food spectacular. [[HIGHLIGHT]]amazing ambiance.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]music great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] very attentive. manager tiffany amazing give her a raise. read more

Crafty Crab - Veggie boil - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

First time at this location, 4 out of 5. Our waitress Jade was great. She was very attentive to my party of 6 and we were very thankful for her and her recommendations. Pictured are a snow crab legs and shrimp 2lb boil bag and a half dozen of oysters - both medium spicy and with the BOOM sauce. All recommended. The only tip I had, I wish our boil bags came standard with the "sides" of the bag (ie the eggs, potatoes and sausage). Strong drinks, good service and a your own parking - I would visit here again! read more

See all

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I could have gone to Safeway for better crab legs. Most of the crab leg shells were EMPTY, the clam shells EMPTY, corn on the cob soggy and over cooked. Literally best thing were hush puppies. The waitress was embarrassed to even serve us and agreed that portion and quality were unacceptable. The staff cared more about getting the music choice correct vs making sure guest were happy. I respectfully complained to the manager she had the nerve to bring 1 cluster and a 6 clams for a table of 4 adults all of which still had empty shells. Don't waste your time finding parking or money eating here. I actually use to like this place but will not be returning or recommending. read more

Now this is my first time at this establishment and I can surely say it won't be the last! This place reminds me of Chasin tails and Hot n juicy with the selection of seafood and combinations you can order. Met up with my girls on yesterday (4/08/21) for happy hour and ended up staying way past that! The drinks were on point which is a big up from Hot m Juicy because their drink menu is really lacking! So big ups to Crafty Crab on the happy hour specials! That strawberry Hennessy was on point! Now on to the food. I ended up ordering the small combo fire garlic butter spice level and sauce. The bag included snow crab, head-on shrimp, clams, mussels, crawfish, corn and potato. We all each ordered an appetizers for the whole table. The chicken wings were so crispy and fresh, cheese sticks, and hush puppies which I didn't try maybe next time! Seafood was made very fresh and seasoned perfectly! One of my friends ended up getting the fried shrimp which were so good! Not greasy but just so light, crispy and good and I usually don't even eat fried seafood!! Reason I had to drop a couple of stars is because the service was really lacking. There were like 4-5 people in the front where you walk in and the bartender was also our waitress which...at times we went long periods without water and refills. So better mange your people and not overuse others. So overall verdict they are just as good as Chasin Tails and Hot N Juicy in the aspect of the quality of the seafood and the prices are about the same. But they too then with the happy hour and the drinks available! Until next time.. read more

See all

The drinks were average but the seafood boil was FIRE! Absolutely AMAZING! I thought about it for dayssss after I came here. Note: the ambiance is ok, the service is good, and skip the appetizers (crab fries were disappointing). Know why you are here - the seafood boil. And get a mix of the sauce/flavors. Also, there is a lot of sausage in it. I was not expecting that. read more

See all

This place was ok. We were welcomed when we came in and asked if we wanted bar seats so we took those because it seemed pretty busy. Our food was a bit of a wait because of how busy it was but it wasn't really great. I hope to come back and try at maybe not a busy time read more

Ordered for takeout and nothing to write home about. I ordered the fried shrimp and hush puppies with sweet potato fries. The shrimp was large but heavily breaded and the hush puppies weren't good at all. The sweet potato fries were undercooked and limp. I went to pick up the food and there were a Ton of notices throughout the entry way of rules of engagement as a dining guest. The staff seemed overwhelmed and the place was packed none the less. It wasn't the best but most certainly not the worst. read more

Customer service here is terrible. It takes a long time for them to come to your table, and when they do, you won't see them again for 30 minutes. While there, half our tables order was taken, and we the other half of the tables order wasn't even taken until 10 minutes after the first half of the table ordered, mind you, we all arrived at the same time. The oysters are cheap, but not very good, but at least they bring out an array of spices you can add to them to make the oysters better. The calamari and crab fries are good. Need to come back to try the seafood boil, but probably won't happen because the service is terrible. read more

