Crab cooked perfectly. Fish bites treated great! One of the better OBX eateries. Service was great! read more

Came highly recommended and didn't disappoint. Everything our family had was fresh and delicious. For the appetizer we had the skewers of shrimp and the hush puppies. Likely the best hush puppies I have ever had. They were crunchy and had a sweet flavor inside. For my main I had the soft shell crab and crab cake combo. My only slight complaint was the size of the crab cake. It was small and advertised as a large. Taste was amazing however. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Large family seating area and they also have a sit down bar. A little pricey but you pay for quality. Will definitely visit again. read more

Our first time here and we were not disappointed. Had the seafood boil and it was fresh and delicious. Could use more Old Bay, but otherwise - no complaints. The salad I got was also super fresh and tasty. I am so often disappointed by salads at restaurants (seems hard to mess up but they're often sadly uninspired) and the one I got here was spot on. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back. read more

We LOVED this place! I wish I could remember our server's name, but he was totally AWESOME! Gave us time to look over the menu, never rushed us. Loved the vibe of the restaurant and the food was great. We totally loved the spicy shrimp dish. Should have stopped there, but we had dinner. Hubby had soft crabs and I had fried seafood. It reminded us of our beloved Crab Deck here in Maryland....just as friendly and just as good. Definitely a go to in Avon! read more

See all

I ordered a crab cake platter to go and just look at the undercooked, discolored crab cake...DISGUSTING! I'm forced to give 1 star but I would rather them get NO star. read more

The Mad Crabber - I got the crab cake platter to go...DISGUSTING! Look at the crab cake? Discolored and mushy for $36. - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

5 Stars for Mad Crabber - A Culinary Gem in Avon! As a Charleston, SC resident with years in the downtown restaurant and hospitality scene, I'm spoiled by culinary excellence and have high standards when traveling. I'm always chasing that unforgettable dining experience, and I found it at the Mad Crabber in Avon, NC--a true surprise that ranks among the best. After grueling six-hour days of wind sports and surfing, burning through water, berries, and light bites, I needed a 3000-calorie refuel each evening. Avon, a charming beach town that might just be my favorite (sorry, Isle of Palms!), offers a handful of dining options. None, including the Mad Crabber, caught my eye from the outside--Charleston's architectural charm sets a high bar. But keeping an open mind, I tried nearly every restaurant in town, and the Mad Crabber blew the rest away. This place could hold its own against Charleston's top five for hospitality, food quality, freshness, and mouthwatering accompaniments. The cold sampler was a perfect start to curb my hunger. Then came the grilled scallop wasabi dish, followed by the swordfish with mango chutney over polenta--hands-down the best-prepared fish I've ever eaten, and I've had day-caught swordfish straight off the boat and the legendary swordfish sandwich at 167 Raw. For dessert, the homemade chocolate peanut butter pie and key lime pie were pure bliss. The staff was impressed by my solo dining feats, but I was even more impressed by their warm service and flawless execution. Of all the restaurants in Avon, the Mad Crabber is the clear winner. When I return--and I will return--I'll be dining here four out of five nights. It's so good I wish I could pack it up and take it home (sorry, airlines!). If you're in Avon, don't miss the Mad Crabber. It's a dining experience you'll remember. read more

See all

No frills seafood joint... accommodating for larger groups. The food itself was good. Fish/ crab was excellent, but sides (esp baked potato) were mid. Our waiter truly did not smile or show any facial expression the entire time-- honestly, impressive. read more

Great ambiance and very clean. The staff were super accommodating and friendly (even when our child spilled a drink -oops). They use paper on the tables and it's fun to draw and play games with our child to pass the time. Great seafood as well as the other reviews indicate. read more

Always love the Mad Crabber. I come to Avon every year and the Mad Crabber is my FAV! The workers work their butts off and are so friendly. The new chef is outstanding. The food is to die for. Make sure to get the hush puppies if you go read more

First off my Salad came with our dinner instead of before, so I pretty much didn't eat it because I didn't want my seafood to get cold. We ordered hush puppies which were fantastic!! The seafood was just boiled no seasoning on it. We got the crab and shrimp meal (Dungeness crab). The mashed sweet potatoes were plain, didn't have really any good flavor to them. The onion rings were cold. This could be the way seafood is done on the east states and if so won't be getting anymore seafood here in North Carolina. In the Northeast (Michigan) actually boil them with flavor and the shrimp already come peeled and done with seasoning unless we get a seafood boil then they have the shells on them. They did have some seasoning on them which you can't taste because it's on the shells of them not on the actual part you eat. The best part was the service. The waitress we had was Kelly and she was very nice and always checking up on us to see if we needed anything else. The mertini drink as they called it was really good. The ambiance of the restaurant was very neat especially the bar area which is where we ate at. They also had their own T-shirts and restaurant souvenirs which were pretty neat. I did take some pictures of the restaurant and our food. Thank you Kelly for the warm hospitality! read more

