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We went there because of the name. We didn't know it was one of those boil in a bag places. However, once we got there it was better than expected. And yes, you can get fully unshelled shrimp - including the head! My wife liked it. I liked it. They had soft shelled crab. And you can get peeled shrimp, so you don't need to eat shrimp heads.
Shrimp Heads is still around after opening to much fanfare before the pandemic. It was one of the first seafood boil restaurants to set up shop outside of the Convoy District back in the day. The building has the shape of an old school Pizza Hut with light blue paint on the exterior. I believe its predecessor was a Vietnamese eatery. A small dedicated parking lot was available to the right and back of the structure. A large countertop was in the front of the room, however a sign explicitly stated that seating was not allowed there. That was not the case when the business first opened. The rest of the dining room had lots of four top tables that could be pushed together if you had a large party. I would say the seating capacity was around 60. A worker brought me to a table and laid out a large sheet of wax paper to serve as a tablecloth and/or the surface on which a boil bag contents would be placed. The two-sided menu had build your own seafood boils, bucket deals, and combo meals featured on one page. Starters, oysters, special entrees, soup, and dessert were also on this side. The other page listed the fried baskets, weekday specials, and beverages. Unfortunately, the Gumbo was sold out during my visit which was one item that I really wanted to try. I waffled between the Garlic Noodles with Shrimp and the Shrimp & Grits that were each priced at $16. The latter was my choice with mild spiciness. A shallow dish containing a bed of grits with eight pieces of shrimp was brought to my table in about 10 minutes. A fiery looking sauce (tobasco?) was applied on top of the grits, but it looked a lot meaner than it tasted. If anything, the sauce made this entree quite salty. For the price, quality, and quantity of my food, I gave a three star rating for my meal at Shrimp Heads.
Great concept & great menu--I love how the AYCE includes appetizers, soda, and typical seafood boil add ons like potatoes, eggs, sausages, etc. However, they didn't execute it for me...I learned that seafood boil is definitely a quality over quantity type of meal. Half of the shrimp and crawfish we had were dead, so the taste and texture wasn't there. The clams and mussels were very sandy. The sauce was good but medium spice didn't have any kick at all but the next flavor was "atomic" which is very intimidating (I regret not trying the next level up though). Plus the service was slow and parking is terrible. My favorite items were the lemon pepper wings, quail eggs, and Cajun fries though lol
My boyfriend and I came to Shrimp Heads for a date night, and it was absolutely worth the wait. We waited about an hour for a table, but the amazing smell that hits you as soon as you walk in had us excited from the start. They also have lots of parking, which was a nice bonus. Make sure to order an appetizer first since the food will take some time to be prepared! The cajun fries are delicious, salty, and crunchy. We both ordered a pound of king crab with corn and sausage, and everything was delicious. The crab was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked, and the add-ons complemented it perfectly. Make sure to get the house sauce because it takes everything to the next level. If you plan to visit, carve out enough time to enjoy the full experience. Between the wait and the incredible food, this is definitely a spot worth visiting. 10/10, we'll be back!
First time trying AYCE that is M-W and I do think it is worth your money! Come with an empty stomach to make the #girlmath math! The worker was nice enough to explain and the rules are clear on the AYCE menu. Friendly heads up that all parties in the group need to be doing AYCE at the table. The bag is shared amongst the table, so it is difficult if you and your party like different sauces. I enjoyed all seafood in my bag (mussels, clams, shrimp). We did a total of two "full rounds" with the maximum amount of seafood that we could order in that round, along with the miscellaneous sides and add ons. The eggs and corn were delicious and helped retain that saucy flavor. I do not recommend the French fries, that did taste like freezer food and it did not hold a nice after taste. Surprisingly one of the tasty things was the fried shrimp! The parking is very limited so I can see this as a potential issue to many. The biggest party seems to be a table of 8, as the restaurant is not that big. I would come here again if I was in the area.
From the outside, it looks like a normal restaurant nothing fancy. But once you walk in, the smell hits you buttery, lemony, and absolutely delicious. The place itself is chilly, clean, and comfortable. I've been to many crab boil spots where it's humid and sticky, but this one was the complete opposite. It has a great mom-and-pop vibe, and the servers were very attentive. Food came out fast too. I believe they offer all-you-can-eat on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which is a huge plus. Owner correct me if i got the days wrong. Between the four of us, we had beers, lobster tail, king crab, unlimited crab boil, and tip, and it was only around $300. That's very reasonable considering the quality. Definitely not cheap food, but high quality at a fair price. I'd definitely come back. As I was leaving, I noticed customers walking in with big smiles maybe the munchies ahem ahem, but I definitely ate a lot myself. Highly recommend everyone to try it out!!!
