In Maine, lobster rolls are what Italian beef is in Chicago.. Now that idea is rolling around the area on four wheels.
That was the case Sunday outside of the Irish Rebel Pub at 9953 Southwest Highway in Oak Lawn, where the big black Cousins Maine Lobster food truck pulled in for one of its scheduled stops. People picked up orders. Others paused at the menu, deciding if today was the day for a lobster roll.
David Kirby noticed the truck while driving home from the bookstore with his grandchildren and decided to stop.
“I love a good lobster roll,” he said.
Asked what he would recommend to someone trying one for the first time, Kirby did not get specific.
“Just enjoy it,” he said.
The menu goes beyond the lobster roll. There are Maine and Connecticut-style rolls, plus lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos, quesadillas, lobster bisque, New England clam chowder, lobster tots, and whoopie pies, enough options for people who want to look twice before ordering.
Lobster rolls are priced around $30. The company says its lobster is sourced from Maine and shipped in for its trucks and restaurants.
The truck is hard to miss. Black panels, a bright red lobster logo, Shark Tank on the side.
Cousins Maine Lobster started as a Los Angeles food truck and later grew into a national franchise after founders Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac landed a deal on Shark Tank.
The Chicago-area operation is run by brothers Yunus and Thameem Shahul, multi-unit franchise owners with locations in several states. Staff said the local rollout began in January, with the truck moving between scheduled stops at bars, events, and parking lots.
Outside the Irish Rebel Pub, people were stopping by.
If you see a big black truck selling Maine lobster parked somewhere unexpected, now you know what it is.
For upcoming stops, the truck’s schedule is posted on its official Chicago page.
Until then, Maine’s waters, traveling on wheels, passing through neighborhoods along the way. Have fun.
