Disappointed. Should have followed the 2.5 star rating and not gone. Food meh, took a little over an hour to get our meal and the place is filthy. Will not be back. read more

Assumed the pricing for snow crab legs was like anywhere else I've ever gotten them before in my entire life, per pound! Not here. They do it per cluster. Not to mention the taste was mediocre anyways. What an absolute rip off. Go anywhere else. read more

Where do I start are estimated time to wait to be seated was 40 minutes to a hour it took 2 hours... we where then seated and taken the order right away but didn't get food till 1 hour 30 minutes later. Half the food was cold and got 1 refill. read more

The bartender we experienced tonight was one of the rudest people I've ever had to deal with in my life. Literally from the moment we walked up to the bar there was a hostile vibe. She angrily told my 23 yo daughter she needed to put a shirt on (imagine wearing a swim suit at a beach bar!! For shame!! ) and then harshly asked for ID from us. When my 51-year-old wife wasn't able to provide an ID (come on, seriously? She's 51!) she was rudely told she would not be served. Several attempts to ask her why she was being so hostile towards us were met with increasing levels of anger. We've lived here for 8 years and have frequented this establishment many times, and have NEVER been subjected to this kind of negativity or made to feel this unwelcome. Like we wandered into some place where we didn't belong or something. Absolutely unbelievable and I'm very sad to say we won't be going back to the Crab Pot. read more

We were seated under a dripping AC unit, which wasn't working at all except for dripping on us. The food was extremely dry and bland and far too expensive for the quality. The service was not good either, one person in our party had to order her dinner salad 3x before she got it, we were done attempting to eat our dinner at that point. The music was too loud, couldn't hear the people we were sitting with. I'd give it zero stars if I could. read more

It took about 10 min before we asked the bartender if we wait to be seated. Once we were seated, another 15 min for drinks. We ordered 2 crab pots and it was another hour and 15 minute wait until the food arrived. In that time, we were asked once if we needed anything else. The table was incredibly sticky (all other tables had some sort of paper on them) and overall not a good experience. The food was the only decent thing and even then, we will not be returning. read more

The staff was friendly and the drinks were good, the fried pickles were delicious but the main courses needed some me work. The clams and lobster were rubbery and three of the clam shells were empty. The snow crab legs were real good and the oysters were not good. We liked the potatoes and sausage, not not the corn. We will try somewhere else next t me. read more

Crab Pot - Vibes, drinks & service were good. Don't get clams or lobster-too rubbery, snow crab legs, spicy shrimp & fried pickles were delicious - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

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Terrible food! I am sure the oil that was used for frying the shrimp I ordered was old and should have been thrown out Days ago. I did give one star for the creativity of the bar tender. They had a crazy frozen drink menu. No second chance to redeem themselves, I would not go back. read more

Unfortunately our lunch was nothing special, not terrible, but not great. They were out of several items, which could be delivery issues so not their fault. Food we did receive was just ok. read more

This is truly a hidden gem in surf city. I was greeted and seated in a very timely matter and had an amazing window seat with the breeze outside keeping me cool. Our server was Tyler and he was very confident and educated on the menu & gave us great tips on what to order based on what we told him. Our fish bites were perfect for a light meal and the fries were 10/10. Thanks Tyler for an incredible experience and for making this a new go-to spot to make memories and share an amazing meal. read more

Crab Pot - Seating & Table - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

Great food, a nice, comfy location, and delightful staff and owner. I love it here!

Ordered crab legs. 26.95 for 1 small cluster and hardly any meat. It was truly disappointing. You need to post that it is 26.95 for 1 cluster. read more

Had this 2 years ago, was the most memorable burger of all time, had the crabby patty. Went back tonight, 40 min wait time turned to an hour and a half, food took another hour and a half, this is not an exaggeration, got there 6:11, got food at 9:09. Got the krabby patty again, skimped the crab, onion rings cold, if you like sitting down and smelling food you should go here. read more

Super slow service. Waited over 45 minutes for one crab pot. Had to ask the hostess for napkins. Was not that busy to be that slow.

