First timer here, Met with 2 Buddies and we CHOWED DOWN!!! We order by the pound, Shrimp Crab, Lobster Corn and Potatoes!!! SPICY! was perfect! Fresh seafood, really, really good. Came out one bag poured family style onto a table covered with a sheet of wax paper! Casual atmosphere, a bit pricey but well worth it. read more

spent an hour waiting to even sit down. when I tried to sit down an employee was rude and didn't let me sit. eventually sat down sat there for 20min and no offer for drinks no apologies for the wait or nothing. I would not recommend this place read more

The hubby and I enjoyed a nice solid date night with some good snow crab and crawfish boil thrown smackdown style on the paper on our table! We started with a pound of each and and an order of potatoes, corn and rice. Seaoned house way medium spice. Finished that up and ordered another pound of snow cran and finished that off too (well he did)... yes he can put it away... The food was great! The service was too! It might have been a little hard to grab our servers attention at times, she was the only one tending tables but she was as nice as they get, trust me! I'm okay with waiting if they are nice and friendly and their busyness isn't because of something like being on their phones. Nope, she was chopping lemons! You know, working!!! The restrooms were clean! The remaining staff were just as friendly. In fact, when it became really busy the owner (?) Started delivering the steaming heaven seafood! The only thing I wish is that they would devein their shrimp because then I'd definitely order that too. Why not 5 stars? Only because that's reserved for my one favorite spot in Florida that nobody can beat yet! This is more Cajun but my Florida spot is Asian so it's totally different (even though they are both operated by Asian people!)... read more

Big Hot Crab - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

I am totally in love with this place. The food is reasonably priced, the service is great, and the quality of the seafood is AMAZING. It is hard to find another place like this in Chico! I'm so glad that my bf and I have found another gem for our date nights! read more

So good!! Big Hot Crab is a must-stop for me every time I'm in town. I always get a 1/2 pound of shrimp, two corns, and potatoes with the non-spicy house sauce, and is delicious!! I highly recommend stopping here if you're looking for a fun, great meal read more

Big Hot Crab - shrimp, corn, & potatoes with non-spicy house sauce - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Love coming here as a special treat for myself. I usually get it to go and I get one pound of shrimp one pound of mussels, corn, potatoes and if I'm really hungry I'll get crab! Ooh my mouth is salivating just writing this review. read more

Big Hot Crab - Shrimp, mussels, potatoes, and corn. - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Literally the best seafood I've ever had lots of flavor big portions service was fast portions were big and not too expensive. Sooooo delicious!!! read more

I was skeptical at first being a visitor to this beautiful small town. Let me tell you this is by far one of the best seafood places I have visited mind you I travel for work throughout California. Service was out faste and was beyond delicious, customer service is great restaurant is spacious. Ordering for the third time today this week would definitely visit this restaurant on my time off just for their food I would post pictures but the last two times I ordered I tore up every last bit of food before even thinking of taking a picture haha hopefully today I remember to take pictures! read more

Fabulous food and a fun place to hang out. Tried something new and the kids loved it. Will definitely return

great place to enjoy some cajun seafood, prices aren't too expensive and the choices for seafood and spicy level are also great.

Big Hot Crab. Possibly the most unassuming name and location for one of Chico's unique treasures. In the three or so years since their opening, I found myself dining here at least every other month. Never have I been disappointed. The service is always great, and the food is even better. Such a great experience every time. As long as everyone in your party likes seafood and is prepared for a messy, gluttonous affair, you are in for a real treat. The cajun fries are a must, but other than that, don't waist time on the fried menu. It's all about the boil. Here's a perfect order for 4 people, and it will come to about $100 or $25/person (before tip): 4 drinks Cajun fries for appetizer 2lb shrimp 2 crab clusters (basically 1/2 crab each) 1/2 lb clams 1/2 lb sausage 8 corn House style-spice depends on preference Another cajun fries to soak up sauce(seriously) read more

Big Hot Crab - The boil done right (4 people) - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Fraud as they weigh the sauce with the kings crab legs. 1.4lbs of sauce, 0.6lbs of legs. Garbage place. Been to all the boiling crabs, etc in the bay. This place should go out of business for this practice. read more

Would give zero stars if an option. I waited an hour to get a seat, then awhile for them to take my order. Then waited an additional hour to get my order only to find out they didnt give me what i ordered. I asked for a pound and a half of their crab and they gave me 4 tiny small crab legs. Service is horrible and takes too long waiting time. Worst waste of 2 hours and 20 minutes of my life. read more

