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My daughter goes to Oahu often and this is her favorite place to eat so when we went together, she HAD to bring me here. Her favorite is the snow crab and we were lucky enough that they had all you can eat snow crab on the menu. You have 90 minutes to eat it, and if you waste any, you get fined (which is more than fair.) You get to choose your pick of different flavored butters. My favorite was the garlic butter. But we recommend you get the butter on the side or else it becomes super messy. I like to squeeze some lemon juice in the warm butter and then dip the crab in. You get a bib and (ginormous) gloves plus a variety of tools to get out the crab meat. The crab was very fresh and flavorful. The girls working there are very sweet and attentive. My daughter told me she was friendly with the manager who always remembers her and is extremely sweet but unfortunately she wasn't there that night. It's a bit chilly in the restaurant so bring your jacket! Please support this wonderful restaurant.
Absolutely delicious--Karai Crab exceeded expectations! We ordered The Kraken, and it fed our group of 4 perfectly (honestly, it could stretch to 6 depending on how hungry you are). The Karai Special seasoning with cayenne spice was pure perfection--flavorful, bold, and not too overpowering. Every bite was juicy and packed with flavor. The service? Top-tier. Friendly, fast, and made sure everything was just right. With 4 people, the Kraken, and a few drinks, our total came to about $360--well worth it for the quality and experience. Definitely recommend for seafood lovers or anyone looking for a fun, flavorful dining night in Honolulu!
Great service and friendly staff Made experience really great. First time here got the garlic noodles! High recommend, I think I could eat two haha. Got snow crab and king crab level one spicy do not go over. You can get side samples and try the hotter ones. They give lots so might want to order one order at a time. I did double order and was stuffed!
We have tons of Vietnamese cajun crab boil places in the Bay Area. So we were excited to try a place in Hawaii. We ordered Dungeness crab and clams in karai special sauce. We also got garlic noodles and cajun spiced popcorn shrimp. Our least favorite was the garlic noodles. I've had a lot of garlic noodles in my lifetime and this had no flavor. The cajun spiced popcorn shrimp was delicious. The crab and clam was good as well. The sauce for the crab and clam was okay to me. It's missing an umami flavor to it.
Saw the reviews and wanted to try this place out. It didn't disappoint! The sauces were great and seafood a hit. Each person gets a bib with gloves...good thing as it's messy. We tried the karai, garlic butter and lemongrass garlic butter sauces. All great with lots of it. If we had anything to do over, it's to order a side of bread to soak up all the sauce goodness. The garlic noodles were chewy with a great garlic butter sauce. The shrimp, colossal combo and lobster were delicious! Such a great find.
Staff was super helpful. Seafood was delicious. A little pricey, but worth it to me because it would be way too much work to prep & clean up at home. Heard there's a kamaaina, we forgot to ask, so it's still a rumor to me ... They even have a nice sauce sampler, winners if you're like me and wanna try all the sauces. They'll also do the spicy sauces separately, if you've got a mix of hot/spice tolerances ... only thing is it's an extra charge. The ghost pepper sauce was super tasty, but too hot for me.
My son wanted to eat crab for his birthday, so we decided to go Karai crab again and made reservations on yelp. We last ate at the restaurant 9 years ago before they moved, and they were so good, Trying them again, their service is an excellent 5 stars, but their food is a mix to average to a 3 star: House salad - 3 stars - when we first were served the house salad, the cucumber was waterlogged and tasted spoiled, like it was left in the freezer for a few days then thawed out. The dressing also tasted a bit spoiled, thus a 0 star, but when we asked the waiter if it was supposed to be like this, he immediately replaced it with a new one and apologized. The second salad was a 3 star, but the first salad left a bad taste in our mouths and stomach, and luckily didn't get sick from it. Chicken wings - 5 stars - my son said these chicken wings were better than other chicken wings he tried. Although a little salty, it had a great bold flavor, and cooked just right, crispy skin and tender inside. Colossal sampler - 3 stars - the shrimp and mussles were great, but the crab had little or no meat in it, and inside was also cold. One of the crab legs was super thorny, so it was hard to handle. The Karai sauce was the bomb. I would give the sauce 5 stars. It's half of their full colossal special and came with corn and potato. Seafood pasta - 3 stars - the seafood was ok with the noodles, but maybe it just wasn't my taste, but I did't really care for the sauce because it tasted a little sour to me. My son got a free dessert for his birthday. He said it was really good. Service - 5 stars - they constantly checked if we were ok and replaced the salad with no problem. Very friendly and personable. They also gave 15% off kamaaina discount, so it was less than what I projected, plus a free birthday dessert. Would have been a better deal if we could have gone during Happy Hour, between 5-6p, since certain items were half off, and it's not so dark, but we couldn't make it in time. Parking - they validate if you park in the interstate building in the back, or there are free metered parking right in the front after 6pm. However, the outside is has a homeless walking around and it's barren, so we had to be vigilent of our surroundings both in the parking lot because they could walk in and no guard watching the cars, and no one outside on the street.
