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The Boiling Crab

3.7 (26 reviews)
Open • 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
Updated 3 weeks ago

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THE BOILING CRAB ATMOSPHERE

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Moderate noise
Divey
Casual
Trendy

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Naomi G.

The service was really nice. The manager answered all of our questions and gave wonderful recommendations since it was my first time there. The food, though, was mid. I wish the corn, potatoes, and sausage were included (instead of extra price) since other seafood boil restaurants that I've been to usually include it. Overall, it was seasoned alright and the shrimp was cooked at the right texture too. I did get takeout and the bibs & gloves were not in my takeout bag, but if I go next time, I will ask for it.

King crab legs
George H.

I was looking forward to trying out this place, but was sorely disappointed. My daughter and I came here for lunch today while in the Richmond area. The service was fine, but seafood was average at best. We got a pound of mussels and a pound of king crab legs with one ear of corn, 3 eggs, sausage link and potatoes. The whole shebang seasoning is just too salty. We also got a softshell crab plate with fries. I know it's not in season, but the softshell crabs were just tiny for what they're charging. The king crab was market price, about $70/lb. I think we got 3-4 legs. Definitely not worth it. Total cost for this lunch, including tip was $164. Next time, I'm just going to do it myself. You can get two pounds of king crab legs at Sam's club or Costco for $34.

Snow Crabs
Nicole N.

Can't believe Boiling Crab is finally in Richmond!! I've been to many Boiling Crabs throughout southern California, and after having my fair share of seafood boils here in VA, I was so excited try out this newly opened location! As usual I got the shrimp and snow crab legs with the whole shabang sauce, mild spice. The sauce tasted pretty familiar: tasty cajun flavors with abundant garlic pieces and a slightly tangy citrus flavors! The snow crab legs were pretty juicy but the shrimp was a little overcooked in my opinion. I think their menu also features some local things that Californian Boiling Crabs don't have, such as the catfish. The catfish was fried nicely and crispy with a nice light batter. Appreciated how generous they were with 4 thick pieces of catfish plus the cajun fries! The cajun spices on the fries were pretty spot on. I know it just opened so it was a little rough around the edges but it still hits the spot! The servers were really nice and friendly but maybe a little new on the job. The owner/manager also stopped by to check in on us. Love how the naval/seafood decor was similar to that of other Boiling Crabs and the bathroom rooms were clean. Overall this place really brought back memories and the food was tasty!!!

Amazing huge crab legs! Fried calamari, fried catfish and shrimp so fresh and delicious! Flavors on point . I wished the potatoes and corn were included in the crab order, but overall Service was amazing, restaurant is very clean and neat!

Mussels

The food was tasty! The mussels and the sauce is AMAZING! So much flavor. They even gave us the wings for free as part of a promo they had going on that day. Service was 10/10. Everyone in the restaurant checked on us multiple times and made sure everything tasted good.

Friends at boiling crab.

Finally a seafood boil in Richmond that actually has real flavor and seasoning that you can't replicate at home and fresh. Hubby and I gave up after trying all these other from bad (left our food) to merely mediocre and finally gave up. We started making all of our seafood at home since. We know of Boiling Crab back in CA home of some the finest food and where there was always a minimum of 1 1/2 wait. We were ecstatic to find TBC here in VA. We came back at least 5 times since they've been opened. Their lemon pepper fries and fried shrimp baskets are just addictive. Our go to are the snow crabs and clams with potato, corn, and sausage the whole shabang medium I can forgo customer service for good food but customer service here go above and beyond.

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1 year ago

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Aaron D.

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10 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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1 year ago

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11 months ago

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2 years ago

Small and quick service has a bunch of different options and was reasonably priced! I would definitely return for another visit

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Clean environment, good customer service, I like the build-your-own system for the seafood boils

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Not a bad place to eat. Our server was really nice. I really liked the seasoned fries and calamari.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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We appreciate your review, thanks for visiting TBC.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Great seafood. The shrimp is so delicious. The host and servers are super friendly. The restaurant mood and feeling is very welcoming.

