Backyard Bummer Disappointed they were out of shrimp egg rolls, which brought me there in the first place (online photo looked appetizing), and the catfish basket I ordered had literally a pool of oil at the bottom of the basket. No effort to drain whatsoever. Gumbo had only quartered slices of sausage and bell pepper, and one slice of okra. No chicken or crab as described. Complained and the nice server brought me a second cup on the house, saying it was probably at the bottom of the pot, but it was no different than the first. "Depends on how the chef makes" is what I was told. Consistent and how it is described to me in the first place is what it should be. Commented on the gumbo when asked while paying, and mentioned lack of ingredients. Was told by the cashier "Oh... They're in there, trust me." Well, two cups says they're not, unless it's gumbo bisque? Wasn't expecting what my Louisiana-born mother made, but for the price... The lobster mac and cheese heavily minus the lobster. Little bits here and there. The batter for the fried shrimp and oysters was oily and the fries were just eh. Asked for more tarter sauce since they just give you a small plastic dip container and was told it was an additional 50 cents for another small container. Whatever. $75.00 worth of food apparently doesn't warrant sauce. Was really hoping for a winner here as I love Cajun food, but will not be back. PS, after posting this I read another post from months ago where the poster described the gumbo as meatless goop. I couldn't have said it better myself, and realize his review didn't encourage a change. Sad. read more

The service was great that's why the 3 stars but the food had no flavor, I should of drove to the rocking crawfish in Oakland

Looking at the recent reviews, it looks like this place might have had a recent management and/or ownership change? I'll be honest and tell you all that when my ex-GF and I went in here to get some food, we expected to be served some good stuff. But all for naught. That didnt happen, but the service from our waitress was good tho. She was very nice to us even though we did display our dissapointment to the awful food that was served to us. Yeah, it was pretty bad. Add insult to injury, it wasnt a cheap meal either. However, with that said, we are a couple that really don't look at pricing when it comes to good food. And unfortunately for them, I don't drink alcohol anymore so the chance of forgiveness thru being drunk was also passed on. I have to call a spade, a spade. This was a bad meal. And it does'nt really matter for me to start listing what was ordered because if you all look at the menu, in theory, there wasnt anything bad written on it? Okay, well, we both had the clam chowder for starters and that was bad. My iced tea was hella sweet and her hot tead was crap too. For the main entree she ordered the one pound king crab and she complained it was tasteless. Was not meaty. I had some and she was right. I had the catfish fried basket and Ive never had a bad catfish in awhile. Well, guess what? I did that day. cajun fries that came with it was not good. when we walked thru the door for dinner service after 6pm, there was only one other couple that came in with us. That should have been the tell-tale sign for us. There's only reason why we went in there was because we were staying at the hotel next door to the cinemas and this was very convenient. I felt really bad for taking her to this place and it was my suggestion. She comes to the US once or twice a year and I felt bad subjecting her to this bad food. I'm very sorry to my ex! read more

My king crab legs were frozen in the middle. Very disappointed cuz they were $40 for 2. Not even fresh. I can make better crab myself...fresh. Good sides tho fries were really good. Go here to watch game,fried food, beer. Seafood is inconsistent. Not to mention FROZEN! read more

The food was fresh and simply to die for! We had a family bucket of crab, shrimp, oysters, muscles, corn, and potatoes! There was so much food. They had a bar which also made the wait seem like nothing! Great date night atmosphere! read more

Friendly staff. Takes advantage of the fact that it's the only place in that immediate area that serves Louisiana cuisine. The shrimp po boy is okay. Not ground-breaking, but okay. The best part of my meal was the lobster Mac and Cheese; pretty good but I've had better. I will try one of the bakes next time but for now, 3 out of 5. read more