My good friend found this place on Instagram and wanted me to try it out with her. I agreed and then met her here for an early dinner. The place is decorated like a bayou coastal shrimp shop. It's really cozy and had enough seating for about 50 in the dining room. We ordered the popular seafood boil in a bag meal for two with All You Can Eat (AYCE) waves of food. We also ordered sodas. The food kept coming in rounds and we began to get full after round 3. There is a charge for leftover food. You want to make sure that you do not over order in the rounds. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed everything. The servers were both great. We also appreciated that they checked on us frequently for more rounds of seafood boil. The place began to get packed. I am happy that we beat the dinner rush on a Wednesday.
Pros: - House special sauce was flavorful. - Price for seafood was decent. They have specials on weekdays and AYCE seafood on certain days for $39.99. Pretty worth if you eat a good amount of seafood. AYCE comes with sides too. Cons: - Service can be better. The girl took awhile to get our order and we were the 1st people. - Ambience is nothing to talk about. Typical seafood boil place decor imo. The place shares a parking lot with other food places so that's nice, even if it's small. - Sides and add ons were weirdly expensive. - No fresh sweet tea at a seafood boil place? Fairly close by home, but I would drive out for better ones.
I enjoyed the warm hospitality and attentiveness. Currently they offer AYCE on select nights. I wasn't that hungry so I went with their specials offered til 5pm. Very affordable and good options. I went with the shrimp boil, which came with 1 corn, 1 potato and 2 bite size sausage, and I selected mild house sauce. The sauce was oily and lacked flavor. I opted for butter and lemon later. The shrimp was not overcooked. I love fresh shrimp with heads. I would say it was 40/60 on freshness from the looks of the heads. The winner for me was the fried Oreo, served with vanilla ice cream. Served hot and absolutely delicious, a nice unexpected treat. The service and the dessert are the true winners for me.
Imma be so real, AYCE is cool but the flavors weren't it, sides were mid and the service was okay. I typically like a seafood boil where the sauce is thick and sticks, this one was watery. The potatoes were hard too, like how you mess up on the potatoes also I felt like we were waiting for a bit and I couldn't get a refill and the server had a bit of an attitude. I wouldn't go again I think I'm more upset I paid a lot just for the food to be mid and the service to be bad. I'd for sure go anywhere else but still glad I tried it, TikTok hyped this place up too much.
Stopped by on a Monday evening and was honestly surprised at how busy it was for a weekday night. A friend had recommended it, so we came with a party of 6 to celebrate the hubby's birthday. The wait wasn't too bad while they got our table ready. We considered the AYCE option, but the way the rules were explained was pretty confusing. The waiter mentioned that the whole table had to participate (expected), but everything would be served family-style on one order, and we'd all have to choose the same sauce and spice level. That didn't make much sense- especially with a group our size where everyone has different spice tolerances- so we decided to skip it and order à la carte instead. I ordered crawfish by the lb and the Combo #1, and the sauces were actually pretty decent. We tried both the lemon pepper and the house sauce in separate bags. That said, they were pretty stingy with the sauce, barely enough to coat everything. I noticed they don't use much garlic compared to other seafood boil spots. The calamari was disappointing- very tough and rubbery. The zucchini fries weren't very good either. It also appeared dark, as if they used old oil(?).. Their fried items weren't anything special and not something I'd order again. Overall, their Cajun seafood boil isn't bad, but it's not somewhere I'd go out of my way to return to. If friends really wanted to come here, I wouldn't object, but I'd definitely skip the fried foods and be prepared for a bit of a wait after ordering.
