5 roadside food shacks you should try for great New England meals

A Clam Box special from the famed Ipswich, Mass., eatery.

Summertime and the living is easy. Food is pretty good, too, as many roadside shacks, food trucks and other eateries open for the season. Whether you’re heading off to the mountains or to the beaches in New England, make some new traditions with a stop at some great eateries.

And, while finding good food on a road trip can be challenging, it’s worth pursuing even if it’s not exactly just off the highway. After all, the bounty of freshly fried clams, lobster rolls, oysters and maybe even a raw bar is what summer is all about. Juicy burger spots, great sandwich places and good breakfast joints also are worth the hunt.

“Good food makes people happy,” says Jim Davis, chef at the Sunrise Shack in Glen, New Hampshire.

Be sure to check the menu for locally sourced ingredients, along with fresh and homemade sauces to elevate your food experience. Don’t be scared off by long lines or wait times — that’s usually a sign of a good spot.

Here are five of the best roadside food stops worth checking out for a true taste of New England.

Red’s Eats – Wiscasset, Maine

Housed in a picturesque roadside shack with a red awning nestled at the foot of Wiscasset Village’s Main Street, Red’s Eats has been a summer tradition for 85 years. While there is almost always a line, no one really cares, content to look at the beautiful views of the tidal Sheepscot River anchored next to the quaint 19th-century village.

Red’s award-winning lobster roll, voted No. 1 in countless lists, has lobster from a variety of local sources. “We don’t measure. We pile it high,” says owner Debbie Gagnon, who adds that the lobster is cooked perfectly, not too much and not too little. The lobster roll is filled with sweet, chunky meat and served on a buttered roll, grilled New England style with Kate’s Maine butter and/or extra mayonnaise on the side. There also is a no bread option and a locally baked gluten-free bread option.

Red’s other menu items include deep fried or grilled haddock, crab cakes and battered fried clams, served by the pint or on a buttered roll. There are plenty of non-seafood choices, too, including delicious homemade onion rings, deep-fried zucchini, grilled chicken sandwiches, steak sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs and more.

Accompaniments like coleslaw, tartar and cocktail sauce are homemade. Produce is delivered daily by Native Maine and hamburger meat is ground fresh daily, while sirloin steaks are hand cut by a local market. Other local items include Bread Lady Bakery, Morse’s Sauerkraut and Round Top ice cream. Ranked highly by locals and tourists alike, this famous lobster shack is definitely worth a visit.

Broken Heart Burgers – Fairlee, Vt.

Headed for the White or Green Mountains? Then you better check out Broken Heart Burgers. It’s an easy stop off Interstate 91 and it has the best burgers around. The popular double Heartbreaker is by far the best seller. It is a double Oklahoma-style burger with local cheese, pickles, famous homemade Jumpback sauce and a small shred of iceberg lettuce for just the right crunch, served on a Martin’s potato roll.

“We make everything in house that we think we can make better,” says owner Matt Walker. “We grind our beef from three cuts sourced from Boyden Beef. Then we smash out our 80-gram patties into beautiful lacy-edged burgs.”

There’s more to the menu than burgers, too. Special items can include healthier options like a Wedge Salad with Jasper Hill blue cheese, bacon crumbles, red onion, dill scallions and maple-cured lardon. Or the Griddled Marinated Chicken served with arugula, mild cherry pepper and ranch.

Although wait times sometimes can be long, there is a nice little garden area out front with shady tables. Broken Heart Burgers also has one of the best beer and natural wine lists around, so it’s not a bad place to kill some time.

Clam Box of Ipswich – Ipswich, Mass.

If you spot something that looks like a giant-sized cardboard container on top of a small building with red striped awnings, you have found the Clam Box of Ipswich, a nationally recognized landmark built in 1935. Alternatively, look for folks hanging out in line — another sign something tasty awaits. Famous for its fried clams, there also are lobster rolls, calamari and clam chowder among other tasty treats.

All of the Clam Box of Ipswich’s native clams are harvested from Ipswich clam flats, shucked and delivered daily. What sets the Clam Box of Ipswich apart from others is its light batter and fresh oil. “We use a mixture of pastry and corn flour, which allows the seafood to speak for itself,” says owner Johanna Aggelakis, adding that the oil is changed two times per day and recycled. The Aggelakis family has been operating the establishment since 1982.

The most popular dish is the fisherman’s platter, piled high with haddock, scallops, shrimp and the signature native whole belly clams. For non-seafood eaters, chicken fingers, burgers, hotdogs and grilled or fried chicken sandwiches are available. All the plates are served with two sides — fries, rings or slaw. Mini meals are available. If feeding a crowd, consider the large and small boxes of clams, scallops, shrimp and more.

The Sunrise Shack – Glen, N.H.

While in the White Mountains, be sure to stop at the Sunrise Shack, known for its breakfast. It’s a restaurant on top of Stanley’s Hill, where the original Stanley’s Drive-In opened in the 1950s. Chef Jim Davis uses fresh, high-quality ingredients and builds his unique fare from scratch.

The breakfast menu is extensive with many types of traditional egg sandwiches, flapjacks and inventive breakfast bowls. Try the “Got the Blues” flapjacks with blueberries and New Hampshire Maple Syrup or the muffin bread toast. The “Yard Sale Bowl” starts with a layer of griddled hash browns and is tossed with peppers, mushroom, onion, Applewood bacon, chorizo, black forest ham, tomato, garlic all topped with cheese and over-easy eggs.

Patrons also have discovered lunch at the Sunrise Shack. Its “Hand-Held Grub” items include burgers, panko-crusted chicken smashed with avocado or the slow-roasted BBQ pork sandwich. The Patty Melt comes with caramelized onions and Shack sauce served on rye bread from the Baking Company. The Shack’s “Rabbit Food” salad creations range from Greek, classic antipasto, “Drop the Beet” or the “Czar” with homemade Caesar dressing.

House-fried potato chips, hand-cut fries and onion rings make excellent sides, as do the homemade coleslaw and cornbread.

Flo’s Clam Shack – Newport/Middletown, R.I.

A stone’s throw from the Cliff Walk in Newport, Flo’s has been so consistently popular over the years, it has become iconic with locals and tourists alike. It’s in a beautiful spot close to the beach, with outdoor deck seating overlooking the water.

Famous for its clams since 1936, Flo’s strived to find the perfect fried clam recipe to offer something different than the usual steamed clams or raw on the half-shell or chopped up in “chowdah.” To start, Flo’s dusts its fresh, tender, sweet plump clams in a batter and then fries them just right.

The menu runs deeper though than its famous fried clams. There’s a variety of fried seafood including scallops, shrimp, calamari, oysters and fried clam rolls. But there’s also fresh fish sandwiches and lobster rolls. A cup of chowder is served with three clamcakes, and the summer special is a fresh raw bar. Appetizers include Flo’s fiery stuffed quahog, Rhode Island’s renowned clam. If not in the mood for seafood, try juicy hamburgers, gourmet hot dogs, Jersey onion rings, french fries, homemade coleslaw and Greek salads, made by a Greek.

There also are Flo Clam Shacks in Portsmouth, R.I., (a drive-in) and Naples, Florida. Flo’s likes to remind customers that food is cooked to order and asks for patience.