I've been to a few different locations of Crafty Crab and they're all relatively the same, but I did like this location a little more. I felt like it was a little more lowkey (no long waiting periods to be seated) and it was definitely a vibe. Good music selection. It did take a while to be greeted after we were seated, but when the server finally came over, everything was good after that. My seafood boil exceeded my expectations and for that, I have no complaints :) read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The first thing that needs to be addressed here is the horrible service. My gf and I have been sitting over 10 minutes without water or a single server asking if we needed anything or at least provided us with a cup of water. This establishment is understaffed and it shows. We had a server come next to our table and didn't even bat an eye at us and ask if we needed anything or if we are ready to order. The service is just tragic. The food on the other hand is fantastic. I would love to give this establishment 4-5 stars but due to the service I just can't. read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

One thing I can't stand regardless of how good your food is is terrible customer service. We sat at our table for a very very long time before someone even looked our way. I was literally fuming . But then we ordered and I got the snow crab special with medium heat and "the boom" flavor. It was absolutely delicious. I enjoyed the whole this, every bite. I hate that the service is terrible because if you are hungry this is not the place for you. read more

This is the best Crafty Crab in the DMV. Consistently well seasoned and fresh. I can always count on this place to deliver.

I'm dropping my rating review for this restaurant because they obviously didn't read my full review and comments from my first visit! The reason: poor customer service! I ordered 1 king crab leg meal and and was charged for two! ($100 bill instead of just $50 for 1) They said they gave me two orders, after my meal, but how am I supposed to know that my first time visiting there? I thought they just had generous portions. Anyhow it's totally their mistake for accidentally getting the order wrong! read more

Crafty Crab - My leftover potatoes and corn on the cob. - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Ordering online was easy and user friendly. My order was ready much quicker than I anticipated. The quality of the food was superb and for such good prices! Although it was a busy Friday night, I was greeted with a smile and excellent customer service. I realized I wanted to add to my order when I got there and the cashier had no problem helping me out. I was visiting from L.A. and this place is definitely on my list of restaurants to come back to when I'm in D.C. again. read more

The boil is the BOOM , the hush puppies are delicious, and you should try the sweet chili wings , is amazing . Definitely coming back. read more

Dined with family and Food was so amazing, crab fries, hush puppies, talapia, seafood buckets was all seasoned so well. The service was excellent with a large group including kid friendly. Can't wait to return. read more

I drove 45 minutes and arrived with my wife to this not so hidden seafood restaurant in a semi secluded corner in Alexandria, VA. The parking is relatively small and shared with several businesses and you pay with the Pango App (first two hours are free) but the access is easy. Good reception area but they don't accept reservations on the phone even there's a somehow misleading info about it in the web page. If you are the first one arriving with another person to wait for a group I suggest you take a small table for two or four, have a cocktail or a small appetizer, wait, and when ALL your friends arrive pay your bill, and then request and move (hopefully) to another bigger table for the complete group. The host will not offer you a bigger table if only you or two people have arrived. That was my experience with the hosts, trained but almost inflexible. I came out with this solomonical suggestion and she agreed but I can tell they need more training about the way they explain to the clients that policy, because at the beginning we felt that the only option for us was the Go-Away-And-Dine-Somewhere-Else if we were not allowed to wait for the rest of our family at a table for six, especially if the early clients are hungry, like us. Another serious suggestion for the hosts and waitress: Avoid gossiping about other clients in front of the clients who are waiting. That is unacceptable customer service. The atmosphere is happy, modern, colorful, nice blue lights at the counter bar, good tables. I found the small tables on the let side of the hosts a little in the dark and separated from the rest of the restaurant without any interesting view, I felt like at the end of a car garage, nevertheless it was clean, decorated, and music was happy and bearable. - When the rest of our family arrived we paid our drinks of that table (suggest the crispy and delicious onion rings, the lemon pepper wings, and the cocktails you'll see I the photos below) and we requested a bigger table for six, we were lucky they found one for us all. I think the season is delicious, presentation is nice and dramatic (boiled seafood in big plastic bags) and the flavor is right there. The corn is delicious, a little over cooked but saucy, juicy and exquisite. The wings are amazingly crispy and flavorful and the seafood in general was so tasty that it all disappeared completely from our table, no take-home-doggie-bags at all. Everyone was delighted. We were very well served by our waitresses, they came to congratulate my son in his 30th. Birthday and we tip generously.... Just revise the customer service at the Reception with the hosts. We will be back for more food and better customer service. For sure they can do it. read more

