Claws is one of my more favorite places to get the Cajun/creole seafood. When you're asking to get down and dirty to eat with your hands and amounts of flavor, this is the place you want to go. Who started this trend? As the creole food doesn't really have this type of flavor to their cuisine, but it's delicious nonetheless. Apart from comparison to other popular places like these businesses, I believe claws tops it. I've been going to Claws since their first location in garden grove. And I'm not talking about their stand alone building that burned down. But the one on the corner attached to other businesses that was an 1/8th of the size. Their food has always had great flavor and juicing in all the best places. "Let the head sucking begin" well don't mind if I do!! I always got their meal deal specials, usually the three pound of clams crawfish and shrimp in a cannon ball medium. Over the years, prices have climbed and my appetite has gotten smaller. So we don't normally spend as much and will settle to ordering off their regular menu of what we want. Their seafood goes by market price, so sometimes ordering separately off the meal deal is the cheaper way to go as well. This location is small compared to their garden grove location, but it is also never really crowded. I don't know how others feel about it. But being able to get seated within twenty minutes is better than waiting over an hour. read more

I came here on a Friday night around 6:30pm with a party of 6. I called about an hour ahead of time to ask if I could make a reservation and the hostess told me that they don't make reservations, but for a party of 6, I should expect to be seated shortly after arriving in the next hour. I took her word for it and upon arrival, half of the restaurant was empty. When I spoke to the hostess about my party, she told me it would be about a 45 min wait. I was taken back, but I responded by asking about the empty tables. She told me that they were already reserved. I let her know that I called in an hour ago and was told that the restaurant did not take reservations. She stumbled a bit and then explained that there was a waiting list and that they only had one server on the floor so they were taking things slow. Needless to say, not the best first impression of this place for a first-timer. My party and I waited and were called in after 45 mins. We ordered the 5 lb meal deal which came with your choice of shrimp, mussels, clams, or crawfish. Additionally, you get to order 3 side dishes from 3 different categories... a pretty great deal in my opinion! Overall, we had the shrimp, mussels, street corn, buffalo and lemon pepper wings, spicy edamame, and sweet potato and lemon garlic fries. The appetizers/side dishes were delicious. The wings are crispy and packed with flavor, the spice on the edamame was just right, the corn was melt-in-your-mouth good, and you can't go wrong with fries! The seafood was great too, but I think the sauce (Canon Ball) that we ordered wasn't the best. I would have opted for the lemon garlic or something else instead of the option that combines all three. The sauce lacked something for me (not sure what it was) but it didn't hit the spot like I hoped. The shrimp is well cooked and they're huge, loved that! The mussels were also a show stopper and we loved that too. To be honest, I felt like the side dishes were a lot more impressive than the seafood itself (as someone comparing the seafood and sauce to Boiling Crab, a fave of mine). I'd give this place another go, but I'll change up my order for sure! read more

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While I appreciate the quality of the seafood boil, particularly claws, the service requires improvement. My server, I believe his name was Steven, appeared disengaged and unapproachable. Although he fulfilled our requests promptly, his demeanor lacked the expected level of customer service. While I understand that fatigue may be a factor during late shifts, maintaining a courteous attitude in response to polite customer interactions is essential. We were celebrating a birthday so the service kind of brought it down. read more

Meh. Food was good but not great and service was hit and miss. Tried the shrimp, clams, mussels, carne asada fries, and wings. People seem to rave about the carne asada fries, but I didn't get it. Could barely see or taste the meat. Fries were nice and crispy, which saved the dish altogether. Wings were crispy as well, but had zero flavor. They were supposed to be Cajun style too, which made it even more odd. Only decent dish was the peeled shrimp, clams and mussels. We ordered 4 lbs with two shrimp and one each of clams and mussels. We ordered them cannonball style (all three flavors) and fire in the hole which is the spiciest option. It's great to be able to eat the shrimp without peeling them which is the only differentiating factor from other places. The fact that there wasn't a wait was another. This may be the only resin to go back. As for the service, you basically have to wave people down for service but they are pleasant once you get their attention. The part that was annoying was the fact they would not sit a partial party. I get it when it busy, but they were not and they had a lot of open tables. It's not like we were not going to order right away either, since we have landed to order the 4 lb special. Pro tip - don't order the specials!!! Do the math. Nothing special about them from a price perspective and you end up with items you may not have ordered in the first place. read more