I grew up in the bay and we had many places like this the last couple years I was there. I have been hoping for one since i've been in chico. Little did i know there was one. I was told bad stories about the place that was here before Big Hot Crab so I never even thought about coming, today, i decided to look at their pictures on yelp and got so excited because I've been searching for this kind of seafood place for a while. As busy as they were, food was not compromised. I ordered togo and had to wait 40 minutes. I was not mad though. The man at the front had forwarned me which was nice. I am very impressed with the food. I do wish there were options for extra sauce on the side though. But overall, great first experience. Food is great. Hot, but not unbearable. A must try read more

If you're craving Boiling Crab or Rockin Crawfish, this is the place to go. My family and I always order about 7lbs to feast at home. Today my husband, my sister, and my BIL had dinner here. Still delicious always. I'm asian and can handle spicy but I went with mild so that the spicy does not overwhelm my meal. However my crazy sister got extra hot and she said it wasn't spicy enough for her. Everything is very tasty but I could use more sauce and more rice. I definitely recommend though. Very nice owner and a fun experience peeling the shrimps. So good! read more

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I have heard most of the bad stories about this place so I never took to the chance to try it until on one of my friends recommended it to me and I decided to give it a chance. I went there right before class to grab some lunch and the place was not busy at all they only had two other customers. The server was really friendly and the service was really fast. I ordered the Cajun style which was surprisingly pretty spicy! I ordered about a pound of the shrimp which was enough to share with one other person. It was all very delicious and a lot of fun eating with your hands! I would recommend to anyone to just ignore the bad stories that they heard and give this place a chance to see for themselves! read more

Big Hot Crab - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Our waitress was a doll! Great food too! I ordered the craw fish, crab legs and mussels. It was perfectly cooked. The medium sauce and lemon/garlic butter is where it's at. Highly recommend. read more

Big Hot Crab - Fried calamari rings. Bread. Mussels, crab legs, crawfish, potatoes in medium sauce and lemon/garlic butter. - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Ate here for the first time! It was definitely a fun experience. We started with the Cajun fries, and both loved them. We almost needed two orders of the fries. The meal was great; tasty and entertaining. If you're not ready to get a little messy, this isn't probably going to your cup of tea.. but if it doesn't bother you it makes for a great date. My boyfriend and I had a blast figuring everything out. We ordered the mild, bc we heard it was pretty spicy, but next time we will definitely order the medium to see how that is. The mild had some good heat to it, but it wasn't crazy spicy. I was expecting our bill to be a little more hefty when we were done, but I was pleasantly surprised with our tag for the amount of seafood we devoured. I'll definitely be returning... maybe even just for a Togo order of fries here and there. (yes, they were that good) but overall for the food, I can't wait to come back. The only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was the building. Its an old diner, and the old diner layout just doesn't quite go with the dining experience the building currently offers. Obviously the layout doesn't determine what makes a great food experience, but it just felt a little mismatched. read more

One of my favorite places to go in Chico. Reminds me of boiling crab / rockin crawfish in Sacramento and the Bay Area. The only thing I don't like about this place is that they don't give much of the sauce which means I can't pour it over my rice. My favorite flavor is garlic butter. The lemon pepper is cool too but it's a bit too lemon-y for me. read more

Take out order Seafood was filthy they added hella extra seafood and it made our total 80$ boyfriend got it anyway order wasn't worth it I could have made better at home or went to red lobster I'm assuming the tank with the crab is dirty because I've never spent that much money on dirty unclean seafood I was sCared I was going to get sick but after spending all that money we was like we gotta eat it at this point praying to the gods we don't get sick if I find the pictures I'll post them I wouldn't recommend read more

This is so simple and so good. This place is like super old school but really you don't need much but a table cloth and crab crackers! My boyfriend and I shared ****1 lb King Crab, 1 Lobster Tail, .5 lb of Clams and .5 lb of Mussels, .25 lb of sausage, 1 order of potatoes, 1 corn. Lemon pepper fries to start and a roll of bread. 2 Beers and a Soda. $60 total + tip. Could of shaved a few items of. Next time no bread, possibly rice instead. Soak up all the goodness. We were stuffed and had a lot to take home even. read more

