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    Gao's Crab

    3.9 (315 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    Gao's Crab Photos

    Business Info

    GAO'S CRAB ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Reviews With Photos

    Alan C.

    Amazing place to get a seafood boil in Houston Chinatown! I came with my gf one night since we had a craving and ordered the snowcrab combo B. It came with snow crab legs, shrimp, and mussels, and was seasoned well! It was actually spicy, which we enjoyed. We also tried a bit of their crawfish and you can tell they cleaned it well Special thanks to Jason and the staff for being so great!! Highly recommend checking them out

    AYCE mussels and crawfish
    Nicole T.

    I found myself splurging a lot when it comes to seafood but I feel like it's not enjoyable when the seafood is over cooked. The service was phenomenal like they come by often and get you exactly you need, we even asked for the seafood not too be over done but still the crawfish and shrimp were stuck to their casings and shells and I found it hard to eat and joy, the flavor was delicious! And the sausage and turkey necks were the tender and sooo good. But being they for the seafood the quality of the boil fell short.

    Sweet Potato Fries
    Monica G.

    My family and I came here awhile ago and we liked it! The vibe is chill and quiet. When we went, the service was a little "slow," but honestly it was because there was only one waitress working and she was working as best and as fast as she could. I could tell there was a language barrier because she had to repeat our order several times before getting it right, but she was really friendly. My family and I (5 adults and 2 kids) ordered two orders of the Crawfish Combo B ($60) and it was a LOT. At first, we weren't sure if it would be enough for all of us, but it was more than enough. The other foods that came with it, such as sausage and potatoes, helps to fill you up. We had to wait a little bit before the food came out, but it was WORTH IT! The food was steaming hot and fresh. We chose House Cajun for both flavors, one mild and one medium. I highly recommend the House Cajun! The flavor was so good and perfect. It wasn't too salty, either. I was dipping everything in there and soaking all the juices up. lol We also ordered a side of sweet potato fries, which were okay. The portion size was really small for $5. They also provided plastic bibs and gloves, which was nice. I haven't eaten crawfish at a restaurant in YEARS (no exaggeration) because of the price, but this was worth it. The combo price was affordable and reasonable and the taste was amazing. Even my family who have high standards for food thought this was spot on. All in all, I would definitely recommend trying this place out!

    William L.

    First time getting the AYCE option and it was a good experience overall despite a few hiccups. First thing you'll have to know is the possible wait.. After securing a table after 20-25min (can be tough especially on a busy Saturday night), our first batch of crawfish arrived within 30min because it was the 13 spice Chinese style which I'm guessing isn't as popular.. the House Cajun (garlic butter) one was probably the most ordered and we didn't get that batch for almost like an hour in! Saw a table in front of us just got and left due to the long wait-time. Thankfully we ordered that first batch to hold us over so there were no complaints. When the food eventually arrived it was awesome. Good flavors of the crawfish (we got the medium spice which was perfect) with all the fixings in the boil.. i was a big fan of the corn/shrimps/mussels as well as sides like hushpuppies and quail eggs.. it was definitely a good value and one can easily overeat here (we definitely did) Service was great as the staff checked in on us often. Most waiters have tablets that can take orders and you get an unlimited supply of sodas/sides so those can easily fill you up. Another thing I appreciated was the music selection.. They definitely catered to their clientele in terms of picking mostly reggaeton + salsa + cumbia mixes. I loved this stuff so it was a great vibe for me personally lol I can definitely see myself come back, the AYCE option is the way to go if you can "stomach" the wait time and is okay with no crab (Personally I'm more of a fan of the crawfish/shrimp) so it was a good deal

    Tiffany T.

