The only, only (only) reason to go to Joe's is the Dungeness Crab done BBQ style (savory dry rub added to outside of crab). That's it. Get those, and you'll like Joe's. Try something else, and I bet you're meh on the place. I remember our first time at Joe's years ago, waiting almost two hours at the bar for a table (!!!). Now, on a Thursday at 6pm, we were one of three tables in the whole place. The one north of us (maybe Farmington area) closed up years ago, so who knows the fate of Joe's in Ann Arbor.
(4)
Bill D.
Good food for a chain store. Nice waitstaff nothing extraordinary but decent place to eat dinner.
(3)
Mike D.
Stopped in last week for crab. I was craving Dungeness and this is where I get it. I ordered a Dungeness bucket with fries and hush puppies, spicy boil of course. The crab was great. Dungeness has piles of meat in the body section without all of the green crap found in the snow crab, and lots of large chunks of meat in the legs. The hush puppies were nice with the dipping sauce, though the fries were forgettable as expected. My daughter loved her usual paint a crab dessert, which allows her to use a paintbrush to paint chocolate, caramel, and strawberry on a rice crispy treat shaped like a crab. Good food, but damn it will cost you a mint.
(4)
Vionte' S.
Today I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. I've never had crab or lobster and thought hey, what the heck! It wasn't very busy so we were able to get seated fairly quick. Our waitress was really friendly and quickly earned her tip after telling us about $2.00 Tuesday's! By it being my first time eating seafood so I can't really say if the prices were reasonable compared to somewhere else. What I do know is that I can't believe that I've went this long without ever trying lobster and or crab. The steampots were filled to the top, and I definitely feel as though I got my money's worth, the outside seating was cool and it was spacious. All in all for a chain restaurant, the portions are moderate, the prices are kind of high, but I'd eat here again for sure despite the opinion of others!
(4)
Eric W.
- Over-priced in my opinion, but it is what it is. Service was great, outdoor seating was awesome, I just feel the food costs too much for what it is. I had the 33 shrimp platter for I forget how much. The crab fritters were absolutely a waste of time. It
(3)
May S.
Everything was delicious from the sampler platter, to the steam pot, and let's not forget the Bahama mama!
(5)
Stephanie M.
For some reason every time I come to this location for lunch we ha e to wait over 45 minutes for our food to come out. We advised the waiter that we are at lunch and we ordered immediately. After sitting for 40 minutes we still haven't received out food. We only saw our server again because we asked for him from another server. The restaurant was not full. At all. We ordered salad and fish and chips. Even if I make this at home it doesn't take 40+ minutes. We had no time to eat and had to rush back to work. Completely unacceptable. I won't be back here. One star is given because you have to give something
(1)
Tim W.
Was good food for a chain Resturant. Service was the same, what you would expect. Was in and out fairly fast and the food although good, reflected that.
(3)
Robin B.
Where to begin...., do I start with the hour plus wait for our food? Or the fact that it was cold when it arrived? Perhaps the excuses that the manager wanted to give as to why it took over an hour ? She said it was due to the large groups that they had, but as I looked around I really didn't see that many people at all other than us. There was the big gesture of how they had taken a whopping $12 off of our bill. So now I only owe $90 for cold fried seafood? Oh boy! Where do I sign up for more of that??? And finally the last insult was the $10 coupons so that we'll come back and try them again, and give you more of my hard earned money! Never again Joe's Crab Shack , I hadn't been in your establishment in about 3years, and after tonight I'll never go back again, and in all honesty I'll be telling anyone I know about this whole experience as well. Shameful, just plain shameful.
(1)
Sebastian G.
Its been a few years since our last visit because the location in toledo closed down. All the food & appetizers are pretty tasty. Although the prices are kind of high, the portion sizes are decent. Compared to the other seafood places that are most popular in toledo like red lobster & the real seafood company do not compare. If there was one in the city, we would Definitely be coming here over the rest.
(4)
Lanita E.
The food at this restaurant was a big disappointment. Went here for my birthday. The food is overpriced for the quality and quantity of food received. My husband and I ordered the bucket of shrimp appetizer to start. We got a few puny shrimp on a bed of ice. The shrimp still had the vein in them. It was a good 15-minutes before we spotted our waitress to flag her down and complain. She said "they don't clean any of their shrimp". Not acceptable. For dinner, I ordered the bucket of crab which has 3-types of crap in it. The crab legs were too salty and had a tough texture. Other than the salty taste, they had no flavor and were clearly overcooked. I also felt there should have been more for the price. For a few bucks more, I could have went someplace else and had "all you can eat" crab legs. All in all, not a good experience. Will never return again.
(2)
Suze A.
Went here with the family, and since we all have different seafood loves, we decided to split a couple steam pots. The waitress didn't seem shocked at all (we thought it might be frowned upon), she brought extra plates and make sure we were all set to share. The food was good, although someone went a little pepper happy.
(4)
Tricia K.
I agree with Liz W. the thing to eat here is the dungeoness crab bucket. I had the Crab Daddy feast pot which had some dungeoness in it which was the best part. I had mine flavored with Old Bay seasoning although next time I will go for a spicier flavoring. I found the atmosphere to be really cheesy but that is what I expected. And I really enjoyed my dinner and would not hesitate to come back. My husband had stuffed shrimp which was just ok. He ended up eating some of my crab anyways. Why would you come to a crab shack and not order crab??
(4)
Lena L.
If you want great seafood go to the coast. For a fun, energetic time with your loud family, go to Joe's Crab Shack. It is loud, colorful, fast-paced, busy. That is the atmosphere, which was quite enjoyable for me and my super loud sisters! I had a fun time dining there. The food quality gets two stars. The lobster was stale or not fresh in taste. The crab was juicy and tasty though. I ordered one of the $30.00 pots. I have a big appetite and that was the right amount for me. others at the table shared their pot. The sampler appetizer was good. I like the crab, cream cheese, and Parmesan dip the best. Ok food and fun atmosphere.
(2)
Josh B.
I loved the crabs and all the apitizers. My dad never likes seafood. I've been there multiple times. All the other seafood is good.
(5)
N J.
I'd been meaning to write a review, since we went here a couple weeks ago, but I've been in and out of hospital with health problems (unrelated to my visit to Joe's Crab Shack), so I haven't felt up to it. When we went, we were greeted and seated promptly. Our waiter took our drink order without incident (even my odd way of ordering a diet Coke), and brought us our drinks in a reasonable amount of time. We weren't in the mood for a steam pot that day, so we made a meal out of lobster nachos, cheese sticks, and great balls of fire. Everything was properly cooked, arrived hot, and tasted delicious. I have no complaints. Next time, we'll be going for a lobster pot, I promise. :)
(4)
Mike T.
I had the Great Barrior Reef Steampot, if you like over cooked mussels and shrimp that have the texture of a rubber tire, and king crab legs that are so salty that I had to spit them out then this is the perfect place for you. Seriously it was the worst crab legs that I ever tried, I wouldn't go back of they were givin their food away..... BUT..... The service was really good, we had a very good waitress that did an awesome job
(1)
Randall S.
I like this place. I get the same good food and service when coming here. But there was something different this last trip. And it was for lunch. They had an employee table setup far in the corner. It was piled full of crap. I heard a manager go over and ask twice for someone to come back to work. On occasion it got loud. It showed unprofessional employees in action.
(3)
Kathy P.
