I love myself a good Cajun-style seafood boil, and Crafty Crab delivers. As I'm still new to seafood boil arena in the Tampa Bay area, I can't really say that I have come across one that was truly lacking. You are looking at spending at least $98 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids, no matter which restaurant you go to - it seems like the market does a good job at leveling the pricing competition between these restaurants. Crafty Crab is located essentially smack-dab in the center of Grand Plaza of the Carrollwood area. Although we didn't have issues with finding parking around 6-7pm on a Tuesday evening, the plaza can get quite busy with one row of parking on each side of a two-way lane that parallels the plaza. As we walked into Crafty Crab, it did have a cleaner feel and presentation compared to another local boil spot. Our waiter/server was great and extremely patient with us as we contemplated our choices. He continued with the positive energy throughout the service which made our experience at Crafty Crab rather nice. ***Not sure if it was standard practice, but he offered to empty the boil bag onto the aluminum tray (compared to leaving it in the bag) as an option which made navigating the morsels easier in my opinion. It also made for saucing the steam rice easier - just slap that jawn onto the tray, mix, and enjoy.*** What I enjoyed about Crafty Crab, is that they seem to offer better combinations when it came to the seafood deals. Dungeness crab is our staple, and they had a great combo that pair Dungeness crab with snow crab and headless shrimp. The fried calamari came with not only marinara, but also a spicy-mayo-wasabi sauce that slapped. Overall, you can't go wrong with Crafty Crab if you're looking for your Cajun boil fix! read more

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The food was just okay, I prefer a different seafood place not too far from here. The area is just so congested that it was a little hard to find parking. The staff was friendly and made sure to check on us often. read more

Crafty Crab was pretty good. The theme is pretty cute - they have some pirates and it looks like you are under the water. The waitress was kind and patient - he kind of forgot a couple of things which was odd since the place was empty, but he recovered and was attentive read more

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Typically, restaurants like this never warrant a review because they meet expectations. However, this place is low down. Especially for a place that doesn't do refunds. My spouse and I decided to have lunch here on a Thursday. I should have known the food would have been no good due to the restaurants emptiness. There were no issues with the service and ambiance. However, we did notice some menacing fruit flies. I could only imagine what was going on in the back of the kitchen. Anyway, food was very mediocre for the price (approx $75 dollars plus $20 dollar tip for 1 alcoholic bev, 1 non alcoholic bev drinks, two meals, no appetizers) No effort was put into our meal especially being probably one of the first customers of the day. I ordered a snow crab boil and my spouse ordered a Dungeness crab boil. He ate one crab and could not bare to eat the rest. I was disappointed in the lack of sauce and garlic in my seafood boil. I would have taken pictures but we were so disappointed and ready to go. 1 out of 10 would not recommend but they definitely have room for improvement. I wouldn't go back and wish them the best, respectfully. read more

Crafty Crab came highly recommended while visiting the Tampa Area, so my family and I stopped in for dinner. Upon entering we were greeted by a handsome pleasant host who showed us to our table. The ambiance showcased a unique fishing dock vibe. I expected them to be much like any other "crab boil bag" place; however, their blue crab boil hit in the best way!! Every dish was flavorful with a combination of fresh ingredients and skilled preparation which made for a delicious meal! Our server was kind, accommodating and extremely helpful! He answered all of our questions and provided suggestions that were spot on for us! I took off a star for 2 reasons...1) they missed the mark with their sweet tea..,it tasted like sweet water! The tea was extremely LIGHT in color and lacked the flavor of TEA! 2) they would not allow me to substitute broccoli for the sausage that came in my crab boil bag. I was forced to pay $6 for a side of broccoli! Overall, the food was so delicious and the service was really great so I certainly recommend you giving them a try! read more

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Best Seafood ever i tried in my entire life. Their Fried Shrimp Basket is always my favourite item in their menu. If you want to explore all of their menu you can visit https://craftycrabmenu.com read more

The shrimp boil is amazing! Never disappoints! A must try. Very tasty - boom boom recipe is very tasty.

