Joes Crab Shack

We went to joes last night and we were sat in the lounge area the bartender Sharon was our server. I got to say that was the best service that I’ve had in years in Virginia. She took charge of our table and she was very attentive. The crab nachos are fantastic, and we also had the all you could eat crab. The crab never stopped coming without delay. Usually they make you wait for the extra food but not here. I do have to say that had a lot to do with the service we got. The food is great and the the service fantastic. We will be back.

I hate to give such a good review to a chain restaurant but Joe’s Crab Shack in Fairfax deserves it. The wait staff & manager were superb… so much so that I had to post it on Unilocal.While the restaurant was packed this past Friday, the staff & manager were extremely helpful throughout our meal. The food was solid and what one would expect from Joe’s.

Craving for crab… What better way than to head to Joe’s Crab Shack? Uh oh. We had a friendly if somewhat distracted server who came by, wrote his name on a paper napkin and vanished for a while. Came back with drinks, took our order. When I asked for a recommendation between the crab cakes and the steam pot, I was told that personally he didn’t like the crab cakes. Uh oh again. I chose to get the steam pot sunset grill, while hubby ordered the clam chowder and the steak and shrimp. After a long wait, the food arrived. While his clam chowder was forgotten (they brought it out when we asked for it and yes, it did taste good), the steak was medium rare and cold instead of medium. Our server did warm it up when requested. My steam pot seafood felt like it had been boiled and the seasoning tossed over as an afterthought. Not quite what I expected. The sausage, potatoes and corn in the steam pot were flavorful and I ended up filling up on it. If I ever revisit this place, I’ll stick to the clam chowder and something non steam pot or steak.

Worst lobster I have ever had in my life. One claw had no meat, the other claw meat was yellow. Never have I seen yellow lobster meat! The tail was the worst it looked like mashed potatoes. Disgusting. Our server was ok but never once asked how my lobster was because I’m assuming he knew already. Clam strips very chewy and mushrooms soggy. Mozzarella sticks and french fries were good but to go to a seafood place for fried food would not be worth it. I will never return.

Great craaab corner, if you’re craving for a crab then this is it, don’t waste your time and money with
Red lobster, best crab in town delicious and tasty
Not to mention the great waiters over there .
What are you waiting? Get going !!

I was there last night for some oyster.
But the served in a paper plates and. No ice very dry.
Looks like the made it ready before serving and kept it in fridge. .very disappointed. Never going to try again

I would have given Joes Crab Shack a higher rating, but my visit tonight was not as good as it usually is. The food here is mouth watering and I love the diverse selection of drinks they have. What really disappointed me was the customer service. The server that was helping us felt the need to express her opinion on everything we ordered. My friend and I asked to order a pineapple piña colada and she responded with, «that’s alittle expensive». I thought it was extremely rude because she was inferring that we couldn’t afford it. So I ordered a house margarita from the happy hour list. The margarita tasted like salt water so I just put it to the side. When my friend tried to order a mixed drink containing Jim bean, peach, honey, and mint. She again responded with, «that’s too sweet». At this point I was so over our dining experience that I just wanted to leave. I tried using a free appetizer coupon that I received for my birthday on calamari and she’s said «save it for another time happy hour calamari is 5 dollars». Why would I pay 5 dollars when I can get it for free with the coupon? I just said ok and let her continue because she just made ordering so difficult. My friend and I came to Joes with the intention of ordering a good amount of drinks and food, but we ended up ordering only one round of drinks and left because of how dissatisfied we were. Also, next time please inform your front door/​hostess of the happy hour menu because when we asked her she had no idea and said, «ask your waitress». Overall, the food is great here but service is lacking.
Tip: ask for «Alex» when visiting Joes! He’s awesome and very attentive.

I love the food here and the service is so nice ! Today I came in with my parents husband and son, I ordered the southern shrimp and it was amazing! The surf and turf burger is so good too! For the kids the captains bucket is great! My mom and dad loved their food and my dad loved his lobster love love love this location so close to my home and great that I don’t have to drive to a near beach to eat sea food like this!