Never again will I patronize this place. The manager on staff was very unclean and unprofessional. According to him, he had cut himself earlier in the day yet, he did not bother to clean the dried blood off his thumb. In my opinion, he should have been wearing gloves for those of the food industry. Second incident, sitting in the booth to the right of the host stand and discovered I was getting rained on from the leaky ceiling. This facility needs to be shut down !! I have since contacted the corporate office and awaiting a response as to how they are going to handle the manager and the whole in the ceiling.
(1)
Kate B.
It's been a long time since I've eaten at Joe's. We usually go to the one off of I-75 after we hit the Renaissance Festival, but last year was rough and we never got a chance to go, so I was really looking forward to a crab feast! I remembered that there was one here and after looking it up on Yelp and finding out that it was only 18 minutes away, I had to go! I took my sister here and we did it up nicely. I had a cherry limeade and my sister had a Midori Super Sour. Both drinks were well-made and delivered a nice buzz. I ordered the KJ Bucket, which was wine-infused mussels, scallops, and crab. I upgraded the crab from Snow to king because it's a pain to get the meat out of the Snow's tiny claws. My sister got the Caribbean sampler(?). They forgot the coconut shrimp but one minute with the manager and it was quickly restored. The food is good but what's better is the good memories made over a steaming pot and some good drinks!
(3)
Alayna D.
Not my first rodeo at Joes Crab Shack...it's still one of my favorites. The steam buckets are superb and the way to go even if you share with two people. I've had a few of the varieties, but when in doubt go with the classic steam pot! Yum. I like that Joes lets you sub out items in the bucket for other items (like more shrimp instead of sausage) which is nice. Service is good, our last encounter was very attentive, and management came by to check on us as well and introduce herself. Clean place, clean restrooms, and speedy service.
(4)
Kathy D.
I'm sorry I can't give this place a half star. Best part of the place is the t-shirts the staff wears. After looking forward to this dinner for a month (schedules delayed our night out) and taking a dear friend out for her birthday I can only say this place failed on every level. We asked for a booth so I could slide from my wheelchair into a comfortable seat. Instead of the floor level booths, most of which were open, we were taken to a raised booth. After nearly falling trying to get into the booth the waitress says "Oh, you're not too steady on your feet at all'. DOH!!! Our crab legs were so fresh (pun intended) that they bent in the middle because should have been left at the bottom of the boat and not offloaded on the brawler. My family has been to other JCS's and had better food and service. We've also eaten seafood from one coast to the other. If you are looking for good, well cooked seafood please go to another place. The food was abysmal!!! Our server did smile at us....once!! Obviously, the staff there is managed with a hard hand. None of the staff seemed happy to be there and you could see them mumbling to each other behind their hands. Of course I gave the server 20% simply because I would never stiff a server. It's not their fault if the place is so badly run that an otherwise fun place to eat has been turned into a place where the employees are serving time. Avoid this place!!!
(1)
Erica R.
A must have if you like seafood!!! I wish i could have finished my pot! Everything wss so flavorful and delicious!! I could eat here everyday. They even do a dance for entertainment. My server was extra friendly and seemed to be on top of everything we could have needed! A+ for service and food! I just loved the atmosphere there. Tried the smores for dessert and was blown away by the work put into it! It was a great way to START off dinner!
(5)
Greg V.
Can't go wrong with Joe's, I had a crab salad with a spicy dressing, I was very pleasantly surprised on how really good it was.
(4)
Brandi K.
Not what I had expected, food was OK seemed like it would be a great place for drinks.
(2)
Jessa B.
Awful. Worst food I have had in years. I will never return.
(1)
Cassandra N.
I love Joe's! Never had a bad meal here. Have enjoyed everything that I've tried. Seafood makes me smile. I love that it's such a casual place. I don't feel silly for wearing the bib in there. Can hardly wait to eat there again.
(4)
Liz W.
I love Joe's but I have to confess I only stop in for one thing, the dungeoness crab bucket. Do not muck up crab with added bad sausage or other iffy seafood, get a dungeoness crab bucket. Period. It is far more meaty than the waste of time that is snow crab, it is way better flavor than Alaskan king. As long as you get it simply steamed or BBQ style, they cannot muck it up. This crab with the potatoes and corn on the cob are all you need and all you will want at Joe's, the other food is a waste of time. I am giving it three stars because if you happen to go with someone who will not follow these rules they are sure to whine as everything else on the menu is meh at best. Also the waitstaff is iffy with their focus mostly being on dancing and wearing t shirts that seem to be all related to jokes about having crabs aka an STI, so appetizing. The decor is laughably atrocious. Dungeoness crab is hard to find elsewhere in this area though and it is the best crab in my opinion. The dungeoness crab bucket is therefore a solid five star. Oh and they have fairly tasty drinks, but really alcohol makes me happy in general.
(3)
Rebecca W.
I'll give it 2 stars, because we didn't have a horrible time. But it wasn't great, either. I had never been to a Joe's before, else maybe I would have known better. But we were wooed by the steampot commercials ("Take your top off!") and wound up going here for my graduation celebration dinner, on Grammie's dime. I wish now that we'd gone to West End Grill, or somewhere else fancier--and more expensive--for such a treat. The best part of the evening was watching the cute toddlers at the table next to us dance. The second best part was when the folks at the table on the other side of us complimented my new fedora (thank you!). Our margaritas were decent--mostly because it was the first marg. I'd had in about 10 months, so was bound to taste good--and whatever chocolately explosion dessert we got was great. Our server was nice but strange--seemed sort of like she was walking around in a trance--and like the other servers, she seemed unwilling to join in the mandatory conga line (angry zombie parade?) through the restaurant. Note I have not mentioned the food...I know, I know, it's a chain and we're in the Midwest, so do we expect? Well, I expected a LITTLE better. It was several rungs below Red Lobster on the chain seafood ladder, in my book. It was just very sort of OK. One of those meals where there's nothing great to say about what you're eating, so you wind up sort of sitting there, chewing, and thinking about dessert. Guess it's good we went, so we won't be wondering anymore. But next time someone offers to buy me dinner, it won't be here.
(2)
Rob P.
Let me say this: if I could give a lower score, I would not think twice to give it. Now, I'm sure you're thinking, "It's Joe's Crab Shack, of course it's not great", but this restaurant is abysmal, even for chain standards. I won't comment on atmosphere, you know that it's like a epileptic congo-line from the third circle of hell in the divine comedy--wikipedia it, it's an apt comparison of how one feels while dining there. The service was dreadful, had to ask the busser for items that the incompetent server forgot to deliver several times. Our waiter also managed to be the weirdest combination of rude and indifferent; I was left thinking, is he secretly laughing at me for eating here? Then there's the food. The saltest, soggiest, sorriest excuse for food that I've ever tasted--I still feel like I might puke--to top it all off, I paid $52.00 for it! Two people, no alcohol, 1 meal each...$52. I can safely say that I would rather eat my own hair if I had a choice only between anything from Joe's CS and my hair. Have I made my case here? I think so.
(1)
Colleen Z.
Hubby and I were running Saturday afternoon errands. Between Target and Best Buy we spied Joe's and decided a late afternoon tub of crab might hit the spot. I ordered the Crab Daddy Feast and hubby ordered the Big Shrimp Platter. OK, we were really hungry. I tried something new which was the spicy crab boil preparation. After the first two bites of delicious crab I was taken back at the great taste of the spicy boil. I typically drown my crab in butter but the spice of the boil made butter unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, butter is always good on anything but today it wasn't needed because of the spicy boil seasoning. The crab was incredibly good, cooked perfectly and yes, tasted like fresh crab. The spicy boil is quite hot so be prepared if you order. The boiled red potatoes were nothing less than amazing. Hubby's platter was everything fried shrimp; coconut, fried and panko fried. He commented the shrimp was prepared quite nicely, with distinct taste and very fresh. Manager came over to ask us about our dinner and we both said we were enjoying a great meal. I complimented them on the spicy boil. Manager said some patrons say it is too spicy but others love it. We have eaten at Joe's about once a year or 18 months. After this afternoon's visit we will visit more often. One negative note: smoking is allowed in the restaurant and does have an open bar section so if you hate smoke, like me, then ask to be seated FAR from the smoking area. **personal comment.....WHEN WHEN WHEN is the state of Michigan going to ban smoking in public areas!!!**
(4)
Travis L.