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My mom and I always come to this restaurant to get seafood boil we've never had a problem with the food or anyone at this location until recently. Last Wednesday my mom and I visited the restaurant and everything seemed to be going fine. It wasn't until a couple hours later that my mom and I started feeling lightheaded and having the need to vomit. We ended up having food poisoning. We barely started to recover. Never going back even though it was our go to place for seafood boil. Be careful what you order, especially the crab. read more

First let me say the food is great! I had the king crab sections, Well they are well worth the price for the amount! Plus delicious Service was as well great... on top of everything. The atmosphere was really nice read more

This place is good but there's just always a wait. The sauces are good, the service has been good and the shrimp isn't or at least hasn't been old. Pricing is decent read more

Finger licking good!!! If your looking for some good seafood, this place always hits the spot. The shrimp and crawfish are always a good size and will never live you feeling hanging. read more

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Appetizers only review! Decided to hop in for some drinks and snacks. Took a little longer to get seated than expected. A party came in the door right after me and got seated first, which is fine, but I think they confused my partner and I as part of the same group so we were left waiting for a couple minutes longer. Luckily, we were seated before I got too antsy and got service at our table right away. We ordered two drinks first and those came out ASAP. Then, we ordered fried calamari, oysters, and coconut snails. Food came out pretty fast and a yummy, as I expected. By the end of the meal I realized that I was parched and wished that water came out earlier with the food and drinks. It felt like a hassle to request water while they were cleaning my table, so I washed up and left instead. There are convenient sinks in the hallway right before the restrooms. There's a silly sign that says "poop deck" to guide you if you get lost. read more

The food and service and hospitality is great. Come in for their happy hour for four dollar specials.

I've been going to Claws since their first GG location and I've followed them all the way to this Cerritos one. This place outshines Boiling Cra*, Kickin Cra*, Cra*fish Cave, and other iterations of the same. They may not have done it first, but they're continually doing it best. They officially have the best calamari that I've had anywhere in the world, in any restaurant therein. Please do yourself a favor and get an order or two of them. Also, always ask for extra tartar sauce. In terms of seafood, get what you want. What I'm here to share is that if you have a perverted-level of spice tolerance, ask them for "Fire in the Hole, extra spicy, less salt". Your taste buds will thank you despite your bowels not. When done, save the sauce to make your own spicy ragout for penne pasta. You're welcome. read more

Love this place for seafood in Cerritos area. Open late in weekdays and open early at weekends. Long wait always in the weekend so we usually order for to go and eat at home. read more

I think we came to the right place at the right time. Our server was awesome, the place was clean and we beat the crowd, however, everyone else followed us in after we placed our order. I like the different options for flavoring, spiciness and sides that you can add to your meal.I recommend asking your server what sauces to order if you aren't sure. We ordered the cannon ball with mild heat, so good. Great portions and I'd definitely choose the peeled shrimp! There's some dessert places nearby, so eat your food, walk it off, and finish off with something sweet. read more

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Extremely busy plaza, good luck finding parking. Friendly staff, delicious foods! I had the peeled shrimp and green mussels with mixed mild sauce. Highly recommended! read more

Claws Restaurant - Pirate mascot - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cerritos, California

We came on Thursday night around 7:30PM. The hostess told us that they stopped seating people around 8:30PM & there were 3 parties in front of us. She said we won't be seated in time and turned us away. We came back the following Friday and was seated after an hour wait. They only had 4 pounds of live crawfish left (14.99 each) so we ordered all 4 and 1 pound of frozen crawfish (11.99). They were both the same in size however, the live crawfish catches the flavor more! I highly recommend to order the live ones! We ordered the spicy garlic butter! Flavor was delicious and the spice tasted like you're eating hot Cheetos I can handle spicy food but during the night time my stomach was on fire! Maybe I'll go with medium next time. They also don't do free refills due to Covid. Parking is easy but during the weekends it's impossible to find parking. While eating, I also noticed that they were still seating people on the list even past 8:30PM. read more

Claws Restaurant - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cerritos, California

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My favorite Cajun seafood go to spot. Been going here for at least 7 years now and the food never gets old. From shrimp in a bag to chicken tenders, the food doesn't disappoint. read more

This is now our go to for cajun shrimp in a bag. The shrimp here is always fresh and we especially enjoy ordering them already peeled to help get the yuminess into our tummies faster. We are wimps when it comes to spice so we always order "no spice" cannonball which still has a mild spiciness to it. We thought we'd step it up a notch and get cannonball "very mild" for a change. Be warned, if you are of the no spice type, like me, their "very mild" kicked our butt! We still enjoyed our meal despite sweating through it. Will be back for more, but without the spice! read more

Claws Restaurant - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cerritos, California

I've been here a few times and have had a good experience every time. Like other cajun seafood competitors (no names) you get to pick your seafood, weight, add ons, and sauce. We always go with garlic butter and about 3 lbs of shrimp. Their shrimp are huge!!! We also love the fries and the cajun fries. The wings were okay....maybe a tad too much bbq sauce. The premise is the same, you get salt and pepper in a dipping cup and add as much lemon/lime to taste, so that you can dip your shrimp. I'm somewhat lazy so i tend to just eat the shrimp with the peel on. Soda is bottomless, and you get bibs to wear so that you dont drip all over your shirt. My only qualm would be the napkin dispensers. If the owners or managers do actually read this review, i urge you to get better napkin dispensers, since pulling out each sheet without destroying the napkins seems to be equivalent to giving a massage to a porcupine. Love the phrase on the wall though and the abundance of tvs for the sports fans. read more

The staff here are always always welcoming they greet you with smiles the food is good. depends when u go. Sometimes crawfish is bigger shrimp is consistent the oysters are best tho read more

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I never comment, but this irritated me. I ordered to go over the phone, and I was told my food would be ready 10 minutes after I arrived and paid for the food. When I paid they said it would take 10-15 minutes and they would text me when it's ready. I went back inside after 25 minutes, and they said my order is still being worked on. Now it almost 40 minutes and I'm still here waiting. read more

Impressive! Met friends at Claws. The first time for all 4 of us. I had the Gumbo. Blown away. Super rich and hearty. Lots of great tastes and textures. Main course was 1 pound of peeled shrimp. Garlic Butter / Medium spice. Awesome. My wife had Edamame. Our friends had Seafood Pasta, Seafood Stew and Clam Chowder. All raved. read more

Ordered 1lb of shrimp, medium spice, cannonball flavored - great flavors! Shrimp wasn't overcooked. Wasn't crowded and was seated quickly. Inside was calm and chatty. Good service! read more

The BFF and I decided to sneak in a spicy shrimp dinner while out on one of our many adventures. Claws was a nice choice for a bag of flavorful & saucy shrimpies to peel and devour. Definitely no shame in strapping on a plastic adult bib in case things get crazy. Sweet potato fries were as advertised and the bag of sea creatures satisfactory. I ordered an extra side of spice to wake up my tastebuds which helped to feed my "scorch" addiction. Their menu is ample for the type of fare they serve and the restaurant itself in good condition. Staff was nice all around which made this a pleasant experience with my ace! read more

This place should have 5 stars. I've come to this restaurant for years and it's always been very good and consistent, which is hard to find this days from a restaurant. I've tried many other restaurants like this that sell shrimp in a bag, and they are never consistent. The shrimp here is perfectly cooked, and easy to peel, and the flavor is always on point. read more

Good locations and ambiance. Delicious food and great service! Recommend this to anyone! read more

One of my go to spots!!!!!! Shrimp and seasoning is always on point. Service is always great. The place is always kept clean including restroom. The decor is so cool!! Makes our time feel extra chill. My bf loves coming here as well but we don't come as much because he says that his tummy always hurts after which is not the case for me lol but oh well. See you soon Claws! read more

