The first time we went to try out this place was about 2 weeks after the restaurant opened on a Friday night. The wait was about an hour long (just like boiling crab!) so we decided to get everything to go. We ordered a whole bunch of shrimps in difference sauces because we were told that it is not crawfish season and therefore they are getting them frozen at the time. Loved the honesty and opted out from getting the crawfish. We also weren't allowed to get fresh oysters to go either which was totally understandable. We got home, covered our table with paper bags and plastic and did our own at home get our hands dirty meal. I thought the sauces were great and the shrimp was cooked just right. The second time around we went back on a Wednesday night. The place was still busy but we got seated without waiting. Took a while to get our orders taken and for our food to come but the servers were working very hard. We ordered a bunch of shrimps, clams, mussels and a dozen fresh oysters. The oysters were fresh and very delicious. Clams were also meaty and delicious... But their mussels hardly had any meat in them. Some of the shrimp heads this time was mushy I don't know what happened. So from my two cracking crab experiences I think I will give this place an overall 3 stars. I love the fact that the restaurant is located across the street from me, and I do believe they potentially taste better than boiling crab, but this restaurant still needs a lot of improvements. read more

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

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I've tried to look passed many instances of poor quality/old soggy shrimps several times but enough is enough. It's evident that this isn't a mistake or an accident but deliberate negligence. You've lost our business. I had a large order Friday for our guests and ordered 7lbs of shrimp. Never mind the bags not being properly labeled and having to taste and guess the sauces and levels of spiciness... but in every single bag at least 30% of the shrimp was old, soggy, and disgusting! --------------VERY POORLY MANAGED-------- read more

Delicious seafood and great service. We went mid afternoon before the rush so had our pick of covid-conscious tables out front. Our server was super nice and it was hard to decide what to order, which was a good sign. We started off with calamari, which was seasoned nicely and not too breaded. I ordered the shrimp boil and added sausage. You can choose which seasoning you want. I went with garlic butter, but if you like spicy, they can do that too. You can also add crab, corn, potatoes, etc. Portion size was plenty, and we left full and happy. read more

The seafood is Great I will refer Crackin Crab to all. The service was fast no long waiting. Clean and welcoming ,going back tomorrow

It was my first time coming to a seafood restaurant like this, so we kept it simple and only order a $12.95/lb bag of shrimp, and some garlic fries. We enjoyed the shrimp. It's flavor with the seasoning was so good. wow. They provided us with a bib, some gloves, & wet wipes. However it was a little difficult to peel the shrimp with the gloves so we gave up midway & removed our gloves. read more

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

Decided to do some cracking crab for the first time ever. I heard a lot about this place and had some pretty high hopes. We were seated pretty quickly and the menu seems simple enough. Been in the mood for some king crab, at $28 per pound it seemed pretty good. Also had a Yelp check In for a discount 10% off everything except combos, alcohol, and everything else that you would typically order. So that worked out. Also decide on some sausage, corn, and macaroni and cheese. I was pretty excited when they started to serve the food. They dropped a nice selection of crab meat digging utensils. And instead of typical bag of seafood with the powder sprinkled all over it, he came in a bag with a paste that was pretty delicious. we asked to have extra spicy. I wasn't disappointed with the crab and sausage rolled with the tasty place that was nice and spicy. It gave me a little sweat and a nice ting on my tongue. And plenty of napkins close by to wipe all my hands forehead, and everywhere else I was getting butter and tasty paste and sweat all over. Six stars for the bag of crab. The macaroni and cheese however was kind of soupy and bland. At this point I would've enjoyed a box of Kraft mac & cheese better. The corn reminds me of frozen corn that you get at the grocery store. And lacked butter and salt. We asked for some extra butter and black pepper. Trying to fix the corn and the mac & cheese so that it was edible. Then came the sticker shock. Looking back to see that we were charged for every little thing and it added up to about $90 for two people, I seriously have to reevaluate the value. On reevaluation I realize that $28 per pound king crab was served at $38. That would've been nice for our server to mention that. I assumed when I ordered 2 pounds I would've gotten 2 pounds. So for the price of the meal that was pretty unexpected, I would give the total experience three stars. Later I found out that they sell the sauce for two dollars a pint. And I figure it would be more value to get the sauce and steam my own king crab, sausage, corn, a box of mac n cheese, and throw in some red potatoes. I'll be back for sauce. read more