Being from Florida, eating Joe's when its 20 degrees out just doesn't seem right but this place makes you forget what the tempature is like outside. Like most other locations in the chain they have great food. I shared the sampler platter apetizers and had a crab bucket. The buckets are great and a must order to fully expierence the restaraunt. The buckets are expensive but worth it. The buckets also take a long time to eat so make to have some time if you order one. I highly recommend Joe's and can't wait to come back.
(4)
Michael M.
The steampots are unholy good. We took my dad here for his birthday, and it was just excellent, sinful, tasty seafood galore. A wee bit on the expensive side. Service was good, and the decor is very funky. An enjoyable once in a while visit due to the pricing.
(4)
Nick B.
I must say I left overly impressed. The service was great, the food was amazing, and the price was just right. My wife and I both got an appetizer, the crab dip to share. It has the perfect balance of creaminess and lightness that I would expect. We both got steampots, with both coming out nice and hot. Everything tasted great and we will be making a return visit.
(5)
Jason C.
Having lived by the ocean for 9 years and growing up eating lot of fresh seafood, when it comes to seafood, I have high expectations. Okay, I have high expectations on lot of things... characteristics defect... LOL... Anyways, this was my first time at Joe's, always drive by it when I go to Meijer... but never had the opportunity until the other day. My nephew wanted to eat here, not sure why, but there we were, myself and my sister's family of four... We walked in and the place was 1/2 empty... it wasn't busy at all... this was on Thursday. We got seated and the waitress introduced herself to us. We ordered our drinks and the appetizers. For our appetizers, we ordered the garlic mussels and fried calamari. The calamari was okay, I had better at other establishments... I always order calamari whenever it's on the menu and will compare them. The garlic mussel was a hit with me... I enjoyed it very much, obviously it has lot of garlic, but it was excellent. I have to say though, they bring the good in the medal bucket and it looks as they are brining a lot of food, but in essence, I'll say there's about 1/2 pound of mussels per order. Now, first main course order consisted of three: 1) The Orleans, 2) Sunset Fire Grill and 3) Old Bay Steampot. Item 2 was based upon waitress's recommendation. They were all good... one pot is good enough for one person. The only comment I had was, the Old Bay Steampot was very salty. Overall, they were good, the shrimps were over cooked, but worth trying each at least once. Then we ended up ordering Crab Nacho's... it was good... I had some doubts, but it was very pleasant. Then we ended up order another two steampots... The Bean Town Bake and Joe's Classic Steampot (check out their website for details). Okay, not sure if this is part of their marketing thing or not, but I thought it was corny at best. It seems like every 45 minutes, when an upbeat music is played, all the waitresses station themselves throughout the restaurants and start dancing for about 5 minutes or so... I don't get this... can someone explain? They also have birthday celebration - the entire restaurant sings for the birthday person. After $160 damage before the tip, we were full. As I always say, give it a try and judge it for yourself, as our opinion is ours along and only you can judge the establishment after trying it out. Cheers~~
(2)
C T.
Danielle and Briana are THE BEST!! My husband and I are visiting from California with a film crew and most of the places had so so service. It was his birthday and they made it fabulous!! King for the Day!! Thanks ladies!!
(5)
Jennifer V.
This definitely isn't the best seafood I've had, but it's probably some of the better seafood I've had in Michigan. Great seafood (that isn't Great Lakes-based fish) is exceptionally hard to come by, as far as I'm concerned - I'm from the SF Bay Area and we get some amazing, delicious, fresh seafood of all kinds. The food is pretty good, the service was awesome, and I can't really complain. Their drink selection is fun and yummy, and it satisfied my immediate need for seafood while I was living in Ann Arbor.
(4)
Camper R.
28 bucks and they serve steamed frozen lobster and crayfish. The lobster is tough and the crayfish are without flavor. You can see the freezer burn on the lobster. Stick to the cheaper (but marginally fresher) crabs and shrimp.
(2)
Joe N.
I ate here for dinner today. I haven't been to a Joe's Crab Shack in a while but was glad I did tonight. The buckets they have here are fantastic. The seasoning was good (Old Bay), the butter sauce great, and the seafood tasted about as fresh as you would expect for a non-coastal seafood place. I have no complaints. Service was great from when we arrived to throughout our meal. This would be a five star dinner, but my dessert was just average. Nothing technically wrong with the caramel apple crisp with cinimon ice cream, but there was not enough ice cream for the large piece of apple pie. It was good, but could have been better. If you are in the mood for seafood, I don't think you'll be dissapointed here. Most of the buckets are in the $20s, which I think is average for a chain seafood place but worth every penny.
(4)
Marie H.
Honestly, I don't even know what Rob P. Is whining about, because we were at the same meal, so I'd like to offer a counterpoint to his review. This is pretty much the best seafood I have ever had, it's at least a tie between here and the fish market in Tokyo. The decor is tasteful and understated giving the place a classy yet welcoming ambience noticeable from the moment you step in.They also do this really neat thing where they sing to you if it's your birthday, and you can tell they are really into it. It must be SO fun to work there, you can really tell from the top notch service too! In two words: par excellence!
(1)
Todd D.
There were 7 of us, and everyone liked their food very much. The shrimp appetizer (iced shrimp with old bay seasoning) was excellent. The cost was $107.00 before tip, and that included two liquor drinks and an appetizer that we all split. Thought the drinks were on the expensive side, 8.50 for a standard size drink, but maybe I am out of touch.
(4)
Harold K.
My job has me all over the Midwest and sometimes I'm in a place that only has chain type restaurants. This place was in walking distance so I have it a shot. Drinks were ok. The Shark Bite was perfect after a long day on the road. I got the Arctic Bay Steampot. It was fun to eat and pretty good. Service was fast and super friendly. I'm gonna make an effort to stop at. Joes Crab Shack more often.
(4)
Harold S.
It has been years since I ad dined at a Joe's. And the food was still great, and I think it has gotten better. Our server was upbeat and you could tell she loved her job. She was not pushy and let us take our time deciding on our meals. I really loved how they offer a gluten free menu. I do wish our server would have come by to refill my drink more often than she did. Our server made sure our food was good and to our liking. Then having the general manager come by and check in was a great touch. This shows that this restaurant is very customer oriented and focused. Can't wait to find a reason to travel back to Ann Arbor.
(5)
Kylee W.