Feeling a bit crabby? Then this place is perfect for you. This restaurant is located in the Interstate Building off of King Street. You can either park on the street (depending on the time of day) or elect to pay for parking in the parking structure with validation. If you parked in the structure, you can enter the restaurant in the back area but will need to walk through the restaurant to see the host for a table. Once you are seated, you'll have a hard decision on what to eat because everything just sounds amazing. Here are some of the items I ordered in the past: APPETIZERS: Oyster Shooters: Fresh. Opted for the chili pepper water and ponzu mix which gave that perfect umami spicy flavor. Popcorn Shrimp: crispy on the outside and juicy shrimp on the inside. Though relatively small, this appetizer is evenly coated with the seasoned batter and packs a lot of flavor when paired with freshly squeezed lemon juice and marinara sauce. Clam Dip: Freshly made by the kitchen, this dip also packed a lot of savory flavor. The homemade shrimp chips definitely elevates the dish with the added texture No Mess Shrimp: Extra juicy with extra flavoring without catching any PEELings (get it PEELings?). ENTREES: Seafood Pasta: Creamy and filling! The seafood itself tasted fresh and was cooked perfectly giving that right amount of crunch. It's a good alternative to select if you're not looking to get your hands dirty. Dungeness crab cluster with Karai special at medium (cayenne): Not for the clean eaters. You might want to take up on the offer for a bib, gloves, and those scissors. The end result is some perfectly cooked sweet juicy crab meat dipped with the perfect sauce. Pairs well with either a glass of white wine or a beer. Snow crab cluster with Karai special at medium (cayenne): Same as above, not for the clean eaters. Though it is not as hard as cracking open the Dungeness crab, this also is cooked perfectly and provides a very savory crab meat pairing quite well with the sauces. I still would take up on the offer for a bib, gloves, and scissors. Service is here is pretty great too! From the beginning to the very end, the staff here are very accommodating and friendly. They were always checking on us to see how we were doing and if we needed anything. Which makes this place worth checking out. Side note though: the last time we came, it was hella packed. According to staff, it has been much busier than pre-covid. Therefore, might want to ask for a reservation or ask to sit at the bar if you can't wait for a table. They do offer happy hour too which is always a plus!
Took our gf there for her bday. 3 of us girls with eyes bigger than our stomachs. Menu is a little overwhelming...so much and everything sounds good. I'm on a diet, so I'll go back to try the rest when I'm really able to overindulge. We started with the Prime Rib pupu, Karai chicken wings, clam linguini. I didn't try the linguini, but the prime rib was good and the chicken wings were really good. So nice and crispy. I'd go back just for the wings. Then we got the Colossel Kracken...which we were warned was generally for 4-6 peeps. They had to move us to a bigger table to accommodate all our food and wine bucket. We wanted to sub clams for muscles but guess they forgot. No biggie. You know what I loved the most other than the chicken? Pesto broccoli. I never thought to pesto my broccoli, but dang it was delish. We each went home with a bagful of kracken, and I ended up with some broc and prime also. Way too much food. The workers were all super nice and helpful. I like the new location on King St. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
My first time here and I enjoyed the food for the most part! The sauces were good and the seafood was decent as well. They also had some other food selections of non seafood appetizers. If you haven't been to a Cajun seafood restaurant before, it might surprise you a bit that it might not be run by creole or Cajun people, but operated by Asian people including those in California. I don't know about you, but i thought this would be a Louisiana thing and I would expect to see a sassy and nice black lady coming to greet me but she's nowhere to be found lol. Anyway, the food was good and I think the highlights were the popcorn shrimp and the wings. They're both crispy and very flavorful. I liked the seafood boil too, but I feel like the sauce was good but it was lacking some punch to it, like it didn't make me wanna lick the sauce or finish the sauce with rice. Can't tell what's missing, of course I'm comparing it with the shebang sauce from boiling crab. I liked the garlic noodles too but I also feel like something was lacking but I couldn't say what exactly. I actually prefer having the seafood served in a plastic bag, which might be weird to some, because the sauces will just pool to the bottom and it's easy to access it even before the seafood was finished. The price was a bit steep too for what it was, and so I feel like if it wasn't finger licking good, it's kinda hard to justify coming back. But if you haven't been here, definitely give it a try, especially if you're in the mood for some seafood boil!!! The environment was comfortable to dine in. Their high chairs weren't as messed up as some other restaurants too! Also I wish they had actual seafood crackers instead of the shears with the small part for seafood cracking, it's just more satisfying to use as cracker for me. Overall it's a great experience! Stop thinking about it and just go try it already haha And happy lunar new year!