Whenever I need a seafood fix this is the place I go! Never have I been disappointed with the seafood boils, tasty and flavorful. The service is always super quick which I really appreciate. The wings are a favorite appetizer of ours. The oysters are a pass for our next visit. The ambiance is very themed lots of things hanging from the ceiling. The restaurant is also very clean and this location typically has no wait. They have a happy hour all day sun-thur read more

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Place was empty when we walked in at 1 PM, so we were a little concerned. The gumbo was tasty. I had the steamed scallops. My biggest issue with the plate is that it was begging for either rice or pasta or some French bread. Hubby had a fried platter of catfish and oysters. He's from New Orleans and felt the breading was too heavy. The service was very good. read more

Crafty Crab - Steamed Cajun spiced scallops really needed either bread, pasta, or rice to complement. - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Quincy was our server. He was great. Making sure everything was great and our drinks were always filled. Hush puppies were delish. Not greasy and very very tasty. I had the lobster mix special. Boom sauce, medium. It was so good. Sooooo much food. But so good. A big lobster tail. Tons of snow crab. Plump shrimp and super tasty sausage. The corn and potatoes are cooked perfectly. I tried the blue crab. A little fishy for my palate. Patron margaritas were on point. Definitely a great place to get your seafood fix. read more

Crafty Crab - Lobster mix special - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Went in on Friday evening for a birthday dinner. With a large family of 16-18 we were sat promptly & properly. Overall highly satisfied to all the food taste and temp. Would definitely come back! All the fried food was made perfectly. The raw oysters were my favorite. As u can see from my food pix- everything was delicious. Thankyou for a memorable evening . Service was good but overall experience was worth a solid perfect 5 stars. read more

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In Love with this place! The food is pipping hot and yummy and the service is awesome. It used to be the old pinchers and i'm so glad they took it over. Everyone is super friendly from when you open the door to sitting down. there is a variety of seafood to choose from as well as other items for those that are just hanging out with you. =) there are lots of drink specials and there are weekly specials for boils. You can't go wrong with the boom sauce.. it's amazing and the scallops were delicious! There is only ever really a crowd on the weekends so get your butt over there! I hope they stay for a long while coz this is something the area really needed. super fun to eat with your food and get messy so...make sure to wear your play clothes! read more

Crafty Crab - Scallops with buttery garlic - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Plenty of free parking and place is very nice. The atmosphere is cool and the decoration is very appropriate. Prices are very high compared to other restaurants offering the same style food. Also, Market Price MP is common for high value items that fluctuate in price a lot like lobster and crab, but this place has MP is half the menu, come on, really? Even shrimp is MP? The food was good but I still prefer juicy crab sauce and it is cheaper as well. Also you need to order by 1 full pound to get the listed prices, if you order only 1/2 lb, you will get charge more than 1/2 of the total price. If shrimp is $20 per lb, I you order 1/2lb, you may get charge $12-$13. Not fair. Besides that, the place is okay but I won't come back. read more

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Where do I start? After reading all of the negative comments, we still decided to head to the North Dale Mabry location for an 8th birthday party! First, I love love loved Mr. and Mrs. Crab BUT Crafty is now my new favorite and I'm shocked!!! Crafty has these advantages: cheaper, more less salty flavor and quantity is greater! I had a lb shrimp bag with 1/2 lb sausage and a side of rice. For seasoning, I mixed them all and made it medium. I tasted the crab legs- sweet and flavorful. Catfish was amazing! The staff was also extremely friendly and helpful! Shoutout to Lucy for making our night AMAZING! The only thing they need is a true happy hour- that wouLd make things complete! read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Gio was amazing!! He recommended the best options and accommodated us w everything! the best service and food! we loved the Loki atmosphere, with a variety of tv shows on too! read more

Crafty crab is literally my favorite seafood boil spot and I've been so PLENTY. The sauce is amazing I always get the boom sauce medium. The seafood is fresh and so yummy. Pro tip get rice on the side and put the sauce on it!! Also they just added ramen so you can add ramen noodles into your boil... it was so good. read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Boil is the best in price, quality and flavor(s)! With the boil, you'll have enough to take home for another meal, if you don't eat that big mass! Salad is enough for two people to share. read more

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Overall, the experience was good. The food was primarily the seafood boil type of food where you can order a variety and they bring it over "wet". I ended up ordering fried clams while my wife had the boil. This seems to be the trend lately where a lot of new seafood restaurants are opening with this type of food. If you like boiled shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster, corn, ... then this is the place for you. The seasonings are nice and flavorful. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. read more

Crafty Crab - Everyday Specials - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The heaviest males blue crabs ever! We are regulars here & have shared pics of their large blue males b4. Go see for urself!