My husband and I ate here last week. In a word, it was rather frustrating. To start off, we waited for five minutes at the empty host stand without a greeting, which I don't think I've ever experienced before. Eventually, we were able to get the attention of someone (standing on the other side of the dining room) to be seated. Once we were seated, we waited an additional 8-10 minutes before our waitress came to take our drink order. While we waited, several members of the wait staff passed our table multiple times and made direct eye contact with us, but did not say anything or offer us a glass of water even after we'd been there for more than a few minutes. It was a bit odd for service to be so slow, especially since the dining room was not crowded. At this point, we began feeling slighted by the staff. However, because it was getting pretty late in the evening, we decided to stick it out. My husband ordered the queen crab bucket, and I opted for a snow crab bucket. Our entrees came out fast, but unfortunately, they felt as though they'd been prepared too fast. The quality of the ingredients carried the taste of the meal through, but the potatoes were a bit hard while the corn was wrinkled, pale and mushy, almost like it had been sitting in a pot of water for too long. For what we paid, I expected more. There are other restaurants where you receive almost the same amount of snow crab legs (still steamed with potatoes and corn), with bread and a salad/soup, for a cheaper price than you pay for just the bucket at Joe's Crab Shack. Especially after our long wait for a table and drinks, I was disappointed that a $50 meal did not provide at least a small loaf of bread.
(2)
Clara H.
First and last time I'll ever eat here! Decided to eat here as a last minute choice on a Tuesday night we were seated and our waiter took our drink our drink order right away. After looking at the menu we decided on the Cesar salad with grilled chicken with a side of grilled shrimp and my mom got the fish & shrimp. It took awhile for our food to come out and when it did the fries with my mothers food were cold and the batter on her fish was falling off. My salad was ok but the side of shrimp was awful! The shrimp was cold and the rice it was served with as extremely underdone. We didn't get one drink refill and sat for about 20 minutes before our waiter came back and we were able to ask for the check. Needless to say we are not fans and will not be returning to Joe's Crab Shack!
(1)
Mimi T.
Nestled behind the Meijer gas station. It's a big restaurant but when I first came in there was no one to seat me or ask where the painting workshop was being held. I assumed it was in the back so I just started walking and finally someone pointed me in the right direction. So a few caveats, I only drank the wine and I came for the Painting event that was being held here. So my review isn't a true on review of Joe's. We ordered wine but apparently the HH special only applies at the bar. The waitress said she'd try to get us the HH special in the back room but my wine still came out to be $11+ which seems oddly high for a HH. Not 100% certain that the HH prices were applied and the wine was just eh. $3 buck chuck would've tasted better and been cheaper. The food that other people ordered looked good but when I perused the menu I couldn't find anything that wasn't deep fried or pan fried so I skipped the food. It smells like a "everything is fried" kind of place too which isn't really my cup of tea. I highly doubt I'd come back to taste the food and definitely not for the wine. Sorry Joe CS, I don't think I'l be returning to this chain.
(2)
Angela D.
The two dollar Tuesday specials are very small and not very good. All sorts of restrictions if we wanted 2 dollars specials we had to be in the bar area so we moved to bar area only to be told if we wanted happy hour specials we had to be somewhere other than the bar area so we went outside where we were told Oh yeah we no longer have happy hour. Also crab was good but why not bring a lid so it stays hot. The server was comically uniformed.
(2)
Karina S.
DISCLAIMER: I HATE CHAIN RESTAURANTS. ESPECIALLY those who sing and dance and cause nuisances. HOWEVER, I have been going to Joes Crabs Shack for years and I am never disappointed. I always sit at the bar and receive amazing service and i always order the BBQ crab legs. It is always served warm and always tastes amazing. I will continue to come here and support the only chain restaurant i set foot in because it is always consistent and priced accordingly.
(5)
Pete P.
Went for dinner here recently and I have to say I've had better experiences before. I took my daughter here for here birthday in the past and we had a really good food experience. This time, however, was not very good. It wasn't slamming busy when we came in here as we were seated right away. The waitress was very nice but I think she might have had too many tables assigned to her. The drinks came a bit slow as well as refills. I ordered the fish and chips, which I think they should be able to pound out in no time flat but our food order seemed to rake a long time. I also ordered a side of hushpuppies which did not come with my meal. The server told us that the cooks over fried the batch and had to start over. This seems like a mistake an eperienced staff does not make. This also seems to be a staffing issue. I don't blame the waitress for this and she made it right by getting the manager to give me the next batch for free, which I appreciated. Still, I'm thinking they really need to work on issues other than the food which was fine, if a bit slow. I'd like to come back sometime to try them again but I'll give it some time for them to work on things.
(2)
Darrell K.
I was in the area and decided to check out the spot today. I have seen this spot many times and have never eaten here. I was with my friend and they do not have a love for seafood but they enticed me to go anyway. There was a 35-40 minute wait so we decided to sit at the bar. I got the Spiked Sweet tea. Pretty good. Very slow service here. We ordered a couple of drinks and were going to eat but the bar staff guy was pretty slow. We decided to take our table instead. The waiter was nice. We even had the manager ask was everything going well. He joked with my friend as she got a chicken salad and no seafood. The team dance to the Hustle was cool. Also seeing the birthday girl at the next table run around the restaurant was also fun. We got the spinach dip duel. The spinach dip was good. The cheesy dip not so good. I got the Seafood combo for the main course. It had scallops, fish and shrimp. It was ok. I have had better. Not very well seasoned. The scallops were spongy but they were fried. Overall, I have certainly had better seafood, even at Red Lobster. I would go back but I will try something different next time. Seems that the Dungeness crab is the thing to get. I will try that next time.
(3)
Aaron V.
The food was excellent, staff was great. Got the Joe's steam pot, at least that's what I think it's called, Made Lynns drink with orange juice instead of pineapple because she has a reaction to pineapples, they didn't even bat an eyelash when she requested that just said no problem, will go there again very soon
(4)
Fred H.
What a great place! We loved our food!! The waitstaff was wonderful!! My friend & I had the Lobster Daddy Feast & absolutely loved it!!! My wife had the Crab Daddy Feast & thought she got a little short changed for the price she paid. We'd definitely return again!!
(5)
Beth H.
Oh Jared (our server) I am so sorry and thank you for being such a great server. Food was great, hot and quick. Pretty dead for lunch hour, but snowmaggedon was looming to strike at any time. We ordered soup, Classic Appetizer Combo and my father had fried fish and chips lunch special. Very hot, fresh and no up charge to switch out the sides. The friecracker balls were spicy and tasty. If you have no experience with heat, you won't like them. The clam chowder was perfect. Lots of tender chucks of clam, and perfect blend of seasoning. It was a lot of food and couldn't finish it all. Total was $30, which is what I expected. This was probably my best visit to JCS.
(5)
Lupe M.
We drove 75 miles to go to the Famous Joes Crab shack and ... Food was terrible there was 4 of us and not one of us ate half of our food. Raw sausage, over cooked sea food and mushy crab cakes was our food experience. Service was deplorable. The restaurant wasn't half full and staff standing around chatting and we couldn't get service. Dirty dishes from appetizers were there at the end of our dining nightmare. The one saving grace was the Manger Jackie. She was understanding and embarrassed. Jackie is the only reason we would consider visiting there again
(1)
Mel B.
I went again with my son and the food was delicious I got a steam pot this time. Still was hot like I want it, but good. That's my pet pe. Going to a restaurant and the food is cold. There Queen crab legs were good.
(4)
Lara J.
I love to come to Joes whenever we travel to Ann Arbor to drop off our daughter at U of M (GO BLUE!). The Good... The food is generally yummy even if more of a commercial type menu. The service is fair in the way of speed yet the servers are mostly friendly and try their best. Need to add more servers? Maybe. Prices are reasonable. Now for the bad...this restaurant needs a serious facelift! Decor is cute but wallpaper is falling off the walls, the bar back is boring, and the worst? The bathrooms are hideous! Toilets leaking, mold on the walls, water damage, ceiling tiles crumbling, wallpaper falling of the walls and the disgusting smell, make me slightly afraid of the condition of the kitchen. Please oh please do something!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Liz R.
