Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine

Red's Eats is a Boothbay Harbor institution that's been slinging lobster rolls from a small red building right on Route 1 for decades. The rolls are famously loaded, stuffed with so much lobster meat you'll need a fork to eat half of it off the bun before you can bite through. It's cash or check only, the patio overlooks the water, and the wait can be anywhere from an hour to two and a half hours depending on the day and time you show up.

• Absurdly generous lobster meat in every roll.
• Ocean views from the patio or across the street.
• Staff brings water and umbrellas to the line.
• Iconic spot with decades of local reputation.

The lobster roll is why you're here, and it comes loaded with meat and a cup of warm butter for dunking. Pair it with the onion rings, which hold their own. The blueberry soda is worth trying, and the blueberry cake has impressed multiple guests enough to single it out.

A small red shack with a modest patio overlooking the water, plus seating across the street right on the ocean. It's loud, crowded, and the line is the defining feature of the visit.

The lobster roll is the main event here, and the portion is genuinely massive. You get warm butter on the side and a generous amount of tender meat. It's pricey (around $36), but the quantity is real. Blueberry soda, onion rings, and blueberry cake round out the menu. Some guests say the wait disappears the moment they bite into the roll. Others say it's not worth the time, especially if you're on a tight schedule.

One recent visitor said the amount of lobster meat was unlike anything they'd seen before and felt the staff's gesture of bringing water and umbrellas to the line was genuine hospitality. Others praise the tenderness and quality. But diners are split on whether the long waits, occasionally slow-moving lines, and cash-only policy are worth it. A few have walked across the street to a competitor instead.