The Boiling Crab – To Go

WARNING: Parking scam.
I’ve ordered from this location plenty of times, saves me the hazzle of waiting in line for dining in and dealing with parking.
Food: Love it. Just dont order fries because they will be soggy by the time you get home.
Service: Gotta love how they pack the food and supply you with everything you need. Cons: *They use lemons, not limes. *The line makes no sense. They have two registers, one marked for ordering and the other one for pick up but it never seems to matter. They do not honor the fact that you called ahead of time. You still gotta wait in line behind those who are ordering while your food just sits there getting cold. *The cashiers attitudes always seem to show some level of stress.
PARKING: Street parking is metered but finding a spot seems to never be an option. There’s a parking lot located below the plaza and they offer 15 minutes free parking with validation.
On Father’s Day, my parents and I called and ordered food and headed over to pick it up. We pulled into the parking lot and notified the attendant we were picking up. He pushed the button, ticket printed out and he told us to make sure we get it validated. The parking lot is one level and the size of the plaza, not big. My dad was driving so I got off the car and went to pick up the food while he found parking. There was no line and my food was ready. I paid, got my food, my dad was waiting to make sure I knew where he parked. My mom had stayed in the car and when we got back she even joked that we were too fast and she didnt have time to watch my niece’s 4 minutes long recital video. When my dad pulled up to the parking attendant and handed the ticket she said that we passed the 15 minute mark and we had to pay. All three of us reacted in shock and told her no way we there more than 10 minutes and asked her to check again and even confirm with the other attendant who was behind her. He didnt bother to address the situation and she just said «The computer says so». We were furious! She quickly decided to not charge us and opened the gate. So, if you do decide to park here don’t trust them and time yourselves.

Interesting experience on June 14, 2016. Ordered 4 pounds of live crawfish at $ 14.00/pound. Informed that it would take about 20 minutes. Came back in 25 minutes to pick up my to go order.
Informed by Ken that they only had 3 pounds of crawfish. He stated that they voided my previous transaction of $ 61.04. He said it SHOULD be credited to your account in a couple of days. You should check your account. You know how credit card companies work. You need to pay $ 45.78 to pick up your order. These are his words exactly.
I was confused. Wait you want me to pay again for crawfish that I already paid for and I should get the balance back in a couple of days? I had to ask him a couple more times because this was not totally clear to me. I had people waiting for me and didn’t have time to sort this out. So I paid and left. I forgot to ask for a credit receipt of the voided transaction. Something that should have been offered to me automatically.
The crawfish was OK but not at $ 106.82 for 3 pounds.
Customer service here is a total fail. The original cashier said thanks when I gave a cash tip. That was when the service ended.

I LOVE BOILING CRAB! I’ve been going to the Alhambra locations regularly since they opened but I was in K-​town and I live on the west side so I thought, why not and tried this place? BIG MISTAKE!
It was AWFUL!!! If I were blindfolded I’d think this was one of the worst Boiling Crab knock-​offs and I’m staring at my bib trying to see if I was dooped.
CONS:
–Sauce was essentially flavorless, ordered whole shabang and it tasted like butter with a dash of Old Bay, no minced garlic like before/​Alhambra locations.
–Not enough sauce, much of the shrimp and crawfish were dry and there wasn’t enough sauce for all seafood
–Parking sucks, if you’re here just to pick-​up a to-​go order and you drove, good luck!
PROS:
–Friendly Staff
–Pretty Convenient
–They pack up to-​go orders very very well
–They give you everything you need to eat B.C. at home (placemat, napkins, seasonings, sauces, etc.)
I don’t know if they just messed up the order or this is the to-​go recipe or what, all I know is this was a horrible tasting meal overall and not what I expected from «BOILING CRAB.»
Won’t be back here nor to the K-​town B.C. ever again. I’ll have to ask around to see if the Alhambra locations are still any good. If not, it was fun while it lasted.
–4 stars for overall taste/​flavor
+1 star for friendly staff+great to-​go packing

Easy, fast, professional. Love it！

So happy they got a to-​go branch, love the food always! Food is quick and tasty! They close late even after the time listed on Unilocal,and my friend likes it a lot.

Two things happened that made this experience extremely frustrating and unpleasant. Yesterday night, I had called to place my order for pickup, and arrived ahead of schedule before it was ready. So I stood in line to pay for my order (and even left a tip for a to-​go pick up because they looked like they were busy and working hard). They weren’t calling out names so I had to periodically go up and check to see if my order had come out. When I saw my order come out, I informed the worker, the guy at the counter, who then told me that DESPITE ME HAVING ALREADY PAID AND MY BAG WITHIN ARM’S LENGTH OF HIM TO PASS TO ME, I had to get to the back off the long line and wait. He could’ve reached out his arm, grabbed and handed to me, but instead I had to wait another 15 – 20 minutes in line waiting for all the other people slowly take out their wallets to pay. When it was my turn it took all of 5 seconds for another worker to pass my bag to me. No common sense as a worker who unnecessarily made a customer wait and let the food go cold while I had to reheat in a pot at home. I regret giving the tip. If a customer came and paid ahead of time, they should mark it and call out their names for the simple pickup instead of making them wait in line TWICE.
The second incident occured while I had been waiting outside. A worker suddenly yelled from inside, «excuse me!» towards a customer who had just exited. The customer didn’t hear so I helped and called out too. Another worker, the girl with the eyeliner who worked that Saturday night, had left the doors a little behind the customer but for unrelated business towards the restaurant. She was not chasing after the customer, but she suddenly spun around and YELLED «WHAT?!» to my face. She had misunderstood that I was trying to get her attention when I was trying to get the customer’s. Nonetheless her outburst and manner were uncalled for, rude, and unprofessional. Later on, she was the one at the counter to pass me my bag, which she dropped stiffly onto the counter instead of passed. Not a single smile or welcoming gesture. These workers need to be retrained.

