1st word ... Shrimp. 2nd word ... Bag. 3rd word ... Holy-freaking-flavor-explosion. Seriously ... how have I survived this long without throwing a pound of boiled shrimp in a bag, adding to it a couple of ears of corn and a few hot-links, and dousing it all with an amazing spicy-cajun-sauce? So when my Grub buddy T told us about The Boiling Crab, it wasn't a matter of when I'd go there ... but more a question of how many people I'd knock down as I barreled through anyone in my path. Let's just say this ... it was a pretty unique experience and it definitely lived up to the hype. You get this bag ... loaded with goodies from the sea ... you get to dump it all onto a table covered in wax paper ... and then dig into it like a pack of wild dogs ... starving wild dogs. And these aren't your average shrimp either ... they're the real deal ... heads and all. Sure I was a little hesitant at first ... but after a couple of those burst-in-your-mouth taste bombs, I was ready to go Yao Ming on those little suckers. We started the meal off with some moist, fire-cracker-hot-wings and super-cajun-battered fries ... amazing. But hang on to a couple of of those fries to dip straight into the bag. Oh yes ... the bag. Filled with shrimp and bursting with flavor. But equally amazing was the corn soaking up all the juices from the spicy cajun "gravy" as T likes to call it. Forget corn on the cob ... it's all about corn in the bag ... bathed in spices. The lunch was awe-inspiring ... but what could make this day any better? Well queue up Mark F. and Linda D. and their suggestion for dinner that very night of an almost carbon copy of The Boiling Crab known as The Boat House ... So you know what I say? ... Bring on the double decker shrimp-boil grub-fest. The Lakers in 2010 ... Clinton in 1996 ... two people trying to figure out who's taller ... it's all about the back-to-back. Still full from lunch, but tickled at the prospect of doing a Good Grub throw-down ... I loaded up my camera and headed back into the ring to do battle once again. This round we brought in a secret weapon that The Boiling Crab didn't allow ... the bring your own French roll. For me, this was the x-factor. We stopped by a local Vietnamese bakery on the way ... and thank goodness for imperialism ... were delighted with some soft baked French bread, prefect to dip into the bag and make sure we left no juice behind. There definitely were subtle differences between the flavors at the two places, with maybe a slight edge going to The Boiling Crab ... but truthfully, both were amazing. I guess it just comes down to a lesson taught by a couple of African American orphans and a generous older white guy ... It takes different strokes to move the world. (I dare you to watch that video and not feel dirty ... How can a rich dude lure a couple of kids into his limo and not be up to something bad?) But we digress back to the deliciousness ... and that's exactly what it was ... a day that shall live in Grub-infamy. Sure The Boat House is probably ripping off the concept behind The Boiling Crab ... but who am I to get upset when it brings more belly-satisfying-GRUB into the world. So pick a spot and hit it up, or pull off the back-to-back, whatever you do ... just go grab a bag of shrimp and bring on the happy. read more

Boat House - Good To Grub! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Alhambra, California

Definitely a great alternative if you don't feel like waiting an eternity for boiling crab. Plus their hours of operation are more convenient as well. I ordered coconut shrimp with cajun fries, because I was feeling adventurous but I wasn't impressed. The coconut shrimp was too sweet and coconutty and the cajun fries are a joke. Stay away from their fried stuff and order a pound of shrimp or sea food of choice with their house special. Their sauce is amazing! read more

Came here because Boiling Crab was an hour wait. What a SAD day as Boat House didn't satisfy my cravings for cajun shrimps. This place is NOTHING like Boiling Crab. I guess 2 stars for the friendly service. read more

Noteworthy things about BoatHouse: 1. Never packed, even during dinner time. If you are just craving cajun style seafood and want the basics of Boiling Crab without actually getting BC, come on over here and avoid the 45 minute wait. This also means better service, because the servers have more time to pay attention to you! They came and refilled my water several times without me asking. It's such a simple gesture but plays significantly into my tip-giving. 2. Lots of garlic in the sauce, even in the House Special. Garlic makes everything better! 3. If you hit $38 (minus tax) with your order, you get a free pound of shrimp. Even if you're off by a couple of cents, they won't give it to you, so just add on the cheapest thing for less than $1 (a piece of corn is 75 cents) to get that free pound. 4. Parking in the front is super awkward, but if you drive on towards the right of the restaurant there's a lot in the back. Or you can park on the street outside. 5. There are several TV's in the restaurant for you to watch sports games, so you won't need to worry about missing anything. The prices here are similar to that of BC, so personally I'd rather pay the money to go eat at BC. The quality of the shrimp at BC is better too because the BoatHouse shrimp seemed a bit too overcooked and mushy. But if I don't want to wait and just want those damn oysters already (it's supposedly an aphrodisiac, but it just makes me want OYSTERS more), I don't mind coming here. Add on some fries, and I'm happy. They use cod for their fish and chips here, but I would rather have catfish. Nom, fried catfish. read more

