I arrived and was seated immediately, which is rare for a Friday night. My waitress came to the table as soon as I was seated, she wrote her name on a paper towel and said she would be back. She did not return to take my order for at least another 10 to 15 minutes. The appetizer arrived and I finished eating it before my iced tea arrived. I finally got my tea but after I finished it, it remained empty, no refill was offered. The service struggled but the food was awesome!! I ordered the Classic stream pot and it was cooked perfectly, the crab meat easily came out of the shell in complete pieces. The smoked sausage was perfectly spiced!!
(4)
Juliet N.
Going to Joe's crab shack had become a tradition when its come to my husbands birthday. He loves it. Walking in, ill be honest it wasnt as nice looking as i expected (only because the only other one we've been to, was in ny and i guess it was maybe a new store). It could use a little dusting and definitely a new sound system, because it kept making a really loud zaaaping noise until they had to eventually turn it off After looking around more i realized they were going for that shack look anyways. So no biggie. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our server came over, very friendly and offered up some specials, asked if it was our first time and then gave us some time to look at our menu while he got our drink orders. My husband always gets the lobster daddy. Me on the other hand, After being on the boat, i wasnt feeling too good, so i had a hard time deciding. The waiter brought our drinks over and gladly helped me decide. So i got the east coast platter, with crabcake, shrimps, fried onion, fries and beer battered fish. Again i wasnt feeling great, so i didn't eat much, but i really enjoyed what little i did eat. As our waiter came to check on us, he noticed i wasnt really eating and asked if it was okay. I told him it was great, it's just me. I thought i had read on the menu that my meal came with coleslaw. (But it didn't, it was another platter that offered that) but before i realized, i asked him if it came with my order. He so kindly said, no but that he'll bring it for me anyways. When my husband decided to come up for air, after completely indulging into his bucket, he raved about how great the ragin canjun seasoning was. And in honor of our Fishing trip, he got the shark bite drink. I had a few sips of his and it was just right. I knew my plate was good, because my thoughtful husband helped me eat the rest of it lol. My coleslaw was good and i felt satisfied with everything. The workers all did the cotton eyed jo dance and we had great time. I really liked it here and will be returning.
(4)
Jessica G.
I'm surprised the overall rating here is as low at it is. I had a pretty good experience here, especially in terms of the food, and if you're signed up for their email promotions there are coupons galore to be had. That's one of the good things about chain restaurants, there are always promotions. Our dinner at Joe's Crab Shack started off a little shaky. We arrived on a weekend evening, I can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday, but we were lucky enough to not have a wait. I say things were shaky because I walked in and there was a couple standing inside the door, I asked if they had spoken to the hostess and they said they had. I then approached the hostess and informed her that we needed a table for two. She rudely responded that the other couple was ahead of us. Yes, I told her, we knew. She continued to be snippy somehow implying that we were trying to get ahead, when all we thought we were doing was putting our name in. Maybe I was being a little too sensitive, and I have my theories as to why the hostess was so rude, but after we got past her, everything was great. Our server Leah introduced herself and we ordered a few drinks. The drinks here are gimmicky and a little pricey, but they're fun so I think it's worth it at leat once in awhile. By boyfriend ordered the shark bite which was some sort of blue alcoholic beverage served with a shark full of grenadine so that you pour the "blood" out of the shark and mix it into your drink. Yes, gimmicky, but it was fun, the drink tasted great, and after one or two the shark is fun to play with. I ordered a sweet tea vodka drink that was also quite good. For our meals I ordered a steamed queen crab platter and my boyfriend ordered one of the large pots. The seafood was delicious. His boil came with two lobsters so we each had one, and I shared my crab. It was a giant feast and either meal probably could have been split (though not if you're shellfish lovers like we are.) Service did taper off a little towards the end as it took awhile to get the check, but this type of food takes a long time to eat, so I think they just try to give you some space. Our bill was a little over $100 for the two of us, but considering we had multiple specialty drinks, two lobsters, and pounds of crab and shrimp, I thought it was more than fair. I also had a $10 off email coupon (seriously, sign up for the emails) that made it feel even more reasonable. I will definitely keep Joe's Crab Shack in mind for future seafood dinners as everything was tasty and cooked perfectly, and given the other options in the area, you will save a few dollars coming here.
(4)
Linda T.
Food is great - I live close by. Consistently tasty. My fave are the steam pots. They are all yummers!!!
(4)
Anthony B.
Great service ( had a wonderful waitress ), but the food was terribly. Bland greasy and no flavor.
(2)
Maria A.
The first time I went there the experience was great. Great food, great ambiance, great company. Service was great too. Love the steam pots a lot of food; however, as seafood goes, pricey. But it was worth it. The second time I went I must say, I was disappointed as our booth had a bad smell. It smelled like a sewer. We told the server but nothing was done. I am sure the food was good but I just couldn't enjoy it:( I just now saw that there is location near my home as Ft Lauderdale is a long way from home and having to drive an he just to get there it just isn't fun. I will have to try the location on 36th street snd will yelp it.
(3)
MICHELLE C.
It has been many years since we came to this restaurant. Thankfully, they still do one heck of a great job with the quality of seafood and incredibly great service. The menu has changed with many offerings including steampots, grilled, fried, you name it. This is a casual fun atmosphere and we saw very large party's celebrating birthday's. It's the kind of place where you can get rowdy and it would not matter. Our server was so personable and this guy knew the menu inside and out. He told us what was excellent and what to stay away from. Not that anything was bad he just had his favorites. We started with some cocktails. They make a very lovely Margarita. I was quite happy with my choice. I ordered a mahi sandiwich grilled with a side of fries and my daughter ordered the steampot of crab's. They were excellent and meaty. My sandwich was very good as well. The fish was fresh, good btread and seasoning. I would come here anyday over the dreadful Red Lobster. This place is fun, casual, good seafood, reasonably priced and they give very good service. Cheers for tasty seafood!
(4)
Crystal E.
Used to love this place.. don't know what happened. Should have left before being seated. Was directed to a dirty table that needed cleaning. Pointed dirty spots out to server. We ate upstairs. Stairs and walls were filthy . Wallpaper peeling off walls. Dirty table legs looked like they were never cleaned. Waitress forgot to bring ice for the melted iced tea that was served.. glasses must have been sitting for a while. Hot interrogation light over table had 120watt light bulb in it. Keep food and us warm... Special drink extremely expensive $15.00, greasy fish and shrimp dinner, crabcake tasted like old crab. Watch out for servers coming up the stairs. Went to restroom that was not attended to.. paper on floor. Plastic Paper holder would fall apart when paper was pulled. Heard dishes crashing loudly 3X's. Entry door grimey and displayed 3 layers of repainting. Like I said loved this place 5 years ago. Now I would not bring a guest there. They need to clean up their act. Sorry .. but beware. I would have been embarrassed if I brought out of town visitors.
(1)
Marc L.
I'm only giving the 2 stars because of the great service (Cindy), but the food was zero stars....it was sooooo bad. We had the East Coast Sampler, the 33 Shrimp, and the Pizza. All the food had absolutely no flavour and the order of hush puppies was very dry. How could one possibly make that much food that bland??? We sure did not want to stick around for the dessert just in case that was bad too.
(2)
Jerry G.
For not having reservation we pick a great spot for seafood. The Calamari was outstanding with the dipping sauce that accompanied the dish. The wife had a Salmon dish and I had King crab legs plate with the fixings. Service was great by O. Not bad with the price and they put on a guick show with some good old school music. Thanks for a great dinner.
(4)
Savanna M.
Wait....I haven't reviewed Joe's Crab Shack before??? I've never understood why people bash Joe's and instead flock to "that other crab place in Broward". The other place in question is practically walking distance from my house but I still choose to drive to Joe's - mostly because the prices are cheaper and partly because the atmosphere doesn't seem quite as dirty to me. I've been coming to Joe's for years. It took a while to convince my family members that a certain other seafood chain (it may rhyme with "Dead Mobster") wasn't the end-all be-all that they had been raised to believe, but we began frequenting Joe's anywhere from once a year to four times a year. Plus lets be honest we were pretty much just going to "Dead Mobster" for the snow crab, so we might as well come to Joe's and enjoy some other options. At this point I've tried most of the menu and narrowed it down to what I believe to be the best. APPS: There are some good apps here: the crazy crab dip and the mussels come to mind first, but I tend to want to save room for my crab and I just order the lobster bisque. The menu lists clam chowder and soup of the day as options, but the soup of the day is always lobster bisque as far as I can tell. I've had lobster bisque at places that range from 5 star restaurants to side of the road hole in the walls, but for some reason I'm convinced that Joe's is the best! ENTREES: First thing - skip anything that isn't a bucket or a steampot. These other entrees are just gross if you ask me. I give them credit for adding the steampots to the menu. This allows someone who wants some crab but doesn't want all crab to still enjoy while also getting some clams, mussels, lobster etc. The steampots are all tasty and you should be able to find something you enjoy. For me, it's ALL ABOUT THE CRAB. I go for the bucket of queen as I've learned over the years that king is far too spikey and snow is a lot of cracking for a little bit of meat. Bucket flavors - steamed is best if you just want that pure crab flavor. The garlic is good, the bbq flavor is surprisingly good and different. They've also got old bay and I believe a fire-roasted flavor. For me, I stick with steamed and extra butter ;) DESSERT: I'm usually too full but I'll try a bite of others. My mom swears by the turtle pecan something. My step father loves the key lime pie. On this visit we tried the new smores dessert and also had some apple crumble - both good! DRINKS: Drinks can get pricey here because of all the gimmicky souvenir cups etc. But the drinks are strong and quite big. SUMMARY: Here's the lowdown. Buckets of crab are 1.25lb and range from $25-$30, which is cheaper than that other Broward county staple. There are some pieces that do seem overcooked but honestly the taste is still great and I'm fine overlooking it. The service is so-so. It can sometimes be hard to find your server but this visit was fine. The ambiance is gimmicky as well and the servers have to dance to certain songs. They looooove birthday's here and you will see at least one table a night participating in some kind of embarrassing birthday procedures. This is all "take it or leave it" for me and really it's just the crab that keeps me coming back. Sign up for their email mailing list for some great discount offers!
(4)
J N.
First I want to start of by saying I have eaten at Joe's Crab Shack and joes stone crabs. Both places have ridiculous tasting crabs that make you feel in heaven. Now I my heart will always be with Joe's Crab Shack cause it's more bang for your buck. My gf and I go to this place 3 times a month minimum and it's never a dull taste . I recommend any and everyone that loves seafood I general to go here by yourself or with a group I also recommend the king crab with steak that's my favorite combo And before I forget the drink specials are superb and affordable
(5)
Christopher B.
I'm pretty sure there culinary staff trained at long john silvers.... The lobster bisque was a texture I can't even explain.... Ordered an appetizer sampler, crab dip was bland as a novel about carpets and was clearly frozen, calamari was chewy and clearly frozen, crab and cheese balls had ok taste.... But we're clearly frozen.... Also bartender didn't know how to make a Manhatten and became argumentative when I asked what he served me... Tanquery and lemon juice with mint leaves.... Simply put save the money and go to long john silvers, you will get the same meal.... Maybe even better
(1)
Tiffany S.
The absolute worst! I ordered the king crab and snow crab legs and what I received was anything but. When I question the manger who was sent over to my table by the waiter after seeing the plate for himself he said it was seasonal and that why my legs looked more like the size of children's fingers. Oh did I mention it was my birthday! So after all of this madness I was ready to go and here comes the wait staff to sing me happy birthday.. Uh really?
(1)
Marty O.
The place has really gone down hill. The first table we were directed to was dirty, the second table the seats were torn, the third table was also dirty and sticky. I asked that the table be cleaned. I watched our server drop a towel on the floor, then pick it up and clean our table. I counted 8 tables with tubs of dirty dishes sitting on them. There were water leak stains on the ceiling, all of the decor was dusty, and wallpaper was falling off the walls. If the front of the house looks like that, I can't imagine what the kitchen looks like. We should have left then, but we decided to stay. On a good note, the food was as good as it has always been, and neither of us got sick.
(2)
Ian R.
I've only been here once and probably never again. I'm not a huge fan of seafood but we had family in town and my grandparents REALLY wanted to take them here so I went along. I don't like to be fussy plus I knew they had some basic things like burgers so I figured I'd be okay. Ordered a pretty basic bacon cheeseburger and asked for it well done. Was told it might take a little longer which is obvious, and told them we'd be fine. It took them about 45 minutes to get us our food, amidst the random singing fits that would break out amidst the wait staff. Whenever we tried to flag one down to ask about our food I was told that "Well, your well done burger's going to make it take a little longer..." even when we agreed to have them bring the food out for the rest of the table they couldn't, and eventually brought it all out at the same time. I wish my burger had at least been underneath a heat lamp, because it was cold and had clearly been sitting for some time. It was clearly not the real reason we were forced to wait for so long. I'd pass on this place.
(1)
Paola V.
I love the crab pots here and the crab stuffed mushrooms! We keep going back because the food is good! The waiters definitely need to be more aware of their tables, its happened more than a few times where we sat down and didnt have someone greet us for 10 or 15 minutes. Also, they could definitely make sure the booths are cleaned properly before seating. Crabs can get messy and spash juice when youre cracking, so making sure everything has been wiped down is super necessary, that includes the window sills. Still love this place and if youre looking for a super casual, laid back, inexpensive place to eat some good crabs, this is it! Another plus? They are opened until 11 on the weekends!
(4)
Christopher L.
It's Mother's Day so we called ahead and only had to wait 5 minutes to be seated. We got crab and lobster, everything was on point. We did have to wait for a while for dipping butter but overall everything was great.
(5)
Ronnie R.
