Supporting this local Chicago AAPI women owned restaurant! Love the seafood boil here! When you order veggies they do not skimp with the boil. This is unique because I've actually have not ever had broccoli or green beans with my seafood boil and I would definitely have it again in a heartbeat. I'm in love with the garlic noodles and fries besides the main seafoods. They have so many different deals and promotions, high quality, friendly service! The spot is pretty roomy and can accommodate a variety of different size groups. I also enjoy they provide gloves, a bib, and a sink outside of the bathroom to wash your hands. Hooray for my crazy messiness! Cant wait to go back! Parking can be a challenge but is available in an around the neighborhood. read more

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I made it a tradition to get seafood boil with my husband every year for Lent on a Friday. This year, we stopped at the Crab Pad in Logan Square. I was sold after finding out its a Viet cajun seafood boil spot - plus it has really good reviews. I recommend making a reservation cause they can get busy. I like how they write your name on the reserved table - a nice touch. Also parking in the area is scarce so plan accordingly. They have a decent happy hour menu so we were able to take advantage of that! We shared the Lover's Cove for 2, then shared corn bread, garlic noodles, and the spicy cajun fries. The seafood combo only came with 1 lobster tail which is a bummer. We got the crab pad style (cajun) sauce. The sauce was fire. Compared to other seafood boils, this one wasn't as super garlicky. To end the meal, we built our own popsicles with unlimited toppings! Great way to end the meal. Flavors they had were matcha, ube, cookies n cream, birthday cake, blue raspberry, etc. read more

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My husband and I had a really good time at The Crab Pad last night. I would give it a 4.5/5 overall. I'll start by saying, my expectations were fairly low. We wanted to go to a different seafood boil spot but it was further than we wanted to go so we decided to stop by The Crab Pad which is in our neighborhood. Let's start with the service. Nena, you are a gem. Nena was so kind, funny, and took great care of us. We really loved joking with her and she made us feel comfortable. Prices are fair. We each got a pound of snow crab with sausage, egg, potato, and broccoli. we also ordered mozzarella sticks, cajun fries, garlic noodles, mango tea lemonade, and a sprite. Our bill was about $130 before tip. The house cajun sauce was SOOOOO good. I got mild/med and it was perfect for me. Because of other reviews saying there wasn't enough sauce, I ordered 1oz of the sauce on the side but could've done without, there was plenty of sauce in my bag. My husband got the garlic butter and loved it. Noodles were the star, the broccoli was a GREAT addition. My corn was mushy sadly, and the egg was over cooked which is why I would give it a 4.5/5. Everything else was awesome. The crab tasted fresh, was cooked perfectly. Overall, I was really impressed. Would go again! read more

I gave it 5 stars when I first reviewed them and still give them 5 stars now. I love Crab Pad. Whenever you are ready to get down and dirty with seafood, The Crab Pad always hits the spot. I love that they also have stuff in the menu that is not seafood, for those picky kids or friends that may tag along. They have a great happy hour menu with chicken wings, fries, and flavored drinks in cute little baggies. It's been a minute since I have had crab legs so my friends and I went ham here recently. The seafood in the bag is always delicious and the service is always great and friendly. Can't go wrong by coming here! read more

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We came recently for a friend's birthday and came hungry. If you haven't been before, the menu can be a little overwhelming. The server was great in helping guide us on portion sizes and ordering what would be the best value for our group. We started with the garlic parm and buffalo wings. Then ordered our shrimp and crab legs which paired well with our veggies and sausages. All was delicious and cooked perfectly! It's a bit messy so I suggest not to wear anything white! We did end up ordering just a little too much, which was no issue since we bagged it up to go. The happy hour and weekday deals are fantastic. With that being said it can get pricey. I definitely would be back for a special occasion. read more

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I really enjoy Crab Pad's happy hour deal. We have enjoyed their specials, including the fish tacos. They are $1/each, but one must purchase more than one - I think it's six. I tend to get the sauce on the side, as I am a spice wimp. But they are very delicious. If you are a spice wimp like I, ask for tartar. Seems they sometimes give it automatically, or it must be requested. Service is always great, and food comes out quickly. read more