I came here with my family and had a great time. I can't wait to come back in the summer. I highly recommend ordering the crabby patty, it was awesome! read more

The food was decent, of corse all I had was the fried chicken sandwich (I don't eat fish), but my mom had the Dungeness crab, snow crab, and shrimp an she really thought that both the crabs were great, but could have done without the shrimp. The service was decent, it seemed like there were only 2 severs for the whole place, an even though the place is small that just doesn't give your server a lot of room for spending time with tables. But that's not her fault. The older man singing I could have done without, that an the seating is what stopped me from giving 5 stars. Seating is all tall bar seats an tall benches. As a girl who had never been there before an had no clue what it was like, an wasn't wearing the longest of dresses I was extremely uncomfortable sitting there. I was more focused on trying to find a comfortable way to sit that didn't flash my goods to the whole restaurant. Which btw there wasn't a comfy way to sit that didn't. I I sat uncomfortable an in pain while I rushed through my meal so I could leave. I also really don't understand why people are talking about it taking forever. Our food took less then 20 mins to come to the table. We were expecting to be there forever. Plus honestly if you won't fast food at a table go to Applebee's where they microwave everything ( I used to work there so yes they do) but your coming to a place that is very busy an cooks everything fresh to order. You should expect to be there a while. Hardee's is right across the street if you need it fast not fresh. I would probably try this place again... But definitely in shorts or a long dress. read more

Crab Pot - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

This place has never been one I commend for killer service, however our waiter absolutely killed it! He was attentive and quick even though he was the only one working the outdoor patio. Also, our food was delicious and the crab legs were perfectly cooked like they are every year. Always love coming to this place! Can't wait to be back again next year! read more

The Crab Pot offered us perfect service and delicious food. We had the crab balls -excellent little treats- and cocktails to start. All delicious. We then split a triple platter with fried flounder and shrimp - both cooked perfectly, and blackened scallops. The scallops were to die for! The waitress was fantastic and had a great sense of humor. My favorite was the Beach Trash. You gotta try it! read more

We been going to surf city for quite some time now, just found out about that place if like seafood that's the spot to go to, excellent food and drinks looks like a hole in the wall From outside but very clean definitely recommended read more

One of our favorite places to come to when visiting Topsail Island! Food is always great and worth the wait!!! Have been coming here for years, and will be returning for many ahead! read more

Crab Pot - peel & eat shrimp with old bay seasoning !! - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

NEW OWNERS THIS YEAR! This is the best seafood on Topsail Island! The fried shrimp were fresh and prepared when we ordered them. Best oysters we have eaten in a long time. I am a really picky eater. read more

I'm giving you a 3 stars because this a place with lots of potential a great food... But the last time I was there earlier this month ( May 2018) the service was really slow and not welcoming at... And food was really of...!!! I think the must had troubles of some kind because I have been eating there for years and this never happen before. This restaurant is my stop every summer because after I eat with my family y buy fish in the market and the I eat ice cream crossing the street...!!! I hop it was just a bump in the road... I'll give it another try... read more

good seafood, good drinks, nice atmosphere, servers do a good job. I always get the crab legs here, full of flavor. Love the live music when they have it. read more

Its okay. Took over an hour to get our food, around twenty minutes to take our orders. Got my order wrong, I asked for blackened mahi mahi with vegetables and fruit for my sides. Got fries as my side instead. The mahi mahi was kinda dry. The lights are flickering because of the ceiling fans in front of the light and it gave me a headache. Had to ask multiple times for hush puppies, when it says on the menu all the food includes them. Overall it was okay at best, but with the yelp reviews I've seen I knew not to expect a whole lot. read more

