Joe’s Crab Shack

SAD SAD SAD!!! Our last visit to Joe’s Crab Shack was so disappointing!!! The menu has been changed and made smaller. There are only four steam pots and the main fish being served is pollock. Most food choices were fried. Why cheapen the menu? We will never go back and this was a restaurant we would frequent! SAD!!!

We came here for the Wednesday night all you can eat snow crab legs. The crab legs are offered in several flavors. ALL GOOD! Our server Jordan really kept the crabs flowing. We all had a great time.

Our go-​to restaraunt on the way home from the beach.
Is there anything better than sitting on a shaded deck, drinking a margarita, while the kids play on the sand playground, after a long day at the beach?
My youngest devours the kid’s steam pot!
The paint-​a-​crab dessert is pretty cool for the younger kids.
Granted, there is better seafood available, but the local and casual feel more than makes up for it.
Our server, Luke, was friendly and courteous.

I have to still give 3 stars since the food is always good. Today we had a poor customer experience as the automated text notification for seating malfunctioned and skipped us multiple times. We noticed something was wrong and spoke to the hostess about out observation. The hostess immediately apologized and found us a seat within 10 minutes. The on duty manager did not have the courtesy to apologize or even empathize for an error that was not intentional. The overall wait to sit was over and hour when it was expected and could have been 25 minutes. I seldom take the time to write the a review, however, I feel compelled to do so since there was not attempt of amends or apology from the manager on duty for a company site service failure.

Menu redone and half the choices on the menu no longer available. Was appalled. Decided to order the same meal but in a different seasoning. Not only did it taste like nothing, the potatoes were undercooked and dry. Mussel appetizer was ok. My crab pieces were broken and could not tell between the king and queen legs. The clusters were broken. I can’t believe they let it out of the kitchen like that. All for 32 bucks! Maybe a bad cook today. My company’s crab cake looked appetizing but dry. Ugh. First time experience was good this ruined the experience and restaurant for me. I did not make a fuss because my company asked me not to. Maybe I will try in a different city… So disappointing.

I went to Joe’s today as a treat to my daughter, and we had a wonderful waitress, super friendly and attentive. I had been looking forward to a great milkshake — recalled Joe’s as having good ones, and some good seafood. Unfortunately, and 50 dollars later, my daughter and I left most of our food on the plates and the shakes in the glasses. Way gross. I don’t know what’s changed at Joe’s, but there has been a dramatic shift. VERY pricey, and the food has gone downhill. Hey, but the waitress was great!

Extremely slow service, but the food was good. We were seated in an almost empty restaurant. Our server took our drink order, brought us our drinks, and then disappeared. After waiting over 15 minutes and nobody coming by again, my husband went looking for someone to give our order to. After the order was placed, it was 40 minutes before we received our food. Again, the place was not terribly busy. We ate our meal, which was pretty good, but took entirely too long to get to us. Our server dropped off the check and walked off. It was over 20 minutes before she came back to get our payment.
A few tables around us eventually had people, and they all became frustrated as well. They also were seated and then forgotten about. And it wasn’t just our server who was slow, another one was as well. Perhaps it’s a training/​management issue. If we visit a Joe’s Crab Shack in the future, it will definitely be a different location, this one simply isn’t worth the wasted time.

This is a staple for me when I consider sea food. Come with an appetite tho the servings are huge. I usually get the Raging Cajun steam pot which includes Pacific Dungeness crab, Queen crab, shrimp and smoked sausage. Crab Shack is located on Gulf to bay blvd and its hard to miss. Parking is excellent since there is plenty to go around for the whole restaurant. They also have outdoor seating when its nice and cool outside. Atmosphere is family friendly. The restaurant gets pretty loud since it has a big room area. I would recommend for anyone that is out of town and looking for some fresh crab. I go back every couple of months cause it is just that good.

The worst experience EVER!!! We were a large party, but seriously??? The food was awful, overlooked and dry, but we had waited almost an hour for it so just ate it. Then we waited another hour to pay our bill, which was close to $ 800. It was ridiculous! And the manager didn’t even bother coming over to say sorry… I will NEVER eat at the establishment ever again! Doesn’t even deserve one star…

Great time food was really good $ 2 apps on Tuesday. I got the kj steam pot it was very good.