The only, only (only) reason to go to Joe's is the Dungeness Crab done BBQ style (savory dry rub added to outside of crab). That's it. Get those, and you'll like Joe's. Try something else, and I bet you're meh on the place. I remember our first time at Joe's years ago, waiting almost two hours at the bar for a table (!!!). Now, on a Thursday at 6pm, we were one of three tables in the whole place. The one north of us (maybe Farmington area) closed up years ago, so who knows the fate of Joe's in Ann Arbor.
(4)Bill D.
Good food for a chain store. Nice waitstaff nothing extraordinary but decent place to eat dinner.
(3)Mike D.
Stopped in last week for crab. I was craving Dungeness and this is where I get it. I ordered a Dungeness bucket with fries and hush puppies, spicy boil of course. The crab was great. Dungeness has piles of meat in the body section without all of the green crap found in the snow crab, and lots of large chunks of meat in the legs. The hush puppies were nice with the dipping sauce, though the fries were forgettable as expected. My daughter loved her usual paint a crab dessert, which allows her to use a paintbrush to paint chocolate, caramel, and strawberry on a rice crispy treat shaped like a crab. Good food, but damn it will cost you a mint.
(4)Vionte' S.
Today I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. I've never had crab or lobster and thought hey, what the heck! It wasn't very busy so we were able to get seated fairly quick. Our waitress was really friendly and quickly earned her tip after telling us about $2.00 Tuesday's! By it being my first time eating seafood so I can't really say if the prices were reasonable compared to somewhere else. What I do know is that I can't believe that I've went this long without ever trying lobster and or crab. The steampots were filled to the top, and I definitely feel as though I got my money's worth, the outside seating was cool and it was spacious. All in all for a chain restaurant, the portions are moderate, the prices are kind of high, but I'd eat here again for sure despite the opinion of others!
(4)Eric W.
- Over-priced in my opinion, but it is what it is. Service was great, outdoor seating was awesome, I just feel the food costs too much for what it is. I had the 33 shrimp platter for I forget how much. The crab fritters were absolutely a waste of time. It
(3)May S.
Everything was delicious from the sampler platter, to the steam pot, and let's not forget the Bahama mama!
(5)Stephanie M.
For some reason every time I come to this location for lunch we ha e to wait over 45 minutes for our food to come out. We advised the waiter that we are at lunch and we ordered immediately. After sitting for 40 minutes we still haven't received out food. We only saw our server again because we asked for him from another server. The restaurant was not full. At all. We ordered salad and fish and chips. Even if I make this at home it doesn't take 40+ minutes. We had no time to eat and had to rush back to work. Completely unacceptable. I won't be back here. One star is given because you have to give something
(1)Tim W.
Was good food for a chain Resturant. Service was the same, what you would expect. Was in and out fairly fast and the food although good, reflected that.
(3)Robin B.
Where to begin...., do I start with the hour plus wait for our food? Or the fact that it was cold when it arrived? Perhaps the excuses that the manager wanted to give as to why it took over an hour ? She said it was due to the large groups that they had, but as I looked around I really didn't see that many people at all other than us. There was the big gesture of how they had taken a whopping $12 off of our bill. So now I only owe $90 for cold fried seafood? Oh boy! Where do I sign up for more of that??? And finally the last insult was the $10 coupons so that we'll come back and try them again, and give you more of my hard earned money! Never again Joe's Crab Shack , I hadn't been in your establishment in about 3years, and after tonight I'll never go back again, and in all honesty I'll be telling anyone I know about this whole experience as well. Shameful, just plain shameful.
(1)Sebastian G.
Its been a few years since our last visit because the location in toledo closed down. All the food & appetizers are pretty tasty. Although the prices are kind of high, the portion sizes are decent. Compared to the other seafood places that are most popular in toledo like red lobster & the real seafood company do not compare. If there was one in the city, we would Definitely be coming here over the rest.
(4)Lanita E.
The food at this restaurant was a big disappointment. Went here for my birthday. The food is overpriced for the quality and quantity of food received. My husband and I ordered the bucket of shrimp appetizer to start. We got a few puny shrimp on a bed of ice. The shrimp still had the vein in them. It was a good 15-minutes before we spotted our waitress to flag her down and complain. She said "they don't clean any of their shrimp". Not acceptable. For dinner, I ordered the bucket of crab which has 3-types of crap in it. The crab legs were too salty and had a tough texture. Other than the salty taste, they had no flavor and were clearly overcooked. I also felt there should have been more for the price. For a few bucks more, I could have went someplace else and had "all you can eat" crab legs. All in all, not a good experience. Will never return again.
(2)Suze A.
Went here with the family, and since we all have different seafood loves, we decided to split a couple steam pots. The waitress didn't seem shocked at all (we thought it might be frowned upon), she brought extra plates and make sure we were all set to share. The food was good, although someone went a little pepper happy.
(4)Tricia K.
I agree with Liz W. the thing to eat here is the dungeoness crab bucket. I had the Crab Daddy feast pot which had some dungeoness in it which was the best part. I had mine flavored with Old Bay seasoning although next time I will go for a spicier flavoring. I found the atmosphere to be really cheesy but that is what I expected. And I really enjoyed my dinner and would not hesitate to come back. My husband had stuffed shrimp which was just ok. He ended up eating some of my crab anyways. Why would you come to a crab shack and not order crab??
(4)Lena L.
If you want great seafood go to the coast. For a fun, energetic time with your loud family, go to Joe's Crab Shack. It is loud, colorful, fast-paced, busy. That is the atmosphere, which was quite enjoyable for me and my super loud sisters! I had a fun time dining there. The food quality gets two stars. The lobster was stale or not fresh in taste. The crab was juicy and tasty though. I ordered one of the $30.00 pots. I have a big appetite and that was the right amount for me. others at the table shared their pot. The sampler appetizer was good. I like the crab, cream cheese, and Parmesan dip the best. Ok food and fun atmosphere.
(2)Josh B.
I loved the crabs and all the apitizers. My dad never likes seafood. I've been there multiple times. All the other seafood is good.
(5)N J.
I'd been meaning to write a review, since we went here a couple weeks ago, but I've been in and out of hospital with health problems (unrelated to my visit to Joe's Crab Shack), so I haven't felt up to it. When we went, we were greeted and seated promptly. Our waiter took our drink order without incident (even my odd way of ordering a diet Coke), and brought us our drinks in a reasonable amount of time. We weren't in the mood for a steam pot that day, so we made a meal out of lobster nachos, cheese sticks, and great balls of fire. Everything was properly cooked, arrived hot, and tasted delicious. I have no complaints. Next time, we'll be going for a lobster pot, I promise. :)
(4)Mike T.
I had the Great Barrior Reef Steampot, if you like over cooked mussels and shrimp that have the texture of a rubber tire, and king crab legs that are so salty that I had to spit them out then this is the perfect place for you. Seriously it was the worst crab legs that I ever tried, I wouldn't go back of they were givin their food away..... BUT..... The service was really good, we had a very good waitress that did an awesome job
(1)Randall S.
I like this place. I get the same good food and service when coming here. But there was something different this last trip. And it was for lunch. They had an employee table setup far in the corner. It was piled full of crap. I heard a manager go over and ask twice for someone to come back to work. On occasion it got loud. It showed unprofessional employees in action.
(3)Kathy P.
