Luke's Lobster

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Photo: nat m./yelp

I first heard about Luke’s Lobster in a DC Eater post  discussing the opening of their third restaurant in Georgetown earlier this spring.  This stopped me in my tracks.  Their third restaurant?  How had I missed the opening of this New York-based restaurant’s first and second spots in the DC area?  A quick Google search told me that this restaurant is owned by two brothers who import all their crab, shrimp and lobster from their father’s seafood company in Maine.  They opened their Penn Quarter ‘shack’ back in 2011 and have been shelling out lobster, shrimp and crab rolls ever since. 

Photo: christoper r./yelp

As a sucker for all things seafood related, Luke’s Lobster quickly made its way to the top of my must-try places.  I finally got to give it a go a week and a half ago.  My boyfriend and I made our way around 8:30 pm on a Saturday night.  The storefront is small, and gives off a ‘beach shack’ type of vibe.  There are probably 12-15 seats available inside and two tables for four outside.  When we walked in, every spot was filled.  Always a good sign in my book.  After placing our order, we snagged seats that had just emptied and waited.  We decided to try out the Noah's Ark trio (a combination of rolls served with two sodas and two bags of chips) and the spicy crab bisque soup.  After waiting less than five minutes our food was delivered to us.  Since we were sharing this platter, the kitchen had kindly split the order into two separate plates.  We hadn’t even requested this, so I thought this was very kind of them!  The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating for this non-server style location.  

Photo: ibis w./yelp

And the food.  Let me tell you that this is some of the freshest seafood I have tasted in this area.  The Noah's Ark is a sampling platter of each of the offered rolls: crab, shrimp and lobster.  I quickly took a bite of each roll, and was pleased to realize that I could not decide which I liked best.  I continued this pattern of eating throughout the meal, spicing things up, quite literally, with frequent bites of the spicy crab bisque soup. The soup had a great bite to it, but did not leave your palette completely overpowered.  It was also thick in consistency, which I prefer.  As I slowly savored every bite of my meal, I continued to wonder which roll I liked the best.  My boyfriend and I debated the issue as we ate.  He finished his meal in about half the time I did and quickly declared he could have eaten three of those entire meals himself. Ultimately, his favorite was the crab roll and I was tied between the lobster and the shrimp.  I did not want this meal to come to an end!

Another thing I liked about this spot was that they appeared to be extremely green conscious.  I always have an eye out for restaurants with recycling bins and the like, and Luke’s definitely had that covered.  They even served our sodas in glass bottles, which is not something I frequently see.  Their website also states that their seafood is obtained through sustainable fishing - another major plus.  My only minor (albeit almost insignificant) complaint was that the guy taking our order spoke so quietly we constantly had to ask him to repeat himself.  Not really a big deal, just slightly strange.  As for price, our entire meal was about $55.  I think this is pretty reasonable for a dinner for two on Saturday night.  I also don’t mind paying a premium for fresh seafood.  Other than that, Luke’s Lobster has rightfully earned a place in my heart (and mouth) as one of my new go-to spots in this city for incredibly delicious seafood.  I suggest you check it out!