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Crab Town

4.2 (1.1k reviews)
Closed 3:00 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated 2 months ago

Order Crab Town Takeout or Delivery

Crab Town Photos

Business Info

CRAB TOWN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Crab Town

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OYSTERS :)
Angie H.

This is my FAVORITE spot for a seafood boil. The crawfish are always a good size, the shrimp is cooked perfectly, and the appetizers are a must. I LOVE their oysters during happy hour (MON+TUES 50% OFF), always super fresh, never a nasty one. Even the fries are so good, especially dipped in the seafood boil sauce. Service is great too, the servers are always super nice. Honestly better than Crab Hut imo.

Two orders of the mini combo
calliope s.

The vibe of the resteraunt is very open and welcoming , it is clean and organized as well. In terms of decor and the setup my only complaint is there booths have no padding so it is just sitting on hard wood . The food was decently priced we had gotten two mini combos ($42 each) . The server was nice and tended to us quickly . The sauce on the food was absolutely immaculate but you have to give it a few minutes to thicken up because it is pretty watery at first .

Plaib Chicken Poppers
Laura M.

Forgot to take a pic of the actual boil& garlic noodles!! Lol. But everything was okay. The flavors were there, not as bold as it used to be. The spice was a good amount too though. Service was attentive &everyone seemed to know everyone like a lil family which is always a good sign! Grape Soju was more of a Japanese Plum flavor. We had another couple with us. We had 2 more sojus(strawberry though, which I think tasted better) &they had a round of beers. Overall it was around $400 for everything. Not too shabby.

Fresh oysters
Kysa T.

Came here on a Monday with a party of 6 for dinner. We were there before 6pm so we got to take advantage of happy hour. We ordered fresh oysters, Cajun fries and calamari for appetizers. The oysters were great, very fresh and they weren't too large. The fries were tasty but the calamari was just okay. We did a combo of crawfish, shrimp and crab legs. I'd definitely recommend doing the Crab Town sauce, which is a combo of all their sauce options. The flavor was savory and delicious. Overall I had a great first time here. Service was good and food was fresh and tasty. I definitely would come back!

Oyster
Phing T.

Came here for happy hour on a weekday which was perfect because it wasn't too busy and there was plenty of parking. The atmosphere is very nautical and fun - plus the staff here were very friendly and professional. I only came here to try the happy hour but eventually ended up getting a seafood boil bag as well. The oysters here are pretty tasty. I'm not much of an oyster girl, but my boyfriend ordered some and I decided to give it a try. It tasted fresh and surprisingly the texture was different from ones I've had in the past. I was told that the oysters arrived the same day just a few hours before I arrived. It doesn't get any fresher than that. Me and my boyfriend ordered a mini combo (which is not pictured because we were so hungry). But the crab town sauce is really good. And if you're like me and don't have a high spice tolerance they have a mild option. Overall the food, service, and prices were amazing. Especially if you come in during their happy hour. I'll be coming back next week to try their other items on the menu.

green beans
Presh N.

Crab Town has always been a great spot. The service is good, the restaurant is consistently clean, and the food is always delicious. I usually order a pound of crawfish, but this time we tried the crab poppers and the green beans, and both were amazing. Definitely a place I keep coming back to.

Inside
Myphuong L.

It's been over a decade since I've been here and everything still tastes the same but my appetite shrank. We shared a mini combo for $42 which consist of a half pound of clams, mussels, shrimp, craw fish, sausages, with corn and potatoes in Crab Town sauce medium spice. The portion was perfect for two of us to share. We also got regular fries, garlic noodles, home made crab cakes and a dozen oysters. The oysters were from WA and it looked sorry when it came out. All different sizes and thickness. A few were just paper thin and felt like they shouldn't even serve it. Was not worth $34. They have daily specials and happy hour Monday- Friday 3-6pm. Parking in this lot is free and plentiful. They give you bibs and gloves.

Calamari & Fries
Julie H.

Back at our favorite Seafood Boil restaurant. We always leave with our cravings satisfied. Calamari & fries is crispy. CrabTown Combo is the perfect combo with a little of everything to share. Baby octopus is not too chewy. Everything is perfectly coated in the sauce. CrabTown sauce recommended. Daughter loves to have it with a bowl of rice. Come check out their Happy Hour. Servers are very attentive.