I came here to grab some fries to go. I was excited about their waffle fries. When I picked them up, they were colorless and tasteless. Someone took them directly out of a freezer bag, didn't season them, or make them crispy, lightly fried them, and then give them to me. I took them outside, took one bite, and immediately returned to ask for a refund. They told me that they eat the fries all the time. I explained that they weren't good and that I would have returned them even if I had a table. They refused to give me a refund and continued to make excuses. I'm not ok with paying $7 for soggy, tasteless fries. And I tipped because that's what you're supposed to do! They could have kept the cash tip. Sometimes things aren't good. But not refunding my money... I won't be returning. Just bad service. read more

One star is for tasty food. Food was all pretty delicious. And... that's where the good ends. Unfortunately for us, we came about 45 minutes before shift change. At 4:00 on the dot, the night server came in and we immediately heard our current server from the way back end of the restaurant yell "you gotta take over my tables!!" And he straight up yelled "nope" right back. It was so loud and I mean... we were sitting. right. there. We then heard them all bicker and joke around about who he did or didn't bring lunch for all while being completely ignored from 4 - 4:15 while they all chit chatted in their little back room where they finally had the common sense to shut the door. Our original server finally came back around to us and our empty waters and dry $65 dollar platter waiting on extra sauce to inform us she was "going on break" and the night server would be over. Guess who we never saw? Correct! The night server! The only person who maybe seemed like she was in change (or maybe she was the bartender?) came and refilled our waters (yup, they were still empty) and maybe 20 minutes after that a random girl working the cash register up front came to cash us out. Weird that the morning girl would so easily give up a $150 check instead of hanging around 20 more minutes. We also heard her complain about morning tips to the maybe manager/bartender. Makes sense now. Also weird the night server wouldn't scoop up an easy almost finished table with such a high check average. If business keeps running like how we witnessed it, this place won't last a year more. Good thing they have a disclaimer on the menu that says "no refunds". It's gotta be the only thing keeping this place afloat. What a joke. We always go to Mr. and Mrs. Crab, but we were out and about and wanted to dine in (Mr. and Mrs. Crab is take out only). I'm so very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Crab. This is what we get for sneaking around on you. Never again. read more

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We always order seafood boil here because of their special sauce but today was very salty and couldn't even eat it. So we call and complain to the manager and she told us to take it out from the sauce and put it in boil water to eat it without the sauce. I mean what the point of ordering that sauce and not get to taste it. She also tells us to save it for tomorrow and put ramen in it to mixed it to make it less salty. She say nobody complain about it being salty, well that because when I went in there, it was so dead and empty. We know they give us old seafood even though she say it was fresh. Not once did she apologize and offer to give us discount and instead She ask us what can she do for us smh. That's not how you handle or talk to your frequent customer. We will never come back here ever again. We paid a lot of money but being treated like that makes us feel disrespected. read more

Absolutely AMAZING!!! 1000/10 best seafood boil I've had in Tampa hands down. Everything was great! Service, the restaurant was beautiful and again, the FOOD. The FOOD.... Out of this world read more

This is a deffffff no for me. Pros: they let our dog in. Our server was nice. Unfortunately not enough Cons: the RAW OYSTERS. The color was like something iv never seen. Like a white color and smelt really weird. I grew up eating oysters and these were the oddest things ever. These suckers were on steroids.some were so big and not in a good way. I took a bite in and could not continue not good. These things just weren't right. My fiancé had to spit his out. The boil was ok. I would deff not recommend nor try this place again read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Well, I want to start off on a positive note, the bar service was great, and my drink was a full pour! Unfortunately, that is where my joy ended! The last seafood restaurant at the same location, was just as bad. My son did enjoy the presentation and his shrimp and lobster combo was okay, 1 corn and 1 potato... seems stingy and not worth the $50 price tag for my eleven year old. I did taste the shrimp... about a 6.5.... I had the hush puppies, greasy but hot... pass... Over cooked lemon pepper wings... burnt and not worth 3 bucks! Again PASS... The Shell's across the street is a better option... even though they don't have 3 options... do yourself a favor... Drive to South Tampa for Mr. And Mrs. Crab! Better experience. I give it 2 years tops since its a corporate location! And go 2022 closing is my guess! read more