Crab is considered as a seasonal delicacy in China. Eating crab in autumn is also a centuries’ ceremonial tradition where families get together to enjoy the harvest of the year. Since I am now reside at the other side of the pond, I go to Joe’s Crab Shack to cure my homesick syndrome by eating a big bucket of crab.
Before I find the perfect crab shack, Joe’s Crab is a fine alternative to devour some good quality crabs with reasonable price. Atmosphere is very casual and services are quick and friendly. I dinned there at least three times and I haven’t encountered any bad experiences at this location. I remembered in a heavy raining afternoon, the front reception staff loaned me an umbrella. A small considered gesture goes long way.
Joe’s classic and Samuel Adams Steampot were choices during my visits at this location. Although these are the products of a chain restaurant, Joe’s does crab right. Timing is everything when it comes to cooking. My indicator to check whether if a crab is overcooked is by pulling the end part of the crab leg apart right at the joint. If the meat came out as a whole, it is good; otherwise, it might be slightly overcooked. So far, I haven’t eaten any overcooked crab at this Joe’s. On the other side, I was not impressed of Joe’s shrimp selection. It was salty and shrimp are not veined. I don’t like eat sandy seafood.
Overall, the quality of food at this location is not too shabby; and it is a solid restaurant choice for family with kids.

Came here to eat some fresh seafood and they were also open on new years eve! Waitress was very friendly and offered excellent suggestions. Ended up ordering a lobster daddy feast which came with a lobster and king crab legs and snow crab legs with old bay and garlic seasoning. An ear of corn and red potatoes which also had the seasoning on it. It tasted excellent however the lobster did not have much meat within the body except the tail. i was a little disappointed in that. the lobsters i had eaten in Maine had a lot of meat in the bodies.
Drank a few $ 2 margaritas, they were ok, not very strong. the bucket of lobster and crabs legs came with a cracker and a tool that was used like you were opening mail. It helped crack hard parts. I haven’t been to a joes crab shack since high school but food tasted good and was clean. we were excited to eat outside and weather was perfect!

I seriously need a mediator— someone to filter the restaurants that I go to, to keep me from making bad decisions.
This was a Red Lobster kind of bad decision. Like a, «There are a million local restaurants around to get some crab legs, why this place?» decision. Well, Joe’s is open until midnight. The shining Disney-​like beacon of crabmeat was smacking me in the face while driving by. So, I just had to journey the winding parking lot labyrinth for the Rip-​off-​Fest that ensued.
Here is my wallet, give me a cup of hot milk that you call «chowder.»
Here is my first born, may I have one cluster of crab legs?
Here is the deed to my home, maybe I can have a small basket of shrimp?
Are you sure I can take home this tiki glass, complimentary, with my $ 15 blue slushy alcohol beverage?
Oh wow, thank you.

Este lugar, se convierto en uno de mis favoritos al momento de visitar Florida.
La atención es muy buena y entretenida, y la comida, un verdadero manjar de los Dioses. Les puedo comentar que al comienzo hay que esperar mucho como 30 45 min, aprox, pero vale realmente la pena.
En esta oportunidad para comenzar la cena, partimos con Crispy Jumbo Shrimp, y después nos servimos el famoso King Crab que esta fenomenal, para chuparse los dedos, bueno y para beber los típicos refrescos y un rico Bahama Mama para compartir.
Y cuando llegamos al postre nos pedimos un Campfire S’mores. Recomendado 10 000%.

I love Joe’s! All Joe’s location’s! Steampots are the best. I always mix garlic butter and Ragin Cajun! My boyfriend is addicted to there great balls of fire! Stuffed mushrooms and crab dip are great! Love there mussels and clams. Always a good experience at Joe’s! Sign up online and they send coupons also they have fun drink and app deals thru out the week! It is always a pleasure wear your bib and get to crackin!

I’ll be honest: as a parent, the magic of this place is that it both a) has a play place for kids, and b) I actually want to eat there. There are only so many family nights in a row that one can stand Chick-​Fil-​A for the sake of giving the kids somewhere to run around between bites of nugget. The fact that Joe’s has a pretty decent outdoor playground and serves food that’s palatable to grown-​ups is huge.
That having been said, I think the food here stands up well in its own right. We had a calimari appetizer, the Rum Island shrimp, and a Crab Daddy Feast, and they were all very good. Portions were a good size too. Our server was really friendly, and very sweet to our rambunctious younger children.
The one thing holding me back from giving them a 5 star rating is that I’m a bit incredulous that they didn’t have stone crab. I know they are a big chain, but a little local touch during stone crab season would have been nice, particularly since they are a «crab shack» in an area with a rather big crab season going on locally right now.