Never getting to-​go boiling crab from here again! Workers need to specify which lines to go to. I called 30 mins before to order so I can pick up my order. It’s confusing how they have 2 lines: 1 for ordering and 1 for pick-​up. I got into the ordering line since you usually pay first? I don’t know. Anyway, I got to the cashier and he rudely said I had to get into the other line. Good thing my boyfriend got into the other line since we weren’t sure which line to get into. The Asian female worker tried sending us to the back of the line. Like damn, my boyfriend was in line but even then if you wanted me to go back, at least tell me nicely. The customer service seriously sucked ass. They’re super unorganized and you can tell since bags are scattered everywhere on the counter and shelves. I think I will be better off waiting for a longer time at the actual restaurant.

The to go is not as delicious. From what I can recall the whole shangbang sauce was better than what I had. It tasted thick & not as flavorful as I remembered. Guess I will not be craving for it

Quick and very convenient. Only problem is parking, recommend have someone else going with you to pick it up while you wait in the car.

I think it’s safe to say that the line can get pretty nuts at the Boiling Crab restaurant so it only makes sense to open a To-​Go only right next door. I knew they did this at the Westminster location so I’m glad they caught on for the LA spot! It was on a weekday around 4 PM and my friend and I thought no one would be there but. It was President’s Day. And people were hungry on President’s Day because it was PACKED! There was no way we were going to wait even if our cravings were off the chart. So we decided to place a to-​go order and waited in line for about 5 mins and our food was ready in 15 – 20 mins. Not bad! Definitely a better idea to call ahead and come pick up because they have a worker on stand by to get phone orders (it’s not like the restaurant phone number where no one picks up).
A better, faster, convenient way to eat BC! Yippeee

Super hungry and don’t want to deal with that crazy wait? Order ahead and enjoy the spicy and garlicy goodness in the comfort of your own home! A few days I called in an order expecting the food to be ready in a half hour. To my surprise, the lady who answered the phone said the food would be ready in 10 – 15 min. That’s like a quarter of the time my friends and I would be standing waiting to get in. Needless to say that this is the way to go especially when your borderline hungry and HANGRY!

Everyone sayd that This place is very Delicious ! I sayd that me amd My husband get sick after eat There amd We Was keeping Burping the garlic butter … We definitly never gonna Go back There amd Was expencive as hell ! We prefer Joe’s crab shack ! Then all Was served in plastic bags smh

Here with jae the best… good always delicious no immatation only boiling crab. Open at noon now!

This place is sooooo good! Whole cha bang sauce is fire, and takes the flavors to a whole new level… Get there at a good time so you don’t have to wait in line forever, also the corn is A-​1!

I visited the Houston location a few years ago (which is apparently now closed) and enjoyed it very much. So when it was recommended in California for dinner it was a no brainer and it did not disappoint. The wait was quite long — we waited about an hour but it was certainly worth it. Our waiter was very attentive and took the time to explain the ordering process to a few friends who had never visited the restaurant before. The food was as good as I remember. Between the four of us that had dinner there that night we ordered 1lb of shrimp, 2lb of crab legs, corn on the cob and fries. It was enough for all four and we had plenty left over. Would absolutely come back to this location.

Jay is awesome! Also the GM. This was my first time & first review & I’m totally satisfied with his recommendations! He is super friendly & knowledgeable on the menu. Happy I came! Will def return!

I can’t say enough about this place this place is awesome n the food omg… the food is delicious

If you live an LA and you haven’t tried The Boiling Crab you’re missing out! We come here often and every time they offer the same AMAZINGLY delicious food and friendly customer service. They never dissapoint. The wait time is usually over 30 minutes but it’s worth every minute. Even my kids love the shrimp and they don’t like many types of foods.
I usually get 1 pound of shrimp (sounds like a lot but you’ll eat it all!!) XXX the whole shebang with corn and tomatoes. It’s the best!!! ;)

I’ve been here multiple times. The first time I got it for here. It took FOURyrsEVER to get the food, but it was delicious. Obvi got the regular, pound of shrimp medium with the whole shabang and sweet potato fries. The parking is horrible but deal with it, you are in LA lol. They have this valet service type going on. It’s doable if you have patience. The next time I came back it was mid afternoon not as packed and got it TOGO. I’m guessing it’s new or something but I like the concept. I think in other BC they have this separate room going as well. Super quick and all and I didn’t have to «valet» and the quality was just as good.

This place is legit! Boiling Crab Togo packs your food really well and although it does take about 10−15min, it comes out very fresh when they put it in the bag. They secure your garlic sauce so it won’t leak, and offer a bib and paper to eat on if needed. This place is great to order while on lunch break since I called it in on the way there and brought it back to my work to eat. The staff is very friendly and this is great when trying to avoid lines and get your Boiling Crab on earlier in the day. ^.^

They’re open for lunch hours now. They open at 12 noon and close at 10 pm. That’s pretty awesome being that it’s now an option for me for lunch while I’m at work. They pack everything well, and always ask you if you want any extra napkins, bibs, etc.
As much as I would like to sit down and enjoy my Boiling Crab meal, this is a great 2^nd option especially if you don’t want to wait like 2 – 3 hours.
I’ll order my usual shrimp w/​the whole shabang no butter non spicy, and sweet potato fries. And the taste does not taste any different than if you sat at the restaurant. That’s a good thing, because there are some places that do taste different.
FYI, you can take your to go food and eat next door at Café Home. They’ll set up everything for you, the catch is that everyone in your party must order a drink. Not too shabby if you already knew you were going to order a drink if you say at Boiling Crab, and plus they have more choices AND boba!