It is April 23rd Thursday 755pm We are a party of 6 and got denied the all you can eat menu and told they can't serve us. This was very disrespectful as there were tables that can be moved together like the other family of 6. Sincerely, Hungry and unsatisfied
17 days ago
1 month ago
We visited on a Monday for the AYCE option and had a great experience. Since we arrived right at opening, parking was easy and we were seated right away. Our server was very attentive, which was especially nice since we were among the first customers there. A few things to note: there is a 90-minute dining limit, and everyone at the table shares the same seafood bag, so your group will need to agree on one sauce flavor per round. We only made it through two rounds, but everything we ordered was delicious. The fries were crispy, and the mussels, shrimp, and clams were all meaty. The sauce was flavorful and complemented the seafood well. We finished the meal with the fried Oreo and ice cream, which was the perfect sweet ending. We'd definitely come back again for the AYCE experience! read more
2 months ago
We went there because of the name. We didn't know it was one of those boil in a bag places. However, once we got there it was better than expected. And yes, you can get fully unshelled shrimp - including the head! My wife liked it. I liked it. They had soft shelled crab. And you can get peeled shrimp, so you don't need to eat shrimp heads. read more
Shrimp Heads is still around after opening to much fanfare before the pandemic. It was one of the first seafood boil restaurants to set up shop outside of the Convoy District back in the day. The building has the shape of an old school Pizza Hut with light blue paint on the exterior. I believe its predecessor was a Vietnamese eatery. A small dedicated parking lot was available to the right and back of the structure. A large countertop was in the front of the room, however a sign explicitly stated that seating was not allowed there. That was not the case when the business first opened. The rest of the dining room had lots of four top tables that could be pushed together if you had a large party. I would say the seating capacity was around 60. A worker brought me to a table and laid out a large sheet of wax paper to serve as a tablecloth and/or the surface on which a boil bag contents would be placed. The two-sided menu had build your own seafood boils, bucket deals, and combo meals featured on one page. Starters, oysters, special entrees, soup, and dessert were also on this side. The other page listed the fried baskets, weekday specials, and beverages. Unfortunately, the Gumbo was sold out during my visit which was one item that I really wanted to try. I waffled between the Garlic Noodles with Shrimp and the Shrimp & Grits that were each priced at $16. The latter was my choice with mild spiciness. A shallow dish containing a bed of grits with eight pieces of shrimp was brought to my table in about 10 minutes. A fiery looking sauce (tobasco?) was applied on top of the grits, but it looked a lot meaner than it tasted. If anything, the sauce made this entree quite salty. For the price, quality, and quantity of my food, I gave a three star rating for my meal at Shrimp Heads. read more
4 months ago
Great concept & great menu--I love how the AYCE includes appetizers, soda, and typical seafood boil add ons like potatoes, eggs, sausages, etc. However, they didn't execute it for me...I learned that seafood boil is definitely a quality over quantity type of meal. Half of the shrimp and crawfish we had were dead, so the taste and texture wasn't there. The clams and mussels were very sandy. The sauce was good but medium spice didn't have any kick at all but the next flavor was "atomic" which is very intimidating (I regret not trying the next level up though). Plus the service was slow and parking is terrible. My favorite items were the lemon pepper wings, quail eggs, and Cajun fries though lol read more
My boyfriend and I came to Shrimp Heads for a date night, and it was absolutely worth the wait. We waited about an hour for a table, but the amazing smell that hits you as soon as you walk in had us excited from the start. They also have lots of parking, which was a nice bonus. Make sure to order an appetizer first since the food will take some time to be prepared! The cajun fries are delicious, salty, and crunchy. We both ordered a pound of king crab with corn and sausage, and everything was delicious. The crab was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked, and the add-ons complemented it perfectly. Make sure to get the house sauce because it takes everything to the next level. If you plan to visit, carve out enough time to enjoy the full experience. Between the wait and the incredible food, this is definitely a spot worth visiting. 10/10, we'll be back! read more
5 months ago
First time trying AYCE that is M-W and I do think it is worth your money! Come with an empty stomach to make the #girlmath math! The worker was nice enough to explain and the rules are clear on the AYCE menu. Friendly heads up that all parties in the group need to be doing AYCE at the table. The bag is shared amongst the table, so it is difficult if you and your party like different sauces. I enjoyed all seafood in my bag (mussels, clams, shrimp). We did a total of two "full rounds" with the maximum amount of seafood that we could order in that round, along with the miscellaneous sides and add ons. The eggs and corn were delicious and helped retain that saucy flavor. I do not recommend the French fries, that did taste like freezer food and it did not hold a nice after taste. Surprisingly one of the tasty things was the fried shrimp! The parking is very limited so I can see this as a potential issue to many. The biggest party seems to be a table of 8, as the restaurant is not that big. I would come here again if I was in the area. read more
