The Lobster Shack set to move from Branford to East Haven

The Lobster Shack will be leaving Branford for East Haven. The Lobster Shack will be leaving Branford for East Haven. Photo: Hearst Connecticut Media File Photo: Hearst Connecticut Media File Image 1 of / 69 Caption Close The Lobster Shack set to move from Branford to East Haven 1 / 69 Back to Gallery

EAST HAVEN — The Lobster Shack, one of Branford’s most beloved summertime eateries, has served its last lobster roll in its current locale and is making the move to East Haven for a new spot opposite Long Island Sound in the former longtime home of The Beachhead.

The move comes after the Lobster Shack — which serves what are widely considered to be among the best lobster rolls in Connecticut —failed to reach terms on a new lease with landlord Skip Birbarie, owner of the adjacent Birbarie Marine Yard, said Nick Crismale, who owns the Lobster Shack with his wife, Arlene.

Crismale said he has an agreement to buy the closed Beachhead, which overlooks both Long Island Sound in front and the Bradford Preserve lagoon and wetlands in the rear, from current owner Barbara Bucci.

They’re currently working out what Crismale termed “some complications with the property” at 3 Cosey Beach Ave. after it was discovered that part of what for decades has been The Beachhead’s parking lot actually wasn’t owned by The Beachhead, which is now closed.

The parking lot property, which has an address at 31 Cove St., has unpaid taxes and no one could identify who actually owns it, said town Director of Administration and Management Sal Brancati.

The Crismales got some help from the East Haven Town Council last week when the council unanimously approved a request to assign tax liens to the Crismales’ Lobster Shack LLC, which will pay the $8,900 in outstanding taxes and foreclose on the property itself.

Crismale, of Guilford, who spent much of his life as a lobsterman — a job he began in 1972 — said leaving Branford wasn’t his first choice but he’s looking forward to opening the new place in East Haven.

“Branford has always been great. We really tried with the lease,” he said. “We did everything possible, beyond possible, to get a lease.”

It had been in its current location since 2011, after several years across the Branford River.

“Believe me, we did everything humanly possible to stay in Branford,” he said of the Lobster Shack, which is right across the river from the Stony Creek Brewery. “Negotiations broke down.”

But having made the decision to move the Lobster Shack, which currently is closed for the winter, from its longtime home at 7 Indian Neck Ave., “We’re going to try to have a nice, similar kind of venue in East Haven,” Crismale said.

“We want to keep it as casual as possible,” he said.

The new location is just a few blocks away from East Haven’s other famous seafood joint, The Sandpiper, also on Cosey Beach Avenue. But that stretch has long been home to the two restaurants and supported both for much of that time.

While the current Lobster Shack actually operates out of a trailer with outdoor seating, above which Crismale rigged a canopy they could put up when needed, the new place has both a bar and a large dining area, along with room for outdoor dining.

“I gave it a cafe type of feeling” in Branford “and that’s what we’re going to try to have in East Haven,” he said. “We just want to try to duplicate what we had in Branford.”

He said he anticipates reopening in May.

East Haven Mayor Joe Maturo Jr. said he’s pleased to hear the Lobster Shack is coming to town.

“I’m happy to see the The Beachhead Restaurant continue as a restaurant. I think it’s an asset to East Haven,” Maturo said. “I look forward to the people of East Haven and our neighbors coming down to take advantage” of the Lobster Shack.

The Lobster Shack has gotten plenty of notice over the years, including being recognized as one of the top 10 lobster rolls in the state by Connecticut Magazine and as the home of the 11th-best lobster roll in the country in a BuzzFeed story based on Yelp ratings.

The online travel site Trip Advisor rates the Lobster Shack Number 1 among 119 places to eat in Branford.

The Beachhead, which opened in 1942, was renowned for its seafood — including its fried seafood and its stuffed clams. It had to close from time to time, however, because of flood damage, most recently after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and then Superstorm Sandy in 2012.