Pros: - easy to eat - tasty food - service was good - great combo options - comparable to similar seafood restaurants Good: - fried chicken appetizer was small - very pricey You can view my detailed video review on YouTube. read more

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I've been here a few times and the food is always on point. Came here around 6 PM on an Thursday with no wait time #winning! My table ordered quiet a variety: fried fish legs, crawfish, Cajun seafood pasta, cannon ball shrimp, garlic fries, and chicken wings. Everyone was super satisfied and most of them were first timers and they definitely preferred claws over boiling crab.. why? 1. Service-they were on top of refilling our water and accommodating to our requests 2. Flavor and heat level- their hot is hot so my table loved that they can get that spice and flavor. All in all claws is a great place to go on any occasion to grub. read more

Claws Restaurant - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cerritos, California

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I love Claws and the service is usually good but I am very disappointed with the service today. My family and I came to celebrate an occassion... There were 10 of us and the hostess, I wish I knew her name, stated with an attitude as soon as we entered that they charge for having cakes there.... we had cupcakes though and also, this is not a remotely halfway fancy place that should charge for cake fees. Also, she made it clear in a rude tone that they do charge an 18% gratuity fee. . . Um ok? Did it look like we couldnt afford it? We were dressed very nicely and out for an occasion. Way to kill the vibe a bit, also the restaurant was not busy when we arrived, so why the poor customer service? Btw, it was actually for my after wedding dinner. I know, not traditional but we love seafood. I would still come back because Claws and Kickin Crab is my favorite. But to see the way we were treated on my wedding day especially sucked. They definitely did not deserve their 18% gratuity fee. We are good tippers but when you come off like that, it's pretty sad. I'm a regular at Claws and the service disappointed today of all days. read more

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Thoroughly enjoyed our meal! We had a pound of crab legs and pound of peeled shrimp. We added potatoes, sausage and corn. I had a draft Shock Top. And we ordered bread...so good! We also enjoyed edamame before our meal arrived. Great way to share a meal and converse. Don't wear white! You will get a plastic bib. You can select the spice level, we enjoyed mild. read more

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I really wish a Claws would exist in Washington state. Every time I come back to SoCal for a visit, I must visit a Claws restaurant. I love the sauce, and I love how spicy I can make it. I always get a combination of the shrimp and clams. I will generally have 3 pounds of food all to myself. read more

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Let's say an amen to crawfish season!! after calling a few other places that didn't have live crawfish we came across claws! They had LIVE crawfish. SOLD We ordered 3 pounds of crawfish, and a 3 lb combo that came with 2 sides, we ordered 1 lb shrimp, clams, and mussels with fried okra and hot wings. All the seafOod was fresh and delicious and not over cooked. Halfway through the meal we ordered 3 more pounds of live crawfish LOL didn't feel to good after due to gluttony but it was all worth it read more

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i've been to claws many times, and i'm not too sure if it's because we went during happy hour but the quality and taste of the food seems to be different. i ordered: - 1 lb of crawfish cannon ball - cajun roasted corn - lemon pepper wings - barbecue wings the quality of the crawfish was good, and as for the flavor, it wasn't my favorite, but i was able to enjoy it by squeezing a lot of lemon. i've always enjoyed the wings, but for some reason the batter tasted like chicken nuggets? to be specific it reminded me of public school chicken nuggets; there's no better way for me to describe the taste. also, i want to add that some of the wings were unevenly heated as some parts were cold, while some were hot. as for the cajun corn, it was delicious and did not disappoint. (it has always been a go-to order.) overall, the place was nice and the service was great, but unfortunately i can't say the same about the food :( read more

