The best seafood boil in all of San Diego in my opinion, and I've tried many places (yes, including Crab Hut). The main reasons why this is my top spot are: -Seafood Quality - the clams here are BIG and don't fall out of the shell, and the shrimp is always perfectly cooked and not mealy. The crab clusters are big and juicy as well. -Sauce - I always get the Torpedo Sauce (the house mix-of-all-of-them sauce) but instead of just tasting like garlic, lemon, old bay, "the sum is equal to more than the parts". In other words, the flavors meld together and are magical. I have heard some say that the sauce here leans sweet, and it definitely does have sugar, but I find it balanced. Also, it is mostly emulsified and does not have a thick layer of pure oil that runs off the seafood like some places' sauces. -Other Factors: they used to have a free fries deal for posting on social media (gone as of Feb '26 though), but they still have $1 oysters on some days, I like their fruit tea pitchers which are great for large parties, and they also give free Vietnamese chè for dessert! I rank this higher than Crab Hut because a) it's cheaper, Crab Hut is expensive even for seafood boil, and b) I prefer the sauce here. But Crab Hut is also S tier in San Diego so you can't go wrong with either. read more

The flavor overall was really good--the sauce had a nice depth and was well-seasoned. If you're someone who enjoys spice, just note that the heat level wasn't very strong, even when ordering it spicy. That said, the shrimp and crawfish were unfortunately overcooked and came out pretty mushy, which took away from the experience. With seafood, texture really makes a difference, so that was a bit disappointing. There's definitely potential here because the flavor is solid, but hoping for better execution next time. read more

My sister and I are visiting San Diego for her birthday and decided to try Submarine Crab. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of the worst dining experiences I've had -- and we didn't even get to eat. When we first walked in, no one greeted us at all. No "hello," no explanation of how seating worked, nothing. My sister and I stood there with two other people waiting for about 15 minutes, assuming someone would eventually help us. Eventually we realized on our own that there was an iPad we had to check ourselves in on, because nobody told us. After we checked in, the wait time on the system said 1-11 minutes. We waited well past that. At this point we had already been there close to an hour, and still not a single staff member had acknowledged us or even spoken to us. What made the situation even more uncomfortable was noticing the difference in how people were treated. Neither my sister and I nor the other Black couple waiting were greeted at all, yet a large family that walked in with a reservation was immediately acknowledged and assisted. At one point I finally pulled a staff member aside and asked about the wait time. He said he would "try to work on something now," and then never came back to update us. Then, after we had been waiting over an hour, someone finally spoke to us -- not to apologize, not to explain the delay, but to say they were no longer taking dine-in orders because the kitchen was backed up and that we could maybe place a to-go order instead. Mind you, this was the very first time anyone had spoken to us since we walked in. What made it even more frustrating was that they continued accepting delivery orders the entire time, yet the customers physically standing inside the restaurant were ignored. If the kitchen is that backed up, maybe stop accepting additional orders until you catch up and at least acknowledge the people who are already there waiting. When I tried to explain that we had already been waiting over an hour and had never even been greeted, the staff member showed no remorse whatsoever. The response was basically just repeating that the kitchen was backed up, completely skipping over the fact that we were ignored the entire time. Basic customer service goes a long way. A simple greeting, an explanation of the wait, or even an apology would have made a huge difference. Instead, we were treated like we didn't exist until the moment they told us they couldn't serve us. Extremely disappointing, especially when you're visiting a city and just trying to enjoy a birthday outing. read more

Was super excited to try this place being that me and my husband are seafood lovers!! We had never been here but saw online the good reviews so we joined the waitlist. There was 5 parties infront of us and after 30min the waitlist hadn't moved so we went inside to see how much longer it would be and there was only two tables occupied. Strange. Then the host told us to sit wherever we wanted. We did and then waited maybe 15min before the server came. We ordered. I got shrimp and it was so over-cooked it was too hard to peel. My husband got crab but they didn't give him any tools to open it. He had a difficult time opening the hard shell. Everything looked good but the sauce had no flavor. It was watery and we both didn't like it, i couldn't even finish my shrimp. We paid and said never again. We hardly saw our server despite there only being a few tables. read more