Frozen crawfish-NOT FRESH
Tee E.

*CRAWFISH warning* I ordered 4 lbs of fresh crawfish, was told that they only serve fresh crawfish at Crab Town anyways. Got home and of course, I want to say 95% of the crawfish tasted frozen. If the crawfish is fresh, the shell is hard. If it is frozen, the shell is usually on the softer side/mushy. I am extremely disappointed with Crab Town especially since I paid $21/lb for the fresh crawfish but the majority of the crawfish is frozen. I can honestly say that I WILL NOT be ordering from here anymore.

Menu
David Z.

This place is an instant favorite of mine. Me and my family have tried boiling crab and crab hut, but crab town is above and beyond our favorite. Parking is easy to find in the lot outside. Once inside on a weekday night, we were seated immediately. Christina, our server, went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and that our dinner experience was enjoyable even with our 15 month old. The food was so flavorful, it was finger licking good. Highly recommend the garlic noodles as a side dish. The inside is large and nicely themed. It is always very clean. Would highly recommend this spot to everyone.

Hot wings
Ha L.

One of my favorite seafood boil spots in San Diego! Prices are amazing compared to their competitors and food is always served fresh and packed full of flavor (my favorite sauce is their Crab Town sauce or their Garlic Butter with Old Bay). A huge plus is that their parking lot is spacious with plenty of spots available. Upon entering, you are greeted by staff and seated. Restaurant itself is a decent size with numerous booths and tables that are able to accommodate large parties. They also have a great happy hour on weekdays (Monday-Friday from 3-6pm) along with different daily specials throughout the week. As for the seafood boils, we love to get their Mini Combo with their house Crab Town sauce, Medium level. The spice is not overwhelming like other places can be. They have a variety of pre-set combos or you can make your own bag however you like! Service is always attentive with friendly workers who constantly check up on you. Can't wait to come back for another seafood boil fix! Definitely recommend this spot to all my seafood lovers out there!

Juliana H.

Had dinner here with friends for a birthday celebration. Food and service were ok! The reason I didn't gave more stars is that the shrimp was not clean all the way after cooking( I prefer knowing the shrimp is gutted before eating it).

Dining at Crab Town Combo
Mia K.

【Food safety concern】 Please read before you dine here!!! What happened during my visit to Crab Town left me feeling deeply uncomfortable, and honestly, DISGUSTED. I'm not someone who typically leaves negative reviews, especially when the food is actually decent. The ambiance was casual and fun--great for seafood lovers and families. We've been eating here on a monthly basis, but would NEVER come back again. But during a recent afternoon visit with my 4-year-old son, I ordered a half portion of snow crab ($19), some boiled veggies, and a kid's meal. The crab came out in a plastic bag with two clusters. Since they were hot, I placed them on my plate to cool while we started eating. Then something truly shocking happened: A staff member came back and told me they had accidentally served me a full portion instead of a half, and asked if I'd like to pay more. I politely said no, since I had only ordered a half. She then put on gloves, reached into my plate, and took one of the crab clusters away--clearly intending to serve it to someone else. This was incredibly disturbing. If staff are allowed to take food from a customer's plate and return it to the kitchen, what does that say about their hygiene practices behind the scenes? No matter how decent the food might be, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Customers deserve to know their food hasn't been previously handled or served to others.

Aftermath of eating!!

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6 months ago

Food was great, fresh seafood and service was attentive, but chill. Will be back again.

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6 months ago

Met a friend for lunch and everything was great! Service was quick and the shrimp were fresh and tasted perfect.

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Business owner information

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Kim T.

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9 months ago

It's really good especially the oysters, the best I ever had! I'll be back as soon as possible.

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Crab Town Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Crab Town

Is it ok to bring small lap dog?

No unless it's a service dog

Can happy hour items be ordered togo?

Yes

Is live crawfish available now?

Live crawfish is not available at the moment.

Do u need reservations?

no reservations needed

Is the full menu available at opening?

Yes. You can get whatever is on the menu. I'm all for this spot.

