GETTING HERE: Ventura Crab N Spice is located a few doors down from The Habit on Telephone in Ventura. The footprint is the Winco shopping center. REVIEW: First timer here (what.) and it was so good! Quiet, not too busy on the day we went (during the week). I remember in my baby years of Yelp I used to note that a restaurant was "good" if it was busy. Post-shutdown and currently 2026, it's OK to me if it's ghost town inside. :) We ordered the Clam Chowder Bowl and Sweet Potato Fries. GREAT! The chowder had nice flavor and was thick, and the clam pieces were tasty. The bread was warm and soft, so full of flavor. Service was good. Love the vibe inside, too. Love the decor and the entire vibe. As much as I love seafood, I can't wait to go back to try their other menu items. Thank you for a great meal. Highly recommend! read more

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I had a really disappointing experience at Crab N Spice. We arrived around 7:50 PM, knowing they close at 8 PM. There was no wait, and we stood there for about 10 minutes without being helped. Finally, a waitress came over around 8:05 PM and told us they were closed at 8 and couldn't seat us. That doesn't make sense--if you close at 8, you should still be seating guests before that time, especially when they've been waiting and there's no line. The lack of communication and basic customer service was frustrating and unprofessional. It wasn't about the timing it was about how it was handled. Standing there with no acknowledgment and then being turned away last minute is just bad service. Definitely not the experience we expected. read more

Your food is delicious and I have been here twice. I plan to return again! The fact that you started in Ventura is an added bonus! My only concern was, at the time of paying my bill at counter, the cashier seemed confused when issuing the change ($30.16 bill, $40.00 tendered ($9.84 change owed)). At any rate, it got resolved and I will definitely be back! read more

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I placed an order for Mother's Day the day before because my mother-in-law absolutely loves crab, and I wanted to make sure we got something special for her. I live about an hour away from Crab N Spice, but I thought it would be worth the drive to make her happy. We ordered everything to go so we could spend the rest of the day at the park in Summerland enjoying family time together. When I called ahead, they mentioned they couldn't take reservations because it was Mother's Day, which I completely understood since it was a busy holiday. What was really disappointing was that when we finally sat down all excited to eat, both my order and my mother-in-law's order were missing the crab -- the main reason we drove all the way there in the first place. It completely ruined the experience for her. I immediately tried calling the restaurant because I was even willing to drive 30 minutes back just to get the missing food, but nobody ever answered. The voicemail box was full, and I kept trying several times on the drive home with no response. It was such a bummer because the whole point of the trip was to treat my mother-in-law to her favorite food on Mother's Day, and unfortunately it turned into a really disappointing experience. read more

i was hoping to find a seafood restaurant near me because driving to LA is tiresome but i don't think i've landed on it quite yet. i don't think this is the taste for me. the shrimp were a little too cooked or something it was hard to peel because the skin would stick to the meat so it made the experience a little annoying. the cajun fries were pretty good along with that sauce it comes with to dip. my steamed rice was a little hard. read more

My husband and I love the boiling crab but unfortunately the closest one is at least 50 mins plus. We decided to find something local and hoping for liking it to return here and avoid the drive to LA. We like it but didn't love this place. We got shrimp which is our usual, rice, corn and Cajun fries. So the shrimp was good, we for medium bc we told the server what we get at boiling but we didn't feel it was spicy enough. The fries were okay, some were overcooked/ burnt flavor. The flavor was okay. Unsure if I'll return here or not read more

Service was good and fast, helpful staff. As for the food, it looked appealing but eating it wasn't the best experience. The po boy shrimp fell apart easily as the thick bun seemed to be holding all the ingredients however the sauce soaked up at the bottom of the sandwich split the bottom. Needless to say the sandwich got messy so I decided to eat the shrimp, lettuce and bun separately with a fork. Still had good flavor. As for the lemon pepper chicken wings, there was little hint of lemon but enough to taste on a first bite while also, some chicken wings were juicier than others. On top of the experience, ambiance was decent for a Wednesday after but didn't appreciate the open entrance door that brought it flies to my table. Food was good but may stick to getting the seafood they're known for: read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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The food and service were exceptional, making for a truly enjoyable experience. The space was impeccably clean, and we left completely satisfied. This is definitely a place we look forward to visiting again. read more

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First Time & Hopefully Not the Last! This was my first time at a seafood boil spot, and I was a little unsure of what to expect--but my daughter loves these places, so we gave it a shot. I'm so glad we did! Natalie was our server and she was amazing--so patient, personable, and genuinely kind. She made us feel completely comfortable and walked us through everything. The food was incredible, and the whole experience felt relaxed and welcoming. Natalie really made our visit special. Looking forward to coming back soon. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Peeled shrimp, sausage, and corn - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

