An unassuming stip mall on Magnolia Avenue boasts three of the best restaurants in Riverside - Koreana, Pho Star Bowl and the illustrious Star Crab. For a bit of background, I planned a date night at Con Amore in Corona. I posted a review of how disappointing that experience was, so much so that we just paid for drinks and left. Not wanting to waste the night, we agreed on Star Crab. When I tell you the difference in vibes, service and food quality could not be more different than Con Amore, I mean it with all my heart. First of all, their playlist is vibrant and joyous. Secondly, we were greeted and attended to by a man listed on the receipt as Ant R who was warm and fully knowledgeable of the menu and the special pricing for beer that night. $3.99 for anything on tap on a Wednesday night is unheard of. I don't drink but my date does and this was an impressive deal. Being unfamiliar with the ordering process we needed help with the menu and Ant guided us through the options, described the different flavors and spice levels of each boil base and was just overall so attentive and on top of things. Being served a steaming bag of vibrantly spiced seafood, sausage and corn in such a comfortable and unpretentious space saved the night. We selected the family bag of shrimp and mussels to share and were given ample lime wedges, gloves and bibs to be able to enjoy them with. As much as fine dining is treated as a special ritual which takes itself too seriously, it can easily be outdone by fresh, modern accessible places like Star Crab - a spot where kind young people treat you with care and prides itself on an abundance of fresh ingredients. Shrimp, mussels and crab ARE luxuries and we feasted like royalty. We will most certainly have more date nights at Star Crab. It's a great plan to go there, enjoy some fantastic food and then hop on over to the AMC close by. Oh, Star Crab! I know your business model is not unique as there are many Cajun seafood boil places around BUT you have our hearts because of your welcoming space and lovely staff. read more

Our go to place when we're craving seafood boil!! Can get busy during the evening and weekends, but it's worth the wait. Place has a lot of seating and it's pretty spacious. read more

Star Crab - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

See all

Solid 4.5 stars. Star Crab is hands down my wife's and my go-to spot for Cajun boiled seafood in Inland Empire. We've tried plenty of other places, and this one consistently gets it right. Service is always solid, the dine-in area is spacious and comfortable, and most importantly--the food is always on point. Their Cajun sauce is packed with flavor, not watered down or bland, and the seafood is cooked properly. Nothing is overcooked, rubbery, dry, or aggressively "fishy" (which is my biggest pet peeve at other boil spots). Service is solid, the dining area is spacious and clean, and the prices are fair for what you get. No gimmicks, no excuses, just consistently good food. Overall: good food, good service, good prices, and a clean restaurant. This is why we keep coming back while other Cajun places stay one-and-done. *Only reason for the 4.5-star instead of 5: PARKING. The parking lot is very limited, mainly because Star Crab and the Korean BBQ spot next door are both super busy. With two popular restaurants side by side, parking gets packed pretty much daily. Not a deal-breaker and totally worth it for the food, but something to be aware of before coming. read more

Star Crab - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

Horrible,Horrible, Horrible...sauce taste like tomato sauce/soup I will never go there again I'll stick to Alaska Crab in Moval this place needs to shut down completely!!!! read more

I must say I'm very disappointed in how they handle customer service here. As a loyal customer to this local restaurant that myself & friends continuously attend. My most recent experience I got seafood poisoning so bad it put me in the hospital. On 3 meds one antibiotic specifying for an INFECTION FOR SEAFOOD & proof of me throwing up blood. Me being a human deciding to call to only share my experience, without asking for anything in return in hopes someone wouldn't have to go through the pain and hospitals bills I had to endure. To be called a liar by the manager. Kaiser hospital doctors also said they've had numerous cases come from There. SAVE YOUR MONEY. The pain is not worth a $20 meal you can get elsewhere nor the horrible manipulation of just taking accountability in a work space. So unprofessional. read more

Star Crab - Food because I loved this movie place & proof I'm not a liar. - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

See all

Wow haven't had seafood boil this good in a while! Vibe was cool.. My server was Chris he was amazing! Before he took over I had another server Rosy, help me out.. she makes the best michis. Chefs kiss. Great experience. read more

Star Crab - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

Love this place I go once a week. Always wonderful service never a wait time when dinning in and phones always gets answered right away.