See all

We had the majority of our large vacation group with us for this dining experience. The drinks were good, the service was good as well as the food. Nothing bad to say. read more

See all

Food was pretty good, I would recommend the hot crab dip. Our server was OK, I don't know that he ever came to check on us until they end and I don't think he even introduced himself but he was fine. There are limited chairs with backs, mostly benches with no back...in case you have an issue and need a chair. read more

Not impressed with The Mad Crabber in Avon, NC. The 2 stars are for the ambiance but the quality and value of the meals we chose were lacking. My husband ordered a NY strip, med rare - it came out well done. My son and I ordered the soft-shell/crab-cake combo and it was very disappointing. The soft shell crabs were very small and empty in filling. The crab cake was in majority all breading. The rice that came with the my son's meal was completely overcooked and dry. For $35 a plate, was just a major disappointment. We won't be coming back again. So many other great places to eat in OBX. read more

Fun lively place with good food and great service. Prices are average for the island and portions are big but not too big. Fish of the day seemed fresh not frozen read more

Food was delish. We had peel and eat shrimp, flounder, crabcakes...was all delish. Nice big tables so it was easy to seat 7 of us. Would definitely return! read more

Food was a little pricey but worth it. Batteries for the fried seafood was smoother and tastier than other restaurants. Wait time was shorter than expected and our waitress was excetent. read more

The snow crab legs were delicious. The shrimp that came with it was good but I do wish they would butterfly them to make it easier to peel. But no biggie still tasty. Will deff be back next year. read more

Dinner last night was delicious. We arrived at 7 on a Wednesday and the wait was about 40 minutes, totally worth it. Place was clean and well taken care of and thestaff was very friendly! The kids loved having paper on the table to color on. We ordered crab legs, shrimp, scallops, steak, mozzarella sticks and hush puppies! Will definitely eat here again. read more

The Mad Crabber - Chargrilled NY Strip & Fries - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

See all

Great staffing, great owner and terrific experience. Mad Crabber platter is always good. Fish bites and scallop appetizers are a meal on its own read more

For as busy as this place was, they run like a well oiled machine. Staff is very friendly, service is timely, and the energy is fantastic. This was my first time trying collard greens and let me tell you, I will not have them any other way. Absolutely delicious!! read more

The Mad Crabber - Steamed Shrimp, Baked Potato, Collard Greens - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

See all

Food was amazing! Everything we ordered was fresh and perfectly cooked. Between crab and corn chowder to crab legs to grilled scallops and even steak - was superb. My sister and I ordered mojitos which did not taste like it had alcohol, but the food- the food was terrific!!!!! Highly recommend! read more

The Mad Crabber - Grilled scallops - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

The service could have been a lot better. Our waiter just wasn't in a good mood. This is the kinda of place where you expect light hearted fun people. We are fun and sometimes loud bunch so I get that we can be a bit much but sometimes a smile can go a long way. It's a bit pricy compared to other sit down places in Avon and the food is about the same. The sea bass was cooked very well and the oysters on the half shell went fast. I'm sure but the hush puppies seemed from a frozen bag but it may have been because it was 8:00 when we went, around closing. This place has a lot of potential and I know everyone is short staffed right now so hopefully next time a better server. read more

Great Rock "fish of the day." Cajun remoulade...Mmmmmm. Also the Fish Tacos were excellent. Lucky us! read more

The Mad Crabber - Mad Crabber restaurant. - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

Exceeded my expectations, excellent sea food Fantastic service, on my visit, dining room is by no means fancy, but has that cool outer banks feeling to it, nice bar area. Good selection of seafood on menu and sides and a couple of non seafood items for anyone not wanting seafood. The cocktail sauce for shrimp is made in house, one taste and I knew it wasn't from a bottle. Great flavor Totally worth it read more

Atmosphere and service was good. We arrived just before 6pm and there was no wait for sitting a party of 5. We ordered a few different entrees that consisted of fish tacos, blackened sea bass (catch of the day) fried shrimp and snow crab (no snow crab available on the night we went). This was the food rating on 1-10 scale: FishTacos 6/10, sea bass 7/10, fried shrimp 5/10 and snow crab 4/10. Snow crab was small and not meaty at all. I wouldn't say it was a total disappointment but would say I expected better based on the reviews and price of the crab. read more

The Mad Crabber - Blackened sea bass - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