Submarine Crab - Snow Crab Legs 1 lb. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

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We went here for my niece's birthday for a party of 9. Parking for convoy is horrible even for a disabled person like me but luckily, I found one at Hanmi bank which is the same parking lot but across the way. My husband did regular parking cause I drove myself and said one had to pay for parking if it was over 2 hours (not sure). Dinner experience was easy. Made reservations for 9 but we missed happy hour. Service was awesome. We greatly enjoy all of the seafood boils but it was quite salty for us, should order rice instead of garlic noodles. The beef macaroni was on point. Fries were delicious. Crab Rangoons and popcorn chicken were just ok. Overall, good experience. read more

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Came here with my husband for some yummy seafood boil -- and wow, this place smacks! We came right when they opened, so a few items weren't available, but everything we did get was absolutely delicious. It has me wanting to go back ASAP! The restaurant was super clean, and our server was quick and friendly. Each seafood bag comes with corn, sausage, and potatoes -- such a nice touch! We ordered the Torpedo Sauce (mild/medium) and were pleasantly surprised that they even include extra sauce for dipping. We also tried the garlic bread and crab rangoons. The bread was okay, nothing too crazy, but the crab rangoons were amazing -- perfectly soft and crunchy! Overall, definitely a 100/10 experience. My only tiny disappointment was not getting my free fries after posting on social media (since it was advertised), but honestly, the food was so good that it didn't even matter. read more

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Seafood boil is so fresh and flavorful! It was just a tad too salty but not unbearable. I tried the torpedo (combination) sauce so maybe if I just choose one flavor next time it'll be less salty. We ordered a combo and it came with potatoes, corn, and sausage. I tend to get headless shrimp because I like easy peel, but the staff let me know that the headless shrimp here is the same as the head on shrimp, they just charge extra for the convenience of not having the heads. So I would just get the regular shrimp and take the heads off yourself even if you don't eat the heads. We also tried a coconut snail appetizer. It was also good and came with a generous portion but we wouldn't order it again. We didn't enjoy it as much as we thought we would. read more

Submarine Crab - Cajun Coconut Snails - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

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Had a pretty good dinner here last night. I went with Combo #3 seafood boil with medium spicy torpedo sauce -- the flavor was good, but it tasted more mild than medium, so if you're expecting heat, you might want to go spicier. Also tried a few other menu items: - Banh Canh: I heard good reviews about this, but IMO it was a bit bland -- could've used more depth in the broth. - Garlic Noodles: Pretty plain, but decent as a side dish. Pour some of the torpedo sauce from the seafood boil over the garlic noodles for more flavor! - Cajun Chicken Wings: Probably my favorite item! Super crispy and well-seasoned. The sticky rice served with them was a nice touch. - Popcorn Chicken: Okay. I was hoping for more crunch/crispiness. - Beef with Macaroni: Not bad. The beef had good flavor and carried the dish. While not every dish hit the mark, I still enjoyed my meal. read more

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Solid place to get seafood boil. Lots of different choices with a friendly staff. We got 2 lbs of shrimp and 1lb of clams for 3 people. Let me say there was plenty of food and we scarfed it down. We substituted the sausage for more potatoes. There were plenty along with corn. They have different heat index and we chose medium which was plenty hot for me but they gave us a side of cayenne peppers if we want to turn up the heat index. Very pleased and highly recommend. read more

Submarine Crab - 2 lbs of Shrimp (Headless) with Clams 1lb. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