Never again will I patronize this place. The manager on staff was very unclean and unprofessional. According to him, he had cut himself earlier in the day yet, he did not bother to clean the dried blood off his thumb. In my opinion, he should have been wearing gloves for those of the food industry. Second incident, sitting in the booth to the right of the host stand and discovered I was getting rained on from the leaky ceiling. This facility needs to be shut down !! I have since contacted the corporate office and awaiting a response as to how they are going to handle the manager and the whole in the ceiling.
(1)Kate B.
It's been a long time since I've eaten at Joe's. We usually go to the one off of I-75 after we hit the Renaissance Festival, but last year was rough and we never got a chance to go, so I was really looking forward to a crab feast! I remembered that there was one here and after looking it up on Yelp and finding out that it was only 18 minutes away, I had to go! I took my sister here and we did it up nicely. I had a cherry limeade and my sister had a Midori Super Sour. Both drinks were well-made and delivered a nice buzz. I ordered the KJ Bucket, which was wine-infused mussels, scallops, and crab. I upgraded the crab from Snow to king because it's a pain to get the meat out of the Snow's tiny claws. My sister got the Caribbean sampler(?). They forgot the coconut shrimp but one minute with the manager and it was quickly restored. The food is good but what's better is the good memories made over a steaming pot and some good drinks!
(3)Alayna D.
Not my first rodeo at Joes Crab Shack...it's still one of my favorites. The steam buckets are superb and the way to go even if you share with two people. I've had a few of the varieties, but when in doubt go with the classic steam pot! Yum. I like that Joes lets you sub out items in the bucket for other items (like more shrimp instead of sausage) which is nice. Service is good, our last encounter was very attentive, and management came by to check on us as well and introduce herself. Clean place, clean restrooms, and speedy service.
(4)Kathy D.
I'm sorry I can't give this place a half star. Best part of the place is the t-shirts the staff wears. After looking forward to this dinner for a month (schedules delayed our night out) and taking a dear friend out for her birthday I can only say this place failed on every level. We asked for a booth so I could slide from my wheelchair into a comfortable seat. Instead of the floor level booths, most of which were open, we were taken to a raised booth. After nearly falling trying to get into the booth the waitress says "Oh, you're not too steady on your feet at all'. DOH!!! Our crab legs were so fresh (pun intended) that they bent in the middle because should have been left at the bottom of the boat and not offloaded on the brawler. My family has been to other JCS's and had better food and service. We've also eaten seafood from one coast to the other. If you are looking for good, well cooked seafood please go to another place. The food was abysmal!!! Our server did smile at us....once!! Obviously, the staff there is managed with a hard hand. None of the staff seemed happy to be there and you could see them mumbling to each other behind their hands. Of course I gave the server 20% simply because I would never stiff a server. It's not their fault if the place is so badly run that an otherwise fun place to eat has been turned into a place where the employees are serving time. Avoid this place!!!
(1)Erica R.
A must have if you like seafood!!! I wish i could have finished my pot! Everything wss so flavorful and delicious!! I could eat here everyday. They even do a dance for entertainment. My server was extra friendly and seemed to be on top of everything we could have needed! A+ for service and food! I just loved the atmosphere there. Tried the smores for dessert and was blown away by the work put into it! It was a great way to START off dinner!
(5)Greg V.
Can't go wrong with Joe's, I had a crab salad with a spicy dressing, I was very pleasantly surprised on how really good it was.
(4)Brandi K.
Not what I had expected, food was OK seemed like it would be a great place for drinks.
(2)Jessa B.
Awful. Worst food I have had in years. I will never return.
(1)Cassandra N.
I love Joe's! Never had a bad meal here. Have enjoyed everything that I've tried. Seafood makes me smile. I love that it's such a casual place. I don't feel silly for wearing the bib in there. Can hardly wait to eat there again.
(4)Liz W.
I love Joe's but I have to confess I only stop in for one thing, the dungeoness crab bucket. Do not muck up crab with added bad sausage or other iffy seafood, get a dungeoness crab bucket. Period. It is far more meaty than the waste of time that is snow crab, it is way better flavor than Alaskan king. As long as you get it simply steamed or BBQ style, they cannot muck it up. This crab with the potatoes and corn on the cob are all you need and all you will want at Joe's, the other food is a waste of time. I am giving it three stars because if you happen to go with someone who will not follow these rules they are sure to whine as everything else on the menu is meh at best. Also the waitstaff is iffy with their focus mostly being on dancing and wearing t shirts that seem to be all related to jokes about having crabs aka an STI, so appetizing. The decor is laughably atrocious. Dungeoness crab is hard to find elsewhere in this area though and it is the best crab in my opinion. The dungeoness crab bucket is therefore a solid five star. Oh and they have fairly tasty drinks, but really alcohol makes me happy in general.
(3)Rebecca W.
I'll give it 2 stars, because we didn't have a horrible time. But it wasn't great, either. I had never been to a Joe's before, else maybe I would have known better. But we were wooed by the steampot commercials ("Take your top off!") and wound up going here for my graduation celebration dinner, on Grammie's dime. I wish now that we'd gone to West End Grill, or somewhere else fancier--and more expensive--for such a treat. The best part of the evening was watching the cute toddlers at the table next to us dance. The second best part was when the folks at the table on the other side of us complimented my new fedora (thank you!). Our margaritas were decent--mostly because it was the first marg. I'd had in about 10 months, so was bound to taste good--and whatever chocolately explosion dessert we got was great. Our server was nice but strange--seemed sort of like she was walking around in a trance--and like the other servers, she seemed unwilling to join in the mandatory conga line (angry zombie parade?) through the restaurant. Note I have not mentioned the food...I know, I know, it's a chain and we're in the Midwest, so do we expect? Well, I expected a LITTLE better. It was several rungs below Red Lobster on the chain seafood ladder, in my book. It was just very sort of OK. One of those meals where there's nothing great to say about what you're eating, so you wind up sort of sitting there, chewing, and thinking about dessert. Guess it's good we went, so we won't be wondering anymore. But next time someone offers to buy me dinner, it won't be here.
(2)Rob P.
Let me say this: if I could give a lower score, I would not think twice to give it. Now, I'm sure you're thinking, "It's Joe's Crab Shack, of course it's not great", but this restaurant is abysmal, even for chain standards. I won't comment on atmosphere, you know that it's like a epileptic congo-line from the third circle of hell in the divine comedy--wikipedia it, it's an apt comparison of how one feels while dining there. The service was dreadful, had to ask the busser for items that the incompetent server forgot to deliver several times. Our waiter also managed to be the weirdest combination of rude and indifferent; I was left thinking, is he secretly laughing at me for eating here? Then there's the food. The saltest, soggiest, sorriest excuse for food that I've ever tasted--I still feel like I might puke--to top it all off, I paid $52.00 for it! Two people, no alcohol, 1 meal each...$52. I can safely say that I would rather eat my own hair if I had a choice only between anything from Joe's CS and my hair. Have I made my case here? I think so.
(1)Colleen Z.
Hubby and I were running Saturday afternoon errands. Between Target and Best Buy we spied Joe's and decided a late afternoon tub of crab might hit the spot. I ordered the Crab Daddy Feast and hubby ordered the Big Shrimp Platter. OK, we were really hungry. I tried something new which was the spicy crab boil preparation. After the first two bites of delicious crab I was taken back at the great taste of the spicy boil. I typically drown my crab in butter but the spice of the boil made butter unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, butter is always good on anything but today it wasn't needed because of the spicy boil seasoning. The crab was incredibly good, cooked perfectly and yes, tasted like fresh crab. The spicy boil is quite hot so be prepared if you order. The boiled red potatoes were nothing less than amazing. Hubby's platter was everything fried shrimp; coconut, fried and panko fried. He commented the shrimp was prepared quite nicely, with distinct taste and very fresh. Manager came over to ask us about our dinner and we both said we were enjoying a great meal. I complimented them on the spicy boil. Manager said some patrons say it is too spicy but others love it. We have eaten at Joe's about once a year or 18 months. After this afternoon's visit we will visit more often. One negative note: smoking is allowed in the restaurant and does have an open bar section so if you hate smoke, like me, then ask to be seated FAR from the smoking area. **personal comment.....WHEN WHEN WHEN is the state of Michigan going to ban smoking in public areas!!!**
(4)Travis L.
