Wait was very long (per usual) at any of their locations. Staff was amazing and friendly. The food always hits the spot! read more

The Boiling Crab - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

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THE BOILING CRAB, SAN MARCOS. What a fun experience! A mom friend from church invited me out and this was my first time here. We walked in just before 6pm and waited less than 5 minutes before being seated in a cozy booth. The menu can be accessed via QR code or they have a physical menu if requested. We both ordered the basket of fried catfish with lemon pepper fries. It was served with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, extra lemon pepper salt, and ketchup. They will also bring Tabasco sauce and/or packets of Louisiana hot sauce if requested. The batter is the perfect texture and not overly thick at all. I loved the flavors and the way it comes is perfect, no need for the extra lemon pepper salt for me. A napkin dispenser is provided at the table and moist wipes packets near the end of the meal. We had a fairly mess free meal but other patrons had quite different experiences wearing bibs and gloves eating out of plastic bags. I think I'll bring my kids here to enjoy a messy meal one of these days. The place got packed quickly and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Highly recommend checking it out! read more

The Boiling Crab - Fried Catfish Basket with Lemon Pepper Fries - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

First time trying and was not disappointed. Service and ambiance were very nice. Was surprised how busy it was for a Monday night. Everything came out quickly! read more

The Boiling Crab - Birthday feast! - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

The food was amazing. The service was great. We love everything about this restaurant. read more

The Boiling Crab - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

I wish it was less expensive but they break down everything so you know what to expect, and we loved going here. It's not just a place we can go often. The place is special to me because it is something we did with family that I miss. The food is good, the relaxed nature of it, and the people are all nice. I like the music and it is always a good time. read more

Good as always. The Micheldas hit on a hot summers day!! The vibes were good, the food was amazing, service was okay but only because they were busy. read more

The wait time was 2 hrs long Friday night. Luckily there is a yelp waitlist online where we can add our names before heading over to the restaurant. No blue crab or live crawfish offered that evening. They ran out of Dungeness crab; however, our waiter came back when it became available again, but we had already decided on snow crab, which I regretted later. Both the crab and shrimp tasted less than fresh. I ordered the medium Whole Sha-Bang and the spice was so overpowering that it masked the freshness of the seafood. What made our dining experience memorable was our waiter. He was very attentive and even tied our bibs for us. The y2k music was on par and kept the vibes going. read more

The Hostess was very polite. First time at this location. Our server was awesome. The food was very delicious. read more

The Boiling Crab - 1 pound of shrimp with corn and potatoes mild The whole Shabang! - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

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Been here a few times and overall customer service has always been great even though it can get busy on a random weekday. Joining the waitlist on Yelp is a must! Wish it would open earlier than 3pm. I always get 1lb whole shabang medium shrimp with corn and potatoes - so bomb and flavorful. I can usually finish it if I'm pretty hungry. FYI The spice level varies on the batch (sometimes a bit too mild for my taste) but tonight the medium spice was perfect! They don't provide gloves unless you ask - your hands will thank you later lol I always order medium spice cajun fries on the side - the fries are top tier here. A michelada also pairs well with this type of food. Decent prices too Chill & casual ambiance with r&b/hiphop early 2000s music playing on the speakers read more

The Boiling Crab - Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

Food is always delicious and service is always quick and attentive. Have to try the lemon pepper wings 10/10

Good food and server Sonny was amazing and very attentive! Ordered 1lb shrimp whole shabang mild and extra sauce medium! Basket of tenders and fries lemon pepper ! read more

The Boiling Crab - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

We visited The Boiling Crab in San Marcos for the first time and had a great experience! We went on a Saturday and arrived about 20 min before opening. There were a couple of groups ahead of us, and luckily there were a few benches outside. Plenty of parking and the restaurant was massive compared to the Mira Mesa location. The staff were welcoming from the moment we walked in. Shoutout to Paolo who was friendly and attentive! Hubby and I ordered the cajun fries, which had great flavor--though I do wish they were tossed a bit more evenly in the seasoning. We also ordered The Whole Shabang (medium spice) with 2 lbs of snow crab legs and crawfish, plus corn, boiled eggs, potatoes, sausage, and a side of rice. Everything was cooked perfectly--the corn was soft and sweet, the sausage had tons of flavor, potatoes were meh, and the spice level was perfect for us. We left uncomfortably full and felt like it was a great value for the price. Only downside is that they charge extra for additional sauces-- which is a bit annoying. But overall, we had a great experience and would definitely come back! read more