Although it is not quite boiling crab, I would come back here just because of the great service. Alyssa was our server and from the beginning she was so friendly and attentive. We were a group of 11 and she sat us immediately. She even spoke a little bit of Spanish for our Spanish speakers. Food was good, loved their garlic noodles. They did take a bit to serve the food but it was all yummy. read more

The place is clean, usually when you go to this kind of places you feel sticky but everything felt clean. Our server was awesome, Andrew was very attentive to our needs, he knows even before we ask and we didn't even told them that we are celebrating a birthday but he took the initiative and gave my brother a little treat! Love this place! read more

Expensive and the cajun sauce was a little salty. Other than that the service was good and the soft shell crab appetizer was good

I've came here plenty of times with no problems, except coming tonight. I had called the previous day and they had mentioned that they can take orders until they close. I went the following day to order take out, just for me 1 person, paying 30$ for a uber just to tell me the kitchen was closed early. I have gone here for about a year so, it's pretty disappointing that they wouldn't keep up with their word knowing I was told that I was able to order until closing time. I've also seen other people in there so I just think it's interesting that I got told one thing, then a whole nother. read more

It lost its touch. The seasoning is way too sweet... Go to Alaska crab in Moreno Valley. read more

Food is bomb, place is clean with good vibes! Service is always friendly and prompt! My family loves eating here. Make sure to get an order of garlic bread and dip it in the sauce, it is to die for! read more

I ordered from this place last night and I was EXTREMELY disappointed! I ordered 2 orders of snow crab, 1/2 order of shrimp, 1/2 order of crawfish, and some eggs total was around $120. And I feel like this was the biggest waste of money ever! The shrimp and crawfish were extremely over cooked and the portion of crab was shocking. And don't get me started on the flavor of the sauce! It was terrible! It tasted like they just puréed garlic and chopped garlic added some water and some weird seasoning combo... should of stuck with my norm. read more

The food is great. Our server Chris had Good customer service. Great attitude. I recommend. read more

Not the right place to come the food was not served fresh it was salty as sand and cold as f..ck

I already made a review.. I was charged 40 dollars for a in on snow crab and only got 1 claw cut up ... when you have a market price you should give what a person is paying for .. lost all respect... read more

Natalie is extremely kind and honestly the best. She always remembers my order, and she really makes my Star Crab experience amazing. She's one of the main reasons I keep coming back. read more

I love a good seafood boil, especially crab but when I go to a place and spend over $100 just for a crab boil, I expect the crab to not be anorexic. That's my only feedback. read more

We love this place ! Every time I go we order the sea star which is plenty of food. Green muscles/scallops/crab legs are the best part. Our server has been Rosie the last few times and she's amazing and very attentive. Very nice place and clean bathrooms. Will definitely go back again and again. read more

i was craving some seafood but wasn't trying to go far so i decided to try this. Staff was helpful and attentive to my needs.it seems like a family owned place with a home like ambiance. Prices were reasonable and pretty good with respect to the quality. i think this is for anyone from college students trying to save to a family event dinner . read more

Cindy, Natalie, luis and Selene were amazing! This food was fire and the whole experience reminded me of Boiling crab Westminster OG! So it's the best of the west! read more

Star Crab - The best food in the IE - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

Tried this place for the first time! By the time we got home and was ready to eat we opened the bag and our shrimp was completely missing, only the corn, potatoes and sausage inside the bag with the sauce. They were closed and we do not live close. Of course we ate what we had and called them the next day to let them know what happened and they said they could do nothing about it since we ate the food already, even tho we have the picture of the food with no shrimp in it! Horrible service! DO BETTER! and the food isn't even all that! read more