The Crab Pad - Happy hour $1 fish tacos. Must purchase six, but worth every penny! - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As a food critic and a cook, I have to be honest: the service was great, but the food itself was mediocre at best. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, but the crab legs and lobster were overcooked almost to the point of being gummy. And it could've been better seasoned . Seafood has to be handled with care, and once it passes that perfect texture, it takes away from the whole experience. I also ordered the noodles with shrimp on the side, because they will not add them into the crab bag. You have to purchase them separately, and mix them in yourself! The bags also could be better quality because the oil leaks through, which makes the meal messier than it should be. But they do give an apron and gloves to take home.. Overall I appreciated the service, It was great and the hostess gets 5 stars but the food did not impress me. It was okay something to eat. But I will go back only if I was in the area and there was nothing else closer with better quality I'm not seeing they're bad I've just had better food! read more

Such an amazing little surprise from my husband and son for Mother's Day. I love seafood and a good seafood boil is tops with me. And they have GREAT boils. My husband made reservations. I think that's recommended. They were pretty busy. And for good reason. The food is excellent and the service same vibe. Our server was kind and patient and personable. The place is slightly dark but not too dark so that's okay. I guess they offer aprons cuz you can get pretty messy. Too bad I didn't learn that until the END of my meal. We ordered the seafood boil. I don't remember what "level" but it was excellent and the garlic noodles. Omgoodness. Those were yummy. The bathrooms are okay. I will say that I started the visit with a tinkle (cuz we come from Indiana and I was dying) and ended with a tinkle (cuz we're going back to Indiana). When I needed to go the second time the restroom needed some attention. It was taken care of immediately. So that was super nice. Go. Get good food. Have a great time. Enjoy. City street parking. IYKYK read more

The Crab Pad - Garlic Noodles - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went here for the happy hour with a friend and it was soooo worth it! Spent about $40-50 per person and we got so much food! Must try are the garlic noodles and the crab pad sauce for the seafood combo! Their monthly special banh mi was also amazing! read more

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Good vibes, great food, amazing service! Been here a handful of times and everything is consistent. For seafood, I always get Crab Pad medium, it's the perfect amount of Cajun, garlic and spice. We've tried the garlic noodles, assortment of fries, garlic aioli truffle tots and ice cream. All are delicious, my favorites would be crab fries and garlic aioli truffle tots. They only had one alcoholic drink at the time, which was a fruit tea with a shot on the side. Otherwise, BYOB no charge!! There's AYCE crawfish for $35 per person on Sundays which has been my go to lately hahah so worth it! They require your whole party to do the AYCE so I recommend grabbing friends and coming by on Sunday, especially since parking is free hehe. Parking is truly a nightmare on Fridays and Saturday's so if you can't find street parking, there's a Target parking lot close by that you can get one hour free parking validated with a purchase, otherwise it might be $15ish. 10/10 recommend coming for the delicious food and good times, and major props to whoever controls the playlist because it's always a vibe!! read more

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The food was literally spoiled! I didn't get to enjoy shit but the appetizers. My crab legs had like a casing on them that was really tough and once I cut through that the meat was completely shredded, the shrimp was not cleaned it was poop all through out it and the main number one reason I will never return and I'm calling the health department is because the lobster tail was literally spoiled it was black, and disgusting as soon as I chewed it I literally spit it out no exaggeration. Nina and the other lady was very accommodating but the cook should've known better period to have served and cooked spoiled seafood. read more