Been here twice now and equally enjoyed both visits. The wait is nowhere horrendous as boiling crab and in my opinion the food isn't as salty either. Last few times I've been to boiling crab my shrimps were overcooked making it hard to peel. I like how there's an option to get already peeled shrimp here. Both times I've gotten the CLAWS MIX N MATCH SEAFOOD MEAL DEALS. You start off by picking the meal that fits your group best for these are the best bang for your buck options. I've done the 3LB MEAL DEAL FOR $46 as well as the 4LB MEAL DEAL FOR $67 You can choose what seafood you want choices are crawfish, clams, mussel, shrimp, and peeled shrimp for an additional $1. Next you pick the type of sauce you want I always went with the cannonball which consists of CAJUN, GARLIC BUTTER, and LEMON PEPPER. Then you would pick you spice. If you like SPICY I suggest doing medium it has just the right kick. Lastly you would choose your appetizers. One from options A, one from options B, and then your choice of fries. ITEMS I would recommend- CLAM CHOWDER, SHRIMP, CRAWFISH, CLAMS, GARLIC FRIES, CAJUN FRIES, RAW OYSTERS. Service is awesome. Workers check on you often regardless If they're your server or not. Parking sucks because this place is located in a very busy plaza with good eateries so it is almost always full/crowded Iill definitely be returning sooner than later. read more

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Let's start off on how frekin good the food is here. The boiled shrimp in a bag is good my family and I always get either the spiciest one on the menu or the mild one. The workers are cool and the ambient there is your topical restaurant. I would recommend this place to go as a group or your family. read more

Love that they have peeled shrimp definitely recommend this place We order the mild cannonball style and don't forget to add sausage read more

This is for the one and only time I went here. I'm around the Garden Grove area and usually would go there but I happen to be in the Cerritos area this time and called for a to go order. They asked if I had been there before and I said no not this location and they said they wouldn't make my order until I got there? Which honestly I found ridiculous. Okay if that was the case then I would rather just order at GG and have it be ready when I got there. read more

Service: Standard level Food: Appetizers were great (roasted corn and garlic fries) shrimp and mussels were below average in terms of flavor (medium cannonball was "gritty") Ambiance: Interesting choice in music but nothing negative read more

The original Claws in Garden Grove burnt down, and is currently being rebuilt. This location is in a busy shopping center in the same area as Coco's, 85° bakery, Gen, and where other Asian restaurants are located. Parking can be a pain, so you either have to arrive early or be patient, or walk it from the neighboring parking lot. I met my friend Roger here for dinner on a Wednesday night, and I had to circle for parking at 6:30 PM. I did end up finding a spot in an adjacent lot near a Korean barbecue place and sports bar. Like all the other seafood in a bag place, this place offers your typical seafood from shrimp, peeled and unpeeled, clams, crawfish, and crab legs. We decided to split the 3 pound seafood combo which came with two appetizers. For the appetizers we chose the wings and the garlic fries. My friend Roger did not care for either appetizer, and I found the be just OK as well. The garlic fries or not garlicky at all, and I was shocked they provided us with catsup to go with the fries. As we were ordering, we were told they did not have any live crawfish, so we decided to try just 1 pound of the frozen mud bugs, and 2 pounds of shrimp. For one of the shrimp, we went with just the medium lemon pepper, and the remaining 2 pounds we went with their cannonball, which is a mixture of all of their sauces. We went with the medium spicy level, which was NOT spicy at all (compared to Kickn Crab or Boilng Crab). This place is definitely cheaper than Kickin or Boiling. That 3 pound combo dinner for two with an added corn and one soda came to $53 before tip. Here's one thing that pissed me off: Apparently they charged us $.50 for SPLITTING the bag of seafood?? I guess you have to agree that the entire order is one flavor? How petty is that? The place is very clean, and I do like that they have external sinks outside the bathroom. The staff was there quickly when we needed something, and the food did not take very long. I don't think it's a solid 4 Star but maybe 3 1/2 star. They have other items on the menu besides seafood in the bag, I didn't really check it out as my main purpose was going for the shrimp and crawfish. Frozen crawfish was just OK, a little rubbery, and definitely tiny. It's not the best substitute for the real live ones. read more

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For a place that is not upper class, I'm surprise they charge for condiments. 18% gratuity charge for 6 people and up. Service was ok. Nothing extra. The food was decent. Restroom was dirty, no toilet paper and all of the soaps that I used was watered down. If you don't mind spending 300 for 3 adults and 3 children go for it. I won't be going again. Also it's frozen crayfish if you want fresh crayfish it cost extra. read more