This place is pretty good. The seafood is definitely frozen not fresh but it still taste pretty good anyway. The service is so self sometimes the waiter our waitress can lolly get eggs and not visit us as often as we like, and sometimes they don't come it all for over 30 minutes which is not great. The best service would be a good medium between those two. Overall not a bad place to eat I especially like their new Boston being baked tons of food.
(4)
Lillian T.
First time here. Initial impression the ladies' room is filthy. It looks like no attempt to clean it for a while. We'll see how the food is!
(1)
Hannah C.
Horrible service and music is way too loud. The food was also not that great. Dont go here
(1)
Daniel S.
Horrible service slow the orders got mixed up 4 times food was cold seafood was horrible the drinks were weak and the place was empty and still had slow service. For the money you pay it really makes me upset. Stay far away do not waste your money what a ripoff and a way to ruin what would be a good night out.
(1)
Richard B.
Never order a margarita here, they are horrible and undrinkable. The music is much too loud and annoying. We ordered king crab and were suprised how little we got for $30. When we told the waitress, the manager did give us more saying portions are weighed but sometimes the chef short weighs the food. Really? We won't be back. We are done with Joes.
(2)
Magnus D.
I like this Joe's and go here once a month for lunch to meet a colleague from the other side of town. I was their biggest fan for their jambalaya, but they sadly took it off the menu. Oh well, they've always got something new and cool to try. Do they always nail it? No, but who does? But they always make it right and I like that attitude (speak up, dude, and make yourself happy). I like that their menu is always stuffed with new things and it's never boring. Yet, they've got some standards that never disappoint. Great chowder, clams and crabs... and a Red Stripe beer! Now, what more can you ask for? Just plain good eats. I'm going back...
(4)
Sammy L.
This is more then there over pricing , but rather how they treat there employees, employees earn 5:00 an hour , if you order there food and recieve the check, and cannot justify the cost of the meal they will reduce the price and and tip left over is at the cost of the servers! No more detail on this till I am done with the department of labor, if they fire any one they will open up a can of worms and I will expose everything I know, and that an area they don't want to enter!
(1)
J H.
Great place to eat. Tried several appetizers.... popcorn shrimp, boudin balls, voodoo chicken, calamari, crab taters and fried pickles. Love the flavor and they came out still hot rather than cold waiting. Iur waiter was comical and very attentive. At 2 bucks an app on tues, any college student or happy hour worker would enjoy.
(5)
Lee Z.
The food was average, but I think I would rather go to Rustic Inn. The service was just minimal.
(3)
Ken D.
Came in tonight. Waited 45 minutes for a table. They use a text message service when your table is ready. After I received my text I went to the hostess and they told me to wait on the side. They proceeded to sit 3 party's that were texted after me before they seated is. They brought us to a table upstairs where they had 10 empty tables which was strange considering the wait line. After 10 minutes they came and took our drink order. My wife asked if they had bottled water and the waitress said yes so she ordered a bottled water. I ordered a coke. Before our drinks arrived a manager came over and game is a coupon for a free appetizer for the next time we come back because she was pre apologizing for a delay in the kitchen and said the wait time would be longer then normal. Our drinks arrived. My coke was only 1/2 full... My wife was given a glass of water and told the waitress she ordered a bottled water. The waitress apologized and said we don't carry bottled water. Weird !!! A waitress then came to the table next to us and asked if they were ready to order. The man at that table said "are you serious ! We ordered over an hour ago". That's when my wife and I made the smart decision to get up and leave. Sorry Crab Shack. If I'm gonna spent $100 + on a dinner for 4 it's gotta start off better then my experience did tonight. I'm now writing this review from Hooters across the street.
(1)
Raven L.
So we walk in on a Saturday greeted by a hostess with blue hair who wasnt very pleasent at all quite frankly she seemed mad to be working their. Anyway we get seated and the server is attentive very happy but not very knowledgeable of the menu. The food was overall decent i would come back but it wouldnt be a first choice. Its a fun experience tho
(3)
Carol R.
The service was great the food was the worst!!! This was my second time eating here the first was two years ago and something has gone terribly wrong.The place is filthy. We had to return one of our meals. My Maine Lobster dinner was dry and salty. No drawn butter on the platter . The appetizers left everything to be desired. Everything was either over cooked or under cooked. We will never return. The staff could not have been more accomodating when they had the time to get to us. Really under staffed. If there was a half star Joe's would get it.
(1)
Joshua R.
The staff needs to learn how to wait on there customers. Poor service, instead of teaching them to do some stupid dance they should teach them how to wait tables.
(1)
Jo W.
This place isn't all that great other than on Twosdays when they have $2 Hurricanes and appetizers (which are very small by the way). The other plus are the Steampots, which actually have seasoning (not just that salty water taste) and are a lot more affordable than most other seafood places. The decor is seriously lacking, its not the cleanest, the food is pretty subpar, and the service needs much improvement but if you like seafood and are looking for a deal (maybe at a cost), it is surely way better than Red Lobster (not that is saying much).
(2)
Mitch B.
Real good experience here. Staff was very nice. Server was really attentive and quick with everything. The only reason i am going 4 stars was because I felt the portion was a bit small for the price. Quality was pretty good, but for 25 dollars I got the queen crab and a lot of shells were lacking meat. They basically cut two potatoes in half and just threw them in the bucket plain. Everyone else was very satisfied though, my girlfriend got the ribeye and loved it. All in all it is a quality place, do not be fooled by the 3 star average. But I would just stick with the snow crab for the price, I don't think you get much more meat from the queen legs.
(4)
Hans P.
Service sucks real bad. I got attitude when I asked were my drink was after 15 min. The food was great however for a seafood place there is no drawn butter for your crab or lobster. Just some melted salty crap in a cup. Next time I will try the one in Miami and post another review.
(3)
Andrea W.
Haven't been here for about 5 years. Walked in and it looked familiar but not. Found out they are going to be remodeled soon so that's why the walls looked bare. Went in on a Monday so it was not busy at all. (We were actually at Red Lobster and left there to come here) so if you want less crowd, Monday is a good night to go. We started with the crab nachos. The flavor was good and crabby (lol) but we felt it was way too creamy, almost like a melted crab dip was poured over it. I felt it would have been better if it was a shredded cheese and then add the shredded crab on top. For the main course we had the classic steam pot for 2 (you save a little $ this way instead of getting 2 individual pots). It came with a mix of queen and king crab, new potatoes, shrimp, and a sausage. Everything tasted good. My only complaint is that they were a little heavy handed on the seasoning. I'll make sure next time to say something when we place the order. Kudos to our server Dwayne who was very attentive and super nice. The only other thing I observed but not necessarily a complaint is that considering it was slow, there were some tables that hadnt been cleared for awhile so it kind of took away from the atmosphere. But its a fun casual place with a good staff so we'll be back. And its for sure cheaper and better portions than red lobster.
(3)
Alisha B.
Enjoyed my first experience here...have family that travel here from Syracuse to Boynton Beach every summer and this resturant is a must everytime they are here! The steam pot is the way to go! I had the Cajun flavor and it was AWESOME!
(5)
C D.
This restaurant is disgusting. Dirty, holes in walls, dark and did I say dirty. Vents are full of lint and disgusting. Our booth we sat in had a hole in he floor and the whole time I was there I felt that a rodent was going to crawl over my foot. Don't go!
(1)
Becca J.
I had the ribeye it was so good! For a place that primarily sells seafood they did a wonderful job. It was one of the best steaks I had. Our server Zack was on point . He was there exactly when we needed him. Not one moment did we have to hound him down. And our food came out fast and delicious. It was hilarious when the servers started doing the cha cha slide. It was my first time there and definitely won't be the last
(5)
Evelin B.
Service is okay, but the food is delicious. Sometimes you gotta compromise. The way they season the food in the steam pot is impeccable, however I asked if the can substitute the sausage for extra shrimp and they said I could, however they gave me the sausage anyways. I didn't want to complain because we were hungry and just wanted to enjoy everything else.
(3)
Jorge F.
I love the steam pots here! I especially love their BBQ seasoning! I love the drink selection and the atmosphere. I definitely recommend this for a family outing.
(4)
Rick R.
What a huge waste of time and money. Food was not fresh, which explains why it's over cooked. The picture on the menu of the steam pots looked so appetizing so I ordered one. It was the laugh of the nite. My plan was to share it with my wife. When it was served it was in a miniature pot with a little plastic fishnet sack I could of fit in my pocket. The caption under the picture of the steam pot on the menu should have read (actual size). How this franchise stays in business is a mystery.
(1)
Charlotte Charlie K.
I wish I could divide my stars up bc I'd give them 4 stars for FUN. I also think it's AWESOME that they had call ahead! We bypassed LOTS of people. The hostess staff were very welcoming & friendly. We took our 2yr old twins for dinner. They had a blast! It's VERY kid friendly. I LOVED that BOTH highchairs were decently clean, but MORE important they were NOT BROKEN! I also like that their kid menu has gluten free options bc we deal with that with one of our kids. I give them 3 stars for a few reasons. 1) Our waitress was hard to find when we needed her- which was only twice- but it took way longer than it should have - she wasn't even on the floor. 2) all of our shrimp with the exception of the Crispy Jumbo Shrimp was WAY over cooked!!!! Rubbery doesn't even describe them... I would avoid ordering shrimp if you can, except for the one dish. On a positive note, my steam pot (with the exception of the shrimp) was very tasty.
(3)
Camilo S.
Awesome place. Very good food. Good atmosphere. I rarely want to return to a place I've just visited. But this place is the exception. I want to return already. You'll get very dirty though.
(5)
Ila K.
Our trip here was very unfortunate. I should have known as we were walking in, that the service was going to be abysmal. From the hostess continuing a conversation with a busboy without acknowledging our arrival, to the appetizer taking over 35 minutes to hit the table, to losing our waitress for nearly 20 minutes, the service was bad. The food, once it arrived was okay. Of course the humidity in the restaurant made it that the salt shakers didn't provide any salt, and we sat with dirty dishes in front of us for over 15 minutes, but the food was okay. All this on a Tuesday night, with the restaurant less than 1/2 full.
(2)
Sanya H.
Went for lunch food awesome had steampot and food was great. Big portions. Fresh. Nice waitress. Good kids menu
(4)
Michael G.
Made me fat and happy. Queen crab bucket with old chesapeke seasoning yumyum. Waitress was an awesome gal and friendly. Will be visiting again on future trips.
(5)
Howard M.
Not a bad place. Food was tasty. Drinks on Tuesday was $2 and they were great. I had there crawfish meal in a bowl and it was great but the crawfish were small. My date had there crab leg bowl and she said there wasn't much meat in the legs
(3)
Jamie S.
My friends and I love crab so we wanted to try out a new place. I ordered the Lobster Daddy Feast which brings a whole lobster with snow crab and 2 sides. Price was reasonable. It was good, not great. I'll be honest, I would have rather driven down to the Keys or flown to New Orleans instead. Meh, I've had better. Decor, atmosphere and staff was friendly but all in all, I wasn't too impressed to come back again.
(2)
Celine C.
My first time at Joe's Crab Shack and I'm really loving it! Some people complained that the price is ridiculously high. I think the price is reasonable for seafood. I ordered the Lobster Daddy and got a whole lobster and a whole bunch of snow crabs, 2 potatoes and 1 corn for 28.99! They were all very meaty. The corn was extremely fresh and crisp! We also got the Crabby Apple Crumb with Cinnamon iceccream on the side. It's to die for!!! The service was excellente!!! We had at least 2 managers came to our table and said hi and asked if we needed anything. Actually more time than our own waiter. There was lively music and I really like the decor. A must try!
(4)
Holly S.
Don't love it, don't hate it. If I am in the area I will go (or if someone suggests it I'm in). Service is always better then good. I have had steam pots for the most part when I have been there and maybe once or twice they weren't as good as they had been before. I can't stand restaurants when the people who work there sing and dance. I think that was fun maybe 20 years ago however now it makes me uncomfortable.
(3)
Zac V.
Despite the two poor reviews, we went to Joes anyway. This was our third visit. While the service was ok, the steam pot was the best. A FULL pot of steaming hot snow and Dungeness crab as advertised. When the lid came off the pot, it actually looked better than the menu photo. The spicy boil was spicy and the Pepsi was cold. I've visited Joe's in at least 6 states. This one was worth the trip (if you like having crabs). Lol
(4)
Shalom W.
We really had a great time, the staff was fantastic, I could tell all around me people were enjoying themselves. Then we got the food and it was delicious. Thank you everyone for making my visit and dining experience so enjoyable. I will have to go back soon... Oh wait I am! Haha, I will definitely need to make it a habit to go to toss place, something tells me they take care of their regulars and add for tourists this is a great spot too! Fun energetic atmosphere and delicious food.
(5)
Bruce K.
I'm not a fan. It was good, but I'm not a sea roach eater. I mean, it is "Crab Shack" so the focus of course is going to be on crabs and not necessarily other seafoods. It's a lot overpriced for what it is and that's without having one of the seventy bajillion varieties of crabs. I had a blackened filet sandwich with the onion strings. It was good. But I felt like I didn't show the right respect by having crabs. Maybe you'll feel differently. I can't say that I'll return.
(2)
Eric J.
Well on the bright side. Their branding people are awesome. Never has a restaurant name so captured the essence of a restaurant . Boring , bland, common and forgettable , that's Joes. Kids portions were tiny ( even for kids) except for maybe kids under 5. Their veggies were clearly bag frozen. Grilled shrimp was meh ..,crab was... Wait for it.. Meh. I had a burger (just didn't have a lot of confidence in the seafood) and it might as well have been invisible in terms of both size and flavor ( except the stale bun was memorable so hooray for that). It got two stars Bc it's a cute place and it's better then Red Lobster...wait staff was very nice though...
(2)
Jessica D.