What a disaster. I wanted to love this place. Im not your typical hot headed scathing Yelper unless you really screw up. High ratings on Yelp and that typical NC shack type crab house with a fresh seafood market on the water on the back of a parking lot. That was before owner/management changes in the last year. Lets get into the experience. Pulled up and it looked great. A wooden shed basically on the water selling fresh seafood with another shed housing a restaurant. My kind of place! Spent the day at the beach and wanted some fresh seafood. Got there just in time as the crowds really started rolling in. Waited about 30-40 minutes for a table. Family in front of us had a party of 8. They clearly had the space but it wasnt bussed (no bussers on the staff as they decided to save money and make servers do it) so half their party got mad and left. Got closer to the front and realized that there were plenty of open tables. Live music on both sides of the place with the second side nearly empty. Keep in mind that the line is out the door and starting to go into the parking lot. I start counting. 5 servers total for an establishment that could easily have 80-100 people in it. 2 of them were pulling bar duty and serving. They all looked stressed out. We were seated and given menus and told they would be right back. 25 minutes passed and we ordered drinks and food. 20 more minutes passed and another couple who came in 20 minutes after us had drinks and appetizers. I went to the bar to ask about our drinks and she apologized and comped the first round. We had two additional rounds and about an hour before the food came out. I ordered blue crabs my girl ordered fish and chips. Cant screw that up right? Waited an hour they brought out snow crab and had run out of cod so made the fish with grouper. Then they fried the grouper into leather shoe soles. Another couple was seated next to us and were already pissed about waiting so long while there were open tables. Then they saw our food and my complaints to management. Well lets just say he got super irate about everything and got really loud. He was not very nice but I could feel his pain as I was not happy either. When management came over about my issues he jumped right in and blasted her. She got mad and asked us all to settle up and leave. I explained I didnt even know the man. She let us stay to finish our drinks and comped everything for us. This really set the other guy off and I had to escort him out with his wife. They called the police and I let the guy know better to walk home and leave the car than have the police looking for you while drinking. They split and 2 cop cars showed up. Apparently the cops found them and I have no idea what happened. I went in to management thanking me for talking him down. We left with no bill and no food either. Talking to managment let me know they were clueless. Keep in mind the managers brother also works there and came by sat with us and listened to my complaints. He dismissed all my concerns and just wanted to direct it to the loud mouthed guy. No additional staff on memorial weekend in a waterfront beachtown? No table bussers because the servers can just do it as well? Bartenders cant serve drinks at the bar or pour for the servers cause they are serving and bussing as well? But you can afford two live musicians? The staff aside from management was very nice and apologetic. Some had been there for years and were clearly unhappy with new management. They were professional and didnt want to offer up any negativity about the new bosses until I coaxed it out of them. Our server got off at 4 and was still working when we showed up at 7. She was still working when we left at 10. New management here sucks pretty bad. I think I would buy fresh seafood here and leave. The market out back was packed and the prices looked good for stuff being pulled right off the boat. read more

We haven't been in awhile... at least 5 years. The staff when we walked in seemed exhausted and not too friendly. Our waitress however was a doll and very friendly. The atmosphere has such a fun look and feel, but the mood with the staff, bartender, and other wait staff seemed short, tired and not happy to be there. It could use some music and a good cleaning. The menu was a smaller and not much of a selection. Surprised the seafood selection was limited. The portions were okay, not too small or too big. The food was tasty, but nothing I'd rush back to eat. It's a fun place to go to while at the beach, but nothing I'd rave about. They potentially have a good thing going. In this day and age, places close so fast with competition. If they would just read these reviews and make some changes, they could be sitting on a goldmine. read more

Went there over the June 9th -16th week. Party of 7. Waited over an hour to be seated. We ordered two apps (45 minutes), some sandwiches and a dozen steamed crabs. The entire meal took 4 hrs. We were served drinks three times. The crabs were all female exempt for three. The bill came with 18% gratuity tacked on even though we had to go to the bar for drinks and ask where the food was multiple times. It did not appear to be overly crowded. Sure the tables were full but the bar wasn't swamped. The place only seats about 75 people. I just bought a house on Topsail and I'll never go back to the Crab Pot again. I gave one star because it wouldn't let me choose ZERO! For the price, try Steamers and cook it yourself. read more

Absolutely awful. Over an hour wait to get food after being seated. Appetizer never came until we asked twice for it. Crab cakes were raw in middle, clam strips and grilled scallops were room temperature and seemed precooked. We sent food back twice. Asked 4(!) times to speak with manager and no one would come. One would think that a restaurant attached to a fresh seafood market would be good but this was terrible. Worst seafood restaurant I've ever been to. Shameful that no manager or cook would even own up for this garbage on a plate. Avoid! read more

The food was so bad! And the service was worse! They over charge for unseasoned food and they where out of clams so their fix was to add shrimp. The wait staff stood around and played bar games. Meanwhile they forgot a portion of my order. Save you're money get a fish sandwich from McDonald's. read more

Crab Pot - This is what the wait staff did the entire meal. The AC doesn't work. Just go to shucken shack it's way better! - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

Went there for lunch didn't end up leaving until dinner. Crabs and shrimps were overcooked. Very rubbery. They were understaffed. Very slow. Our meal would have been quicker if I went out and caught it my own. Also, oyster looked like they were dragged through the mud and seasoned with dirt. M read more

