I never have the patience to wait for boiling crab anymore so I usually come to cracking crab instead which never has a wait and is literally down the street from my home. I actually prefer cracking crab or kicking crab over boiling crab. I usually come here with my mom because we're the only ones in my family who like this Cajun style seafood lol. The service here is always really great. I think most of the servers are in hs or college but they're always really on top of everything. I usually just get a lb of shrimp, cracking mix (all the flavors) and a corn. Sometimes we get Cajun fries or sweet potato fries. The last time we tried the fried oysters. They were pretty good and it was my first time trying them fried, though I think I still prefer them raw on the half shell. I will say that their seasoning can be inconsistent. There have been days I've come in and been blown away by the flavor and some days it's just alright. But all in all, a good place to get some Cajun style seafood when the mood strikes. I love the extensive beer selection they have too. They also have a "weekly special" where a certain beer is only $3! Can't really beat that price? this time it was Drake's IPA. YUM! read more

Cracking Crab opened for lunch recently and, in order, to not get deleted--as all of my reviews of this restaurant have been--I ordered a beer and Cajun fries. The beer was perfect. The wait staff just fine. The "Cajun" Fries...not to my palate. Menu hasn't changed which I think is a big negative if you want to come here with someone who is not as enthusiastic about seafood as you are. I noticed they still insist on not using plates or cutlery and serve their food in plastic bags. 1 Star probably seems pretty drastic. But there are very few 1 Star reviews on this restaurant's page. I looked into that. Someone has systematically "Flagged" 99% of the 1 - 3 Star reviews. If you want to see the REAL amount of less than positive reviews WHICH ARE NUMEROUS! Go to the "Reviews Not Recommended" category at the bottom of the review page. Clearly someone affiliated with the restaurant is MARKING NEGATIVE VIEWS FOR DELETION. I have no affiliation with this business. I have no affiliation with a competitor. As far as the other guidelines--"Inappropriate content" - none. "Conflicts of interest" - none. "Promotional Content" - none. "Relevance" - HUGELY RELEVANT. "Privacy" - no private information in this review. "Intellectual Property" - All this content is mine. I live across the street and find this restaurant a perfectly good neighbor and because I live here and the concept is SO GREAT, my desire is for them TO IMPROVE. read more

This place was pretty packed and busy on Mother's Day. However, as soon as we were seated, our food came out pretty quickly. I got a pound of shrimp with cracking crab mix and asked to make it spicy. My boyfriend got King crab legs with garlic butter. We both got corn (MUST!!). I don't think I want to eat shrimp for awhile after eating a pound of it all by myself. The crab was sweet and delicious with the garlic butter sauce. I wish they served corn bread/hush puppies/some kind of crusty bread. It is messy and greasy, but it is so much fun to eat with your hands! read more

I've never been to any of these crab and shrimp places now that they're all the rage, so I decided to come here since all the Boiling Crabs are far as hell and I fear a bit overrated. What an experience! We came to this location completely by accident thinking it was the one by the Galeria and it couldn't have worked out better. This location is wonderful. No wait on a Friday night and it's practically brand new. Our waiter was amazing, so attentive and friendly. But the star of the show is the food, simply incredible! I got a pound of shrimp and a pound of sausage with the cracking crab flavor mix in medium spicy and it was to die for. Can't wait to come back here! A definite must! read more

Cracking Crab will always get 5 stars from me. I love everything about this place. By far, my favorite spot for shrimp and beer. The service is always fast and friendly. I love the upbeat music and dim lighting because it gives you a chill, laid-back feeling. The shrimp itself is very delicious, I would say that it is the best tasting out of the other crab joints. The fries are a must when you come here, can go wrong with some crispy golden fries! Just an FYI - they do charge for extra ranch. Parking is available behind the restaurant. Definitely a 5 star experience every time! Just a tip (that's what she said): By the way - if you go arms deep into that bag of shrimp and you find yourself covered in the sauce there is a sink you can use by the bar to wash it all off. Much easier than going to the bathroom! read more

