My husband and I enjoyed the snow crab and shrimp boil. Gumbo and oysters were good too. Our waitress was responsive and kind. The rice balls however were awful (tasteless and greasy), and the potato was hard and the corn mushy. Overall though because the seafood was great we would go back. read more

I absolutely loved Cajun crab boils. They're easy, messy, and so delicious. However, holly crab is good. Just good - enough to satisfy the seafood and Cajun cravings. They're priced a little cheaper than my favorite spots, but you kind of get what you pay for. Here are some reasons why they get 3 stars: -I wasn't impressed by their sauces, they were very salty compared to other crab boil restaurants in Massachusetts. -The atmosphere is rather boring, I can see where they were going for a "seafood" theme but didn't pan out well. I do know this took over a previous sushi restaurant that had closed down. -My friend and I ordered crawfish, shrimp, & mussels. The flavors didn't seem to "marinate" in. It just tasted like sauce was thrown over it. I understand that's what the boils are, but other places their flavors tend to seep into the seafood. -We ordered 2 sides of rice and only received one... it tasted like it was sitting there for awhile (it wasn't busy in there). We had to ask for our 2nd side of rice (reminding the waiter) - and that one came out fresh and hot. So that confirmed that we got the last batch of cooked rice the first time. -No accompaniments bar/area to grab extra lemons.. salt, pepper, ketchup... -Lastly, no cut lemons or limes to wash your hands in the bathroom to cut out the spiced seafood smell off your hands! I went here anyway despite other friends saying the other places we normally go to are better. I didn't want to believe them, but they were right. I'll try this place again in like a year or so... it's convenient to get to from where I live, but I'd rather travel the extra 30 minutes for better food. read more

Ordered about a $200 order for delivery, they forgot to bring the drinks. Tried calling the restaurant before 9:30 multiple times and they kept hanging up. Work on your communication. Thanks. read more