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You all were so amazing!! We went next door to Kobe's originally and they were so rude to us we up and left. Our party of 18 was sat within minutes at your location and our server was so fun and sweet!! Thank you so much for making my birthday so amazing!!! read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Went here for Father's Day. Had the crab & shrimp dinner in the bag. Plenty of sausage, potatoes and ears of corn also. Had the garlic butter seasoning and it was very good. It was plenty of food but a little pricey. Not going to go too often but it was a good for a special occasion. read more

My friend was craving crawfish so we came here for her. The restaurant was nicely decorated and clean. I was surprised it wasn't busy on a Saturday night. I ordered the 1/2 lb crawfish and 1/2 lb shrimp with garlic butter seasoning. The seafood tasted okay, the sauce needed more garlic. Crawfish was a good size, the shrimp was on the smaller side. The service wasn't great. We had to keep looking for our waitress to order drinks, to get our check and to have her run my card. After we left, I felt my face and neck itching. My right eye swole up. My friend who had 1lb crawfish and 1lb clams ended up throwing up her food. It was such a bad experience for us and we eat seafood pretty often! read more

This is the only place you should order Crab/Crawfish/Shrimp/Catfish(Tilapia)/Gumbo/Corn/Fries/Potatoes and everything in between. If you read a negative review I bet that person is a poopy face, DONT listen to poopy faces. I really really encourage you choose this restaurant as your next seafood dining adventure. Because that's exactly what it is. A whole ass adventure. Boonk Gang read more

Crafty Crab - YOUR DREAMS BECOME REALITY AT CRAFTY CRAB - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I had a really positive first experience here today, very much unlike the negative reviews that are listed here. I went in right after they opened (on a Monday). My server was great, I wish I had written down his name, but unfortunately I didn't. I started with the hush puppies and they were not greasy at all, nor were they dry. They were pretty good and even better with the sauce they came with. I was skeptical due to others complaints on portions of the seafood, but I've decided those individuals either have no clue how seafood boils work, or the restaurant has made some pretty drastic changes for the better. I ordered the Lobster, snow crab, and shrimp combo for $34.99. I felt it was a really great value and the portions seemed spot on! I actually managed to stuff myself and that rarely happens when I indulge in a large quantity of seafood. I will definitely return to this location next time I'm craving a spicy Cajun boil. As an aside, if you don't like Cajun seasoning, don't go to a restaurant with CAJUN written along the storefront. If you ever purchase takeout, always double check your items prior to leaving the restaurant. This is just common sense. read more

Crafty Crab - Lobster, snow crab, and shrimp combo. Loved it! - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Me and my family dined at the crafty crab a few weeks ago. It was a Friday night and it was empty(That was the first sign that we should not have dined in). Its been a while since we've ate at crafty crab(Brandon) so we decided to give the Tampa-dale Mabry location a try. We were very disappointed at the food we received and even more disappointed in management. We started off with the wings. The wings were on steroids lol. They were huge and had no flavor. Wings should not be that big. Then we order the order some raw oyster. From the looks of the oyster they really didn't look safe to eat. They were grey-ish color and tasted sour. At this point I decided not to order anything else because nothing was going right however my family continued. . . My mother ordered the seafood bag. the seafood tasted old and over seasoned/salty like its been marinating for days. My brother ordered the "Cat Fish". This was not cat fish, this was so Tilapia. When cat fish is fried it curls/folds. The fish my brother received was flat and looked nothing like cat fish. I do know restaurants sometimes will try to pass tilapia off as cat fish and fail. Also, It didn't taste good either So out of all the bad food we had, we only requested that they please take off the cat fish because its not cat fish. The waiter was kind of hesitant on getting the manager. . .instead he brought out the Chef because the manager was 'MIA'. . . (???). . . strange. Anyways, we explained to the Chef that this was not cat fish, didn't taste like cat fish and looks like tilapia. The Chef didn't argue or deny that it wasn't cat fish. He didn't say anything. This was very awkward but it didn't seem like the waiter nor the chef could really do anything for us but just listen to our complaint. Anyways, the waiter than advised us that the manager/owner was not there. The menu has a small print that says 'no refunds' and that when management comps guest meals they also deduct it from the waiters checks. . . .WHAT! Needless to say, we needed up paying for the cat fish because we felt bad for the waiter and didn't want the meal comped from is check. Then again, we had no choice to pay for the cat fish because the manager wasn't there to comp it. This is the most bazar experience we had ever had a restaurant. I think its poor management to try and past off tilapia as cat fish then deny us a refund. Even worst if the manager is really deducting the employees check if their customer gets their meal comped. I don't know who owns this location but they are doing a terrible job. I don't feel confident that we will return. read more