From the outside, it looks like a normal restaurant nothing fancy. But once you walk in, the smell hits you buttery, lemony, and absolutely delicious. The place itself is chilly, clean, and comfortable. I've been to many crab boil spots where it's humid and sticky, but this one was the complete opposite. It has a great mom-and-pop vibe, and the servers were very attentive. Food came out fast too. I believe they offer all-you-can-eat on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which is a huge plus. Owner correct me if i got the days wrong. Between the four of us, we had beers, lobster tail, king crab, unlimited crab boil, and tip, and it was only around $300. That's very reasonable considering the quality. Definitely not cheap food, but high quality at a fair price. I'd definitely come back. As I was leaving, I noticed customers walking in with big smiles maybe the munchies ahem ahem, but I definitely ate a lot myself. Highly recommend everyone to try it out!!! read more
My good friend found this place on Instagram and wanted me to try it out with her. I agreed and then met her here for an early dinner. The place is decorated like a bayou coastal shrimp shop. It's really cozy and had enough seating for about 50 in the dining room. We ordered the popular seafood boil in a bag meal for two with All You Can Eat (AYCE) waves of food. We also ordered sodas. The food kept coming in rounds and we began to get full after round 3. There is a charge for leftover food. You want to make sure that you do not over order in the rounds. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed everything. The servers were both great. We also appreciated that they checked on us frequently for more rounds of seafood boil. The place began to get packed. I am happy that we beat the dinner rush on a Wednesday. read more
Pros: - House special sauce was flavorful. - Price for seafood was decent. They have specials on weekdays and AYCE seafood on certain days for $39.99. Pretty worth if you eat a good amount of seafood. AYCE comes with sides too. Cons: - Service can be better. The girl took awhile to get our order and we were the 1st people. - Ambience is nothing to talk about. Typical seafood boil place decor imo. The place shares a parking lot with other food places so that's nice, even if it's small. - Sides and add ons were weirdly expensive. - No fresh sweet tea at a seafood boil place? Fairly close by home, but I would drive out for better ones. read more
I enjoyed the warm hospitality and attentiveness. Currently they offer AYCE on select nights. I wasn't that hungry so I went with their specials offered til 5pm. Very affordable and good options. I went with the shrimp boil, which came with 1 corn, 1 potato and 2 bite size sausage, and I selected mild house sauce. The sauce was oily and lacked flavor. I opted for butter and lemon later. The shrimp was not overcooked. I love fresh shrimp with heads. I would say it was 40/60 on freshness from the looks of the heads. The winner for me was the fried Oreo, served with vanilla ice cream. Served hot and absolutely delicious, a nice unexpected treat. The service and the dessert are the true winners for me. read more
28 days ago
Imma be so real, AYCE is cool but the flavors weren't it, sides were mid and the service was okay. I typically like a seafood boil where the sauce is thick and sticks, this one was watery. The potatoes were hard too, like how you mess up on the potatoes also I felt like we were waiting for a bit and I couldn't get a refill and the server had a bit of an attitude. I wouldn't go again I think I'm more upset I paid a lot just for the food to be mid and the service to be bad. I'd for sure go anywhere else but still glad I tried it, TikTok hyped this place up too much. read more
16 days ago
11 days ago
My favorite place to get a seafood boil, great music great food and the vibe is always good. Plus dwain and the crew are the best. I always get the number three with pork chops and rice so bomb.. read more
Stopped by on a Monday evening and was honestly surprised at how busy it was for a weekday night. A friend had recommended it, so we came with a party of 6 to celebrate the hubby's birthday. The wait wasn't too bad while they got our table ready. We considered the AYCE option, but the way the rules were explained was pretty confusing. The waiter mentioned that the whole table had to participate (expected), but everything would be served family-style on one order, and we'd all have to choose the same sauce and spice level. That didn't make much sense- especially with a group our size where everyone has different spice tolerances- so we decided to skip it and order à la carte instead. I ordered crawfish by the lb and the Combo #1, and the sauces were actually pretty decent. We tried both the lemon pepper and the house sauce in separate bags. That said, they were pretty stingy with the sauce, barely enough to coat everything. I noticed they don't use much garlic compared to other seafood boil spots. The calamari was disappointing- very tough and rubbery. The zucchini fries weren't very good either. It also appeared dark, as if they used old oil(?).. Their fried items weren't anything special and not something I'd order again. Overall, their Cajun seafood boil isn't bad, but it's not somewhere I'd go out of my way to return to. If friends really wanted to come here, I wouldn't object, but I'd definitely skip the fried foods and be prepared for a bit of a wait after ordering. read more
6 months ago
It is April 23rd Thursday 755pm We are a party of 6 and got denied the all you can eat menu and told they can't serve us. This was very disrespectful as there were tables that can be moved together like the other family of 6. Sincerely, Hungry and unsatisfied read more
1 month ago
Our order was delivered to the hotel. Ordered grandson's fav Cajun Seafood broiled crawfish with corn and shrimps with heads and corn, plus a side of Cajun French Fries!!! Too spicy for my taste but grandson had a feast just enjoyed every bite till they were all gone !! read more
9 months ago
