Freddy’s Lobster + Clams

Even before Freddy’s Lobster + Clams won this year’s first Bethesda Magazine award for Best Lobster Roll, the sandwich stole the show at the 2012 Taste of Bethesda, where the line for Freddy’s extended down the block.

Whether on the street or in the kitschy New England-style seafood shack on Cordell Avenue, people clamor for the big, sweet chunks of fresh lobster piled high on a split-top bun. Freddy’s owner, Jeff Heineman, who also owns the popular Grapeseed American Bistro + Wine Bar next door, says the key to a dynamite lobster roll is keeping it simple, using fresh (not frozen) meat and having the “appropriate squishy bun.”

Heineman reports that at the peak of the past summer season, Freddy’s fans went through nearly 2,000 lobster rolls a week—divided evenly between those who like them warm (with butter) and those who like them cold (with mayonnaise). Whichever way, Freddy’s lobster rolls—which go for $17 without sides—are just right.

4867 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 240-743-4257, freddyslobster.com