So here is the deal - the whole table has to be in or out with AYCE and pick the same tier. If you are not all in, they do have other menu options to choose from. We ended up doing AYCE and it was so good. The scallops were my favorite- super juicy and flavorful. The crab and shrimp, and mussels were also delicious. Lots of yummy sides choose from such as Cajun or lemon pepper fries, fried green beans, corn, sausage, potatoes, rice and more. The place is located in a strip mall, nothing fancy and you will probably walk right past it. It's definitely a hidden gem that is a must try. read more

My first time there and the food was great and delicious. Our waitress/server was friendly and attentive. Only call out was that one of the staff members with a braid and the side of her head was shaved was a little rude and could work on her customer service. My friend asked her (because she happened to pass by our table) the status of our order because we sort of did wait long, she flat out told him "I don't know because I'm not your server" instead of saying "I'm not sure, let me notify your server to check on that for you." I also witnessed the same person give attitude to another customer behind their back, as soon as the customer turned around she made a face as if like his question interrupted whatever she was doing or he asked a stupid question and she had to answer it. I hope the next time we go there again, she does not end up being our server. read more

Considering we went on a busy Saturday afternoon. The food and service were exceptional. I would definitely be back. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Me and my wife pick this restaurant for our 7th year wedding anniversary Brunch. We were in the mood for some Cajun seafood. Definitely was a great choice. We we're seated fight away. The place was packed of people they had the Dodger game playing on various t.v's. Our waitress was very responsive on telling us info on the two hour All You Can Eat menu for us and our children. I believe it was a great choice because our children love seafood. We all had a choice on what we wanted to eat. Plus, the waitress let us take our leftovers because it was under a 1 lb. Very kind of them now i had lunch for the next day. Very much appreciated. We will be back read more

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Went for dinner in a Sunday evening with a party of 12. Waited about 30 minutes to be seated. Waited 30-40 minutes to get our orders taken. Waited at least 30 minutes for food to arrive. Idk if it's a normal thing to get your seafood served inside a plastic bag? Regardless, food was not that good. Waitress was nice though. Could've eaten at Lure for the same price and better quality food. Definitely won't be eating here again. read more

Our first time here , we were craving sea food , now this spot is great ! We got the all You can eat for me and my husband then they tacked on an extra 17$ for each child , everything was delicious , our server was very attentive, she pointed out best deals . Place was pretty packed not too loud , TVs playing baseball and comedy . Perfect for the kids . We had crab , scallops , shrimp , corn and so much more ! Everything was perfect !! There was only one thing wrong , they sat us next to the register and literally next to it , while we ate , the servers gathered there beside us and gossiped about other people laughed and joked talking about what happened in other tables , they were loud and Unprofessional. They should move the register or that table . read more

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I like the food but it's very messy. I might not be used to this style of eating. I believe I got the garlic sauce and it was amazing. The service was good as far as I remember and the ambiance is very chill because most people are eating their food out of plastic bags! I may try other food the next time I go. read more

Service was horrible. When getting food server did not even pay much attention to our table. Server did not bring gloves, ketchup, or scissors until we asked after already having our food for 15min. We literally just sat there waiting for someone to acknowledge we were missing things to even eat with. Ordered the Lemon Garlic Captains Choice with a mild spice however it did not taste like lemon garlic it was so spicy my mouth was on fire. My expectations were thinking this was similar to other Crab Shack places. This was far from it and would never return. read more

Come here if you want to waste your money and time. I got there at 6:30 PM, and they said the wait would be about an hour. I was fine with that, but I didn't get seated until 7:30 PM. We placed our order, and it took a whole hour to get our food. By the time we were seated, there weren't many people left, and we had only ordered a small amount of food. When I finally got my seafood, it was cold. The only warm thing was the clam chowder, but I got more bread than actual chowder. The only thing that ruined the clam chowder was the stale crackers. I ordered 2 pounds of spicy and 1 pound of extra spicy seafood, but they were sweet, not spicy. The rice was hard and cold. I ordered 8 quail eggs and was only given 4--they were rubbery and cold. Don't even get me started on the customer service! Our waiter only came to check on us about four times, and we waited over 15 minutes just to get our check. We had to ask another waiter for it, and he was the only helpful one. I shouldn't have cheated on my favorite seafood place. If you want cheaper, tastier food with amazing customer service, go to Raging Crawfish in Oxnard. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