We have been going to Karai Crab ever since it was back at Willows. We LOVE them! When Covid shut downs ended, Karai Crab was one of the first places we went (as they started to open back up). When they moved from Willows, they had to shut down for a while, we were crushed!! ;0) since we didn't know if the would reopen, when they did, we came as soon as we could!! We love the Snow Crab, No Mess Shrimp (both with Karai Special flavoring with Cayenne!), Garlic Noodles and our son adds on the Catfish Plate! I'll get the hotter flavor butter sauce on the side! Nice selection of drinks. Service is excellent and very attentive. And, they keep the restaurant very clean! (Even though things can go flying as you eat the crab legs!! Karai Crab was my choice for Father's Day (I had ALL restaurants to choose from!!) They may be a tad more than other crab family style restaurants, but they are 100% worth it!!!
3 years ago
If you are a seafood fan this is the place to go! Be prepared to use your hands and not play with your phone to take Yelp photos! We did a family pan with original dry rub. They were also nice enough to give me a sample of the butter garlic sauce. I liked both but the original had a bit of a kick so I liked it better. I didn't waste my time with the plastic food service gloves. Just washed my hands and started digging in. The family pan we chose came with shrimp, clam, mussels, snow, king and Dungeness crab. The sidekicks were also tasty; sausage, sweet corn, and potato's. This is a great place to enjoy with family and friends for a casual seafood meal! read more
My friend asked me if I liked seafood to which I excitedly responded, "YES!" She then suggested we go to a seafood boil to which I regretted my response. I've been to a few seafoods boils in the past but they were never my thing. But, the things we do for our friends, right? I'm glad Karai Crab completely changed that! I made reservations for dinner through Yelp which was easy and efficient! Reservations weren't necessary though as the restaurant had a steady flow of customers but wasn't too crowded. The restaurant is extremely spacious with small and large tables. Perfect to gather with friends, and family, or go on a date with someone special! I loved how lively it was and the upbeat local music playing in the background. In Japanese, karai means spicy and my spice tolerance is very low so I was worried about coming into my meal. Karai Crab has many food offerings ranging from appetizers, house specialties, sides, seafood entrees, and desserts. My favorite shellfish are shrimp and clams, so I ordered the Miso Sake Clams. A little less than 20 clams came simmered in a miso sake broth that was gingery and garlicky. The broth was flavorful--heavy on the garlic and not too thin. I greatly appreciated that they put a slice of lemon which I squeezed. The lemon helped combat the richness of the broth making the clams appetizing. I did find it a little pricey for what I got but it was still sufficient as my meal! My friend went for the Snow Crab Legs and Karai Combo (current BOGO Deal and a steal)! From the looks of it, she enjoyed it--especially the variety of the boil! Other diners also took to ordering various seafood boils. I'm super curious about their Pan Roast, pasta dishes, and if I were hungry enough--their boils! Five stars go straight to our servers! As attentive as can be--we were so impressed. We were constantly checked in and asked if we needed anything. We were given bibs, utensils, gloves, and wipes. Our waters were always filled and our food came out fast. Our waitress was extremely helpful. She told us about their current BOGO deal on Instagram. If you want to keep up to date, be sure to check it out! She also gave us wonderful recommendations in terms of food, what sauces pair well, and the spice levels she recommended. The cherry on top is they offer Kama'āina discounts so be sure to ask! Wanting to support local and craving seafood? Check out Karai Crab off South King Street. Parking is free on the street after 6:30 p.m. or you can park in their shared parking structure (they validate but you'll have to pay $3). They offer traditional seafood broil items as well as a unique-Hawaiian and local take on dishes and sauces. Aside from dinner, they also operate during lunch and happy hour. I'm happy to have given them a chance with my good friend and wouldn't mind coming back with a bigger party! read more
