Freshie's Lobster Co.
Freshie's Lobster Co. flies its lobster in from Maine already cooked and vacuum-sealed, never frozen and within 24 hours of the sea.
Why go
Ben and Lorin Smaha, a couple from Maine and New Hampshire, sold their first rolls from a farmers-market tent in Park City in 2009. Their Park City kitchen won World's Best Lobster Roll at the first Down East Lobster Roll Festival in Portland, Maine, in July 2017. Lorin told the Deseret News what the roll is for: let the lobster shine, don't mask it
(Deseret News). The Salt Lake counter on 900 South opened in October 2018 with the same menu (Salt Lake Tribune).
The roll puts tail, knuckle and claw meat in a New England hot dog bun with hot butter, chives, lemon and mayonnaise (The Infatuation). Ted Scheffler of Utah Stories calls it a Maine-style roll, the style that mixes mayonnaise into the meat (Utah Stories). Mary Brown Malouf of Salt Lake Magazine ate one in December 2019: The roll is warm, the butter plenteous and the lobster sweet. It tastes just like a blue-sky summer
(Salt Lake Magazine).
Expect to pay for the flight. Jenny Willden of The Infatuation priced the rolls in 2023: Expect a surcharge for Maine lobster in the mountains—a small roll is $15, while their bigger option is $27—but know it's absolutely worth it
(The Infatuation). Gil Garduño, an out-of-state food blogger, ate the XL in 2021 and was wary of the portion, having eaten rolls with a full pound of lobster. He still wrote: We didn't find it life-altering, but we certainly found ourselves transported to Kennebunk, Maine
(Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog).
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Real Mainah, the 3.7-ounce roll. Ted Scheffler (Utah Stories, 2019):
I usually order the Real Mainah ($21) when I stop by Freshie's.
6 - Order: the lobster mac, cavatappi with Gruyère and Beehive Seahive cheddar under the lobster. Ted Scheffler (Utah Stories, 2019) called it a real
winnah
.6 - Order: the cinnamon roll. Gil Garduño (2021) found it rich and buttery.7
What locals & experts say
- Stuart Melling, Gastronomic SLC (2026):
Sure, they aren't cheap, but neither is overnighted lobster from back East either.
8
Good to know
- Price: $15 for the small roll and $27 for the big one in June 2023. The house menu, read in September 2026, adds lobster to anything at $6 an ounce.
- Sizes: the XL holds 5 ounces of lobster.
- Drinks: beer and wine.
- Booking: none. Order at the counter, or take it away.
- Where: 356 East 900 South. The original Freshie's is in Park City.
Verdict
should-visit — Go for the roll that won a lobster-roll cook-off in Portland, Maine, in 2017, now served on 900 South. It is expensive for the size, about $15 to $27 a roll in 2023, and one out-of-state visitor found the portion small.