Joe’s Crab Shack

Literally sitting at the bar As I type. Don’t know the bartenders name. Ordered appetizers. Took forever and cold. Asked if the had any specials… Bartender said no. Then we ordered 2 beers. And he told us they are in special. Literally no one else sitting at the bar. We asked if we could change the tv channel (basketball game). The bartender said sure. The. Got on his cell phone for the next few minutes… then said he couldn’t find the game. Seriously Dillon? (Only know his name because one of his coworkers sat next to us). Next door to us. SUCKS ASS!!!

I love Joe’s. I’ve frequented them all over the country. This was by far the WORST experience I’ve had not only at a Joe’s but maybe at any restaurant I’ve been too. It started out fine. Appetizers came out in a timely manner and were correct. Then the food came… My husband ordered a medium rare ribeye. It was well done. Everyone in our party of four saw it. The waitress took it back n the manager came to talk to us. He stated he didn’t understand what was wrong because the streak was pink all the way through. We disagreed because it was a dark grey. The manager was so argumentative and said it was pink n offered to bring it back out to show us to prove he was right. We were mortified! We just asked for the streak to recooked. The manager never apologized. The streak came out n was clearly raw. Not rare but raw. My husband was unable to eat it and asked for a burger instead. The manager never came to speak to us again. When we received the burger the waitress came over and asked in the most sarcastic tone, «Is THAT alright now?» Again, horrified. I asked for more butter and the waitress took so long that my mom had to get up and find the waitress who was leaning on the hosts stand talking. We waited another 30 minutes for the check, again having to get up and find her to get it… With this experience I may never be back to not only this Joe’s but any other

This is a great location right on the water downtown. If your in Fort Myers and you love seafood, stop in there. Staff are friendly nothing special, restrooms are great and no wifi!

This restaurant gets 5 starts for the view, I’d be happy to sit at a waterside table and drink ice water for hours.
The food is average, but at these prices, I’d give it 2 stars.
But having to hammer the lobster with the handle of a table knife flaking away chips until the shell cracks is absolutely beyond the pale. Fortunately the knife was so dull that I could hold it by the blade. I was glad I was alone and from out of town, so no one I knew or knew me had to see this spectacle. They give you a two inch long nutcracker which does a good job on crab, but is as useful as throwing rocks at a tank against a lobster shell. The plastic meat pick is utterly useless.
I asked for sommething that would crack the shell, but the waitress said that was all they had.
If you go here for lobster, go to Home Depot first and buy a real hammer or a large heavy duty vice grip pliers that will crack a lobster shell.

I’ve eaten here at least 8 times in the pass year. My husband and I live very close so it’s a reliable option in off season. During tourist season it’s crazy busy and hard to get a parking spot. My daughter was visiting from Miami so we went there because they have an awesome view on the water. I’m celiac and this has always been a fine choice. I always get the Caesar salad w/​double shrimp off the gluten free menu. We were having a nice time, I ordered Caesar salad w/​chicken and shrimp this time. Half way through my salad I found a croûton and my heart sank. I’m sure it was a mistake. But this guarantees I’m going to get VERY ill. I get that a lot of restaurants do not take gluten allergy seriously. It’s why I am very picky where I will and won’t go. Hell, most places don’t even have a gf menu. I basically shut down and just got nervous. I needed to get home quickly. But my daughter who works in a fine dining restaurant in Miami watched our waitress take my plate to the manager who laughed at the mistake. She was furious, and unbeknownst to me, went over and gave him a piece of her mind. After that, they were very nice and comped our entire meal (party of 4) and made me a whole new salad to go. So that was very nice. I of course won’t eat it because once I’m burned by a restaurant I never trust them again. And yes I got very sick that night. So they did the right thing. But unfortunately lost me as a customer. If you are celiac, beware, otherwise it’s a fun place downtown with awesome food and a great view!

