This place is a Boiling Crab knock-off. I don't mind knock-offs because they provide variety and they tend to push boundaries. But this place...ugh, it is an attempt to copy (down to the littlest detail) while cutting corners. It is decorated the same as Boiling Crab with the fishing nets decor and the writing on the walls. Instead of a sign on the outside of the building, they have a giant banner with their name on it. They don't do bibs here. They single bag all their food. Our bag was leaking, but they didn't seem to care. I asked for a second bag to contain the first bag and the waitress gave me a dirty look. Geez, how much does a second bag cost? They don't refill drinks here unless you flag down the waitress. They don't have paper towels, they have thin napkins. For the entire place, they had one waitress/hostess and a cook who I suspect is the owner. He walked around the place occasionally in his PJ bottoms. It was so odd. The food is ok. It's not on the same level as boiling crab...no matter how hard they try to copy. They really should have tried to put their own spin on the food or sauce. Heck, the menu was copied down to the same sides. Talk about bad service. Ugh. So, people were complaining about the service here. I completely understand why. The waitress kept trying to get us to order more food. She told us that she eats 2.5 lbs of shrimp. Thus, for three people she said we need 7.5 lbs of shrimp. What???? We ordered 2 lbs and that was fine. Lots of people also complained that they forget to bring you stuff. I don't think they forget, they just don't have it or don't want to make it so they don't say anything. We ordered two sides of rice. I highly suspect they didn't want to cook any. So, every time we asked for the status of the rice, she would say ok and then never bring any. At the end of our meal, we told her to take the rice off our bill bc we never got any. She wasn't surprised, nor was she apologetic. Overall, places like this deserve to fail. They have awful service and mediocre food. read more

First off, I like this place. I would definitely come back again. All the reviews about the crawfish not being fresh scared me a bit, but I decided to try it anyway. I'm sure glad I did. The dude there reassured me that the crawfish were fresh because they had just received it a couple hours ago LIVE. It truly was fresh and humongous! No need to look for meat in these. hhaaaa... Their shrimp was good, but its just shrimp, its usually a safe choice. Their fresh oyster wasn't bad either. It could have been a bit fresher, but I wouldn't write it off. There was a sauce on it that was either ponzu sauce or light soy sauce. Couldn't tell because even though you can see the sauce, there was no flavor to it. [1/2 star knock off] We also ordered chicken wings, and sweet potatoe fries. The chicken wings were standard chicken wings and so no complaint there. However, the fries were great!! We eventually ordered another order of the fries. For the fries though, I felt that they could have gone with a better, more unique dip than ketchup. How about a garlic mayo dip? oh and beer! Right now, they have a special going on for $1 beer or $4 pitcher. And the pitcher is huge! How can you go wrong with a pitcher of beer? Their sauce isn't bad, but its not much to rave about. We got the full house special with everything in it. I ordered mines HOT and it wasn't that spicy. It felt like maybe a mild or a medium compared to other places. Even though the crawfish was fresh, but was a bit bland. The sauce didn't soak into into the crawfish. It wasn't much of a big deal, since I just dipped the meat back into the sauce for the flavor. [1/2 star knock off] And here's the kicker that knocked off a whole star: We had 3 orders: - 1 pound crawfish - 1 pound shrimp - 1 pound with 1/2 crawfish and 1/2 shrimp When our order came out, they brought out an extra bag of shrimp. When we told them we didn't order it, he said to just go ahead and take it. To me, that translate to FREE. When my friend went to pay, he didn't notice till afterwards that the "FREE" bag of shrimp was charged. I spoke up about it and the dude said he will give us some $5 coupons to make up for the difference. Okay, sounds good to me. Later, he came back and said they were out of the coupons. So he promised that he would remember us (or me specifically) and will take care of it at our next visit. So, until my next visit, lets see if he remembers to take care of it. Maybe I would like to try the lobster or crab legs next time. read more

Good food . Great experience first time going . A little messy . Price was ok for the amount of food we got Will definitely go again and take family and friends read more

Omg!! This place deserves 5 stars or more!! The food was amazing!! Calamari, oysters, shrimp, and Dungeness crab.. Yummy on top of it all 1.00 draft beer ?? U kidding!! The owner comes out to greet you and also gave us a dance. Not only good but fun!! U gotta try this place u will never want to drive out to the oc again!!! :) read more