Star Crab - Proof that we paid for peeled shrimp! - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

See all

Ordered take out for the time , flavor of the shrimp was great but just a slight overcooked for my liking . Tenders basket was good as well . Overall enjoyed more than other Cajun seafood places in the area. Would definitely come back ! read more

Fresh seafood always. Excellent service. Family place for good eating. Been a return customer for few years never let down

Always have great shrimp, prices are reasonable, and very face service dine-in or take out

Sadly no pics. Walked in on a slow evening and ordered a 1 lb of shrimp (head on) with 1 corn, medium spice with all the seasoning. I was recommended to return in 10-15 minutes. It did take a bit longer than expected. I put it in at 4:45pm and came back twice to pickup and it wasn't ready. I didn't get back on the freeway until 5:30pm. They give out extra table covers, bibs, limes if you ask for them. At home, I noticed at least 4-6 of the 1lb were overcooked (shell sticks to shrimp/shrimp super mushy while peeling). If you ever need to pickup from here, I'd recommend calling 15-20 minutes in advance to save time. read more

This place is horrible. Never coming back here again!! Service was not good. And the food was not very good.

Bathrooms and place is always a mess now I use to love coming to this little spot but now servers are just rude as well read more

Great meal here tonight. Our server Luis took good care of us. He was welcoming, friendly & always attentive. Looking forward to going back to try more of the menu read more

Thank you Chris for giving us amazing service on this rainy day! Best server out there!

The food was good and the survice too And too much people and the service is very good read more

10/10 would definitely go there again! The food was amazing, I think this place is better than all the other places I've tried. The vibe from the restaurant and the people working there was also a 10/10. Rosy was our server that day and her service was amazing. read more

Service was great but the food is simply not worth the price. I don't like the idea of pricing based off of order and not by the pound. Most of the food was overcooked/dry. Our waitress was nice, and I liked the sinks to wash my hands outside the bathroom, but save your money by going somewhere else! read more

This place will have you licking your elbows!!! Yummy! All I can say is try it, its worth the wait and the price, period!

save your money and go to kickin crab in corona/riverside ca. or boil daddy in norco ca. this place 'STAR CRAB' has german ROACHES!!! which travel in groups i noticed after i was done eating A ROACH head towards the kitchen run through my feet under my table i was very disgusted and all they offered me was a discount i was very upset and the food was not tasty what so ever ive tried many seafood locations and kickin crab has the BEST flavor imaginable. i was the only person there along with my partner and they took forever to sit us. the owner is stubborn and refused to clear the bill for my partner and i which was very dissapointing and unfair. i will never be eating here again. the employee on shift also recorded our interaction on her cellphone for her manager im assuming ? very terrible experience and bad food read more

See all

I got take out. Crab, muscles, shrimp, potatoes, and corn. I also ordered the clam chowder bread bowl. Everything was delicious.

My experience was good. I ordered three pounds of shrimp each had a potato, sausage, and corn.16 pieces of shrimp each pound) and one pound crawfish, places like these always have market price on their menus so I always double check just so I'm not surprised. One bag of shrimp and the crawfish were ordered hot, both bags labeled, appreciate that. Walked in, was addressed immediately, staff was friendly, offered wax paper cover to take home. Not a lot of places want to offer that unless you ask. This order was a take out, I've been here many times before, never had any issues. But the vibes are always good, sounded like a good time when I walked in, and baseball games were on their TV's. read more

Food was amazing and customer service was on point I recommend this place come check it out read more

Star Crab - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

Getting there: Follow maps down Magnolia St in Riverside and you will see the parking lot on your right-hand side. Parking can get a little cramped since this shopping plaza is tiny. Experience: After a long break from 'shrimp in a bag' style dining, my visit to Star Crab in rekindled my love it. The standout feature for me was the waitress providing gloves - and not just any gloves, but high-quality ones where none of the spicy juices get into your cuticles and you don't leave smelling like fish. This thoughtful touch allowed me to dive into my seafood without hesitation. read more