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

Number one thing here..SERVICE!!! amazing...its like you're in Hawaii but instead of getting lei'd, you get bib'd. Shrimp, cajun style, delicious. Get medium, if you like spicy, get hot. Gumbo, was good, but not great, nothing special, but you don't come here for the soup, you come for the SEAFOOD. Wings are good, but they are dry rub, and i prefer wet, but if you dip them in the shrimp sauce in the bag, awesome. One pound of shrimp, one order of rice can feed two people, great meal. read more

Cracking Crab - Finger licking!! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

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Both the servers, a guy and girl, at a Sunday during lunch were very friendly, accommodating, and apologetic. The place was understaffed for the time which I can def understand at times. The place is spacious, and we ordered 2 lbs of crawfish, sausage, corn, potatoes and we used the check in special to get 50% off one appetizer (the fried shrimp Po Boy Sliders) which were tasty. The crawfish definitely tasted drier and not as tasty as what I'm accustomed to from Boiling Crab. I didn't get to try the crab or fries. read more

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!!!!!! Insanely delicious & SO MUCH FUN!! I got the skinless shrimp with Cajun seasoning and I literally could not shut up the whole time about how good it was and how much fun I was having LOL! They bring you gloves and a bib and a bucket! Our waiter John was also super nice!! Can't wait to come back! read more

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

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This little gem is hiding in a little town called montrose. My geography description might not be accurate but trust in me when i say that this place is definitely one of my favorite places. Nice spot to bring family, friends or just a regular date night. There is usually no wait to get a table and their sauces are great. Their price is within reason, so definitely have enough change for some dessert later. Now let's get to the bottom of why this place is memorable. The main thing you need to know when you go to this kind of restaurant is if they cook the seafood properly. Here, they do it just right. Shrimp is perfectly cooked everytime. The way to check is when you are peeling it, the sking is not wrinkly and it doesn't stick to the meat. If it does, it is either overcooked or old. Come to their happy hour and prices are even better. Quick advice, don't order bacon wrapped scallops in the apps. It's not worth the price. read more

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I couldn't wait to wash my hands and post my review! I must say, we had excellent service tonight. (Wednesday 2/28) First time here. Had this place in mind for a few years since they've opened but never got around to it. Tonight was the perfect night to come. No crowd, like we've seen in the past. Ordered oysters 1/2 dozen. Cold, fresh, excellent. Combo #3. I don't remember the pounds of each item, but basically it contained crawfish, shrimp, crabs, corn, sausage & potatoes. It was plenty to serve 2-3 people. The seafood were steamed to perfection, corn and sausage were soft and juicy. Seasoning: lemon pepper and garlic butter mix as recommended by our waitress. Our waiter and waitress came around every 5-7 minutes to check on us. The waiter cut our whole crab and water was offered at least 4-5 times. Plenty of free parking in back and metered parking up front. read more

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If you guys are looking for a good flavor crab boil! This is definitely not it! Good service! Nice spacious spot! But the food was bland! Expensive & not worth the money! read more

Pros: Convenient parking in the back Attentive servers Clean environment No wait Cons: They charge for every little thing - extra sauce and stuff -.- The food is mediocre for the price For me, I don't think I'll be coming back. Boiling crab has better food for less price read more