Star Crab - Yummy - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

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Ive gone to a few want to be boiling crab and they were fails. Now this place, maybe its not the same exact sauce but it is delicious! Happy hour all day m-f 1.50 a beer! Their cajun fries are delicious and a big amount good for sharing for 2-3 ppl. Shrimp were so tasty and fresh! I had the all house medium spice in a lb of shrimp with potatoes. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Will return! Try it :) read more

So I get an ad for this place in the mail. I scoffed and thought, 'Pfft. Ok. An imitation Boiling Crab. Whatevs losers.' Well, I was taken to the Star Crab for my birthday, and was happily surprised! Their M.O. is spot on to Boiling Crab. Steamed baggies of yums. The decor is exact, just on a much smaller scale. We got shrimp, crawfish, crab legs and fried oysters. Cajun spicing was the way to go. Better than Boiling Crab. And much closer! Cons: Service was ok. They forgot parts of our order, and only checked on us after waving them down. They advertise $1 beers, but don't tell you it's bud light. The fried oysters were too fried. They were out of dungeon crab--kinda strange if you're trying to run a crab place. read more

I had low expectations when I first came here because I'm a big fan of BC. I heard from a friend that their sauce can be on and off good/bad at times. So, I guess I went on a pretty good day since I really enjoyed the food. My friends and I got the Family Bucket: Shrimp Star with crawfish and green muscles. And after we asked for an other pound of mixed shrimp and crawfish. I was really surprised that the crawfish had a lot of meat in it and the sauce was pretty good! My only concern is that our waitress had a finger injury. I'm not sure if that is sanitary or safe for her to serve food with an injured finger. Overall, it wasn't too bad. read more

This place is awesome! Just be careful because it can get very busy! Love the spicy shrimp!!!

Four of us went on a Friday night and all but one of the tables were taken. We had 1/2 lb crawfish & 1/2 lb clams, calamari, chicken wings, 1/2 lb shrimp & 1/2 lb crab. Also, an $8 pitcher of Asahi beer. The sauce was delicious and you can choose how spicy you would like it. Service was a bit slow but the food was worth the wait. This is a lobster bib restaurant where you eat with your hands, so don't wear anything you don't want stained. The prices are by the pound, but we paid less than $80 total for four of us and we were full. I had never order crawfish before and did not realize there would be so little meat in them. Next time I will order the shrimp, which were large. It was a great new spot to try on my birthday and I will definitely be visiting again so my Southern father can try it out. read more

Been coming here for 3 years and love the food. Sadly every time my wife and I come we're treated very poorly and with bad attitude. Good food but very rude and unprofessional staff. Ariana, at the front desk, was in a bad mood for some reason and made my wife and I wait 20 minutes outside before seating us with basically a completely empty restaurant read more

The service was greets and food was delish! Will definitely be back again, all the way from Menifee.

The shrimp was okay but really the crawfish is pretty bad. It was really dry and over cooked and the sauce is sucky. It's really oily and there's no taste to it. We were so happy we got the shrimp because even though the sauce sucks, shrimp itself is good so we were saved. But I highly don't recommended it as of now. I'm not sure if it is because they just opened up but their full house sauce is really yucky. It's just oil and super dark. Maybe thats why they sold it to us for about 6 dollars a pound. But the sweet potato fries were really good! Maybe i have to try another sauce, but honestly im skeptical to even get crawfish here because it just so dry. Maybe ill try the shrimp again wth a different sauce. read more

The spicier you get the more amazing the food gets as the heat really brings out the flavor. Ordered the shrimp mild with sausage and potatoes for the kids which was okay (shrimps cooked perfectly) but was bland for our taste. The snow crab legs at a medium heat of the house blend were ah-mazing. Must come back to try other seafood at a different heat level. Quick and friendly service. Not exactly kid friendly for under the age of 12 (loud hip hop and rap music, no separate kid menu or smaller portions) but they do have high chairs, are friendly and try their best to accommodate the little ones. read more

Star Crab - Snow crab legs and shrimp in the house sauce. - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

I'm a huge boiling crab fan and have tried most similar places in the I.E. In lieu of driving to Rowland heights. This is probably my favorite one due to the freshness and good quality of the food. They do copy the boiling crab in many aspects, including decor, but they live up to its billing. Avoid the long wait and come here if you're from riverside or corona area and don't want drive an hour for the real stuff. read more

I love this place...no long wait, the service are fast & staff are very nice.we will come back again