See all

This is just my opinion only, service was great, atmosphere was also very lively. Food for me not so great. I ordered a fish taco and basically got a wrap with fish no seasoning or hint of taco, lettuce and some sort of dressing. Fries was frozen not fresh. read more

We had to wait about an hour to be seated, mostly because we were a large party. The menu has a wide variety of salads and seafood. They also have a large drink menu with lots of options. The food was delicious and they had impecible service. Our server was extreamly friendly and made the expirience even better! read more

The Mad Crabber - pina colada - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

Got here right at opening to avoid the crowd, so had no wait. Unfortunately, that might have been the highlight of our visit. The only other positive was that we had an outstanding server. The food was NOT the quality we expected from a seafood restaurant at the beach. Extremely overpriced. read more

The Mad Crabber - a menu for soups and salads - Seafood Near Me - Avon, North Carolina

This place is really good. They don't take reservations so for a larger group you'll probably need to wait, but I think it's worth it. We arrived with a group of 15 and waited about an hour. The food we ordered was great: raw oysters, steamed shrimp and dungeness crab, fish tacos, and crab dip were just a few things we had. Service was good, the vibe of the restaurant is cool, everything seemed clean. Overall it was a really good experience and if we're ever in Avon again, we'll definitely go back. And just in case you're thinking of giving Dirty Dicks a try, definitely choose Mad Crabber instead. We went to both places and the Mad Crabber is so much better in every way. read more

This was a last minute idea, but so glad we went! We had a party of 19 (9 kids!). We only waited about 15 minutes for 2 tables. The drinks came out fast, the food was out fast, and Chad was great! Our orders were accurate, and so good! This place is family friendly too! read more

Fish tacos are legit the best! Super cool atmosphere, friendly staff. Very clean! Try the crab dip as well! Super yummy.

Our annual first dinner when on the island for vacation, this has been going on for many years now. We've enjoyed the specials and always get one or four of the large seafood platters for two. Cold beer and great seafood, no better way to start an OBX vacation!! read more

For many years, we have looked forward to our trip to the Mad Crabber while visiting the Outer Banks. This year was truly a huge disappointment. We were told they were not offering king crab legs, as they had been unable to get decent quality legs. OK. So we settled for snow crab legs. What we were ultimately presented were the absolute WORST snow crab legs we've EVER been served ANYWHERE. Not only were they severely lacking in quality - they were obviously extremely over-cooked - and yet they were still cold ( A feat I still can't fathom how they accomplished). The cluster at the top of the legs was very unattractive and bore precious little meat. The drawn butter we were given was likewise cold. Sides were NOT included - so they were an extra charge. Otherwise, the waitress was very nice and accommodating, and the atmosphere was pleasant. We can get far superior crab legs at restaurants near home with sides included for considerably less than what we were charged at The Mad Crabber. If you go to this restaurant, we suggest you order anything OTHER than the crabs - which is a shame. Their signature offering should be the best thing they serve. We will not return. read more

Our server Kelly was amazing. She recommended a dish when we asked, the bisque, and it did not disappoint! Lots of pieces of crab, very flavorful and perfect seasoning! The crab legs were cooked wonderfully! The pies were homemade and the drinks had a nice pour! We will be back!! read more

Extremely delicious favorite place in Avon Can't wait to go back! Crab was delicious, shrimp was delicious and seasoned to perfection! Service was amazing as well! read more

My seafood trio was wonderful, the people who had the peel and eat shrimp were a bit disappointed as they were not scored or deveined so the spicy goodness didn't get into them and they were hard to eat. The fish bites were yummy too. read more

See all

Stopped here for a quick bite to eat while on a road trip. I wasn't that hungry but wanted to try some local food, so I figured I would get an appetizer. The hot crab dip was recommended... and it did not disappoint! It is one of the best crab dips I've ever had. It was served with house made chips, which were also delicious. I sat at the bar and had great service. The waitress was attentive and speedy. I was in and out within 30 minutes! My only suggestion for the restaurant would be to have a list of current market prices for the menu items. Almost half of the menu was listed as "market price", so I didn't know ho much it would be to order. I was interested in trying several different things, but I am quite shy and didn't want to ask. (But I recognize that it is on me!) If you are running through Avon, I recommend a quick trip here for some good grub! read more

Went to Mad Crabber and ordered steam shrimp for takeout. They gave so much shrimp I thought it was a mistake. Steamed to perfection and very tasty. Can't wait to go and try something else. read more

Good food, service and ambiance. Would definitely recommend and plan to return. Food choices were good.

Enjoyed lunch there on our visit to the Outer Banks last week. Our food was good and the service was excellent!