I enjoy the this place every time I go. The food is always good, but it seems like the portions get smaller and smaller. No complaints about the the wings they are always on point. read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Yes for blue crab boil, no way for gumbo! Gumbo recipe needs 2b tomato based, much too much rice, very starchy, needs more quality sized shrimp & add crab & whats up with that tasteless sausage that definitely is mot andouille. Plz consider total revamping, as that is NOT a seafood gumbo, but at least there were pieces of okra here & there. read more

Crafty Crab - a plate of crab and rice - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Easy parking within the strip mall lot. The dining area was pretty empty and tables were spread out. The bar area was pretty full, and loud. My dad and I split the blue crab bag which came with two potatoes and two corn. We also did an order of the hush puppies. The food was delicious. Crab was well cooked and all well seasoned. Service was quick as well. The bathrooms were clean. A messy meal for sure but definitely tasty. read more

Crafty Crab - Hush puppies - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We were craving seafood and was happy when a seafood replaced our beloved Pinchers location. Came in last night around 6pm and it had a good amount of tables occupied. Service was friendly and food came out quick. Restaurant is clean and open. We ordered fried oysters basket, kids chicken tender and a small seafood platter combo. Fried oysters basket was just meh - would not order again though. Kids chicken tenders was decent. But the seafood boil was yummy. For a "small" platter you get a good amount of seafood for around $42. 2 clusters of snow crab, shrimp, mussels, crawfish, lots of clams, corn and potatoes. We got the buttery garlic sauce mild. It was really good but got salty towards the end of the meal. Did not get to take pictures due to daughter using my phone. Definitely will be back! read more

This place was just ok. I got the 1 lb shrimp boil. It was Cajun and garlic seasoned, which was recommended by the waiter, it wasn't horrible but there was just too much seasoning. It was almost unable to eat. I think I drank about 6 cups of water while I was there and only ate about a quarter of my meal. Also got the calamari and crab cakes as an appetizer. Calamari was horrible, do not get that at all and the crab cakes were ok. Service was good, no complaints there, but I would not come here again, honestly. read more

I got the Crab Boil. Seriously an abysmal amount of food for a very expensive price. One crab claw and two legs, one piece of corn and two potatoes and the potatoes weren't even cooked all the way thru. The crab was soft, the meat didn't pull out easily and it tested very fishy, not sweet like it should, which means that it's old crab. I also ordered a half pound of sausage to complete the meal for an extra $6.50. You can get more food (crab, potatoes, corn and sausage included - and tastes much fresher/better) at Joe's Crab Shack for half the price. So disappointed. read more

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Overall an okay(ish) experience. My family and I had a boil and some fried dishes, some hits and misses. The fried items (calamari, cheese sticks, catfish, tilapia) were not fried enough or didnt have a sufficient coating. Snow crab boil and lemon pepper wings were both cooked and seasoned well. Marinara was really just a tomato sauce, tarter was not great. No salt for our margaritas. They do provide bibs, gloves and wet wipes. Everything was just okay, will only return if I am specifically in the mood for a crab leg boil. read more

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Disappointed Over priced, not much of a menu, appetizers or lack of. I had a house salad or should I say bowl of lettuce for $7 and my husband had the gumbo and quickly returned it. They will not survive against Shells. I think Pinchers was better. read more

Staff, including waitstaff, chefs, cleanup crew, hostesses, and bartenders, all were very unfriendly looked so miserable and unhappy! We did not feel welcome or comfortable. Went to have a few drinks and any happy hour special or appetizers. We were informed there was no specials, and the menu did not have a variety of appetizers. The waiter suggested getting the boil dinner and splitting it at a cost of $41 for the small! The boil dinner is their main dish and it comes in what looks like a steam bag a foot high, like a boil in a bag. Not impressed with menu choices and selection. There was a shrimp dinner, and was told the only way it is served is fried. After making a request for anything grilled, or served any other way we were told no. We did try the fried shrimp dinner and the shrimp were in a nice batter but only about 6 to 8 shrimp, what we thought was a small portion for a so-called meal? We were there from 5 to 7 and there was only a few other tables being served, the waiter was trying to rush us out never clearing the table but wanting us to pay right away?? We did not stay for the second drink read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida