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    The Crab Shack

    2.9 (83 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    The Crab Shack Seafood Restaurant Photos

    THE CRAB SHACK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - The Crab Shack

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    One scoop mussels and clams
    Alice F.

    Was looking for seafood near the water and decided to stop here. Menu looked good and decor was appropriately fun. Things that ended up being good: the mussels, clams and crab were all delicious. We had the mussels and clams with white wine sauce and literally drank the remaining sauce, it was that good. The crab was incredibly creamy and went well with the chilli garlic sauce. 5 star rating on the food. Service, however, while friendly, is so slow. I saw other tables consistently having to flag the server, and we ended up being there 2 hours just for lunch. Also, our check included all the drinks for the table next to us; another table needed their bill corrected too. If they can work on their service, this would be a much better place.

    Amy W.

    Very family friendly. Chilled servers who are very attentive. Great atmosphere even if it is raining outside! Food was delicious! We ordered the Scottish mud crab cooked in a black pepper sauce . Also make sure you order and try the mussels and clams! The garlic chilli butter sauce was exceptional! Don't forget to order the bread to dip into the sauce! I love the clam and crab fritters- very different and special. Even the fries were amazing! It was a great choice for dinner as this was unplanned and we wanted some good seafood. This place had diners eating and enjoying their food, creating a great vibe!

    Seafood Chowder
    Ganeish R.

    We were in search of a seafood restaurant for my sons birthday dinner since he and I share a passion for crab legs. The criteria was it had to be on or near the water and kid friendly. Surprisingly the choices for seafood establishments In Auckland Harbor is limited to both ends of the spectrum, they were either very expensive and not kid friendly or fish and chips type establishments. We eventually chose the Crab Shack. The reviews were concerning. Yes this place is touristy and has a bit of a kitchy fishing decor but it works. We had a large group and called in to reserve a private table or room if available. The manager was extremely accommodating and reserved a large table in a semi private area for us right next to the waterfront with direct view of the ferries coming and going. They also stored the custom cake we had ordered for my son and the entire staff came over and sang happy birthday as he blew out the candles. We ordered a number of dishes but these are the ones we remembered : Seafood chowder - extremely good Tempura soft shell crab - very good Calamari rings - very good Mussels and clam fritters - very good A few pots of Scottish mud crabs - very good Seafood marinara - good Creole half a roast chook - not so good A number of kids items. - good Don't be like one member of the party that tried to be different against our advise and order chicken from a seafood joint, it never turns out well. So skip the roast chook because she was not happy with it and had to send it back. We ordered a number of catchy named cocktails (the names escape me for some reason) but they were all pretty good. The server was attentive but we went on a busy night and sometimes we had to wait for him a little longer than usual but overall he was great and got out our food and drinks in a timely manner. We had a great experience. Sitting at the waterfront watching the boats go by and having dinner as we watched the sunset made for a memorable occasion. My son had such a good time he requested I take him there for dinner again.

    Yummy
    Rob B.

    For my limited experience it was quite nice just stopping in for a 500 kL of mixed clams. I had the white wine, garlic chili preparation. While there were only two of the larger variety I had no complaints about the smaller ones. Delicious!

    A lot of crab but very little meat.
    Alyssa T.

    Terrible service. We were sat by the host with menus and water glasses, our server came over a minute later and asked if we were ready to order. We ordered beers but needed more time with the menu considering we'd never been there before. The drinks were brought by a runner, then the waitress returned to take our order. Again a runner brought out our food, calamari rings and 1kg of crab. The calamari was excellent, crab was disappointing for the price. Anyway, we shelled and ate the entire kilo of crab without seeing our waitress once. Obviously this wasn't a quick meal, so to not have a server check on us once was surprising. We needed napkins, our drinks were empty, and though we were sat with water glasses we were never given a bottle of water! Finally our waitress returned about 10 minutes after we had finished, and we asked her for napkins and the check. She brought back napkins quickly and disappeared for another 10 minutes, only to return with a bottle of water to offer to us. 20 minutes after we had finished our meal. We said no we want our check, and when she brought it we threw cash in and walked out.

    Got a tad too excited ordering  entrees
    Alex D.

