This review is customer service focused. The Situation: A portion of my to-go order was the 6-piece lemon pepper chicken wings. I requested two individual containers of blue cheese dressing for which to dip the chicken wings. Once home, I take the lid off one of the containers of blue cheese dressing, and I am quickly hit with a very rancid smell. More specifically, is smelled like vomit. After taking a closer smell of the blue cheese dressing, I immediately identify it as the source of the bad smell. I check the other container as well. It too has the same smell. As a result, I call Crafty Crab to notify them that they are serving what I believe is expired blue cheese dressing, register my personal complaint regarding my dish, and receive some form of appropriate consolation. Emphasis on the word appropriate. The Resolution: I spoke to a manager named Jazmine (not sure of the spelling as I did not ask), who identified the expired blue cheese dressing in less than one minute of being on the phone with me. Jazmine proceeded to apologize for the situation. Here is where Crafty Crab lost my family and I as customers. After issuing an apology, Jazmine indicated that she was closing the call. She offered no form of consolation beyond a verbal apology for serving a customer expired food. The fact that it was a condiment as opposed to a main dish should not matter. Beyond a moral obligation, I had no obligation to call and notify the Crafty Crab of the issue. They should have procedures in place to prevent such incidents. It is a restaurant. As Jazmine attempted to close the call with me, I asked her if the restaurant would provide some form of consolation for the specific meal. I was not looking for a major refund on my entire order. For example, I would have been fine with a refund of the wings or a free entrée of equivalent price in the future. I also want to highlight that I made the proposal, and the manager gave no indication of providing any form of consolation beyond a verbal apology. After I asked the question about reconciliation, Jazmine placed me on hold. After about two minutes, Jazmine returned to the call and offered me a 10% discount the next time I come in and order wings. She further explained that it is the most she could offer given that there was noting wrong with the wings. So, I spend $65 ($65.65 to be exact) with the Crafty Crab tonight, get served an extremely rancid and expired condiment for my meal, notify Crafty Crab of expired food in their inventory, have to ask Crafty Crab for consolation (vice Crafty Crab doing so of their own volition for the sake of customer satisfaction/what's right) and in return Crafty Crab only offers me a verbal apology (which I do appreciate by the way) and a $0.70 discount on an order of chicken wings (wings are $6.99 for an order of 6) the next time I am there. Thanks, but no thanks if this is what you think of your customers. read more

The Crafty Crab is a MUST stop for everyone. Local, tourist, who ever you are. Staff was very friendly and helpful. The food is beyond superb. The best bang for your buck in town. Very reasonably priced for all the food you receive. All our meals were fresh and wonderful. This is going to be a must stop by when we visit my in laws. We will be back! read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood boil. A. Snow Crab and Headless Shrimp sausage corn potatoes - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

This was a fun place. I had never tried a boil before of any kind. We waited on a Saturday night about 45 minutes for a party of 4. They were definitely short staffed so I don't hold that against them. Once we were seated our waitress was great! She was very attentive and even really helpful when a person I was with spilled their water. It was really busy in there and I could tell they had some regulars there. Now for my shrimp boil. I did the crafty cajun. It was pretty good! It came with the potato and corn that was sooo good all seasoned up from the cajun seasoning. I don't know that I necessarily fell in love with the boil to return but I'm not ruling out returning maybe for lunch because the dinner wait was a bit too much for me. read more

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This is my favorite restaurant! I was a little skeptical given the decor but man was it good. My husband and I would go 1-2 times a week. Sometimes even more. I think their crab leges are a lot more satisfying and filling than the small ones you get at Mr. and Mrs. Crab. Also their seasoning and pricing is better. We moved to south Florida and miss it very much. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - French fries Fried Calamari A. Snow Crab and Headless Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