People would rather go to boiling crab but the line is way too long and a little more pricey... When the boat house has no waiting list and thet food taste just as good! I always get Cajun shrimp hot style with a couple of corns... Mmm and you can't leave behind the ice cold pitcher of beer! (love wearing the bib and feeling like a messy 5 year old... It gives me an excuse to have food in my hair and all over my face) read more

ok so went here again after X # of months.tried out the fish & chips and sweet potatoe fries. Do not order them.Fish was overly fried and they need to change their batter.Swt potatoe fries were crinkle frozen fries.very disappointing.I dont like food that are too spicy and for a mild level man it was like spicy for us.Crawfish in season now so it was good and big.Clams were small.For seasoning get the cajun favor.Dont get their house sauce it's not that great compare to boling crab.Overall i still prefer cajun corner in OC.always fresh and big. read more

If you feel like waiting 30-45 minutes at the Boiling Crab then go there. Service here is mediocre. I came on a weekday and they only had one waitress. After seeing her running around like a madwoman the manager finally decided to lend a helping hand. We ordered a pound of shrimp with the house special, spicy and 2 pounds of mussels with the house special, one spicy and one extra spicy. If you like spicy food, the extra spicy is the way to go. There house special mix isn't as tasty as Boiling Crabs mix. Overall a good back up plan to have if Boiling Crab is super busy and they have $1.89 Coronas, Monday through Thursday. read more

I'd rather eat here than boiling crab. Why? Because the taste and quality of their crab is comparable to boiling crab and is about 20% cheaper. Plus I don't have to wait like an hour to get seated, I can just walk right in. King crab is reasonably price and tasty. And although this isn't a characteristic that I would normally judge a place by, the waitresses at boathouse are a lot cuter than boiling crab. read more

This is the PERFECT place to go if you craving something similar to Boiling Crab. I had some doubts before dining here due to the negative comments on this place but WOW! They did NOT disappoint with the food! SURRENDER THE BOOTY! Reminder: Don't order anything fried. You're gonna end up regretting it. Especially them cajun fries. read more

I wanted to go to the boiling crab but we weren't able to cause it was too busy so we came to the boat house, it was a little empty but that was fine by me. We ordered a ton of food... 1 lb lemon pepper shrimp, 1lb med garlic butter and 1lb Cajun shrimp. 1 dozen oysters, reg fries and rice. It was good food, the Cajun shrimp was saltly but the staff was friendly and we had a great time. If you don't feel like waiting an hour for the boiling crab come to the boat house :) read more

Boat House - 1lb garlic butter, 1lb Cajun shrimp, 1lb lemon pepper, 1 dozen oysters - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Alhambra, California

lolololol places like these are not worth comparing to boiling crab, please don't its far from the same thing except for serving the same type of food. The seafood here are NOT NOT NOT fresh, I repeat NOT NOT fresh. Again did I mention it's not fresh? People who say these are fresh clearly do have not had fresh seafood Another thing is that they use cheap paper that goes on the table and the sauce leaks through it and it makes the table disgusting as hell. If you can't tell then I'm telling you now. Let's just leave aside the freshness of the food here, the house special sauce is anything but special. It's just tolerable at best and at times I rather have the other sauces. But they do have one of the fastest servers around, as in man they walk around fast to get your orders. They move at the speed of lighting! I like the happy hour and potato fries which aren't bad. ( +1 star) I love oysters and this place does not have FRESH oysters, which is a shame the one thing that can turn me. Make the wait and spend your money on food that's actually good, sick and tired of people writing good review for a place that's not even close to being good. read more

No wait, fast service, inexpensive items, tasty food. I love this place! Will definitely be returning.

