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    Holly Crab

    3.9 (456 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:30 PM

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    HOLLY CRAB ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Holly Crab

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    Reviews With Photos

    Fresh whole Lobster
    Alex L.

    Love going to this place! It's fun and interactive and you definitely get a bit messy. This time we tried the lobster in holly crab sauce as well as the snow crab/shrimp combo in holly crab sauce (they both hit). I've tried a variety of the seafood so here are my takes: - Lobster and snow crab are most worth it since they have the most meat and are easy to shell - Dungeness crab I remember was super hard to crack and had such a thick shell with not much meat, snow crab I don't remember - shrimp had more meat than crawfish but less juicy and both need the poop taken out yourself - clam and mussels if you like them are good - THEY HAVE GREAT FRIED FOOD!! From the catfish and soft shell crab to the chicken, it is quite yummy I have come back here many times. Hits the seafood craving!

    The clams are not worth it, tiny and non-existent size
    John Y.

    We went to Holly Crab in allston for my daughter's 17th bday. She wanted seafood boil and the reviews and pictures looked better here than the much closer by Shaking Crab. It was a rainy day and we still made the trek to Allston, and lucked out with parking pretty easily on a Friday night after work. The restaurant wasn't that busy either so we were immediately seated. The decor, seating areas were all comfy and clean. The tables and bench seats were roomy. Let me review each of the major items we ordered. Shrimp with head on + Snow crab combo + added sausage $49.90: This was really good. There were 2 pieces of potatos and a corn as well. Sausage tasted really good in the sauce (more on this soon). The snow crabs were hit or miss. Some we were able to crack in half and pull out hole pieces, others were not so good because the shell just bent without cracking and then we'd spend a lot of time trying to get the meat out. The shrimp was cooked nicely and plentiful! If you want no head, you'll have to pay extra. Just get the heads and suck it and save the money. This came with Holly sauce with medium spice. It was actually kinda spicy. Everything is fine with this bag except there was not much sauce. We struggled to dig up some sauce within the bag. Green mussel + Snow crab $44.95: This was great. Mussels tasted good, though slightly over cooked. We still enjoyed it. Snow crab is the same as above review. We got the holly sweet sauce (not sure if thats what its called) but it was our favorite. Sweet and spicy. Crawfish + Clam combo $26.95: Skip this. The clams are tiny...like half the size of the dime! It's barely visible. Truffle Fries $7.95: Not much truffle flavor but the fries are cooked fresh and goes from fryer to table. We'd order it again. Cheesy Noodles $7.95: If you're expecting straight cheese and boiled noodles, this is not that. It has a flavor to it, not sure if its garlic or something else? It was hit and miss amongst our table. Some liked it some did not. 20 piece (large) Soy Garlic wings $23.95: Wings are not a primary focus here, so don't expect a bunch of flavor options like a korean fried chicken joint. The wings came out looking really nice. They tell you it takes 30 minutes but it felt sooner. Looks wise, size wise and flavor wise it was great. Problem is it was really overcooked. Inside is very dry and not enjoyable. Hoping it was a one off. Soft drinks are not refillable, as they give you cans with a cup of ice. Sodas were $2 each, strawberry lemonade was $5.95, orange juice was $3. Service: Everyone was friendly. They didn't come to empty our garbage bin though. They did come once to refill the waters...but I had to ask 2 times before they brought us waters. I like that they give us gloves and bibs. They come by afterwards to bring a moist towelette.

    2. Crawfish and Shrimp Combo
    Yickhong L.

    Food was decent but service was slow; for some reason they only had 2 waiters/stresses with 1 behind the counter and 1 actually serving. Poor management on the management side. We got the black mussels and shrimp boil and a shrimp and crawfish boil. We counted 8 black mussels that were firmly closed which was about 1/3-1/2 of the total mussel content but we talked to the 1 waitress and she did offer to remedy the situation by giving us another pound of black mussels. They messed that up and gave us green mussel instead of the black but we accepted didn't care too much. We ordered the pasta in one boil but it was a bit overdone and not al Dante. Potatoes and corn were good. The Cajun sauce was better than the garlic soy sauce for the boils.

    Rice Balls
    Anna F.