One of my favorite seafood boil places in California HANDS DOWN! I've been to this place countless times (ordering in-store and online) and it never disappoints. The atmosphere is always lively and busy and the staff is always very attentive. I think it's always worth getting the AYCE option because it comes with as many sides as you want like potatoes, corn, sausage and ordering them individually actually adds up quite a bit. (Also the AYCE price included a free drink and a cluster of snow crab legs PER PERSON) One thing I will note though, I've had AYCE for a party of two and I feel that it's just too much food to go through for two people and u end up not being able to enjoy it as much. For parties of 4 or greater- I think that's where AYCE hits the sweet spot and it's like the perfect number of people to enjoy everything without feeling exhausted of eating . Just a heads up, the AYCE menu does not include clams (but does include mussels, shrimp, and crawfish) so if you're primarily a clam eater- just stick to the normal menu :) The food is always so hot and flavorful; I usually get the "crab and spice medium" sauce and IT SLAPS. I dare say that it is better than boiling crab... simply because it is just as flavorful but not as salty! Overall, it's a yummy "get your hands dirty" kind of place- I always bring my friends visiting Ventura here and they always love it! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - AYCE - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

I liked the flavors. We came on a Sunday for lunch and it was a little busy. There was no diet coke/pepsi when I went, I think they ran out since the menu had that listed as an option. They only had coke zero. We will definitely come back here as the food was good. There's only one single stall bathroom and a sink outside to wash your hands. read more

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Food is consistently good, as well as the service. Fun atmosphere. Clean and neat. I like going here by myself or with friends. Staff is always friendly. read more

Delicious! Stopped by coming back from our trip. First time coming and very good service! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Outstanding seafood choices and flavors!!! Worth the drive (I'm from San Diego)! Cajun butter is so garlicky!!!! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - All u can it seafood boil!!! Loved the Cajun flavors! - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Great food , service and cute place to go eat. My son and I enjoyed their seafood boiled. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Crab legs, shrimp, crawfish, corn, potatoes, sausage. - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

We went for dinner party of 10. The place was packed but they only have 2 servers, so the food took forever for everyone. The rice seems like a low quality rice, or maybe from yesterday's rice or batch. It has some hard stuff and it didn't taste good. Maybe it's a cheapest version of rice, not sure but I know it's not the best white rice. We order variety of shrimp, mussels and crabs. We had calamari, fries & garlic noodles.. we ordered Cajun pasta but never came (did they forget?) so they just gave us a small cup of it free of charge. We left at 9pm, we were not the last ones there. Please hire more staff. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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One of my fave spots in Ventura. I love their shrimp boils and Cajun fries! I do prefer boiling crab, but this is much more convenient. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Delicious food, excellent service, and great surroundings. Four of us got the all-you-can-eat option and it was so very worth it. Lots of tasty food with delicious seasonings. We enjoyed shrimp, crab, lobster tail, crawfish, oysters, and much more. We're looking forward to going again. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Oysters, and all you can eat - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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12/29/25 dinner - worst service ever! We had to wave and raise our voice to get our server's attention. They only had "peeled" shrimp, and the sauce was super salty! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Castaway Combo: 2 lobster tails, 2 clusters of snow crab, supposedly 1 lb of shrimp, 1 lb of mussels, 2 corns, & 2 potatoes. It SUX! - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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My first time there and the food was great and delicious. Our waitress/server was friendly and attentive. Only call out was that one of the staff members with a braid and the side of her head was shaved was a little rude and could work on her customer service. My friend asked her (because she happened to pass by our table) the status of our order because we sort of did wait long, she flat out told him "I don't know because I'm not your server" instead of saying "I'm not sure, let me notify your server to check on that for you." I also witnessed the same person give attitude to another customer behind their back, as soon as the customer turned around she made a face as if like his question interrupted whatever she was doing or he asked a stupid question and she had to answer it. I hope the next time we go there again, she does not end up being our server. read more

It's seafood time!!! We had the mussel and crab seafood boil and it was so fun and tasty!! We added the potatoes to our seafood boil and ordered a side of garlic noodles. The seafood sauce tasted incredible but it was def more on the saltier side for me. There was a wait to be seated and service took some but it was anticipated as there was a large crowd. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood boil time!! - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Went at 1pm, very light staff and had to wait for a table to be cleaned despite multiple tables open. Took 15 minutes to have our order taken, got the AYCA which was a good deal at $39 apiece... the fried green beans are good, and they came out first, sauce was amazing! When the first serving of boil came out, had two clusters of crab, we got mussels, crawfish and shrimp as well. Very good flavor, everything was tasty, picked a different flavor for the second round. Overall good, could be speedier at order taking, but food was great. Tables were slat style booths though, which had not been cleaned in a while so they had detritus stuck in between the slats. read more

Solid seafood boil. Large and sweet shrimps. Service is good. We like to order them for take out on busier nights. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

