Best Boston Lobster Rolls & Seafood

This guide to lobster rolls in Boston is for anyone ready to pick a side in the hot-buttered versus cold-mayo debate. The stops run from the North End and the Seaport to Fort Point, Back Bay and Fenway, then across the river to Cambridge's Inman Square and Cambridgeport. Neptune Oyster sets the standard with Maine lobster piled on toasted brioche. At James Hook & Co., a family lobster dealer, you order at the window and eat looking over Fort Point Channel. Saltie Girl in Back Bay does a fried version with chili crisp and charred-scallion ranch, while Eventide Fenway serves a brown-butter roll on a soft steamed bun. For a twist, Alive & Kicking Lobsters makes a cold lobster sandwich on toasted white bread, with picnic tables out back.

Neptune has only a couple dozen seats and takes no reservations, so arrive before opening or mid-afternoon.