Nothing but stars for my favorite crab place! We came with friends this time and the meal was unforgettable. We called a week ahead to place our reservations and we're sat immediately after entering despite it being busy. I came hungry so my mouth was salivating over the delicious smell in the air. Half the tables were taken up and it was beginning to fill up quickly. Regardless we were helped swiftly by our server Jarrin. We started our order with fried pepperoni, pepperoni and fries, oyster shooters and calamari while we waited for the rest of our party. They also had $3 karai shot special which we prolly had one too many of hehehe. Pepperoni- Man they give HUGE portion of pepperoni for the price. I was in heaven lol. Pepperoni and fries- great combo if you don't want just pepperoni. I'm a pepperoni fanatic so we had to get this plus the extra pepperoni side order. Oyster shooters- oh Man these were delicious. I especially loved that they were whole pieces and not the skimpy or slimy kind you usually get in these. Calamari- absolutely the best in the island!!!!!! The seasoning they use is just perfection. Between the 6 of us we decided on the COLOSSAL KRAKEN! Man this thing was HUGE we could barely finish lol. So delicious in the karai special sauce with the ginger scallion sauce on the side. Completely satisfied! Definitely recommend our favorite part which was the whole Dungeness crab SLOW BAKED and smothered in garlic mixture. man that was worth every penny and I wish we had 2 more hehe make sure you pre-order at least 24 hours in advance or it won't be available! read more
Went here for my birthday and it was SUCH a good choice! Not super crowded, great food, and so cute inside. I love a good wall-pun. My husband got a whisky flight because their whisky collection is HUGE which made it hard to decide. We got a bunch of sides including: garlic mushrooms, corn on the cob, and garlic noodles which were really good. We dipped the corn in the garlic sauce from the mushrooms for extra flavor. My daughter got the sweet garlic shrimp which she said was really good, my husband got the lemongrass butter crab (he'll order anything lemongrass!), and I got the regular garlic butter Dungeness crab. SO GOOD! I couldn't even finish. We were too full for dessert tho they had some cute selections. Last time we came we had some kind of cream cheese lemon cookies that were SO GOOD we ordered it twice! Parking in the building is $3 with validation. Lots of spaces. read more
3 years ago
Wow this place was seriously amazing. You wouldn't really think to eat crabs in Hawaii, but the stellar reviews and the amazing pictures had me sold. And oh boy, it did not disappoint. I got the Dungeness crab, garlic, honey wings, and the combo. If you're getting the karai sauce, I suggest habanero spice as it's not too spicy but super flavorful. The honey garlic sauce was generous and unlike any honey garlic I ever had. They are also extremely crispy and crunchy. The karai combo was also very good and a good selection of other seafood besides crabs. The sausage was particularly very tasty. Next time maybe I'll try the king crabs! Chicken wing 5/5 Crab 4.5/5 Karai combo 5/5 read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Great seafood you can dig into w/ the family! You can even order different seasonings & share a big o' crab boil!! Recommend the deep fried pepperoni, fries & corn as good sides. Even have the Las Vegas, Lobster Pan Roast!! read more
Great deals! Delicious flavorful foods! Friendly service! Had the best time eating here at Karai Crab! I came here with a friend and we ordered the Kraken with the mild Karai seosoning which was delicious! Definitely recommend it! The Kraken is good enough to serve 4-6 people, but it's a great deal! We ended up taking out what we couldn't finish and it was enough food for the both of us for at least 2 meals. I recommend going during happy hour which is from 4-6pm. Great deals! For parking, there's street parking on King street or there's visitor parking in the Interstate Building 1st, 6th, and 7th floor. Definitely coming back again! read more
1 year ago
My wife got an order of the clams which came with two sides (she went with french fries and corn on the cob), and a pound of snow crab legs. She enjoyed everything about this place, including the taste. Her only complaint was the size of the clam dish compared to the price. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
First time here. The service was extremely friendly and welcoming. I wasn't sure which draft to get and the waitress kindly offered me samples of all of them! What?! That was the first! Nice way to start off our dinner We ordered the combo with the King Crab in the Karai sauce. Also got the Okonomiyaki fries, fried calamari, and the prime rib but they were out. Food was good. They even have a 15% kamaaina discount! Will definitely be back! Thanks guys! read more
10 months ago
The wings are the bomb! The garlic noodles are def different and super garlicky but delicious The miso clam was different. I'm not a fan because I'm not used to the unique taste but that doesn't make it bad, definitely try it! Snow crab legs were snow crab legs, can't go wrong and fried rice was also very garlicky. Overall the wings are my favorite It was a good fun atmosphere read more
5 years ago