My friends and I came here for the first time and it was an amazing experience!! We were greeted upon arrival and was able to pick whichever table we wanted. We each ordered something different and I personally ordered the 1 pound, shrimp, head on, with medium spice and the torpedo (a mixture of garlic butter, classic Cajun, and lemon pepper. My friend also ordered the Cajun fries to share too. The server, Melody was amaziiing. After we ordered she brought out everything: water, gloves, bibs, utensils, salt & pepper, limes, and a bowl (to put the trash in). I was really impressed with this, because some other seafood boils do not provide these UNLESS you ask for them. So it was great that she brought it out prior. The Cajun fries were delicious! There's ketchup, spicy mayo, and ranch for the fries. The food itself was amazing and tasty and I also loved that it came with sausages, corn and potatoes included in the bag too. The sauce itself was fine! My spice tolerance is pretty high so medium wasn't spicy to me haha. Melody also checked in with us from time to time too. After we were done eating, Melody asked if we wanted to pay together or seperate, and we said seperate and she already had the seperate checks ready!!!! How amazing! She was prepared!! She even brought out a Vietnamese dessert: corn pudding. It was yummy and a nice surprise. The restrooms were clean, and there's also an extra sink OUTSIDE of the restrooms to wash your hands after eating the seafood boil. It was a great experience eating here. The music was 2000s R&B/hip hop - it was nice. Ambience was nice and clean too! I would 100% come back here. Also there is a parking lot outside too. 5/5 stars for me! read more

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The best seafood boil for the price. Our waitress had her hands full, and still managed to remember my name and provide excellent service. I wish they would consider fielding more than one host for the whole store though! read more

If you're looking for good deals, a good time. great customer service, come to submarine crab. Thank you to the young gentlemen that helped me the other day! read more

Was seeking a new seafood boil place and can't believe I've been going through life not knowing about this place! We got combo #3 and was pleasantly surprised about the service, flavors, and ambiance. Not to mention, this was some of the biggest crawfish I've ever seen! There was plenty of seating and although we came in with no one else there, it eventually started to get packed. Although there was only one server, she was super attentive and nice. To top it all off, they give a nice little dessert at the end. Will be back! read more

Submarine Crab - Combo 3 - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

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Dined on a Wednesday night and it was relatively empty. There were decent groups of tables but no lines and no wait times (though I do know weekends tend to be busier). We chose the combo 3, medium spice, torpedo - Mussels, clams, shrimps along with the cajun fries and the garlic noodles. Cajun fries and the combo, fire. Super good. Garlic noodles was garlic noodles. LOL Service was fantastic and major shoutout to our server, she was very patient and attentive. Definitely a good plus on the restaurant atmosphere, everything was clean, tidy, and spacious. The menu also has a wide selection for different taste palates. I've tried a handful of seafood boils in SD now and I'm gonna have to say Submarine Crab is one - if not the only - tops on my list. Good food, good prices, good quality. 100% will be dining here again. Overall rating: Food: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Menu: 10/10 Restaurant Vibes: 10/10 Price to Overall Dining (POD): 10/10 read more

Submarine Crab - Garlic Noodles and Cajun Potato Fries - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

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This has been our go-to spot for over 5 years, and it never disappoints! If you're into banh canh or seafood udon, this place truly nails it. The noodles have that perfect chewy, bouncy texture and the broth is packed with deep, rich flavor. Honestly, it's even better than the famous Mai Phuong in OC, the flavor and noodle quality here are on another level. Fresh seafood, consistent quality, and comforting flavors every time. Easily one of the best hidden gems around! read more

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First time ordering seafood boil to go and I'd probably only order from here moving forward! They supply you with the table plastic, limes, and salt and pepper. Overall fresh seafood and tasty seasoning. read more

Submarine Crab - Combo 4 - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

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** update ** I've visited submarine crab about 4-5 times now and always dined in. This time I tried their take out seafood boil and everything was packaged super neatly and nicely, nothing spilled or tore while I was in the car which was a relief. My only harp is that the take out experience is not as good as the dine-in...I usually order their shrimp and snow crab combo for their dine-in and get tons of corn, sausage, and potatoes, but in my take out I ordered 1lb of shrimp and got exactly: 1 potato 1 corn And 2 pieces of sausages. It just doesn't seem like a lot I guess? Honestly seeing how light the bag was should've been an indicator honestly...but for ppl considering this place... definitely dine in because they double seal their bags, so when I got home the shrimp was a little overdone...other than those two things I really enjoyed the food. It's honestly the bomb, but I would not order their take out again lol. read more

This is our favorite seafood boil place. The torpedo sauce is the best! It's a mix of all their sauces. Food is always delicious! Every time we have someone visiting from out of town we take them here. Staff is always friendly and plenty of parking outside but sometimes it could get busy in that commercial plaza. read more