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We got a combo, which was good. But the temperature of the food was not hot and did not seem right out of the stove range. The food wasn't cold but rather room temperature, which made me wonder if it was sitting somewhere in kitchen for awhile. I would have rated the restaurant 2 stars, but I gave it 3 stars because service was good. Our server acknowledged mistake in one of our orders and they provided the correct dish in addition to allowing us keep the mistaken dish. read more

I was craving crab and found this place through Yelp. The service was good and the restaurant was clean. I wasn't too thrilled with the food. We ordered the crab and shrimp with corn and it came out on a tray and it was like the everything sauce was just poured over the seafood so, there wasn't much flavor once you got past the shells. Sad to say, I was pretty disappointed. read more

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

I was visiting my family and we decided to go to the Cracking Crab on a Saturday night after walking by it quite a bit. This is a place to go if you love seafood. They do not have much of a drink selection. Service was good, but they did a poor job pushing tables together. The put this paper over the table. Unfortunately, the too tables were uneven and when I put my glass on the edge the wine glass broke and the wine spilled on my brother. They did a nice job cleaning up, but did not even comp the glass of wine. As for the food, we started with calamari, bacon-wrapped scallops, and bacon-wrapped shrimp. All there were good (although these are hard dishes to mess up). I think my favorite was the bacon-wrapped scallops--the scallops were cooked really well. Someone also ordered the gumbo, but did not care for it much We ordered and shared a lot of food for the main course. This included the fried combo basket, the fried fish basket, Crackin' Combo 2 with lobster and clam, and then Crackin' Combo 3 with crab, mussels, and shrimp. All of this food was very good. The fried foods were cooked just right--the fish in particularly was really good. I am not sure why chicken was included, but I liked that as well. I really loved both combos. This is a place were you will get messy--they provide bibs which help, but I would not wear nice clothes here if you are getting one of these combos. It was great to have such variety. Both the lobster and crab were cooked perfect--the crab was not a great size, but had plenty of meat. Out of the other items, I really like the mussels--the buttery sauce worked well with them. The shrimp are whole and you need to pull the heads off, but they were also tasty. I was not a big fan of the clams, they were small and kind of flavorless. The combo included corn and potatoes. The corn was excellent--the way it mixed with the seafood really brought out the flavor. I was not a big fan of the potatoes though--they were a little too large. For dessert I had the green tea ice cream macaroon. I loved it, the perfect end to the meal. read more

We've been here before a few times and enjoyed it. I tried to order today online for takeout. Their system was down. I called and was informed that what I just tried to order online for $71 including tax actually costs almost $110 under the new ownership. I get that prices have gone up but not 50%. King crab price went up from $45 to $95, over 2x! According to NYT article this week, average increase in seafood cost is up 13% from last year. This is a complete rip-off by the new owner. They just lost a costumer. read more

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This place changed quite a bit, and it left us disappointed. We used to come here often. The prices now are far above market value. The clam chowder was still good, but the calamari turned into mini bites. Half the clams were missing. Considering other recent reviews, I see that the sentiment is the same. Why did such a good thing have to change? read more

Came here for the first time a couple of months ago. Had a coupon!! It was VERY good. At first I thought it was weird getting our food in a plastic bag, but I got over it quick after I tasted the seafood. Very messy eating without utensils, but easier to eat that way especially when you are cracking crab. The potatoes were perfectly cooked. They have gotten very bz since last I've been there. People waiting outside!! read more

We did our homework before deciding to go here on our anniversary. There were so many 5 stars it seemed perfect. The service was good, very friendly. My wife & I ordered the dinner special. My wife had clam chowder. She said it was okay. I had the jambalaya and it was good. My wife had dungeness crab & I had snow crab & King crab legs. My food was good but my wife said something wasn't right with her dungeness crab. The legs fell off the body with no effort. When she cracked it it came apart in little peace's. We didn't know if it was underdone or overdone?? When we left we asked how they cook it. They said in a pressure cooker My wife & I are from Northern California and have cooked our own crab, bought frozen crab and been lucky enough to experience crab all over Northern CA restaurants. Everyone knows you boil crab! The other thing that bothered my wife was the corn. It was soft & mushy. When making corn you don't have to cook it, you simply heat it. The sauces we great! We would love those recipes!! read more

