Some like it hot — and others cold.
Renowned Long Island seafood chefs and restaurant owners are revealing to The Post their go-to places for lobster rolls when off the clock.
“There’s a few places on the island that do a great job — and there are some that don’t,” said chef Eric LeVine of 317 Main in Farmingdale.
“A lot of the time, I find that people will either overcook it, or the lobster will be oversaturated with mayonnaise and too much lemon,” he said. “This is one of those things that when you find a good lobster roll, you continue to go there.”
The experts’ list spans far and wide, from the island’s border with Queens to the far reaches of the South Fork, with a bevy of different styles and reputations that have been around for decades, and some newcomers, such as Jackson Hall of East Islip, exploding on the scene thanks to social-media clout.
Jackson Hall
It’s hard to avoid Instagram videos of chef Mike Landesberg’s tantalizing eight — yes, eight — different styles of lobster roll that have brought in customers across the nation, including one city dweller who has said he rides his bike more than seven hours round trip for one.
“We’re going through between 5 and 6,000 pounds of lobster every single week,” said Landesberg, a male breast-cancer survivor whose mantra is all about supporting other small businesses.
Now well known as “the crazy lobster roll guy” — having a first-of-its-kind Long Island roll topped with cajun honey butter, jalapenos and “secret spices” — online attention and viral videos “put me on the map,” Landesberg said.
“It’s been unbelievable. It’s doubled sales,” he said of the half-pound product that uses knuckle, claw, and tail.
“We’ve become like this tourist attraction.”
When Landesberg leaves the kitchen, his first stop is LeVine’s mainstay.
317 Main
Landesberg called the popular joint smack dab in the middle of Nassau County “the best-kept secret on Long Island for lobster rolls.
“The meat is fresh because [they do] the tail, knuckle, and claw like I do. It’s cooked perfectly, and he pops it out with 8 ounces of fresh lobster. It just melts in your mouth. I just had one last week,” the chef said.
LeVine said his quest for the holy tail across the island inspired him to focus on savory simplicity.
“We do it with a little bit of salt, pepper, lemon, a little lemon zest and a touch of mayonnaise,” said the chef of his cold treat that’s available hot on request.
“That is it.”
Success with the sea dish inspired LeVine to start serving a 3-foot-long lobster roll on an onion brioche that quickly became a crowd-pleaser.
“It’s become a talking point,” he said. “It’s a centerpiece. Tables or four or five look at it go, ‘Oh, I want to have that.’ … It’s what separates us from everybody else.”
As for LeVine, his go-to outside of his eatery is a few minutes west in Bethpage at Popei’s Clam Bar.
Popei’s Clam Bar
LeVine praises owner Joe Reale’s role in providing simple perfection.
“It’s great flavors, and it’s just done right,” said the Farmingdale operator.
Reale emphasizes lobster tail in his hot and cold rolls and also brings in a zesty lemon flavor that’s delightfully paired with Cajun waffle fries that happily evoke a nod to the seasoning used by Checker’s.
“Throw it on a nice soft roll, toast it up, and out it goes,” Reale said. “And it’s something unbelievable.”
When Reale is hankering for something away from the job, he makes a trip to the end of the line in Amagansett to the legendary restaurant Lobster Roll, a k a Lunch.
Lobster Roll
Reale said that a trip to Montauk and the Hamptons “wouldn’t be complete without stopping” at the South Fork icon, which opened in 1977 and is known globally for its neon “Lunch” sign overhead.
The roadside sit-down owes its unbeatable product to decades of old-school success in an area that focuses on the new and next, according to ownership.
“It’s all about the lobster itself … cold water lobster,” said owning partner Andrea Anthony, a Levittown native and Hofstra University graduate who’s worked out east since she was young in the family business.
“The recipe has not changed. We don’t add herbs. We don’t really get fancy about it. We feel the lobster meat speaks for itself. It’s nature’s best — there’s no reason to alter it.”
But Anthony said she would be in quite the pinch if she went public with the half-century recipe.
“We can’t really talk about where, because it is actually proprietary,” she said of the hot and cold entrees’ source.
Anthony said her own ideal lobster roll when away from work is back in her old stomping ground at Jordan Lobster Farms in Nassau County.
Jordan Lobster Farms
The “nostalgia” of the 50-year-old business, where customers can look and see gigantic tanks of their meal-to-be still swimming, is what keeps drawing Anthony back to the Island Park staple, not far from where she once lived in Point Lookout.
Owner Steve Jordan said that fewer and fewer places toward the city limits are doing lobster rolls these days, which has brought an uptick in clientele that eats what’s locally caught both hot and cold.
“We get people who will do the drive [from New York City],” he said, attributing 50 years of success to generations coming back with their little ones.
“It’s a family place. … We try to keep the prices down, and the staff make a really good dressing,” added Jordan, whose eatery is currently playing off sharing a half-century anniversary with “Jaws.”
They even made posters that read, “You’re gonna need a bigger bib.”
Jordan’s personal favorite is near Anthony’s old area at the Point Lookout Clam Bar.
He not only loves its incredibly “fresh” served rolls but credits the nearby joint for having wonderful and friendly service.
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