Huge place with plenty of seating, free parking and a walk away from other shops in Montrose...what else can you ask for? I heard their service didn't used to be great, but since, their management has completely changed and I think this place is underrated. I was blown away by the amount of food I got when I ordered the Green Mussels with the Crackin Mix. Look at my pics! They tasted even more amazing than they look. Their food is delicious, and you get the full experience by wearing the plastic gloves and the plastic "bib"...although you don't have to if you want your fish de-shelled. I love that you get the choice! I'll be back. ;) read more

See all

Food was good . Service was good . However the 10% discount does not apply at happy hours . They should have that in the " rules" under the check in offer . Even if you don't order happy hour stuff . Our dinner was 50 plus tip . Honoring what they advertise would have made me come back again . Even if they advertised falsely or just didn't make it clear , the owner ( who was asked ) should have bothered to come over to our table and say " I do it this time because it's a mistake ". However he just sent the waiter back with the "NO". I have a successful company I run and I know about customer service . I am going to Boiling crab next time .Lost a customer for $5. read more

I returned and wow. My waiter amazed me. Great waiter, owner was kind and greeted everyone. I love the food, and my new favorite waiter read more

Came here yesterday with are AWESOME friends great food good service keep up the good work guys hopefully we come back soon!

Food here is really good, my friends and I love this place, always clean and nice environment.

I really like this place, most people go here for the shrimp and craw fish experience. I go for the oysters, one of the few places that i can get oysters for a decent price. If you want to watch sports have some fun food and a beer or two this spot is perfect. read more

Cracking Crab - Oysters and wings - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

Awesome! Saved a drive down to Koreatown and dealing with the crappy traffic. Found this place on yelp and off I went! I went on a Wednesday night a little before 8 o'clock and it was pretty busy. However I think most people came in earlier but stayed for the Giants vs. KC game because they were cheering at the end. My party of two was seated right away and was attended to right away as well. We ordered three pounds of shrimp with the Cracking crab mix medium spicy along with a pound of sausage, cajun fries, and drinks for the two of us (I swear I'm so fat). The food came out super fast and the waiter gave us as many limes as we wanted. When we got to eating the shrimp was too hot at first, but it cooled down fast and the next thing I knew, my hands were covered in their Cracking Crab mix. It was super delicious and the shrimps were huge! Their Cajun fries, although I don't recall the waiter asking us how spicy we wanted them to be, were a right dose of spicy. The sausage in the bags were huge! I felt like I was eating a potato chip. I loved that we were attended to very well. Our waiter was able to joke around with us when my boyfriend pointed out that I out-ate him and the waiter gave me a joking look. He also told us that there was a hand sink by the bar for the dirty hands. I ended up taking the leftovers home and our waiter helped out with that too. Thanks for an awesome date night, cracking crab! P.S. Their mix is really strong, so after you wash your hands with soap, use the lime to wash your hands to further take off the residue remaining on your hands! read more

See all

I stumbled upon this place and was pleasantly surprised. Negative reviews made me sad. For anyone who drives out and waits for hours while paying for valet parking and dealing with smaller spaces and sharpie markings for decorations -- (you know what I'm talking about here) -- this is a much needed breath of fresh ocean air in an otherwise stuffy and rather outdated Montrose. The fact that they opened represents a new renaissance sweeping through our little town. read more