We had never been here before but it was SO good! Small restaurant with a casual vibe. Service was kind and fast. Great price with some great flavor! We got the clams, mussels, shrimp, and sausage; tossed in the crab n spice sauce with no spice. Delicious and highly recommend coming here! read more

Love love love this place bc where else are we going to get our seafood boil fix!?!?!?? The quality of seafood is hit or miss but not too bad to the point where I wouldn't come back anymore. Service is good n friendly. The space or ambiance of the restaurant is like a crab shack with tv's for games. read more

First time And not impressed Didn't get my order right I ordered the captain and forgot to add the lobster to my bag Wanted to an additional drink and only time a waitress checked on us it was to give us the bill First and last time there read more

Today my son n I went to Crab and Spice. We both ordered the all you can eat for $39.95 We had so much food that we couldn't finish it. We had Cajun fries, onion rings, and green beans. Then we added crab legs, mussels and shrimp and then potatoes and sausage. We waited 20 minutes for food to arrive! The food was delicious and a friendly waiter. read more

Food was extremely cold, there was a fly in the food, when we had complained our waiter said we should have let her know it was cold and she would have heated it up for us never coming back again!! read more

Service was horrible. Food was good but service ruined it overall. Charged 50$ for tip. I should have the choice of how much I want to leave. Spent 180 not including tip. Do not go if you want to have your night/day ruined. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - You can see it's 2 guest charged part of a 6 person party - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

I usually love everything about a seafood boil and often go to Boiling Crab, but decided to try Crab N Spice as it is closer. This was my second visit. I ordered 1 lb of shrimp, but it tasted dry, oily and not fresh. I also got a side of their Cajun pasta, which was disappointing. While the pasta itself was good, it was served in a small round container with tiny chunks of shrimp that were not peeled. Additionally, the pasta was crunchy and unpleasant due to the shrimp shells. The service was also lacking, with the staff appearing unhappy. Overall, the food was a 2/10. Very disappointing. read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

I came during Morhers day weekend. the AYCE deal was suspended. I got the captains combo... save your money. it ways overcooked and lacked flavor. i ordered the garlic noodles...smallest portion ever and tasted terrible read more

I dropped in for lunch randomly one day with my son! First time doing AYCE Boil and I will definitely be back. I have seen this spot for years and I can't believe it took me this long to try! The waitress was super sweet, attentive & the food was delicious. Nice booths stocked with plenty of napkins! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Scallops & Peeled Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

I went into a food coma after this dinner! Me and my sister in law ate soo much and regretted nothing! We tried alittle of everything and all of it was amazing. Of course the pricing is alittle high but it's seafood so it's understandable. The quality of the food tasted fresh and made to serve! The service was amazing. They were so helpful with all the questions we had to help us order and get the right thing and laughed and made jokes with us. It was so busy and loud but not even mad at it. Everyone around us was just having a great time with their family's and enjoying their food. They played good music and we honestly were there a while and didn't t even realize it. Definitely going back asap! read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Fried String Beans Basket - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

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Oh my goodness, I love this place! My girlfriend and I visited here after a day trip to the Channel Islands. We ordered a fish soup, a strawberry salad, fried calamari, and crab cake. The food I was great, the waitress was super nice, and the environment was cozy. Highly recommended! read more

A seafood boil restaurant in Ventura. There is the ability to order off a menu and also do a family style all you can eat. This is not a buffet but it is all you can eat for 90 minutes. The family shares a feast. I am guessing those from California are not probably so familiar with the concept, but it's a standard way of eating in the east especially around Maryland and Delaware where I have eaten at Phillip's for b crab boils. It is a little pricey for some people and I get that the reviews that have shared this, but if you have boys that can eat, it represents good value. We had the lobster add in to the first order and had snow crabs clusters (didn't see any King Crabs as others mentioned) mussels and shrimp also corn and potatoes. This comes in a bag boiled and soaking in butter that you dump out into a flat round pan to pick and choose from. The tables have paper covering them to keep much of the mess in place, and there are plastic bins, but I wouldn't want to come here wearing my Sunday best!! If you like seafood this place is for you. As some have said the wait can be long but anyone who has been to a place like this knows the drill. Everything is steamed fresh so expect a twenty minute wait from placing your order to get your food and plan accordingly for your 90 minute allotment. It's like San Pedro fish market with and all you can eat option. (And not on the waterfront) read more