This place sucks. I was trying to come up with something catchy, but figured I might as well call it as I see, well, taste it. I read a good portion of the reviews and thought I'd give it a try. I had their snow crab legs with the garlic butter sauce and they're "famous" garlic noodles. I honestly think I could have bought the crab at Costco, nuked it, melted butter, poured it all over my crab, and would have gotten the same exact result. There wasn't any hint of garlic to be had at all. The crab was extremely dry and fishy tasting. The sauce was just what I explained. Nothing more than plain ol' melted butter. I don't know what and why people rave about their garlic noodles either. Now, to be fair, I think Crustaceans and/or Thanh Long have THE best garlic noodles in all the land and I think I tasted Backyard Broiler's noodles assuming it would be similar. Boy was I wrong. It tastes NOTHING like it at all. It had a very burnt garlic taste to it. Could be because my dish literally had charred garlic pieces in it, or at least that's what I hope it was. It seemed to almost disintegrate when I was poking at it. I took one hopeful, semi-heaping forkful of it and threw the rest out. If you're like me and debating whether to try this place out- DON'T. Head to Hang Ten Broiler at Southland Mall instead. You won't regret it. read more

Buyer Beware! I've been to this place 3 different times and ordered to go. If you pay with cash and do not have correct change they will short you everytime. If you dare ask for correct change they will make you feel petty and cheap and claim they have to do a bunch of extra stuff to get you your correct change. It's a very unprofessional act especially since they do not ask if it's ok. I have never seen a buisness operate like this. It's a very odd and geedy practice. I feel very offended and insulted. I will never go go back to this place for this reason alone. read more

Amazing crawfish! Boyfriend wishes they had better beer selection. Corn and sausage was good also. Decent portions. Cajun edamame was different in a good way. Overall very good and will be going back soon! read more

This review is long overdue, I frequent this restaurant so it's only right I express how pleased I am with the food, consistency & the awesome staff. I've never experienced a place with such great customer service each time I visit. The owners & management did a great job making sure customer service is a priority I will continue to patronize this business. read more

Great food, cozy place, friendly staff... i like their shrimps in cajun sauce.. i went there three times and one is for to go. Everything went well.. read more

The food was great! Service was fast and the server was very friendly and prompt...she always asked if we were doing ok and if everything with our meal experience was going well! (Didn't catch our server's name). The only reason for 1 star off was because of the price; it was a bit pricey for me...for only a shrimp po'boy sandwich, a 2 pound dungeness crab, and 2 waters: Total bill came out to $65 for 2 people. Other than that, I really enjoyed the food, service, and ambiance of the place. read more

This place has to be one of the worst sea food experiences I ever had. I ordered the shrimp Cajun mild. Clams Cajun mild. and garlic fries Cajun mild. Just a friendly piece of advice nobody order the clams! Literally all you get is a flavorless tiny piece of clam. And a lot of the clams are missing your pretty much paying for a flavorless bag of shells. And as far as the shrimp goes. It wasn't that great. It had very low taste of sodium. And that's what it needed. Overall 1/5. Worst seafood I've ever had. read more

Cajun seasoning on the shrimp, the lobster mac and cheese, the deep fried okra. Cant forget the garlic noodles. Yummmm all soo good. Must go here! read more

I really really like this place! You really get that local vibe when you walk in. The food is great, and the service is spectacular! All the servers look the same, can't really tell who's, who..Just a pound a shrimp satisfies me! Just don't get the sweet potato fries, it's really really plain. Looks like they straight up got it from a frozen sunny select bag and dumped it in the fryer.. No seasoning or anything... At first, it was a 5 star review but now talking about the sweet potato fries ... Now it's a 4 star! Oh wells! read more

This place is great for any seafood. I have the catfish basket with regular fries. The fish has such a great taste to it. Other time you can get the bag of crab which is just so tasty. Its just great all around. read more

The food was decent. The workers were nice but they stared a lot and weren't enthusiastic about being there. The most uncomfortable thing about stuffing your face is having all 4 workers staring at you while you're doing it. I would suggest that the turn their tables around so they aren't staring at the people who face the kitchen. I could barely hear what the waiter was saying, it was like he was whispering. The bathroom doors should have the doors that you just push to open instead of having to handle it with your crab hands. Also, they played house/mash up music which made us want to eat really fast. They should play something more relaxing. read more

Came here today because I was craving boiling crab, but too lazy to drive so far and too hungry to wait! My brother suggested this place and I'm surprised how good it was... MMM! The backyard flavor with shrimp is THE ONE! Plus the Cajun garlic fries.. Yes with garlic! Minus 1 star because a fly wanted to watch us eat....... read more

What happen to this place!!?? All the server using cellular phone. Don't care about customers. I told them to make hot hot n,awlins hot. But not even spicy. No more backyard bayou. read more