Cracking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

This was not so much a dinner as an experience. Don't wear your good clothes. They tie bibs on you, but even so, prepare to get messy. No plates, just a big waxed paper table cover that everything goes on. Plan on a group experience: Get some things to share and swap around. Don't go for a meal so much as for the group fun. You get your choice of flavors on the sauce, and also your choice of degree of spicy. The "mild" was pretty spicy. My lips are still burning from it. If you aren't into hot sauce, go with the "non-spicy." We shared a bag (yes, the food comes to your table in plastic bags) of shrimp and a bag of snow crab. It all comes steamed in the bag with the sauce: messy, garlicky, red sauce and whatever add-ons you order. They give you steel utensils to crack the crab open, but everything else on your table is disposable: Plastic knives and forks on request, otherwise, just your fingers. You can order add-ins of potatoes, corn, or sausage. Those get added into the bag with the seafood and sauce. The potatoes are smallish (1-1/2") whole, red potatoes. You need a fork to break them up. I wished for a spoon to get some sauce out of the bag to put on the potato, but had to improvise. The corn is a half cob: a little hard to share. Most of the seafood is "market price". Be sure to ask the price. The snow crab was about $16 per lb, but the king crab was $31 per lb. We shared our two bags (shrimp and crab) among three of us. That was about right, adequate, but not overly so. You can also get baskets of fried seafood and french fries if you prefer avoid the mess of the steamed bag, are less adventurous, or want something for the kids. Oddly, they don't serve wine, just beer and sake. If you want wine, you could stop at Trader Joe's two blocks down the street on your way and bring your own. I think the corkage fee was about $12. The beer selection (bottled, not draft) was OK: all "mass market craft". Nothing you wouldn't find at your local supermarket. Or, be adventurous and try the sake. The noise level is high with lots of reverb. Not so loud as to drown conversation, but echo-y enough to make me wish they'd invested in more sound baffles. The staff was very friendly, enthusiastic, attentive, and explained things fairly well. Possibly because of the high noise level, they didn't always bring us exactly what we thought we had ordered. We didn't argue and just enjoyed what they brought, but my wife ended up with a Firestone instead of a Sam Adams, and cajun sauce instead of just garlic butter on the crab. Seeing as we were there for the adventure, what the heck, it was good anyway, but if you are real picky you might want to make sure the waitress got the order down correctly. We got there at 6:00 p.m. on a Friday, and they had lots of empty tables with no waiting, but by the time we left, the place was full with a big crowd standing and waiting. Parking behind the restaurant, south of Honolulu gets filled up. We were lucky to get a space in the parking lot. Probably better to park in the bigger lot across the street north of Honolulu. read more

Went here with the family and colleagues after work. The place is spacious, and not crowded, and no waiting time. Which is a huge plus. There's a bar and stools if you wanted to fill up with alcohol. They have a variety of beers and wine. Food wise, they have a selection of different seafood shellfish cooked ala cajun style (see picture of menu for more info) You can also order fried seafood like fried fish, shrimp, lobster popcorn, etc. Besides the aforementioned great selection of beer and wine, they also serve non alcoholic beverages like sodas. etc Taste wise honestly, it tastes just like or similar to THE BOILING CRAB. If not exact it's pretty darn close. The waiters and waitresses were fast and attentive. They got our order correct, and the same when they handed us our separate bills. We went 16 deep (16 of us total!) They handled us very professionally. I will definitely come back again, we had such a nice experience here. read more

See all

I don't understand why this place is so highly rated. I got the crab legs, and my sister got the basket of shrimp. The shrimp breading was dripping with grease, and was super rubbery. She didn't finish her food because it was so disgusting. My crab came in a plastic bag with an inch of melted butter at the bottom of the bag, and with some crappy tools to get all the meat out. The crab itself was OK, but the whole experience was so messy and it took forever! My hands smelled like garlic for 3 days. I will never come here again. read more

I've been here 3 times, so I will put that all together in one review! Food:5stars All my experiences i ordered 1 pound of shrimp for my self! It was good, but oily. The fries and wings werent cajun much. SERVICE: 3stars Every time(all 3 times) I come here, the manager or owner greets everyone at their table, I have a feeling that we weren't approached because the owner probably thought we were teenagers that don't know how to pay tip! I could tell the owner or manager gives extra service to the people drinking alcohol! I learned that to when i was a waiter for a korean owned sushi restaurant, they told me to give more service to people ordering a lot, looks older, and ordering alcohol. I got more tip from that advice! But korean owned restaurants are usually like that serving people that orders more, orders alcohol, and looks older. So maybe thats what the owner or manager was doing. Probably 80% of teenagers give no or less tip(which is sad, they should learn this in school or it should be the law) in cracking crab, so maybe i wasn't getting more service than the people ordering alcohol. But if i eat by myself i give $5-$10 tip. So i hope the owner or manager reads this to treat all customers the same, so they will all consider coming back! And maybe a teenager or someone ordering less give more tip than the person ordering more!! p.s: stop complaining about the price! If you hate the price so much go drive and waste gas to boiling crab for $2 less and also wait 2 hours!!!!!! Also why would you eat at a place if you don't know the concept or idea?? All seafood/cajun usually serve in plastics! Research before you hate! And if you hate being served in plastic shit, then bring your own utensils and plate, and tell them to put it on there instead! read more

