A restaurant centered on lobster rolls is coming to Dallas: Called Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, it's a chain based in Maryland and will open its first location in Dallas in The Union building at 2301 N. Akard St. #260, near Victory Park in a space previously occupied by Creamistry, an ice cream chain.

Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls was founded in 2014 by Dan Beck, a former restaurant seafood buyer who opened his first location in Anapolis, Maryland. He began franchising in 2016. The chain now has 41 locations, mostly up and down the East Coast, although none actually in New England. There is, however, one in Austin which opened in 2021.

The menu is centered on lobster rolls with five varieties that include both Maine and Connecticut styles:

• Maine lobster roll with mayo and lemon butter
• Connecticut roll with butter
• Lobster salad roll, in which lobster is tossed in mayo with diced celery
• Lobster BLT roll, with bacon
• Bar Harbor, which has more lobster including a lobster tail

They also do a variety of other seafood rolls such as a crab roll, a crab cake roll, and a shrimp roll — all of which are served in a New England-style hot dog bun whose opening is on top of the bun rather than on the side, providing a better vessel for whatever is ladled into the bun.

Prices range from $17 to $27.

Other menu items include New England clam chowder, lobster bisque, and lobster mac & cheese.

The concept comes to Dallas via franchisee Thu Bui who discovered the concept while visiting the location in Austin.

"Just over a year ago, I tasted my first Mason’s Famous Lobster Roll, and I knew that I needed to bring their freshness and quality back home to Dallas,” Bui says. “It was unlike anything I’d ever tried before with the Mason’s New England Split Top roll and the high-quality lobster. I am excited for the Dallas community to experience their own taste of Maine with all of our delicious menu items whether they’re a lobster lover or they’re trying it for the first time!”

The Dallas location will celebrate a grand opening on December 13 with various giveaways including the opportunity to win free lobster rolls for a year.

One might think that a restaurant chain dedicated entirely to lobster rolls would be a one-of-a-kind deal, but Mason's actually marks the second lobster-roll chain that has come to Dallas: In November, a chain from Phoenix called Angie's opened its first location in Plano.