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Waited an hr and 10 mins till they texted me and i didn't see it till 16 mins later then texted back asking if i can get a 3 minute extension from the 20 they usually give us. I was only a few mins late and was told to wait another 50 mins for a table. Why mention texting back if my text was ignored. Staff had no empathy and by the negative reviews on here no one seems to care much Update: waited another 1 hr and 20 mins then towards the end of eating my partner and i went to wash our hands, mind you we haven't paid yet so i don't understand why we came back to our table w our leftover food trashed. Waited 2hrs & 30 mins in total to get a table then to be comped $13 off the $50 bill bc they threw our food away. Should have been half the bill but i didn't want to throw a fit while staff showed no genuine remorse for not double checking whether the table was paid off or not. Will def not be coming back read more

Was told that because our party was small (four people) there would be an hour and 45 minute wait. It went even 75% full?! Nope. That was the first time and last time I will enter their doors. Apparently my family is not good enough. read more

Came around opening time and had to wait about 30-40 minutes. Lines build up fast here so make sure to get here early! Or at least sign up on the Yelp Waitlist if you are nearby. For the table, got shrimp, crawfish, lobster, corn and crabber fries: - For the fries, we chose cajun. It was decent but I think the flavor profiles didn't quite line up. I think I'd try a different flavor next time. - Skip the lobster. It ended up being way overcooked and chewy which was a bummer because it was the most expensive item. - Shrimp was the best. Highly recommend. Perfectly cooked. - Crawfish was fresh and tasted great but the size of crawfish was tiny. - Corn. Must get. Sweet and crunchy. - I get everything with whole shebang XXX spice level. Honestly it's not that much more spicy than medium. Wish there was another level higher. As for service. Fast and friendly. What more can you ask for. :) read more

The Boiling Crab - Crabber Fries (Half Order) - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

Love coming to this restaurant for their seafood boil. My go to - Mussels and shrimp with Rajun Cajun Sauce (not spicy). Wash it down with their margarita. read more

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Food was good. And our server and the rest of the team were great especially coming in with a big party. Went on Monday night and didn't except it to be so busy because called and said there was no wait plus we had a big party so we put our name in the waitlist. Upon arriving, many parties had arrived and left so it looked like they kept seating every party as they go in the waitlist or not. Expecting to be seated right away once our whole party is all present because we already waited more than 30 minutes as is but they kept saying they are waiting for this one table to leave so they can accommodate to our big party. Understandable but the fact they had to wait for that specific area to be cleared, like we have been waiting for a while and they kept seating small parties. read more

super friendly staff from the hostess to the servers. this specific location is always worth the wait!

It was my first time at Boiling Crab and it won't be my last. They have a convenient wait list that you can access through Yelp so you can avoid waiting too long at the location, which I advise since this is a very busy location. We joined the waitlist and waited an hour for the text letting us know that our table was ready. They allow 5 minutes of the text being sent before you lose your spot. We were across the street, and because of the traffic lights, we missed the deadline by a minute. The host was super understanding and gave us the next table available. The servers were very friendly and gave us bibs for our meal and recommendations on what to order. They were also very attentive, refiling our drinks without us having to ask, even though the restaurant was very full and busy. The ambiance of this restaurant was very busy and loud and the excitement of having a tasty meal was palpable in the air. We ordered a meal consisting of a Dungeness Crab, a pound of shrimp, clams, potatoes, eggs, and corn, and we had it seasoned the Whole Sha-Bang way (rajun cajun, lemon pepper, & garlic butter), and at a medium spicy level. To say I was in seafood heaven is an understatement! The whole meal was pricey (that crab alone was $90!!!) but everything was delicious! Overall, it was a great experience and I will be returning soon! :) read more

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Love this place! Food is amazing and the perfect level of spice! Pro tip is to ask for gloves if needed I don't prefer them but I had a cut on my finger and I needed it at the time but the servers are always kind and don't check in too regularly and come at the right intervals. Unlike some places that are watching you like a hawk to wait till you shove food in your mouth to ask you how it's going these guys actually walk around and are AVAILABLE and that's all you need! QR code for the menu and thank goodness they finally put prices on the menu itself instead of that "market value" lol I don't want to ask what this minutes market value is for every individual item! So amazing work and good on you guys! read more