While I would almost always prefer a local seafood place to a chain, I can’t complain too much about the food at Joe’s Crab Shack. My family drags me here every now and then for a big get together with visiting relatives. Being from New England, seafood is pretty much a staple in our diet. Some of the entrees are a little pricey, but I guess that’s to be expected at any seafood establishment.
I thought the Samuel Adams beer batter fish & chips were pretty good. Nothing to write home about, but I guess fish & chips never really are. The steampots give you the most bang for your buck since you get sausage and corn in addition to your seafood of choice. If you decide to get an appetizer, my favorite is the crispy calamari. Nothing else I’ve tried there has been very memorable.
Other than being super touristy, Joe’s Crab Shack isn’t necessarily a bad choice for a meal. The staff has a good time dancing and entertaining the guests. There’s a playground outside for little ones and you can eat outside as well. With that being said, I’d probably choose somewhere with fresh seafood over Joe’s if I were given the chance.

Service was pretty good. My family of three, arrived right before the lunch rush, then proceeded to take forever to order due to the huge selection of combos, crab buckets, and steampots. I was 1.5 mason jar margaritas in to our visit before we finally got everyone’s order sorted out.
My mom ordered boiled shrimp appetizer (served hot), which were really good. They aren’t de-​veined, so be forewarned if biting into a shrimps partially digested last meal makes you squeamish… like it does my mom.
Mom’s King Crab bucket (steamed) was good. I had it all cracked and shelled for her within a few minutes.
My son’s eastern seafood platter was good. Stuffed bacon wrapped shrimp were a little too spicy for him, but it was good. Crab cake was huge. Fish was crispy. Onion strings weren’t crispy butted a great taste.
Sam Adams Steampot was excellent. Crab, lobster claws, clams, sausage. Corn and potatoes almost stole the show. They were excellent.
Expect to spend a decent amount if everyone in the party has different tastes. Total with tip, ran a it $ 150.
Will go back when the occasion calls for seafood again.

Met a friend here for lunch. It was time to catch up as it had been far too long.
Let me say up front, I am NOT a sea food fan. We went here because it was close to both of us. We were seated immediately and our Waitress was awesome. She was there immediately, and the place was nearly empty.
We started with the new crab cakes as an app, and while I don’t usually eat them, they were tasty!
Our mains were the lobster boil– his choice. Mine was the shrimp. The lobster boil produced a big female lobster filled with Roe. And my friend was in heaven. he really enjoyed that extra treat. My shrimp were Amazing! They were done to perfection, though I could have done without the fries.
Will I come back? Not on my own, this is not my choice of place, but it might be fun with a group.

My friend and I happened to be in the area and wanted crabs. The restaurant is fun and family friendly. The hostess was able to seat us right away and we sat by the bar. We missed happy hour by 10 mins (story of my life) but we were there for the meal anyways. Got the pot filled of 2 crab legs and corn and mussels for about $ 35. You’re paying for the presentation because I can do a lot of damage with $ 35 that would feed a family of 4 on crab legs and mussels and potatoes and corn … the meal I had was very good but I left hungry and for spending $ 35 on a ‘pot of food’, that’s a bit annoying. Service is good and everything but prices are a bit outrageous for what you get.

Not a place I’m likely to come back to. It’s loud, touristy, badly decorated, and the dancing that they make their waitstaff do every 30 – 45 minutes is just embarrassing.
So, after a lengthy wait we get seated at a picnic bench, because those are comfortable. The waiter came by, and I asked him what types of bourbon they carried. «Johnny Walker?» was his reply. I informed him that was scotch, and not to worry about it, just get me an Old Fashioned and try to have the bartender use a call bourbon instead of well. He seemed confused. My wife asked him what their house white wine was, and he replied with «ummm…chardonnay?» Anywho, we order drinks and we get the Classic Sampler as an appetizer.
After a considerable wait (hey, dancing is more important than delivering food and drinks), beverages are served. Pretty sure that it was the worst Old Fashioned that I’ve ever consumed, but at least it had alcohol in it. The appetizer arrived, and I did find the great balls of fire tasty, and actually spicy. The crab dip and calamari left much to be desired.
We tried to order a Honey Peach Smash, which comes with Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey muddled with peaches and mint because it sounded refreshing, and you get to keep the mason jar. However, they were out of Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. Determined to get that mason jar, I ordered a Mason Jar Margarita. For my main course I ordered the Lobster Daddy Feast. The ladies ordered the KJ Steampot and Joe’s Classic Steampot.
Our main courses arrived, but then we had to wait a few minutes for our waiter to bring us the proper utensils. My crab and lobster were solid, and the ladies enjoyed their steampots.
For desert the ladies ordered the Seasonal Cobbler and the Campfire Smores, I had a Red Stripe. We were informed that they were out of the cobbler (not sure who’s in charge of ordering, but you have failed) so Key Lime Pie was subsituted, which the ladies said tasted awful.
Although the main courses were pretty decent, I just can’t give you a three, because that means A-​ok, and I feel you’re a step below that.