Dave’s Lobster Rolls into Saint John
SAINT JOHN – A new seafood restaurant is rolling into the port city.
Dave’s Lobster, a Charlottetown-born restaurant specializing in lobster rolls, is opening location in uptown Saint John this spring.
Owner Dave Hyndman says opening a Saint John location has been on his mind for a while, after opening shop on the Halifax waterfront to much success.
“Saint John to me was the next city in the region that kind of looked like Charlottetown and Halifax. It has what feels like a good downtown scene,” Hyndman said. “It’s struggled over the years, but it feels like there’s some good things going on.”
The new location will take over the Magnolia Cafe space on the historic Prince William Street. The location is not only in the heart of Saint John’s restaurant and entertainment district, but also where summer cruise ship passengers bring much foot traffic.
“I really like the location. We had a few options that we were going back and forth on, but now that we settled on this one I think it’s going to be good,” Hyndman said. “I like the corner, the visibility down to Water Street and I love Prince William Street. I think we’ll settle in quite nicely.”
Hyndman says Dave’s Lobster is very hyper focused. They make three different lobster rolls, a grilled cheese for kids and lobster-haters dragged in by their friends . . . and that’s pretty much it.
“We don’t do chowder, or mussels or burgers or pizza, we do lobster rolls. And by focusing on it, we have a good one,” he said. “I think by most accounts, we probably make the best lobster roll in the Maritimes.”
He could be right. Chatelaine named Dave’s Lobster the home of “the ultimate lobster roll” and they’ve received many rave reviews on Trip Advisor. Hyndman says they use a quarter pound of lobster in the rolls. All lobster is from Atlantic Canada, and rolls are locally baked fresh daily.
The company is also opening a location in Cavendish, P.E.I this year. Hyndman expects the Saint John location to be open by the second week of May.