See all

Not a ton of seafood boil options in the Alexandria area, but this place is fine. Lots of options and the food is decent. Snow crab legs were fairly small, but shrimp and sausage were great. Super friendly staff, and would probably come back here in the future. The parking lot also gives 2 hours for free (that lot is never monitored), but good to know. read more

Crafty Crab - Combo - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

I didn't know that Crafty Crab had so many locations! The menu offers various seafood boils, fried items, oysters and scallops, sides, salads, and desserts. On the first visit, I had the Snow Crab and the Whole Shrimp combo, with the Crafty Cajun and Buttery Garlic seasoning, in Mild, going for the 1 lb portion (they also have 1/2). Corn and potatoes were included, and this initial meal was really delicious! There was plenty of seasoning and sauce, the seafood was cooked perfectly, the crab legs and the shrimp were both fresh, and it was a finger-licking good of a meal! I also tried their Fried Shrimp Basket, and the shrimp were large, crispy, and tasty. On the second visit, it wasn't the same; there was a lack of the sauce, the shrimp seemed to have been overcooked and was rubbery, and the items were just all cold. I just wished they were a bit more consistent! Staff were friendly, and this place really does get jam-packed during the dinner rush. Getting in and out is kind of a pain, and there's limited parking behind the building. +inconsistent seafood boils +friendly staff +some parking in the back of the building read more

Birthday Party for my Niece. Reservations were made for a party of 21. They have parking in the front of the entrance and I managed to snag the last of the 2 hr spots that can be had from 8am to 8 pm. I arrived around 6:35pm on a week day night. My group had reserved a room at the back of the restaurant and I directed back to we're they were sitting. There were 3 groups of tables. Everyone had on masks including thr server. They assigned one Young Lady to our group. She took orders for all our drinks quickly and efficiently. She brought all the drinks out on a cart and quickly distributed them to everyone and took our orders. I had the seafood boil with shrimp(headless), clams and black mussels, my Husband had the fried catfish basket with fries, my Daughter had the snow crab special and 2 yr old Grandson got the chicken tenders and fries. The food came out quickly in what looked like inflated bubble bags. She served everyone their food right away. Everything was delicious and tasted fresh. The seasoning was on point !!!(If it is not seasoned well, I don't want it!). Another hit for my ever growing list!!! read more

See all

SCORE! We tried to find a different place but found it closed. Next door, was The crafty Crab. Such great luck. This is a cute, fun place. There was a giant lobster on the wall and rubber fish hanging from the ceiling. The front staffer was friendly and helpful. We opted for takeout as parking was rough. Only had to wait ten minutes. Back to our hotel we discovered a big bag of shrimp, shell fish, corn and potatoes. We found gloves, bibs and napkins in the bag. No Forks!!!! Ahhh, I thought. It is an eat with your hands meal. Such a great dinner. Everything was prepared well. We ordered a mild garlic sauce though they offered Cajun and other options. We might have died had we chosen medium or strong spices. The corn on the cob had great taste. We stuffed ourselves on shrimp and shell fish. I could not finish. We spent about $30 which fed two. I strongly advise a trip to Crafty Crab if you are in Virginia. SCORE read more

See all

Daughter and I had dinner here. Nothing fancy but very good! Your order comes out in a bag like a balloon. Tear it open and dig in. If the Server hasn't be sure and get an apron, cracker, and plastic gloves. It can be very messy. Order whatever crustaceans you prefer in 1/2 or full pound. Very, very good food!! Its a lot and we couldn't finish our meals. read more