Been living here 20 years. This is my "Go To" place. I prefer the blackened shrimp burger. Great staff, great atmosphere. Live music on the weekends and plenty of room. Fresh fish market in the back where boats drop off the catch of the day. Can't get better than that. If you live here and haven't been in a while, the new owners have really cleaned the place up. If you are on vacation, do yourself a favor. This is that place you'll be telling your friends back home about. read more

We where on Topsail Beach for the weekend and stopped at the fish market behind the crab pot to get some fresh shrimp, FANTASTIC. While there we decided it was time for a bloody mary and went into the Crab Pot. The bartender made the best I have ever had! While there we decided that we would come back for dinner and live music. The steamed oysters where amazing, we ended up ordering 2 buckets of them! The music was good but the night bartender was so much fun that she made our night. Kelly, Kelly and the rest of the crew there are so nice and attentive that we will definitely be coming back! read more

The fried shrimp and scallops are cooked just right - not too much breading and not greasy. The hush puppies and french fries are delicious. I'm local and this is one of my favorite places on the island! read more

Under new management? They need the old management to return. Food portions were inconsistent for same items at the same table. They even forgot to include sides ordered. When table was served, they said they were sorry, but they ran out of clams.... at 5:30-6:00. Sorry, after years of going to The Crab Pot, this was our last visit. read more

The best local dive restaurant/bar in Surf City! The seafood is local and fresh! New owners and a new chef are down to earth and have really taken it to another level. I'm from Maryland and I can tell you the Blue Crabs and Crabs cakes are fantastic! Definitely try any chef special. My favorites have been herb crusted salmon and the shrimp and grits! Yum!!! read more

Stopped to order food, it's take-out only be we were staying on the island. First off there was very loud music playing right next to the window where you order, the waitress could hear me and I had trouble hearing her. She took our order, we paid and she said it would be ready in 20 minutes. After 20 minutes my wife went up to the window and the cook stated he just got the order and it would be another 20 minutes . I went to the window and he said he could cook our order or give us our money back. I decided if we went somewhere else we would be waiting so I told them to cook our order. The drive from the place to our home is less than 3 minutes, the crab was stone cold, my wife's order had only 5 small scallops and were cold. As a chef this order was sitting before they brought it out to us. I'll be avoiding restaurants on the island from now on. read more

We were a party of 5 that came in Saturday. I (former server) noted that tip is automatically figured in for parties of 6 or more on the menu. As I said, we were 5. No air conditioning - it was miserable. Took forever for drinks, and only bottled water available which meant no refills unless you want to pay $1.35 for each one...and I had to ask for a cup of ice. Margarita's were good but then they should be at $9 a pop. Beer was not cold at all. We had several appetizers and the only item worth noting was the buffalo shrimp - good portion, taste and price. The service by Christina was abysmal, although she was nice. We had to go up to the bar 4 times for drinks and to request our server. She added a 15% tip to our bill without telling us that she did this (see Libby J.'s & Gail C.'s reviews among others). I then tipped another 15% on top of that total. This is deceptive and I have disputed the charge with my credit card company. I am a 20%+ tipper ALWAYS for good service, and that was not the case here. I'm sure you would agree that a $27.49 tip is absolutely ridiculous for an $83 bill. Will never, ever, ever go back. read more

Had a little bit of trouble finding it- we weren't sure we were in the right place bc there wasn't a big sign but after circling the parking lot we found it. Waitress was extremely nice and attentive. Portions were good sizes and well priced. My family of 6 enjoyed the food but the seats were a bit uncomfortable. read more

I would give this place no stars if possible. Do yourself a huge favor and go down the street to Mcdonald's. You'll thank me. WORST FOOD EVER!!! The waitress was beyond ditsy and the 2 person fish bowl was a two person punch bowl. Water down expensive drinks and horrible food. They sat us next to the live "entertainment" which turned out to be a colorful older gentleman with a saxophone. Needless to say we couldn't hear our own thoughts and left with our ears ringing. read more

Crab Pot - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

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This place is a tourist trap, and I was sucked in. The outside appearance was amusing and the inside was an absolute hoot (mannequin limbs, license plates and all manner of doodads are hanging from every nook and cranny)! I absolutely love the decorator! But that's as far as the goodness goes. The food is supposedly fresh, but I'm here to tell ya that it's dry, tasteless, greasy and everything is way, way, way over-priced. It's a great hang-out but, if you're going, just go for a drink -- but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg (pun intended) for it. read more