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Absolutely delicious--Karai Crab exceeded expectations! We ordered The Kraken, and it fed our group of 4 perfectly (honestly, it could stretch to 6 depending on how hungry you are). The Karai Special seasoning with cayenne spice was pure perfection--flavorful, bold, and not too overpowering. Every bite was juicy and packed with flavor. The service? Top-tier. Friendly, fast, and made sure everything was just right. With 4 people, the Kraken, and a few drinks, our total came to about $360--well worth it for the quality and experience. Definitely recommend for seafood lovers or anyone looking for a fun, flavorful dining night in Honolulu!
My daughter goes to Oahu often and this is her favorite place to eat so when we went together, she HAD to bring me here. Her favorite is the snow crab and we were lucky enough that they had all you can eat snow crab on the menu. You have 90 minutes to eat it, and if you waste any, you get fined (which is more than fair.) You get to choose your pick of different flavored butters. My favorite was the garlic butter. But we recommend you get the butter on the side or else it becomes super messy. I like to squeeze some lemon juice in the warm butter and then dip the crab in. You get a bib and (ginormous) gloves plus a variety of tools to get out the crab meat. The crab was very fresh and flavorful. The girls working there are very sweet and attentive. My daughter told me she was friendly with the manager who always remembers her and is extremely sweet but unfortunately she wasn't there that night. It's a bit chilly in the restaurant so bring your jacket! Please support this wonderful restaurant.
Great service and friendly staff Made experience really great. First time here got the garlic noodles! High recommend, I think I could eat two haha. Got snow crab and king crab level one spicy do not go over. You can get side samples and try the hotter ones. They give lots so might want to order one order at a time. I did double order and was stuffed!
Saw the reviews and wanted to try this place out. It didn't disappoint! The sauces were great and seafood a hit. Each person gets a bib with gloves...good thing as it's messy. We tried the karai, garlic butter and lemongrass garlic butter sauces. All great with lots of it. If we had anything to do over, it's to order a side of bread to soak up all the sauce goodness. The garlic noodles were chewy with a great garlic butter sauce. The shrimp, colossal combo and lobster were delicious! Such a great find.
We have tons of Vietnamese cajun crab boil places in the Bay Area. So we were excited to try a place in Hawaii. We ordered Dungeness crab and clams in karai special sauce. We also got garlic noodles and cajun spiced popcorn shrimp. Our least favorite was the garlic noodles. I've had a lot of garlic noodles in my lifetime and this had no flavor. The cajun spiced popcorn shrimp was delicious. The crab and clam was good as well. The sauce for the crab and clam was okay to me. It's missing an umami flavor to it.
My son wanted to eat crab for his birthday, so we decided to go Karai crab again and made reservations on yelp. We last ate at the restaurant 9 years ago before they moved, and they were so good, Trying them again, their service is an excellent 5 stars, but their food is a mix to average to a 3 star: House salad - 3 stars - when we first were served the house salad, the cucumber was waterlogged and tasted spoiled, like it was left in the freezer for a few days then thawed out. The dressing also tasted a bit spoiled, thus a 0 star, but when we asked the waiter if it was supposed to be like this, he immediately replaced it with a new one and apologized. The second salad was a 3 star, but the first salad left a bad taste in our mouths and stomach, and luckily didn't get sick from it. Chicken wings - 5 stars - my son said these chicken wings were better than other chicken wings he tried. Although a little salty, it had a great bold flavor, and cooked just right, crispy skin and tender inside. Colossal sampler - 3 stars - the shrimp and mussles were great, but the crab had little or no meat in it, and inside was also cold. One of the crab legs was super thorny, so it was hard to handle. The Karai sauce was the bomb. I would give the sauce 5 stars. It's half of their full colossal special and came with corn and potato. Seafood pasta - 3 stars - the seafood was ok with the noodles, but maybe it just wasn't my taste, but I did't really care for the sauce because it tasted a little sour to me. My son got a free dessert for his birthday. He said it was really good. Service - 5 stars - they constantly checked if we were ok and replaced the salad with no problem. Very friendly and personable. They also gave 15% off kamaaina discount, so it was less than what I projected, plus a free birthday dessert. Would have been a better deal if we could have gone during Happy Hour, between 5-6p, since certain items were half off, and it's not so dark, but we couldn't make it in time. Parking - they validate if you park in the interstate building in the back, or there are free metered parking right in the front after 6pm. However, the outside is has a homeless walking around and it's barren, so we had to be vigilent of our surroundings both in the parking lot because they could walk in and no guard watching the cars, and no one outside on the street.