I took my 14 yr old autistic son to the Crafty Crabs in Alexandria VA for the first time. We were truly blessed with a caring server name Tiffany. She greeted us with water with lemon inside #1 WOW secondly she created a specialized frozen drink just for us and added a gummy bear and fruit inside. #3 She assisted my son by pitting his bid on to keep him from making a mess on his clothes. #4 When she brought out our appetizer she also bought out every sauce we would need for our meal. #5 when it time for refills she bought out our drinks so big in plastic to go cups huge #6 She assisted us with bagging up our food we couldn't finish. #7 she constantly checked up on us to make sure everything was going well. I mean I was in tears I never iny life had this kind of pure genuine service. This young women is also a bartender as well. Our bill was $98 but because of how she cared for my son and I so well I gave her $50 tip. She was so appreciative she gave us hugs. The for was delicious and she assisted me with selecting sauce on the side for my meal. I definitely recommend everyone going to the Crafty Crabs and request Tiffany for your server. Thank you so much again Tiffany we sincerely appreciate your kind and genuine service. May God Bless you with everything your desire in life. read more

Crafty Crab - Our meal - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

From the moment we walked in the wait staff was ready to help us and make us feel welcomed. They played some good music that made us dance in our seats as we ate. To be a chain restaurant , the food was excellent. The catfish was fried perfectly and came to our table piping hot. The hush puppies and fries were oh so good. And the drinks...let's just say the bartenders don't play. Will definitely be our hang out spot if you want some good seafood. read more

This entire experience was an epic fail! Let's start with how they accepted us on the waitlist but then by time they seated us almost 30 min after the wait time they gave, they rushed us to order. The server was interesting in itself. It was like the guy could not keep still as well as never realized I never got my drink. Then when he incorrectly rang up my bill was upset that I could walk him through the conversation to a "T" and realized that he messed up the order. Now let's get to the food.. everything is frozen!! nothing is fresh.. potatoes were not cooked through. The only thing that was actually decent was the corn. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Then they made announcements every 15 min from 45 when they were closing, mind you that was 15 min after we sat down and didn't even have our food yet.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]].. it's so much more but I can honestly say I will NEVER be back. read more

Food was decent this time around (second visit). The king crab legs were either cooked too long or they were old because the shell was way too soft and was hard to break apart to get the meat out. I will stick with the snow crabs legs like last visit. The fried shrimp my kids and husband got were great. HOWEVER, SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE!!!!!!! Our server checked on us 1 time, never asked if we needed drink refills, did not bring me a cracker utensil for my king crab legs, a cup of ice or ketchup, despite my husband asking her TWICE. We waited TEN minutes for those items, all while my food was getting cold. My husband got mad and walked into the kitchen himself to get it! He was stopped at the door, told an employee what he was doing and why. She said "Your server was getting that." He asked WHEN?! Because we've been waiting 10 minutes. When he returned to the table with the items, another employee walked by and I asked her for the manager. She said "I speak little English, sorry." She walked away and another employee, a male, came to the table this time. We asked him if he was the manager and all he said was "Complaint?" He didn't speak English either...WTH?! Said "One minute please."No manager ever came. We ate our food and just wanted to get the check and leave. Another 10 min or so before server came....how could she forget that we asked for ice, ketchup and a cracker utensil, TWICE? She needs more training. The manager, Lydian (sp?), at least that's what the security guy said was the name, needs to read this. But then again, maybe he/she doesn't care, who knows. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We just wanted to have a nice dinner with our kids and our server ruined the atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We will come back again, because the food is good, but I will say this, if I see we have the same server as tonight, I will move to another table. This was our second time here; the first time we had server Tiffany and she was AWESOME! But this time, a different server...just terrible service. I wish my husband hadn't left her a tip because she was that bad. But it's not who he is, so he did. read more

Crafty Crab - Our server. She was TERRIBLE! - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I order from here pretty regularly, at least twice per month. Yesterday I ordered two orders of 1 pound crawfish, 1 pound muscles, one pound shrimp. The two bags of crawfish was mostly broken off legs and filler food (potatoes and corn)- there was less than 10 whole-crawfish in both bags combined. The muscles were a combination of muscles and clams (I did not order clams). After being such a loyal customer, I am upset with the boil bag dupe. If the restaurant is running low on something it is not okay to manipulate the customer. My regular order streak has come to an end. read more