We dined here on a Saturday night and to my surprise we didnt have a wait. I was very happy about that. The hostess seated us off to the side in an empty dining room. She said it will be crowded and full in here later. We were just happy to have the place to ourselves for now. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms, crab nachos and bucket of shrimp to start off with. Everything was good but the bucket of shrimp was kind of small. For dinner I ordered a ribeye steak well done with coconut shrimp. It was delicious. No complaints here. My husband ordered a steam pot and could not finish everything. He said it was great. Our waitress was very attentive and very friendly. We shared the same name, lol I will be going back here again.
(4)
Nathalie P.
I simply love crab, period. We were in the area, so I decided to look at my trusty Yelp app for advice. I saw the prices were decent, so we decided to try it. We came for the crab and the crab only... really cannot comment on any of their food besides the crab and it was GREAT. I chose the Crab Daddy feast in the spicy boil.... ughh so delicious. The restaurant building itself needs some work and more smiling, welcoming faces, but we didn't care.... we enjoyed it. The beer was cold, and our waitress was nice. It's unfortunate that this place is 40 minutes away from my house, if not I would be here at least once a week for their spicy boil crab buckets, yum!!!
(4)
Kevin C.
As an seafood crab house, their food is average, I had the crab stuffed mushroom, nacho appetizer, and some lobster, lobster was very watery, no meat inside. The deco was nice. I think is a little pricey.
(2)
Brandi S.
We have heard about this restaurant via TV and Radio for a while but since we're from Palm Beach County we don't frequent the area often. Just by chance we stopped in here when we were in Broward county, it was a bit out of the way though. The restaurant was packed, noisy, and pretty dirty. When we were sat at our table the floor was wet from one side of the restaurant to the other, behind a wait station and around the corner. Three adults ordered Joe's classic steam pot, crispy fried shrimp and shared the crab nachos and the hush puppies. My nephew had the kids pizza, which for kids, was okay. It was just okay food all around really, the steam pot shrimp and corn were overcooked and the crab nachos had way too much topping so it was soggy. Also, the hush puppies have a rough cornmeal texture, without the sweetness of corn. We will probably not make the trip again to give it another try in case it was just a fluke because it was extremely busy (Friday night) due to the cost and time needed to get there.
(2)
Bryan K.
There is very few places to get shellfish on University or west of University. When we walked in they seem like they just got some new seating program and couldn't figure out how to sit us at the 15 empty tables right in front of us...I am not joking about how many empty tables...once they sat us...the servers were quick..food came out fast and was hot and tasty..not a bad place to eat..
(4)
Jahmila B.
The only thing half way decent about the place was our waiter. The food was very disappointing. Everything was over cooked. We ordered a steam pot that's was pitiful looking. The clams are so tiny. About the size of a dime. The sausage was gross and the lobster was rubbery. We also ordered a sampler type plate which everything was over cooked as well. The shrimp were the only decent part of it. The fish and chips was beyond disgusting and the scallops weren't far behind. Almost $50 spent of food that could have been better at somewhere like Long John Silver's. I sure won't be visiting this location again.
(2)
Joy D.
I ordered the classic steam pot which included a snow crab leg cluster, a Dungeness crab leg cluster, two or four (I can't remember) new potatoes, an ear of corn, 4 shrimp that had not been deveined (ewwww!!!) and half of a sausage link. No salad, bread or other sides were included. This dish was $23.95. The good news is that it was light enough not to make me feel like I had over indulged at the conclusion of the meal. With a party of 6, the waitress had her hands full, but did a good job for a Saturday evening. The not so good news for me was, I kept thinking that I had made this 28 mile, one way trip, for naught. I just couldn't help feeling like I got jipped. I don't know if it was the disappointment from travelling 40 minutes (knowing full well I've passed at least 5 Red Lobster Restaurants), the bland tasting dish, the realization that I could have gotten at least four steamed clusters at Winn-Dixie for the same amount or just the general lack of satiety. Lesson learned.
(2)
Marilyn C.
We shared two steam pots between three ladies and they were less than average. I had eaten steam pots before, about two years ago and it was more than enough for two people, this time two steam pots barely had any food (seriously we though we were going to have a ton leftover) 1/2 lbs of shrimp? Where? We had 4 pieces of shrimp, seriously......four. The drinks were good and our server was great. The calamari appetizer was ok, nothing special. I'll stick to Rustic Inn as my future seafood restaurant. Joe's disappointed me, I won't be coming back.
(3)
Sue M.
The most recent health inspection showed 1 critical violation for food properly thawed. I've been to other Joe's but not this one. This location was a bit smaller but still the same menu items and atmosphere. The restrooms and tables were clean. The selections on the menu a bit pricey as usual. We really wanted a crab or lobster pot but it was just too pricey. I opted for a combination platter and it was excellant. The server was just fantastic. There was no stone unturned for her. Overall a very good dining experience. You have to know what you're getting into before you walk in.
(4)
Harvey D.
Joe's is actually pretty good and they have changed a lot of their menu since I last ate at of their restaurants. They now have they steampots which are pretty decently priced and well worth the money. My wife and I decided to eat dinner at Joe's for no other reason than we were both craving seafood and it seemed like a good idea seeing as how we had to be in Lauderhill for a class later that night. I ordered the Orleans steampot and a side of fries. The steampot was just as spicy as the menu and waiter said it would be; however, my only complaint is that the portion size is not great. My steampot came with crawfish, shrimp and andouille sausage and it was really good; you just don't get a lot of food even though it comes with corn on the cob and two new potatoes. Also, the side of fries was more of a kid portion than an aduit portion. Our waiter was excellent up until the end of the meal. Once we were finished eating, we told him were kind of were in a hurry and that we will take the check. It took him a little while to bring the check and my wife then brings out her phone and asks him if they take this online coupon for 20%. He is unsure so he calls the manager over the manager looks at the coupon and responds,"Sorry. We don't take online coupons b/c there are so many fake coupons out there. However, if you sign up for Joe's VIP club, we will send you promotions and special offers which are accepted at any Joe's location." What? Fake coupons? That's a new one! Our server then literally doesn't come back and we have to ask another server to take our credit card b/c we need to go. As we are leaving, I looked for our server and I still didn't see him. Maybe he is practicing to be a magician and is perfecting his vanishing act? Overall, the food was great and the restaurant as a whole is fun and relaxing. If I am in the mood for seafood and am in this area, I might just pop in.
(4)
Lorraine N.
I promised the daughter I would take her for crab during our little trip to Florida. I wish we could have gone to the beach and gone to some place that was not a chain...but we were on a very tight schedule and decided when we saw Joe's that this would be it. She always loves her crab...and got the 30.00 deal where you get king, queen , and snow for a crab lover's feast....she ate every last bite. I am glad we ordered salads before the meal as they were served in a nice chilled bowl and were very crisp and refreshing. I wasn't as happy with my food. I got mahi-mahi with some type of mango salsa and it was just dry and not very good. I also ordered up a mudslide for dessert and my pet peeve is when you spend big money on a pretty drink and they serve you up a glass with shit dripping all down the side. I don't want to get my hands all sticky so this makes me very pissed from the get go---then when I tasted it---no flavor at all....just watered down chocolate ice flavor....skip that drink stick to bottled beer..... The service and attention from management was spot-on and made my dining experience better even though I wasn't a huge fan of the food...
(3)
SoftLove G.
Fun environment. .. great customer service and the food was good, the portion they gave was worth the money!!
(4)
Heidi R.
Worst experience ever. The food took forever and they ran out of steak and then told me i was gonna get another item for free but then charged me for the steak i didnt even have! Will never return!
(1)
Vanessa N.
We were excited to have a Seafood place that was nearby and were completely disappointed with it. The Crab legs were a disgrace to Crab Legs and the appetizer and sides were greasy. We did not like the ambiance either. Do not waste your cash!
(1)
Ana D.
If you've ever been to Joe's, you pretty much know what you're in for. It's your average (chain) seafood, which typically does the trick of satisfying your craving without breaking the bank. I'm honestly a fan of the Joe's chain. I've yet to have horrible food or a miserable experience. However, I especially love this location because not only is the food always what I want, I've been fortunate enough to get the same waitress each time I've visited. She was hilariously funny, pleasant and always took such great care of me. In addition to great service, I've always received perfectly cooked food (love their crawfish) and good drinks (the bartender is not selfish with the liquor). I haven't been to FL in a while, but whenever I'm in town, I'll never hesitate to drop in.
(4)
Brian W.
They were out of lemons and instead of the manager going to Publix to pick some up for the kitchen, they waited for the truck to deliver them while their customers complained and left. This place is horribly run and I wouldn't recommend eating here.
(1)
Chocoolate I.
The first thing I noticed was that the person at the door who greeted us with a hearty " Hey, come on in and party." We walked in and five or six servers were dancing to "YMCA" by the Village People. Our server, Yaset was equally as positive. If you go to this Crab Shack wait in line for a table served by Yaset who is a real "Costa Rican cutie" with a spicy sense of humor and a knowledge of the menu that is probably second to none. Yaset recommended our entire meal including the lobster bisque which my girl thought was great, the Santolla Steampot which I would recommend to anybody because it is absolutely delicious and contains a sample of a lot of seafood, and we also had the Pasta-Laya. The Pasta-Laya is is mixture of sausage, sauce, and seafood over perfectly prepared penne and this entire meal only set us back $48 dollars and we left with leftovers! In short, the food was fabulous, the atmosphere was great and our server Yaset was amazing. I would highly recommend this Crab Shack if you are a seafood lover and are in search of a great value.
(4)
Craig B.
Terrible, Terrible, Terrible! Food was cold, potatoes raw, lobster cold, service slow and unknowledgeable. How a crab shack can exist in South Florida and be so terrible is beyond me. There are good and bad Joes, this if by far the worst that I have ever been to. We drove 90 min south to take my mother, wife, and son there - absolute waste of time, money, gas, and basically a day of my life (to be dramatic). Next time, if given the choice, I'd eat a frozen beef patty from McDonalds.
(1)
Jim H.
This has become our favorite restaurant! This casual dining restaurant has memorabilia hanging from every wall and even the ceiling. You notice something new every time you come in. The atmosphere is light and fun with peace, love and crabs everywhere. The music spans a couple of generations an is usually funky and upbeat. Every so often the staff will flood the floor and dance a conga line or the electric slide and you are welcome to join in if you dare! The portions are full, the meals come out hot and the whole staff seems to pitch in to help make your experience great. The Manager visits every table and asks how they are doing. If you like seafood, especially Crab, music, fun, dessert, conga lines and casual dining with a rustic nautical flair, then you will love Joe's. By the way, my family eat here tonight and we were served by Alexis, "Lexi". If you get lucky enough to be served by her, tell her my son Logan with the curly blond hair thought she was great and the rest of the family loved her too.
(5)
Monica T.
Service is so so. Food is ok, your typical steamed seafood, nothing special. good place to eat dinner w a big group of friends or family. Yummy desserts.
(3)
Kim M.
We have been going to Joe's for years and it was always a favorite of our whole family. The crabpots were always delicious amd the prices were reasonable for what you got. This last visit was a real disappointment. For starters, the place used to have all these interesting things hanging on the walls and had a fun atmosphere. Now they have taken everything off the walls and left this dingy, peeling wallpaper that makes the place look so somewhat dirty and plain. The crab dip, which was always our favorite app seemed like it was an old batch that got barely warmed with a hardened lump of cheese on top they didn't even bother to melt. It was way off the regular. Then, the steampots came and the crab was not as fresh as usual. It looked old and, when cracked, came out in small dry pieces instead of moist large chunks when it is fresh. The kids portion of snow crab has shrunk to one little cluster and they literally gave my daughter one tiny boiled potato cut in half for her potato side and gave me 2 tiny potatoes for my steampot. I used to get more potatoes than I could eat, so they are definitely cutting corners. When we asked the waiter for butter for our crablegs he brought out containers of frothy liquid instead of clarified butter. When I asked him about it he told me they bring out whipped butter now instead, but I'm still not sure why it was foamy. We didn't use it because it just didn't look right and we missed the clarified butter. It takes alot for us to ban Joe's from our restaurant choices since we love crablegs, but the food and place looks like they are cutting corners and seems to be going downhill. Paid $90 for a crappy meal. What a shame.
(1)
Shaquira B.
It's a very pretty place and the atmosphere is great, but the food is just ok. I was not impressed. Not satisfied with the food and size for the price.
(3)
Toy L.
Showed up for a Monday lunch with a friend. We were already less than sober (I was on vacation). I always see the commercials for Joe's Crab Shack in New York/Connecticut, but I believe the closest branch is in New Jersey (soo not going there). The crab nachos were insane. We both ordered the Samuel Adams Steampot and inhaled it in less than 15 minutes. They sprinkle some seasoning on everything that must be similar to crack, because it leaves you licking your fingers and searching your pot for any crab legs that may have gotten away.
(4)
Bryan D.
Food was great! I was apart of a party of 6. The place is huge and the service is good. I had the lobster daddy which was amazing seasoned with garlic herb which gave it amazing flavor. I would go back for sure!
(4)
Anselee J.
I imagine 2 day old prison cafeteria would be taste better than this..... Bar also had a weird smell..... Maybe the perfect place to take some one if you plan on giving them food poisoning.
(1)
Susan C.
I have mixed feelings about Joe's Crab Shack. It's a chain and every so often you get songs played on volume so high that you can't talk over it while the waitstaff dances. However, the Joe's Classic Steampot is tasty, if not a little overpriced. Sometimes it's nice just to relax here on a Friday night after a long week. However, I really have a problem with the kitchen NOT looking in the steampots before they send them out. On two separate occasions, something has been wrong with my dungeness crab cluster. The first time there were very unappetizing black areas on some of the legs, and the second time two legs were missing altogether. The waitstaff is always nice and friendly, and they rectify the situation immediately with a new cluster. I enjoy the food and drinks and will continue to come back on occasion, but just know what you're getting into before you go!