My friend and I ordered takeout and we both had semi different opinions so I will post them both on this review.. First off, we got 2 orders of the shrimp with holly flavor and medium spice. We also got an order of clams with holly flavor and medium spice. However I think they gave us butter/garlic flavor by mistake with a higher spice level. If that's the case, it was welcomed (atleast the butter/garlic flavor part since my children were eating it too and couldnt tolerate the higher spice). We also got 4 side orders of corn and 4 side orders of potato. I asked them to put the potato and corn in with the shrimp bag and that was not a problem. Everything we ordered came out to about 60 dollars and fed 4 people. Not too shabby. In the order takeout bag, we got shellfish bibs, napkins, spoons, smallish disposable shell trays and wipes for 3 people since we ordered 3 different bags. However I am sure you could ask for more if you are doing take out, I just didn't even expect those as a first time customer so I didn't know to ask. Verdict for my friend: He loved every part of it. The flavors, the spice, the amount of food (1lb) per bag, the soggy corn (I have to admit, I liked the soggy flavor soaked corn as well). He just LOVED the food so much (first time eating cajun food) he said we should eat in and take his dad. He had zero complaints. Verdict for me: I am a huge foodie and a little pickier with how things are done. I feel the prices were good. The shrimp and clams ranged from like 12 to 14$. I feel like they should have added the veggies in with the meals instead of spending 1 dollar to 1.50 each for 1 small potato and 1 small piece of corn..but meh. Not a HUGE deal, I still thought the pricing was fair. The shrimp were a good size and head on. YES! LOVE head on shrimp, cuz you get to suck the goodness out of the heads. The clams were smaller litteneck type sized clams.. however I think these were an asian variety clam and maybe even a little smaller than a little neck. The flavors soaked very well into the clam. But for medium spice.. whew.. I had a glass of milk and some tissues and I am usually one to tolerate high spice levels. The shrimp werent as flavorful since it was shell on, but there was plenty of sauce in the bags to dip the peeled shrimp into if you needed more flavor like I did. The potato was perfectly cooked. I loved the corn and all its mushiness. I have seen people complain about the mushiness in the boston locations yelp reviews however I thought it was wonderful. With all of the good things being said, I feel like the spice overwhelmed the flavors a little, or maybe it was just because of my flavor choice. Maybe this wouldnt have happened if I ordered the mild spice level but that kind of messes with my head because when I think cajun, I think spicy.. Anyway, there is always next time. When I began my order I was looking forward to getting the blue crab, but at 6pm they were either sold out or didn't get any blue crab in that day. So I am eager to go back and try that. They also offer lobster, dungoneous crabs, crawfish, snowcrab legs, king crab legs and other sides, appetizers and fried food. I am not in a rush to go back, but I would definitely go again if I were in the mood for cajun... and hopefully when I do, they have those blue crabs in stock. The kids verdict: I have a 15 yr old daughter who is starting to tolerate spice well and a 10 yr old daughter who is not tolerating it at all. I keep throwing her the spice like she will aquire the taste buds for it. "EAT THE SPICY PEPPER, ITS SOOO YUMMY". Yea, I am that parent. With all that being said.. neither of my children could tolerate the medium spice.. On Holly Crabs menu they say medium is about the spice level of sriracha, however I think it was spicier than sriracha. We are a family who goes through big bottles of sriracha fairly quickly. So if you have children who dont favor spice so much, I'd ask for very very mild or no spice at all (if they offer that) Cons: 1. They took over miya (sushi restaurant that was my families go to in lowell. 2. There is only on street parking. No parking lot. But if you do take out that won't matter too much. Overall it was a decent meal. The people were friendly, the price was right and I felt like the portion size was great. We like to eat just enough though. So if you are the type of person/family who is looking to be super full and still have leftovers, you will certainly want to order more! I like that lowell now has a cajun place for cajun cravings without having to drive to stoneham or boston.. now we just need some good italian pizza places up in here. If anyone wants to open a pizza joint that is comparable to pini's in somerville, or bianchi's in revere, I will be a devoted and loyal customer! And I used to think Maine had pizza issues.. smh ): read more

Holly Crab - The head on shrimp after I put it in a bowl with the bagged juice. Wish I took more pictures. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Hubby and I decided to try this spot because of all the hype people were giving, but it wasn't what I expected. Service wasn't great, checked up on us only once and that was because I asked for a refill of water. The flavors weren't really on the shrimps so it tasted plain. Plus, the shrimp didn't taste fresh and the rice my husband ordered was old. I also ordered a side of fries and they were soggy as well. Maybe it was because they just opened a few months ago, so we'll give them another try later. Until then though, I'll just stick w/ Loui Loui. read more

Okay! So I'm continuing my "seafood in a bag" journey and I'm disappointed today! I had the snow crab legs with potatoes and corn in garlic mild seasoning with a side of clam chowder. My crabs were over cooked and the seasoning was AWFUL! It taste like how gas smells. So I thought let me try the clam chowder...long story short...it was not good either. My last night in Boston and my last meal here was HORRIBLE! Until we meet again Boston! read more

Love, Love, LOVE this joint! The prices are pretty reasonable considering its seafood. I usually get the shrimp and snow crab legs with a side of cheesy noodles and 12 piece chicken everytime I go out with my friends. I love the holly crab flavor either mild or spicy. I can't handle the Hollyx spice. Its a really messy eat. The staffs pretty friendly at accommodating your meals. It's pretty spacious inside. The parking is a pain in the ass because of meters if you're doing off st parking. But there's a garage down the st and it's pretty cheap. I'll be sure to post picks my next visit but everyone has to give it a try here! read more

Wonderful staff with the same amazing food as the Allston location. Had the Dungeness crab clam and crawfish tonight and boy did it hit the spot. Manesine was attentive and never left my glass empty. They did a very good job with this location; feels very cozy. I will be back next time I'm around town. read more