Being from Florida, eating Joe's when its 20 degrees out just doesn't seem right but this place makes you forget what the tempature is like outside. Like most other locations in the chain they have great food. I shared the sampler platter apetizers and had a crab bucket. The buckets are great and a must order to fully expierence the restaraunt. The buckets are expensive but worth it. The buckets also take a long time to eat so make to have some time if you order one. I highly recommend Joe's and can't wait to come back.
(4)Michael M.
The steampots are unholy good. We took my dad here for his birthday, and it was just excellent, sinful, tasty seafood galore. A wee bit on the expensive side. Service was good, and the decor is very funky. An enjoyable once in a while visit due to the pricing.
(4)Nick B.
I must say I left overly impressed. The service was great, the food was amazing, and the price was just right. My wife and I both got an appetizer, the crab dip to share. It has the perfect balance of creaminess and lightness that I would expect. We both got steampots, with both coming out nice and hot. Everything tasted great and we will be making a return visit.
(5)Jason C.
Having lived by the ocean for 9 years and growing up eating lot of fresh seafood, when it comes to seafood, I have high expectations. Okay, I have high expectations on lot of things... characteristics defect... LOL... Anyways, this was my first time at Joe's, always drive by it when I go to Meijer... but never had the opportunity until the other day. My nephew wanted to eat here, not sure why, but there we were, myself and my sister's family of four... We walked in and the place was 1/2 empty... it wasn't busy at all... this was on Thursday. We got seated and the waitress introduced herself to us. We ordered our drinks and the appetizers. For our appetizers, we ordered the garlic mussels and fried calamari. The calamari was okay, I had better at other establishments... I always order calamari whenever it's on the menu and will compare them. The garlic mussel was a hit with me... I enjoyed it very much, obviously it has lot of garlic, but it was excellent. I have to say though, they bring the good in the medal bucket and it looks as they are brining a lot of food, but in essence, I'll say there's about 1/2 pound of mussels per order. Now, first main course order consisted of three: 1) The Orleans, 2) Sunset Fire Grill and 3) Old Bay Steampot. Item 2 was based upon waitress's recommendation. They were all good... one pot is good enough for one person. The only comment I had was, the Old Bay Steampot was very salty. Overall, they were good, the shrimps were over cooked, but worth trying each at least once. Then we ended up ordering Crab Nacho's... it was good... I had some doubts, but it was very pleasant. Then we ended up order another two steampots... The Bean Town Bake and Joe's Classic Steampot (check out their website for details). Okay, not sure if this is part of their marketing thing or not, but I thought it was corny at best. It seems like every 45 minutes, when an upbeat music is played, all the waitresses station themselves throughout the restaurants and start dancing for about 5 minutes or so... I don't get this... can someone explain? They also have birthday celebration - the entire restaurant sings for the birthday person. After $160 damage before the tip, we were full. As I always say, give it a try and judge it for yourself, as our opinion is ours along and only you can judge the establishment after trying it out. Cheers~~
(2)C T.
Danielle and Briana are THE BEST!! My husband and I are visiting from California with a film crew and most of the places had so so service. It was his birthday and they made it fabulous!! King for the Day!! Thanks ladies!!
(5)Jennifer V.
This definitely isn't the best seafood I've had, but it's probably some of the better seafood I've had in Michigan. Great seafood (that isn't Great Lakes-based fish) is exceptionally hard to come by, as far as I'm concerned - I'm from the SF Bay Area and we get some amazing, delicious, fresh seafood of all kinds. The food is pretty good, the service was awesome, and I can't really complain. Their drink selection is fun and yummy, and it satisfied my immediate need for seafood while I was living in Ann Arbor.
(4)Camper R.
28 bucks and they serve steamed frozen lobster and crayfish. The lobster is tough and the crayfish are without flavor. You can see the freezer burn on the lobster. Stick to the cheaper (but marginally fresher) crabs and shrimp.
(2)Joe N.
I ate here for dinner today. I haven't been to a Joe's Crab Shack in a while but was glad I did tonight. The buckets they have here are fantastic. The seasoning was good (Old Bay), the butter sauce great, and the seafood tasted about as fresh as you would expect for a non-coastal seafood place. I have no complaints. Service was great from when we arrived to throughout our meal. This would be a five star dinner, but my dessert was just average. Nothing technically wrong with the caramel apple crisp with cinimon ice cream, but there was not enough ice cream for the large piece of apple pie. It was good, but could have been better. If you are in the mood for seafood, I don't think you'll be dissapointed here. Most of the buckets are in the $20s, which I think is average for a chain seafood place but worth every penny.
(4)Marie H.
Honestly, I don't even know what Rob P. Is whining about, because we were at the same meal, so I'd like to offer a counterpoint to his review. This is pretty much the best seafood I have ever had, it's at least a tie between here and the fish market in Tokyo. The decor is tasteful and understated giving the place a classy yet welcoming ambience noticeable from the moment you step in.They also do this really neat thing where they sing to you if it's your birthday, and you can tell they are really into it. It must be SO fun to work there, you can really tell from the top notch service too! In two words: par excellence!
(1)Todd D.
There were 7 of us, and everyone liked their food very much. The shrimp appetizer (iced shrimp with old bay seasoning) was excellent. The cost was $107.00 before tip, and that included two liquor drinks and an appetizer that we all split. Thought the drinks were on the expensive side, 8.50 for a standard size drink, but maybe I am out of touch.
(4)Harold K.
My job has me all over the Midwest and sometimes I'm in a place that only has chain type restaurants. This place was in walking distance so I have it a shot. Drinks were ok. The Shark Bite was perfect after a long day on the road. I got the Arctic Bay Steampot. It was fun to eat and pretty good. Service was fast and super friendly. I'm gonna make an effort to stop at. Joes Crab Shack more often.
(4)Harold S.
It has been years since I ad dined at a Joe's. And the food was still great, and I think it has gotten better. Our server was upbeat and you could tell she loved her job. She was not pushy and let us take our time deciding on our meals. I really loved how they offer a gluten free menu. I do wish our server would have come by to refill my drink more often than she did. Our server made sure our food was good and to our liking. Then having the general manager come by and check in was a great touch. This shows that this restaurant is very customer oriented and focused. Can't wait to find a reason to travel back to Ann Arbor.
(5)Kylee W.