What a great experience it was there. We went there on a whim and it was absolutely delicious. Ended up losing my wallet there with $100 bill in it and it was returned safely. Thank you to the staff. read more

Amazing as always!! Love the San Marcos location you guys will always have my business read more

The Boiling Crab - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

Good food and service very quick to get food great staff and great dinning experience

First time at The Boiled Crab, not my first Cajun experience as a lived in Nola. The wait time for this place is huge, but using Yelp you can get on the list and arrive when you are almost ready to eat. The menu changes based on availability, so call ahead if you are concerned. The boils are brought out in bags, they provide bibs, gloves and napkins. We ordered the king crab boil, with three potatoes, two corn, and one sausage. We also added the fried shrimp basket and a bowl of gumbo (I just had to try it). The seasoning is great, mild has a kick, medium is like a 7 or 8 out of 10. The king crab was great. They give you a plastic cutting tool, but it works well. The corn, potatoes, and sausage were good, but not necessary after we had the fried shrimp basket that came with French fries. We had the lemon pepper fries and they were great. The gumbo was a bit on the dirty rice side, my critique is kinda unfair due to my exposure to places in New Orleans (check my review). Overall, the amount of food , the quality of the sauces in the boil and the ambience is outstanding. We'll be back again. read more

The Boiling Crab - Gumbo, small portion of rice in the center. - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

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Cute host boy working there. food was bomb, diverse clientele and good folks having a good time

One of the best seafood places! Taste is always 10/10, service is always great and it never takes too long. I have tried multiple seafood boils but I always return here! read more

WOW BEST BOIL IN TOWN, I drive over 2hrs to come here. Quick and friendly service and great atmosphere. Staff is always on top of it and it's always worth the drive. read more

Love the food here!! We love coming here with family. Go the whole sha-bang, it's the tastiest. read more

The Boiling Crab continues to please, but I do have a not-so-nice thing about them. We have gone to this location several times in the last several months. Although they say they service Dungeness Crab, I think they have had it one time since they've opened that I've experienced. Everything else is good, but I suggest you go somewhere else if Dungeness is on your list. read more

I've always wanted to come to the Boiling Crab and this was my first time. We came just before opening with a full line outside. We got seated immediately after giving our name to the hostess prior to opening and got seated at a booth. The booth was spacious they know their gluttonous big back audience well. Gotta have some room for the big tummy. The ambiance? Alright. The amount of SCREAMING infants was wild. Who brings an infant to a seafood boil place? Whatever. To each their own I supposed but that's the downside like damn how yall afford crab and diapers in this economy? We got king crab, mussels, shrimp, catfish and some fries. Everything was great. Will def come back. Our servers were awesome and informative for it to be our first time. read more

The Boiling Crab - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California

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My favorite Cajun restaurant! There are several out there that I love too but it's the sauce that always brings me back here. I've tried to replicate the sauce and I do come close to it but I still haven't made it perfect...one day lol You will always enjoy this place!!! read more

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Well, this restaurant in San Marcos, CA is quite popular! Must say, it is not my style at all. They are known for their seafood, boil bags. However, they do offer other items on the menu, and my husband tried the chicken tenders. He enjoyed those. I ordered a boil bag with various shellfish. I did not like that they left the head and legs on the shrimp. That is so gross to me. They fill a bag up with all the seafood you ordered and boil it with spices of your choice. They bring it to your table in the bag. The bag then gets dumped onto the table. Oh, and they give you bibs to wear if you would like. Of course, I used a bib. This is messy food. Can also be considered fun food due to the festive, savage style of eating. I think this is a great, fun, family place. Shellfish was delicious. I tried the mussels, clams, and shrimp with sausage and corn. My daughter ordered the crab legs in her bag with other items and they were good. Decent size. read more

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For the most part had a good experience, left very full. Our server was very helpful and professional. I think the only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because I ordered mild, and I'm pretty sure I received medium. My boil was a bit spicier than usual. I also realized I'm not the hugest fan of their sausage. It's kind of tough. Otherwise, shrimp, potatoes, and corn were delicious. read more

The Boiling Crab - 1/2 lb of shrimp, potatoes, sausage, and corn. - Seafood Near Me - San Marcos, California