Staff was super helpful. Seafood was delicious. A little pricey, but worth it to me because it would be way too much work to prep & clean up at home. Heard there's a kamaaina, we forgot to ask, so it's still a rumor to me ... They even have a nice sauce sampler, winners if you're like me and wanna try all the sauces. They'll also do the spicy sauces separately, if you've got a mix of hot/spice tolerances ... only thing is it's an extra charge. The ghost pepper sauce was super tasty, but too hot for me.
This. Place. Is. LEGIT. Came here on a Friday during Happy Hour and ordered the Kraken, garlic noodles, mushrooms, and a bottle of Chardonnay, which was chilling in a bucket of ice - very nice touch. If you're like me and a little extra about having your hands smell like garlic, then I recommend forgoing the plastic kimchi gloves, and bring your own latex free nitrile gloves. I promise you, it will hold and won't compromise the dining experience as you devour this seafood feast. Staff was friendly, restaurant was clean, and there is a parking garage connected to the restaurant (but prepare to pay $3 w/ validation). I was in a party of 4, there was more than enough food for us so no one was being shellfish (pun intended). By the time we were done, there was a lonely potato none of us had room for. Can't wait to come back again!
Feeling a bit crabby? Then this place is perfect for you. This restaurant is located in the Interstate Building off of King Street. You can either park on the street (depending on the time of day) or elect to pay for parking in the parking structure with validation. If you parked in the structure, you can enter the restaurant in the back area but will need to walk through the restaurant to see the host for a table. Once you are seated, you'll have a hard decision on what to eat because everything just sounds amazing. Here are some of the items I ordered in the past: APPETIZERS: Oyster Shooters: Fresh. Opted for the chili pepper water and ponzu mix which gave that perfect umami spicy flavor. Popcorn Shrimp: crispy on the outside and juicy shrimp on the inside. Though relatively small, this appetizer is evenly coated with the seasoned batter and packs a lot of flavor when paired with freshly squeezed lemon juice and marinara sauce. Clam Dip: Freshly made by the kitchen, this dip also packed a lot of savory flavor. The homemade shrimp chips definitely elevates the dish with the added texture No Mess Shrimp: Extra juicy with extra flavoring without catching any PEELings (get it PEELings?). ENTREES: Seafood Pasta: Creamy and filling! The seafood itself tasted fresh and was cooked perfectly giving that right amount of crunch. It's a good alternative to select if you're not looking to get your hands dirty. Dungeness crab cluster with Karai special at medium (cayenne): Not for the clean eaters. You might want to take up on the offer for a bib, gloves, and those scissors. The end result is some perfectly cooked sweet juicy crab meat dipped with the perfect sauce. Pairs well with either a glass of white wine or a beer. Snow crab cluster with Karai special at medium (cayenne): Same as above, not for the clean eaters. Though it is not as hard as cracking open the Dungeness crab, this also is cooked perfectly and provides a very savory crab meat pairing quite well with the sauces. I still would take up on the offer for a bib, gloves, and scissors. Service is here is pretty great too! From the beginning to the very end, the staff here are very accommodating and friendly. They were always checking on us to see how we were doing and if we needed anything. Which makes this place worth checking out. Side note though: the last time we came, it was hella packed. According to staff, it has been much busier than pre-covid. Therefore, might want to ask for a reservation or ask to sit at the bar if you can't wait for a table. They do offer happy hour too which is always a plus!