Oh honey, buckle up -- because this place? A complete disaster. We came in ready to feast, craving a good crab boil and expecting at least decent service. What did we get instead? A whole hour of sitting there like abandoned stepchildren while everyone around us mysteriously got their food before us -- and we had been there LONGER. Make it make sense. By the time the crab boil finally rolled out, I had lost the will to live -- and my appetite. And would you believe they had the audacity to serve rice with ZERO utensils? Like... are we supposed to scoop it with the crab shells? Use telekinesis? Be for real. Then we asked for lemons -- not once, not twice, but multiple times. No lemons ever appeared. At that point, I was convinced they were just gaslighting us for fun. And the refills? I practically aged asking for one. I had to wave my hand in the air like I was bidding on a damn auction just to get someone's attention. Still nothing. I was sitting there sipping on melted ice like it was a cocktail. Now let me say this loud for the people in the back: I USED TO WORK IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. Back in my day, we had a little something called standards. You don't let a table go dry, utensil-less, and ignored for over an hour. You check in. You communicate. You try. This? This was lazy, careless, and just flat-out disrespectful. NO one checked on us nor gave us what we asked for multiple times! And what really sent me? The audacity to ask for a tip. Baby, for what? For vanishing acts? For forgetting basic human necessities like a fork? That tip should've gone to the hostess for having the strength to keep a straight face while seating people at a circus. This place is a joke. A mess. A seafood soap opera -- and not the good kind. Don't waste your time or your appetite. We left with our patience boiled more than the crab. read more

food: 4/10 service: 5/10 portions: 5/10 I wouldn't come back and I don't recommend. What I got: a shrimp boil with corn and potatoes I love shrimp boils! I've been to many places over SoCal and this isn't good. It's right below average. I assume all the people reviewing that it's delicious is because they haven't gone outside Ventura county to try a real shrimp boil. I mean there's only two spots out here. The seasoning is bland and they dilute the heck out of it with a bunch of oil! Like damn, a cup of oil for a sprinkle of some salt, pepper and teaspoon of garlic butter. The photo left behind is what a pound of shrimp boil is. The market price at this point is $18. And I got corn and potatoes. Oh and that's all the shrimp that was in there, maybe missing two. Sad lookin shrimp boil ain't it. The service is bad, in terms of them checkin in on you. Which needs to be fixed considering this is a type of food where customers would often find themselves needing more napkins, lemons, salt, refills, bibs, etc. if you try to come here in a big party, best believe you will not see that waiter more than 3 times read more

Ventura Crab N Spice - Shrimp boil - Seafood Near Me - Ventura, California

Great food, great service, always a good time when I dine with them. Looking forward to going again

Love this place! The service was fast and friendly. The food was fresh and the flavors were super delicious. I especially loved the cajun coconut flavor . Seriously hope they open a location in Orange County (hint hint ) read more

Took my kids, and we all ordered different 1 pound combinations. The service was fast and friendly but non-existent once the food came out. The shrimp had a very odd texture, I spit mine out. My son and my boyfriend ate the shrimp and had stomach pains that evening...not sure what happened there. The mussels and clams were good. We added corn, potatoes, cajun fries, sausage, and French bread...all were cooked perfectly and very good as well. It's on the louder side, lots going on, but what you expect at a restaurant like this. I would say they should work on the cleanliness and focus more on service. Otherwise, good enough experience to try again. read more

Food was possibly gone bad when I went I ordered a bag of shrimp and it tasted off finished my food and throw up the same night had to go to the hospital for severe food poisoning never eating there again read more

I was excited to try this place finally. Door dashed it from done the street. Was so disappointed- would not recommend as a good fish and chips or onion rings place to eat. Didn't even finish. It. Cold and just tasted like every other overly fried thing. Ugh read more

Tasty food and fun rolled into one. Come with friends and get ready to get messy as you pour your bags of seafood and sauce onto the paper lined tables. We had mussels in the coconut curry sauce (amazing) shrimp in the lemon garlic (yum), and crawfish in the delicious Cajun spice sauce. We were not a fan of the crawfish, though: not that flavorful and hard to eat--would not order again. They were out of white wine and serve all drinks in plastic cups. This is not a fancy place, but clean and pretty quick. read more