We visited this restaurant for lunch, and it was one of the worst experiences we've ever had. They asked us to wait an hour for a table, which we did -- and that was fine since we were informed upfront. However, once we were seated, we waited another hour and 15 minutes before our starters and drinks arrived. Then it took an additional 15 minutes for our main courses to be served. The food was mediocre, we had better The overall experience was very disappointing. After the food was brought to our table, no one checked on us. We had to get up and look for a server just to order more drinks. We chose this place based on its reviews and social media presence, but for us, it turned out to be the worst $400 we've ever spent on a lunch for a family of four. read more

Busy location and long wait, but the servers are usually attentive and greet you when you walk in. Ordered crab fries and boiled seafood. Both were good. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Crab fries - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

I've never left a bad review but I tried calling this place several times they never pick up. I did try calling an order ahead of time. Got here 15 minutes before they closed and they wouldn't help me. The two girls in the front were just hanging out, so yeah, I'm not coming back here anymore read more

I saw this place on Insta and they were actually advertising the one in Las Vegas, but when I searched it up, I was ecstatic to see that there is also one locally in Ventura! It's so awesome that this location is also doing all you can eat Cajun seafood. My bf and I got the all you can eat and it did not disappoint! I love how there is such a variety of different things that you can choose from. I love that they have both shrimp and scallop with no extra charge. I also decided to add a snow crab leg cluster and the meat was really fresh and did not stick to the shell. All the other seafood was well cooked and tender. The appetizers were also yummy too. I really enjoyed the lemon pepper wings and Cajun fries. On top of this, the all you can eat also includes one free drink! Our server was really helpful in explaining the menu. She was super friendly and was really proactive on getting our orders in and reassuring us on when our food will come out. I thoroughly enjoyed my eating experience here. I will definitely be coming back here again. read more

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From the moment we walked in we were greeted and seated immediately. The first thing I noticed was how clean the business was. We were seated at a nice booth on the left side of the restaurant. Our waitress was outstanding! The service was fast. She explained the entire menu so well! And their prices are MORE than fair. My group went with a few things. King crab legs with potatoes, corn and sausage. In their house sauce. Which is a spicy Cajun garlic butter. OMG SO GOOD! Crab was cooked perfectly. Potatoes, sauces and corn absolutely perfect. Fresh, tasty filling. We also got the shrimp and clams. Again fresh, cooked to perfection not a single issue. The staff here seemed very professional and courteous to their guests. Always attentive and always helping the guests. I want to write more! But I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. This place is absolutely delicious. Highly recommend if you want a seafood boil. There isn't many in the area so this place is definitely the go to. Enjoy! read more

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The best seafood Cajun crab restaurant in Ventura, probably in the whole SoCal locations! Highly recommended if you're visiting in the area ! Planning on having dinner there again tonight. The staff is awesome as usual ! read more

Service was horrible. When getting food server did not even pay much attention to our table. Server did not bring gloves, ketchup, or scissors until we asked after already having our food for 15min. We literally just sat there waiting for someone to acknowledge we were missing things to even eat with. Ordered the Lemon Garlic Captains Choice with a mild spice however it did not taste like lemon garlic it was so spicy my mouth was on fire. My expectations were thinking this was similar to other Crab Shack places. This was far from it and would never return. read more

