Unless you have the pleasure of living right on the coast, you may struggle to get your hands on some fresh live lobster.
Back in the day, it was rather common for supermarkets to house live lobsters in tanks. However, these days you’re not likely to find this.
Thankfully, the internet has all the answers to our prayers. Many online stores offer fresh lobster right to our doors with the click of a button.
Nevertheless, it can be difficult to find fresh Maine lobster service that is equally fresh, tasty, and within budget.
That is why we have gone ahead and sourced 7 of the best lobster delivery services, giving you our in-depth reviews as well as what to look for when shopping lobster online.
The Best Lobster Meat Deliveries
- Best Overall Lobster Meat Delivery: ButcherBox
- Cheapest Lobster Meat Delivery: Crowd Cow
- Best Premium Lobster Meat Delivery: Chicago Steak Company
- Finest Selection of Lobster Meat Delivery: Meat N’ Bone
- Leading Subscription-Based Lobster Meat Delivery: Thrive Market
- Top-Rated International Variety of Lobster Products: Omaha Steaks
- Best Freshly-Sourced Lobster Meat Delivery: Farm Foods
8 Best Lobster Delivery Services
1 - ButcherBox (Best Overall)
ButcherBox is a meat delivery service that sells wild-caught and sustainably harvested lobster. This meat delivery service ensures all of their seafood is sustainably harvested, so there’s no damage to the ecosystem.
ButcherBox partners with a family-run business off the coast who Maine who follows strict fishing and handling practices to ensure the highest level of sustainability.
Their lobster comes from the crystal-clear waters of North Atlantic, where fishermen go out in boats to catch the fish in their natural habitat.
The lobster sold by ButcherBox delivery isn’t given any additives, antibiotics, hormones, or artificial coloring. This ensures the lobster is completely safe to consume and has the best flavor.
You’ll get free lobster delivery services with every ButcherBox order, and you can choose your delivery frequency to ensure you never run out of fresh lobster.
Moreover, the company has a rich seafood offer. You can also get other seafood, such as scallops, cod, salmon, shrimp, and more.
- Sells sustainably sourced lobster
- Lobster isn't given any hormones or additives
- Free delivery
- Free turkey with every delivery
- Expensive
2 - Crowd Cow (Cheapest Option)
Crowd Cow is an organic meat service that offers a whole range of delicious lobster products, like lobster mac and cheese.
All of their seafood products are either wild-caught or sustainable aquaculture operations, partnering with farms and local fishermen who add no chemicals or antibiotics to their fish.
Among their vast range of seafood items, Crowd Cow delivery offers lobster tails, pot pies, fresh Maine lobsters, scallops, and even lobster mac and cheese.
This lobster company is subscription-based; therefore, you will receive a unique box every month containing all your meat and seafood favorites.
They are very transparent about the farms the Maine lobster is sourced from, even allowing you to choose from your favorite farms across the US.
Due to their mission to source the most sustainable and fresh Maine lobsters, shipping could take anywhere from 1 - 4 days.
- Different types of lobster, like Maine lobster
- Sustainable
- Customizable box
- No added hormones
- Shipping lobsters take a while
3 - Chicago Steak Company (Best Premium Lobster Meat)
Despite its name, Chicago Steak Company is home to a large range of quality seafood, such as Maine lobster.
They specialize in hand-selected cuts, only sourcing the finest meat available. All of their fresh lobsters are sustainably sourced, injected with no additives or chemicals.
Along with the regular Maine lobster tails, you can also buy a customer favorite surf and turf package, which combines their lobster with their premium steaks.
The company offers standard, express, and free overnight shipping depending on the size of your order.
Chicago Steak meat delivery also offers gift packages that include lobster in individual his and hers packages, customizing your delicious lobster dinner.
- Top-quality lobster
- Sustainable
- No added chemicals
- Can be very pricey
4 - Meat N’ Bone (Finest Selection)
Meat N’ Bone is a company that focuses on quality and consistency for their Maine lobster offerings.