Interesting concept that was worth trying if you like crab, but tbh I couldn't figure out if this place was consisted Cajun or Asian cuz it's got a little bit of both going on! You can choose your type of crab and if you wanted it by itself or as part of a bigger "boil". The combo books came with shrimp, potatoes, corn, mussels and clams. You can also choose your sauce. I asked for garlic butter but was given their house sauce instead, but as I didn't want to send the entire dinner back, I kept it as it was my second choice anyway. The house sauce was Cajun and pretty spicy, like a 6-7 on a scale of 1 to 10. The combo had so much good that my husband couldn't finish it all, so I think ordering just the crab legs and ordering sides a la carry would be the best way to go, snd more cost effectively too. read more
This is my first time ever going to a Cajun / seafood / crab boil place so I had no idea what to expect. Some of my friends tease me because I don't usually crack my own crab, but have someone else do it. LoL. Highly recommend making reservations since they are pretty busy and tables are all socially distanced. You can conveniently make one using Open Table. For drinks, I got the spiked watermelon-lime spritzer and my friend got the karai Mary. My drink was refreshing and it paired well with the food. We ordered the snow crab combo which came with crab legs, mussels, clams, sausage and potatoes. We got it mild since I don't prefer spicy. Also got side order of rice. They gave us plastic gloves and a plastic bib so we don't make a huge mess. Overall, I have to say that my first experience was excellent. Great customer service, good food, and very clean. Everything in the snow crab combo was delicious. So tasty and juicy. Definitely would go back. read more
1 year ago
2.5 Stars for food / value. Following footsteps of Food A Go Go Restaurant, I was hyped up to see a restaurant with 4+ reviews offering a deal. The 2021 restaurant week deal is quite disappointing. The food temperature was great, but the house special sauce was too salty. To go packaging and presentation are quite nice. The sausage and sautéed mushroom were good highlights. Snow crab is perhaps fresh, but seafood combo lack good taste overpowered by uneven sauce over the ingredients. Not sure if we are supposed to toss the bag to make the sauce spread evenly. I would hope not. I also did not appreciate bundling the house wine in the sale. It is clearly not a good value for to-go customer to pay for the $7/bottle (not the same one in my photo). Wine sale should be optional for the menu. For $82 with $7 bottle wine, this should have been a king crab w/o wine menu rather than a snow crab w/ wine menu to be an attractive restaurant week offer. read more
4 years ago
I found this place on Yelp as it was highly rated for good Cajun seafood. The food was delicious and the staff was wonderful. The food is on the pricey side since it's seafood considering that the restaurant was located outside of Waikiki. The garlic noodles and the seafood combo was worth it because it had corn, potato and a variety is seafood. The restaurant was clean and service was great! read more
Craving alert! Yup you got it, Karai Crab is one of the 3 crab boils we really enjoy going too. New location on S King street and it's bigger too, I do miss the old location tho, it was quaint and homey. We were so happy they reopened and glad we had a free evening to go. Enjoy the pics and video provided (thumbs up) - Parking is available downstairs and $3.00 with validation..pay park machine -Entry from parking lot or outside front door -Face masks are required - - Hostess and servers has face mask and gloves - - - Temperature is taken -Love the artistry painting, meanings/quotes on the walls - Tables are social distancing - Bib, gloves, cracker & twister provided -Full Bar *Menu has more and new items **check it out *Cute his/hers designated bathroom "SHELL-don"and "SHELL-ey" *Service was excellent and super friendly ~Karai Seafood Special ~ Combo with Karai special Sauce ~ Mild ~ ~offered to try the ghost pepper sauce for my husband and he LOVES it!! ~ Raspberry and Oolong Ice Tea ~ no desert this time, we were very satisfied and full :) Mahalo Karai Crab we'll be back again! read more
2 years ago
We stopped by here on the way to a concert to get my crab fix. Turned out pretty tasty I must say. Small hole in the wall that was not overcrowded or busy for Oahu. Got the Snow Crab topped with Karai sauce then added corn and potatoes. read more
3 years ago
King Combo Crab are not fresh at all,so dry and it smell like just out of the refrigerator .The sauce is oily with no taste. It is a $127 dish but totally below expectations. 帝王蟹combo 蟹肉應該是急涷蟹，蟹肉乾乾的很不新鮮。醬汁又沒有味道，只是油油的有點咸，結合起來好奇怪，又不鮮味、又油油膩膩的，4條蟹腳加小許貝類及蝦賣價 $127 USD。好失望啊！ Too disappointed and forgot to take pictures of the crab 嚐了一下，相片也沒拍，越食越失望完全想不通店家的 selling point 是什麼，海鮮不新鮮，油油的醬汁沒味道也不提鮮。其他食物又咸又乾！ read more