    We had a blast here. Very cool and different how the food comes out. It's like a picnic. My partner and his friends ordered, because they had been many times before. The Cajun fries and the calamari were fire. So was the corn. They ordered two different types of seafood. My favorite were actually the clams. My bf and his friends were big fans of the head on shrimp. They give you gloves for eating the seafood with. It comes in these bags, with a lot of garlicky sauce. My favorite part was eating the rice balls with sauce at the end. I wish I had more to dip in that sauce.

    a basket of french fries with ketchup
    Rocky W.

    Holly crab is my go to spot for Cajun boiled seafood! The restaurant is decorated in fisherman and seafare attire. There is metered parking available outside. There is usually no need to make a reservation ahead of time. For appetizers, I recommend the cajun fries and cheesy noodles. For the seafood boil, I always get the 2 pound seafood boil combo of snow crab and shrimp (you can ask for the head off) which comes with 1 lb of each plus potatoes and corn. Next, you pick a sauce and my favorite is the Holly Crab sauce which is made up of Cajun, garlic and lemon. Last is the spice level and I personally enjoy the "hidden spicy" and I eat a fair amount of spicy foods. I also recommend ordering the Holly Crab chicken wings with half and half of soy garlic and spicy garlic. The chicken is Korean style so it's very crispy and delicious. You also get to put on an apron and gloves when you eat to avoid a mess and a small trash can to put the shells in. The prices are reasonable and the portion sizes are good. The service here is awesome and the staff are very attentive and kept checking up on us and making sure that everything was good. Our water cups never ran empty. If you have leftovers, it's not a bad idea to save the sauce and put mix it with rice or noodles for food for the next day. The bathrooms are unisex and were pretty clean and located downstairs. There are not a lot of Cajun boil seafood restaurants in Boston so I do recommend coming here as a solid choice.

    Erin W.

    I love and crave this placeeeee!!! It's seriously my go to spot!!! Not only is the owner amazing and very hospitable, the food is always so yummy ... sooooo very reliable. Every time I go, I always enjoy my food ... and so have my friends. I'm never disappointed!!! The portion sizes are really good for the price. I always get the snow crab legs in the Holly Crab sauce (SO GOOD!!!), and my BF always gets the shrimp. I love to go with our friends because we usually end up ordering a good variety of items to share ... like the lobster and king crab legs. I've been to some other "seafood boil" type places, and I definitely prefer this place due to the Holly Crab sauce. It's just so good!!! I usually get mild or medium spice, which makes it perfect!!! Other yummy items I love there are the Cajun fries and the cheesy noodles. Drool. I just recently tried the truffle fries, but I didn't love them ... not very truffle-y. More just ... cheesy. The place is always really clean and has a very open style environment. Super casual ... so it's ok to wear the provided "bib" and get messy. I seriously love this place so much that I order takeout quite frequently ... and recently celebrated my Birthday here. That's how obsessed I am!!! The only ... maybe ... downside is, is that they don't serve any "adult" beverages. However, this place is just as delicious and fun without having adult beverages, so it doesn't really matter to me. If anything ... it's more room in my tummy for the yummy food!!!

    6. Crawfish and Snow Crab Combo with andouille sausage added

    We had an incredibly horrible day getting to Boston and we're about 3.5 hours late. We hadn't ate since early morning. We arrived right before 9 pm and Jay was our server. He was amazing and made what was a horrible day into a great ending!!! We ordered the crawfish and crab legs boil with an extra corn and andouille sausage. We chose their holly sauce and I found it really tasty! We had several large chunks of crab meat. My son also had a cup of clam chowder. He didn't seem to have many clams, but he enjoyed it. Thank you, Jay!!!

    same
    Taeyoon K.

    I've ordered from here a few times, but today's meal was the best so far. The crab was the biggest I've ever had, packed full of meat, and the shrimp portions were incredibly generous--enough to burst! The spiciness level was just right, and it seems you can easily adjust it to your taste. I highly recommend it!