Each product they offer has been hand-picked by their expert team to ensure the highest standard of quality.
Their seafood comes from fishermen all around the Midwest US, working with only co-operative farms to ensure quality.
When it comes to lobster, Meat N’ Bone offers Caribbean lobster tail and Maine lobster carpaccio.
They also house shrimp, tuna, salmon, and many more. They don’t have many options to choose from when it comes to lobster offerings; however, what they do offer has great reviews.
Since they only have limited stock, you could be waiting up to 4 days for your lobster delivery to arrive.
However, they do offer same-day delivery at an extra cost. This flexibility allows you to enjoy a delicious lobster dinner on demand.
- Only works with local farms
- Offers same-day delivery
- Hand-picked lobster
- A small selection of lobster
5 - Thrive Market (Leading Subscription-Based)
4th on our list is Thrive Market, a company that houses over 6,000 products, delivered to your door every 4 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks.
Thrive Market makes it easy for customers with dietary requirements to shop, listing all the special products such as gluten-free, organic, and vegan all in one place.
They offer wild-caught lobster tails caught from the waters of the North Atlantic in Maine.
Their lobster tails are tender meat, great for baking with lemon and butter, with creamy pasta, or for preparing lobster rolls.
These lobster tails have no added antibiotics or synthetic hormones.
Thrive Market claims that customers can save up to 30% on products on their website, having an even higher discount when they choose to add items to their recurring deliveries.
They ship to every state around the US.
- Can save up to 30%
- No synthetic hormones on lobster tails
- Ships all around the US
- Limited lobster selection
6 - Omaha Steaks (Top-Rated International Variety)
Omaha Steaks are home to a large range of meats and fresh seafood sourced from oceans around the globe.
They offer the largest range of Maine lobster products on our list, including lobster roll kits, grilled cheese, bisque, ravioli, mac & cheese, and surf n’ turf.
All of their products are free of GMOs, antibiotics, and hormones.
They also offer a ton of recipes, meal suggestions, and videos for their customers to follow along while they cook.
This includes England clam chowder, pot pies, Maine lobster rolls, and many others.
For orders over $168.99, free shipping is offered, and Omaha Steaks also offer express, rush, and Sunday rush shipping.
- Large range of lobster products
- Sourced from seas around the globe
- Free of hormones and antibiotics
- Large minimum order
7 - Farm Foods (Best Freshly-Sourced)
Farm Foods is next on our list, a company that was founded with the desire to know exactly where its products are sourced from.
That’s why they are completely transparent and let their customers know how and where the animals were raised.
They have partnered with family farms around the US, with some farms in New Zealand.
When it comes to Maine lobster, they only offer one product - wild-caught lobster from Maine.
The live lobsters are caught by small family fishermen and then sent to Farm Foods, where they ensure the product stays free of antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs.
Shipping is free from Farm Foods; however, there is a minimum order of $99.
All their Maine lobster products are sent frozen, with a given time frame of 12 hours from the delivery date. If your order arrives spoiled, they will send you a complete refund or replacement.
- Offers transparency on products
- Free shipping cost on orders over $99
- Refunds and replacements offered
- Uses non-biodegradable material for shipping
8 - Allen Brothers
Last but not least is Allen Brothers company, a large meat and fish company that offers fresh, cold-water lobsters.
Each item has been hand-selected by experts, procured, and prepared to offer the freshest and most flavorful experience [1].
Allen Brothers offer North Atlantic lobster, West Australia lobster, bisque boules, and surf n’ turf.
You can choose from several sizes to ensure you have enough for any occasion. Shipping price depends on how many items you order, and all orders come flash frozen, packaged in 100% recyclable PET containers.
- Many lobsters' products
- No synthetic hormones
- Hand-picked lobster
- Shipping can be expensive
What to Look for When Using the Best Lobster Delivery Services
If you buy lobsters from the best lobster delivery services online, you have to ensure you know what you’re looking for. Maine Lobster isn’t cheap, so it’s important to keep the following in mind.