Here is my 2 cents on the food. First the drink. Mardi gras sumething. U R only allowed 2. It was 8.50 but it was good/​pretty and gave you a quick buzz. Appetizer, crab stuffed mushrooms. MMM tasty lots of crab… good stuff… 33 shrimp for 11.99… This is why I came. Fried shrimp better tasting than any other fried shrimp I have had in SWFL so far. Cocktail could be more spicy but thats me. Coconut shrimp. this is not a favorite of mine… but my wifey and others luv it. There was a dipping sauce with I think had mango-​pineapple in it. It actually made it very good and well recieved for me.
BBQ shrimp… I do not like peeling shrimp and it was a bit bland for me. BUT it was well sauté and I did like it… Oh yes a large portion of french fries… too much for me to consume. Over all a really good meal.
Chit chat. The parking lot seems to be small if they should get busy. I was here at 1140AM on a wednesday. My server Sarah did an wonderful professional job. Kudos! The bartender and cooks were terrific. Sometimes on a lunch schedule you get the 2^nd string. These folks were all number 1 in my book. The place was clean organize. It really has me coming back. Which is strange. I do not like chain eatery. But this was a good different
So if you had doubts put them aside and give Joe’s a try…

Favorite sea food restaurant! Wonderful variety and the flavors are spot on! I have been many times and NEVER been disappointed!

Unimpressed. Over priced. Food was mediocre at best. Waitress was pleasant. Restaurant was loud. It would appear that they are going for a local theme but they are clearly a chain restaurant. Glad I tried it but won’t return.

Food was good, service was just okay. I didn’t feel like seafood the evening that we visited so I ordered a steak. The steak was very fatty and a bad cut of meat but the flavor was good. I ordered medium and many parts of it were rare. Overall, the food tasted good despite some caveats. Would visit again.

I had the salmon and it was really good! It came with a mashed potatoe & bacon cake and corn. My boyfriend had fish tacos and although spicy he said it was tasty. Charlee our waitress was very nice too :-)

It was around 9:45 on a Tuesday night. I was staying at a hotel within walking distance to Joe’s. The hostess wasn’t immediately present but arrived shortly, I explained I was alone and asked if I could be served food at the bar. She was pleasant and directed me to the bar with a smile. — So far, so good.
There must be 30 – 35 seats at the bar. There were 4 – 5 patrons seated around the bar. There were maybe two seats that did not have dirty plates from previous diners. I found one and sat down. There was no bartender present. He eventually showed up 4 – 5 minutes later serving a gentleman next to me with a «queen» crab dinner. He greeted me without a smile, I asked what the gentleman next to me was having. «Queen» crab he said in an un-​enthused tone. I didn’t quite hear him and wasn’t familiar with «queen» crab. I asked him to repeat what he had said. He repeated «queen crab» as if I was suppose to know what that was. It appeared to be a very nice looking, large «snow» crab. I said «Is that just a large snow crab, you know opilio crab.» Seeming irritated he replied, «no we have snow crab, that’s a queen crab.» I said «well you’d better get me a menu, I obviously don’t know my crab.»
After some google searches, I can report that the Queen crab that I had was one of the best Snow Crab I have ever eaten! I found the quality of the food very good, the staff on the other hand seemed bottom rung.
The young man who was tending bar needs some training to be sure but the management has failed this establishment. Most of us know what it feels like to be graciously served. I felt like I was a burden to this bartender. I was going to order another drink after my meal. He finally emerged from the kitchen after a 15 minute absence from the bar. I decided to leave and requested my tab.

We have been here twice. Both times the food was delicious. Portions are generous to the point that you will not leave here hungry and may well take some home with you. The parking lot is not real big but you can find on street parking if you need to. We will be back.

4-​30-​2015 AMAZING EXPERIENCE as usual. Went there tonight for a date night with my love. I had the Shark Drink and Pasta with shrimp. (Extra shrimp, too) Our waitress was nice, attentive, and did her job well. For my dessert, I had the S’Mores dish, which was amazing! Even though we go once a year and at times twice a year it’s ALWAYS an amazing time, wether it’s just hubby n I or us two with our kids.