The Crab Pad - Spoiled piece of lobster.. - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So my lovely wife and I were bopping around town on a summery Saturday when she noticed a Happy Hour sign displayed on the sidewalk. It was stationed in front of The Crab Pad on Milwaukee Avenue. We were stoked, as this was a Saturday afternoon and we were about to come across some excellent Happy Hour deals! We did all HH specials, and they were all pretty good and reasonably filling too. The order of fish tacos is mind boggling - 6 little tacos for a buck each. Did I say I don't even like seafood? But I ate one of these fish tacos and it was pretty good (my love really liked 'em!). I went with the order of 4 wings - again a buck each. These are four entire wings, slathered in BBQ sauce (you can order other sauce options too), not just 4 pieces of wings. The order of nacho fries was good and messy, and a bit zingy with the jalapenos on top. Our server was enthusiastic and efficient. Our Happy Hour visit was fun, and we vow to check out The Crab Pad again when in the area. read more

My friend recommended this spot to me since she's a regular and she really enjoys coming here. My partner and I came for the AYCE Crayfish on Sundays. It was AH-MAZING. For $35, you get to choose the sauce you want and any additional sides like eggs, sausage and corn. The sauce came on the side for us. They start you off with about 2lbs and they keep refilling until you say stop. We also got the appetizer sampler which is a great pick to start your meal. The staff were also so fun and cool. One thing I will pick at is that the aprons that you can get are reusable cloth aprons and I don't think they wash them because the one I had smelled really bad so I just went without an apron. Plastic gloves are provided! I'm looking forward to returning for more of their weekly specials! read more

We really enjoyed the Vietnamese fusion flavors - it remained spicy but with a unique flavor! Great price, great service and a very reasonable price. No reservations needed for small parties, we were able to walk in and get a table right away. 10/10 recommend for your crab boil night! read more

The Crab Pad - King Crab Shrimp Special plus mussels, snow crab and an egg! - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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we stopped by for happy hour & tried the 4 for $4 wings (garlic parm, lemon pepper & cajun), garlic noodles, fries & popsicles. my favorite was the garlic noodles - it was super flavorful! the wings were pretty good too, especially the garlic parm & lemon pepper. we finished off with the popsicles & chose a couple different toppings. overall, this is a pretty good casual spot with friendly service & amazing happy hour deals - go check it out! read more

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They could improve a lot, it was my wife's birthday and we decided to try a new crab boil spot. Was not what I was expecting at all. Bland seafood, only thing seasoned was the sauce. They served me dead mussels which weren't even opened to eat. Asked the server to take the mussels back because they weren't edible and she proceeds to try to explain to me the muscle structure of a mussel !!! Like what are you talking about, don't play in my face like I'm an idiot !!! I've worked in restaurants for 20 years, cooked plenty of mussels , and watched countless cooking shoes and I have never heard a chef try to explain that the reason the mussel didn't open was because of the muscle structure. I almost lost my mind. Paid the bill and left. Couldn't wait to write this review. 1/10 never recommend !!! read more

My boyfriend and I went here for the seafood boil. He got bad food poisoning from I think craw fish because that was the only thing he had that I didn't. He's been super sick all day so just know it's a gamble going here... read more

Went for dinner after work because I love seafood and wanted to try it. The hostess seated us right away and our server was very pleasant and funny. He explained everything for us and we ordered the special to slit. The special was only shrimp so corn and potatoes were extra. Those pouches were good but a little sour. The food was good but the seasoning was a little sweet even though we ordered Cajun mild. Overall good experience and food. read more

The Crab Pad - Special.... Buy 2 pounds of shrimp get another free - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First time trying a seafood boil and this was the perfect place to go. Staff was outstanding, food was delicious and I can't wait to go back. Went on my birthday and our waitress was kind enough to let me know about the bday discount! I will edit this review when I find her name on the receipt but big shout out to her!! read more

We went at noon on a Saturday, when the place was completely empty. We were immediately presented with a list of new policies, including that one must prepay for their food and a mandatory 10% service charge. We thought that was odd, but decided to dine nevertheless. Despite it being empty, it took more then 30 minutes for our food to arrive. My $18 cajun plate (with mussels) was disappointing--while the sauce was good, the mussels weren't plentiful enough for it to be filling. Plus there were tons of broken shells, meaning I had to pick carefully through the food. My spouse got some kind of bahn mi/poboy hybrid that was okay, though the fries that came with it were greasy. Needless to say, we won't be coming back. read more