Had heard from my neighbors that the food was good, but it was amazing!! I can't handle hot food so we ordered the Non Spicy, with house style sauce & it was great. There is a lot of flavor in every bite! We ordered shrimp, potatoes, corn, king crab legs, clams, sausage & a loaf of bread. The service was great. Our server helped us with the ordering process since it was our first time. If you love seafood & Cajun spices, you will love this place!! Can't wait to go again!! read more

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I decided to try this place out because it was new in town and I was craving boiling crab, we got shrimp, corn, clam chowder, fries, and chicken strips, for the shrimp we got all sauce on it and medium spice, it was a little spicy but lacks flavor, and the corn tasted old, clam chowder tasted like it was from a can. It wasn't busy but service was slow and our waiter forgot to add two things we ordered on the ticket. Honestly, I wouldn't come here again, boiling crab is where it's at. read more

Big Hot Crab - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

I came to visit from the Bay Area. My friend suggested we have dinner here yesterday. WOW. It was amazing. So amazing, that I came for dinner today. Yes, had the same dinner two days in a row. What I ordered: 1 pound of shrimp with all of the sauces, mild heat, and added 1/4 pound of sausage in there. Result= amazing amazing dinner Price: $14 bucks read more

Our favorite place to go in Chico!!!! Everytime we go in they greet us with love. Food is quick and super tasty. Recommend everyone to stop by and try this place out!!! read more

Shame on us for taking 3 years to try Big Hot Crab across from Shubert's! I will admit the name was a mystery and the look of the place is...well. We had 1/2 pound of shrimp and mussels with a 1/4 lb. sausage thrown in. Add some corn and rice and dive in. Wow, was it good. We had no spice heat and had so much messy, delicious fun. It was hot like the stove and didn't have a to be hot like chili peppers. This is VietCajun as shown by the house sauce. Yum! Nothing but shells when done. read more

Big Hot Crab - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Amazing flavor. Get some rice to soak it up and watch the spice as it tends to be in the hot side. Worth every penny.

This is a one of a kind dining experience... we came one afternoon and was surprised that the style is totally different... you order by the pound, then they cook according to your liking. There is just a white paper on the table and when they brought what we ordered, they poured it on the table. That's it! No bowls, no utensils. And when we asked, they said it's cajun style. Oh well, the shrimp we ordered got 5 stars from me. It was really good. But my husband didn't like it when the shrimp had to be poured on the table with its sause. He's not comfy so I guess I'll just come back with a friend who likes to eat with bare hands. read more

Delicious! Love this place. Super good seafood! It can be on the pricey side but it's good food & I always leave stuffed!

Our friends and my wife and I had a fun and flavorful dinner here on a Saturday evening after spending the day marveling at the prolific wildflowers at Table Mtn. We split an order of shrimp and crawdads and our friends split an order of shrimp and crab. They had their meal "no spice" (not hot) and we had the "mild" (very little heat). Next time we may try a little more heat, but we loved the flavorful meal. We enjoyed the good beer and the friendly atmosphere. Our service was perfect.... all in all an enjoyable time was enjoyed here. We'll definitely be back again! read more

Always go here on my days off. Owner is a very nice guy. Or at least I think that's the owner. He makes you feel welcomed. That's a plus in my book. The place is very clean, service is fast, there's nothing to complain. The food is great! I never leave this place without feeling like Ima go home and take a food coma nap. read more

Big Hot Crab - Very clean and tidy inside. I love it - Seafood Near Me - Chico, California

Worst service ever!!! They intentionally do not answer the phone so you cannot place an order or book a table. This is not ethical in terms of busniess. Will not return because I will not wait an hour to place an order when it is 100 degrees outside. To top it off the owners are rude and do not even say thank you. When I ask them to call me when my order is ready they say they cannot, rudely. Just a small gesture could go a long way but they maliciously try to be rude to their customers. Get more help if you cannot keep up with demand instead of being rude but still trying to take the money. read more

If they deveined their shrimp, this would be 5 stars. There's something VERY off-putting about knowing you're eating shrimp crap in every bite. I may sound crazy, but I swear the vein part tastes different - a nasty, pasty taste, which just can't be good. If you can get over the vein issue, you get a great amount of food for your money and it's a dining experience unlike any other. Just make sure to not wear dressy clothes! You will be a mess, but they have good washing stations to help. I wouldn't recommend this place for a first, second, or even third date. This is more one of those been-married-for-ten-years-and-stopped-caring kinda places. I know from experience :P read more

