Scott W
Google
One of my must-haves when traveling on the East Coast is a first-class lobster roll. And not the New England version with mayo. I want as much plain, unadulterated lobster as possible, stuffed into a beautifully grilled roll. Lucky for me, DJ’s offers a Maine-style lobster roll: a grilled roll, warm lobster, and a small cup of melted butter.
Food:
The emphasis at DJ’s is clearly on the food. The menu isn’t large, but they offer all the classics. Most of us ordered the lobster roll, and we also had a shrimp po’ boy, a cup of clam chowder, and a basket of conch fritters.
Everything was delicious. The lobster roll featured generous pieces of tender lobster. The roll was perfectly grilled, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. There was plenty of melted butter to pour over the top, making it a bit messy, but absolutely worth it. This was a lobster roll to remember.
The clam chowder was also excellent, creamy, well seasoned, and filled with good-sized pieces of clam. The conch fritters were the best we had during our time in Key West. I also sampled the shrimp po’ boy, which was served on the same grilled roll. The shrimp were tender, with just the right amount of breading.
Service:
This is a small stand that has clearly mastered the art of serving excellent food in a compact space. There was a line when we arrived, and it took about 10 minutes to reach the counter. The person taking orders was friendly and helpful. Even while managing a steady flow of customers, they took the time to check in and chat briefly, which was appreciated.
After ordering, we were given a number, and our food was delivered in less than 10 minutes.
Atmosphere:
The space is small but offers counter seating in the front, along with additional tables along the side and in the back. It’s not fancy, but it’s clean, efficient, and easy to navigate. We were pleasantly surprised to find covered seating in the back that accommodated our group of six.
While we were eating, we experienced the only rain of our entire Key West trip. We got a little wet, but it didn’t dampen the experience.
The lobster roll was amazing and one of our favorite meals of the week. Definitely a place I would return to.