Took our gf there for her bday. 3 of us girls with eyes bigger than our stomachs. Menu is a little overwhelming...so much and everything sounds good. I'm on a diet, so I'll go back to try the rest when I'm really able to overindulge. We started with the Prime Rib pupu, Karai chicken wings, clam linguini. I didn't try the linguini, but the prime rib was good and the chicken wings were really good. So nice and crispy. I'd go back just for the wings. Then we got the Colossel Kracken...which we were warned was generally for 4-6 peeps. They had to move us to a bigger table to accommodate all our food and wine bucket. We wanted to sub clams for muscles but guess they forgot. No biggie. You know what I loved the most other than the chicken? Pesto broccoli. I never thought to pesto my broccoli, but dang it was delish. We each went home with a bagful of kracken, and I ended up with some broc and prime also. Way too much food. The workers were all super nice and helpful. I like the new location on King St. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
My first time here and I enjoyed the food for the most part! The sauces were good and the seafood was decent as well. They also had some other food selections of non seafood appetizers. If you haven't been to a Cajun seafood restaurant before, it might surprise you a bit that it might not be run by creole or Cajun people, but operated by Asian people including those in California. I don't know about you, but i thought this would be a Louisiana thing and I would expect to see a sassy and nice black lady coming to greet me but she's nowhere to be found lol. Anyway, the food was good and I think the highlights were the popcorn shrimp and the wings. They're both crispy and very flavorful. I liked the seafood boil too, but I feel like the sauce was good but it was lacking some punch to it, like it didn't make me wanna lick the sauce or finish the sauce with rice. Can't tell what's missing, of course I'm comparing it with the shebang sauce from boiling crab. I liked the garlic noodles too but I also feel like something was lacking but I couldn't say what exactly. I actually prefer having the seafood served in a plastic bag, which might be weird to some, because the sauces will just pool to the bottom and it's easy to access it even before the seafood was finished. The price was a bit steep too for what it was, and so I feel like if it wasn't finger licking good, it's kinda hard to justify coming back. But if you haven't been here, definitely give it a try, especially if you're in the mood for some seafood boil!!! The environment was comfortable to dine in. Their high chairs weren't as messed up as some other restaurants too! Also I wish they had actual seafood crackers instead of the shears with the small part for seafood cracking, it's just more satisfying to use as cracker for me. Overall it's a great experience! Stop thinking about it and just go try it already haha And happy lunar new year!
Such a medium sized and quaint restaurant with friendly servers. We came early when it first opened and it was pretty empty but really picked up in business near dinner hour. Didn't see much of a wait though. Still plenty of seating bc the restaurant is deep. Had a full sized wall decoration with really cute and funny crab puns. We ordered the kraken meal which EASILY fed 5 of us and we had a bit leftover. We got the karai special sauce and cayenne spice level. The snow crab legs were amazingly seasoned and had plenty of meat on them. Some of the best snow crab I've had. Definitely set the standard.