There food is good, it's hot and tasty, but the service is absolutely terrible. The owner is so kind and is always so nice to everyone but the girl (she looks newer because I've been going there often) she always rolls her eyes and she always act like she doesn't want to help. I've never been rude to her or anything always making sure saying "thank you" and "please" but she always seems to have an attitude every time. I tip her at least 15% every time but the service doesn't get better. Restaurants it's important to have good service to people come back but with this service I see why people would not want to. read more

Food was delicious..!! M in love with big hot crab.. it was really hot food. I will definitely go back there again. We tried shrimp ,mussels , clams. garlic butter sauce was better than Lemmon pepper read more

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When we were in Mississippi back in 1974 we went out for a real crab boil dinner while we lived there. Today we were surprised to find the Big Hot Crab. The food was all we could ask for with really good shrimp and crab. Great service too, helping with how to order. You can find better more "authentic" cajun food, in Louisiana, but in Northern California? The Big Hot Crab is a small Asian mom-n'-pop so it's not "authentic" or extravagant, but you're also not going to have to sell your first-born child to eat here either. Personally I wish they would play up the Asian side of things more and go in an Asian-creole fusion direction, but that may be too much for the local palette. Oh well, definitely worth giving it a try if you're in the area and in the mood for seafood. read more

Awesome, messy hands on food! These folks have a great niche, top of the line crab boil!

Decided to make the "long" drive to Chico from Redding for my birthday dinner since Redding's dining options are super limited. So glad we did! This place is fantastic. The service is warm and friendly and the food is superb. This is not a place to go in your Sunday best (you WILL get a little something on you) or to bring a first date (eating with your hands may not make the best impression), but if you are there with friends and family...let loose! Everyone gets a bib - so you know it's going to be a good time. This was our first time, so we weren't really sure what to order, so we went with one of their more popular suggestions - crab, mussels, shrimp, clams and corn. He asked us about spice level and we went with medium - I like it hot and even I was getting a little warm under the collar. Our server did say that their "mild" is like Mexican "hot", but we threw caution to the wind and went for it. It was really spicy - but delicious. You've been warned. I digress. We also ordered some chicken wings (Cajun) that showed up dry (which is how I like them) with a blue cheese/ranch dipping sauce that was fabulous. We got some fried oysters that were super yummy and came out hot with some tartar sauce (don't judge on our amount of food-we weren't sure of protocol!). Our main meal came with Cajun fries that were outstanding! Then came the main course. He brought it in a bag within a bucket. He asked if we'd prefer it served in the bag or on the table. Since we were feeling wild and crazy, we opted for the table. He squeezed all this glorious food out of the bag onto the middle of our table. It swear I heard angels singing. The shrimp still have heads, FYI. You are going to work for the tasty bits of crab and shrimp, but it's so worth it. The corn was tender and delicious. Next time we will opt to get some potatoes and sausage thrown it - because there will DEFINITELY be a next time. We were a mess when we were done, but they have a handy wash station to wash your hands. I'm stingy with my five star ratings, but this place totally deserves it. The service was outstanding and the food was amazing. It's a fun, relaxed environment and something that you can talk about at length before, during and after dinner. I'm so glad we took the time to visit. read more

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Never disappointed, it's a nice little Cajun spot for Chico! The wait time is never that long either which is a plus!

Went here last night for an early dinner and was beyond stoked on how GOOD this place is. I was skeptical at first because it's a Cajun Seafood Boil place where they put down paper on the table and you choose what seafood you want in your bag and you eat with your hands. Man was I wrong!! This place was so good and so was the sea food. It's a bit pricey, but only if you get the more expensive sea food. I got lobster tail, mussels, shrimp, sausage, and potatoes and it was definitely enough food for two which came out to be $31.20 with tax. But damn it had so much flavor and freshness. I really hope this place makes it because there's nothing like it in Chico and it was really, really good. They have a hand washing station as well so once you're done you can go wash up. Service was awesome, restaurant was clean, and their Register system was super high tech so splitting tickets is no problem. Will be back for sure!! P.S. When choosing a sauce, get the House Style. UPDATE: 6/1/17 still good, glad to see this place still going. It is a bit pricey. But good seafood in Chico that's about 5 hours from the ocean is expensive. Worth it. read more