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3 years ago

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Ask the Community - The Boiling Crab

Sugar's Crab Shack

Sugar's Crab Shack

4.3
(229 reviews)
1.1 mi
•$$

Always the place for great fried fish. They have other options but for me the fish is it…read more My wife loves the onion rings and hush puppies. Good customer service Style as a take away but outside seating is available

I saw this place on tik tok and told myself I would stop by and visit the next time I was in…read moreRichmond. My son had a basketball tournament, and this was the perfect time to stop by. I pulled into the parking lot and this place has a unique setup. All the tables are outside similar to checkers. The place looks like it belongs in a dessert or South of the Boarder based on the color which is odd as well. They take your orders at the walk-up window. When I originally arrived, I didn't see much business but while I waited for my food the cars were pouring in left and right. My hopes for the food increased. There is a menu on the outside that is somewhat difficult to read and navigate. A ton of options with some whopping prices. I ended up ordering the 1 Snack and Fries. I wanted something good but also light as I had another place in Richmond I wanted to try. $14.99 seemed good until I saw this bogus, Local meals tax on top of the state sales tax. This caught me off guard. I ended up waiting in my car for about 20 minutes and later heard my name called over the microphone. The gentleman showed me the food, and it was 3 large pieces of fish. The fish was delicious. The fish was Cooked well, and I could taste the flavor. Way more than I expected. Tartar sauce elevated the flavor. The fires were piping hot and good as well. I wish I had some ketchup, but they were still good. I loved that they were salted but if I had high blood pressure I should have stayed away. You can see the salt on the fries. They were good to me. Overall if I were in Richmond again, I'd definitely stop. The food was good. I would definitely try more options. The customer service was good. The cashier and food distributor were on their A game. Outside could use some love and care but it is what it is.

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Where to order
Where to order
Sugar's Crab Shack
Ordering window

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Ordering window
Lillian

Lillian

4.6
(47 reviews)
0.7 mi

Lillian is absolutely delicious. I had the best shrimp I have ever eaten here, served on the…read moreseafood tower my sister and I shared. Every bite was better than the last. They offer a variety of sauces and flavors that really elevate the seafood and make the experience feel unique and interactive. It was such a fun meal to share, comparing each bite and talking through all the different flavors. The service was excellent. Our waitress was knowledgeable about everything we ordered and made great recommendations. The atmosphere is just as impressive. The decor is simple but thoughtfully elevated, and sitting at the bar area feels like you have stepped out of Richmond and into somewhere like New York City. I also love following Lillian on social media to keep up with their latest specials. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves seafood.

Hats off to the staff at Lillian who continue to be wonderful, but now that they have scrapped…read moretheir dollar oyster lunch specials, the food has absolutely nothing to offer. Like too many restaurants in the Scott's Addition area, this is seafood cooked without finesse and then absolutely brutalized with absurd amounts of palate fatiguing, brash, loud flavors. Every item on the menu endeavors to conceal mediocrity in the quality and handling of the ingredients with explosive, overwhelming additives meant to shock you into submission. Things like black garlic and chili oil, raw garlic, sesame seed oil, and punishing heat are inescapable on the menu, which really says to me loud and clear "we do not understand the appeal of seafood, and might have a fundamental misunderstanding about good food in general." I don't exaggerate when I say these dishes would be improved (setting aside things like inability to properly cook octopus) by scaling back the flavors to 5-10% the loudness level they are currently at, to let the ingredients speak, and to make the dining experience less of a punishing marathon with no relief. I have had much subtler and more skillfully balanced dishes at Indian and Thai restaurants, cuisines known for strong flavor profiles. I'm through listening to these Richmond restaurants trying to excuse simply bad food by claiming "that's the nature of the cuisine." In this case, Lillian claims that dishes characterized by these cacophonous competing flavors is "South American." No it isn't - the person conceptualizing the dishes is just a bad chef who doesn't know what he's doing, and at the prices Lillian charges, that's inexcusable. Drowning every dish in flavors that overwhelm the palate is not a way to respect your ingredients or your diner, and only communicates youth and insecurity. Anyone who's eaten widely and knows their ingredients will rightly feel assaulted and insulted by this overpriced, unskilled fare. To anyone who decides to go anyway: Good luck with the digestive distress, and with the taste that will still be left over in your mouth the next morning, no matter how much you brush your teeth.

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Seafood Tower
Seafood Tower
Lillian
Miller high life with Aperol

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Miller high life with Aperol
Beaucoup

Beaucoup

4.7
(55 reviews)
0.6 mi

My awesome girlfriend made us a reservation here and kindly requested a seat by the garage…read moredoor....and they did it!!! Literally so nice and cool! Food was fantastic and really made you sit back and wonder "how did I end up in the French countryside and why do I have an urge for a cigarette?" Can't wait to come back!

