Simon W.
Yelp
Out of many shacks I've tried on a recent trip, Five Islands falls behind by a hair, but the race was super close.
First the steamed lobster was ordered a la carte, you state what kind, hard or soft shell and choose your size, under 1 1/4, 1 1/4- 2, over 2lbs. The sides are extra, for example, corn or potatoes for a couple dollars more. They also provide crackers you to use as long as you bring them back after you use them. There was a $4 deposit for their safe return. The
Lobster was deliciously steamed and served with butter.
The steamed clams were about 25-30 in the order. These were fresh and definitely tasty. These clams came with a water wash and another small tub of butter.
The Jenny special, a crab cake on top of a grilled Haddock with slice of lettuce/pickles on the side with chips. This came with a cilantro mayonnaise that was good enough for me to continue dipping my fries into.
Finally the lobster roll was accompanied with chips. This lobster roll fell behind a few others on the trip although delicious in its own right. The bun was a bit light on toasting, either that or it sat too long behind the counter.
The views from the dock are unbelievable. You can see boats come up and unload their lobster catch right in front of you. Nothing better than see that the lobster you are eating just came off the boat.
I'm sure the reader is wondering why not 5 stars if the food is fresh/great and the views unbelievable. Well here we go, there is a somewhat complicated setup for ordering your steamed fare (whole lobsters / steamers) versus everything else. There are two lines to navigate as a result if you want both. I had to wait on one line for the lobster/steamed clams first, then get on another to order the lobster roll, sandwiches/rolls and anything fried. I understand that perhaps you can't have them in the same hut, but there wasn't anything to inform the customer where to stand to order what. I had to ask a local waiting on line for the instructions.
Another downer is that they were out of a few items I was interested in like fried oysters and scallops right after noon on a holiday weekend.
Parking is also really tight and painful. There is a lot further away I think but again, no signage to indicate that before you get up to the dock and need to uturn in tight quarters.
Five Islands does output great food
and I would not have to be convinced really hard to come back, if anything I would come earlier to avoid the sell outs and parking issues.