Can You Actually Get a Decent Lobster Roll in Plano for $10?

It recently came to our attention that a new restaurant in Plano is serving lobster rolls for 10 bucks. Albeit skeptical, it definitely got our attention.

Angie’s is a fast-casual chain serving Maine lobster rolls and fresh-caught seafood. It aims to be a chain disruptor, cutting out middlemen and making luxury food available to everyone in utilitarian dining rooms. Angie’s owns a wharf in Maine where it buys lobster directly from boats, processes lobsters in its own facility, allowing the company to pass savings through to customers. A-plus on the mission and marketing, but would the food measure up?

Angie’s is based in Arizona (naturally) with 20 locations, 18 of which are in the Grand Canyon State. They believe they have created a hyper-efficient workflow that relies on a small staff (saving labor dollars), allowing the menu to remain affordable. Did we mention they have a drive-thru?

The Menu

At first glance, the menu has a lot to it: lobster rolls served either warm or cold, warm snow crab rolls, fried cod, chicken strips, fried shrimp sandwiches and grilled protein offerings as well. For the grill items, you pick your protein (steak, shrimp, chicken or falafel) and then choose the format, which can be a warm bowl, a salad or a burrito. With each format, you can choose a preset style with different ingredients or build your own. A wide range of customization options is available for all styles. 

Sounds amazing, right? Another leg of the cost-saving strategy here is to ask the customers to do their part. Patrons are asked to order online or at in-store kiosks, grab their own drinks and clean their space after eating. 

We decided to go on a weekday, late afternoon and try to avoid the crowds that would surely be there during peak times. We arrived at a mostly-empty restaurant (it didn’t stay that way for long) with plenty of time to check things out.

First thought: the minimalist approach hits you in the face. There are three kiosks mounted on the wall, a few tables, a drink machine and a lot of empty concrete floor space. The tables were fairly dirty, as to be expected when customers are asked to clean up after themselves and the trash was overflowing. We knew all of this was possible, so we forged on, undaunted. 

We decided to try a warm lobster roll ($11.99), a chilled lobster roll ($9.99) and a Surf n’ Turf Burrito ($13.99). You can make it a meal with a drink and fries for an extra 2 bucks. All of this was ordered at the kiosk without too much trouble. The food plopped down in a brown paper bag at the pickup window a few minutes later.

The rolls were kind of small but had a reasonable amount of lobster for the price. The bread was a nicely toasted split-top bun, much like Texas toast. There were packets of lemon-garlic butter or plain butter. We felt weird squirting the butter out of a packet, but this is fast food.

The Meats

The lobster itself was pretty decent and, for the price, met expectations. We will say if you are from Maine or eat lobster rolls near your summer home at Cape Cod, you’re clearly going to want to skip this. If you live in Texas and want to try it out, or even become a regular, we think you will be pretty happy with it. 

The Surf n’ Turf Burrito surprised us. We chose the Cobb style, not wanting to hold up the line picking each ingredient. The burrito was quite large and came wrapped in foil, as any good fast food burrito should. There were big chunks of steak (cooked medium), large, well-seasoned grilled shrimp, big pieces of fresh avocado, bacon, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing along with a base of lettuce and rice. This was our favorite item.

The Future of Fast-Casual?

As we snacked, we watched more customers arrive and struggle to order. Either they had too many options, or just aren’t good at using a kiosk, not sure but this is likely a problem when things get really busy. Employees will answer questions, but you have to get their attention: they are there to run the kitchen only. We strongly recommend ordering online from your phone so you can take your time and avoid whatever variables might be going on inside. 

As we left, we decided to try the drive-thru because who would have ever thought we could get a drive-thru lobster roll? There were three cars ahead of us. We ordered a Greek salad with chicken ($4.99), which was excellent, with fresh kalamata olives, tomatoes, feta crumbles, onions, and pepperoncinis, in addition to another lobster roll and a chicken crunch supreme (think crunch wrap), also for $4.99. The wait wasn’t long at all and we were through in less than 10 minutes. 

Overall, we will say this: bring your patience and don’t let a dirty table or a slow orderer in front of you deter you from your goal. This is good, fresh food (relatively speaking — quiet down Cape Cod set) and the prices are great. If you manage it correctly, you will be able to find something at Angie’s that will make you want to come back. 

Update: Angie’s website now says they are launching a rib sandwich. Perhaps that one should be tested in Arizona first…

Angie’s, 701 W. 15th St., Plano, Open Monday – Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.