A great place for fresh seafood boil! Make sure to make a reservation ahead of time on their website. It's easy to do and well ensure you get a dine in table for your party at this busy and popular joint. We ordered the chicken wings, garlic noodles, snow crab combo (came with snow crab legs, clams, mussels, shrimp, sausage, corn, and potato). We also ordered a couple of their cocktail drinks. My favorite item was actually the garlic noodles! They are known for them and it's obvious why because these noodles are chewy, light, and packed with awesome garlic and herb. This is probably one of the cleanest restaurants in Oahu. They are taking COVID safety precautions to keep everyone safe. Tables were socially distanced, mask are required for everyone, and hand sanitizer is provided at each table. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
Love the crab legs here. Large family of six for my wife's birthday. We all loved it. Ordered the Kraken which is a large combination of snow crab legs, muscles, clams, shrimps, potato, and corn. Very delicious. The legs were slightly over cooked and made the crab legs just a little difficult to pull out but still very delicious. Also ordered shrimp kimchi fried rice. Very good! Drinks are fairly priced! Great service. Highly recommend this place. We will be going back frequently. read more
5 years ago
Everything was perfect. Staff 10/10 Food 12/10 Service 10/10 If the owner walks around and offers you a special spicy sauce, TAKE IT. HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more
They deserve all of these 5 stars twice and even 3 times over!! They bring food out as they are ready despite your intent, ie appetizer(s) or side dishes. Knowing that upfront was helpful to know to pace eating. We ordered French fries, sautéed broccoli and sautéed mushrooms along with 1 Dungeness crab with the Karai Special sauce at Cayenne spice level. Service? Very good! Atmosphere? Relaxing. Food quality? Price worthy and, oh so tasty!!! Excellent! We highly recommend trying out Karai Crab. They're moving shortly but reopening in November. THEY'RE SO GOOD! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Shrimply Delicious!!! The best seafood in all of Honolulu! The food was amazing, especially the honey garlic shrimp. Really one in a KRILLion!! Great cocktails, great atmosphere. The Lanikai Lychee was very yummy and smooth. read more
4 years ago
Came here after a high school basketball game! So. Won the game and won with coming here to eat and drink. The service by Cash and his fellow servers were awesome! The food - Pan roast, Crab, shrimp, clams, chicken all were super ONO!!!! We are coming back!!! Thank you so much! Loved it!!! read more
3 years ago
First night in Honolulu and we found a fantastic spot, Karai Crab. The happy hour is great! Inexpensive, great food and excellent service. Oh! And the crab was cooked perfectly with a nice and spicy homemade sauce. read more
2 years ago
My best friend was so kind enough to buy my fiance and I dinner for my birthday. I've been craving crab legs and initially wanted to do delivery, but the price discrepancy was way too much compared to ordering pick-up so we decided to do curbside pick-up instead. I'm not sure how price compares to other seafood type of places like this, but I felt that this place made the money worth it or well my best friend's money worth it lol! I got the Snow Combo with the butter garlic sauce for $61 and it was sooooo good. It included 1.25lb of snow crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, corn the cob, red potatoes and pineapple sausage. This combo lasted me 2 dinners and 1 lunch. They pack it in one of those oven-safe bags so that you can easily reheat leftovers in the oven which is an amazing concept. My fiance doesn't care for seafood so he got the Karai Chicken Wing plate for $14. He normally doesn't like spicy foods, but we didn't think the wings would be THAT spicy. You can feel the spice in your throat. It's difficult to explain, but the wings were super spicy; however, he said it was really good despite it being way too spicy. I couldn't eat it because I couldn't handle the spice. Oh and we also got the garlic bread... it was not what I was expecting. It was buttered on one side only so it actually really plain. I wouldn't get the bread again, but I'd definitely order everything else again! read more