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My family requested spicy seafood and this place hit the spot. We got the crab/shrimp combo and the crab/clam combo! Delicious! I also liked the purple haze lager they had. read more

ordered king crab, gumbo, and cheese noodles. king crab was a little over cooked (explains why we waited 20 ish min for it... too busy overcooking our food) gumbo and cheesy noodles great!! very filling meal and awesome price for the king crab. we got the king crab with the holly sauce and medium spice-- perfect sauce flavor and spice level! definitely coming back for this read more

Holly Crab - Eating with my mom! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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Not authentic cajun crawfish-- but it was fresh (for an extra 2 dollars)! I did like their Holly Sauce-- just wished it had more cajun seasoning or one sauce that is just cajun seasoning and the crawfish was not quite soaking in the juices. I did like the rice balls and fried calamari and fries (came out quick and it was crispy and yummy). Their cole slaw-- it was unfortunately icey? They took it away and did not charge it on the bill. Overall-- customer service was really nice and quick! I greatly appreciate that. Overall, when I'm hankering for crawfish and I can't go to Texas (born and raised) to get my crawfish boil, I'll probably come here! read more

Holly Crab - Crawfish - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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The food decent for the price. I am use to more flavor (seasoning). Considering the area and the lack of food choices on foot this was a decent meal while visiting the area on business. read more

Ordered a few times from take out. Food was good both times and quick. Chowder and truffle fries are really good. Fried Shrimp basket is good too. I would recommend to friends. read more

This was such a fun different place to eat in Lowell. I got the sweet holly and shrimp with a side of white rice. It was delicious! Very messy meal uve been warned and theres a limited alcohol selection and the price is moderate. But its a good time with friends and very filling! read more

Holly Crab - Crazy messy meal! But tastes great. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

We found this place on Yelp looking for sea food restaurants. The ambiance was causal and laid back. The waitress was friendly and helpful. We ordered the crab-shrimp combo with lemon chilli. a pound of clams with the Holly carb and a chicken combo. Everything was really good and enjoyable. The chicken took a long time to come out, but they were apologetic about it and offered us a discount. Would most definitely go back. read more

By far, the BEST seafood place to go to! I love seafood from here only and I'm willing to pay that little extra for a good meal. Food is prepared quick and hot(flavor and temp wise). It's not so busy throughout the week but when Friday and the weekend hits it's pretty busy. But that doesn't mean food won't be served quick and you will be seated right away. Now the seafood has a kick to it depending what flavor you get, and if you aren't craving/big fan of seafood then they have fried dishes as well. Today I ordered snow crab legs and the side of rice balls, I always grew up eating rice so the rice balls With the seafood it completes it! They also gave some chicken wings to sample as they're coming out with a new tray of chicken wings in January and it is delicious, covered in a sweet garlic like sauce. I definitely recommend the seafood and rice balls! The chef Milo and sever Jessica are the best hard working people there. read more

This place rocks! Seafood boil is amazing and all the different sauces are really tasty this is a whole experience, wearing gloves, bib, cracking your seafood is very funny! I tried their new strawberry soju cocktail and is really good. If you like Cajun seafood this is the right place, no doubt!! read more

Holly Crab - Strawberry soju cocktail - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Great but pricy. Don't get the spicy. I LOVE spicy and no one ever gets its spicy enough. Their spicy burned my face off. I can't imagine the extra spicy. The flavor is great, though, and it was cooked perfect. Will definitely be back to order whatever is one level below spicy! read more

This place is garbage. I order the combo shrimp and clams with mild lemon pepper to go. The shrimp was not fresh, it smells and taste like frozen shrimp. The clams, oh wait...what clams? There were more clam shells than actual meat, I thought perhaps the meat will be at the bottom of the bag, but there was nothing but the tasteless butter sauce. The lemon pepper sauce was bland, it's like they melted some unsalted butter and added a dash of Cajun spice. There was no aroma or taste of lemon pepper. There wasn't even a corn or potato, it was suppose to be included in the meal. Final words: do not eat hear unless you want to pay $25.95 for 2lb of smelly shrimp and empty clam shells. If you want fresh flavorful Cajun seafood, walk down the next street and eat at loui loui. read more