(3)
Star E.
I feel like this place is ridiculously over priced for the amount of food they give you. I shared the trio crab pot with my BF. It came with 3 little clusters of crab legs, 2 small red potatoes and 1 ear of corn. For $28.99, they could have given some more corn and potatoes and an extra cluster of crab legs. Its highway robbery that I was charged $2.39 for an extra ear of corn. Overall the seafood was good and our waiter was friendly. But after you get the bill, you realize it wasn't really worth it. I can steam up my own crab legs and veggies with some old bay spice for less then half the price.
(3)
Cookie C.
First off the waitress looked like a heroine or meth addict so tht turned me off ... Then she could not get me order right .i sent it back and they still could not get it right the potatoes were so dry and not done no seasons no taste the we're horrible ... The managers were horrible and nt professional I will never eat here again the food gave me food poisoning the next morning was not good ..go here if u want diarrhea
(1)
Marc d.
Went to Joes Crab shack the other day. Been to the one in Vegas and had a good experience. So sticking with what I know I went here. The atmosphere and staff were very friendly. The Apple cobbler with a scoop of icecream (don't remember what the specific name of it was) and the appetizer trio platter were good. I'd give it 3 stars for that alone. But the main course Boston Lobster pot. I think it was. Wasn't good or presented as good. I expected it to be all mixed in together in the pot like the picture but it was not. Don't remember it like that before. But the lobsters were in its cooking net and the rest (sausage, shrimp, corn, etc.) were in the other net. I like to crack things and hear that cracking sound but cracking the lobster claws to this meal was meaningless as the claws did not crack but crushed in. So much for that.,the shells of the lobsters were hard and the lobster was not as good as other places I had before. One sausage, 1 corn, maybe 5-6 shrimp and about a dozen baby clams made out the rest of this fiasco. I should have just stuck to the appetizer and dessert. Joes crab shack went down in my book.,hopefully it was just this location. Been to Hot & Spicy Crawfish, the Boiling Crab, Red Lobster,etc. I put Joe's above Red Lobster. Going to check out the Rustic Inn Crabhouse Tommorow. Hopefully I can get this distatse for shellfish out of my mouth.
(2)
Spence B.
I came to Joe's a few years ago on a visit to FL and I was impressed, so I was excited to go back this time around. Unfortunately, this experience wasn't as good as it was the first time The service was pretty accommodating but the main problem I had was the price to serving ratio, apparently Joe's has gotten a lot more expensive then I remember. We ordered a pot of 3 different types of crab, and some sides which was pretty good, it's just that for the amount dinner cost there should have been more. This place also reminds me of Applebee's with some overpriced seafood. I will most likely find somewhere else to get crabs on my next visit to Florida...Wait that didn't sound right.
(3)
Christine V.
This place was pretty good. The only complaint was that the music was a little loud. The food was good though. We had the crab nachos, which were delicious. I ordered the grilled salmon and my husband had the coconut shrimp. Both meals were very good. For dessert we had the chocolate cake a la mode and it was soo good. I'm a sucker for dessert and this definitely hit the spot. If we crave seafood again and don't want to make the trip to the Rustic Inn, this will be our place to go.
(4)
Jonathan F.
Awesome. My dungeness crab was delicious, my beers were ice cold, and our server Miguel was.great. No Heineken Light, but I'm not complaining. I'm hoping my 5 star review will offset some of the 1and 2 star guys who went to a crab shack, ordered a burger or something stupid, and weren't thrilled with it. ITS A CRAB SHACK WITH AWESOME CRABS. DUH! :-D
(5)
Jessica P.
Horrible! Disgusting! Food is frozen and overpriced! Our service was good the waiter Was very nice but that is it. My husband had the snapper , it had bones and scales on it! I ate nothing because it just looked dirty and nasty. If I could I would give it no stars.
(1)
Crystal M.
Went on a Monday night, so it was empty. I went with my parents and my dad ordered the lobster steampot (2 1 1/4 lb Maine lobsters, 1 lb clams, shrimp, corn and potatoes) and my mom and I got the Joe's classic steampot for 2 (dungeness and snow crab, sausage, shrimp, corn and potatoes). Each were $40 a pieces. We also got the sample appetizer for $12. Overall, the steampots were good, though the butter we got was almost clear. Like dipping your crab in butter flavored water. However good they were, the steampots were not worth what we paid for them. I would think maybe $30 for the lobster one and $25 for the steampot for 2 would be better. Our waiter was great and nice, but the music was WAY too loud. And our chips were stale. Besides that, everything else was good. I'd still go out, but only once in a great while .
(3)
Kristina M.
Florida for Spring BREAK is the BEST. Native NYer constantly watching these damned JCS's commercials when the closest one is in the middle of NJ. I had a serious CRAVE. Ive been to FL numerous times. Ive been to a JCS before but not this one. JCS will always be on my TO DO list in FL. I AM A SEAFOOD FIEND. I got the Crab Daddy - Legs from all 3 dungeness, snow and king with chesapeake seasoning. I had a side order of crawfish, just to try it out . I had the meal of my life. The crabs werent overdone. All perfectly cooked. My friend loved his food..and felt no need for butter. I like the vibe in JCS. No need for etiquette here - just be elbow deep in seafood. I had a Shark Bite - tasted of blue hawaiian with 2 extra shots of grenadine. It wasn't very damaging. Meals go for at least $30 per person but considering the AMOUNT of food its absolutely worth the experience. I wish there was a restaurant like this somewhere in NYC. There was, and they were shut down. Believe me, I've been searching. If anyone knows of any - I'm willing to go ASAP to check it out.
(5)
Mandy H.
Saw their ad on TV about some great price for their bucket deal.... The price is good but don't order any other seafood except crab.... Their snow crabs quality are good but I had clams and mussel and they are so-so...... I will go back again but i will only order their snow crabs.
(3)
Germán R.
Restaurant class crabs with lots of styles and flavors to choose from, excellent service (we had like 3 waitresses at times). The bet part is the experience you get fron the place and just getting messy opening and cracking your food up and at a good price. Eventough seafood is more expensive than most food the bill should be similar to that in Chilli's or maybe Macarroni's, large portion buckets of their famous crabs, shrimp and compliments (sausage, corn cob and potatoes) are more than enough for 2 and cost $40
(5)
Alex D.
Seafood is good but other than seafood the food is horrible. I had the ribs. They were cooked too long and very tough so I didn't get too much meat. The MEN's BATHROOM WAS DISGUSTING!! URINE WAS EVERYWHERE ON THE FLOOR. A BIG COLLECTION OF IT WAS BY THE URINALS LIKE A HUGE PUDDLE! No one ever cleaned it while I was there and the trash can was a mountain of papertowels. Disgusting. I felt so dirty on the drive home plus I almost slipped and fell in the bathroom because of the urine..O and the waiter I had was scary. Sat down next to me and stared at me while I ordered, it gave me a cold chill....
(2)
Francisco M.
Without a doubt, one of the worst places I've ever had crab legs from! My wife and I went there for my birthday and I was expecting some awesome crab legs; YEAH RIGHT! What we got instead were over cooked salty crab legs bathed in salty Old Bay seasoning - WAAAAAAY TOO SALTY. The appetizer we ordered was mediocre at best and the drink my wife ordered wasn't available, WTF? The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because of the ambiance and atmosphere, all of the waiters were very cheerful and pleasant - they even did a dance routine. If you value good quality crab legs, go somewhere else. If you want a lively atmosphere with sub-par food, this is your place. Wouldn't go back even if they paid me.
(2)
Adam S.
My wife and I went here this past Saturday and they looked packed. When I asked how long a wait for 2 people they said it would be about 20 min which isn't bad for a busy restaurant on a sat night. So I told them ok and they asked for my name and cell number and said they would send me a text when my table was ready. I thought that was a little unusual and wondered what would happen if someone didn't have a cell phone or couldn't get text MSG's on their phone. Anyways they sent me a text about 10 min after taking my info saying the table was ready. The place was clean and the food we ordered was good. The waitress was ok but never really checked on us the managers came by more often and refilled our drinks and asked how things were. We both ordered deserts and they were good but huge cuz my piece of key lime pie looked more like a key lime cake it was easily enough for 2 people. Would of given a higher rating if the waitress would of done a better job.
(3)
Susan N.
I stayed in South Beach in early April and made plans with a friend to meet in Fort Lauderdale. I had been eating at some of the best restaurants in South Beach. When I walked into Joe's Crab Shack, I didn't think it would nearly measure up to the restaurants I had been to. Well, I was sure wrong! The food and service were great. The lobster bisque was wonderful. My stuffed snapper was fresh and delicious. The salad was great. Managers kept coming up to us to ask if everything was okay. I thought I was at a 5 star restaurant, except for one major difference. The check was a small fraction of what I had paid in South Beach. I went to speak to the manager to tell her that everything was fabulous. She gave me a hug. Way to go, Joe's Crab Shack.
(5)
Marcela H.
service was good but could have been better. after mentioning to our waiter that it was our first time there, he did not bother to recommend anything (thanks to the reviews here I had an idea). a lot of waiting for mediocre food. very loud ambiance, place felt dirty. and the biggest turn off walking in & out the horrible of the dumpster kill it!! GROSS!
(2)
Martha M.
What a Disappointment from when I first visited. Even the server told us that they were cutting corners and costs. Apparently also cutting on quality too. I ordered a fries an they brought a measly handful of fries & my bf's pot had 2 super mini potatoes.. WTF?! Do Not Go There!
(1)
Wendy B.
I love seafood. I mean....really really love seafood. So anytime someone suggests a seafood restaurant, I'm there! I've been to Joe's several times now and I've tried really hard to love it, but each time I've been underwhelmed with my food. So much so, that I couldn't even tell you what I ate, except to say that it was fish and it was a bit bland. Maybe the crab is better, but I haven't tried it, so I couldn't tell you. I keep hearing how great this place is, but so far, I just don't see it. On the up side though, they play great music and it's got a cool and entertaining vibe...but that's about as far as it goes. Next time someone suggests Joe's I think I'll pass.
(2)
Karl G.
No one at door, stood around for a bit. A waitress left her tables to get someone to seat us. Waited again for drink order. Waiter forgot my kids drink and straws. My kid likes the food and atmosphere else they would never see me and my money.
(1)
Patricfk B.
This place was the worst restaurant I have ever been to. My waitress under the influence of something. there was two of us and she could not get the drink or food order right. She asked if I wanted a refill, I said yes please and she reach her arm over my food to get the cup. One of the orders had crab cakes and had a freeze burn taste to it; the food was over cooked and hard. When it came time for the check she stood in front of me waiting for the payment, while I was looking over the bill she decided leave, before she came back I left the bill and the credit card at the end of the table. She came back and said to me are you ready, I said ready for what and she said the bill, I told her it is in front you and she laughed. I will never come back again. I would have given it less than a star if i could have
(1)
Jaye V.
There is only one reason I visit the Joe's Crab Shack chain, and it's because of the only good thing on the menu...the duh, crab. Specifically, the dungeness crab with the bbq dry rub. It's not barbecue sauce, it's a rub that mixes with that butter and mmmmmmm. It's the waitstaff favorite wherever I go, because they give me the knowing look or say "You know the good stuff" or something similar whenever I order it. And dungeness crab is just so meaty, with tons of body meat as well as leg meat, that's easy to get at. It yields a high amount of meat per pound. The thing is, Joe's is inconsistent with dungeness . I've been to bad Joe's, good Joe's, and excellent Joe's. Unfortunately, while the flavor is there, this Joe's overcooked the crab moreso than any Joe's I've ever been to. You're Joe's CRAB SHACK. How can you overcook the crab?!
(2)
Michael S.
I went here out of curiosity on night. I ordered one of their famous "Buckets". I feel for the money you can probably find something better. I don't usually eat a lot of seafood (Even though I love it!) but something tells me it wasn't worth the money. The service was lousy and the waiter didn't seem to happy. The bucket was fair size portion of seafood. But the quality just wasn't there. I would skip this place if I were you.
(2)
Kimber L.
I have to start this by saying that our food was pretty good. It wasn't the best quality seafood but decent. A bit on the pricey side, and no reservations accepted made it slightly annoying but this was one of the worst dinning experiences ever. Our server was very polite but that was the nicest I can say. Nothing was provided for us that should have been. To start with we never received our appetizer, there were no bibs, claw crackers, poker things for the meat, knives, wipes....we had to ask for everything at least 3 times all while our dinners sat and got cold. We had to ask for drinks too, at least twice. These aren't big requests. This is a seafood place and the lack of utensils was ridiculous. Our waiter was clueless. The manager was nice and took a few meals off to compensate but really by the time it came to order dessert we just wanted to leave.
(2)
GM D.
NOthing to write home about except the bill... standard food... nothing fabulous....Wouldn't go there again.... 75.00 was a bit too pricey for what we ate.....much better places to spend our money ... cool thing is the servers do this little dance thing....in the middle of serving you sometimes...
(2)
Jessica S.
I went to have lunch there with my girls on Sunday. We drove for 30 minutes in the rain to get there! I had crab cake sliders.... the crab cakes were good but there was a very thin sliver of them in my sliders, mostly bread and tomato. One friend had the popcorn shrimp which she enjoyed but it was nothing extraordinary. Another friend had one of those steam pots they have in their commercials. She loved it! Said it was worth it and enjoyed every bite! I probably wouldn't drive back over there unless it was for a birthday or something. Service was a little slow but overall OK experience.
(3)
Keat G.
If you love crab like I do, you will love Joe's Crab Shack. Great down-to-earth atmosphere with friendly wait staff. I got the Seafood platter, and really liked the crab cakes. The shrimp was OK too, but not as good as the crab cakes.