    6. Crawfish and Snow Crab Combo
    Katherine C.

    The combos are 2lbs, but I feel like it was adequate more for 1 person rather than 2. The snow crab legs are quite thin so it's tough to get the meat out. The experience is overall still very enjoyable considering there's really not many places in boston as similar to the gloves and bib experience with Cajun seafood. I really liked the interior. Cute stuffed sea creatures and sea like wooden boarding. Not sure if it's run by a Korean business owner, but if so, I'm impressed that they got the Cajun flavoring so well done/the business model and trendy modern/contemporary look as well as a Korean American. They even offer gumbo and soju and beer alternatives. The waitstaff and service was great. The only thing I was slightly disappointed by was that 1lb didn't seem enough for 1 person depending on what you ordered. Overall experience was great. There was plenty of seating on a Monday night.

    Not a 'y daughter after eating here!
    Jaime H.

    The crab boil hit the spot for a quick lunch! We've visited a few similar spots around the US, and the staff and food was top notch. I'd say the ambiance was very casual but it didn't hinder my opinion of the meal.

    1.75 lb dungeness crab
    Apex S.

    This was a lunch to remember! Cold, cloudy day in Allston while we enjoyed a hot seafood boil in a cute, quiet restaurant off Comm Ave. Service was quick and attentive. We ordered the 1.75 fresh dungeness crab with the Holly Sauce and the green mussel and shrimp combo (1 lb each), again with the same sauce. When you order the fresh dungeness crab cut, like we did, they fill the shell with rice and bring it to you. The Holly Sauce is a mix of garlic, butter, lemon and we ordered it medium spicy, so it also had chili. The boil also came with potatoes and corn. The star of the show was the crab, followed by the shrimp. Honestly, the potatoes weren't far behind either! Might not order the green mussels again because they felt chewy. The sauce was spectacular. We could not get enough, and I'm glad the restaurant didn't skimp on the sauce, there was plenty to go around. We took our time to eat these, and didn't feel rushed at all. Only a couple of tables were occupied. It was great food in a nice ambiance and we enjoyed it! The one change I might want is I wish they offered 1/2 lb orders so you could order more variety.

    4. Snow Crab and Shrimp Combo, Fresh whole Lobster(1.25-1.5#)
    Yerina K.

    Im giving this place a 5/5 because of the quality of food and quantity being great for the price! The sauces were yummy and the seafood was great as well -- we were shocked that the price wasn't super pricey for what we got. The atmosphere was nice and the server was friendly as well. I will definitely come back here!

    Cam A.

    Came here in a solo date just treating myself . The peach green tea drink is made fresh to order and is so refreshing and too sweet . The sauce for the crab boil ( I got the holly sauce ) Cajun, butter and garlic was a bit salty but still delicious . I definitely couldn't finish even half this bag so had to take it with me . I did order boil eggs and steamed rice on the side . They put a generous amount of sauce in the bag . The staff was pleasant and very accommodating.

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    Holly Crab Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Holly Crab

    Will you be offering take out for the holidays?

    Is there any place for free parking?

    There are parking meters Monday through Saturday, 8am-8pm with the maximum parking time of 2 hours. It is $1.25/hour. City of Boston parking meters are FREE on Sundays and legal holidays with no time limit being enforced.

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    The Daily Catch

    The Daily Catch

    3.9(489 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    I have friends in Boston who have insisted that I get over to The Daily Catch in the North End…read more Oh. My. Word! This is one of those places that you remember forever. There are maybe five tables in the entire place, and you feel like you're sitting in the kitchen with the chef. A pro tip I've discovered is to arrive early for dinner--maybe around 4pm--to beat the long line that will grow outside. I cannot say enough about the freshness and quality of the food. Our group had a few small appetizers which were excellent, but the real treat was their daily swordfish special. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, other than "wow." So much flavor packed in this dish. Wine is served in regular plastic drink cups alongside fresh bread. You really do feel like you're sitting right in the middle of a great Italian kitchen. It should be noted that this is a cash-only establishment; so plan ahead. This spot is a Must Visit if you find yourself in Boston's North End.