I ordered TWO separate snow crab orders. I placed for pick up 7:50-8pm, I understood due to Valentines it was a bit jam packed. I didn't bother to check because I gave them a extra 15 mins due to them telling me 20 more mins. I arrived to the hotel that was 1hr away (yes the craving was that bad) to only get ONE bag of snow crab. I filmed a video of the bag we did receive. When one order was no sauce and the second order was holly crab flavored. I wrote in the instructions clear as day "No sauce" for one order. So I basically paid for two and only received one bag flavored. I called numerous times ahead of time and the phone would ring and ring and or the busy signal. If they couldn't do that, when I went in to check if it was done the lady at the desk who checked could've noted that they weren't able to do that for us. read more

Nice workers!! Not too busy on a Friday night. Good music playlist. Not too noisy. Good interior design. Food was great. Fat shrimp .

Maybe I had a bad night there, but I had seen the above average Yelp rating and decided to try it with my family and was pretty disappointed. Here is why I feel this way; - Not jammed packed, still took 10 minutes for server to stop by table to take drink order - Expensive, especially for a place in Lowell - Server described different sauces and I picked the Holly Crab with a shrimp and Crawfish boil. This was dropped off in front of me in a leaking plastic bag, and the overwhelming odor of garlic wafted up. Not close to being creole. - Menu and chalkboard list prices "/Lb", but all entrees are fixed size, and the server said either 1 pound or 2 pounds for a combo. So you get a fixed amount of whatever protein you order - so why the confusing pricing "by the pound"? Just list a price for each, and just put "market price" if your can't stick to a fixed price. - No knives/forks given for boils that have potatoes in them, and water served in disposable plastic cups. - Asked server about seasoning, and she said there were no options (?!?) without garlic in them. I literally ask is there nothing without garlic all over it, she says no, all sauces have garlic. So I sent the boil back and got a fried calamari app instead because there really are no other entrees besides the boils. Of course everyone else is eating, so I'm stuck waiting for new food, and not food I wanted at that. Then I see the menu and an option for boils with drawn butter only. I figure this maybe means no garlic so when the server comes by, I ask, and she agrees that would have no garlic. By this point between the food and service, I'm frustrated and don't even pursue it. - One of us orders a beer. Server says don't think they actually have it. Person at table points to beer cooler - 10 feet away - where they are clearly visible. - Aside from the unappetizing service in plastic bags, the tables are way too small for 4 people to enjoy a seafood boil. - My decision not to eat massive amounts of garlic payed off as three other people at my table kept their means and I enjoyed the overwhelming garlic smell. (Yes, there is a theme to my review, which is that I don't like garlic on my seafood or being surrounded by it when I eat. Sorry, but if you are a garlic lover perhaps you will enjoy the food more) - I was surprised that after basically complaining about not having better options and sending my entree back uneaten, no manager even stopped by to ask what I objected to. Sorry if this review seems overwhelmingly negative but I expect better basic service and definitely better food for the prices they charge. read more

August 30, 7:30 p.m. Entering restaurant, hooker looking girl leaving, whizzing by me like she's some kind of relevant human being. Hi, I'm picking up an order. Ok, what's in your order. Oh gosh, there's a lot of stuff. Yeah, well there were alot of orders. The sweet potatoe fries, shrimp...um...the shrimp and clams. ~He wanted me to tell him everything I ordered. He was on drugs. Then he said... Ok, ok, what's the name. ~to save time and aggravation, that's the first thing he should of asked. Proceeds to get the only 2 bags on the shelf. (But there were a lot of orders. Oh, do you mean there was alot in the order? smfh) then mumbles something to me as I was leaving. I was too tired to fire back, I just got out of work. Get home, realize 2 of the 3 side of rice is missing. wtf Didn't want to go back out but had to because they charged me for 3 and I only received one. Goes back. Receipt from store shows order of one side of rice. Online receipt (because I ordered online) shows order of 3 side of rice and payed for. They give me 3 side of rice and "free" order of sausage. read more