Been a while since I've yelped but wth heck. Heard good things about cracking crab for years and finally decided to give it a try since we were craving a seafood boil. Ordered online and went over to pick up. Defetily a sign when all other restaurants around were packed except for Cracking Crab that was empty. Guess the good days are gone since all the seafood received was old and frozen. I understand some shrimp can be mushy. (happens at the other places as well and not happy with them) but for those other places, it's around 1 out of every 10 shrimp. At Cracking crab, it's 9 out of 10 shrimps. Pure mush. The Dungeness crab also was not fresh and can tell the meat was frozen before. Arguably they do have fresh seafood considering the reviews, but it just depends when you come. read more

Loved it here! Not only was the food delicious and the server fantastic, but it is a very fun place to eat at. We ordered a pitcher of craft beer, calamari (some of the best we've ever had) and the platter that had crab, shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn. It is messy, but that is part of the fun. You are given a bib and plastic gloves (use them!) and you select the spice you want. We went for the basic non-spicy butter and lemon and were very happy with that. If you love great seafood and are looking for a fun, delicious place - this is it. Can't wait to return. read more

I love cajun food and this place definitely helped with some cravings! Got their crab and loved it--so much meat! But one of the best parts of the meal is the large selection of alcohol and specifically beers. If you get a michelada, it even comes garnished with a crab claw which is awesome! Perfect addition to the meal. I also loved their garlic toast. It's perfect for dipping into their clam chowder or gumbo. I'm starting to drool again... read more

Boiling Crab is well known. Not as much Cracking crab but equal if not better. You order a lb of shrimp, it's a lot of shrimp btw. I ordered the potatoes and corn thinking side dishes and they actually toss everything in a bag lol. Two bibs and 5 pairs of gloves later it was really good. Note you will see beady shrimp eyes staring at you, you can remove the heads. Good meal, Montrose is a nice town as well. read more

Eating here is great fun! The atmosphere is casual, the people are friendly, service is laid-back, the food is good, and most people don't even bother using utensils. Terrific for kids, the family, and an easy night out. Prices are quite reasonable, too. I'll be back! read more

They can't handle the COVID19 mass orders. Messing up orders left and right. Management needs to be on site read more

Cracking Crab is a good option when you're looking for something like Boiling Crab but don't want to drive all the way out for it. I usually get a pound of the shrimp in the crackin sauce, and I also usually get the sausage but the past few times I've been here, I didn't like it. The sausage is cut into 3-4 inch pieces that are barely sliced and doesn't look or taste all that appetizing. All in all, it's kinda pricy for what it is. We also got an order of the parmesan garlic wings using the Yelp Check-In deal. The wings were interesting. It's one of the newer flavors, but it looks like wings covered in minced garlic. I think the flavor profile is still a bit off. The best part was that beers were $3 which is a deal that goes on all week I think? Or during Happy Hour? There's plenty of seats indoors. Even when other people came, everyone was seated far apart so it felt like we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. There's also a bunch of TVs along the walls so I can see it being a good spot to come watch a game or something. Service was great. All the waiters were very attentive in getting us water and checking in throughout our meal. read more

This place is great and love their combo choice. Highly recommend: Combo#3 for $57 - Dungeness crab with large serving of clams & mussels with 4 pieces of corn , 4 sausages and potatoes. Don't forget the oysters in a half shell. Definitely will be returning. Although there where only 2 staff members serving they where very efficient. read more

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Very tasty flavors for the crab legs to choose from. Nice portions. I love that they have garlic noodles to add to the crab yummy they also have other things to choose from my father got the clam chowder soup. they also have a full bar with a good selection of drinks. I got their version of a Long Island ice tea and was nice.... I would go back. read more