I went to Crafty Crab in Palm Bay and it was pretty good! Me and my friends were all very satisfied with the food, service, and vibe of the place. So I was excited when they opened one in Brandon. We tried going one night when it first opened but there were sooooo many people we left and came back another night. The food was just mediocre. My husband makes a helluva seafood boil so maybe I'm just biased. I'm from a seafood town so I know when seafood has been cooked in advance and the sauce has been poured over it in a bag. They put it in the steamer to give customers the illusion of freshly cooked seafood, but I know better. For the prices they are charging, they need to do better. I got the snow crab legs with sausage. I could tell they cut up some sausage and just threw it in the bag. It was just okay. My husband got the shrimp and crawfish and they were so over cooked they'd started to get soft. The reason this place got 2 stars is because the service is TERRIBLE! They took about 15 minutes just to bring us drinks. The wait for the food indicated they were cooking it fresh. Not! I won't be back. I'd rather go somewhere else for that. I could have given them a pass on the mediocre food, but they need to pick a struggle. Good food and bad service can be tolerated sometimes. Bad service and mediocre food. No thanks. read more

Always great to see a new place to eat and the looked forward to a seafood restaurant. Went on a Saturday about 2:30pm and there was a line and wait, didn't wait. I went this Sunday about 3pm and tried again. This time no wait. The wait to order was long and the food was slow to be delivered. The wait staff was not all that on the ball. A server spilled some food liquid on a lady. Some of the meals arrive in a balloon , it must help to keep it warm, but no advance notice or instruction on how to eat. One of the faults of the last two eateries was the poor acoustics is still there. With the apparent customer draw at this new place, lets hope they work out all the kinks. They have the right idea now lets see it on the table. read more

We will NEVER be back to this place. I can honestly say this is the worst experience I have ever had in a restaurant. From the waitress not knowing the menu, (But instead of asking someone, makes things up, which results in extra charges on the bill,) to food taking over an hour to get to the table, to food coming out wrong, to being told a manager is coming out to speak with us, (But when we asked again, the manager had conveniently left for the day) I wanted to try to speak to the manager to at least let him know how unhappy we were. I can't believe a manager leaves in the middle of dinner service while already requested at a table. Save your time and your money and go somewhere else. You'll be happy you did! read more

After vising 'Hot and Juicy' in Orlando(WHICH IS AMAZING) I was recommend to give Crafty Crab a try. This place was a ok. Our seafood bag came out super quick which isn't a good sign. I mean, it took maybe 5mins to delivered our food from the time we placed the order. To me this means the seafood is already cooked way in advance. We order the Seafood Boils bag with the 'The Boom(mix 'em all)' seasoning and it was very salty, which also makes me think the seasoning was also prepared in advance. The longer you let something marinade the stronger the salt taste becomes. The snow crabs shell was soft, not hard. Kind of rubbery. NOW, the fried shrimp, steamed oysters and hush puppies are great. The shrimp was very meaty and big size. Would definitely come back and try the seafood boil bag again, I'll just select a different seasoning. After having such a great experience at Hot and Juicy its kind of hard for any other restaurant to out do them. Hot Juicy cooks their food 'when ordered. That why you have to wait 20-30 mins to get your food because the sauce and seafood will be super fresh. read more

I've visited CRafty Crab in Lakeland, Brandon, and Tampa. The Brandon location is by far the worse in terms of food quality and service. I placed a to go order today in the Brandon location, drove 30 minutes to get there only to receive half of our order. The snow crab boil bag that I did receive was short on crab legs and the boom sauce was weak. I called the manager and she acted like she was doing me a favor by refunding a meal that I paid for but did not receive. The catfish basket was soggy and was not edible. We will not be going back to the Brandon location! read more