House special sauce was really good. The service could be better . Wasn't really acknowledged through the whole service. Our waitress went on lunch and didn't inform us so we waited forever for our check. On top of that, she didn't apologize for the inconvenience:( 3 stars for food, 2 stars for the price, 1 star for the service. read more

I really love this place from first bite it's never overly crowded the girls are nice and the food comes fast my only and I mean only hang up is the restroom i don't like it at all read more

This review is based on the shrimp during lunch time. I've been here twice to date. I love that during lunch, this place is completely empty. So you pretty much have the run of the place and the server is all yours. The price is a little cheaper than Boiling Crab and taste very similar. They even have their version of the whole she-bang. I am not sure if this promo applies during dinner time, but if you spend $25 or $30 worth of food, you get a pound of shrimp for free. That's a very good deal in my book. I don't think any other cajun place offers this deal. I did notice that the shrimp size was a little smaller. Or maybe it's just me. The decor is also very similar to boiling crab, but I do like their tables and bench style seats and the open space of the restaurant. I can say that the bench style seating is more comfy and doesn't feel flimsy like it's going to break under your weight. Beware though, the parking really stinks here. If you can get away with it, you can try to park at The Hat or the plaza next door. read more

another spot similar to Boiling Crab that specializes in marinated seafood that comes in a plastic bag and paper tables, bibs, etc. the lines are short, if not nonexistent compared to Boiling Crab...which can have a wait of 1.5hrs+ on a weekend. service was decent and food was okay...still prefer 'the whole shebang' marinade from Boiling Crab over this place's 'house special' marinade. all in all, decent place to get your seafood fix. read more

My favorite place to eat boiled shrimp and have some beer, great clean place, so good!!!

This place gets three stars just like Crabulous and Captain Crab did! I have to admit that this a pretty good alternative to Boiling Crab, but it's still not as good! It's the Boiling Crab secret sauce that I need to learn how to make! The parking at Boat House sucks! There are literally only like 6 parking spots and it's not even really a real parking lot! There were quite a few tables inside though, and it's definitely bigger than Boiling Crab. The service was good and this place opens later than Boiling Crab, which is why we came here on a late Friday night. They close at 12am whereas Boiling Crab closes at 10pm apparently! =/ read more

Always good when it comes to their food and service. We've been going to this restaurant way before Boiling Crab opened up in Ktown. The food comes out fast and the service is great. Love this place! read more

food here is pretty good another version of boiling crab recommended read more

Didn't eat the food was loved the beer selection. If you're overwhelmed by the selection, ask the bartender and he's very good at recommending you with what you want. read more

Yum! Gotta love the $35+ = 1 lb of free shrimp! Love the lack of wait. The taste and quality of the shrimp and crawfish have been consistent. read more

Welcome everybody its the wannabe boiling crab!!!!! okokok this place isnt that BADDDDD...the only reason we came here was because there was a hour and a half wait at boiling crab on a saturday night around 8pm....i was soooo hungry I couldnt wait and after passing by the boathouse all the time, might as well give this place a shot Parking is scarce just like boiling crab so you gotta find parking on the side streets...went in there and we were seated right away and i actually noticed people that were lining up at boiling crab went here as well...the items and prices on the menu are almost identical except they also have fried rice and shit...order 2lbs of shrimp mild cajun and fried scallop and cajun fries...overall quality of the food is not bad but i dont know theres something about boiling crabs cajun sauce that cant be beat, but anyways the sauce here is still good...for some reason i dont find their portions as big as boiling crab....soooo why did i give this place a 3 stars out of 5....well lets says DONT ORDER the fried stuff here and the cajun fCAJUN FRIES ries are just mcdonald fries seasoned with chili powder....like honestly the powder wasnt even spread out evenly on the fries...the fried scallop was overcooked with too much battered and tasted kind of old... but anyways if you cant stand the long ass lines at boiling crab then heres your second option read more

My fiance was craving Boiling Crab, and we decided that we wanted to give this place a shot instead. I definitely think the two restaurants are comparable, but the BoatHouse has one advantage... there is no crazy line/wait! read more

Honestly i never bother with Boiling Crab now that I've discovered Boat House! The staff are really friendly and attentive. Not to mention there's never a wait & the food comes out super quick! As for the taste, i can't really tell a difference between the food here and boiling crab. I would say the only thing they're missing is lemon pepper fries to completely triumph over boiling crab :( but all in all i love not waiting & the great service they provide! 100% recommend read more

i'm not a seafood fanatic, so take this review with a grain of salt. it tastes just as good as boiling crab, but without the WAIT. read more

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For tonight's visit, only 4 stars. Usually it'll be 5 but the food tonight was not as yummy as usual. Good special going on. Up from $35 to now $38 to get a free lb. of shrimp. Service was great as usual. Even made small talk when we walked in. Calamari was extra golden delicious tonight so that helped the under marinated shrimp. I'll always be back, but just wish this visit was as consistent as the previous ones. read more

This place is awesome....very random. You walk in and you do not know what to think of it because the place makes you feel like you're with chow yun fat in Pirates! Great service, really awesome servers. They were very helpful and kind. The prices are not too bad. This is a great place to pig out with friends and watch any game. Brilliant Beer Cylinder systems! Just ask for it. I like the writing on the wall from past guests. Make sure to bring your marker and leave a mark somewhere. I would have given this place 5 stars....Its just that when I went the first thing my nose inhaled was a trail scent of Tiger Balm or Bengay or somesort of pain relieving oinment. Yeah that did not work out for me. But asides from that.....everything is else is legit! read more