Its okay not good not bad. We took the house special sauce.The sauce lacks flavor . We had batter cajun sauce before thats why may be we didn't like this one. They should work on their sauce. We were seated right away but the server was slow. read more

I really wanted to love this place. I got take out one night on my way home from work. I ordered gumbo, jambalaya, and corn bread. The gumbo was very good. I wish they had bigger orders than just 8oz. I'd order that all by itself. The jambalaya was very spicy and had a lot of yummy sausage. The few muscles, clams and shrimp on top were a little fishy and I decided not to chance eating old seafood. The cornbread was ok. It was an order of 4 muffins and I only ate 2 over 2 days and didn't eat the rest. So, overall, I liked the food, but other than the gumbo, I don't think I'd go back. They have other items on the menu that might be worth checking out. When I went in to pick up, I saw they did crawfish poured over brown paper on the tables. That might be fun with a cold beer. read more

Food took forever to even come out, and when it actually did it was cold which meant they just left it sitting there

Order bayou bucket one pound shrimp and one pound of mussels and a whole lobster. The mussels had a bad taste and odor to it. Definitely not coming back to this place. read more

Tried this place for the first time today and my husband and I were pleased with our experience. We're from LA and recently moved to the Bay Area so we're pretty used to Boiling Crab and its imitations back in the San Gabriel Valley. This place was comparable. Our only complaint is that the mussels were on the small side but at least they were fresh. The sweet potato fries were also a little bit overcooked. I have no complaints regarding their shrimp and their sauce was perfect. We will definitely be back again. read more

Pink, grainy cat fish, and you can see one of the two bad clams i spat out. Half my pound wasn't cooked till open. Save the trouble, drive the distance, wait in the three hour line, eat at boiling crab. And the gumbo is lackluster, tepid, odd milky quality like too much corn starch, no okra.... But military discount. read more

Finally found a place good enough so I don't have to drive down to SJ for Boiling Crab. Not as good as BC, but still pretty damn tasty!!! (Based on my typical order of clams & shrimp Backyard Bayou & Hot & Cajun fries) Oh, and Charlene is only thee best server! read more

This was my second time coming here I only got the Togo shimp... I asked for cajun and I got garlic butter ... I was really disappointed about that ... but I guess I should have checked before I left . Also they should chop the garlic more and not leave it and big ol pieces... I would only come here if my friends come or something.. it's not bad just personally I know a lot of better places read more

Just tried this place since we visited families who lived nearby. I was very impressed with the service. Servers were nice and polite. Food was great! I ordered the shrimp/crab/corn/crawfish and sausage combo bucket and it was delicious! I'll definitely come again when I visit Union City. A must try. Great atmosphere too. What's not to like! read more

My boyfriend and I tried this place out and we were seated right away! We went during happy hour where the oysters were $1.50. We decided to order a pound of crawfish (with the combo sauce medium spice) and the chicken strips with cajun fries. Unfortunately, it was so yummy that we finished everything without taking a picture. The seasoning of the crawfish definitely had a different flavor to what I'm normally used to at other cajun places, like Kickin' Crab. It gave a uniqueness to their sauce, and I thought it was delicious. Their oysters were super duper fresh and each one was of high quality. There were none that had fishy or bad tastes so the oysters were definitely worth it. My boyfriend ate the chicken strips and they filled him up, but in terms of flavor, they were okay (but I understand that this is a cajun place so that's totally okay). The service was really great and they always checked up on us to make sure we were doing okay or if we needed anything. It was four stars instead of five because the pricing of the food is a little bit on the pricier end compared to other places that I've been to. Their deals don't exactly compare to other deals I've seen before, and my pound of crawfish didn't include any potatoes/sausages/corn (I'm guessing that was extra). Other places that I have been to include these in their bags. Besides that, everything was great! Would love to go back again when I'm in the mood for cajun seafood! read more

Today's visit was awesome as I been trying to come here for a long time but couldn't due to my freinds are allergic to shell fish I came out with my God Daughters Family big Seafood Lovers Man first off Customer Service was 5 Stars Checking in 4 Stars needs to be a bit more Organized when singing in Servers 5 Stars for recommendation and the Menu and what to order Man awesome king Crab with the top notch fries corn on the cob my Family had the Crab also some Salom Rice Dish Mac and Cheese 5 Stars will be making this place our go to for crab read more