Basically, if you've been to a boiling crab, this is a knockoff of them. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's hard to find a shrimp/crawfish place in the IE, and this place fits the bill. We've been there twice now, both on a Sunday morning, so it was not very busy. We had shrimp both times, and both times were pretty good. I would say the quality is almost the same as boiling crab. The nice part is that there is no waiting. I've noticed a few more of these joints popping up in the IE, so I'll try to report back on the others once I've had a chance to try them. The location is less than desired, with the parking spots on the tight side. Service was friendly and fast. Decor is somewhat similar to boiling crab, with writing on the wall, and a seafood them. Overall, pretty good, and much easier than making a trek out to a boiling crab. read more

Amazing Food Wow! This place is Fire!! Shrimp Crab and Clams all taste Great good Prices and even better Service! The ambience was Perfect A+ read more

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Came in on Saturday night, had no problem getting a table. Service was great, received our drinks right away. We ordered Cajun and Sweet Potato Fries, flavor and crispness was on point! Next we ordered a special bucket which included 1 lbs shrimp, 1 lbs crawfish 1lbs green mussels, 1 sausage, 1 corn, 1 potato Fully Loaded with flavor. This was such a great deal!! All for $30, I definitely will come back. Thanks to our friendly server Nikki for all the recommendations. I love Boiling Crab but why drive 20+ miles and wait an hour+ for a table when you have this place down the street? read more

Star Crab - Sweet Potato, Cajun Fries & 3lbs of spicy, garlicky seafood goodness! - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

Satisfied the boiling crab cravings. It's close but no cigar. It's kinda like buying store brand cheese slices, it's ok but you can just tell that it's not velveeta, ya dig? We had a couple if pounds of shrimp- clams- chicken wings- Cajun fries... Everything was good but missed the mark by a smidge. Service ehhhh not too impressive, with a lack of management what do you expect , feel me.?. If ya don't wanna drive to OC for the BC experience , this will do. But understand -- it's not velveeta read more

Great seafood place. Fried oysters were pretty good. Waitress was fast and courteous. Comparable to boiling crab. Shrimp are big and crawfish were a good size. read more

Star Crab - 2# shrimp and 1# crawfish!!! - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

I care here with my friends when I visited UCR. We were seated promptly. The service here is amazing. We got calamari, chicken, and fries as appetizers which were great. We then had a mix of shrimp, snow crab, blue crab, muscles, and sausages. This place was fantastic. My friends and I greatly enjoyed this restraint. Will be back next time we visit Riverside. Shoutout to Darren Park read more

im so addicted to this place! i hope they stay in business for a long time... i came back here multiple times in different days, im so addicted to their FULL HOUSE FLAVOR! ****be careful, for those who has high cholesterol**** i admit, i've never tried boiling crab before bec. its too far and everytime i step foot there, i had to wait.. my cousin says this is close to boiling crab, so that'll be my next goal. the service is quick, everytime i go here.. menu is already on the table, i think one of the waitress there already knows me, cuz when i accidentally ordered clams --- frozen, she thought i meant crawfish! this time i ordered with appetizers, the sweet potato fries, is just right.. not too sweet and not too salty either.. their clam chowder is really good, very creamy compared to other clam chowder's i've tasted (most of them their potatoes are in big cubes), the potatoes are mashed, added with crushed bisquits.. ooh wee! its sooo good! but be careful, its too hot! even after eating a pound of shrimp and crawfish, the clam chowder is still hot, think i burned my tongue ;P one thing, that turns me off is they dont do half a pound, how is that? at least give your customers some options. if you're waiting for the menu, its right on top of your backseat. ----- EDIT: 2/13/17 - I actually been to boiling crab once last year but i think Star Crab is better ;P read more

We were skeptical about trying this place, But sure glad we did!! Not only was the food great, but the service was too! It tastes just like Boiling Crab, but without the 2 hour wait and close to home! I deifinitely recommend this place!!!!! read more