Come Hungry, Leave Happy...Karai Crab did not disappoint! As you can see from the accompanying pictures, we practically had a little bit of everything from steamed broccoli to king crab legs. Since we had to scan the menu, I wasn't able to post a picture of it. But the offerings at Karai Crab are so numerous that there is something for everyone. Let me try to list all the tastings...sweet potato fries, regular fries, miso sake clams, chicken skin, shrimp, clams, mussels, chicken wings, broccoli and king crab. Of all the dishes, my favorite is the miso sake clams. The broth by itself is the real winner! They could just sell that and a nice loaf of hot, fresh bread and people would buy it. Everything was delicious! Ambiance: 8/10 Bathrooms: 8/10 Cleanliness: 9/10 Service: 10/10 Food: 9/10 Value: 9/10 Will I return? In a heartbeat! read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
The food was just ok good, the sauce on the crabs was could have been better , my recommendation is to try a steam bag , this way you have more sauce over the items like corn and the potato that's in there. The rub is dry for me, from the east coast I'm suggesting they try something called old bay seasoning it's a staple for blue crab and seafood preparation . read more
My friends and I decided to eat dinner here on a Sunday evening. There were 6 of us so we called ahead to ask if we could do two tables of 3 adjacent to each other. They said it would be completely fine, and we were seated immediately when we arrived. Drinks: We started the evening with the Karai Shot. The shot was tasty and easy to shoot. I also got the Choya Fizz and added lilikoi flavor to my drink. I loved the drink, and it was easy to drink. Food: Since I don't eat seafood, I ate mostly sides. I had garlic noodles, french fries, garlic bread, and macaroni salad. All of which were delicious, and I would highly recommend them all. My five friends decided to split the Kraken. They got it in mild Karai special sauce. They graciously split the Kraken into two so each table had their share. The combo was more than my friends were expecting, but they thought it was pretty good. Service: Service was pretty straight forward. We were seated upon arrival. Our drinks came out quickly, and our food came out quickly after ordering. The servers were all wearing masks, and checked up on us regularly. TL;DR - Would definitely suggest getting the Kraken combo if you're there with a decent sized group read more
2 years ago
Celebrating an April birthday in July... COVID-19 has challenged us in many ways. Life events such as graduations, weddings, and even birthdays have been postponed. To catch up with one of our friends' birthdays, we decided to get together and honor a teacher who had been doing side work to help the Unemployment Office. Last year, Jace picked the place and the guests. It turned out great, so, this year, he did the same. He selected Karai Crab and we figured out the best day and time for the majority. Located on King Street, on the Ground Level of the First Interstate Bank Building, Karai Crab has metered street parking. It's free after 6:30pm and holidays. If you park in the structure, I believe it's $3 with validation. (Don't park in the stalls for Easy Music even though they're closed for the day.) Inside, the high ceiling makes the room feel spacious and the cute decor add to a fun vibe. The restrooms are labeled Shell-ey and Shell-don for women and men respectively. FOOD: Jace ordered Deep fried chicken skin to share. Wow... this was surprisingly good. I like savory and crunchy... this was both! I ordered Pan Roast for my main dish. After one bite, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it because it was really spicy for me. I could feel the heat down through my throat! Our server offered to get me a replacement dish, so I got the Seafood Pasta - ahhh! Much better! I enjoyed the small scallops and clams! The mussels were so fresh that they tasted sweet! There was so much pasta - I couldn't finish it! SERVICE: this is the reason for the 5 stars. When I called to make the reservation, communication was very clear. The gal said that because we were a large party of ten, we would be split into two tables and a 15 percent gratuity would be added onto the bill. She stated that if it's a birthday, we could bring a cake and forks and plates would be provided. On the day of our dinner, I hot a confirmation call. I made sure that I would be able to drop off the birthday cake early and leave it in their refrigerator - no problem because it was a round cake and not a large sheet cake! During the meal, we had great service. All staff came by to ask if we needed anything such as more napkins. We were given cute bibs with the Karai Crab logo. The people who ordered crab legs received appropriate utensils to crack the crab shells and even got sturdy scissors! Our reservation was for 8pm and the restaurant closed at 9pm. Last call for food was 8:45pm. Our party continued to drink and chat until about 10pm. Wow... thanks for letting us stay late! Karai Crab was a wonderful choice for a get together! I'm looking forward to returning! read more
