When our nephew told me he was celebrating his graduation party at Chief's Da Crab Shack, I thought…read morewe were eating seafood in a plastic bag with our choice of spices. Chief's is one of those type of restaurants, but what I didn't know about Chief's is that it is a sister restaurant to JJ's Island Grindz and Chief's Da Tiki Bar. The food that was served came from JJ's Island Grindz and Chief's Da Crab Shack, and both served delish grub. Besides the tasty food, I really enjoyed the Hawaiian vibe inside, the tunes emanating from the House DJ made me want to dance, and I appreciated the hustle from the hard working staff. If you're looking for a restaurant for a party or a graduation celebration, check out Chief's Da Crab Shack.
Chief's Da Crab Shack is located in South San Diego, specifically Bonita, and it can be reached utilizing the 805 freeway and driving east. The restaurant can be found within an outdoor strip mall that contains the following businesses: Chief's sister businesses, JJ's Island Grindz and Chief's Da Tiki Bar; Franco's Flapjack; Wells Fargo; Colima's Mexican Food; and Fresheria. There is plenty of parking in this shopping center. As you enter Chief's, you immediately notice the Hawaiian decor and fisherman imagery with dryed grass skirt material hanging over their seating booths, netting holding crustaceans and seashells, thick ropes, fish as light fixtures, and ocean birds. This is a spacious restaurant with indoor booth seating, tables and chairs, distressed wooden tables for group seating, and outdoor seating. There were televisions around the restaurant showing World Cup soccer. I appreciated the diligence of Chief's staff who hustled while handling my nephew's graduation party and regular customers visiting.
Before making my first visit to Chief's Da Crab Shack, I thought we'd be grubbing on seafood that are boiled and placed in a plastic bag with your choice of seasoning. That is what Chief's primary business is, but since it's affiliated with JJ's Island Grindz, my nephew's graduation party had a buffet line that featured Hawaiian and Asian food, which came from both Chief's and JJ's. The following dishes from Chief's were waiting for our tummies: mini pork lumpia shanghai, buffalo lemon pepper wings, garlic noodles, and white rice. The following dishes from JJ's were calling our name: spam musubi, salt and pepper chicken wings, teriyaki chicken, kalbi beef ribs, and red rice. The spam musubi is spam wrapped with seasoned sushi rice and nori seaweed. The spam musubi was a tasty bite in a small package. The mini pork lumpias were packed with ingredients and flavorful. The salt and pepper chicken and the buffalo lemon pepper wings were crispy and wok fried with green onion, fresh minced garlic, crush red pepper, and lemon. I devoured those chicken wings, which ate well with the two types of rice. The garlic noodles were yummy and had an abundant amount of garlic flavor. The red rice complemented all of the protein I ate. The kalbi beef ribs were okay and I wished they were more tender. My nephew and in-laws made appetizing choices for the graduation party and I happily consumed two plates of the food. 4.5 stars because the kalbi beef ribs weren't as good as the other food items.
When we were told that our nephew was celebrating his gradution at Chief's Da Crab Shack, I was looking forward to experiencing seafood seasoned in a plastic bag. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Chief's is affiliated with JJ's Island Grindz and was able to grub on delicious Hawaiian and Asian entrees from JJ's and Chief's. Next time, I'd like to visit both Chief's and JJ's and try entrees that they're known for.