Cracking Crab - This is the only photo i have, i keep forgetting to take good quality pictures! And i allready got my hands dirty. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

Don't say "OPEN" when you're not!!! What a waste of time and gas! Even yelp said you were open! Can't rate the food since you were not even open! So since you were not open, I rate the service which was bad since I didn't get to experience it! read more

Cracking Crab - Hmmmmm??? - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

Eat here at your own risk! The sauce is disgusting. Taste like chili powder. If you're someone that likes boiling crab or hot and juicy you'll be VERY disappointed. The customer service was good so my review is solely on the food! Don't be fooled by all the good reviews like I was. read more

If you want a fun family night,or a cool date night,this is the place! The food is so good,and fun,albeit messy to eat. But if you don't mind "gettin involved"it's great fun. My family and I were well attended too,and the waiter explained the "process" of the experience! We shall return,probably soon:) read more

First time here. We ordered the combo#3 with Dungeness crab, mussels, and shrimps with mix sauce, medium spicy $60. Taste: I've had better... the butter/sauce was kind of cold when we received our food. We got medium spicy and it was not spicy at all. So we ordered a side of spicy sauce... Still not spicy. Flavor was a little bland overall for our taste... possibly because sauce was just tossed on top of everything, and the seafood tasted like it was just boiled in plain water. Once shell comes off the food, not much flavor. The reason I am giving this place a 5 star is because of the service we had: When we received our order, it was missing the shrimps. The waiter, Mario, was kind enough to check up on it and gave us the missing shrimp along with extra goodness that we were missing that we didn't even know about (extra sausage and potatoes that should have came with our order). Because we told him that it was my hubby's bday earlier, Mario offered an apology by offering us a choice of a slice of cheesecake or tiramisu. My husband chose the cheesecake. The workers are all very friendly. Food was okay. My honest opinion if we would come back again though? Probably not. Food wasn't as memorable. read more

See all

We totally stumbled onto this place by accident but thank goodness we did! We ordered a pound of shrimp with a basket of tenders (which came with Cajun fries). Everything we ordered was great and the portions and price points were good. This place has the ambience and quality of Boiling Crab but is a bit more pricey by a dollar or so for the shrimp. BUT considering the almost 2 hour wait and the 30-40 minute drive, I'd say it's well worth the extra bucks. The inside is gorgeous and huge. The service was on point. They constantly kept checking in and refilling our drinks. Soooo happy to have a place like this only a couple of miles away! Highly highly recommend! read more

Cracking Crab - Couldn't wait but the food was delicious! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

Wow! I am very impressed. Crackin crab is better than boiling crab. Honestly, some of my fellow yelpers i dont know why you werent happy, this place is awesome. Food: 5 stars! I have been eating boiling crab for years, this place gives it serious competition and I actually prefer it much more. The garlic here doesnt leave you leaving disgusted for days. Also, all the food tastes very fresh! The mild is spicy, the medium is really spicy so beware. Service: Sean and Jeffery knocked it out of the park! Sean was so nice from greeting us to cracking several jokes, that guy is funny and charismatic. Jeffery was very professional and very attentive. He gave great commendations. 5 Stars for service. I guess they worked out the kinks that other yelpers were complaining about. Wait time: we didnt have to wait a single minute and we were prepared to wait for an hour which is normal for such a popular place. We went saturday at 8pm...rush hour. We will def be making this our go to spot from now on. Now if I can only find a good boba place for dessert....sigh read more