Arrived at restaurant with three open tables. Made us stand out in the cold instead of seating us. Hostess was rude about it as well. Seats metal chairs and uncomfortable. The "all you can eat" is a HOAX. $41 for shrimp but you have to pay $14 extra dollars tor EACH CLUSTER of snow crab. Bland. Bland bland bland. Waste of money. Don't come here. read more
Came here on my birthday on a Thursday night and we were seated immediately! Surprised because the last time I went the line was so long we weren't able to dine in. The service was extremely quick and friendly. The inside is decorated just as other seafood boil places but it is smaller and more intimate. We ordered the AYCE with clams, crawfish, shrimp. We ordered the medium spicy which we felt wasn't that spicy so we got the atomic and omg that one was just spicy. There wasn't much flavor for the atomic so I wish there was a middle ground for the medium and atomic. The star of the show was the cajun fries. The seasoning was perfect and it was cooked just to my liking read more
2 months ago
4 months ago
If I wasn't such a seafood boil snob,I would give this place 4 stars . It's not the freshest , the house sauce and other sauces available aren't anything special . However this is close to where I live and the prices are reasonable and the drink selection is one of the few impressive things . It was slow when I went in and it took a bit to get seated and finally order . But I must add that slow periods are rare and it does pick up quite a bit and it appears they are short staff. So patience is a must ! My waiter was super kind and couldn't have been anymore professional. In short , don't expect to be blow away from this restaurant but if you are on a budget and need to quickly suffice a seafood boil craving, this is will be your go to spot. Also, the vanilla ice cream and fried Oreo is a delicious way to end the meal. read more
Wanted to try this place out after hearing all about it! We were interested in doing AYCE but building our own boils were better for us price-wise. Servers were nice and answered any questions we had. We all ended up getting mild house sauce on all of our boils, their sauce is a bit thicker than other seafood boil places but not a bad thing! Not sure if it's crawfish season but the crawfish here were huge and limes were super juicy compared to other places I've been (Crab Town, Boiling Crab, and Submarine Crab)! One downside is that there's only a single bathroom with the sink so you gotta wait to wash your hands if you opt out of using gloves. Would come back again. read more
4 months ago
Very hole in the wall surprisingly delicious! My husband and I had been craving a good seafood boil and this place did not disappoint. It was a little understaffed in the front of house,but the food very much made up for our wait time. 10/10 we will be back! read more
seafood boil time in San Diego shrimp heads is a good spot for a solid seafood boil. i ordered combo #3, with head-on shrimp, potatoes and my choice of clams. i went with their mild house sauce, along with a thai soda float! my dessert was their fried oreo with ice cream. although the vanilla melted quickly, it was all worth the $4 for dessert! ambiance was busy, with many parties inside. customer service was also good, up to pair with the food experience! i got shrimp head now read more
Shrimp Heads was fire! I had the shrimp and snow crab legs boil with corn, potatoes, and added sausage--sooo good. Everything was packed with flavor, and the fries and garlic bread were solid too. The staff was super nice and helpful, which made the experience even better. I'll definitely be back! read more
8 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
3 months ago
This place was delicious! And the service was quick. We got the 3lb bucket with crab and shrimp. The shrimp were amazing! read more
3 months ago
3 months ago
A bit disappointed at the quality of the seafood but the pork chops was awesome. It really tasted like salt and pepper pork chops. I came a long time ago when this place first opened but for some reason never wrote a review. I'm pretty sure it was along the lines of 4 stars as well. It was busy this night and there was only one server, but he did well. He was nice and did his best. I got everything from oysters, calamari, fries, pork chops, shrimp and sausage. It didn't quite hit the mark for me but the pork chops supercedes anything I imagined and expected. This is my main reason for coming back! read more
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More info about Shrimp Heads
2832 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
North Park
Directions
(619) 738-8184
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http://www.shrimpheadssd.com
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Ask the Community - Shrimp Heads
Saw on IG you have AYE shrimp boils on Mon, Wed and Thurs for $35, is that real? I don't see it advertised on your website.
Someone posted on Yelp 6 days ago that the real deal is up to 2lbs for $35
Are pets allow for outdoor dining?
Don't believe outdoor dining is an option at the moment. When I've dined indoors, I have not seen any pets.
Do they take reservations?
I'm sure they would. Their staff is brilliant and accommodating.
When you try to order on yelp, why is the price much more expensive than in store? For example, the house bucket is $90 on yelp (before all the add on such as delivery fee, platform fee, tips, and tax), but only $75 in store?
Not sure
How long is the wait time usually on the weekends?
I came on a Sunday late afternoon/early evening and was seated immediately! Didn't seem to have a wait at all the day I went.
Are the boils gluten free?
You may want to ask what type of broth, if any is used. Boils tend to use a both base. If the broth is vegetable base it maybe gluten free however if a chicken or beef broth is used they tend to have hydrolyzed wheat protein in it, which is not…
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