    Being from Louisiana, I am considered a crawfish connoisseur so when my sister in love invited me here, I happily came. At entrance I was loudly greeted by the staff and sat at a table. The smells were delightful and it was pretty packed so I just knew I was about to enjoy breaking tails and sucking heads (sorry). I ordered the Combo A and added 2 pounds of crawfish. They charge $2 extra to get headless shrimp instead of head on. I ordered a can Coke and the waitress gave us a carafe of ice water. NOW I miss the "Frozen Crawfish" memo and was very saddened by the size of the crawfish. It is indeed the season and most places are serving, no frozen, medium to baby lobster size crawfish so imagine my disappointed face when my bowl came. The taste was on point, very delicious with the right amount of spice. The sausafe had a not so delicious taste but the corn was yummy. 7/10.

    Snow crab B
    Huy N.

    Took a while to try this place, but I'm happy to say that everything was delish. The restaurant was clean and the staff were attentive. We ordered the Snow Crab B combo which was surprisingly enough for 2 people. The Cajun sauce was very flavorful, and we got the medium spice which would probably qualify for spicy at a lot of places so definitely be mindful of that. My only complaint was that the shrimp were a little over cooked, kinda dry and tough. Lastly, I really enjoyed the complimentary snack bar with fruits, salads and golden buns to cleanse your palate after you're done eating.

    Snow Crab Leg/ 雪蟹腿
    Destinee R.

    I'm not very fond of writing negative reviews, but this was actually the worst experience I've had in a while. I picked here because of how reputable they are for their boils and pricing. We arrived around 8:40pm and were sat immediately at the last table available. We then waited an additional few minutes before we had to ask for someone to greet us or bring a menu. About 10 minutes later we received drinks and were ready to order. The hostess that sat us seemed to also be the server and some type of management as he was communicating with another higher up. We had to ask twice to order and eventually couldn't because the internet was down and their system was not working. Understandable, but then it didn't make sense to see someone who was sat after us ordering their food with another server. We were brought out food and drink items we didn't order while still waiting for the system to start working. After a fourth ask, the same person that sat us came over to take our order. It felt inconsiderate to our time because as soon as the ordering was available we should have gotten ours taken without multiple requests. I will commend him for apologizing about all the delays as he was the only one to acknowledge it. He also did alot of table touching with others and attempting to assist overall. Despite us ordering at the same time, my boyfriend received his food at 9:28 and I waited an additional 15 minutes before I decided to ask about mine and voice my frustration with the experience overall. The second server asked again what I ordered which was frustrating because the items were entered with the first server. I received my food at 9:54 by a third server who placed my food in front of my boyfriend then walked off without asking if we needed anything. The saving grace is that the quality of our crab boil was actually good- we could've gone up a spice level but the flavor and amount of meat was decent. I asked for lemon to another worker, and had to ask another server for it again since it was never brought. There were no table touches to check on how things were outside of us asking for things. The third server brought our check and bagged our food. He was non-engaging, didn't even close the bags, and once he received the final check there wasn't a thank you, apologies for the inconvenience or anything to acknowledge this extremely lackluster experience. For the service portion alone, I won't be returning. To not receive food for over an hour after being there was ridiculous. There was nothing provided to compensate for all the time delays and lack of quality service. Management seems to be double dipping into service roles to assist with the volume- one of them was rudely talking to the servers about how they were packaging food. To go service didn't seem to know what anyone was ordering. It just felt disorganized. I question if the system was even truly down or if it was a way to assist with volume in the kitchen since they do offer all you can eat and it was a packed Saturday evening. From the looks of other patrons there seemed to be general frustration. Maybe this was a bad day but it was a terrible experience. I've frequented multiple restaurants within the Bellaire area and have never received service (or lack thereof) how I did tonight.

    All you can eat menu
    Sarah E.

    My teens love eating here. There's usually a wait, and their app based waiting list let us spend the time at the grocery store next door. There's very little standing room to wait at in the front of the restaurant but they offer a bench outside. I've only tried their House Cajun flavor and our entire family really enjoy it. Aside from their $45 AYCE menu, they offer a few combinations of crawfish and snow crabs that comes with fixed number of corn, potatoes, boiled eggs and sausages and other seafood like boiled shrimp, mussels and clams. Service is excellent. There's a sink of handwashing in the dining room by the restrooms. They also supply plastic gloves and plastic bibs for dine in and when they pack the leftovers for to go. Intimate seating with limited tables so it can get crammed. Sometimes later at night, the restaurant dims the lights for a color changing strobe light, which can get a bit overstimulating.

