Luke’s Lobster (Tokyo) – Famous Lobster Rolls in Japan, But Is It Worth The Long Queue?

During our Tokyo holiday, we went on our pilgrimage to Luke’s Lobster. This joint is famous for its crazily popular lobster rolls, and it seems that every single tourist to Tokyo will visit this shop. Therefore, we were quite curious to find out what the hype was about. And we have visited the Luke’s Lobster New York branch before, so we wanted to see how the Tokyo version would compare. We visited the Harajuku / Omotesando outlet, which is directly opposite Flippers and very near Harajuku Gyozaro. Update (05 July 2020): Luke’s Lobster will be opening their first ever Singapore outlet at Orchard Road next month!

Luke’s Lobster

Luke’s Lobster is a famous seafood joint in Japan known for its sumptuous lobster rolls. It also offers other seafood rolls like crab rolls and shrimp rolls.

Interestingly, despite its crazy popularity in Japan, Luke’s Lobster was actually founded in New York (USA) in 2009.

The company is known for its responsible business ethos, because it only uses traceable and sustainable seafood. Their seafood is mainly supplied from Maine, a coastal state with abundant marine life.

I’m not sure if the Japanese outlets get their seafood from Maine as well, though I think it’s more plausible that they get them from Japan’s own surrounding waters.

Currently, there are eight Luke’s Lobster outlets in Tokyo, located in the popular areas of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Aoyama, and Hiroo. The other Japanese branches are in Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe and Fukuoka.

Luke’s Lobster Menu

The most popular item on the menu is of course the Lobster Roll. There are two sizes: Regular Size (JPY 1058) and US Size (JPY 1706).

The menu also offers other seafood rolls like the Crab Roll (JPY 1490) and Shrimp Roll (JPY 1026).

You can mix and match to get combinations rolls like the Lobster & Crab Roll (JPY 1706) or Lobster & Shrimp Roll (JPY 1490).

There are also Kettle potato chips and coleslaw. You can check out the full menu above. Note that the menu prices are before consumption tax of 8%.

Long Queue!

The wife and I went to Luke’s Lobster (Harajuku) at around 11.30am on a Sunday, and there was a queue of about 20 people.

We saw a total of three queues, with one leading to the counter, one along a boardwalk, and another one further behind.

I joined the queue leading to the counter and was quickly approached by a Japanese staff who was managing the queues.

She asked if I was queueing for Luke’s Lobster or Flippers. I replied Luke’s, and she directed me to go behind and join the queue on the board walk. Feeling a little bummed, I reluctantly walked behind.

However, the queue moved pretty fast, and I upgraded to the “counter queue” after about 10 minutes. After another 10 minutes, I reached the counter. While I was queueing for Luke’s Lobster, the wife joined the queue for Flippers, so that we could save time.

Lobster Roll (Regular)

Because we were going to check out the Soufflé Pancakes from Flippers later, we decided to just get one regular Lobster Roll (JPY 1058) to share.

There was a tiny dining area with a few chairs near the shop, but like most people, we just bought the lobster roll to takeaway.

The “regular” size was actually pretty small, so I recommend getting the US size if you want something more substantial.

Like the New York version, the Lobster Roll consisted of tantalising chunks of lobster meat sandwiched in a toasted buttered bun. It was covered with glistening butter and a sprinkle of Luke’s Lobster’s “special seasoning”.

The meat was very fresh, tender and juicy, and had a pleasant briny taste. Together with the savoury seasoning and melted butter, this was a really satisfying treat.

The bun was quite soft and tasty, though I wished it was warmer. I mean, it would have been nice to savour the lobster chunks with a hot toasted bun.

Conclusion

All in all, the famous Lobster Roll from Luke’s Lobster in Harajuku / Omotesando was quite delicious and satisfying. I felt that the New York version fared better, because the bun was warmer and more tasty. However, considering that I only queued for around 20 minutes (very fast by Tokyo’s standard), I would say that it was worth it to check out this famous lobster roll.

Luke’s Lobster (Harajuku / Omotesando)
What to Order: Luke Lobster Roll US (JPY 1706)
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 8pm
Directions: 10 minute walk from Harajuku Station
English Address: 6-7-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Japanese Address: 6-7-1 東京都渋谷区神宮前
Other Branches: www.lukeslobster.com/locations

This article is part of our super awesome Ultimate Tokyo Travel Guide For First Timers. Everything you need to know about Tokyo is just a click away!