My husband and I had dinner this past Wednesday (Feb. 25) for my birthday celebration. I was very, very, very happy with the quality of food, service, ambience and COVID compliant. I received an advance call (I believe 30 minutes before my reservation time) and confirmed I will be at the appointed reservation time. She clearly articulated in a friendly tone of voice in explaining what is expected when we arrived at the restaurant, etc. She took the necessary information required such as name, address, etc. I really appreciated this because when my husband and I checked in the restaurant, we were immediately seated AND did not have to deal with the hassles of filling out an intake form and having someone explain what one should do, etc. That being all written above, let's get to the "heart" "good eats." I decided I will focus on their offerings of crab, "hello" "YES" Their three varied offerings of Snow, King and Dungeness crab are all excellent choices. It depends on your preferences with ease in extracting those delectable morsels and texture of it once it's released from it's crab legs, etc. I ordered the snow crab for ease in extracting the crab meat from it's legs and other parts of the crab. What impressed me is the cleanliness of these crabs that I was presented with. I ate every part of it without hesitation. I share this because in most restaurants I visited that offered "snow crab" it had a "dirty" look on the shells of the crab legs, etc. ( a black residue) My husband was very happy with his order of catfish and fries. I sampled his order, also. It was sooooo good and delicious. Our meal ended with a complimentary dessert for my birthday celebration, The staff were very friendly and attentive in filling our water glasses. Thank you for your service and making my birthday dining celebration memorable. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
The crab was delicious. It looked great and tasted even better. It was cooked perfectly, tender and flavourful. The prime rib was also juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
Had an 8pm reservation... stood at the door for almost 10min to be seated. As we were waiting to be seated One of waitresses had an attitude about us not wearing masks (which was an honest mistake that we forget to put them on- but we did have them). Although I know it's still a mandate, she didn't need to bark at us about it. We ordered- shrimp and garlic fried rice, cheesy bread (extremely salty), edamame, garlic noodles, garlic fries, cluster combo and the no mess shrimp. We had the Karai house seasoning on the cluster combo, which was ok... As we were getting ready to leave a gentlemen (I assume the manager) gave my kids chocolate chip potato chip cookies. Very kind of him. read more
This place is pretty awesome! The service is definitely 5 stars, along with the dining area/ambiance. The usual crab place we go to closed down, so we decided to give this place a try. We arrived around 7pm and they told us they were fully booked - but a party never showed so they gave us their table! Many people walked in and made reservations in advance, so I highly suggest this. We just got lucky. They food was really fresh! We ordered snow crab with garlic butter. We got a generous amount, about three large clusters of snow crab. The garlic butter was very unique - it has a very herby taste? At first I didn't really like it, but the more I ate the more it grew on me. The crab meat was fresh and sweet. Salt and pepper shrimp - they are large head on shrimp battered and fried to a crisp. They are meant to be ate with the shell on. The seasoning was a bit too salty for me so I ended up peeling the whole shrimp and ate them with rice (even though I peeled off the batter and shell it still had a lot of flavor). The shrimp were large and juicy. Side order of corn - oh my corn! Miniature corn on the cob seasoned perfectly. They were sweet, crispy, and delicious. Next time we will get two orders! Afterwards they told us we could go into the Willows buffet and help ourselves to the soft serve ice cream! I got matcha in a cone and vanilla in a cup with peanuts sprinkled on top lol. Overall this place is really good and I will definitely be back. Next time I'll probably get the sauce on the side for the crab or ask them to go light. Parking can be tricky but we scored a stall on the street. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Come in at 8:00 pm and no wait. Our food orders are served quickly and HOT. Love it when you can see steam coming out of the pot. Food servings are good for sharing. The seafood price is reasonable. The restaurant design is trendy and restroom is clean. read more