This just recently opened and is gaining a lot of momentum based on what i can see. That is, this place is packed almost all the time during dinning hours. We successfully dine here for a very late lunch and luckily we were able to get a table but let me tell you that the place was not empty at this hour. We were greeted and guided to our table. Waited for quite a long time to be served and asked for drinks. Longer than what i wanted it to be given that its not a rish hour. The staffs are clearly lack of training. We were not given the right utensils and shell cracker which should be basic in an establishment like this. We ordered calamari, and The Boom seasoned snowcrab and headless shrimp plus sausage. The calamari is freshly fried and not bad. The seasoning was flavorful but i would love it to have more garlic and consistency on how the seasoning are mixed. Our sausage didnt come out and have to be asked where it is? "Oh, its in there together with the crabs and shrimps." So we have to show it to the server so hust to be convinced. They got us our sausages but the seasoning was a bit saltier. Shrimp was fresh and good. The snowcrabs? Are really bad. Its not fresh, it has been forzen for a long time where the meat has become mushy, and .... some of the crab legs and claw meat were still a bit chilled. Hahahaha! Brought it home and we'll just reheat it better. Overall, its an ok place for boiled seafood within Brandon. Closest place without having to go to clearwater for Joe's crab shack ot Orlando for HotnJuicy. Proce wise is ok around this type of foood. Taste wise, better than Mr. and Mrs Crab in sarasota. Snowcrab wise... forget it and try to order another type of crab. We'll give it one more shot with another type of crab but for now, this plsce is a 3 star for us. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

Brand new spot in Brandon. The place is busy and you will have to wait awhile, but so worth the wait. So people please be patient and TIP your servers. The crab legs and headless shrimp were freaking amazing. The boom sauce tastes so good and flavorful. You won't be disappointed. Scierra was our wonderful waitress and made sure we were taking care of. It's great give it can chance. they are new. read more

First time trying the newest restaurant in town, and we were not disappointed! We went a bit after the dinner rush on a weekday, so we were seated immediately by a very friendly hostess. It was still busy, but the servers were attentive and engaging. We ordered a Cajun boil with 1 pound each of blue crab and headless shrimp. Two of us shared, and still had leftovers! The seafood was cooked perfectly, so we didn't even use the sauces or butter. Price point was consistent with the local market. Atmosphere is casual, with paper on tables to catch the inevitable drippings. They provide gloves and bibs for a reason, folks! Will definitely be back! read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

I would say that you really shouldn't let the bad reviews keep you from trying this place. You should definitely at least give it one try. I have been there two times, when we tried to go again it was very pack so we decided not to stop. It's definitely not live crawfish but it is good. I normally like to "suck the head" but it's not as juicy so I skip that part when I go but I am from Houston where we have great live crawfish so it's hard to find great crawfish here but this place definitely hits the spot. The shrimp is huge, and delicious. The service has been great the two times I have been there and I will definitely be going again and again and again. So it was my sons bday today and he really wanted crawfish. Stay away from here in the evenings. Lol we waited an hour when we finally got sat down it took them 35 mins to get our food. Like I said, it is good but if you don't want to wait I would say do not come on a weekend from 6pm to later. I didn't like that we waited soo long and there was a party the same size as ours that was sit first. Why? Cause the man I'm going to assume he's the mngr said out loud "there's a table outside in the patio if anyone wants it" the other group quickly said they would but he could have asked the parties ahead of them if they were interested cause we wanted a table outside. Next time ask the parties that are next if they would like that table, if they say no then ask the others. As much time that we waited and how hungry we were we would have taken it. read more

This establishment has food with great taste. The staff is extremely courteous and friendly. One hiccup is the wait time. They opened about a month ago and have routinely been packed. We were given a wait time of 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon; but ended up ordering to go due to the wait. I would recommend calling ahead and picking up a to go order. They have a very small bar so don't expect to find much seating there either. I ordered the 1/2 pound boiled shrimp (head off) dinner. It came with potatoes which I asked to be switched to corn and they must have forgotten given I received potatoes instead. I will be returning because the food was good, but will definitely order out. read more

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I loveeeeee this place!!!! They just recently opened and i honestly have nothing bad to say about them! I got the snow crabs, shrimp, sausage, corn, and potato boil with the BOOM sauce + medium flavor. I had so much leftover i had a full meal the next day and it was just as good as the day before. Highly recommend! read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood Boil - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