The food was good, the service was garbage. We were a party of five and they gave us one pair of shell crackers and we had to ask for plates and bibs. Once busy, the service got even worse. Most of the servers had scowls on their faces. When I asked for more shell crackers, I was told they didn't have anymore available. At the time the place was half full. So in closing, good food, crappy servers and I never got another set of shell crackers. read more

Best overall seafood restaurant by far and best of all the service was great. Friendly staff and full attention to detail. Will definitely comeback. Price very reasonable. read more

This is a really nice addition to montrose. The food is good, the servers are really great the prices are fairly reasonable. I just wish they had a website and some info online so you could tell the people you are meeting what to expect. I was meeting a friend here from out of town and I was trying to explain what she should expect for dinner and it was impossible to find any info on them let alone a menu. The shrimp was nicely seasoned, we choose medium, and it was perfect. The only other thing I would say is offer some utensils to eat things like potatoes, not everything is easy to eat with your fingers! read more

I enjoyed the visit here. One of many Cajun Shrimp places popping up I think they did a good job overall. Parking is always a mess in this area so just be prepared to walk or search for a while. The place looks nice inside. When you enter the bar is on the left and there is a sink for patrons at the end. I think they need to point it out a bit more because a lot of people were going to the bathroom to wash their hands and the line got long. I really liked the shrimp and the mussels. The medium has a nice kick to the spice level and there's plenty of garlic (for days) in there. I recommend asking for the gloves...unless you like smelling this for 2 more days, it really gets in your skin :) This was a nice alternative and I'll be back to visit again. read more

Friendly service, good food, kind to children. Fresh oysters woke up my Boston husband to an old favorite and made him very happy. Food is simple, fresh, and very messy. Fun night out in beautiful Montrose. read more

Cracking Crab - Oysters - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

I'm no stranger to the fact that seafood AIN'T CHEAP. And that's fine. But if you want more bang for your buck, than i don't recommend this restaurant. If you don't care about paying more than market price, it IS tasty food In my experience. But there's so many other places with good food AND where you can get better value. read more

Wow I saw this place walking by it and I said to my self this can not be better than boiling crab!! Then I went in and it looked so clean and once I got to eat wow it was so bomb way better than boiling crab!!! You guys got to try it!! The owner is amazing too he's always there. If I could I would give them 10 stars read more

Cracking Crab - Some of the amazing food at Cracking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

Finally...an amazing dinner spot in Montrose that not only serves delicious fresh seafood but offers superb customer service to its patrons. Cracking Crab, you answered my prayers. My brother in law Alex and I took our wives here for dinner. We were seated quickly and were served ice cold beers and calamari appetizers with an assortment of dipping sauces. YES. We ordered a few pounds of seafood...mussels, shrimp, king crab, with sides of corn, fries, and more cold beer. We opted for medium spice levels with a mixture of their flavors. Spicy garlicky sexy deliciousness landed on the table in large bags with steamy hot goodness inside. YES. Ladies and gentlemen, you come here to eat. Bring your appetites, put on a bib, and let the games begin. If your face and hands aren't covered in delicious seafood goodness, then you didn't do Cracking Crab the right way. My mouth is watering writing this review. If I could, I would go back right now for breakfast. The food is that good. We will be back very soon. Keep it up CC!!!!! read more

Excited to have such a fun seafood spot near me! I've been to Cracking Crab a few times and have yet to have a simple experience...the food is delicious and the service is charming. It gets messy, but a fun messy! You will be cracking open lobster, crab or other sea dwellers with your hands, which usually leads to getting splashed in the face with its spicy marinated juices (there are levels of spice), then stuffing your face with the tender fresh meat :P The restaurant provides gloves, if you opt for bare hands I would advice to not plan on touching your phone or anything! The fries and other appetizers are good too, but I would say try to eat a variety of the seafood and enjoy a nice cold beer! read more

Cracking Crab - Celebrated this babes bday with the fam! Great for a big group! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