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

Pretty lousy. Really terrible service. I came on a Thursday evening because the other restaurants around had no seats available at the bar (solo diner). I was the only person seated at the bar. There were two couples seated in the dining area; mostly empty tables, just 5 customers. The hostess/waitress asked what I wanted to order and I said I needed a minute. After waiting more than 10 mins, I was about to leave but I saw her walk in the front door with a Starbucks cup (Starbucks is about 10 stores away, at the end of the block). Between giving me a menu and taking my order, she thought it was a good time for a coffee run. She took my order with her pocketbook on her shoulder. After my food was served, I had to wait to find someone to request silverware (it took about 5 minutes to fulfill this request, they had to go in the back, to the kitchen) and then later, I had to wait for my bill. This also took more than 5 minutes after I requested it. It wasn't crowded, they're just not good at paying attention. They have a security system for their ballpoint pen and serve disposable cups, with lids, for dining in. The food was very average, but they had free refills on soda. My appetizer and meal were brought out at the same time. They have something called "Cajun fries" I asked what that was and was told, "I couldn't explain it. It has over 20 seasonings in it." The calamari was a bit fishy and the breading was bland. The fried shrimp basket was all breading with tails somehow stuck on. read more

Cracking Crab - Plastic cup, with lid for dining-in customers. Seems like a waste. They bring water to the table first, also in a plastic cup with lid. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montrose, California

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Food was horrible the shrimp was over cooked definitely not worth it don't recommend please save ur money what a waste.

Came here with a big group (15 people) to celebrate our September birthdays. Cracking Crab is great for large parties and the staff are friendly and able to accomodate. We got there for happy hour which includes discounted draft beer pitchers. I ordered a pitcher of Stella and Golden Road Mango Cart. Both pitchers were $12 each with tax. Good deals and perfect on a Friday night! The wings are $5 for happy hour and they serve a $6 basket of crawfish bites and garlic fries. Yummy fried food and beer, perfect combo. I love regional food and I am happy this Vietnamese-Cajun boil made its way to California. We got bags of cajun shrimp and sausage and sides of rice. It is always fun to wear a bib and eat with your hands! The sauce was flavorful and delish with white rice, I could just eat sauce with rice! The garlic noodles was also good and it reminded me of the noodles at Crustacean. They gave us dessert on the house for our birthdays and also allowed us to bring our own cake. Hope to be back for more big birthday celebrations! read more

Extremely surprised at how good their shrimp po boy sliders are. Fish tacos were gigantic and delicious. Totally need to go back to do the crab combos next. read more

Went here today to celebrate my dads bday. This place is great for groups because the staff here are very hospitable and courteous. *Shoutout to Mark* They were even patient with my niece and nephew and accommodated them when they wanted to keep blowing out the bday candles. They have weekly specials besides their combos and happy hour which I think separates them from the many other cajun seafood boils. Today was $3 beers and $12 pitchers which was great with our seafood combo. Cracking crab cajun mix with the shrimp and snow crab legs were fantastic. Especially dipping the fries in the sauce mix. I've been here a few times and I do think it's one of the better places in LA read more

Pretty good! Was looking for a Viet Cajun food place cause a seafood boil is ALWAYS better with garlic noodles. We accidentally went during the Oktoberfest fair, but there wasn't a wait. So nice! My whole group ordered shrimp, so I can't comment on the other seafood. Overall the shrimp itself was pretty good, but not excellent. The flavors were just right, but our shrimp was overcooked. Love that they give the lime and salt/pepper dipping sauce too. We ordered two types of garlic noodles, one with cheese and one without. Both got demolished and we didn't have ANY leftovers. And cause we just HAD to try it we had an order of the Cajun fries. These were excellent! They were well seasoned and stayed crispy even after we were done with our shrimp. What more can you ask for! read more