I've had them bookmarked for awhile. I took my daughter out for seafood and I was disappointed honestly. The almost 5 star review rating was very misleading! They may average 3 stars, but that's being lenient. Service was pleasant, although they don't provide you with a itemized check and I had to tussle a bit to see my check, which very much irritated me! I ordered king crablegs for myself, added a boiled egg and garlic noodles. My daughter ordered shrimp, noodles, corn, potatoes. The garlic noodles were brought out on the side which were fine and they were piping hot and delicious! They were literally the star of the show! My daughter said her shrimp were cleaned well and tasted good, but sauce was just ok. My king crablegs that were $69.99 WERE NOT GOOD!!! They were tiny, they were old and or over cooked! They lacked flavor and sauce. If I were in the area I'd return for the garlic noodles only! Ehhh probably would never return! read more

Honestly, my favorite thing about this is place is the music haha. I was singing and eating. They were playing 90s-2000s r&b and hiphop which I love. We went on a Saturday, right when they opened. We made reservations for a party of 2, but it wasn't necessary. We did come at a weird time so that could be why. Most people don't eat at 3pm. The seafood was good, I'll have to save it is more flavorful than angry crab. It didn't "wow" us enough to come back again. There's a lot of seafood boil places in Chicago so we're hoping to try other restaurants. Again, this place didn't "wow" us but the food was still good. I wouldn't order the wings again. Nothing special about the wings. The garlic noodles were very good. I would recommend everyone to get the garlic noodles. read more

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So happy there's a Viet Cajun place in Chicago. Personally, I think that's the best kind of seafood boil! That being said, I'm trying not to compare it too much to my favourite places in Texas. I ordered takeout from here with 1/2 lb snow crab, 1 lb clams, 1lb mussels, and 1 corn in the Crab Pad sauce at medium spicy. I got fries on the side and garlic noodles. If you like spicy, you can definitely go hotter than medium. The sauce is fantastic, but there's surprisingly not a lot of liquid in the bag. You can tell there's a lot of butter, but not a lot of moisture. As some other reviews mentioned, this means there's not a lot of extra sauce to mop up. All the seafood was noticeably overcooked. I understand not everything will be cooked to perfection in a fast operation. Perhaps, it's because the food keeps steaming in the bag during takeout delivery. Also, I love clams but am a little picky about them. If you're like me, I would skip the clams. They're the very small kind and I had a good number of clams with large pieces of grit. Adding on that they were overcooked, the flavor and texture weren't worth the price in my opinion. The food was still enjoyable, but not of the quality I was expecting. The mussels were my favourite! The fries were standard, but the garlic noodles were pretty good. I do prefer my garlic noodles to be less sweet and more umami, but that's my personal preference. If I dine in, I hope to try their boba and popsicles. If I'm really craving a Viet Cajun, I'll order takeout again, but I'll definitely try to dine in next time instead! read more

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I had really high expectations but was extremely disappointed. The food was overcooked like no other. Shrimp were mushy. Crab legs were very dry. The sausage was great. The garlic noodles, best thing on the menu. The sauce, very bland.. The wait was long because they were understaffed. The servers were nice. The manager comped our food because we were so disappointed and didn't eat the bags. The ambiance was very dry. Didn't feel like a fun and lively place to be. I wouldn't go back unfortunately. read more

The Crab Pad - Garlic Noodles* - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great location and easy to get to, just be prepared to look for parking if you're coming in during peak time. Super friendly staff and the food comes out fast! The seasoning is good but can be a bit bland for those with a heavier tastebuds. Go for spicy, it's not that bad. Crawlfish is a bit small but that's the case with most seafood boil places. The muscles is the star, if you like them, make sure you get them here! BYOB and worth checking out to cure that boil craving! Oh, Sunday is all you can eat crawfish read more

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Food was delicious and staff was friendly and accommodating. Check out their happy hour!!