The food was very fresh. We ordered the combo 4, snow Crab and 2 lbs shrimp. Value for your money plus it was so good! Highly recommend it! read more

Mediocre taste, good portions. Higher prices than similar places , extra $5 for shrimp head off. I mean overall it was okay, the service was a bit slow compared to similar places. Nicer environment than most places. Very Good customer service. Our server was nice. read more

Submarine Crab - The market prices for December 2025 - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

We found another delicious seafood boil restaurant in San Diego. I highly recommend this place. The food was served quickly and most importantly, it was delicious! Each dish had their own unique flavor. I enjoyed it all! We had only one server for the whole restaurant, that night, and she was very busy. I felt bad for her. She took awhile for my bowl of rice and had forgotten my tea. However, she was very friendly and professional. I would have given this place a 5 star but I feel they need more staff to run efficiently. The restaurant is clean. I love that they have a sink outside the bathroom. It was very convenient to wash my hands. I don't eat with gloves, so my hands were sticky and covered with their delicious sauce; so I had to wash my hands multiple times during our dinner course. Still worth the trouble, though. read more

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I will scream it from the rooftops; I LOVE THIS PLACE! Submarine Crab is what I chose as my birthday treat myself meal. We went all out and ordered the combo with 1.5 pounds of snow crab legs and 2 pounds of shrimp. We don't like sausages, and they allowed us to swap them out with extra corn and they really threw a lot of them in there! We got the torpedo seasoning, medium spice level. Amazingly, they gave us a big container of extra sauce. We also got Cajun fries, which are crispy and delicious. I've tried a number of Cajun seafood boil places, and I think the Boiling Crab and Submarine Crab have the best flavor. We paid $150 after tip, so it's definitely a $$$ meal, but I actually think the value is great and I'd choose Submarine Crab for a special meal again and again. I recommended a couple of people to try this place and they've all loved it as well. 5/5!! read more

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I ordered togo on Christmas eve with the chicken poppers& seafood upon. Everything was extra filling, the chicken could use a bit more of a crunch. The Torpedo Sauce I felt was good, but I need more of a punch. The spice was there for sure though! read more

Submarine Crab - Combo 5: Torpedo - Spicy - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

The food is always on point and we always get one of the combos with torpedo sauce which tastes delicious. We even found out you can get stir fries ramen which is a great add with the seafood boil. Service is always attentive and is great about checking in to see if we need anything else. Definitely will be going back. read more

I would say that Submarine Crab is one of my favorite seafood boil places of all time! The prices are very reasonable with large portions. Came here with family and I was surprised that my parents said that they really liked the flavors since they are hard to please when it comes to eating at restaurants. The portion for the seafood udon was so large that it can honestly feed two people. The seafood boil combos all come with corn, sausage and potatoes and I would say that the seafood boil sampler is a good size if you just want to try a little of each seafood. The crab rangoons are made with real crab rather than imitation crab. The service was super nice and the food came out really fast. read more

We went to the other place at 1230pm, and the receptionist said they're not open not until 1pm. We searched in Yelp and found Submarine Crab, just right across where we initially go. I'm really glad we found this place. First of all? it's not crowded. 2nd, customer service is good! They all taste the same anyways so the competition will be customer service, cleanliness and availability of table right away. We were group of 10. It's lunch meeting at the same time, my bday celebration. The price is reasons le, $145 for crabs, shrimp, clams and mussels, and your choice of sauce. Their rice service is high as compares to others. They also have me a free drink of your choice as their bday on the house. At the end, they served free small cups of dessert. I was not able to take a picture of the food, but was able to take a picture of the aftermath.. lol. We will surely come back! read more

Submarine Crab - The aftermath.... - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

I've been to submarine crab twice - first dine in and this time takeout. I love viet Cajun style seafood boil and I'm happy I found this place in SD. Although a little pricier than what I'm used to, it's similar to other restaurants it looks like. I've gotten the sampler combo and the combo 3. My go to is usually crawfish and shrimp. The staff is always nice and offers a special deal every day (check their Instagram)! I believe sometimes they offer a small free dessert if you dine in (Vietnamese Che). read more