This is my go to place for the clams! I like to get the spicy Cajun seasoning and a side of Cajun fries. It's a lot less busier then boiling crab down the street and I think it's almost the same. read more

I'm in love with this place! It's never too crowded ... well the times I been there. Food is delicious! The spicy fried rice and mild shrimp is my favorite! they need more beer variety but it's ok . read more

me and my friend decided to eat here as an alternative to boiling crab b/c it was still open (10pm-ish) and he was craving seafood. my sister ate there once and said it was ok and it was "kind of like" boiling crab. yeah....it was NO WAY NEAR like boiling crab!! let me give you the reasons: 1.shrimp didn't taste fresh 2.not enough flavoring 3.garlic undercooked 4.tables aren't good for tall people (friend was 6'1'') scratch that, shit even i was uncomfortable and i'm 5'3''!! read more

I went there for the first time last week and this place was great!!! I love cajun food and fish and I wasn't disappointed. We were in for lunch I got a fish/chicken plate and my cousin ordered the lunch special of crawfish. We shared and both plates were fantastic! The craw fish came freshly tossed spicy. OH yeah and we got Michelob Amber Boch on Tap as well. I'll be back there on Saturday for lunch after golf again. Great spot!!! read more

I swear all of the sauces taste exactly the same!!! They have cajun, garlic butter, lemon pepper, and house special (which is a combination of all the sauces). My friends and I ordered a 3 lbs of shrimp in 3 different sauces and different levels of heat and we could not taste difference. I've tried the crawfish previously, and I remembered it was bursting with flavor and pretty spicy (even though my friend and I ordered mild), however this time around, the shrimp barely had any flavor and the mild and medium had no variation. On a lighter note, its never too crowded so you can be seated immediately and the atmosphere is similar to boiling crab. I prefer the seating arrangements here because it is more spacious than boiling crab. And if you're wondering.. boiling crab? or boathouse? boiling crab wins! But I suppose the boathouse is a decent alternative to boiling crab if you're not willing to wait hours for a table. read more

Every time my friends and I come here the services is good.. friendly.. I guess because most of us know them.. the food.. well it sure doesn't taste my The Boiling Crab.. It's never crowed here.. The price is a bit cheaper I wouldn't say it made a big different.. the sauce is alright.. the chicken wings are good.. the fries are good.. I'll admit the shrimps are better than the boiling crabs.. Or maybe because we went at the wrong time.. Their is good and crispy boiling crabs are always mushy.. read more

A great alternative to boiling crab! U dont have to wait for hours of long queue plus u get a free pound of shrimp for every $35 purchase. Boathouse "house special" is equivalent to bc's whole shabang! Similar menus and taste minus the crowd. read more

I think this place is really good. I always get shrimp but my boyfriend and his friends come to eat oysters and drink so its a good place for us all to hang out. The only down side is the minimal parking! read more

This is like another boiling crab, but taste is definitely different. I can't compare between what I had at boathouse and the whole shebang . The whole shebang has more flavors, but boathouse's flavor was about just as good as boiling crab's. The food here definitely tasted healthier. I liked how my shrimp wasn't drenched into so much butter, but still tasted good because of the garlic-y taste. I recommend this place if you don't want to go through the 2 hour waiting list at BC (: read more

I agree that it's an alternative to boiling crab. Had the 1 1/2 pound lobster for $18.99 and a pound of shrimp for $8.99 with my daughter and she ate most of it. You might need to order another lb for two people. You do get a free lb of shrimp if you purchase $30 worth of food. read more

I'll be honest, the only reason I came here was because the line for Boiling Crab was way too long. So we headed down to Boat House and there was no wait at all. This place has basically the same menu and concept as Boiling Crab without the huge crowds. The food was good and service was pretty quick. It wasn't the greatest seafood I've ever had but it was pretty good and worth not having to wait 2 hours for a table. One thing they have is peeled shrimp. It costs more per pound but you can save time and energy from having to peel all that shrimp yourself. So if you're super lazy, you can order the peeled shrimp. Overall it's a decent place and I would definitely come here again....but not without first checking how long the line is at Boiling Crab down the street. read more

I'm from New Orleans so I know crawfish. Out of all the places id been to this is one of the best of most closest to NOLA crawfish. Sometimes there is a line sometimes there is not. Well worth the wait. This beats that other place where you have to wait half a day to eat. read more