This is the best boiling crab restaurant I've ever had! It was recommended by my friend who lives in this area. Their water is not tab water but purified water. They gives us plenty of limes. What's most impressive is their employees are super nice and willing to help! Highly recommended! Must try! read more

We come here about once or twice a month. I've never had bad service! The servers are always attentive and the food is ALWAY on point. We usually don't have to wait too long for a table either. Sometimes we come in with as much as 12 people and probably waited a max of 20 minutes.. I usually get the crayfish or shrimp, while my husband loves their blackened salmon or po-boys. My kids get the Cajun wings and garlic fries. We've tried many items and the only thing that hasn't been a hit was the clam chowder.. but eh, 1 out of all the stuff we tried, not a bad ratio.. Not sure why anyone would go to boiling crab. Come here instead!!! read more

Worst food ever!!!!!! EVER! I ordered to go, the place was empty, ran in 15 min. later for pickup and the place was still empty. I got home and opened the food bag, and I could see why. I should have taken photos it was so nasty. I can't even describe it and be believed. What a sad day. I couldn't eat any of it. :( read more

Customer Service = 4 stars! Food = 2 stars. First time, Saturday afternoon. My wife got 1 lb of boiled shrimp in Cajun seasoning. Got mild but will get hotter next time. Said the flavor was good. I tried a bite of one of her boiled potatoes, and I liked the flavor. So, not liking to tear apart my food - I got alternate menu items: Gumbo: flavor was good but VERY salty (but I don't use much salt in my food). Fried catfish (breaded): no seasoning on it's own, or in the breading. Tartar sauce tasted only like mayonnaise (even the server agreed after I mentioned it). Cajun fries: surprisingly not that flavorful (they were better after I put them on the gumbo!). Garlic bread: very dry and crispy, and didn't taste like garlic. I did like the small Asian 'salad' that came with my platter - very refreshing. I might try it again. read more

Very simple restaurant with good food. Friendly atmosphere with lots of customers. We were disappointed in the presentation. Food was served in to-go containers with plastic silverware, it is named Backyard for a reason. The server bought the wrong side dish. My friend took a taste before she realized it wasn't what she ordered. The server tried to take it back, what was he going to do with this dish? Because we wouldn't let him take the dish off the table, he charged us for both side dishes and wouldn't take it off the check. Because of this I just don't trust eating. These seafood restaurants are popping up all over the Bay Area so there is good competition with great food. We won't go back there. read more

Really like this place go there a few times a month the Lobster shrimp crab combo is a bit pricey but it is a lot of food for two people. The garlic noodles are great with andouille sausage just be careful they're hot is really hot I get the mild one spicy enoug me...four stars because they serve Pepsi and the ice tea isn't great read more

Amazing food this place is really good for a decent price the food is fresh and seasoned perfectly I highly recommend Backyard Bayou

Coming from a gal who just came from Louisiana, this place is bomb!!! Seafood is so fresh. I had the lobster roll and my hubby had the pound of garlic butter shrimp with hot links. We shared garlic noodles. Everything was soooo good. We couldn't finish. Glad I wore my stretchy pants. I'll definitely be coming back time and time again. Service was quick and our waitress was so sweet and helpful! Prices are fair, nothing could be improved about this place!! It's a must go. In a prime location in union landing next to the movies and Starbucks. Perfect for date night!! read more

I came here for the first time and I had no idea what to order, but my server Nicco really helped me through the menu and even provided me with suggestions. He was very accommodating and attentive!! Great service, pretty funny and super friendly. Would definitely come again and request him in the future. I ended up ordering the garlic fries, calamari, and blackened salmon rice bowl and would really recommend the salmon bowl! :) read more

Just left that place for the umpteenth time. This place never ceases to impress me.. the food is always amazing, takes me forever to figure what I'm having. They always have a great, yet, random beer selection.. the Shadow Puppet double IPA tonight was exactly what I wanted. And last and most importantly.. the service was straight impeccable. From the hostess to the waitress all the way to the chef making rounds and saying "what's up, how was it?" I've never thought to yelp them but tonight was especially great so I thought I could at least do this. Straight love this place period read more