When I was staying with my friends in Saratoga Springs, I had asked them for local restaurant recommendations, and while most of their recommendations where either on Broadway or Putnam Street downtown, they mentioned that one place in particular was worth checking out due to it’s proximity: Eddie F’s Lobster Roll & Seafood House. Located in a residential neighborhood on Saratoga Springs’ west side, it was less than 100 feet from where I was staying, ideal for ducking out during a quick lunch (since I was working remotely).
You could easily walk by Eddie F’s Saratoga Springs location (they’ve got another location in Clifton, NY); if you didn’t see the signage, you’d probably mistake the place for just another residential house (which the building once was). I usually notice seafood places quite easily from the aroma of frying fish, but whatever Eddie F’s has an air handler is working, since the neighbor wasn’t bathed in the constant aroma of battered fish. During the warmer months, they’ve got a handful of seating options, including an inside dining room, some porch seating, and in the warm months an outdoor beer garden.
For my first visit, it was a bit windy so I opted for the indoor seating, which is your basic, only lightly decorated “seafood bar” interior with a combination of nautical and horse-racing themes (this being Saratoga Springs), a combination of high- and low-top tables, the ever-present television showing horse racing (again, obligatory for this town), and a takeout counter (which was doing a brisk business). Although on my visit, six weeks before Halloween, they had already started some modest decoration for the day, so apparently they are big fans of the holiday. Menu-wise, Eddie F’s has a very straightforward seafood menu: most every common type of New England seafood is available, with most selections being available deep-fried, grilled, or blackened. For the rare non-seafood eater coming to Eddie’s, they’ve also got a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, and pasta dishes as well.
But my goal on my first visit to Eddie F’s was straightforward: I was craving a good lobster roll. At Eddie F’s, you’ve got two basic options for lobster roll, either classic cold style with a light mayo sauce, or warm with a butter sauce. I usually prefer the former, so I ordered it up with onion rings and slaw. This was one of the pricier lobster rolls I had this year ($31.50), which gave me a bit of a pause, especially being a bit far from the ocean, but this truly was a top-notch lobster roll (best of ’24, and definitely a Top 10 list entry). Most places are serving a “lobster salad”, hopefully with a few large chunks of claw meat, but this lobster roll was entirely large chunks of intact tail and claw meat, perfectly cooked and tender, and only lightly seasoned, with just enough mayo to hold everything together on a nicely-toasted bun. The onion rings? Sweet onion rings, freshly sliced and perfectly battered, cooked to just the right amount of crisp. Literally, the best onion rings I’ve had in years.
I enjoyed Eddie F’s enough that when I swung through Saratoga Springs again a week later with Carol and the dogs, we had to go back, this time sitting out on the pleasant outdoor (and dog-friendly) patio.
On my second visit, I wanted to mix it up and try something different, and got the blackened shrimp meal. I adore properly-grilled shrimp since it adds a nice Maillard reaction to the flavor of the shrimp, but it’s very sensitive to the freshness of the shrimp and correct cooking time and temperature, and if done incorrectly turns into little radial tires. No worries at Eddie F’s; my blacked shrimp was cooked perfectly: tender, flavorful, and just the right amount of spice and crispiness. A winner overall, and rounded out with a surprisingly good potato salad.
Carol, meanwhile, got to experience the lobster roll herself, and enjoyed hers every bit as much as I enjoyed mine the previous week.
So, while it’s a bit pricey for a regular outing, I’m definitely a fan of Eddie F’s. One of the best lobster rolls I’ve had in the last few years, and I’m pretty particular about mine. And at least with my shrimp, they’ve shown they can do a great job with other seafood as well. I’ll definitely be back.