NEVER GO HERE. These guys change your tips. I gave them a fair amount of tips but on my credit card account, 5 dollars were charged more than I signed up for.
Very disappointing. Why do you let people write down tips when you can change for whatever you want? Will never go here. After all, if my waiter was kind I wouldnt mind but he was ignorant and unwilling to serve.

It’s ALWAYS good to visit a restaurant that shows real appreciation that you chose their restaurant. Huge shout out to Alana! She showed HUGE diligence and awesome customer service!

Great consistency with the food and service. The ragin cajun steampot is definately a favorite, although all of the steampots are delicious and big enough for two people who aren’t starving. The coctails are very tasty (honey peach is a must have), yet very pricey at $ 9… no wonder the prices aren’t on the menu! I would recommend going for dinner if you want to drop $ 20 – 30 lunch for $ 10-​$ 15.

Craving some seafood? Definitely come here. But not just seafood, they also offer burgers, chicken and beef and what not.
I came on a Thursday and it was pretty slow actually. We were greeted right away and taken to a booth. There is also a kids play area which can get rowdy and loud. The décor is old fashioned and could use some renovations.
Our server, Anthony, was really nice and funny. He was quick and made sure our food came out as soon as it was ready as well as made sure our drinks were constantly filled.
I decided for the ragin Cajun — best seasoning ever. The only complaint I really have about it, is that it doesn’t look like it was really much crab legs. The queen crab was also kind of mushy? Not sure if it was over cooked or bad crab meat. But the other crab (maybe snow or dungeoness) was perfect. You are also able to get any two sides you want but they do have recommendations on the menu for you. We also tried the smores dessert. So good but also very rich. I should’ve asked for some milk with it for sure.
Overall, I’ll definitely be back here!

Not good for the following reasons:
* You don’t list drink prices BUT the calories of the drink. For a simple mixed drink with one alcohol is over $ 10.00 (your not a hotel or 4star so I have NO clue why your pricing your drinks as such) I can see the Shark Bite being pricey but for a simple lemonade with whiskey its crazy.
* Crab dip is just a pound of melted cream cheese– even the server said so. Had no/​barely any crab and hard/​stale chips.
* Crab cake aka Veggie Pattie. It is OUTRAGEOUS you charge over $ 8.00 for such a dried out patty with all breading– I was shocked… even when we returned our burnt dinner you still charged us for that dry patty.
I had such high hopes and was highly disappointed. Will not come back to this location again.

The Good: I love crab legs and these don’t disappoint. Very tasty.
The Bad: The service is on the WTF-​level of slow. The hostess station in particular is just an embarrassment. The «hardcore» drinks (limit 2) are very watered down.
The Ugly: Given that there is a playground inside, it’s extremely breeder friendly. If you value your hearing, beware of the incessant screeching and screaming. Also be wary of the «world’s greatest parents» at the tables nearby — you know the type. You have been warned.
Advice to Customers — If you are normal-​ish adult seeking good grub rather than attention for yourself and your kid, sit either outside or at the bar section. Failing that, bring earplugs and hope for the best.
Luckily for Joe’s I actually enjoy the food enough to continue spending money there. I mean, if you can get out under 600 calories and still feel full, you really can’t go wrong… even despite abysmal service and environment.

Food: I give four stars for the food. The bacon wrapped shrimp was amazing.
Atmosphere: it is really open and really loud, so not the place for a calm relaxing dinner, but if you like a lively and fun environment, this is for you.
Service: server was very nice and they were busy, but could have been a little better. The food took a bit longer to cook and we had to ask for silverware after the food arrived, but was otherwise good.
Price: Moderately priced. About what you expect from a seafood place. $ 15-​$ 20 /​person.