This restaurant is my favorite out of all of the crab places in Brandon and Tampa. Largely because they allow the customer to create so many different variations with the food. Also, they offer options that already come with corns, potatoes and eggs. The bottom line is that the food is great and they don't nickel and dime customers. read more

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First time visiting from Brooklyn Ny, Great seafood ,Great customer service our server Cici was awesome and attentive. Very clean restaurant wait time was fast as well as the food waiting time. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - SnowCrab & Whole Shrimp with Crafty Cajun sauce $19.99 comes with your choice of fountain drink & Side of fries $4.00. - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

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Went on Valentine's Day during their soft opening. The food was delicious! We had the crab boil, shrimp boil,fried shrimp and fish kids meal. Everyone loved their food. Only complaint was there should be some more potato/corn in the boil. The service left something to be desired... our waitress seemed overwhelmed. Our check needed to be split and that got messed up resulting in waiting 30 minutes to pay our bill. Hopefully,they will get some of the kinks worked out because the food was tasty! read more

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Had dinner here and it was great. I had the 1lb headless shrimp. Service was friendly and quick. Enjoyed it with a cold beer. The have both beer and wine. Will definitely be back. Will be taking my husband as soon as he gets back in town. I know he'll go for the mussels and clams. Had them make it with the butter & garlic sauce and mild seasoning. It had just the right amount of kick. I know my hubby will go for the hottest one. But like I said, I'll definitely be back. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - 1lb headless shrimp with potatoes and corn. Mild seasoning and butter garlic sauce. - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

I've tried this place twice simply because I hear good things about the food and it's really close to my house. On my first experience I ordered the snow crab with shrimp. One of the clusters was good and the other was dark colored and the flavor was off. I opted for the mixed seasoning and it was okay. Service was good. My second visit was a takeout order. I stood at the counter for several minutes while the staff chatted amongst themselves without even acknowledging me. When I was finally addressed I ordered the blue crab and shrimp. The crabs, again, were dark colored which is a bit off-putting for me. But the bigger aggravation was that the crabs were not cleaned. The flavor again was just okay at best. Let me just say that I like GARLIC crabs and not everyone likes a strong garlic flavor. My favorite local crab joint is Crab Craze (very heavy garlic sauce and flavor) in Winter Haven. ps - I was on my way to Crab Craze (60 min drive) when i checked their fb page and found out that they sold out early and closed early and so I opted for this place (20 min drive). read more

Tried the Crafty Crab today for lunch. I had the fried catfish basket. Server was prompt and attentive. The kitchen was a little slow for a half empty/full dining room. Fish was cooked perfectly and was fresh. I ordered onion rings and Cole slaw thar were part of the included sides with the basket. Slaw and rings were average. Check came and I was charged an extra $3 for the Cole slaw. That was a surprise! $18.00 plus for lunch for a catfish basket and iced tea was a but much. I'd give the restaurant a C+. Better stop by soon if you want to try it. Don't think it will be there ling. The space's former tenant Ben's family diner was much better Hungry Hunter read more

Baby.... The food from this place was so damn good. I was willing to lick somebody else's fingers behind their BOOM sauce. I ordered my food to go and probably a good thing bc they were packed on a Sunday afternoon. People were waiting to be seated. Their servings are plentiful and just overall yummy. I'd surely visit again! read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Extra Boom sauce....Dungeness crab. .. Crawfish.... Shrimp.... Corn... Potatoes! - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

Pretty good, average seafood and seasoning. My sever was AMAZING! His customer service would make them 5 STARS!!! read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Crawfish and Crabs - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

