Lobster and Beer
3456 Motor Ave #101, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Ilovelobsterandbeer.com ($$$)

Eat, then Drink: The Name Says it All

The past several years has seen LA turn into a boomtown for lobster dishes, with lobster rolls appearing on menus all over town. The craze has gone so far as to spur the now annual Lobster Rumble which pits over a dozen restaurants against each other in a lobster-palooza event where the public selects the best lobster roll in LA.

Joining the lobster craze is the aptly named “Lobster and Beer,” recently opened on a relatively sleepy section of Motor Ave in Palms.

There are no reservations, no wait staff, and parking is on the street for this high-end fast casual restaurant. The menu is exceedingly simple, featuring lobster, shrimp, ahi poke, and sides along with a full complement of beer, wine, and craft soda options. Order at the counter and grab your seat and wait for the dishes to arrive. You can even leave your tab open should you wish to order more drinks as the even progresses.

For my first visit, I sampled a range of menu items, including the lobster tacos ($11 for 2 – on flour tortilla not corn), Kale salad ($6 for salad, $16 if you add a lobster tail), lobster roll ($15 with a side of cole slaw), and, for those who don’t like lobster, the ahi poke bowl ($10).

All of the dishes were full of flavor and very enjoyable, with the kale salad and the ahi poke bowl being the standouts of my meal. As a new restaurant, there were a number of guests who were baffled by the simplicity of the menu and the lack of vegetarian or other meat options, but sticking to a simple menu can only help distinguish Lobster & Beer from other catch all restaurants. The service as a little haphazard, primarily due to the newness of the location, and more than one couple in line were expecting a “first date” atmosphere as opposed to the more casual approach.

If you are a fan of lobster and craft beers, it is definitely worth a trip to Lobster & Beer to check it out. While parking is a challenge, the newly opened Expo Line Palms station is a short 2 block walk away. The menu is varied enough I am already looking forward to a second visit to sample the dishes I missed including the corn and lobster chowder and the lobster and crab cakes.