Came here to celebrate my childhood best friend's birthday, and I'm so glad we did! We originally…read moretried a couple of other seafood spots, but they wouldn't seat our group with about an hour and a half left before closing. King Crab Shack was incredibly accommodating and let us make a reservation, which really saved the night.
Walking in, I loved the coastal vibe. The fishing nets, nautical décor, wooden booths, and little crab details throughout the restaurant made it feel like you stepped into a seafood shack by the beach. It was clean, spacious, and had a fun atmosphere that fit the meal perfectly.
One thing I thought was surprisingly clever was the vinyl bibs. Not only did they have an adorable crab printed on them, but they also had a pocket at the bottom to catch any seafood that inevitably falls while you're cracking shells. The gloves were a perfect touch too! It's a small detail, but it definitely came in handy!
The menu had plenty of seafood options at different price points, whether you're looking for a smaller seafood boil or a feast for a group. We ordered two Combo #3s ($99.99 each), Combo #6 ($95.99), a pound of mussels ($18.99), and an extra order of snow crab clusters ($35.99). While seafood isn't cheap, the portions were generous, everything tasted fresh, and it felt like a fair value for the quality and amount of food we received (table of 5). One thing to keep in mind is that the combo meals have set seafood combinations, so there isn't much flexibility to mix and match items. It wasn't a dealbreaker for us, but it's something worth knowing if you're hoping to customize your combo boil.
We all chose the Garlic Butter Crazy Cajun seasoning at a medium spice level, and I highly recommend it. The garlic butter gave everything a rich, buttery base while the Cajun seasoning layered in smoky, savory slices with just the right amount of heat. The medium spice definitely lets you know it's there, but it never overpowered the seafood. Instead, it built gradually and complemented the natural sweetness of the crab, lobster, shrimp, mussels, and crawfish. Every bite was coated in flavor, and we found ourselves dipping everything into the extra sauce.
The seafood itself was fresh and cooked well. The snow crab legs were a little difficult to crack, but once you were able to dive in, it was packed with sweet tender meat. The lobster tails stayed juicy instead of becoming rubbery, the muscles were plump, and the shrimp had a fresh bite. The corn, potatoes, and sausage, and eggs soaked up all of that delicious seasoning and honestly became just as enjoyable as the seafood.
I also wanted crawfish, but no one else at the table wanted to order a whole pound. After mentioning it to our server, they were kind enough to bring me a couple crawfish on the side instead of making me purchase an entire order. It was such a thoughtful gesture and really showed they cared about making our experience enjoyable.
The only thing I'd love to see improved is the seafood tools. They provided crackers and scissors, but they weren't very effective and made getting into the crab legs and lobster more difficult than it needed to be. A sturdier cracker and sharper seafood scissors would make the experience much smoother.
Between the welcoming staff, fun atmosphere, fresh seafood, flavorful seasoning, and thoughtful customer service, this was a great place to celebrate a special occasion. I'd definitely come back the next time I'm craving a seafood boil.