SO good, favorite spot of our Richmond trip!…read more My brother and I were looking for late night oysters. Sadly when we came in Wednesday night at 9 PM, we were told they were only serving drinks at that time. I emailed the restaurant and was informed that on most nights, they indeed close the kitchen and only serve drinks after 9 PM, but that on weekends they'll keep the kitchen open longer. I'm so glad we came back on our last day of the trip. It was a Thursday night at 7:45 PM and pretty full. Thankfully, there were some seats at the bar which we preferred anyways since you got to watch the oysters get shucked right in front of you. We ordered the bread service, and though it said house cultured butter OR whipped beef tallow, our kind server made sure to ask if we wanted one or both (the answer was both, of course!). We also got 4 Virginia oysters (appreciate not being forced to order in increments of 6 or 12), chargrilled oysters, and "dessert tonight" which ended up being the most perfect chocolate cake (I think it was describe as something else, but my memory fails me) with a white chocolate ganache-like topping and pistachios *swoon*. I tried the wine of the day which was an orange wine that it was a nice not-too-sweet, not too dry wine. I'd recommend it with a pasta or fish. Our server (didn't catch his name but he had a nice brown sweater and a beanie, receipt says Taylor so maybe that's his name?) was so nice! Great vibes all around from the interior to the bathroom to the service. Would definitely come back.

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Interior
Interior
Kale Caesar
Kale Caesar
Non-Alcohol- Mistraminer - lychee, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon passionfruit, ginger, orange blossom rosewater, sage

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Non-Alcohol- Mistraminer - lychee, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon passionfruit, ginger, orange blossom rosewater, sage
Edo's Squid

Edo's Squid

3.9
(901 reviews)
0.7 mi
•$$

i love the dim lighting and the family style entrees…read more the brocc rabe garlic + oo w ricotta + parm add shrimp was absolutely life changing i cannot wait to have it again we had an amazing waiter he was spot on w everything so grateful to have been shown this restaurant

I know this is a Richmond institution bc it's been around forever. It's good but I feel like it…read morecould be even better. Very old school with no online reservations which is not super convenient but hey I can get behind it if they are going for an exclusive vibe. Very much an old style Italian restaurant but feels like they have really packed the tables in here - like sardines- so yeah it feels a little tight for my tastes. Service was friendly and helpful. (Making the reservation over the phone was not overly warm and fuzzy but hey I get it you probably are tired of having to take reservations over the phone all day lol). We got a popular app- the squid,white bean and arugula which was bright and flavorful so lived up to the hype but a little disappointing in that there was not a lot of squid so $18 for beans and arugula seemed a bit much. Also got the seafood bisque which was pretty tasty. For entrees we got the halibut, the monk fish fra diavolo and the spaghetti with crab meat. The spaghetti with crab meat was shockingly good. It better be for $40 but I don't always like crab bc it can be overly fishy in a not good way but this entree was very good. We also liked the halibut- nice piece of fish perfectly cooked. The MonkFish had a nice flavor, but the bones in it was a little bit overwhelming, and kinda made eating a lot of work. Seemed pricey to me since only one of us had a glass of wine and no other drinks, but I guess $50 a person sans cocktails and dessert is the new norm?!

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Bar
Bar
Calamari
Calamari
Edo's Squid

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Slack Tide Fish

Slack Tide Fish

4.5
(39 reviews)
0.8 mi
•$$$

I went here with family and left full, happy, and still thinking about those desserts!…read more We had a few different small plates but the ones that stood out were definitely the calamari and the trout and churros. The smoked trout and churro was a balanced dish with some playfulness to it that set the tone for some wonderfully cooked entrees, but the main stars of the night for me were absolutely the desserts and cocktails. The mango rice pudding was smooth, bright, and the perfect ending to the meal, But the real standout for me was the strawberry mascarpone cake, which was unbelievably delicious and had some of the best plays on flavors in a dessert I've had in a while here in Richmond. Service was phenomenal too, with our server always checking in.

I'm going to pile on to the great reviews for Slack Tide. The space is beautiful, service excellent…read moreand the food creative, fresh, and delicious. We had the Caesar, shrimp fritters, baked goat cheese, pichana steak, and shellfish risotto. You can tell only one of us likes seafood! My landlubber husband loved the different take on a Caesar, and the baked goat cheese with toast baguettes slices was out of this world. The spicy shrimp fritters were delicious; I would have liked even more heat and they were a bit too brown, but that didn't stop me from finishing them. My husband loved the pichana steak and sauce (menu said gribiche, he thought it was bernaise). The beef fat potatoes were just fine - they would be much better if crisped up a bit. My risotto was to die for. Not as heavy as traditional risotto, with a distinct Asian flair. It came with two large, sweet scallops, a pile of tender mussels, and some lobster pieces throughout. The almond slivers added a nice crunch to the dish. I highly recommend the Yellow Umbrella cocktail - tart and refreshing. The wine selection by the glass is small but well-curated; we enjoyed our Vino Verde and Cab Franc. For dessert we shared the strawberry mascarpone cake. Light and creamy, and the strawberry-basil combo is so summery. We will be back.

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Interior
Interior
Slack Tide Fish
Slack Tide Fish

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The Boiling Crab - seafood - Updated July 2026

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