    Not quite sure how it took so long but we finally have a full time crab shack in AKL and by no other than, Simon Gault. Add it to the empire... I came here last night for a group dinner at 6:30 (I may or may not have been 15mins late) and already there was an hour wait. Clearly, I am not the only one who is excited about this new addition! Thankfully, after about 30mins we were shown to our table. The menu features four different types of crab as well as a couple of burgers, main dishes (fish of the day, steak) and bar snacks/starters. It read like a more modern, seafood orientated Lone Star menu. We got way too excited by the entrees and ordered double portions of the calamari, crab cakes, manuka smoked rewena (Maori bread). Unfortunately I couldn't try the bread but the calamari was delicious, lightly battered, crispy and served with three sauces. The only problem was the sauces were served in had high sided vessels, which made it challenging to dip. The crab cakes were nice but the coconut sauce they were served with was overpowering. Onto the mains.... I shared the paddle crab, which was served with a deliciously garlic butter sauce. It was messy and hard work but I kind of think that is half the fun! As for the side of chips they were thick and crunchy but lacked sauce and salt. I thought the waitstaff were energetic and enthusiastic, which matched the whole atmosphere of the place. A fun, themed spot for a group dinner, I only wish they'd get rid of the TV's!

    Cecilia W.

    The Crab Shack and Matterhorn - the best of Welly has come to Auckland in the first half of 2015! I had been to the Crab Shack in Orleans when they open exclusively on Sunday and Mondays. But I have to say, nothing compares to this Simon Gault eatery. The vibe is spot on and there's an excited energy about the place. The decor feels like something out of the States with a relaxed Hawaiian feel - heck even the cocktails come with cute umbrellas. Recommendations: - The soft shelled crab is a must order! We ordered another portion of it because it was so juicy and unlike other ones which are just crispy tempura batter, you can truly taste the meat. - The bread. Yes, order the Manuka smoked bread. I don't even like bread and I was the one who suggested to order seconds. - It is probably wise to wear the bib that comes with the crab. I realiesd this only after I saw the flecks of crab sauce on my friend's shirt. Avoid: - Going on a Saturday night in a group. They only take bookings for groups of 10 or more so we ended up waiting for an hour before we got seats. - The cocktails were yummy but priced at $20, there wasn't enough alcohol in it to justify the steep price. I was surprised the whole bill came to around $35 per person - I was expecting a lot more for crab! Mind you, we didn't order the Red King crab which was $112 for 700g. Instead we got 1kg of the Nelson crab pot with chili-garlic butter. Admittedly it was hard work and messy digging the meat from the crab but also part of the fun! We also ordered the spicy wings and 1/2 pound of Shark Bay tiger prawns in a lemongrass and chili tomato sauce and I can recommend both. I didn't order any mains or burgers so if I were to go back, that's what I would try from the menu. But I can confidently say you'll be satisfied from the crab pot and shack boards alone. Plus I think you'll agree that they're more fun to share and eat!

    Mud crab!  Delicious sauce!
    Elisapeta P.

    The Crab Shack - what can I say. If you love crab & are wanting somewhere to relax with awesome sea views this is the place to go. My family visited this place on an early Friday afternoon after picking up my son from school. We were able to grab a great high table facing the sea views. It was lovely to sit in a lit restaurant with great décor that represented the name of the restaurant well. We were immediately relaxed from a long week. Just what we needed! We love crab so we were excited to check out the menu. We ordered the following: Spicy Chicken wings: Good enough portion for an entrée & real nice spicy chicken a lot of flavour! Chips: Entrée Medium size serve but the chips were yummy - great crunch & fluffy inside with yummy seasoning (definitely order those again) Bread: Was poor serving size: 2 little buns (but soft to sop up the crab sauces) Spaghetti Bolognaise: Kiddies meal - small serving (had to order 2 for my 5 year old son) Mud Crab: If you like spicy this is the dish to order. Good portion & that sauce is delicious definitely ordering that again! Jonah Crab: Nice dish but disappointed on the flavours weren't prominent e.g lemongrass, coriander I didn't have wine this time but the list had variety. Can't remember the desserts we had so that probably says something. I've given this place a 4 rating. Because I'll definitely be going back, loved the flavours out of the Mud Crab, the restaurant had awesome décor & views (you relax once you're in there- we don't just want to eat we wanted to go out & relax somewhere) & the waiters gave great service. Although the dishes we ordered weren't all fantastic the restaurant vibe & location made up for it! Before we left my husband was planning the next weekend to come back.

    Andy S.

    I had Assorted clams in garlic. I should have ordered the large instead of small. It was so good I ordered bread to dunk in the sauce. These are amazing. I feel for the people on the plane with me later today, I'm going to reek of garlic, but it's totally worth it. ORDER THESE

    Seafood Chowder, Crab Cakes, and fish and Chips

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

    The crab shack is not open. It's under construction. We went to one in a different city and it was great.

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    3 years ago

    It was closed. Not sure why. Closest nearby seafood restaurant was Fish, but it was fully booked.

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