    Lily L.

    First time here and wow, this place is worth it to get messy for. My boyfriend and I ordered the snow crab combo b (2 clusters of snow crab legs, 2 eggs, 2 smoked pork sausages, 1 pound head on shrimps, and 1 pound mussels). Got the house Cajun sauce level 5 spicy and it is spicyyy. We are sweating a little because of the spice but it's so good, can't stop eating. Super strong garlic flavor, kinda too salty but perfect to dip the shrimps to eat. We also got side of rice to go with the food. Snow crab legs are very plump, and sweet soy eh quality is good. Service is really fast and friendly, always checking on us if we need anything. Because it was our first time they explained well how we can order. You can do $45 for ayce or build your own bowl by ordering whatever you want pound, or you can do the combos. Vibe here is good, hyped music, definitely a good bar option for late night snack and drinks.

    The best seafood boil place i absolutely love this place. The sauce is amazing. It's so addicting i wanna go every week the manager is so sweet.

    Three pounds of crawfish with the house sauce medium spicy, one pound of shrimp and one turkey neck.
    E C.

    Super happy with the experience here. We arrived at opening time and were the only ones there at first. It's a nice, clean, and cute space. We were greeted and helped. The server notified us that it was not crawfish season and their crawfish at this time were frozen. We proceeded to order. We were thankful that he told us prior to ordering. Our crawfish were amazing!!! My mother got a turkey neck which she loved. We ordered shrimp as well, great taste, big and juicy. We ordered a few more pounds, had some sweet potato fries, and some snacks from a snack bar. Finished it off with a soda. Overall great experience and we will be back.

    Atmosphere

    Service is quick, you order on your phone and it's a hassle free process. Staff is super nice and the food is bomb. I came last week for the first time and i'm back again. i recommend the grilled broccoli and corn!! Super yummy. Also affordable, skewers range from $1.99-9. Other stuff is offered at different prices. The ambiance is definitely a night life vibe.

    Kehmia T.

    came for girls night out! nice quiet spot for seafood! We were able to try the All You Can Eat (AYCE) boil & baby it was more than enough. AYCE does not include crab or crawfish but they do have options outside for you to enjoy those if you do! 2 hr limit in AYCE but trust me that's plenty of time!

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    1 year ago

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    Alan C.

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    3 months ago

    Great food and service. Can't beat AYCE for that price. Nice ambience too. We come here pretty often and the quality is fairly consistent

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    Alan C.

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    4 months ago

    this place is me & my bestie go to.. the flavor is just chef kiss and the customer service is amazing too!!!!!

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Really cool atmosphere, extensive menu, and everything looks great. Service is also top tier. Definitely recommend.

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    4 months ago

    my favorite seafood spot in Houston! Everything is perfect and great customer service.

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    5 months ago

    This place was great . Excellent customer service , quality food , quick and affordable to.

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    Lao G.

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    7 months ago

    Food is amazing! Good seasoning, good atmosphere. I usually order to go, but it's a great place to just sit and eat as well. Recommend

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    7 months ago

    Had a party of 4 we waiting around for an hour and a half and they forgot all of our orders. Incredible

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 months ago

    Third time coming here Great food Customer service was amazing fast seating food was cooked to order hot

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    Page 2 of 8

    Gao's Crab Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Gao's Crab

    Is there crab on AYCE?

    Yes

    What is included in AYCE and how much is it?

    It's now $45. It includes items like fries, chicken tenders, mussels, shrimp, crawfish, noodles, potatoes, corn, boiled eggs, crab clusters. Me yes have been posted.

    Is the oysters included in the AYCE?