We got 1. Snow Crab Legs & Shrimp in Crab Pad style (house cajun) & Garlic Butter sauces. Added potatoes. 2. Garlic Butter Pasta 3. Peach/Mango/Strawberry Tea Lemonade 4. Customizable Popsicles Crab legs and shrimp were cooked properly and easy to de-shell. Sauces were flavorful but not as spicy as we anticipated. One was mild and the other we were told would be 7/10. Garlic butter pasta was delicious because it's garlic and butter and noodles. The tea lemonades were not sweet enough except the strawberry which was good. For Popsicles, I picked cereal milk popsicle, topped with fruity pebbles, and drizzled with dark chocolate and condensed milk. Freaking delicious. Tasted like the fruity pebbles cereal milk, was creamy, and the dark chocolate and condensed milk elevated the dessert. Overall , a very fun experience. Employees were very nice and I like the southern interior design. read more

The Crab Pad - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food was amazing. Had the Fish and Chips for my daughter and she loved the homemade ice cream horchata popsicle. We ordered the Mixed Seafood Bag and with cajun seasoning. It was amazing! Will definitely be coming back. read more

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Think your typical seafood boil type restaurant and mix that with some Asian inspired drinks, desserts, and dishes and you get this beautiful fusion of a restaurant here. This is quite possibly my favorite Seafood Boil restaurant in Chicago (and it's women minority owned!!). The service is quick and very helpful in deciding what to order and the overall restaurant ambiance is casual. Food value here is through the roof, especially if you have a larger party--they have great consistent deals depending on the day of the week. Food-wise I would 100% recommend the crab rangoons (they use actual crab meat here and it's so good), the garlic noodles, which you should dip into your seafood boil bag, and do whatever proteins you like for your seafood bag. Wash all that down with some boba or some Asian flavored ice cream. read more

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Don't let the TikTok reviews fool you this place is very cold in the winter so that means a couple minutes in eating your food the food is cold they only have good tables to whom may have a reservation we waited 40 minutes on seafood boil the food in it self was was very mid the shrimp was very mushy and soft if your a foodie and love seafood I would not recommend this spot we ordered appetizers they were sat down close to front door in order for them to clean our table instead of leaving it in the kitchen they also have nets which is kinda of concerning as well it was a stressful the overall service could be completely improved read more

Service was amazing and very attentive. This place has amazing seafood and had the snow crab, shrimp and crawfish. They were really tasty. They give you tools and aprons to make the work easier and to keep your clothes clean. They have a sink in the dining room when you want a good rinse off cause it is good but definitely messy. Definitely will be back to try some other items. read more

This was my first time going to a boil restaurant and wasn't sure what to expect except that I would get pretty messy. I don't really have any complaints except the menu ordering system was a little confusing. There's a lot of information being thrown at you which was overwhelming for a first timer. Luckily I was there with a veteran that helped me order and all the flavours were delicious. Ordered the garlic butter noodles and fries on the side. In one of my boil bags I ordered potatoes as my add on which complaint the whole package. The restaurant was pretty slow that night so our food came pretty quick. Our server was very sweet and attentive. I'd come back and try some other combos for sure. I did see a very tempting ice cream bar when it was time to pay. I think I'll have to save some room next time in advance. read more

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Always a great experience and amazing food. Have hosted numerous events and is always a reminder for why we continue to come back!!

Not sure why seafood boil was on my mind for the past few weeks, but decided to give this place a shot since I enjoyed it with friends in person quite a few years back. Ordered delivery because...uh....lazy Sunday haha. Seafood delivery can always be a bit sketch, but I had high hopes. I ordered the 1lb snow crab+1/2 lb headless shrimp with the Crab Pad sauce medium spice. I would definitely do mild next time though because medium was super spicy for me! Sauce was great though and it was nice to be able to make a mess at home instead of in public. My husband got the crawfish+snow crab with mild garlic butter sauce and he said it was really good too. Might have over ordered, but got a side of rice, fries, AND garlic noodles but I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow mixed with some of the extra sauce I had at the bottom of the bag. Food arrived HOT and no spills, so I was a very happy girl. Will definitely go in person again someday so we can hit up their popsicle bar at the end and try some of the yummy looking drinks on their menu! read more

