Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls — Restaurant in Belleair Bluffs

What an absolute joke! Growing up in Maryland and living in Maine for a couple years, I'm always cautious about getting my hopes up for good seafood. I live just minutes away from this Mason's and since the reviews looked mostly positive (and it has lasted for at least the year I've lived here), I decided to give it a try tonight.

I perused the menu on Mason's website and since I wasn't super-hungry, opted on a smaller meal option where I'd get a taste of what they offer. I decided on a grilled cheese w/ tomato and a bowl of lobster bisque. I then clicked the "Order Online" link and selected those options, paid, and hopped in my car to pick it up. I was warmly greeted by an employee and told her I was picking up. She said I'd ordered one of her favorite things ... the grilled cheese w/ tomato. Her enthusiasm made me even more excited to dig in! ((In hindsight, seeing the place completely empty and hearing that her fave wasn't even the seafood part of my meal, I should've realized of what a disappointment I was about to experience.))

I got home, took a nice bite of my grilled cheese while it was still nice and hot and it was what you'd expect: texas toast, american cheese, and a couple slices of tomato. Well-grilled, crusty on the edges and gooey in the middle. It was a decent sandwich.

After a few bites, though, I was especially ready to try the lobster bisque!! (After all – THIS is why I decided to order from a place called Mason's Famous LOBSTER Rolls.) I took the lid off the paper bowl and it was still nice and hot, but I was surprised to see no lobster meat. I figured it must've fallen down into the soup during transit. NOPE! I swirled around, scraped, and scooped trying to fish out something ... ANYthing that resembled lobster and there was none to be found! I tried a few spoonfuls of the soup and it was... completely disappointing.

Then I thought, "Oh ... I'm sure it was an honest mistake and I'll let them know that they forgot to add the lobster." I get it ... lobster can get chewy if overcooked, so it makes sense that they add it at the end. But I returned to their website to ensure I didn't miss something. Nope - sure enough, it says, "Lobster Bisque - Topped with lobster meat" (see attached screenshots). I then went back to the Online Order and after a bit of digging, I realized that there was a modifier buried further down the order screen (invisible unless you purposely scroll past the "Add A Bun" option). It seems that you only get any semblance of seafood if you select "Add Lobster Chunks" for an additional $6. It never crossed my mind that I'd need to specifically request lobster in my lobster bisque. All the pictures show a COPIOUS amount of claw meat and I understand marketing; I know that pictures often oversell what you really get. But I genuinely expected my bisque to be "topped with lobster meat" or at least contain some sort of lobster-ishness. I tried to find even the tiniest shred of seafood but it was simply bland, blah broth with a creamy-ish element. I was able to pull up two tiny blobs of flour, but that's it.

I feel mislead and taken advantage of. Please fix your website for accuracy and also retitle this soup option as "Basic Bland Bisque". The grilled cheese was fine but certainly not worth visiting Mason's just for that. I should've trusted my gut and kept my well-earned money to myself. I can only imagine how disappointed I'd be if I had sprung for the $22 lobster roll!!! You'll have a far-better experience hopping on a $50 flight from Clearwater to Bangor, Maine and eating at a GENUINE lobstah joint.

I'm bummed I have to say this, but avoid Mason's...

Whenever we are down in Tampa we always hit up Mason's since there are basically zero places to get lobster rolls in Pittsburgh outside of a few food trucks that only come around in the summer.

This was our first time at this location and I will say the family was pleased.

Let's talk about the restaurant then move to the food. We are inside and were the only customers dining in. There were a ton of take outs and not too much of a surprise given this is the resort part of town. They had one employee working while we were there which at first I thought would mean slow service but this individual named Walter was attentive and pretty fast on completing our order and it was a massive $180 dollar order because it's so rare for us to get Lobster rolls so we went all out. The tables were clean, the bathroom was very clean and overall it was a pleasant place to eat.

Ok now to the food at this location I got to say this was the most lobster we have ever gotten at a Mason's. I usually order two rolls even though it's expensive to feel full but this time I got the Harbor option and wow was it stuffed. The lobster was decent quality (not the same as fresh in New England but pretty good) and the roll itself was beyond excellent it was down right fantastic. I love my rolls dripping in butter and this did not disappoint, now some people may not like this because it's messy and some people want light butter but I enjoyed it greatly. The lobster Bisque was also good but definitely get the upgrade with more lobster meat because the base bisque is pretty light on it. The lobster Mac and cheese as well as the lobster grilled cheese was also good and had a good balance of lobster vs. cheese. Today was the first time I got the crab roll, it was also stuffed big time, even more than the lobster roll with the harbor upgrade and it was extremely good. Now I love old bay seasoning and that was what was on top of the crab roll so that made it extra tasty to me.

Final comment on this place will be the price, I came here with my wife and two teenage kids, we all got our rolls upgraded and my kids got the lobster grilled cheese and Mac and cheese as to go items for tomorrow. With me getting two rolls that added to the cost resulting in us spending $178.95. For a fast casual place this is a lot of money and I don't think you are getting good value for money. For us we were cool with the spend because this is a rare treat for us because of where we live but compared to places we have been in Connecticut and Massachusetts for the same spend you get roles easily 3x the size stuffed to the point where you're tired of eating lobster.

Did we leave full? Yes, did it cost way more than it should? Oh yeah by a lot. I will also say having just one person doing all the work is sort of shady on Mason's part. Walter did a fantastic job and should be commended on running a store solo so shout out to him but sort of feels bad seeing this poor guy having to do so much.

We will be back again because like I said when we come to Tampa we always stop but if I lived here I doubt I would come more than once or twice a year because the value proposition is low given the price even with the...

I recently visited Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls in Largo, and wow, what an experience! From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with a warm smile by Carrisa, who truly made my visit unforgettable. Her enthusiasm for the menu was infectious, and she took the time to recommend the best lobster roll options.

The atmosphere is casual and inviting, perfect for enjoying some delicious seafood. I opted for the classic Maine lobster roll, and it was simply divine—fresh, flavorful, and packed with lobster goodness! The buttery roll was the cherry on top.

Carrisa’s friendly service made the meal even better; she checked in to make sure everything was to my liking and shared fun stories about the restaurant’s history. It felt like I was catching up with an old friend!

If you're looking for a fantastic dining experience filled with amazing food and exceptional service, Mason's is the place to be. I can't wait to return for another lobster roll and to see Carrisa again! Highly...