The view of the harbor can’t be beat, but there’s not enough parking, so you might not get to see the view. Great menu (especially for crabs) and the food is properly prepared and plated. They were out of oysters… Bummer. Spacious restaurant that’s a bit grimy (especially the salt & pepper shakers). Joe’s is casual, has an interesting personality, and never totally disappoints.

This was the first time. A lively place. It was a Saturday night crowded but only a 15 minute wait. A variety of pots. Also other seafood. Steak and large variety of drinks.
Waiter was friendly so was the hostess who sat us at our table by the water. The plate we had was fish stuff crab shells, crab strips but they give you too many fries. My friend had a margarita and she loved it. My husband and I shared the apple desert with ice cream. Very good food. We had lobster soup at the beginning but it could have been hotter. We left full and satisfied. Nice night.

My wife and I are considering moving to the Fort Myers area and wanted to try Joe’s Crab Shack because we see it on tv regularly where we’re from. The Shack did not disappoint! All I need now is a mattress, a pillow, and a blanket to sleep this food off. Our waitress recognized us as out-​of– towners and was very helpful and friendly. She gave us the scoop on the area and provided great service.

5 stars to Joe’s and our server, Deano, for the amazing job they did for my father’s birthday party last week! I’m not a huge fan of chain restaurants and I don’t eat seafood or meat so I wasn’t thrilled that the party was going to be at Joe’s. However, all 20 of us had a fantastic time!
Deano was a great server — attentive, fun and helped make the party more festive. I probably ordered the most complicated salad ever but Deano worked with my request and had fun teasing me about it.
I ordered two cakes from a local bakery and Joe’s was happy to accommodate us. Based on this experience, I would have a birthday party at Joe’s again.

This was a great place after sailing from Sanibel. It is conveniently located to the two marinas in the downtown area.
The food and drinks were great. My wife had one of the crab specials (snow, dunginess, potatoes, sausage and corn) and I had shrimp. The drinks are generous and well made.
The staff is great. Our server Deano was very helpful and John the GM was attentive.

I can’t say much since I only called in a take out order, but what I can say is that the gal that took my order was friendly and helpful. I came in early to pick up my Surf and Turf burger, so the gal that took my order gave me my drink that I had ordered while I waited and told me she would top off my drink prior to me leaving.
It wasn’t busy for a tuesday night, but there were a few patrons. I’m assuming it was almost closing time. Anyway, my food came on time as promised and my waitress did top off my drink.
The service I experienced here is definitely four stars, but the food was only 3… I’ve experienced better burgers, however the fries were definitely was a four.
I would have gone back if I didn’t discover Downtown Fort Meyers down the road the next day and saw all the small deli’s and shops that were all local and not a chain like Joe’s.
Thanks for the hospitality, but I’d rather support local businesses than a giant chain!

Ahh, what can say about chain restaurants like Joe’s Crab Shack? You know what you’re going to get and it’s going to be ok. Which is sometimes fine when you’re traveling. After a misfire on a tapas place in Fort Myers I ended up at Joe’s since it was late. Inside it’s all tie-​dyed t-​shirts, names announced over the PA system and lots of bright lights.
I plopped myself down at the bar for a beer (Red Stripe) and ordered up the shrimp trio plate. There was coconut shrimp, stuffed shrimp, grilled shramp, you get the picture… And some broccoli and rice, not bad at all. Service was fine but I thought the place seemed a bit untidy and could have used a good cleaning. And prices? Well we’re talking the $ 12 — $ 25 range which is a tad high in my opinion. Overall crowd at Joe’s is a bit older with plenty of families and large groups.
What can I say but I’m not a big fan of chains and usually avoid places like Joe’s. But for some of y’all, Joe’s will make you happy, you certainly can’t beat its location right on the water. So Joe’s, nice job but I’m guessing I won’t be back for a while…