A Taste of New England in the Midwest

Between crispy clams and Maine lobster rolls, New England has never tasted closer to Chicago than it has this summer.

First came Luke’s Lobster. The inaugural Chicago location for the New York City-based company, started by Luke Holden, set up shop in the Loop earlier this season. The template is simple – the fast-casual eatery features a streamlined menu of lobster rolls, chowder, clam rolls, and shrimp rolls, along with heftier dishes like Noah’s Ark; a feast containing two half rolls of lobster, crab, and shrimp; plus crab claws, chips or slaw, pickles, and sodas. But what makes Luke’s truly unique is how deeply entrenched in New England flavor it is. Not only do they import their seafood from Maine, but they source Cape Cod chips, Maine blueberry sodas, and Maine microbrews. Luke’s also supplies lobster-bedecked merchandise, which looks like something you’d wear on the shores of Maine.

In other lobster roll news, every Monday night is lobster night at Humboldt Park’s newly opened Haywood Tavern. Here, chef Rodney Staton served lobster rolls for dinner with housemade potato chips and a paired beer.

Another quintessentially New England dish is fried clams, a rarity in Chicago. Embracing this coastal sensation is LUXBAR, which added a version to their latest summer update courtesy of chef Michael Shrader. Featuring clams sourced from New England, the seafood strips are fried and dusted with Old Bay seasoning before being heaped and served with lemon aioli.

Luke’s Lobster
134 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago
(312) 982-2977
Website

Haywood Tavern
2759 W. Augusta Boulevard, Chicago
(773) 661-1084
Website

LUXBAR
18 E. Bellevue Place, Chicago
(312) 642-3400
Website