    Not when I was there.

    View All 5 Questions

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    4.3(702 reviews)
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    10/10 everything was top notch. Flavor was perfect. Texture was perfect…read more Parking was in a garage but they will validate for u. Just grab a ticket at the hostess desk on your way back to the garage. When u go down to the first floor. U will go out the door and Eunice is next door on the left side. . I will say the portions are very small but the flavor is excellent. We had gumbo, biscuit and burrata and duck poppers. The duck poppers were the size of ur finger ( if ur a small woman and there were 5 of them). The etoufee was very good. But for $43 it's pretty pricey. U do get shrimp cooked 2 ways. And the flavors were so good. I have no complaints about any foods at Eunice. In fact, I will be back for some of this delish food!! Yall need to try it.

    Eunice was absolutely incredible from start to finish! The ambiance is so amazing and our service…read morewas equally exceptional. We began with the cast iron cornbread, Cajun poppers, and chargrilled oysters, and every appetizer was packed with flavor. The cornbread was warm and delicious, the Cajun poppers were a standout, and the chargrilled oysters were cooked perfectly. For our entrees, we ordered the shrimp etouffe and the filet and frites. The etoufee was pretty good, though not my favorite. The filet was tender, perfectly cooked. Even the cocktails were delicious! Everything we tried was memorable, and the entire meal exceeded our expectations. I would absolutely return and highly recommend Eunice!

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    Private Event

    Eunice - Cajun Duck Poppers

    Cajun Duck Poppers

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    Main Dining Room

    Boil House - Crawfish!!

    Boil House

    4.4(536 reviews)
    11.3 miThe Heights
    $$

    Came in on a Friday night, to get some crawfish! But we ended up with wayyyy more two strawberry…read moredaiquiris, a pound of shrimp with corn, sausage and potatoes later we were good! The crawfish was as good, but had a very different taste than what I was used to, I think they added lime juice in the crawfish. It wasn't bad but very weird lol. My only gripe is the parking and the daiquiri. *there's street parking ofc, but you can end up walking a little far. But there's also parking in the back and enough room for about 6 cars. There's also parking in the front as well. For the Patrice of the daiquiri I didn't think I'd be getting a kiddie sized cup. My total was 26.25 and I added 1 dollar for a tip Overall.. I'm half and half on coming back, but we will see

    Came here for the first time towards the end of crawfish season, after hearing good things…read more Parking- on the street. Small lil place. Patio outside not covered, so when it's hot you have to try and hide near the sides with benches that are closer to the building for fake shade. Service- easy, order at the counter. No wait time. As soon as I placed my order I had my crawfish bag in hand. I belive $9.99 a lb right now. Food- unfortunately, the flavor was overly salty for me. I was done after 1 lb. But I see alot of folks enjoy this place, so they won't be hurting without my business. Try them out, you may love it.

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    Boil House - Boiled Crawfish

    Boiled Crawfish

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    Frozen margarita and Mexican coke

    Crawfish Cafe - Plump

    Crawfish Cafe

    4.2(760 reviews)
    10.3 miThe Heights
    $$$

    3rd time to this location,(best) Bellaire is 2nd and the Pearland location comes in last place(food…read morewasn't hot and a little salty) and now we've tried them all! I got my usual Kickin Cajun Crawfish - spicy -so much flavor and it really isn't too spicy! Hubs got the 1lb headless shrimp with Texas Cajun- spicy with garlic butter and they were perfectly cooked. Okra-5/5 very lightly breaded Crawfish eggrolls- meh Wings- Cajun buffalo 5/5 taste like Franks with added Cajun flavors We didn't get it this time but get the red beans and rice- yummmm(better here because it isn't dry like the Bellaire location) service is quick and friendly and the time to come is at lunch or early because they get really busy!