After the highest recommendation from a friend, the boyfriend and I ventured to Karai Crab for a meal to remember! A truly unique experience PACKED with FLAVOR! The boyfriend had never been to a feast like this before so he was in for a treat. Make sure you make a reservation and come early for a good parking spot (we parked to the right of the restaurant because we couldn't find the comped parking). We paid $3 and shoved it into the little slot as the instructed and made our way inside. Tables were spaced accordingly and we were provided with bibs, gloves, and a bowl for our cracked crab shells. Staff was incredibly friendly and informative. We started off with the crispy chicken skins, a perfect mix of saltiness and a sweet dipping sauce. Delicious! We also split the king crab legs drenched in a medium spicy butter, garlic sauce and also split a salad and butter garlic noodles. That was sooo much food! We munched and grubbed and left full as frick! No regrets! We really enjoyed the entire experience and can't wait to come back! read more
6 years ago
It's been a while since I ate at Karai crab from their original location next to Willows. But having cravings for seafood during the lockdown, my husband and I decided to give them a try again at their new location. Ordering take out is easy and they do curbside pick up which is very convenient! We just ordered our second round of takeout from here in the past few weeks. I like that they have different specials. Like last night we were told the special was buy $50 worth of food and get a free shrimp chip appetizer. Take out food we ordered: Whole shrimp (garlic sauce) - So good! This is now our favorite item on their menu. The sauce is delicious and filled with so much garlicky goodness! Definitely a winner and a good deal! $15 for a ton of shrimp! Whole shrimp with Karai sauce - Again, love their shrimp! The Karai sauce is tasty too with a good blend of spices and pieces of garlic. But I prefer the garlic sauce. Snow crab with garlic sauce- Anything drenched in their garlic sauce is a winner! The crab was cooked perfectly. The only thing I wish we had was some tools to help us crack open the crab legs since we got takeout. Garlic fries- If you love French fries and garlic then you just try this dish! It also has cheese on it which adds another layer of deliciousness. French bread- The first time we did our takeout order, someone suggested we get the French bread. So glad we did! It was the perfect way to soak up all the yummy garlic sauce (or any sauce really) from our shrimp. Shrimp chips- These freshly made shrimp chips were so ono! Super crunchy and flavorful. They were complimentary with our order but I'd order them again! Overall, great food! My husband and I are looking forward to going back to dine in some day but for now we will continue to get their takeout. Happy eating! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
A little late as our experienced was on New Year's Eve. We stayed in for the holiday to keep our fur baby company. We did the new years special and got take out. This is one of best seafood boil spots I've been to on oahu. Seasoning was right, and position size for price is worth it. They were good at communicating and pick up was on time. Great service when placing the order and pick up. read more
3 years ago
Karai Crab Ratings: 3.4/5 Food: 4/5 - My friends wanted some Cajun boil, and we happened to find this place on Yelp. This is a good introduction spot for people who never had Cajun seafood boil before, it gets the job done, but not the best place. My friends were satisfied and happy with their meal, but I wasn't impressed at all. See the descriptions of the food we got here for dinner. - The Kraken [GET]: We got this to share, and it is supposed to feed 4-6 people. There's tons of snow crabs, clams, mussels, shrimps, sausages, and six potatoes and corn each for the six of us. The seafood was average, not the freshest I've had. The clams and mussels was pretty delicious and tasted meaty, but shrimps not so much. We choose their mild signature sauce and asked for more sauce too, because there was any sauce. The sauce was bland, not too much flavors or spices in it, quite disappointing. The other toppings were decent, I liked the corn a lot, quite chewy and sweet. I would recommend this if you come with a large party, if not just get an individual size combo. - Garlic Noodles [GET]: Asian style noodles that got a nice chew and firm texture tossed in a garlic butter sauce and topped with some fried garlic and garlic chunks in it. The noodles didn't have a strong garlic or butter taste, more on the bland side. It was quite greasy and oily too, so pretty heavy to eat it all by yourself. If the garlic flavors were stronger, then that would be a tasty dish and will be my top dish of the night. - Honey Garlic Chicken Wings [GET]: The wings are deeply and nicely fried, dressed in their popular honey garlic sauce. They are tender, juicy, and