(4)
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Address :4402 N University Dr
Lauderhill, FL, 33351
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Dan S.
I arrived and was seated immediately, which is rare for a Friday night. My waitress came to the table as soon as I was seated, she wrote her name on a paper towel and said she would be back. She did not return to take my order for at least another 10 to 15 minutes. The appetizer arrived and I finished eating it before my iced tea arrived. I finally got my tea but after I finished it, it remained empty, no refill was offered. The service struggled but the food was awesome!! I ordered the Classic stream pot and it was cooked perfectly, the crab meat easily came out of the shell in complete pieces. The smoked sausage was perfectly spiced!!
(4)Juliet N.
Going to Joe's crab shack had become a tradition when its come to my husbands birthday. He loves it. Walking in, ill be honest it wasnt as nice looking as i expected (only because the only other one we've been to, was in ny and i guess it was maybe a new store). It could use a little dusting and definitely a new sound system, because it kept making a really loud zaaaping noise until they had to eventually turn it off After looking around more i realized they were going for that shack look anyways. So no biggie. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our server came over, very friendly and offered up some specials, asked if it was our first time and then gave us some time to look at our menu while he got our drink orders. My husband always gets the lobster daddy. Me on the other hand, After being on the boat, i wasnt feeling too good, so i had a hard time deciding. The waiter brought our drinks over and gladly helped me decide. So i got the east coast platter, with crabcake, shrimps, fried onion, fries and beer battered fish. Again i wasnt feeling great, so i didn't eat much, but i really enjoyed what little i did eat. As our waiter came to check on us, he noticed i wasnt really eating and asked if it was okay. I told him it was great, it's just me. I thought i had read on the menu that my meal came with coleslaw. (But it didn't, it was another platter that offered that) but before i realized, i asked him if it came with my order. He so kindly said, no but that he'll bring it for me anyways. When my husband decided to come up for air, after completely indulging into his bucket, he raved about how great the ragin canjun seasoning was. And in honor of our Fishing trip, he got the shark bite drink. I had a few sips of his and it was just right. I knew my plate was good, because my thoughtful husband helped me eat the rest of it lol. My coleslaw was good and i felt satisfied with everything. The workers all did the cotton eyed jo dance and we had great time. I really liked it here and will be returning.
(4)Jessica G.
I'm surprised the overall rating here is as low at it is. I had a pretty good experience here, especially in terms of the food, and if you're signed up for their email promotions there are coupons galore to be had. That's one of the good things about chain restaurants, there are always promotions. Our dinner at Joe's Crab Shack started off a little shaky. We arrived on a weekend evening, I can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday, but we were lucky enough to not have a wait. I say things were shaky because I walked in and there was a couple standing inside the door, I asked if they had spoken to the hostess and they said they had. I then approached the hostess and informed her that we needed a table for two. She rudely responded that the other couple was ahead of us. Yes, I told her, we knew. She continued to be snippy somehow implying that we were trying to get ahead, when all we thought we were doing was putting our name in. Maybe I was being a little too sensitive, and I have my theories as to why the hostess was so rude, but after we got past her, everything was great. Our server Leah introduced herself and we ordered a few drinks. The drinks here are gimmicky and a little pricey, but they're fun so I think it's worth it at leat once in awhile. By boyfriend ordered the shark bite which was some sort of blue alcoholic beverage served with a shark full of grenadine so that you pour the "blood" out of the shark and mix it into your drink. Yes, gimmicky, but it was fun, the drink tasted great, and after one or two the shark is fun to play with. I ordered a sweet tea vodka drink that was also quite good. For our meals I ordered a steamed queen crab platter and my boyfriend ordered one of the large pots. The seafood was delicious. His boil came with two lobsters so we each had one, and I shared my crab. It was a giant feast and either meal probably could have been split (though not if you're shellfish lovers like we are.) Service did taper off a little towards the end as it took awhile to get the check, but this type of food takes a long time to eat, so I think they just try to give you some space. Our bill was a little over $100 for the two of us, but considering we had multiple specialty drinks, two lobsters, and pounds of crab and shrimp, I thought it was more than fair. I also had a $10 off email coupon (seriously, sign up for the emails) that made it feel even more reasonable. I will definitely keep Joe's Crab Shack in mind for future seafood dinners as everything was tasty and cooked perfectly, and given the other options in the area, you will save a few dollars coming here.
(4)Linda T.
Food is great - I live close by. Consistently tasty. My fave are the steam pots. They are all yummers!!!
(4)Anthony B.
Great service ( had a wonderful waitress ), but the food was terribly. Bland greasy and no flavor.
(2)Maria A.
The first time I went there the experience was great. Great food, great ambiance, great company. Service was great too. Love the steam pots a lot of food; however, as seafood goes, pricey. But it was worth it. The second time I went I must say, I was disappointed as our booth had a bad smell. It smelled like a sewer. We told the server but nothing was done. I am sure the food was good but I just couldn't enjoy it:( I just now saw that there is location near my home as Ft Lauderdale is a long way from home and having to drive an he just to get there it just isn't fun. I will have to try the location on 36th street snd will yelp it.
(3)MICHELLE C.
It has been many years since we came to this restaurant. Thankfully, they still do one heck of a great job with the quality of seafood and incredibly great service. The menu has changed with many offerings including steampots, grilled, fried, you name it. This is a casual fun atmosphere and we saw very large party's celebrating birthday's. It's the kind of place where you can get rowdy and it would not matter. Our server was so personable and this guy knew the menu inside and out. He told us what was excellent and what to stay away from. Not that anything was bad he just had his favorites. We started with some cocktails. They make a very lovely Margarita. I was quite happy with my choice. I ordered a mahi sandiwich grilled with a side of fries and my daughter ordered the steampot of crab's. They were excellent and meaty. My sandwich was very good as well. The fish was fresh, good btread and seasoning. I would come here anyday over the dreadful Red Lobster. This place is fun, casual, good seafood, reasonably priced and they give very good service. Cheers for tasty seafood!
(4)Crystal E.
Used to love this place.. don't know what happened. Should have left before being seated. Was directed to a dirty table that needed cleaning. Pointed dirty spots out to server. We ate upstairs. Stairs and walls were filthy . Wallpaper peeling off walls. Dirty table legs looked like they were never cleaned. Waitress forgot to bring ice for the melted iced tea that was served.. glasses must have been sitting for a while. Hot interrogation light over table had 120watt light bulb in it. Keep food and us warm... Special drink extremely expensive $15.00, greasy fish and shrimp dinner, crabcake tasted like old crab. Watch out for servers coming up the stairs. Went to restroom that was not attended to.. paper on floor. Plastic Paper holder would fall apart when paper was pulled. Heard dishes crashing loudly 3X's. Entry door grimey and displayed 3 layers of repainting. Like I said loved this place 5 years ago. Now I would not bring a guest there. They need to clean up their act. Sorry .. but beware. I would have been embarrassed if I brought out of town visitors.
(1)Marc L.
I'm only giving the 2 stars because of the great service (Cindy), but the food was zero stars....it was sooooo bad. We had the East Coast Sampler, the 33 Shrimp, and the Pizza. All the food had absolutely no flavour and the order of hush puppies was very dry. How could one possibly make that much food that bland??? We sure did not want to stick around for the dessert just in case that was bad too.
(2)Jerry G.
For not having reservation we pick a great spot for seafood. The Calamari was outstanding with the dipping sauce that accompanied the dish. The wife had a Salmon dish and I had King crab legs plate with the fixings. Service was great by O. Not bad with the price and they put on a guick show with some good old school music. Thanks for a great dinner.
(4)Savanna M.
Wait....I haven't reviewed Joe's Crab Shack before??? I've never understood why people bash Joe's and instead flock to "that other crab place in Broward". The other place in question is practically walking distance from my house but I still choose to drive to Joe's - mostly because the prices are cheaper and partly because the atmosphere doesn't seem quite as dirty to me. I've been coming to Joe's for years. It took a while to convince my family members that a certain other seafood chain (it may rhyme with "Dead Mobster") wasn't the end-all be-all that they had been raised to believe, but we began frequenting Joe's anywhere from once a year to four times a year. Plus lets be honest we were pretty much just going to "Dead Mobster" for the snow crab, so we might as well come to Joe's and enjoy some other options. At this point I've tried most of the menu and narrowed it down to what I believe to be the best. APPS: There are some good apps here: the crazy crab dip and the mussels come to mind first, but I tend to want to save room for my crab and I just order the lobster bisque. The menu lists clam chowder and soup of the day as options, but the soup of the day is always lobster bisque as far as I can tell. I've had lobster bisque at places that range from 5 star restaurants to side of the road hole in the walls, but for some reason I'm convinced that Joe's is the best! ENTREES: First thing - skip anything that isn't a bucket or a steampot. These other entrees are just gross if you ask me. I give them credit for adding the steampots to the menu. This allows someone who wants some crab but doesn't want all crab to still enjoy while also getting some clams, mussels, lobster etc. The steampots are all tasty and you should be able to find something you enjoy. For me, it's ALL ABOUT THE CRAB. I go for the bucket of queen as I've learned over the years that king is far too spikey and snow is a lot of cracking for a little bit of meat. Bucket flavors - steamed is best if you just want that pure crab flavor. The garlic is good, the bbq flavor is surprisingly good and different. They've also got old bay and I believe a fire-roasted flavor. For me, I stick with steamed and extra butter ;) DESSERT: I'm usually too full but I'll try a bite of others. My mom swears by the turtle pecan something. My step father loves the key lime pie. On this visit we tried the new smores dessert and also had some apple crumble - both good! DRINKS: Drinks can get pricey here because of all the gimmicky souvenir cups etc. But the drinks are strong and quite big. SUMMARY: Here's the lowdown. Buckets of crab are 1.25lb and range from $25-$30, which is cheaper than that other Broward county staple. There are some pieces that do seem overcooked but honestly the taste is still great and I'm fine overlooking it. The service is so-so. It can sometimes be hard to find your server but this visit was fine. The ambiance is gimmicky as well and the servers have to dance to certain songs. They looooove birthday's here and you will see at least one table a night participating in some kind of embarrassing birthday procedures. This is all "take it or leave it" for me and really it's just the crab that keeps me coming back. Sign up for their email mailing list for some great discount offers!
(4)J N.
First I want to start of by saying I have eaten at Joe's Crab Shack and joes stone crabs. Both places have ridiculous tasting crabs that make you feel in heaven. Now I my heart will always be with Joe's Crab Shack cause it's more bang for your buck. My gf and I go to this place 3 times a month minimum and it's never a dull taste . I recommend any and everyone that loves seafood I general to go here by yourself or with a group I also recommend the king crab with steak that's my favorite combo And before I forget the drink specials are superb and affordable
(5)Christopher B.
I'm pretty sure there culinary staff trained at long john silvers.... The lobster bisque was a texture I can't even explain.... Ordered an appetizer sampler, crab dip was bland as a novel about carpets and was clearly frozen, calamari was chewy and clearly frozen, crab and cheese balls had ok taste.... But we're clearly frozen.... Also bartender didn't know how to make a Manhatten and became argumentative when I asked what he served me... Tanquery and lemon juice with mint leaves.... Simply put save the money and go to long john silvers, you will get the same meal.... Maybe even better
(1)Tiffany S.
The absolute worst! I ordered the king crab and snow crab legs and what I received was anything but. When I question the manger who was sent over to my table by the waiter after seeing the plate for himself he said it was seasonal and that why my legs looked more like the size of children's fingers. Oh did I mention it was my birthday! So after all of this madness I was ready to go and here comes the wait staff to sing me happy birthday.. Uh really?
(1)Marty O.
The place has really gone down hill. The first table we were directed to was dirty, the second table the seats were torn, the third table was also dirty and sticky. I asked that the table be cleaned. I watched our server drop a towel on the floor, then pick it up and clean our table. I counted 8 tables with tubs of dirty dishes sitting on them. There were water leak stains on the ceiling, all of the decor was dusty, and wallpaper was falling off the walls. If the front of the house looks like that, I can't imagine what the kitchen looks like. We should have left then, but we decided to stay. On a good note, the food was as good as it has always been, and neither of us got sick.
(2)Ian R.
I've only been here once and probably never again. I'm not a huge fan of seafood but we had family in town and my grandparents REALLY wanted to take them here so I went along. I don't like to be fussy plus I knew they had some basic things like burgers so I figured I'd be okay. Ordered a pretty basic bacon cheeseburger and asked for it well done. Was told it might take a little longer which is obvious, and told them we'd be fine. It took them about 45 minutes to get us our food, amidst the random singing fits that would break out amidst the wait staff. Whenever we tried to flag one down to ask about our food I was told that "Well, your well done burger's going to make it take a little longer..." even when we agreed to have them bring the food out for the rest of the table they couldn't, and eventually brought it all out at the same time. I wish my burger had at least been underneath a heat lamp, because it was cold and had clearly been sitting for some time. It was clearly not the real reason we were forced to wait for so long. I'd pass on this place.
(1)Paola V.
I love the crab pots here and the crab stuffed mushrooms! We keep going back because the food is good! The waiters definitely need to be more aware of their tables, its happened more than a few times where we sat down and didnt have someone greet us for 10 or 15 minutes. Also, they could definitely make sure the booths are cleaned properly before seating. Crabs can get messy and spash juice when youre cracking, so making sure everything has been wiped down is super necessary, that includes the window sills. Still love this place and if youre looking for a super casual, laid back, inexpensive place to eat some good crabs, this is it! Another plus? They are opened until 11 on the weekends!
(4)Christopher L.
It's Mother's Day so we called ahead and only had to wait 5 minutes to be seated. We got crab and lobster, everything was on point. We did have to wait for a while for dipping butter but overall everything was great.