    Nut allergy friendly: Pretty much no issues here!…read more Parking: There's some in the strip mall but definitely less than at the Bellaire location. Time to Appetizers: 20 Minutes Time to Crawfish: 25 Minutes It's a solid branch from the main location in Bellaire, but they're missing some things. For example, the Bellaire location has the new Viet-Cajun flavor of sauce that hasn't debuted here yet (though you can DIY a mix). (Review is for July 2026 if they've updated since then) We got here at 6:05PM and got seated with no issues. Ordered the following: Combo #1 with extra corn and potatoes (3.5/5): Crawfish isn't in season, so don't be surprised at my low rating. It's still great and flavorful all around. Garlic Noodles with Shrimp (4/5): Still incredibly rich and buttery and garlicy and great for a palate cleanser. I'd skip the shrimp; you get eight pieces for $10 extra and that's not really worth it. Crawfish Beignets (4.5/5): Still a fantastic appetizer. Comes out hot, crispy, buttery, and is a really indulgence. 1 lb. Little Neck Clams (4.5/5): I liked these more than the crawfish tbh. It really does depend on what's in season. Very easy to eat, very flavorful. Service was generally good but our server seemed slammed; it took a long time to get water refills and to place extra orders (we got a second order of beignets to-go). Market price for crawfish is high and they're not in season, so don't be afraid to ask. The Combo #1 in July 2026 was $22. Overall, I'll probably be back during crawfish season especially because it's more convenient for me than the Bellaire location, but the Bellaire location has it beat for general atmosphere after the remodeling and much better options for mixes there.

    Photos
    Crawfish Cafe - They recommended  the Chargrilled Oysters and the Crawfish. In this photo there are lots of happy people eating .

    They recommended the Chargrilled Oysters and the Crawfish. In this photo there are lots of happy people eating .

    Crawfish Cafe - Golden fried oysters served over crispy wonton chips, finished with chipotle tartar sauce and fresh pico de gallo. Includes four pieces.

    Golden fried oysters served over crispy wonton chips, finished with chipotle tartar sauce and fresh pico de gallo. Includes four pieces.

    Crawfish Cafe - Tender shrimp smothered in a zesty, buttery sauce! Packed with flavor and ready to dig in.

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    Tender shrimp smothered in a zesty, buttery sauce! Packed with flavor and ready to dig in.

    The Rouxpour - Side door connected with shopping mall

    The Rouxpour

    3.9(710 reviews)
    5.2 miMemorial
    $$

    I don't know why it took me so long to come here. This Rouxpour (there are more than one) is…read morelocated adjacent to Memorial City Mall on the Gessner side of the mall near the old ice rink. Inside it's a nice restaurant with an upscale feel to it. I ordered a house salad for $9 to start and the Pasta Rosa entree for another $28. The salad arrived first with a generous amount of romaine lettuce with diced tomatoes, cucumber, shredded carrots and chopped eggs on top. With my chosen ranch dressing it was a good tasting salad. The Pasta Rosa dish had sliced Parmesan strips on top of penne with shrimp, crawfish and sausage for the protein with mushrooms and a tomato cream sauce. This meal initially tricked me. My first impression was that while there was plenty of protein the taste of the tomato cream sauce was lacking some flavor. I expected more. However as I kept eating and getting beyond the top layer of the food the flavor increased significantly. I think that the proteins caused the sauce in the lower half of the dish to create more punch. This dish got better and better and I changed my mind. It turned out to be a very good tasting and filling meal. Finally the table service was very good too. P.S. I also tried part of another appetizer which was the bar b q shrimp for $16. They were tasty. I like Rouxpour and would return. My only negative is that their prices are a little on the high side in my opinion.

    Sad that I learned this is a small chain as I am someone who tries to avoid chain-type restaurants…read more However, the food was incredible and would recommend. Came with a big group for mom's birthday and they were able to accommodate us including cutting cake.

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    The Rouxpour - Awesome bar

    Awesome bar

    The Rouxpour - One dozen oysters

    One dozen oysters

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    Shrimp pasta

    Gao's Crab - seafood - Updated September 2026

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