We came here for a mothers day dinner. I have a gluten allergy (celiacs) and there is absolutely nothing online about whether the boils are gluten free. The cooks were not sure- the only thing they knew contained gluten was sausage. Our waitress was very helpful. She brought a sample of the original seasoning and butter for me to test with my gluten tester and it was negative for gluten up to 20 parts per million. I was assured the crabs were steamed in their own bags so thee was not a possibility of cross contamination. I tested my food a second time when it came out to be sure. The food did take a long time to come out, but we were a party of 6. It took about 45 minutes to an hour. The restaurant is very open and spacious which is good. Its not fancy, just average. Beverages are served in paper cups and you are given plastic forks and spoons. Its beer and wine only which is disappointing. I don't really think either pair well with crabs. I had a glass of wine and it was kind of warm and had little flavor. The seafood boils were just ok. I have had better- way better. The seasoning and butter is overkill really. Its like diabetes in a bag. The seasoning is pretty salty and sugary and the butter permeates everything. The corn that came is the bag was mushy. My dad agreed and said it was most likely frozen which is why it was mushy. It soaked up tons of butter and it was pretty much inedible. The potatoes they put in the boil are a joke. They are basically fingerling potatoes which are about the size of an under developed tangerine and you only get two.With all this money being saved on using paper cups and plastic wear you would think they could splurge for a red potato for each bag. The crab itself was ok. Its hard to judge the quality of the actual crab because everything is swimming in butter. My husband thought the scallops were great and the wings. My mom and brother in law agreed the gumbo was horrible. The fried seafood was ok- not great. As for the boils they aren't all that. If I had to compare it to any place in the trip tampa area it would be Joe's Crab Shack which is way better even though they serve small portions. I was hungry about an hour after eating at the Crafty Crab. The meal was in fact more expensive than what we expected for the establishment. After tip my husband and I came out around 75.00$ and we could have gotten way more of a meal for that price somewhere else. Gratuity was automatically added on, it appeared my brother was charged 1.00$ for extra seasoning. The menu says no refunds in kind of an attitudes way and to know what you want before you order etc. I would never dine somewhere that would put that on their menu- its like saying even if we are wrong we won't refund you. I wouldn't be back for a lot of reasons mainly the overkill on the butter and lack of potatoes and the sausage not being gluten free. read more

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Short review: it was good....wait time was a hour and 13mins for a party of two and service was great. My waiter Blake was nice and friendly! It was busy but he did great managing all his tables. Sn: if you are a dipper like me add a side of boom sauce!!! read more

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I have been back a few times to have the boils and they are just as delicious today as they were when they opened. I love this place the food is absolutely amazing read more

Food isn't too bad! But the speed and customer service could definitely use some help! Brought the wrong order to me twice today. And this is my third visit here. Unfortunately this is the only place to go for food like this. So you just gotta deal with the longggg wait time and service. But like I said the food when it finally comes is alright! Their Cajun is pretty on point! read more

This restaurant just opened in our area. We went in around 2pm and there was a nice size crowd. We are sitted right away. Our server was a little busy so we waited for him to take our order. Our food took a some time to arrive. It was good. The prices are in the medium range. Most boils run around $18-25 bucks. We will go back. read more

I was in Tampa for the weekend and decided to stop by on a Sunday afternoon before heading back to Orlando. Our wait time for 2 was less than 5 minutes. Our waiter Cici was very attentive & friendly and us being first timers, she explained the menu to us in detail. She made sure to check up on us often and made sure we were ok, but not overbearing. I ordered the mild Snowcrab & headless shrimp boil in the boom sauce. The boom sauce is a combo of all 3 of their seasonings, it wasn't bad but just wayyyy too salty. I would come back but I would recommend ordering with 1 seasoning. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Snow crab & headless shrimp in the boom sauce. - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

In-season crawfish were tough as nails and dried out. Waste of money. Staff is nice though.

Food wasn't filling. Flavor was okay. Not much offered for the amount I paid. The crab legs were skinny and potatoes too soft.