We rarely are disappointed at this Joes in Fair Lakes. The service can be spotty but the food is always true!
The atmosphere is laid back and restaurant itself has a lot of room as well as seating outside. There is an indoor playground towards the back corner which satisfies the kids but can get loud with screaming and screeching.
As for the appetizers, we skip the seafood/​crab stuffed mushrooms (wasnt that good) and order the fried clam strips (very large and tasty coating) with fries. The steamed shrimp is very good too but we get the Joes steampot that already comes with the shrimp, king crab legs (or snow queen), potatoes, 2 ears of corn, and 2 delicious large sausage links in a garlic butter sauce with spices. It’s delicious. We seriously get it all the time. It’s definitely enough food for both the wife and me and our 3 year old son.
The wife also ordered the Joe’s Sangeria and she said it was really tasty.
And for dessert the EVIL Campfire smores for us and the Paint the Crab (rice krispy treat) for the kid. See photos. The Paint the Crab is a novelty and probably a waste of money but the boy enjoyed it! Campfire smores have no words but DAYUM!!! AND MAYBE NOM NOM NOM!!!
Overall, we come back for the food. Joe’s destroys Red Lobster every single time… except for Cheddar Bay Biscuits from RL…

Friday happy hour is the best! $ 5 appetizers and great drink specials. The crab dip was especially good, comes with a huge helping of tortilla chips.

So, I was in Hampton about a month ago and was pleasantly surprised by that experience… decided to try lunch there on a late Sunday afternoon… so, not even close to the same experience.
Ordered the lobster bisque and a sampler platter… as I type, I know… I should have know better, especially since whole foods seafood bar is less than a mile away… boo. Service was slow at first, but only because they couldn’t locate my server… it wasn’t that. It was the watery, flavorless bisque and the overly greasy fried seafood… oh well, will wait till the next time in Hampton!

Joe’s Crab Shack.
Loud. So loud. Why did they think it was a good idea to include a playground in the back corner of the restaurant? Our family’s experience consisted of crab legs, coconut shrimp, hush puppies, and about ten constantly screaming toddlers.
The crab cake sandwich I had felt like an afterthought to the main show here-​large steam pots full of crab legs, corn, and potatoes. Something I’m beginning to notice about these kind of themed restaurants is that you really don’t want to stray too far away from that theme. In the future, I’ll try the steam pot.
Service: Very good. Drinks were kept filled, food came out quick, and our server didn’t make any awkward conversation! Woohoo!
Food: Poor. The crabcake sandwich is in dire need of some attention-​the same kind of attention they give the steam pots. Make it bigger and juicier. Less breading, more crab and Old Bay please.
Atmosphere: LOUD. Do not sit anywhere near the back corner of the restaurant if you’re interested in keeping a conversation going with your table. Seriously, it’s that bad. It’s almost as if they have a playground back there…
So here’s the bottom line. If you’re going to come to Joe’s, get a steam pot. It’s pretty hard to screw up crab legs, and you’ll leave stuffed at Thanksgiving levels of fullness. If you’re interested in some real gourmet seafood, look elsewhere. Nearby Coastal Flats in Fairfax Corner is a good bet, or any number of locations in DC. On a final note, you could do worse than Joe’s Crab Shack. This is a rare two-​star review where I would still say come here if you want some crab. Just stay away from the sandwiches/​non steam pot things/​playground section.

Hmmm. Walked in… reluctantly…this place is huge and seemed to haven no one there, so it kind of scared us. They have all these peace symbols everywhere and we weren’t sure the themactic connection of peace and crabs. There was someone behind a counter but he didn’t make contact with us and there’s not «wait here» sign, so we were left in this big lobby not sure what to do. Eventually we were seated, got the menus and explanation from the server. The prices are VERY high. Basically, you get 2 halves of snow crab and sides for anywhere from $ 25 – 35 and any good glasses of wine they have starts at $ 10. The appearance and service of this place simply does not match the price structure.
I give it a 3 because we left and didn’t eat there. Just had a very strange feeling right from opening the doors. We will not return.