Aside from cost, which I personally would love to see an all you can eat option, the food here is fantastic. Good crawfish and it was done incredibly fast. Here's hoping this will be a downtown staple that will stick but if you enjoy or were ever curious about crawfish the give it a try. So as I said, great food, wish I could get more bang done my buck but then again I love crawfish so that might just be my opinion. Update 2018: Wanted to try loui loui but they were closed. Came in here and service was glacial at best. 30 min between each order coming out. Annoying. read more

I'm giving it 2 stars today. I had holly crab for the first time a few weeks ago and wowww it was amazing I loved everything about it. Tonight on my day off I decided to get it again, I ordered the same exact thing as before and wow what a difference. To start the claw leg on one of my bunches was missing, the shells were way to soft they just peeled apart, and the worst part was I literally had barely to no meat in each leg. My friend who also ordered was disappointed to the same nature. 70$ for 2 meals that couldn't fill up a toddler. The sauce it was in was tasty but other than that it was very upsetting. read more

No matter how many times I come here I always love the food and have never been disappointed with my meal.The service is great and the servers are always pleasant.You can't go wrong if you come here to eat. read more

Love the food here and its location right in the middle of downtown Lowell is great. Get takeout and bring it over to Boardinghouse Park if you're attending one of the Summer Music concerts! The dine-in option seems good too. Now, for the food...as I say, I love it; but I do find it kind of odd that the place bills itself as "cajun/creole". Yes, it has crawfish and a seasoned "boil" is a classic way of preparing seafood in cajun country (and elsewhere). But the seasoning here has nothing to do with the sort of cajun or creole food that you might find in Louisiana. I guess in a way, it's definitely "creole" in the sense that it's a mix or a blend of different national cuisines. In this case, the mix is seafood boil and what is basically southeast asian. This is super yummy...but it's not from Louisiana. I guess the owners were struggling to find some US-familiar regional label to attach to their food, and "cajun/creole" was the best compromise. Whatever...the shrimp are great as are the mussels (See? I don't know where sauced green-lipped mussels would fit into "cajun" cuisine.). Crawfish are a novelty here in New England, but if you're hungry, you'll do better with shrimp. Sauces are super garlicky and spicy enough that those who aren't fans of hot food would be advised to go no higher than "medium". Again, I can't exactly describe the national origin of the sauce flavors...if pressed, I'd guess Vietnam or Thailand. But I could be wrong. Regardless, they're novel and well worth trying. The fried calamari is very well done. Not greasy at all. The only down-note on anything that I've had here are the fries. They always seem soggy and kind of clumped together. Those could use some work. Otherwise, there's nothing on the menu here that I don't look forward to trying eventually. Just to address a few of the negatives in some of the other reviews here... Yeah, it's not incredibly inexpensive. Good seafood is not inexpensive. And I feel that this is good seafood (it doesn't seem adversely frozen to me). We often split one of the combo boil things, and paying about $25.00 for something that can feed 2 people (ok, along with an app) seems reasonable. Maybe the lobster and crab options cost more...but frankly I'd not go to Holly Crab to eat lobster. And the food served in plastic bags and a trash barrel for cleaning up? Yeah, So? This is like the newspapers-on-the-tables feature of most roll up your sleeves seafood places. If you want fancy, you might want to look elsewhere. I think the bags and such are part of the fun. read more