My husband and I ate here last week. In a word, it was rather frustrating. To start off, we waited for five minutes at the empty host stand without a greeting, which I don't think I've ever experienced before. Eventually, we were able to get the attention of someone (standing on the other side of the dining room) to be seated. Once we were seated, we waited an additional 8-10 minutes before our waitress came to take our drink order. While we waited, several members of the wait staff passed our table multiple times and made direct eye contact with us, but did not say anything or offer us a glass of water even after we'd been there for more than a few minutes. It was a bit odd for service to be so slow, especially since the dining room was not crowded. At this point, we began feeling slighted by the staff. However, because it was getting pretty late in the evening, we decided to stick it out. My husband ordered the queen crab bucket, and I opted for a snow crab bucket. Our entrees came out fast, but unfortunately, they felt as though they'd been prepared too fast. The quality of the ingredients carried the taste of the meal through, but the potatoes were a bit hard while the corn was wrinkled, pale and mushy, almost like it had been sitting in a pot of water for too long. For what we paid, I expected more. There are other restaurants where you receive almost the same amount of snow crab legs (still steamed with potatoes and corn), with bread and a salad/soup, for a cheaper price than you pay for just the bucket at Joe's Crab Shack. Especially after our long wait for a table and drinks, I was disappointed that a $50 meal did not provide at least a small loaf of bread.
(2)Clara H.
First and last time I'll ever eat here! Decided to eat here as a last minute choice on a Tuesday night we were seated and our waiter took our drink our drink order right away. After looking at the menu we decided on the Cesar salad with grilled chicken with a side of grilled shrimp and my mom got the fish & shrimp. It took awhile for our food to come out and when it did the fries with my mothers food were cold and the batter on her fish was falling off. My salad was ok but the side of shrimp was awful! The shrimp was cold and the rice it was served with as extremely underdone. We didn't get one drink refill and sat for about 20 minutes before our waiter came back and we were able to ask for the check. Needless to say we are not fans and will not be returning to Joe's Crab Shack!
(1)Mimi T.
Nestled behind the Meijer gas station. It's a big restaurant but when I first came in there was no one to seat me or ask where the painting workshop was being held. I assumed it was in the back so I just started walking and finally someone pointed me in the right direction. So a few caveats, I only drank the wine and I came for the Painting event that was being held here. So my review isn't a true on review of Joe's. We ordered wine but apparently the HH special only applies at the bar. The waitress said she'd try to get us the HH special in the back room but my wine still came out to be $11+ which seems oddly high for a HH. Not 100% certain that the HH prices were applied and the wine was just eh. $3 buck chuck would've tasted better and been cheaper. The food that other people ordered looked good but when I perused the menu I couldn't find anything that wasn't deep fried or pan fried so I skipped the food. It smells like a "everything is fried" kind of place too which isn't really my cup of tea. I highly doubt I'd come back to taste the food and definitely not for the wine. Sorry Joe CS, I don't think I'l be returning to this chain.
(2)Angela D.
The two dollar Tuesday specials are very small and not very good. All sorts of restrictions if we wanted 2 dollars specials we had to be in the bar area so we moved to bar area only to be told if we wanted happy hour specials we had to be somewhere other than the bar area so we went outside where we were told Oh yeah we no longer have happy hour. Also crab was good but why not bring a lid so it stays hot. The server was comically uniformed.
(2)Karina S.
DISCLAIMER: I HATE CHAIN RESTAURANTS. ESPECIALLY those who sing and dance and cause nuisances. HOWEVER, I have been going to Joes Crabs Shack for years and I am never disappointed. I always sit at the bar and receive amazing service and i always order the BBQ crab legs. It is always served warm and always tastes amazing. I will continue to come here and support the only chain restaurant i set foot in because it is always consistent and priced accordingly.
(5)Pete P.
Went for dinner here recently and I have to say I've had better experiences before. I took my daughter here for here birthday in the past and we had a really good food experience. This time, however, was not very good. It wasn't slamming busy when we came in here as we were seated right away. The waitress was very nice but I think she might have had too many tables assigned to her. The drinks came a bit slow as well as refills. I ordered the fish and chips, which I think they should be able to pound out in no time flat but our food order seemed to rake a long time. I also ordered a side of hushpuppies which did not come with my meal. The server told us that the cooks over fried the batch and had to start over. This seems like a mistake an eperienced staff does not make. This also seems to be a staffing issue. I don't blame the waitress for this and she made it right by getting the manager to give me the next batch for free, which I appreciated. Still, I'm thinking they really need to work on issues other than the food which was fine, if a bit slow. I'd like to come back sometime to try them again but I'll give it some time for them to work on things.
(2)Darrell K.
I was in the area and decided to check out the spot today. I have seen this spot many times and have never eaten here. I was with my friend and they do not have a love for seafood but they enticed me to go anyway. There was a 35-40 minute wait so we decided to sit at the bar. I got the Spiked Sweet tea. Pretty good. Very slow service here. We ordered a couple of drinks and were going to eat but the bar staff guy was pretty slow. We decided to take our table instead. The waiter was nice. We even had the manager ask was everything going well. He joked with my friend as she got a chicken salad and no seafood. The team dance to the Hustle was cool. Also seeing the birthday girl at the next table run around the restaurant was also fun. We got the spinach dip duel. The spinach dip was good. The cheesy dip not so good. I got the Seafood combo for the main course. It had scallops, fish and shrimp. It was ok. I have had better. Not very well seasoned. The scallops were spongy but they were fried. Overall, I have certainly had better seafood, even at Red Lobster. I would go back but I will try something different next time. Seems that the Dungeness crab is the thing to get. I will try that next time.
(3)Aaron V.
The food was excellent, staff was great. Got the Joe's steam pot, at least that's what I think it's called, Made Lynns drink with orange juice instead of pineapple because she has a reaction to pineapples, they didn't even bat an eyelash when she requested that just said no problem, will go there again very soon
(4)Fred H.
What a great place! We loved our food!! The waitstaff was wonderful!! My friend & I had the Lobster Daddy Feast & absolutely loved it!!! My wife had the Crab Daddy Feast & thought she got a little short changed for the price she paid. We'd definitely return again!!
(5)Beth H.
Oh Jared (our server) I am so sorry and thank you for being such a great server. Food was great, hot and quick. Pretty dead for lunch hour, but snowmaggedon was looming to strike at any time. We ordered soup, Classic Appetizer Combo and my father had fried fish and chips lunch special. Very hot, fresh and no up charge to switch out the sides. The friecracker balls were spicy and tasty. If you have no experience with heat, you won't like them. The clam chowder was perfect. Lots of tender chucks of clam, and perfect blend of seasoning. It was a lot of food and couldn't finish it all. Total was $30, which is what I expected. This was probably my best visit to JCS.
(5)Lupe M.
We drove 75 miles to go to the Famous Joes Crab shack and ... Food was terrible there was 4 of us and not one of us ate half of our food. Raw sausage, over cooked sea food and mushy crab cakes was our food experience. Service was deplorable. The restaurant wasn't half full and staff standing around chatting and we couldn't get service. Dirty dishes from appetizers were there at the end of our dining nightmare. The one saving grace was the Manger Jackie. She was understanding and embarrassed. Jackie is the only reason we would consider visiting there again
(1)Mel B.
I went again with my son and the food was delicious I got a steam pot this time. Still was hot like I want it, but good. That's my pet pe. Going to a restaurant and the food is cold. There Queen crab legs were good.
(4)Lara J.
I love to come to Joes whenever we travel to Ann Arbor to drop off our daughter at U of M (GO BLUE!). The Good... The food is generally yummy even if more of a commercial type menu. The service is fair in the way of speed yet the servers are mostly friendly and try their best. Need to add more servers? Maybe. Prices are reasonable. Now for the bad...this restaurant needs a serious facelift! Decor is cute but wallpaper is falling off the walls, the bar back is boring, and the worst? The bathrooms are hideous! Toilets leaking, mold on the walls, water damage, ceiling tiles crumbling, wallpaper falling of the walls and the disgusting smell, make me slightly afraid of the condition of the kitchen. Please oh please do something!
(3)Crystal M.
Love the snow crabs! :)
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