View All 6 Questions

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4.4(3k reviews)
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Been a while since we first came here. The po boy and fried catfish still hit! That sautéed green…read morebeans are so good I couldn't stop eating. Personally the crawfish etouffee was a bit salty to me so next time I'm going to try the LaCombe special or some of the pasta dishes! Service is always top notch here. They accommodated me with a side of the green beans even they aren't even on the menu. What else can you ask for! And that's why this place is always packed! Happy for them and will be back!

This is a place I have been wanting to try for over 8 years, and I'm glad we finally went. It's…read morelocated in a business area off Balboa Avenue and the 15 freeway, with ample parking both in front of and behind the restaurant. We sat inside, though there is also a lovely patio outside with umbrellas. The service was friendly and the restaurant was clean. It was a bit noisy inside since there isn't much to absorb the sound, so you may need to speak a little louder during conversation. I did find the lunch menu to be expensive. We came here to celebrate my sister's birthday, and everyone seemed happy with their dishes: a shrimp po' boy sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, and pasta with tomato cream sauce and shrimp. I ordered the chicken po' boy sandwich. The sandwiches were served with seasoned fries, but unfortunately the fries looked and tasted like they had been sitting for a a while--dry and not very fresh. My chicken po' boy was disappointing. The sandwich had tomatoes and some iceberg lettuce, but no sauce, which made it very plain. While the chicken itself was tender, it lacked flavor and the overall dish felt like it wasn't prepared with much care. For a $21.50 sandwich that was essentially a few pieces of chicken breast with tomatoes, lettuce, and old fries, it felt like an expensive mistake. Perhaps other dishes on the menu are excellent. However, having grown up with a father who was a top chef, I tend to notice when simple dishes--like sandwiches and fries--aren't executed well. These are usually some of the easiest things to get right, which made the experience even more disappointing for me.

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Submarine Crab - Daily Promotion

Submarine Crab

4.4(1.3k reviews)
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Discounts available
Takes reservations

The best seafood boil in all of San Diego in my opinion, and I've tried many places (yes, including…read moreCrab Hut). The main reasons why this is my top spot are: -Seafood Quality - the clams here are BIG and don't fall out of the shell, and the shrimp is always perfectly cooked and not mealy. The crab clusters are big and juicy as well. -Sauce - I always get the Torpedo Sauce (the house mix-of-all-of-them sauce) but instead of just tasting like garlic, lemon, old bay, "the sum is equal to more than the parts". In other words, the flavors meld together and are magical. I have heard some say that the sauce here leans sweet, and it definitely does have sugar, but I find it balanced. Also, it is mostly emulsified and does not have a thick layer of pure oil that runs off the seafood like some places' sauces. -Other Factors: they used to have a free fries deal for posting on social media (gone as of Feb '26 though), but they still have $1 oysters on some days, I like their fruit tea pitchers which are great for large parties, and they also give free Vietnamese chè for dessert! I rank this higher than Crab Hut because a) it's cheaper, Crab Hut is expensive even for seafood boil, and b) I prefer the sauce here. But Crab Hut is also S tier in San Diego so you can't go wrong with either.

The flavor overall was really good--the sauce had a nice depth and was well-seasoned. If you're…read moresomeone who enjoys spice, just note that the heat level wasn't very strong, even when ordering it spicy. That said, the shrimp and crawfish were unfortunately overcooked and came out pretty mushy, which took away from the experience. With seafood, texture really makes a difference, so that was a bit disappointing. There's definitely potential here because the flavor is solid, but hoping for better execution next time.

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New Orleans Creole Cafe

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4.1(564 reviews)
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Having returned from a NOLA trip where I ate crawfish étouffée, every single day, I was really…read morecraving but didn't think I'd find what I was looking for in San Diego. We came on a weeknight in January and easily found parking out front. The restaurant is more of a bungalow, and it's quiet and really pretty on the outside. There is a door on the left of the stairs that leads to a small, old timey dining room, and it's going to be weird...I'll warn you about that. When you open the door, it feels like you just walked in on someone's private dinner party. It's super quiet in there and it's just a bunch of tables. No host/hostess. You seat yourself if there's a table. A server comes in and out of the room to serve the tables. The Mac and cheese was meh, we ordered it for a toddler. The crawfish étouffée was so good, they did not skimp on crawfish. I like it a little spicier, but this was what I needed. I would definitely come back here! If it's a cold night, dress accordingly, this bungalow is not insulated and the server comes in and out, so it was freezing. Can't imagine the heat in summer, but the food is worth it.