Decided to finally try this place I have to say it was not a disappointment' Pros: 1.They give you samples at your request of the different flavors 2.You get a free corn with your shrimp 3.Per your request they will provide gloves 4.Nice size soda 5.Staff very helpful and nice 6.Fast service 7.We didn't have to ask for salt,pepper, limes or bibs 8.Food had plenty of sauce no need to request extra juicy or extra sauce 9.Prices and menu about the same as any of your favorite seafood boil places like boiling crack or hot and juicy Cons: They don't have a non-spicy option for the Full house,lemon pepper, or Cajun sauce options. My guess is because of the Cajun kick. At Least it wasn't unbearably spicy or hot. Another con would be it's a little on the salty side. More pros then cons. If you are a boiling crab fan that lives in the Corona/Riverside area and don't wanna take the drive to the OC this is the place you should try. Gave 4 stars due to the cons I listed. However I will be back. read more

Had the great pleasure of eating for the first time at Star Crab on Magnolia Street in Riverside on Saturday night!! The best crab-in-a-bag restaurant I had previously eaten at was a restaurant in Denver called, "The Crawling Crab." Since that visit, I have been in search of a California restaurant that might have the same awesome-tasting seasoning. Before tonight, I had not found anything that compared until I ate at Star Crab. The sauce tasted identical to the restaurant in Denver, and I was SO EXCITED to know I found my "happy place!" I had two clusters of Snow Crab legs, a pound of headless shrimp, and two ears of corn in a mild Full House sauce, and that was plenty spicy for me and a lot of great eating. Our waitress was very attentive with a pleasant personality, and would return to check on us at what seemed like the perfect time. We will definitely be back!! read more

I ordered for pickup and they messed my whole order up, they didn't give me half of my items. My fries were cold. The shrimp had poop still in it.i never write bad reviews but like wth itbwas expensive as hell. this order was All Bad read more

Good was so yummy. I had 2lbs of crawfish to go and it was amazing!! Love that this place is close by.

The food is really good. We built our own bag. King crab, shrimp, corn, and sausage. In the bag we selected the most popular flavor. The service was ok and the to gos are only plastic and paper bags, which mashes it difficult to wrap. We will be back read more

Found this place through Yelp. Here are my comments: Decor: Seems a bit disjointed. Has an Asian vibe, almost feels like it was a sushi bar at some point. Graffiti type wall panels.....cool and hip. Don't get that your are in a Cajun type fish boil place. Food: We ordered calamari appetizer. (Never got it).....Never got an apology either. Pound of shrimp: ordered with the full house sauce. SAUCY, SPICY AND very flavorful. The shrimp was fresh and sweet. I am cool with it, but be warned shrimp come with the heads on. The shrimp were very good sized. Pound of snow crab: ordered with the same sauce as the shrimp. Like that it came with crab crackers and some small scissors. Wish we could have had some drawn butter. Crab was fresh tasting and plentiful. Lobster tails: For $27.00 we got 2 tails. They looked inviting and very good sized. Ummmm, these were so disappointing. They were the toughest Damn tails. We had to use the scissors that they gave us for the crab to cut the lobster meat. They gave us no other utensils. I think the way they cook the tails do not lend to a tender lobster. By the time the inside cooks, the outer meat is tough and rubbery. I WILL NOT ORDER AGAIN AND DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU DO EITHER. Sides: We ordered the garlic bread....Ugh nothing exciting to write about here. The menu said potatoes. Had no idea what that was. Was not until the waiters were walking by that we saw they had French fries. We ordered them. Good tasting but not unique. Should have a better description on the menu....potatoes just is not enough. Baked, boiled, fried, mashed??????? Drinks: Sodas come in a can.....no refills so be prepared to pay too much per can. Service: I can see why the comments were made about service. They were slow, young and not too service oriented. Some of their friends came in and they were more attentive to them. One of the waiters even drank a beer with their buddies. Overall: We would be willing to give it another try. I am a believer of second chances. We came here because it was the BF birthday and he wanted seafood and some place new. I don't think we would make it a destination drive, but if we were in the area we may stop in. MAY....being the key word. read more

I came here for a late lunch and it was Awesome! The service was great and the food was delicious! I had snow crab, mild cuz I'm a wimp about spices. My friend had hot spice and she loved it. I recommend this place but only if you're ok with messy fingers! read more

Just left pirates kitchen due to horrible customer service. We yelped the nearest seafood restaurant and this was literally across the street. GLAD WE CAME. This place is LEGIT. Food was amazing. A-1 Customer service. read more