Submarine Crab - Crawfish and clams - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

Love this place. I feel like I don't come here often enough. The parking is pretty tough but that's because it's in Convoy. I love everything that's on their menu. The price is pretty good and also the flavor is soooo good! They give u extra sauce and yup I take that home with me. Nothing is going to waste! The server is always attentive and nice as well and the place is always clean. They don't take Apple Pay I wish they do. read more

Still my fav crab/boil spot in San Diego nice staff, great sized tables for the mess you'll make while eating here . read more

Submarine Crab - Shrimp boil by the pound added eggs - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

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We got the Combo #4 with 1.5lbs snow crab and 2lbs shrimp with topedo sauce. Medium spice is very mild, less spicy than hot cheetos. Overall I really enjoyed the seasoning, head-on shrimp (big and easy to peel), sausage, corn, and potato that comes with the seafood boil. Some of the crab legs didn't have much meat inside them and they didn't appear as fresh. We had some of it leftover because it was an unappetizing black-ish color. Garlic noodles were fairly good, although I think the fries are better here. Our server was friendly and attentive! I personally really like the complimentary corn pudding they give you for dessert. This was my second time and I think I would come back because they don't have a long wait compared to Boiling Crab. read more

Submarine Crab - Combo 4 - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California

RIP Submarine Crab -The food quality and taste was the worst. I ordered the Cajun fried rice, I requested no sausage, shrimp, or fried egg and asked for veggies such as bell peppers, onions, green onions what I received was bland butter rice with scallion flakes and corn The Garlic Noodles had no garlic flavor covered in butter and cheese - gross. I ordered fried shrimp which was okay but the Cajun fries were definitely old not fresh. When I first walked in to place a to go order the restaurant was not clean, all the tables had leftover food on them- this gave the impression they didn't care or are short staffed either way it wasn't inviting nor appetizing Not sure if they're under new management or ownership but it shows from the kitchen to the service staff which was mediocre. A waste of $50.64 worth of food never going back here again read more

If you can catch the happy hour here, CATCH THE HAPPY HOUR! Came on a random Wednesday around 4pm and caught the HH deals. $1 oysters and another deal where if you buy one pound of one of the seafood boils (except king crab), then you can get another pound for half off. There were drink specials too but just came for food today. Super solid HH so we got 24 oysters and 2 pounds of shrimp! Also got the cajun tater tots which was a great side. Keep in mind they don't do half-pounds but tbh I thought quality as good or even better as the other seafood boils places in SD but with more options for other food. Definitely will be back to try their other entrees and very curious about the pho too. Service was great! One waitress handling everything when we went and she was on it. Food and water came out really quick and she checked in on us regularly. The inside was really spacious and clean. Great for groups of all sizes. Good luck with parking! read more

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The food was good but.... They don't offer diet drinks, when i ordered one pound of crab legs I didn't even get 2 full clusters, they literally tore off the top two legs, the biggest pieces and only left me with the back three....literally weird af! I came for crawfish, they only offered frozen which tend to come out gross. Instead of lemons they have limes, no bar just beer and truly. The place was quiet and clean. It was just lack luster at best. read more

I go to Submarine Crab all the time and I can't believe I haven't posted a review! I love submarine crab! Usual order- snow crab in torpedo sauce (spicy) with extra sausage! Their seafood is always fresh and the food is delivered very quickly! I miss the Thai Tea IPA though :( that was one of the best beers I've ever had. The service isn't bad either! They take your order quickly, but they don't check up on the table much. The tables are well spaced out, and the lighting is nice. I like how they can accommodate large groups easily read more