I believe that this is the third owner now in the last few years. But with that being said, it's a good thing that these people took over. Happy hour Monday through Friday 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. They rotate bottled beer for $3 and they always have at least one IPA which is awesome! They also have happy hour food specials; sweet corn nuggets ($5), 5 chicken wings ($5), & crawfish basket ($6). Our favorite was the 12 oysters for $12, and they were super fresh. I usually get the chicken tenders with sweet potato fries, or my other go-to is a pound of shrimp with cracking crab mix with corn. All the food I've gotten here has been great quality since the new owners. Environment is really laid-back - they have about 7 Flatscreen TVs that are usually playing some sort of sports or ESPN. Service is incredible - while I was eating here, three seperate members of the staff came up and asked how everything was and if I needed anything else. Extremely friendly! Overall this place is a win because of the service, happy hour specials, great selection of beer, and not having long wait lines like boiling crab to get a table. read more

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Have been here twice and have really had a great time both times. Awesome easy to read menus, pretty easy parking, great prices, and the food and spices are spot on. An on beautiful Honolulu street to boot. Can't miss for family get togethers and birthdays. If you're shi-shi like me and don't want a ton of work, the already peeled shrimp is wonderful. Owner Kevin is omnipresent and does an incredible, personable job. Staff Mark and John are so pleasant and on it as well. A+++ Will definitely come back time and time again. read more

Bring your appetite cause you're gonna need it. Everyone loved the garlic fries. We got combos 2 and 3. The everything seasoning medium heat was the way to go. It was extremely messy but fun. Lots of finger licking. I know that may sound gross but how else are you going to get that delicious season into your mouth. ? We ate our fill and still had lots of leftovers. Our server Mark was very attentive. We had a party of 20 and the restaurant took our reservations!! We will definitely be back read more

SO glad I found a SOLID cajun spot where I don't have to go all the way to LA for! My friend and I shared: 1) Combo #1 with shrimp, crawfish and mussels. Shrimp is my favorite so that was bomb. The crawfish barely had any meat inside so I would probably double up on the shrimp next time. We got the mixed sauce (cajun, lemon pepper, garlic butter) on a medium spicy level but it wasn't spicy at all!! It also comes with corn, potatoes and Louisiana sausage. 2) GET YOSELF THE GARLIC NOODLES (in lieu of rice). Addicting AF. 3) Cajun fries. Wonderfully crunchy and delicious. I love that they served the combo on a tray (you mix the seafood and sauce with your own hands) instead of a bag. They also provide a small trash bin which made things a LOT less messy! read more

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I'm going to start this off by saying I made the mistake of NOT ordering a combo, which clearly seems to be their specialty...my mistake. I'm also going to start with a positive. The wait staff were very attentive and friendly. It's a shame that the product makes their job tough. That being said, we did order other main offerings off the menu. We started with the clam chowder which was really good. The main dishes however were HIGHLY disappointing. I ordered the garlic shrimp noodles . The noodles were over cooked and the sauce was actually so sweet I could barely taste the garlic. The shrimp while huge had a strong fishy taste (yes I know it's seafood, but I'm pretty sure that kind of fishy means it wasn't fresh). The other main we ordered was the salmon which was over cooked and super dry (think hockey puck) with what seemed to be a bottled teriyaki sauce on top. The salad that came with it was doused in oil and a hint of vinegar, pretty bland. When we mentioned how disappointing the dish was to the waitress, her response was "yeah, it's nit my favorite" Wish she had saved us the $30 saying so when we ordered, or tell them owner so they can improve it or take it off the menu. To top it all of at a hefty price on average of $30 per plate, not only was the taste disappointing but the presentation was HORRiD. The clam chowder came in styrofoam cups and the main dishes were served on paper plates that were so cheap the the waitress had to practically fold them in half to keep the food from falling off the plate and onto our laps. All in all very disappointing. I would recommend to the owners taking items off the menu that are fillers and offer only what you're good at. People can't fault you for a lean menu if it's amazing but can if you don't match your food and experience to justify the price. read more