    We decided to do Brookline as North end typically is a PITA to find parking or else pay for a…read moregarage and walk across Hanover street. This location was easy to find parking along Harvard street at a meter. We arrived at their 4pm dinner open time and they said give them 10 minutes so we ended up at the new blank street location right next door. Once in and seated, our waitress was great! Marathon Monday vibes all around town. We took a seat in the window nook. My lady loves squid ink pasta and it's different than Japanese style (doesn't stain your teeth haha). We ordered + fried calamari + mussels siciliano + aglio olio We started with the complimentary bread, with olive oil, crushed red peppers and Parmesan! The calamari was next (my must order anywhere i go to taste). Light batter fried (didn't just fall apart thankfully) nice light and crispy. The squid was fresh, not cooked rubbery and tasted great with the marinara sauce (nice hint of spice). Now i wish the portion was a tad bigger but it was yummy. The mussels is the ladies go to, for an appetizer. It came out HOT, with a lemon white wine garlic sauce. Super tasty, mussels definite shine through without the sauce/broth overpowering the natural flavor of the mussel. She finished that up quick and i had a taste myself and agree with her assessment haha. And finally the Aglio Olio, squid ink pasta with minced squid and garlic. This was a perfectly balanced dish, came out HOT be careful of the pan. The pasta and squid just melted together so well. The caramelized butter/garlic with bits of minced squid just had you scraping the pan at the end to make sure you inhale them. Great meal for two. Very satisfied. (Give us another couple ounces of fried calamari and it'd be perfect!)

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    The Daily Catch
    The Daily Catch
    The Daily Catch

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    Bottega di Capri - Italiano Sandwich

    Bottega di Capri

    4.4(512 reviews)
    1.2 miBrookline Village
    $$

    The best Italian food I've had in the Boston area!! And the best Alfredo I've ever had -- unlike a…read morelot of North End food that is too creamy and salty, this was light and the taste was complex and DIVINE. The owners and everyone working there were so kind, it was such a wonderful, local vibe in there. Very excited to return.

    This is my secret hidden gem of an Italian restaurant located outside of the North End! Absolutely…read moreone of my favorite spots and whenever my friend visits from out of state, this is a must-go for him! Located in Brookline, Bottega di Capri is a cozy and quaint Italian spot. The food is absolutely delicious and clearly fresh. I got the Shrimp Scampi while my friend got the tortellini with cheese and added shrimp. Honestly, everything was so tasty and flavorful, plus the portions were huge for a terrific price! I was so excited for my leftovers the next day. They were super accommodating and provided great recommendations as well. The pasta sauces were incredible -- my friend ate the bread with the sauce and said it was heavenly. Major shoutout for the great service provided by Jimmy as well, he was so friendly and caring! It made this meal feel extra homey. (He even packaged my pasta to go for me to make sure I didn't spill on my dress I was wearing). Definitely recommend giving this spot a try and supporting a small business!

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    Bottega di Capri - Penne pasta in Alfredo sauce with sausage

    Penne pasta in Alfredo sauce with sausage

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    Outside

    Mountain House

    Mountain House

    4.4(195 reviews)
    0.3 miAllston/Brighton
    Casual dining
    Romantic vibe

    Limited Street Parking…read more The food made up for the wait time but it was very long. This place was packed, we came in no reservation and the wait time they told us just kept getting longer. We eventually were able to get in, there is a small space to wait with snacks though. Once our table was almost ready the host allowed us to order and once sat it came almost right away. We ordered the la-xi chicken with less spice, this has small crispy chicken pieces and lot of peppers, had to go in and pick out the little pieces. Truthfully wish it was less pepper and more chicken especially $23.95. The mapo tofu was delicious the perfect numbing sensation that I love. A must try dish was the fish fillet with crispy rice. This was $34 but it is perfect for cold day. They bring this dish out pour the soup on top and let it boil until the crispy gets cooked. We got the green beans as well, pretty standard nothing special. We got a little discount as well, I think for a late night special. The entire meal came with tea and the restaurant had calm setting with wooden interior

    Disappointing Service & Poor Seating Arrangement…read more Extremely disappointed with our experience here. I made a reservation for 6 people One Month in advance (in fact, today is my birthday) expecting a comfortable dining setup for my group. However, upon arrival, we were squeezed into a table clearly designed for 4 people. When we pointed this out, the staff insisted it was a '6-person table' and refused to move us to the larger tables available, claiming those were reserved for 7-8 people. This is inconsistent and unprofessional, as we have been seated at those larger tables with a group of 6 before. What's the point of making a reservation so far in advance if the restaurant can't provide adequate seating? The lack of flexibility and the dismissive attitude of the staff ruined our evening. For a place like Mountain House, I expected much better service. Will not be coming back anytime soon."

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    Holly Crab - seafood - Updated May 2026

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