Our first time here, food was awesome. Seafood down to the corn & potatoes was yummy. Spice was perfect. Dani the waitress was lovely. Definitely will be coming back!!! read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

I work out of town, basically live out of a f*** suitcase. Out one night looking for some crabs and kinda stumbled on this place. It had a large parking lot that were probably full at one time. Being from the other side of Florida and knowing about seafood houses I could tell this place was before Covid did well. I went in and and it was another great restaurant doing everything it can to live through this. The gentleman who greeted me was the either the manager or maybe the owner. Most definitely a guy doing this because he was forced to lay off is hostess. Nevertheless, my server was great the food was excellent. The price was inline with all Crab Houses. If you're looking for a great place for Seafood by all means check them out. These are the type of restaurants that are barely hanging on and the ones we will sorely miss if we don't support then in this time of need. They are being responsible with Covid, and I felt safe in that respect. I often wonder if all this precaution is worth watching our neighbors and the businesses we love get hurt so badly. Hang in there guys read more

The place is far from my house but it's was worth the drive. I always forget to take pictures. The food was good and the was also good. I will order again. read more

Serves terrible and warm oysters! Didn't even bother getting anything else. The management and wait staff should be evaluated for cleanliness. I don't know what would possess a person to serve someone a warm raw oyster. read more

food was good that guy that was the watress did an amazing job and thanks to the cooks for the amazing shrimp looking forward to coming back soon read more

I revisited recently for a family gathering. Management has been changed and there's definitely a difference. I think the food quality was better as well. Ambiance was improved, customer service was top notch. Even spoke with the new guy running things, which is a great plus when they take the time to talk to their customers. read more

This was our first time here and it was fantastic. We started with fried calamari and onion rings for our appetizer. Both were very good. Our server, Charli, was great. The frozen strawberry margarita was made just right and large enough to share with 3 people. Our food was also great (headless shrimp with lemon pepper, snow crab & headless shrimp, and the fried oyster basket). Meals included corn and potato. So much food that we all had leftovers. Their side order of coleslaw is to die for. Dessert was cheese cake and key lime pie. My favorite was the cheesecake. Total bill with tax was $102.00. Well worth the money. Cute decor makes you feel like you're in the ocean. Will return. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

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I've been coming here for the last 2 years and it's always been on point with service and food. But today was my wife's birthday. We just recovered from covid. And we wanted crab legs from our favorite spot. But today for some reason I order butter garlic 1/2 & 1/2 shrimp and crab. And got water down shrimp and crab legs. No butter no garlic not even a little. It's like they for got to add any sauce to it. I hope next time The food tastes as good as it used to be. Idk if you guys have a shortage of people but this was so not you crafty crab. Check your orders before they go out guys. Thanks. read more

Crafty Crab - Brandon - Seafood Near Me - Brandon, Florida

Our first visit the food was great, service was just okay. Our server never refilled our drinks and brought us the check before asking if we wanted dessert. Sunday we decided to give it another try because we did enjoy the food so much. I ordered the fried shrimp basket, my husband ordered the shrimp seafood boil. The server asked if he wanted boiled egg and sausage in the bag. He said no but he would like extra potatoes. My food came first and my husband's food didn't come until I was almost finished with mine. When my husband got his food he noticed there was egg and sausage in the steam bag. He told the server he didn't want them and she said, "well you ordered them". He said, " no, I specifically said I didn't want them". The server starts going through her order book and says, "see there, I wrote it down right there". He says "I don't care what you wrote, I did not ask for egg and sausage. Please bring me what I asked for." My husband has heart problems and only eats chicken and seafood, so there's no way he would have asked for egg and sausage. So she comes back and says, "here, there's no egg or sausage in this bag". When he opened the bag the smell of sausage came wafting out. It was the same bag with the egg and sausage removed. He said "bring me the check so I can pay for my wife's meal and we can leave". She said, "I'll get the kitchen manager". So the manager came over and asked what the problem was. My husband told him and said he just wanted the bill. The server says, "oh I can take care of that", like that wasn't what we asked for in the first place. So we paid for my food and left. I'm still appalled that the server argued with my husband. Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"? I contacted the restaurant the following day, Monday. I wanted to give them a chance to respond before I posted a bad review. I was told the general manager would call me back after he spoke to the server. Friday I contacted them again and was told the general manager would contact me by 9pm Friday night. It's Saturday afternoon and still no call. We won't be back. read more