Stop scrolling Stop scrolling Stop scrolling I decided to treat myself to a hearty lunch after hiking through citrus park today. I walked in & was greeted by a friendly server. I was able to choose a huge booth. The butcher paper laid down, I got cozy with sweetened green tea. Tasty. Next came a huge order of Cajun fries. I was given sea salt & pepper as well as ketchup. They were good. Next came my pound of mild Cajun shrimp. Piping hot and steaming, I had to wait a few minutes before digging in & splashing sauce all over my haute lobster bib. Lemon wedges aplenty, I was in heaven. Sauce dripping all over my hands and wrists, big shrimp & flavor was all I needed. I was only able to finish half of my food. They packed it up for me & let me set a while to digest. My fav about this place is the fact they give you a styrofoam cup that Has free refills on soft drinks and tea, so I was able to take my drink home. Music playing this joint has a cool date atmosphere and also friendly hangout place feel. They have happy hour M-Th so I'll want to come back and check it out. Well worth the $17 tab. read more

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This place is small. Yet, it looks casual-formal. Service was great. The servers checked on us, but they weren't overbearing. Seafood is sold by the POUND. Our food came piping hot, but it didn't stay hot for long. The sauce wasn't spicy. I ordered mild, but there should still be a little kick for the tastebuds. Don't order the cajun fries. It isn't spicy at all. They tasted like regular fries with some seasoning. Their chicken tenders were good, especially when they're dipped in some cajun sauce. Everything is about a dollar more here than at the other Cajun restaurants I've been to. This place isn't bad. I'll come back if I want a quick fix and to temporarily get rid of my Cajun craving. read more

I come here every week and I always call for pick up order everytime I have a gathering at my house and order at least 5 lbs of shrimp/corn full house, medium spicy!!! I love love Star Crab! It's even better than Boiling Crab - no line, no wait! It's great read more

Serious guys. No need to drive down to Orange County for 50 mins, then wait another hour and half to get seated, and another 40 mins for the food to come out. Is it necessary to spend about 3-4 hours just to get some shrimp or crawfish?! No. This place has become one of my favorite restaurants and I'm always craving to eat here at least once a week. And honestly, their sauce kills Boiling Crab!! All the minced garlic, Cajun sauce, and butter. The spice!!! I love my food extra extra extra spicy and boy, are they not afraid to make it "911" as they like to call it. But beware guys, if you're not too much of a fan of spice, medium can be pretty spicy! But anyway. The shrimp that I always order are not tiny, but a good juicy size. One pound usually always fill me up along with a side of rice! Good selection of beer. They have Widmer Bros Hef! My favorite and for 4 bucks a cup not too bad. Overall, my go to place. I'm so over Boiling Crab and their wait when I have one in Riverside about 10 mins away from my house. Happy Eating! read more

This place is amazing!!! Pleasantly surprised, better than all the NB crab restaurants. Truly a great find! Yummy read more

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I'm going to keep this short and sweet....Not! We've been here several times. Love the food and for the most part the service. We decided to come here on a Thurs night around 8pm, it wasn't packed. Most of the tables had been served so it wasn't like they had to attend to a ton of tables at that moment. We were greeted and told that they will be right with us. So we stood there......and stood there...... The girl who greeted us was at the register and instead of grabbing a sheet and seating us right then, she walked to the back, checked her phone for a bit, grabbed someone's food, dropped it off and went back to the kitchen, yet again, neglecting that we could have been seated a goooooooood minute ago. Now I am a patient person and I try to be understanding because I was once a server too. However at this point, I realized this chick's phone was more important than making the business money so we decided to go down the street to the newer place and try them out. You lost my business because of that. BYE FELICIA! read more

Best shrimp place around. The cajon fries are so fire. I love coming here for the food and they have good service too... writing on the table with ketchup is too fun! read more

Best crawfish in ie if you dont feel like driving to oc. Way better than boiling crab but not better than claws and kickn crab, they can use a little more garlic and less black pepper and lemon. Gajun fries needs some work because they taste like sweet patatoe fries and were very think! the Bathroom is really ghetto had writing everywhere service was ok we were seated had our drinks but no menu? ? And I dont like the fact that they make everyone sing happy birthday to a person you dont even know! Workers and that table should be the ones singing and atleast serve them ice cream or something! Overall I recommend this place read more

Star Crab - Full house - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

Had a. great experience. Good food. Had the king crab and black mussels in the house sauce. My partner got the crawfish in the second to last spiciest sauce. We also got the cajun fries and gumbo. It all came to like $96 but worth it. We were able to finish everything and still got full. read more

Star Crab - Gumbo and cajun fries - Seafood Near Me - Riverside, California

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