crunchy. Each piece of wings are thoroughly covered in their honey garlic sauce and topped with fried garlic. The garlic added a nice kick and punch. It is packed with flavors, and sauce was sweet and tangy. It's definitely a solid choice as an appetizer, and one of my favorite thing. - French Bread [GET]: These are French bread hoagies glazed with their homemade butter seasoning. The bread is well toasted with a crispy outer layer and extremely pillow-y and fluffy interior. The butter glaze was delicious, but can be more buttery and garlicky, also I recommend dipping the bread in your seafood dishes if you have any leftovers. Ambiance: 3.5/5 - The interior is big, spacious, and bright with lots of dining tables available. There's a full cocktail bar in the back of the restaurant too, so they have some good cocktail selections. The place was pretty packed still when we arrive, so expect it to be loud and busy. The downside of it was the booths we were sitting at was very sticky, seems like they do not wipe down their tables or chairs fully. Hygiene needs to be better. Parking was a bit hard, but luckily they do validate parking for $3. Great spot for a large group of people. Price: 2.75/5 - The portions are small, especially the two French breads and the appetizer we ordered. The French breads were $3 each, chicken wings was $16 for around 8-9 pieces, and the garlic noodles was $9. We ordered The Kraken, their version of a clam baked that we shared as a whole with tons of seafood, and it was $225 before tax. The six of us spilt evenly, and it end up being around $55 per person. Not worth it, I would get something else for that price. Service: 3.5/5 - We got seated as soon as we arrived at 8PM, and it was still pretty busy. Our server was nice and friendly, but didn't do a very good job at explain portion sizes or provide recommendations. She brought us water at the beginning, and slowly disappeared and the service was slow. When we got the Kraken, we asked for extra sauce, but they charged us $4.50 for it. The manager came over and explained the charge, but we were still annoyed to get charged for it, especially when it lack sauce to begin with. The manager was kind of rude. BLUF: I would not visit again. The Cajun Seafood Boil was average, seafood was not that fresh, and the sauce was lacking bold and strong buttery and garlicky flavors. I would recommend the honey garlic wings and the French bread if you do decide to visit, however, go somewhere else and try out Hawaii local foods, especially when you are visiting Hawaii. read more
More info about Karai Crab
1314 S King St
Ste G2
Honolulu, HI 96814
Directions
(808) 952-6990
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Visit Website
https://karaicrab.com
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Ask the Community - Karai Crab
Is there bar service I couldn't find a drink menu? If not is it BYOB?
Aloha, yes they serve drinks! They also appear to have a top shelf Japanese whiskey service! (You can see them at the bar area!)
Is there outdoor seating for this restaurant?
No, there is not outdoor seating.
Is it all you can eat?
No it's not a buffet you order what you want to eat off the menu
What's the parking like at the new location? And will a lifted truck fit if there is a garage?
We do have parking in the structure but not made for a lifted truck. My suggestion is to make a reservation or come to the restaurant after 630pm. After 6:30pm there is free street parking right in front of our restaurant.
When is happy hour?
4pm - 6pm and late night 9pm - 10pm last call for the kitchen is 1030pm
Where's the nearest place to get a Tide stain removal pen for an oil spot where I dropped the onolicious garlic fries?
Lol. Up on King Street there is a CVS.
What is the address that you are relocated to and what date will you reopen ? Also just a suggestion you should hire someone to keep your website updated.
Aloha L.J. Our new address will be 1314 S. King St. Honolulu, Hawaii 96814. We are looking the… Read more
Hi, how do I check my balance on gift cards that I have?
You can call in. That's what I did.
Are they still open? Since Willows is closed?
We are still open month to month at the same location for now. We are still looking for another location in case someone does buy the Willows property. So far we are staying put for the while month of February.
Do they not do reservations on opentable anymore?
We could not find them on open table. We had to call them directly
Is there a free parking?
if you valet you still pay the $3 + tip but street parking is free
Aloha! I wanted to ask the crab dishes you serve, are they gluten free? My wife has a gluten allergy so I wanted to make sure. Thank you.
Aloha Joe, Yes, our sauces and crab dishes are gluten free, only our Lemon Pepper seasoning is… Read more
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Karai Crab - seafood - Updated May 2026
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