This place was really disappointing considering the 4.5 star rating. If you've never been to a Cajun crab place then fine, it's good. But compared to other places I've been, this place was very mediocre. First off, the amount of sauce in the bag is minimal. We ordered two bowls of rice thinking we would have some sauce to sop up with it and there was nothing. The extra corn we ordered with our food was embarrassingly sad. It was toothless. Barely any kernels. The runt end of the corn. The clams special were smaller than littleneck clams. The garlic noodles for $8+ was pitiful. The amount was like a small cereal bowl size. We ordered a second bowl which ended up being larger. Really? No consistency? Overall, this place was very disappointing considering the high ratings and other similar restaurants. read more

So let me start my giving kudos to such a great staff. They were very friendly and accommodating. They treated us very well. Our waitress was phenomenal (I wished I remembered her name). We sat next to an open door and I was chilly but my crew said they were comfortable. The place was smaller than I had imagined but cozy. If you come make sure you have a reservation, that's important. Now about the food. I unfortunately only had an appetizer of the fish, shrimp and tater tots for a personal reason which I won't get into here but the fish and shrimp were delicious the tater tots not so much. They were hard and tasteless. My friends had the crab boil bag which they say was very good but wish there was a little more food (like the shrimp) in the bag. They said for the price there was only a few shrimp there. The overall taste for them was pleasant. They also said that the appetizer sampler they had was very good. I ordered that famous popsicle they advertise where you can have it topped with anything you want (it's in the picture) mine was green but had a vanilla cake waffle taste. I had caramel syrup over it and waffle topping. It was excellent. I loved it. I'm going to have to go back and try the crab bag for myself. This time I will be prepared (smiles). Thanks to the Crab Pad crew you guys were awesome. By the way, the only reason I gave 4 stars is because of the tater tots. Otherwise it's a great place read more

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My daughter has been wanting to try a seafood boil and the C tab Pad hit the spot! We had the garlic noodles which was phenomenal, flamin hot Mac and cheese, the Cajun bag with snow crab, crawfish, shrimp, sausage and corn and my daughter absolutely loved it all. We also had some of the topped popsicles which were also a nice treat! The staff is friendly and attentive and this was well worth the trip into the city! read more

The Crab Pad - Popsicles - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Took our son for his bday to The Crab Pad. He loved the January fish special and they gave him a pound bag of shrimp for his bday too. My wife had fish and shrimp basket, this vegan had an amazing veggie bag with a side of pasta noodles. The Crab Pad is outstanding in every way and look forward to going back. The owners and staff are super kind and accommodating! Service was great even with them being slammed with multiple large parties. Of you like seafood this place rocks and they accommodate vegans! read more

The food was ok... I ordered 2 pick twos with one bag containing crabs & mussels (spice level 5) the other had crab & crawfish (spice level 3)added eggs & sausage, garlic noodles & 8 wings (wings only comes in a 4 per flavor portion) during happy hour. I couldn't imagine paying for this at regular price or it would have to be way more food in the bags. The sausages were good but they only give you 4 pieces in a bag.. The crab legs didn't have a lot of meat. The mussels & crawfish was really good! The chicken was big & mushy! The garlic noodles was more sugary then garlicky. The flavor of the base of both bag sauces were sugary. I didn't like the sauce in either bag. read more

The food drinks dessert service is great. I love the crab legs in crab pad style medium it's spicy but so worth it So glad the crab fries are back. The mango tea lemonade just slaps. Our server Gerardo was so attentive and friendly, made the already delicious meal even better. You have to leave space for their milk ice cream made in house. My favorite combo is chocolate MILK chocolate glaze fruity pebbles with a dash of condensed milk. I usually can't eat really sweet food but I will drive an hour to come just get this ice cream I swear. The music decor and vibes is immaculate. Honestly if you are still reading, how haven't haven't ordered yet! I'm getting hungry writing this review read more

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