Greenpoint’s Lobster Joint (1073 Manhattan Ave.), the casual restaurant and bar known for lobster rolls and other seafood favorites, has sadly closed.
Lobster Joint brought a taste of New England-inspired seafood to Greenpoint for 13 years, and co-owner Steven Costello told Greenpointers that he was proud to be a Covid-surviving business.
“We are super sad. We wanted to stick it out because we love the community,” Costello said. “But, we succumbed to the economy and the cost of doing business in this city, like so many others.”
Costello went on to explain that Lobster Joint didn’t suffer as badly as other local restaurants during the pandemic, opining that because Lobster Joint has a large backyard and could keep the doors open, it saw more business than others.
“Lobster Joint has always had ups and downs because we are a summery concept,” Costello said. “But, both the summer peaks and the winter dips have gotten lower. The whole graph has moved down, and it became harder to recover.”
Lobster Joint’s outdoor space and menu was, indeed, summery. The restaurant’s most popular item was the lobster roll. The restaurant also served appetizers like shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and grilled octopus, and larger plates like lobster mac and cheese, fish and chips, and shrimp scampi pasta. Unexpectedly, the restaurant’s simple cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion, was one of Greenpoint’s best. Lobster Joint also had a kids menu, which made it a favorite among local parents.
In advance of tonight’s Community Board 1 meeting, a new liquor license application was submitted for a bar and restaurant called Bouquet at Lobster Joint’s space at 1073 Manhattan Avenue. The application includes a license for liquor, wine, beer, and cider for a restaurant, plus a temporary retail permit. It is filed under the name Bouquet and Bouquet BK LLC.
Greenpointers reached out to Bouquet for comment, who told us: “Bouquet is a natural wine bar concept by a Greenpoint resident.”
We live around the block and didn’t know it was closing. Would have gone for one last meal! We’ll miss you so much, Lobster Joint!
Noooooo!!!!!!!! Terrible news!!!!!
Noooooo! Loved Lobster Joint. Where am I going to get fish & chips now?
Very good place, nice staff. I use to joke with them when they opened the only time a saw a lobster before they opened was a dead one in Newtown Creek. However, like the owner said, rising everything was too much. The prices kept going up and my group of friends stopped going. They made a great linguini in clam sauce. The lobster roll was great but the price kept going up. Thanks and good luck to the staff.
The minimum wage, as many other small business owners have warned us, is just killing every store other than the big chains, which can afford it.