Boy am I glad we discovered the Crafty Crab! My husband and I got pickup last night and I can't stop thinking about our meal. It was ready super fast after ordering - we only waited about 15 minutes. I got the snow crab, headless shrimp and mussels boil with mild garlic butter spice. All of the seafood was cooked well and flavorful! Don't neglect your corn on the cob and potatoes deliciously soaked in your sauce. I recommend getting a full pound of snow crab - half a pound just isn't enough. We literally can't wait to order again. Best seafood I've had in a long time! One note - there are a lot of people inside eating without masks. Recommend waiting outside or in the car while they make your meal. read more

Great seafood! Our family go to spot for seafood, great taste! Would recommend to everyone. read more

Crafty Crab - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

I wouldn't know how the food tastes because although the restaurant closes at 10pm at 9:03pm we were told they stop seating people at 9 because the kitchen closes at 9:30.... Ummmmm that leaves 27 minutes, unless my math isn't "mathing". I told her I know exactly what I'm ordering, but she couldn't be bothered. Disappointing. read more

I really was in the mood for seafood tonight and I was hungry. I put an order in online for fried oysters, onion rings and a side of crabcakes. I picked it up and it smelled incredible. I couldn't wait to get home. The nice custom brown paper bag felt light to me and I had to verify that my entire order was there before I started eating. The crab cakes were small and I guess that is why they were considered a side. They were more breading than crab probably so they could get them out of the muffin tin. The onion rings were covering the fried oysters and the only oysters I have seen this small come from a can. They did taste like they were from a can and they were less than half the size of deep fried oysters I have had in the past. The onion rings were OK but when they are prepackaged, how can you mess those up? This $30 meal didn't even touch my appetite. I had to find something else after eating this. I won't order fried food from there again. If I go back, I will try one of the seafood boils but it looks like it is best eaten on the premises so it might be a while before I go back given this pandemic. read more

Crafty Crab - Onion rings with fried oysters underneath - Seafood Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Came here for the first time and was impressed with their COVID protocols. The restaurant is socially distanced and they take your temperature before seating you. The customer service was great! Unfortunately I wasn't too happy with the food. It was just mediocre. Nothing bad, but I've had better. My food was way too salty, the crab legs were over cooked and the lobster was bland. read more

See all

We were approached by a wonder women. She was fast and sweet on eating us. Our service was amazing eldrick was very but attended to his tables and us fast. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The football game was on and customers were pretty quiet and you can still hear the music.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Now I have been to a lot of food boil places & this one was definitely the best one I have ever been too. 1000 out of 10 the crab legs had meat everywhere. The mild was a little kick but amazing taste. read more

Excellent seasoning. Everything I've tried there is great. Atmosphere is nice and the staff is kind and attentive to the customers needs.

The Manager, I believe her name is lily is very rude. We simply told her we received less then what we ordered and she lost her temper quick. Very unprofessional. They need a new a manger who can actually be professional. read more

I've been to one of the Maryland crafty crab locations and really liked it and so I wanted to try the Alexandria location. I got one of the holiday seafood boil specials (with shrimp, clams, and mussels) as takeaway order. The boil also came with corn, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs. I got the Boom sauce at the spicy level. Really good, buttery, garlicky, and spicy. Love it! The shrimp were a nice size. I really like how they pack to-go orders really well so there is no spillage. I also got the gumbo and would not recommend, it was gelatinous with no flavor and barely any shrimp or sausage. read more

The music is sooo G D Loud that it's hard to enjoy anything. This is review is too short, so I repeat, the music is so obnoxiously loud that the evening was not enjoyable. read more

It is a great spot to eat and the food is great and definitely top tier for me I recommend

Took my Dad for his birthday here. He loves seafood and this place delivered. Solid flavors, lots of butter and old bay. Place was empty but we had a great time. read more

I came with my family to eat and they got my order completely wrong. They brought me less then what i ordered and the manager came and spoke with us and was completely unprofessional. all because we told her less food came then what we ordered. I do not recommend eating here. read more