We called ahead and made a reservation. It was a Friday afternoon. We showed up on time and were…read moreseated promptly. Had wine and beer, and also got a bread basket with (softened) butter. The picky eaters ordered Mac and cheese with andouille sausage and we got both sizes: petite and regular. You can tell it was made from scratch and it was very cheese and runny. We got the dark roux gumbo with shrimp, chicken and sausage. The flavor was on point; however I wish it was more of the holy trinity and that the sausage was cut in medallions vs pieces. Our waiter was so helpful and patient and since we paid in cash the 4% surcharge for credit cards wasn't charged. I recommend!

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King Crab Cajun Seafood Boil Restaurant - Extreme is the right word !

King Crab Cajun Seafood Boil Restaurant

4.2(292 reviews)
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Haven't reviewed anything in a while, but when a restaurant deserves 5 stars, it deserves 5…read morestars!!!! Been here about 5 times and it has not missed. Juicy special sauce is TOOOO BOMBBBBBB. The flavor is top tier. Have not been to a seafood boil with this flavor and this consistency. Shrimp is also nice and crunchy and they also cut it in half to make it easy to peel. Parking easy. Friendly service. Music poppin & not too loud. Will come here again and tell more friends to eat here! Edit: if u like sausages, probs don't order that here, it's just sliced hot dogs. Probs only downfall. Seafood bomb tho Edit edit: Individual baggies IS TOP TIER!!!!! They even rebag for u if u don't finish.

Came here for the seafood boil and left mostly satisfied. Got the headless shrimp with the "Juicy"…read moreflavor -- a blend of all their seasonings -- and it was genuinely good, solid 8/10. The Cajun fries held their own too. Prices are fair, actually a bit cheaper than comparable spots in SD, and the space itself is large, clean, and nice inside. We were seated quickly with no wait. That said, a few things brought the experience down. The staffing was clearly not enough for the volume of guests -- as the night picked up, service noticeably slowed, and it felt like the waiters were stretched thin through no fault of their own. That's a management issue. The sausage portion options are oddly limited too -- only a half pound or full pound, nothing in between, which feels unnecessarily restrictive. Biggest miss: the calamari. One bite and I was done -- it had "frozen grocery store bag" written all over it. Skip it entirely. The garlic bread is in the same boat, obviously store-bought, though it's passable enough. Stick to the seafood boil, avoid the appetizers, and hope you visit on a well-staffed night.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Stopped by Po Boy Shop and ordered the fried shrimp plate with mac & cheese and red beans & rice…read more Overall, it was a really good meal. The fried shrimp had great flavor and seasoning on the breading. I personally would've liked them fried just a little harder for a bit more crisp, but they were still very tasty and fresh. The mac & cheese was creamy, rich, and definitely one of the highlights of the plate. The red beans & rice had a good hearty flavor, though it was a little on the salty side for my taste. For dessert, I had the peach cobbler. The flavor was really good and comforting, but I would've liked a little more juice in it. It would also be great if they offered an option to heat the cobbler, which would take it to another level. Interior is cute , screams New Orleans. They had one person working counter she was busy in the phone trouble shooting some software so I just ordered on the tablet. Overall, generous portions and good Southern comfort food. I'd definitely come back and try more items on the menu.

Food was good. I went for the sandwich but got the catfish and shrimp and gumbo. Nice bright and…read moreclean restaurant with friendly service. Got my food to go but should have eaten there. Breading was lightly seasoned (would have liked a little more flavor) on the catfish and shrimp. The shrimp were super plump and sweet. Catfish was a bit funky but both were best with the hot sauce. Gumbo had good flavor and a dark roux, just too much salt and the chicken was a bit chewy. Nice pieces of okra and really good sausage. Will come back for a shrimp poboy.

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Partial view of the suite front

Crab Town - seafood - Updated May 2026

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