I went to submarine crab with a party of four on a Tuesday for dinner. The parking may be difficult to find in the plaza sometimes but we got lucky. There was no wait time during this time so we were able to get seated immediately. I am a regular here so I already knew what I wanted. We tried a different combo this time because I was craving crab , I always get the torpedo sauce and spice level depends on the people that I'm with. Generally speaking, the spice isn't too bad. We also got baked scallops and that was delicious. Be careful because the baked items come out very hot. They also have occasional deals for different days, on the day that I went, it was extra sausages with any combo. Our server was attentive and offered complimentary corn dessert which I enjoyed. I would recommend submarine crab! The only con about the restaurant is the parking, but that is out of the managers control. I would like to see the daily deals posted somewhere so I can plan my visits better because I usually don't know what the deal is until the day I go, but knowing the deals in advance, I would definitely plan better. read more

Had a craving for Boiling Crab but wanted to try something new and came across this place. Overall, I think Submarine Crab hit the spot but I feel like their menu is slightly misleading. On the menu, it says that all seafood boils come with potatoes, corn, and sausages, but if you order the 1/2 lb shrimp, it only comes with two pieces of sausages, one corn, and one potato. I guess if you look at it by weight it makes sense but I'm not sure why I was expecting more than that. The garlic noodles were good but it was drier than what I'm used to at Crab Hut. The cajun fries were delicious though. Portions are overall great and service was friendly. I'll probably just stick to my usual next time around though. read more

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Good ramen udon. Great service. And nice place, we didn't have it but we saw people enjoying the yummy Pho. Very nice ambiance read more

We have been eating here since the first week they opened their restaurant in Convoy and we just decided to make a review now 'coz my Son now pretty much eats everything here and enjoys it, not like before when he was younger when he only ate Fried rice and their pork chop :) . On our recent visit, he ate everything that I ordered. Here are the foods that I ordered: *SEAFOOD PASTA - Garlic shrimp, squid, mussels, and sausage, all over garlic noodles. *COMBO #3 - We chose the SHRIMP & MUSSELS with TORPEDO mild sauce. *LAU LARGE SEAFOOD HOT POT - Had Shrimp, clams, squid, jellyfish, sole, krab, and escargots in homemade bone broth accompanied with vermicelli, vegetables, and banana blossoms. *WHITE RICE *EXTRA TORPEDO SAUCE The GARLIC SEAFOOD NOODLES were very good, I can really taste the garlic on the noodles and there are good portions of seafood on it. The COMBO #3's SHRIMP and MUSSELS were good in size and had a very delicious mild torpedo sauce on it. But the dish that I enjoyed the most here was their LAU LARGE HOT POT, omg I enjoyed cooking them, and the seafoods were fresh and the broth was so good, I ordered an EXTRA TORPEDO SAUCE and added it to my Hot pot broth and wow it was Amazing good! I was hooked right away with this dish, it's so good with white rice too. The service was fast and attentive, the ambiance and space were nice, but the parking was a mess, it's hard to find parking, and it was tight and crowded parking. But the food is good here. read more

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I've been to many, many seafood boil places, tried all kinds of 'house sauces' and garlic noodles, but this place genuinely takes 1st place! I was visiting my sister and wanted to treat her to a seafood boil! After going through tons of reviews and pages of seafood boil restaurants in San Diego, we finally decided on this place--and we absolutely do not regret it. And trust me, I thought it wasn't going to be anything special when my sister suggested we try it out. The clam chowder was perfectly creamy with a tiny bit of sweetness that complemented the boil and garlic noodles. You'd think garlic noodles would be the same everywhere, but not here! These had a surprising yet nice kick to them and weren't overwhelmingly garlicky. The seasoning was spot on! For the boil, we got the combo 3 and learned that combos come with extra sausage, plus each combo includes potatoes and corn at no extra fee???! Crazy, right?! Sometimes I feel like I have to pay an arm and a leg just for a mediocre seafood boil, but everything here was just incredible. We got the house sauce in spicy--not so overwhelming that you lose all feeling in your mouth, but a nice heat that complements the spices! I really want to highlight the service, too. Our waitress (Elizabeth, I believe?) was such a sweetheart--extremely attentive, kind, and she made our experience perfect. 100% recommend eating here and trying a few sides as well! I love my sister, but I'll definitely be using visiting her as an excuse to come back here! read more

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Food is dirty and isn't cleaned before cooking. They leave the shrimp with the black feces read more

Submarine Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Diego, California