Service was marginal at best. Waited at least 10 minutes for drinks. Had to ask multiple times for different items. Food was ok. Lobster was so over cooked it wouldn't come out on the shell in one piece. Not worth the money. Won't be going back. read more

Only place in Ventura for all you can eat crab legs and it was pretty good. Only missing a star as they won't let you order the all you can eat 1 hr prior to closing. read more

The food and customer service is superb! My family and I enjoys the CNS combo the fish baskets and don't forget the clam chowder is chef kiss read more

we got here at 6:30 no more all you can eat. They turned people away because there was no more shrimp, they even put a sign on the door. We were not offered a bib and had to remind the waitress about things. I at least expected a picture of my daughter with the crab and spice bib. Our bill was almost 400 will never come here again. read more

The sauce taste good, but the quality of the shrimp... I mean I never have such a dirty shrimp ever before, really doubt the quality of the shrimp. I've been to lots of other boiling crabs stores and none of them would have such a dirty shrimp... just feeling uncomfortable when seeing these stuff. What made me really uncomfortable is the crawfish, there're MANY crawfish that is already dead for a WHILE before cooked. The left side showing the meat completely shrink meaning dead for a while vs. the right side of what it should be like.. read more

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The service was bad. They offered refills to other tables except for ours. When the food finally came out, the waitress was trying to give us the food we didn't order. I do not recommend this place. Boiling crab is wayyyy better read more

What a joke of a place, if your trying to eat a good seafood boil with better service try raging crawfish

Service was good. I ordered what I assume is their signature dish, Dungeness with "garlic spice sauce" and a side of corn. The crab was cooked perfectly, and the spice sauce was outstanding. Dungeness is a favorite of mine. I like it prepared any number of different ways and different styles. However, I found it not the cleanest place. I was seated in a booth that was crazy uncomfortable, like sitting on a high school athletic field bench. Also, the gaps between the 'slats' were disgustingly dirty, I doubt they've been seriously cleaned in a very long time. Very off putting. Also, they have this odd plastic pick like device for digging out the crab bits, it was in rough shape and I found it not at all useful. And I'm not sure I'm all that comfortable with reusable plastic utensils. I asked for a regular fork (also plastic but new) and the problem was solved. I'm not sure why they serve the whole crab exactly like that, lung tissue included. While It is not harmful to eat it is not a part I've ever seen anyone eat and tastes awful. It doesn't improve the experience and makes it just that much harder to eat. For the record, I've never had it served that way. It is also very expensive even by today's standards. Bottom line: The crab and the sauce was wonderful A+. Presentation D+, Cleanliness C-, cost D+. I'm not likely going back. I might like to purchase their spice and garlic sauce and serve it at home! read more

I ordered food to go. So the only thing I can really rate is the taste of the food since service and food temp was all my self doing. The food was mediocre at best. The sauce was too salty. Crawfish was small (no fault to the restaurant but if you paying 60+ bucks I would expect quality food). Shrimp had no flavor. The only good things I received in my order were the potatoes and corn. I don't know if I would try it again. read more

Restaurant staff was excellent. Restaurant and bathrooms were clean. Cost of food was pricey, but that depends on what you get. I didn't get any of the all you can eat menu. I had a cup of clam chowder in which I was disappointed no real clam flavor. Also got a pound of heads on shrimp cooked in a garlic butter sauce, sauce was good but the shrimp was just so so, lacking flavor maybe if I went with a Cajun sauce it would have helped. Kinda tasted like farmed shrimp, meaty but no real flavor. read more

Decent seafood boil with fun interior and good service! We ordered the chowder fries and the captain's choice combo (with crab n spice sauce, medium spicy). I'd say as a spicy food lover the spice level was mild, and a bit on the saltier side. However the taste was still decent (although we could have used at least 2-3x more sauce). I'd say out of what was included in the combo, the lobster tail was the shining star. Cooked perfectly! Shrimp is always super tasty (esp for the price point). The chowder fries were Cajun fries with clam chowder on top -- yum!!! Our server was friendly and overall we had a good time. We will be back! read more

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