(5)Ronnie R.
This place is pretty good. The seafood is definitely frozen not fresh but it still taste pretty good anyway. The service is so self sometimes the waiter our waitress can lolly get eggs and not visit us as often as we like, and sometimes they don't come it all for over 30 minutes which is not great. The best service would be a good medium between those two. Overall not a bad place to eat I especially like their new Boston being baked tons of food.
(4)Lillian T.
First time here. Initial impression the ladies' room is filthy. It looks like no attempt to clean it for a while. We'll see how the food is!
(1)Hannah C.
Horrible service and music is way too loud. The food was also not that great. Dont go here
(1)Daniel S.
Horrible service slow the orders got mixed up 4 times food was cold seafood was horrible the drinks were weak and the place was empty and still had slow service. For the money you pay it really makes me upset. Stay far away do not waste your money what a ripoff and a way to ruin what would be a good night out.
(1)Richard B.
Never order a margarita here, they are horrible and undrinkable. The music is much too loud and annoying. We ordered king crab and were suprised how little we got for $30. When we told the waitress, the manager did give us more saying portions are weighed but sometimes the chef short weighs the food. Really? We won't be back. We are done with Joes.
(2)Magnus D.
I like this Joe's and go here once a month for lunch to meet a colleague from the other side of town. I was their biggest fan for their jambalaya, but they sadly took it off the menu. Oh well, they've always got something new and cool to try. Do they always nail it? No, but who does? But they always make it right and I like that attitude (speak up, dude, and make yourself happy). I like that their menu is always stuffed with new things and it's never boring. Yet, they've got some standards that never disappoint. Great chowder, clams and crabs... and a Red Stripe beer! Now, what more can you ask for? Just plain good eats. I'm going back...
(4)Sammy L.
This is more then there over pricing , but rather how they treat there employees, employees earn 5:00 an hour , if you order there food and recieve the check, and cannot justify the cost of the meal they will reduce the price and and tip left over is at the cost of the servers! No more detail on this till I am done with the department of labor, if they fire any one they will open up a can of worms and I will expose everything I know, and that an area they don't want to enter!
(1)J H.
Great place to eat. Tried several appetizers.... popcorn shrimp, boudin balls, voodoo chicken, calamari, crab taters and fried pickles. Love the flavor and they came out still hot rather than cold waiting. Iur waiter was comical and very attentive. At 2 bucks an app on tues, any college student or happy hour worker would enjoy.
(5)Lee Z.
The food was average, but I think I would rather go to Rustic Inn. The service was just minimal.
(3)Ken D.
Came in tonight. Waited 45 minutes for a table. They use a text message service when your table is ready. After I received my text I went to the hostess and they told me to wait on the side. They proceeded to sit 3 party's that were texted after me before they seated is. They brought us to a table upstairs where they had 10 empty tables which was strange considering the wait line. After 10 minutes they came and took our drink order. My wife asked if they had bottled water and the waitress said yes so she ordered a bottled water. I ordered a coke. Before our drinks arrived a manager came over and game is a coupon for a free appetizer for the next time we come back because she was pre apologizing for a delay in the kitchen and said the wait time would be longer then normal. Our drinks arrived. My coke was only 1/2 full... My wife was given a glass of water and told the waitress she ordered a bottled water. The waitress apologized and said we don't carry bottled water. Weird !!! A waitress then came to the table next to us and asked if they were ready to order. The man at that table said "are you serious ! We ordered over an hour ago". That's when my wife and I made the smart decision to get up and leave. Sorry Crab Shack. If I'm gonna spent $100 + on a dinner for 4 it's gotta start off better then my experience did tonight. I'm now writing this review from Hooters across the street.
(1)Raven L.
So we walk in on a Saturday greeted by a hostess with blue hair who wasnt very pleasent at all quite frankly she seemed mad to be working their. Anyway we get seated and the server is attentive very happy but not very knowledgeable of the menu. The food was overall decent i would come back but it wouldnt be a first choice. Its a fun experience tho
(3)Carol R.
The service was great the food was the worst!!! This was my second time eating here the first was two years ago and something has gone terribly wrong.The place is filthy. We had to return one of our meals. My Maine Lobster dinner was dry and salty. No drawn butter on the platter . The appetizers left everything to be desired. Everything was either over cooked or under cooked. We will never return. The staff could not have been more accomodating when they had the time to get to us. Really under staffed. If there was a half star Joe's would get it.
(1)Joshua R.
The staff needs to learn how to wait on there customers. Poor service, instead of teaching them to do some stupid dance they should teach them how to wait tables.
(1)Jo W.
This place isn't all that great other than on Twosdays when they have $2 Hurricanes and appetizers (which are very small by the way). The other plus are the Steampots, which actually have seasoning (not just that salty water taste) and are a lot more affordable than most other seafood places. The decor is seriously lacking, its not the cleanest, the food is pretty subpar, and the service needs much improvement but if you like seafood and are looking for a deal (maybe at a cost), it is surely way better than Red Lobster (not that is saying much).
(2)Mitch B.
Real good experience here. Staff was very nice. Server was really attentive and quick with everything. The only reason i am going 4 stars was because I felt the portion was a bit small for the price. Quality was pretty good, but for 25 dollars I got the queen crab and a lot of shells were lacking meat. They basically cut two potatoes in half and just threw them in the bucket plain. Everyone else was very satisfied though, my girlfriend got the ribeye and loved it. All in all it is a quality place, do not be fooled by the 3 star average. But I would just stick with the snow crab for the price, I don't think you get much more meat from the queen legs.
(4)Hans P.
Service sucks real bad. I got attitude when I asked were my drink was after 15 min. The food was great however for a seafood place there is no drawn butter for your crab or lobster. Just some melted salty crap in a cup. Next time I will try the one in Miami and post another review.
(3)Andrea W.
Haven't been here for about 5 years. Walked in and it looked familiar but not. Found out they are going to be remodeled soon so that's why the walls looked bare. Went in on a Monday so it was not busy at all. (We were actually at Red Lobster and left there to come here) so if you want less crowd, Monday is a good night to go. We started with the crab nachos. The flavor was good and crabby (lol) but we felt it was way too creamy, almost like a melted crab dip was poured over it. I felt it would have been better if it was a shredded cheese and then add the shredded crab on top. For the main course we had the classic steam pot for 2 (you save a little $ this way instead of getting 2 individual pots). It came with a mix of queen and king crab, new potatoes, shrimp, and a sausage. Everything tasted good. My only complaint is that they were a little heavy handed on the seasoning. I'll make sure next time to say something when we place the order. Kudos to our server Dwayne who was very attentive and super nice. The only other thing I observed but not necessarily a complaint is that considering it was slow, there were some tables that hadnt been cleared for awhile so it kind of took away from the atmosphere. But its a fun casual place with a good staff so we'll be back. And its for sure cheaper and better portions than red lobster.
(3)Alisha B.
Enjoyed my first experience here...have family that travel here from Syracuse to Boynton Beach every summer and this resturant is a must everytime they are here! The steam pot is the way to go! I had the Cajun flavor and it was AWESOME!
(5)C D.
This restaurant is disgusting. Dirty, holes in walls, dark and did I say dirty. Vents are full of lint and disgusting. Our booth we sat in had a hole in he floor and the whole time I was there I felt that a rodent was going to crawl over my foot. Don't go!
(1)Becca J.
I had the ribeye it was so good! For a place that primarily sells seafood they did a wonderful job. It was one of the best steaks I had. Our server Zack was on point . He was there exactly when we needed him. Not one moment did we have to hound him down. And our food came out fast and delicious. It was hilarious when the servers started doing the cha cha slide. It was my first time there and definitely won't be the last
(5)Evelin B.
Service is okay, but the food is delicious. Sometimes you gotta compromise. The way they season the food in the steam pot is impeccable, however I asked if the can substitute the sausage for extra shrimp and they said I could, however they gave me the sausage anyways. I didn't want to complain because we were hungry and just wanted to enjoy everything else.
(3)Jorge F.
I love the steam pots here! I especially love their BBQ seasoning! I love the drink selection and the atmosphere. I definitely recommend this for a family outing.
(4)Rick R.
What a huge waste of time and money. Food was not fresh, which explains why it's over cooked. The picture on the menu of the steam pots looked so appetizing so I ordered one. It was the laugh of the nite. My plan was to share it with my wife. When it was served it was in a miniature pot with a little plastic fishnet sack I could of fit in my pocket. The caption under the picture of the steam pot on the menu should have read (actual size). How this franchise stays in business is a mystery.
(1)Charlotte Charlie K.
I wish I could divide my stars up bc I'd give them 4 stars for FUN. I also think it's AWESOME that they had call ahead! We bypassed LOTS of people. The hostess staff were very welcoming & friendly. We took our 2yr old twins for dinner. They had a blast! It's VERY kid friendly. I LOVED that BOTH highchairs were decently clean, but MORE important they were NOT BROKEN! I also like that their kid menu has gluten free options bc we deal with that with one of our kids. I give them 3 stars for a few reasons. 1) Our waitress was hard to find when we needed her- which was only twice- but it took way longer than it should have - she wasn't even on the floor. 2) all of our shrimp with the exception of the Crispy Jumbo Shrimp was WAY over cooked!!!! Rubbery doesn't even describe them... I would avoid ordering shrimp if you can, except for the one dish. On a positive note, my steam pot (with the exception of the shrimp) was very tasty.
(3)Camilo S.
Awesome place. Very good food. Good atmosphere. I rarely want to return to a place I've just visited. But this place is the exception. I want to return already. You'll get very dirty though.
(5)Ila K.
Our trip here was very unfortunate. I should have known as we were walking in, that the service was going to be abysmal. From the hostess continuing a conversation with a busboy without acknowledging our arrival, to the appetizer taking over 35 minutes to hit the table, to losing our waitress for nearly 20 minutes, the service was bad. The food, once it arrived was okay. Of course the humidity in the restaurant made it that the salt shakers didn't provide any salt, and we sat with dirty dishes in front of us for over 15 minutes, but the food was okay. All this on a Tuesday night, with the restaurant less than 1/2 full.
(2)Sanya H.
Went for lunch food awesome had steampot and food was great. Big portions. Fresh. Nice waitress. Good kids menu
(4)Michael G.
Made me fat and happy. Queen crab bucket with old chesapeke seasoning yumyum. Waitress was an awesome gal and friendly. Will be visiting again on future trips.
(5)Howard M.
Not a bad place. Food was tasty. Drinks on Tuesday was $2 and they were great. I had there crawfish meal in a bowl and it was great but the crawfish were small. My date had there crab leg bowl and she said there wasn't much meat in the legs
(3)Jamie S.
My friends and I love crab so we wanted to try out a new place. I ordered the Lobster Daddy Feast which brings a whole lobster with snow crab and 2 sides. Price was reasonable. It was good, not great. I'll be honest, I would have rather driven down to the Keys or flown to New Orleans instead. Meh, I've had better. Decor, atmosphere and staff was friendly but all in all, I wasn't too impressed to come back again.
(2)Celine C.
My first time at Joe's Crab Shack and I'm really loving it! Some people complained that the price is ridiculously high. I think the price is reasonable for seafood. I ordered the Lobster Daddy and got a whole lobster and a whole bunch of snow crabs, 2 potatoes and 1 corn for 28.99! They were all very meaty. The corn was extremely fresh and crisp! We also got the Crabby Apple Crumb with Cinnamon iceccream on the side. It's to die for!!! The service was excellente!!! We had at least 2 managers came to our table and said hi and asked if we needed anything. Actually more time than our own waiter. There was lively music and I really like the decor. A must try!
(4)Holly S.
Don't love it, don't hate it. If I am in the area I will go (or if someone suggests it I'm in). Service is always better then good. I have had steam pots for the most part when I have been there and maybe once or twice they weren't as good as they had been before. I can't stand restaurants when the people who work there sing and dance. I think that was fun maybe 20 years ago however now it makes me uncomfortable.
(3)Zac V.
Despite the two poor reviews, we went to Joes anyway. This was our third visit. While the service was ok, the steam pot was the best. A FULL pot of steaming hot snow and Dungeness crab as advertised. When the lid came off the pot, it actually looked better than the menu photo. The spicy boil was spicy and the Pepsi was cold. I've visited Joe's in at least 6 states. This one was worth the trip (if you like having crabs). Lol
(4)Shalom W.
We really had a great time, the staff was fantastic, I could tell all around me people were enjoying themselves. Then we got the food and it was delicious. Thank you everyone for making my visit and dining experience so enjoyable. I will have to go back soon... Oh wait I am! Haha, I will definitely need to make it a habit to go to toss place, something tells me they take care of their regulars and add for tourists this is a great spot too! Fun energetic atmosphere and delicious food.
(5)Bruce K.
I'm not a fan. It was good, but I'm not a sea roach eater. I mean, it is "Crab Shack" so the focus of course is going to be on crabs and not necessarily other seafoods. It's a lot overpriced for what it is and that's without having one of the seventy bajillion varieties of crabs. I had a blackened filet sandwich with the onion strings. It was good. But I felt like I didn't show the right respect by having crabs. Maybe you'll feel differently. I can't say that I'll return.
(2)Eric J.
Well on the bright side. Their branding people are awesome. Never has a restaurant name so captured the essence of a restaurant . Boring , bland, common and forgettable , that's Joes. Kids portions were tiny ( even for kids) except for maybe kids under 5. Their veggies were clearly bag frozen. Grilled shrimp was meh ..,crab was... Wait for it.. Meh. I had a burger (just didn't have a lot of confidence in the seafood) and it might as well have been invisible in terms of both size and flavor ( except the stale bun was memorable so hooray for that). It got two stars Bc it's a cute place and it's better then Red Lobster...wait staff was very nice though...