Species
There are tons of lobster species out there; however, there are two popular ones that you are likely to come across when looking up the best lobster delivery services.
Spiny lobsters are fresh lobsters that have no crab claws, found in the warm Caribbean waters.
If you are buying just the tail, most companies will send you spiny lobsters.
Maine lobsters are live lobsters served in restaurants or found in grocery stores.
Live Maine lobsters come from the Atlantic waters and are often sweeter and firmer when cooked.
Hard Shell Vs. Soft Shell
There are both hard shell and soft-shell lobsters offered by lobster delivery services. If you pick up a soft-shell lobster, you will find it a lot easier to shuck - enough to rip them apart with your hands.
A hard-shelled lobster will take more force, e.g., with live lobster crackers or a knife.
“When life gives you lemons, order the lobster tail.”
- Ziad K. Abdelnour, Activist
Soft-shelled lobsters tend to be more flavorful, tender, and sweater, like butter. Hardshell tends to taste more like lobster, with a briny flavor [2].
Soft-shelled lobster will give you a lot less meat to eat than a hard shell, in fact, 30%. You’ll notice this mostly in the claws, as hard-shelled lobsters are filled to the brim with meat.
Size
Many people think that the bigger the lobsters, the more meat they will contain. While this is true, this doesn’t mean the meat is actually of better quality.
In fact, many believe that small lobster is far sweeter and a lot less tough, especially for Cape Porpoise lobster.
Large lobster is much harder to cook evenly, whereas you never really have that problem with smaller lobsters.
Smaller lobster is cheaper, easier to handle, and has less impact on the lobster population.
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Additional Guides for Sourcing Lobster
When considering lobster delivery services, sourcing standards play a vital role. Location and sustainability are key factors that influenced the selection of the top choices.
It is crucial to know the origin of the lobster. For high-quality options, Lobster Guy and Hancock Gourmet Lobster offer Maine lobster meat and lobster dinners.
These companies prioritize sustainable sourcing practices, ensuring that you can enjoy delicious lobster while supporting environmentally responsible fishing.
FAQs
Are Live Lobsters Better Than Frozen Lobsters?
Yes, live lobsters are better than frozen lobsters. Serving Maine lobster fresh will have a considerable difference in texture and taste.
However, the frozen lobster meat from lobster delivery services will be a lot cheaper than fresh lobsters.
Buying live lobster instead of frozen lobster meat from the best lobster delivery services also leaves you with the unfortunate job of killing them when cooking, and understandably, many people aren’t comfortable with this.
Where Does The Best Lobster Come From?
The best lobster comes from Maine. It’s no secret that Maine lobster is delicious, that's why lots of lobster delivery services offer them.
When you cook lobster, you will notice the ones from the cold Atlantic waters are much sweeter and have butter-like flesh. It applies to Cape Porpoise lobster as well.
This is because the cold ocean makes the Maine lobster sweeter.
Maine seafood is also of higher quality due to the environment, fishing regulations, and tradition they are brought up in.
When cooking Maine foods, you will taste the difference.
Our Lobster Delivery Winner Is…
All the best lobster delivery services above offer a great selection of sustainably sourced lobster. That being said, our winner for this round has to be ButcherBox.
This is mainly due to how the lobster is sourced — from local fishermen who catch the lobster when it comes to Alaska Bristol Bay waters. The fishermen add no antibiotics to their meat.
You can get a box only containing seafood, or you can customize and handpick each cut of meat and seafood that goes into the box.
Finally, ButcherBox gives free delivery on all orders. Order your box today, and get a free turkey with each order.
ButcherBox (Best Overall)
Our #1 Recommendation
- Sells sustainably sourced lobster
- Lobster isn't given any hormones or additives
- Free delivery
- Free turkey with every delivery
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of April
I advise selecting Maine lobster for the best delivery of lobster meat. A wonderful seafood experience is ensured by their focus on important details like freshness and sustainability, along with overnight shipment. A recommended service.