Nelson's Meat + Fish Phoenix — Restaurant in Phoenix

Now here’s a neat little novelty shop that deserves a visit. It’s a tight space, with a sign outside, confusingly facing the wrong way, which states “only 7 people at a time” are permitted inside. Luckily I’d showed up at 11 o’clock and my wait outside was short lived.

Inside, I immediately loved the minimalist display cases containing the fresh fish, mollusks, and bivalves. Prices are steep, but this is a specialty shop, not your everyday grocery store.

I’d heard whisperings of traditional lobster rolls being served here, which regularly sell out every Wednesday, and ultimately that’s what drew me in. As sad as it sounds, one of my bucket list items is to eat an authentic lobster roll in Maine. But since I’m a couple thousand miles or so away, I figured that the $26 Lobstah Roll from Nelson’s was a nice compromise.

As a first time lobster roll consumer I had no idea what to expect. But I could tell the lobster was delicate, meaty, and fresh. As for flavor, nothing really jumped out at me beyond the toasted and buttered roll. So either I’ve got Covid-19 and don’t know it, or I’m just not keen on lobster generally. My exploration into the Lobstah Roll experience was interrupted by an alarming crunch, and I pulled a piece of shell from my mouth, luckily avoiding permanent damage. That could’ve been bad!

In summation, it’s a sweet little shop unlike any other in Arizona. You want quality and freshness? I doubt you’ll find it anywhere other than Nelson’s. Is it a regular stop for you? Depends on your income level, I’d say. Considering how heavily I’ve missed the mark of my parents’ expectations for what I “could” have been, I won’t be able to afford any sort of regularity. But if I could, it would be for the fresh fish in the display cases, seeing as how the novelty of the Lobstah Roll was...

I went in to ask about casing hot dogs. The salesperson was very knowledgeable, very helpful; their service in general seemed excellent, and they had serious hustle.

They had "lobstah" rolls on the menu, which I'd never had, so I asked to try one. Thinking it would be maybe $12-$14 for a small sandwich and a bag of chips, I was shocked to be charged $43. When I expressed surprise, the cashier was irritated and said, "Fresh lobster in the desert..." as if that justified the price for what I got. (He did offer to let me cancel the order, but as it was already made, I said no because they shouldn't eat the cost for the cistomer's mistake.)

That being said: was it worth $43? Not even close. The lobster indeed tasted fresh, but half of it was undercooked, chewy, and slimy. The roll, although grilled perfectly, was dry and crumbled apart, failing to contain the lobster within, and the whole thing fell apart into the box by the second bite. The sandwich had almost no flavor at all even though it was a lobster salad mix with mayo, old bay, chives, lemon, I think, and something else.

It was comically bad, and the chips were even worse. Utz crab chips. Do not recommend.

I think one would need to be pretty dedicated to the cuisine to rate this with high marks. Save your money and buy one of their steaks, which...

Good things: the owner was amazing and kind and attentive. The place was immaculate. I bought a slab of tuna (for an ungodly price but worth it.) I took it home and cooked it, and it was the best piece of tuna I have ever had in my life. I also bought mussels there. I took those home and destroyed them with incompetence. The gentleman did advise me how to let them breathe, and he put them on ice for the trip home. I just suck at making paella. I took a star off because I didn’t care for our lunch. My son ordered the bahn mi. It was okay. The star was actually the veggies. The fish had an odd consistency (which could have been normal for that fish,) but we got a few chunks of inedible...gristle. I got a lobster roll. It had big chunks of lobster which was lovely but the flavour was just meh. I could tell it was prepared with love, and that does make a difference. Tl;dr: I would happily buy tuna and other fishies here again, but...