Very much enjoyed trying this place for the first time last night. The oysters were delicious. The chowder had some good chunks of clams in it. This place serves great Cajun style seafood boils that has a light spicy bite to start and then you can increase the heat up to the holly x level. We tried the x level and wow it brings the heat and the right level for me was medium. We had mussels, snow crab and fresh crawfish. All were cooked perfectly and tasted great. Sarai our server was great and friendly. We will be back for more good food. read more

The first time I ate here, which was within a month of them opening, the food was incredible. Unfortunately, that was the only time I had good food there. I kept going back to give adequate opportunities to fix the issues but every mussel was so over cooked, I could barely eat it. I asked the waitress to let the cook know to not overcook the seafood but everything was over cooked the second, third, and fourth times I went. My friend got king crab legs and the meat would not pull away from the shell. The shell was also VERY soft and translucent, like it had been previously frozen. So sad. read more

Terrible Wednesday night Major event in town yet this restaurant is unprepared One waitress Waited an hour No one took our order We left and others followed read more

Setting of the resturant is very nice and the staff is pretty friendly. I ordered the fried shrimp basket with Cajun fries and a side order of Gumbo. Gumbo was pretty tasty but the portion size was kinda small and the cup that it came in was only half full. Shimp were Meh. No flavor or seasoning to them and the shrimp were pretty small and it was mostly just breading. Cajun fries were soggy. I can't recommend the place cause I feel like your getting ripped off for how much you have to pay compared to the quality and portion size of the food. High point was the gumbo, low point were the Cajun fries(French fries with old bay seasoning on them). I payed $20 and got baby shrimp wrapped in bread, soggy fries and half a cup of soup. read more

I went here with my sisters and daughter. We ordered the combo mussels and shrimp in the holly crab sauce holly x (which is the spiciest!) and combo clams and shrimp in garlic butter mild. My daughter is 10 and she loved the mild garlic butter flavor. Just a little heat. It was all yummy! I am a big spicy food lover and this hit the spot. read more

I ordered from Holly Crab this past saturday, i got the clams with snow crabs. An hour or so after eating i got so sick, i started vomiting( the clams) and continued to vomit until 4 am. Please be careful when ordering from this place! read more

The food was served hot and with all the utensils needed to properly eat the meal. Server was attentive and pleasant. Clean tables and dining area. Would reommend the Dungeoness Crab meal. read more

I'm not a seafood person, but wanted to give into the hype. I went with a couple of friends who both love seafood. We got oysters to start which were good. Rice balls, it was okay, the texture of the rice was a little too firm for my liking. Shrimp and clams in medium holly sauce, perfect spice amount. Four stars only bc the waiter was not at all attentive. Ordered our drinks, came back to ask us what we ordered again. Then our food was brought to a different table before it made it to ours. My friend likes the most spicy sauce. When she asked him for the sauce and price, he said, I think one or two dollars. Good food, but wait staff seems to need more training. read more

I usually go here and get the holly x flavor at its spiciest and it's amazing but when I ordered it on UberEats it was terrible. It was not edible at all. Way to spicy for a human being to eat. Im pretty sure whoever made did not try it. I really wasted $60 on something that I barely ate because of the over spiciness it had. Im never ordering it ever again it was horrible. read more

5 stars because you guys are awesome. If you're allergic to shellfish or ANY type of seafood, you OBVIOUSLY shouldn't go to a restaurant that MAINLY serves shellfish... it's common sense. read more

So good! We ordered a combo of shrimp and snow crab legs. It was plenty for 2 people. We got the holly sauce and medium spice. It came with one tiny piece of corn and 1 hard small potato. They definitely could have skipped this. We also got oysters to start and those were delicious as well. Service was a little slow but wasn't a big issue since we weren't in a rush. Will deff be back! read more

Holly Crab - Whole shrimp - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Nice spot in town for seafood. Better then the Cajun seafood place next door in both customers service and taste. Keep it up!

Snow crab legs in sweet holly sauce, perfection! My husband and I have been here three times in one week, addicted!