Petey's in Rye touted as affordable lobster roll

The Boston Globe on Wednesday singled out Petey’s Summertime Seafood & Bar in Rye, New Hampshire, as “the last great affordable lobster roll,” putting a Seacoast restaurant at the center of a summer price story that has mostly run in the opposite direction. The paper said Petey’s serves a hefty roll and framed it as a bargain at a time when lobster-roll prices have become a pain point for diners. Petey’s own website describes the restaurant as a year-round seafood spot at 1323 Ocean Blvd in Rye and says it has been operating since 1990. ### How cheap is Petey’s compared with the rest of the market? Petey’s current menu lists a regular lobster roll at $29 and a jumbo lobster roll at $32, with both served with french fries, pickles and lettuce. The menu says the rolls are served cold with mixed mayonnaise. Bangor Daily News reported on July 11 that lobster rolls at 11 Maine shacks and restaurants averaged $36, the same as its May reading and 60 cents above the prior summer’s average. (bostonglobe.com) Its index showed prices ranging from $21.95 at McLaughlin Seafood in Bangor to $46.99 at Fishermen’s Net in Brunswick, with some restaurants including sides and others not. (peteys.com) ### Why did the Globe focus on a New Hampshire stop in a lobster-roll story? The Boston Globe’s item ran Wednesday in its food and dining coverage and described Petey’s as the affordable New Hampshire option in a market where lower-priced lobster rolls are harder to find. The search snippet for the story said Petey’s delivers “a hefty, steal-of-a-deal lobster roll.” (bangordailynews.com) Rye gives the story a New England beach-town setting rather than a Maine-only frame. Petey’s website calls the restaurant a casual seafood spot on the beach and says it ships live lobsters and other seafood as well as serving customers on site. ### What do other 2026 price checks show? Bangor Daily News reported on May 22 that its first 2026 survey of 10 Maine lobster shacks and restaurants found an average price of about $36.19, roughly $1 more than the same point a year earlier. (bostonglobe.com) That survey also noted that several restaurants kept prices flat, a few lowered them and several raised them by $2 to $8. (peteys.com) Anneliese Riggall, owner of LDI Lobster Dock and Dine in Little Deer Isle, told Bangor Daily News in July that “It’s very hard to price out a lobster roll.” Riggall said her $32 roll was “exceptionally fair” and added, “We’re not in Bar Harbor, so we can’t charge $50 each, and I don’t want to.” (bangordailynews.com) ### What is Petey’s offering diners right now? Petey’s website says the restaurant’s seafood menu includes lobster, fried clams, steamer clams and other New England staples. The site also advertises gift cards, catering and clam bakes, and says the restaurant is open year round in Rye. The menu posted on Petey’s site shows the lobster rolls alongside other items that anchor a summer seafood stop, including chowders, fried seafood platters and steamed clams. (bangordailynews.com) The listed lobster-roll prices are from a menu file crawled this week. ### Where can readers check before they go? Petey’s directs customers to its website for menu information and lists its address as 1323 Ocean Blvd, Rye, New Hampshire 03870, with a phone number of 603-433-1937. (peteys.com) The Boston Globe’s food and dining page carried the Petey’s story on August 5, 2026, and Petey’s own site links customers to its current menu. (peteys.com)