See all

OMG , they were soooo GOOD!! I did not expect they would beat Boiling Crab but they did! I went here with my bestie on Monday night around 6.40PM, place is def getting crowded quickly but they have a lot of seats and spacious (Not like Boiling Crab where you can barely walk between seatings). I did not have to wait in line, they got us table right away, service was too awesome and attentive. Parking is easy, they have huge parking lot behind the building. We had one pound of shrimp with Cracking Crab mix and medium spicy, one pund of mussel with Crackin Crab mix and mild spicy, cajun fries, gumbo, 2 corns, it all came down to $37. We were super duper full and I had the shrimp to go. I am so gonna go to this place again! Easy parking, no traffic, no 45 mins waiting, spacious area, great service, clean place, delicious seafood! read more

Just came here again and had to wait 40 mins for my food bc they had a big order but didn't tell me and my two kids .. also wasn't Greeted at the doorAnd had to find my own sitting the servers were nice but sorry doesn't cut it I don't think I will come back again read more

Came here for the first time for dinner with a big group. We had the shrimp, crab legs, clam chowder, fried calamari, chicken tenders, and muscles. Everything was very good. The muscles were a little overcooked, but good nevertheless. I'd definitely come back. read more

Cracking Crab - Entrance - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

See all

Came here with some girlfriends the past weekend and ordered combo 3. It came with shrimp, crawfish, crab, sausage, corn and potatoes! It was good portion for three people. The seafood was fresh and the sauce was delicious, not too greasy like some of the boiling crab sauces. The service was friendly too. Btw, if you are a Pokemon go player, there's 3 poke stops next to the restaurant with constant flower rain, and loads of pokemons to catch! I got my first eevee there! read more

See all

- The price is average for this type of restaurant - The quality of the food is on par with The Boiling Crab - There was minimal wait to be seated and the staff was very polite and attentive. read more

The best asian cajun boiling seafood joint around if you don't want to drive to SGV. Expect: Korean-inspired spicy seafood mix dripping in fatty goodness. This is our go-to place when we want seafood-in-a-bag. Yes, we've tried the ones in Hollywood and surrounding areas but this asian cajun wins every time. When they first opened, the spicy sauce was off the hook way too spicy, after several visits it's learned to chill out a bit--it no longer leaves my tongue in agony, just a gentle tickle. 1 lb of seafood is hefty snack or a meal for a not so hungry person, 1.5lb is a meal, 2lb is good for a super hungry man or a kind of hungry man and a snackish lady. If you have personal space issues be forewarned they will try to bib you! Food, service, parking, restroom, decor-excellente. My only gripe is the grumpy asian lady, probably manager or co-owner, who is incapable of smiling and sounds unhappy all the time. My usual: 1lb shrimp spicy crackin' crab mix w/ corn, 1lb shrimp med spicy crackin' crab mix w/ potatoes. Tip: use potatoes to soak up leftover sauce or spoon into mouth like nobody's business. Note: Easy 3 hr parking lot behind the restaurant. Be careful, sometimes the ingredients are so hot they melt/leak through the bag--not a great scenario for a takeout bag in the car. Once in a blue moon you can find their coupon in a mailer, which also posts said coupon online; they are not a fan of this coupon and hassled me when I tried to use it. read more

Everytime my family and I come here we have a great experience! But tonight was 1 of the best our server John was amazing! It was nice to have someone attentive but not overbearing. He kept up with any request of seasonings to drink refills! Thank you John for your great service! read more

They've just opened about a week ago, and all I can say is that this place just needs more experience and ironing out of the kinks and they have potential to be a fantastic spot at the Montrose Shopping Park! Here's my experience with my friend: It was just the two of us and there weren't any customers inside (because everyone was still shopping at the Harvest Market). We ordered a pound of Shrimp and some Popcorn Lobster. The Cajun fries were pretty decent, but for me, the Sweet Potato Fries could have used a teensy bit more flavor. The shrimp was great and the Popcorn Lobster tasted.... Asian? Hahaha not bad though, As for the service, the servers are probably new to this so they need some PRACTICE; I appreciate the friendly banter, but if it comes at the expense making small mistakes in the food served and the speed, I would prefer that they work on getting the food out quicker. Practice makes perfect! I'll go back some other time and hopefully update this review for the better! read more