(2)Jessica D.
We dined here on a Saturday night and to my surprise we didnt have a wait. I was very happy about that. The hostess seated us off to the side in an empty dining room. She said it will be crowded and full in here later. We were just happy to have the place to ourselves for now. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms, crab nachos and bucket of shrimp to start off with. Everything was good but the bucket of shrimp was kind of small. For dinner I ordered a ribeye steak well done with coconut shrimp. It was delicious. No complaints here. My husband ordered a steam pot and could not finish everything. He said it was great. Our waitress was very attentive and very friendly. We shared the same name, lol I will be going back here again.
(4)Nathalie P.
I simply love crab, period. We were in the area, so I decided to look at my trusty Yelp app for advice. I saw the prices were decent, so we decided to try it. We came for the crab and the crab only... really cannot comment on any of their food besides the crab and it was GREAT. I chose the Crab Daddy feast in the spicy boil.... ughh so delicious. The restaurant building itself needs some work and more smiling, welcoming faces, but we didn't care.... we enjoyed it. The beer was cold, and our waitress was nice. It's unfortunate that this place is 40 minutes away from my house, if not I would be here at least once a week for their spicy boil crab buckets, yum!!!
(4)Kevin C.
As an seafood crab house, their food is average, I had the crab stuffed mushroom, nacho appetizer, and some lobster, lobster was very watery, no meat inside. The deco was nice. I think is a little pricey.
(2)Brandi S.
We have heard about this restaurant via TV and Radio for a while but since we're from Palm Beach County we don't frequent the area often. Just by chance we stopped in here when we were in Broward county, it was a bit out of the way though. The restaurant was packed, noisy, and pretty dirty. When we were sat at our table the floor was wet from one side of the restaurant to the other, behind a wait station and around the corner. Three adults ordered Joe's classic steam pot, crispy fried shrimp and shared the crab nachos and the hush puppies. My nephew had the kids pizza, which for kids, was okay. It was just okay food all around really, the steam pot shrimp and corn were overcooked and the crab nachos had way too much topping so it was soggy. Also, the hush puppies have a rough cornmeal texture, without the sweetness of corn. We will probably not make the trip again to give it another try in case it was just a fluke because it was extremely busy (Friday night) due to the cost and time needed to get there.
(2)Bryan K.
There is very few places to get shellfish on University or west of University. When we walked in they seem like they just got some new seating program and couldn't figure out how to sit us at the 15 empty tables right in front of us...I am not joking about how many empty tables...once they sat us...the servers were quick..food came out fast and was hot and tasty..not a bad place to eat..
(4)Jahmila B.
The only thing half way decent about the place was our waiter. The food was very disappointing. Everything was over cooked. We ordered a steam pot that's was pitiful looking. The clams are so tiny. About the size of a dime. The sausage was gross and the lobster was rubbery. We also ordered a sampler type plate which everything was over cooked as well. The shrimp were the only decent part of it. The fish and chips was beyond disgusting and the scallops weren't far behind. Almost $50 spent of food that could have been better at somewhere like Long John Silver's. I sure won't be visiting this location again.
(2)Joy D.
I ordered the classic steam pot which included a snow crab leg cluster, a Dungeness crab leg cluster, two or four (I can't remember) new potatoes, an ear of corn, 4 shrimp that had not been deveined (ewwww!!!) and half of a sausage link. No salad, bread or other sides were included. This dish was $23.95. The good news is that it was light enough not to make me feel like I had over indulged at the conclusion of the meal. With a party of 6, the waitress had her hands full, but did a good job for a Saturday evening. The not so good news for me was, I kept thinking that I had made this 28 mile, one way trip, for naught. I just couldn't help feeling like I got jipped. I don't know if it was the disappointment from travelling 40 minutes (knowing full well I've passed at least 5 Red Lobster Restaurants), the bland tasting dish, the realization that I could have gotten at least four steamed clusters at Winn-Dixie for the same amount or just the general lack of satiety. Lesson learned.
(2)Marilyn C.
We shared two steam pots between three ladies and they were less than average. I had eaten steam pots before, about two years ago and it was more than enough for two people, this time two steam pots barely had any food (seriously we though we were going to have a ton leftover) 1/2 lbs of shrimp? Where? We had 4 pieces of shrimp, seriously......four. The drinks were good and our server was great. The calamari appetizer was ok, nothing special. I'll stick to Rustic Inn as my future seafood restaurant. Joe's disappointed me, I won't be coming back.
(3)Sue M.
The most recent health inspection showed 1 critical violation for food properly thawed. I've been to other Joe's but not this one. This location was a bit smaller but still the same menu items and atmosphere. The restrooms and tables were clean. The selections on the menu a bit pricey as usual. We really wanted a crab or lobster pot but it was just too pricey. I opted for a combination platter and it was excellant. The server was just fantastic. There was no stone unturned for her. Overall a very good dining experience. You have to know what you're getting into before you walk in.
(4)Harvey D.
Joe's is actually pretty good and they have changed a lot of their menu since I last ate at of their restaurants. They now have they steampots which are pretty decently priced and well worth the money. My wife and I decided to eat dinner at Joe's for no other reason than we were both craving seafood and it seemed like a good idea seeing as how we had to be in Lauderhill for a class later that night. I ordered the Orleans steampot and a side of fries. The steampot was just as spicy as the menu and waiter said it would be; however, my only complaint is that the portion size is not great. My steampot came with crawfish, shrimp and andouille sausage and it was really good; you just don't get a lot of food even though it comes with corn on the cob and two new potatoes. Also, the side of fries was more of a kid portion than an aduit portion. Our waiter was excellent up until the end of the meal. Once we were finished eating, we told him were kind of were in a hurry and that we will take the check. It took him a little while to bring the check and my wife then brings out her phone and asks him if they take this online coupon for 20%. He is unsure so he calls the manager over the manager looks at the coupon and responds,"Sorry. We don't take online coupons b/c there are so many fake coupons out there. However, if you sign up for Joe's VIP club, we will send you promotions and special offers which are accepted at any Joe's location." What? Fake coupons? That's a new one! Our server then literally doesn't come back and we have to ask another server to take our credit card b/c we need to go. As we are leaving, I looked for our server and I still didn't see him. Maybe he is practicing to be a magician and is perfecting his vanishing act? Overall, the food was great and the restaurant as a whole is fun and relaxing. If I am in the mood for seafood and am in this area, I might just pop in.
(4)Lorraine N.
I promised the daughter I would take her for crab during our little trip to Florida. I wish we could have gone to the beach and gone to some place that was not a chain...but we were on a very tight schedule and decided when we saw Joe's that this would be it. She always loves her crab...and got the 30.00 deal where you get king, queen , and snow for a crab lover's feast....she ate every last bite. I am glad we ordered salads before the meal as they were served in a nice chilled bowl and were very crisp and refreshing. I wasn't as happy with my food. I got mahi-mahi with some type of mango salsa and it was just dry and not very good. I also ordered up a mudslide for dessert and my pet peeve is when you spend big money on a pretty drink and they serve you up a glass with shit dripping all down the side. I don't want to get my hands all sticky so this makes me very pissed from the get go---then when I tasted it---no flavor at all....just watered down chocolate ice flavor....skip that drink stick to bottled beer..... The service and attention from management was spot-on and made my dining experience better even though I wasn't a huge fan of the food...
(3)SoftLove G.
Fun environment. .. great customer service and the food was good, the portion they gave was worth the money!!
(4)Heidi R.
Worst experience ever. The food took forever and they ran out of steak and then told me i was gonna get another item for free but then charged me for the steak i didnt even have! Will never return!
(1)Vanessa N.
We were excited to have a Seafood place that was nearby and were completely disappointed with it. The Crab legs were a disgrace to Crab Legs and the appetizer and sides were greasy. We did not like the ambiance either. Do not waste your cash!
(1)Ana D.
If you've ever been to Joe's, you pretty much know what you're in for. It's your average (chain) seafood, which typically does the trick of satisfying your craving without breaking the bank. I'm honestly a fan of the Joe's chain. I've yet to have horrible food or a miserable experience. However, I especially love this location because not only is the food always what I want, I've been fortunate enough to get the same waitress each time I've visited. She was hilariously funny, pleasant and always took such great care of me. In addition to great service, I've always received perfectly cooked food (love their crawfish) and good drinks (the bartender is not selfish with the liquor). I haven't been to FL in a while, but whenever I'm in town, I'll never hesitate to drop in.
(4)Brian W.
They were out of lemons and instead of the manager going to Publix to pick some up for the kitchen, they waited for the truck to deliver them while their customers complained and left. This place is horribly run and I wouldn't recommend eating here.
(1)Chocoolate I.
The first thing I noticed was that the person at the door who greeted us with a hearty " Hey, come on in and party." We walked in and five or six servers were dancing to "YMCA" by the Village People. Our server, Yaset was equally as positive. If you go to this Crab Shack wait in line for a table served by Yaset who is a real "Costa Rican cutie" with a spicy sense of humor and a knowledge of the menu that is probably second to none. Yaset recommended our entire meal including the lobster bisque which my girl thought was great, the Santolla Steampot which I would recommend to anybody because it is absolutely delicious and contains a sample of a lot of seafood, and we also had the Pasta-Laya. The Pasta-Laya is is mixture of sausage, sauce, and seafood over perfectly prepared penne and this entire meal only set us back $48 dollars and we left with leftovers! In short, the food was fabulous, the atmosphere was great and our server Yaset was amazing. I would highly recommend this Crab Shack if you are a seafood lover and are in search of a great value.
(4)Craig B.
Terrible, Terrible, Terrible! Food was cold, potatoes raw, lobster cold, service slow and unknowledgeable. How a crab shack can exist in South Florida and be so terrible is beyond me. There are good and bad Joes, this if by far the worst that I have ever been to. We drove 90 min south to take my mother, wife, and son there - absolute waste of time, money, gas, and basically a day of my life (to be dramatic). Next time, if given the choice, I'd eat a frozen beef patty from McDonalds.
(1)Jim H.
This has become our favorite restaurant! This casual dining restaurant has memorabilia hanging from every wall and even the ceiling. You notice something new every time you come in. The atmosphere is light and fun with peace, love and crabs everywhere. The music spans a couple of generations an is usually funky and upbeat. Every so often the staff will flood the floor and dance a conga line or the electric slide and you are welcome to join in if you dare! The portions are full, the meals come out hot and the whole staff seems to pitch in to help make your experience great. The Manager visits every table and asks how they are doing. If you like seafood, especially Crab, music, fun, dessert, conga lines and casual dining with a rustic nautical flair, then you will love Joe's. By the way, my family eat here tonight and we were served by Alexis, "Lexi". If you get lucky enough to be served by her, tell her my son Logan with the curly blond hair thought she was great and the rest of the family loved her too.
(5)Monica T.
Service is so so. Food is ok, your typical steamed seafood, nothing special. good place to eat dinner w a big group of friends or family. Yummy desserts.
(3)Kim M.
We have been going to Joe's for years and it was always a favorite of our whole family. The crabpots were always delicious amd the prices were reasonable for what you got. This last visit was a real disappointment. For starters, the place used to have all these interesting things hanging on the walls and had a fun atmosphere. Now they have taken everything off the walls and left this dingy, peeling wallpaper that makes the place look so somewhat dirty and plain. The crab dip, which was always our favorite app seemed like it was an old batch that got barely warmed with a hardened lump of cheese on top they didn't even bother to melt. It was way off the regular. Then, the steampots came and the crab was not as fresh as usual. It looked old and, when cracked, came out in small dry pieces instead of moist large chunks when it is fresh. The kids portion of snow crab has shrunk to one little cluster and they literally gave my daughter one tiny boiled potato cut in half for her potato side and gave me 2 tiny potatoes for my steampot. I used to get more potatoes than I could eat, so they are definitely cutting corners. When we asked the waiter for butter for our crablegs he brought out containers of frothy liquid instead of clarified butter. When I asked him about it he told me they bring out whipped butter now instead, but I'm still not sure why it was foamy. We didn't use it because it just didn't look right and we missed the clarified butter. It takes alot for us to ban Joe's from our restaurant choices since we love crablegs, but the food and place looks like they are cutting corners and seems to be going downhill. Paid $90 for a crappy meal. What a shame.
(1)Shaquira B.
It's a very pretty place and the atmosphere is great, but the food is just ok. I was not impressed. Not satisfied with the food and size for the price.
(3)Toy L.
Showed up for a Monday lunch with a friend. We were already less than sober (I was on vacation). I always see the commercials for Joe's Crab Shack in New York/Connecticut, but I believe the closest branch is in New Jersey (soo not going there). The crab nachos were insane. We both ordered the Samuel Adams Steampot and inhaled it in less than 15 minutes. They sprinkle some seasoning on everything that must be similar to crack, because it leaves you licking your fingers and searching your pot for any crab legs that may have gotten away.
(4)Bryan D.
Food was great! I was apart of a party of 6. The place is huge and the service is good. I had the lobster daddy which was amazing seasoned with garlic herb which gave it amazing flavor. I would go back for sure!
(4)Anselee J.
I imagine 2 day old prison cafeteria would be taste better than this..... Bar also had a weird smell..... Maybe the perfect place to take some one if you plan on giving them food poisoning.
(1)Susan C.
I have mixed feelings about Joe's Crab Shack. It's a chain and every so often you get songs played on volume so high that you can't talk over it while the waitstaff dances. However, the Joe's Classic Steampot is tasty, if not a little overpriced. Sometimes it's nice just to relax here on a Friday night after a long week. However, I really have a problem with the kitchen NOT looking in the steampots before they send them out. On two separate occasions, something has been wrong with my dungeness crab cluster. The first time there were very unappetizing black areas on some of the legs, and the second time two legs were missing altogether. The waitstaff is always nice and friendly, and they rectify the situation immediately with a new cluster. I enjoy the food and drinks and will continue to come back on occasion, but just know what you're getting into before you go!
