wasn’t necessarily anything new or innovative about this chowder, it was immensely comforting after walking around town in the cold. Clam chowder is a stick-to-your-ribs type of dish and The Lobster Shanty checked off all the boxes!

As an experienced consumer of food, I made sure to split that bowl of clam chowder with my fiancé so I could save room for more food. Next on my list was the fried fish sandwich:

I ordered mine with mayonnaise and American cheese, but the menu had plenty of topping options for you to choose from. A fresh squeeze of lemon and the crisp romaine lettuce were the finishing touches before I dove into the haddock fillet. While I would have preferred the fish to have been more of a golden-brown, rather than the darker brown that I received, the sandwich did not disappoint. The haddock was moist and flaky on the interior and nice and crispy on the exterior, just as you would expect. With the creaminess from the melted cheese and the added acidity from the squeeze of lemon, it was quite a delicious bite.

My fiancé on the other hand, chose not to go with seafood and ordered the pulled pork sandwich. He was all but drooling when the plate arrived with a massive pile of pulled pork, topped with a spicy pickled slaw and house BBQ sauce.

Overall, he was satisfied with the sandwich, but he did note that the moisture from the pork caused the entire bottom bun to disintegrate (which made for a big mess), and that the pork was a little on the salty side. I personally prefer things a little salty, so when I tasted the sandwich I thought it was great! 

Based on the dishes we ordered on that cold winter day, I am definitely looking forward to trying a buttery lobster roll in the summer (they offer a mayo-based lobster roll and one tossed in melted butter) with an ice cold beer. Maybe I’ll get adventurous and try the Lobstertini!

Have any of you been to The Lobster Shanty? What's your favorite thing to eat on a cold winter day? Let me know in the comments!