Horrible service. THEY DO NOT ANSWER THE PHONE!!!!!!! i called for 10 minutes and they would not pick up, i was sitting in front of the restaurant the whole time while i see the workers on their phones not doing anything. they also have a full mailbox? every time i go here, they NEVER get the order right and always forget everything i paid for. jesus, i dont know how you keep these employees with all of these bad reviews? ridiculous. it's not even busy either. every time u walk in, ur never greeted and the workers look at u weird or don't acknowledge u. no wonder this place has 3 stars - UPDATE AT 6:39 p.m. we have waited almost an HOUR for our food after placing the order. RIDICULOUS. 1/15 - the comment the "owner" made is ridiculous too. i literally saw the empty restaurant as i was calling them, why is there no applies for the employees not answering the phones? what kind of place is this? read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - No answer for more than 10 minutes after i took a screenshot of the call log - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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Came here around 6 pm on a Saturday after going to Channel Islands National Park. There was plenty of space to park. We waited a few minutes at the host stand bc there were already some parties there but we were quickly sat. We decided to get the Castaway combo, spicy, all in sauce (all their sauces combined). It's $90 for 2 lobster tails, a pound of snow crab, a pound of shrimp, a pound of mussels, 2 corn, and 2 potatoes. We decided to get an extra order of potatoes. We also got an order of fried calamari for $11. My partner also got a michelada. The food came out super fast. The fried calamari was alright, but I regret getting it. It was nothing compared to the seafood we got. My partner liked his michelada and drank all of it. We were so happy with the amount of food we got and for the price. Absolutely a steal!!!! The seafood was fresh and delicious. I only had about 3 mussels that didn't open. Other than that, all the other seafood was tender and cooked perfectly. The sauce was super delicious, however it wasn't spicy at all. Maybe it was forgotten (the employee helping us did forget a few things sometimes that we had to ask for again bc she was busy). I thought it was unique to the crab boils we have in the valley because of the coconut and pineapple flavors from their coconut and Hawaiian seafood boil sauces. You can't get a better deal than this. I would drive all the way to Ventura just for this crab boil alone. Will be back 100%. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Castaway combo - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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I'll start by saying it wasn't terrible but it was not good and way over priced for the quality of food, cleanliness and service all of which could stand improvement. After having to ask, We were told to sit anywhere we like. The booths have these strange wooden slats on the bench portion which was filthy. The crevices were filled with "leftovers" from the prior party. Not a solid choice of seating for a restaurant like this where they offer bibs at the table. The all you can eat option is not a deal whatsoever. 40 per person and I did not want it but my daughter did, we were celebrating her birthday. I wanted to order the calamari. Turns out they will only give all you can eat to the whole table or no one. We wound up ordering separate things from the menu. She ordered the snow crab, 2 bundles. It was cold or room temp at best leaving us to believe it sat for some time before arriving to the table. Our server, while sweet, forgot my hot tea stating it needed to "brew" which turned out not to be true because when I finally went to the front of the restaurant to inquire about it at the register... She apologized and brought out a cup of hot water with a teabag... in a "to go" cup. Apparently no brewing needed. I'm fine with that but apparently a mis truth and a forgotten drink. Not the end of the world just not the best service. The best thing on the menu was the fries... after paying nearly 100 with tip, this was by far a poor choice. We could have had a much better meal and enjoyed a far cleaner environment at the habit next door and saved $80... just my experience. Maybe yours will be better. Next time I spend a 100 to eat out it won't require a register and having to get up to get my own drink or ask for things not delivered to the table... read more

So here is the deal - the whole table has to be in or out with AYCE and pick the same tier. If you are not all in, they do have other menu options to choose from. We ended up doing AYCE and it was so good. The scallops were my favorite- super juicy and flavorful. The crab and shrimp, and mussels were also delicious. Lots of yummy sides choose from such as Cajun or lemon pepper fries, fried green beans, corn, sausage, potatoes, rice and more. The place is located in a strip mall, nothing fancy and you will probably walk right past it. It's definitely a hidden gem that is a must try. read more

Considering we went on a busy Saturday afternoon. The food and service were exceptional. I would definitely be back. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Such a great deal for their Castaway!!! For about $90 you get quite the deal with Snowcrab, mussles, shrimp, corn, potato, and lobster tails! My girlfriend and I came here after a day in the water and had quite the appetite. The serving size as great and the quality was even better! The restaurant was pretty busy on a Saturday night as expected so I wouldn't expect the fastest service here as our waitress seemed pretty forgetful and spent a while getting back to us. My michelada was awesome! It came with a lot of chamoy/Lucas for a great mix with the modelo negro. Of course we couldn't finish all our food and had a lot to take home after even with our hefty appetite ... The seafood was all prepared extremely well and was super easy to crack the shelling open for the delicate meat inside! For their sauce we ordered spicy and I think it was very mild. Good flavor and seasoning just not a lick of spice in my opinion which was a let down as I do enjoy some spicyness with my meal. All in all the deal is hard to beat! We enjoyed our meal and look forward to our next meal at Crab N spice!! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Michelada - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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Went for dinner in a Sunday evening with a party of 12. Waited about 30 minutes to be seated. Waited 30-40 minutes to get our orders taken. Waited at least 30 minutes for food to arrive. Idk if it's a normal thing to get your seafood served inside a plastic bag? Regardless, food was not that good. Waitress was nice though. Could've eaten at Lure for the same price and better quality food. Definitely won't be eating here again. read more

Food was extremely cold, there was a fly in the food, when we had complained our waiter said we should have let her know it was cold and she would have heated it up for us never coming back again!! read more

Love love love this place bc where else are we going to get our seafood boil fix!?!?!?? The quality of seafood is hit or miss but not too bad to the point where I wouldn't come back anymore. Service is good n friendly. The space or ambiance of the restaurant is like a crab shack with tv's for games. read more

Me and my wife pick this restaurant for our 7th year wedding anniversary Brunch. We were in the mood for some Cajun seafood. Definitely was a great choice. We we're seated fight away. The place was packed of people they had the Dodger game playing on various t.v's. Our waitress was very responsive on telling us info on the two hour All You Can Eat menu for us and our children. I believe it was a great choice because our children love seafood. We all had a choice on what we wanted to eat. Plus, the waitress let us take our leftovers because it was under a 1 lb. Very kind of them now i had lunch for the next day. Very much appreciated. We will be back read more

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