(3)Star E.
I feel like this place is ridiculously over priced for the amount of food they give you. I shared the trio crab pot with my BF. It came with 3 little clusters of crab legs, 2 small red potatoes and 1 ear of corn. For $28.99, they could have given some more corn and potatoes and an extra cluster of crab legs. Its highway robbery that I was charged $2.39 for an extra ear of corn. Overall the seafood was good and our waiter was friendly. But after you get the bill, you realize it wasn't really worth it. I can steam up my own crab legs and veggies with some old bay spice for less then half the price.
(3)Cookie C.
First off the waitress looked like a heroine or meth addict so tht turned me off ... Then she could not get me order right .i sent it back and they still could not get it right the potatoes were so dry and not done no seasons no taste the we're horrible ... The managers were horrible and nt professional I will never eat here again the food gave me food poisoning the next morning was not good ..go here if u want diarrhea
(1)Marc d.
Went to Joes Crab shack the other day. Been to the one in Vegas and had a good experience. So sticking with what I know I went here. The atmosphere and staff were very friendly. The Apple cobbler with a scoop of icecream (don't remember what the specific name of it was) and the appetizer trio platter were good. I'd give it 3 stars for that alone. But the main course Boston Lobster pot. I think it was. Wasn't good or presented as good. I expected it to be all mixed in together in the pot like the picture but it was not. Don't remember it like that before. But the lobsters were in its cooking net and the rest (sausage, shrimp, corn, etc.) were in the other net. I like to crack things and hear that cracking sound but cracking the lobster claws to this meal was meaningless as the claws did not crack but crushed in. So much for that.,the shells of the lobsters were hard and the lobster was not as good as other places I had before. One sausage, 1 corn, maybe 5-6 shrimp and about a dozen baby clams made out the rest of this fiasco. I should have just stuck to the appetizer and dessert. Joes crab shack went down in my book.,hopefully it was just this location. Been to Hot & Spicy Crawfish, the Boiling Crab, Red Lobster,etc. I put Joe's above Red Lobster. Going to check out the Rustic Inn Crabhouse Tommorow. Hopefully I can get this distatse for shellfish out of my mouth.
(2)Spence B.
I came to Joe's a few years ago on a visit to FL and I was impressed, so I was excited to go back this time around. Unfortunately, this experience wasn't as good as it was the first time The service was pretty accommodating but the main problem I had was the price to serving ratio, apparently Joe's has gotten a lot more expensive then I remember. We ordered a pot of 3 different types of crab, and some sides which was pretty good, it's just that for the amount dinner cost there should have been more. This place also reminds me of Applebee's with some overpriced seafood. I will most likely find somewhere else to get crabs on my next visit to Florida...Wait that didn't sound right.
(3)Christine V.
This place was pretty good. The only complaint was that the music was a little loud. The food was good though. We had the crab nachos, which were delicious. I ordered the grilled salmon and my husband had the coconut shrimp. Both meals were very good. For dessert we had the chocolate cake a la mode and it was soo good. I'm a sucker for dessert and this definitely hit the spot. If we crave seafood again and don't want to make the trip to the Rustic Inn, this will be our place to go.
(4)Jonathan F.
Awesome. My dungeness crab was delicious, my beers were ice cold, and our server Miguel was.great. No Heineken Light, but I'm not complaining. I'm hoping my 5 star review will offset some of the 1and 2 star guys who went to a crab shack, ordered a burger or something stupid, and weren't thrilled with it. ITS A CRAB SHACK WITH AWESOME CRABS. DUH! :-D
(5)Jessica P.
Horrible! Disgusting! Food is frozen and overpriced! Our service was good the waiter Was very nice but that is it. My husband had the snapper , it had bones and scales on it! I ate nothing because it just looked dirty and nasty. If I could I would give it no stars.
(1)Crystal M.
Went on a Monday night, so it was empty. I went with my parents and my dad ordered the lobster steampot (2 1 1/4 lb Maine lobsters, 1 lb clams, shrimp, corn and potatoes) and my mom and I got the Joe's classic steampot for 2 (dungeness and snow crab, sausage, shrimp, corn and potatoes). Each were $40 a pieces. We also got the sample appetizer for $12. Overall, the steampots were good, though the butter we got was almost clear. Like dipping your crab in butter flavored water. However good they were, the steampots were not worth what we paid for them. I would think maybe $30 for the lobster one and $25 for the steampot for 2 would be better. Our waiter was great and nice, but the music was WAY too loud. And our chips were stale. Besides that, everything else was good. I'd still go out, but only once in a great while .
(3)Kristina M.
Florida for Spring BREAK is the BEST. Native NYer constantly watching these damned JCS's commercials when the closest one is in the middle of NJ. I had a serious CRAVE. Ive been to FL numerous times. Ive been to a JCS before but not this one. JCS will always be on my TO DO list in FL. I AM A SEAFOOD FIEND. I got the Crab Daddy - Legs from all 3 dungeness, snow and king with chesapeake seasoning. I had a side order of crawfish, just to try it out . I had the meal of my life. The crabs werent overdone. All perfectly cooked. My friend loved his food..and felt no need for butter. I like the vibe in JCS. No need for etiquette here - just be elbow deep in seafood. I had a Shark Bite - tasted of blue hawaiian with 2 extra shots of grenadine. It wasn't very damaging. Meals go for at least $30 per person but considering the AMOUNT of food its absolutely worth the experience. I wish there was a restaurant like this somewhere in NYC. There was, and they were shut down. Believe me, I've been searching. If anyone knows of any - I'm willing to go ASAP to check it out.
(5)Mandy H.
Saw their ad on TV about some great price for their bucket deal.... The price is good but don't order any other seafood except crab.... Their snow crabs quality are good but I had clams and mussel and they are so-so...... I will go back again but i will only order their snow crabs.
(3)Germán R.
Restaurant class crabs with lots of styles and flavors to choose from, excellent service (we had like 3 waitresses at times). The bet part is the experience you get fron the place and just getting messy opening and cracking your food up and at a good price. Eventough seafood is more expensive than most food the bill should be similar to that in Chilli's or maybe Macarroni's, large portion buckets of their famous crabs, shrimp and compliments (sausage, corn cob and potatoes) are more than enough for 2 and cost $40
(5)Alex D.
Seafood is good but other than seafood the food is horrible. I had the ribs. They were cooked too long and very tough so I didn't get too much meat. The MEN's BATHROOM WAS DISGUSTING!! URINE WAS EVERYWHERE ON THE FLOOR. A BIG COLLECTION OF IT WAS BY THE URINALS LIKE A HUGE PUDDLE! No one ever cleaned it while I was there and the trash can was a mountain of papertowels. Disgusting. I felt so dirty on the drive home plus I almost slipped and fell in the bathroom because of the urine..O and the waiter I had was scary. Sat down next to me and stared at me while I ordered, it gave me a cold chill....
(2)Francisco M.
Without a doubt, one of the worst places I've ever had crab legs from! My wife and I went there for my birthday and I was expecting some awesome crab legs; YEAH RIGHT! What we got instead were over cooked salty crab legs bathed in salty Old Bay seasoning - WAAAAAAY TOO SALTY. The appetizer we ordered was mediocre at best and the drink my wife ordered wasn't available, WTF? The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because of the ambiance and atmosphere, all of the waiters were very cheerful and pleasant - they even did a dance routine. If you value good quality crab legs, go somewhere else. If you want a lively atmosphere with sub-par food, this is your place. Wouldn't go back even if they paid me.
(2)Adam S.
My wife and I went here this past Saturday and they looked packed. When I asked how long a wait for 2 people they said it would be about 20 min which isn't bad for a busy restaurant on a sat night. So I told them ok and they asked for my name and cell number and said they would send me a text when my table was ready. I thought that was a little unusual and wondered what would happen if someone didn't have a cell phone or couldn't get text MSG's on their phone. Anyways they sent me a text about 10 min after taking my info saying the table was ready. The place was clean and the food we ordered was good. The waitress was ok but never really checked on us the managers came by more often and refilled our drinks and asked how things were. We both ordered deserts and they were good but huge cuz my piece of key lime pie looked more like a key lime cake it was easily enough for 2 people. Would of given a higher rating if the waitress would of done a better job.
(3)Susan N.
I stayed in South Beach in early April and made plans with a friend to meet in Fort Lauderdale. I had been eating at some of the best restaurants in South Beach. When I walked into Joe's Crab Shack, I didn't think it would nearly measure up to the restaurants I had been to. Well, I was sure wrong! The food and service were great. The lobster bisque was wonderful. My stuffed snapper was fresh and delicious. The salad was great. Managers kept coming up to us to ask if everything was okay. I thought I was at a 5 star restaurant, except for one major difference. The check was a small fraction of what I had paid in South Beach. I went to speak to the manager to tell her that everything was fabulous. She gave me a hug. Way to go, Joe's Crab Shack.
(5)Marcela H.
service was good but could have been better. after mentioning to our waiter that it was our first time there, he did not bother to recommend anything (thanks to the reviews here I had an idea). a lot of waiting for mediocre food. very loud ambiance, place felt dirty. and the biggest turn off walking in & out the horrible of the dumpster kill it!! GROSS!
(2)Martha M.
What a Disappointment from when I first visited. Even the server told us that they were cutting corners and costs. Apparently also cutting on quality too. I ordered a fries an they brought a measly handful of fries & my bf's pot had 2 super mini potatoes.. WTF?! Do Not Go There!
(1)Wendy B.
I love seafood. I mean....really really love seafood. So anytime someone suggests a seafood restaurant, I'm there! I've been to Joe's several times now and I've tried really hard to love it, but each time I've been underwhelmed with my food. So much so, that I couldn't even tell you what I ate, except to say that it was fish and it was a bit bland. Maybe the crab is better, but I haven't tried it, so I couldn't tell you. I keep hearing how great this place is, but so far, I just don't see it. On the up side though, they play great music and it's got a cool and entertaining vibe...but that's about as far as it goes. Next time someone suggests Joe's I think I'll pass.
(2)Karl G.
No one at door, stood around for a bit. A waitress left her tables to get someone to seat us. Waited again for drink order. Waiter forgot my kids drink and straws. My kid likes the food and atmosphere else they would never see me and my money.
(1)Patricfk B.
This place was the worst restaurant I have ever been to. My waitress under the influence of something. there was two of us and she could not get the drink or food order right. She asked if I wanted a refill, I said yes please and she reach her arm over my food to get the cup. One of the orders had crab cakes and had a freeze burn taste to it; the food was over cooked and hard. When it came time for the check she stood in front of me waiting for the payment, while I was looking over the bill she decided leave, before she came back I left the bill and the credit card at the end of the table. She came back and said to me are you ready, I said ready for what and she said the bill, I told her it is in front you and she laughed. I will never come back again. I would have given it less than a star if i could have
(1)Jaye V.
There is only one reason I visit the Joe's Crab Shack chain, and it's because of the only good thing on the menu...the duh, crab. Specifically, the dungeness crab with the bbq dry rub. It's not barbecue sauce, it's a rub that mixes with that butter and mmmmmmm. It's the waitstaff favorite wherever I go, because they give me the knowing look or say "You know the good stuff" or something similar whenever I order it. And dungeness crab is just so meaty, with tons of body meat as well as leg meat, that's easy to get at. It yields a high amount of meat per pound. The thing is, Joe's is inconsistent with dungeness . I've been to bad Joe's, good Joe's, and excellent Joe's. Unfortunately, while the flavor is there, this Joe's overcooked the crab moreso than any Joe's I've ever been to. You're Joe's CRAB SHACK. How can you overcook the crab?!
(2)Michael S.
I went here out of curiosity on night. I ordered one of their famous "Buckets". I feel for the money you can probably find something better. I don't usually eat a lot of seafood (Even though I love it!) but something tells me it wasn't worth the money. The service was lousy and the waiter didn't seem to happy. The bucket was fair size portion of seafood. But the quality just wasn't there. I would skip this place if I were you.
(2)Kimber L.
I have to start this by saying that our food was pretty good. It wasn't the best quality seafood but decent. A bit on the pricey side, and no reservations accepted made it slightly annoying but this was one of the worst dinning experiences ever. Our server was very polite but that was the nicest I can say. Nothing was provided for us that should have been. To start with we never received our appetizer, there were no bibs, claw crackers, poker things for the meat, knives, wipes....we had to ask for everything at least 3 times all while our dinners sat and got cold. We had to ask for drinks too, at least twice. These aren't big requests. This is a seafood place and the lack of utensils was ridiculous. Our waiter was clueless. The manager was nice and took a few meals off to compensate but really by the time it came to order dessert we just wanted to leave.
(2)GM D.
NOthing to write home about except the bill... standard food... nothing fabulous....Wouldn't go there again.... 75.00 was a bit too pricey for what we ate.....much better places to spend our money ... cool thing is the servers do this little dance thing....in the middle of serving you sometimes...
(2)Jessica S.
I went to have lunch there with my girls on Sunday. We drove for 30 minutes in the rain to get there! I had crab cake sliders.... the crab cakes were good but there was a very thin sliver of them in my sliders, mostly bread and tomato. One friend had the popcorn shrimp which she enjoyed but it was nothing extraordinary. Another friend had one of those steam pots they have in their commercials. She loved it! Said it was worth it and enjoyed every bite! I probably wouldn't drive back over there unless it was for a birthday or something. Service was a little slow but overall OK experience.
(3)Keat G.
If you love crab like I do, you will love Joe's Crab Shack. Great down-to-earth atmosphere with friendly wait staff. I got the Seafood platter, and really liked the crab cakes. The shrimp was OK too, but not as good as the crab cakes.
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