(Living w/COVID series) The indefatigable Aunty Nadine C organized yet another UYE for belated birthdays, this time for Braddah Jace T. This time to Karai Crab on King Street. Validated or street parking is available. KC is at the space formerly occupied by Cafe Sistina. They have done a great job of opening up the area, things look clean and modern. In these post Covid times, mask is required until you get to your table. A hand sanitizer station is available near the entrance. Tables are distanced, and the staff wear masks and gloves. This was (for me) a late night shindig, meeting up at 8 pm, so I've already eaten dinner. Ordered an app of hoisin honey chicken wings. Everyone else ordered some kind of seafood specialty, the majority getting a seafood boil. There were different kinds of boils- mixing clams, shrimp, and snow & king crab, with several types of sauces and sides. Prices were comparable for these type of seafood orders. KC staff let us know before the kitchen closed at 9 pm so we could order something else if we wanted to. Nadine brought out the a red velvet cake with a song for the birthday boy. We stayed for nearly an hour afterwards. Good food, good prices, and excellent company (while still being safe)! Karai Crab is someplace to come to and enjoy a little seafood! Repeat and recommend! read more
Mahalo Nui Loa Aunty Nadine C. for orchestrating our special seafood shindig to celebrate Duke Jace T.'s belated birthday! It was the perfect venue for our party of 10! Karai Crab is at its new location in the Interstate Bldg on King St where Cafe Sistina used to be. Dinner Only 5-9pm Daily except Tuesdays. Take-Out of course! And Delivery via Food-a-Go-Go or Grub Hub! *They currently have a BOGO 50%OFF Snow or Dungeness Crab Special (Dine-In or Takeout) Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday!* Yes! I totally want to go back! Our party had Snowcrab, King Crab, & Dungeness(in the Karai Combo) and everyone loved what they got! We had the SNOWCRAB with Karai Seasoning (Cajun Butter Mix) w/ Cayenne level spicyness which wasn't spicy at all but yummy! Next time I will try the HABANERO or GHOST PEPPER levels of Spice! Karai means "Spicy" in Japanese , so I'm sure their spices are sugoi! Birthday Boy chose snowcrab with Garlic Butter -- THEY DO GARLIC GREAT HERE!! The GARLIC BUTTER sauce had WHOLE & SLICED CLOVES of GARLIC in it!! Jace had the right idea and ordered a bowl of rice (Japanese short grain) to soak up all the garlic butter goodness and made a crab donburi bowl, having diligently removed all his crabilicious meat from the legs/claws! Aunty Earl devoured her entire loaf of French Bread, dipping it in our Cajun Butter sauce! The GARLIC HONEY CHICKEN WINGS also had COPIOUS AMOUNTS of FRESHLEY CHOPPED GARLIC on it!! (None of the minced garlic you find in a bottle or jar!) Super yummy! The KING CRAB also looked super fresh, moist, meaty and satisfying!! But the HIGHLIGHT of the meal for me was actually the SHRIMP!! You can order WHOLE SHRIMP (heads, shells, legs, tails & shrimp doo-doo included!) LOL or NO MESS "NO DOO-DOO"(shelled & de-veined) SHRIMP! =D!! After I peeled one of the whole shrimp the shrimp doo-doo grossed me out and I just couldn't eat it! Yelp buddy Aims was happy to swap it for one of her no doo-doo shrimp! Thank You, WOW! That piece of NO MESS SHRIMP was JUMBO, PLUMP, CRUNCHY & FRESH!!! One of the best shrimps I've ever had!! =D! Aunty Earl LOVED & DEVOURED all of the WHOLE SHRIMP we ordered, eating and sucking up the shrimp heads, guts, doo-doos and all -- was Super Ono she said!! And she's a Fisherman! So she knows her seafood! =) I totally want to come back here for more SHRIMP!! Will get it with the Garlic Butter Sauce & Habanero seasoning!! Way better than any North Shore Shrimps I've had -- even Romy's! And of course for the BOGO 50% OFF Crab!! Another Highlight! They have an exclusive KARAI BLONDE ALE on draft made by a local brewery and it was FANTASTIC!! Super light n refreshing lager which perfectly compliments the various spices & spice levels!! Kanpai dear Yeeps!!^^! The place is very uniquely decorated with 'Law of the Claw' sayings and Shell-ey & Shell-don Restrooms =) They also give you a Super Cute Karai Crab Bib! Time to get messy!! =D! And messy food is so much better with a Jolly Group of Friends! All of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals & our company!!^__^! They left the front & back doors open for good ventilation, tables physically distanced, staffed masked & gloved, and copious hand sanitizer available! Mahalo Karai Crab, we all felt satisfied, Safe & Happy!^__^!! Otanjobi Omedeto Gozaimasu dear Duke Jace!! BE YOUR CRABULOUS SELF!! NO IMITATIONS! =)! read more
6 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
Karai Crab was great. Make reservations if at all possible. We tried to walk in and they accommodated us but it would be better if you can get reservations. It's a small Place but don't let it fool you. You will not be disappointed. We had a great time and the food was awesome. Even if our wait was a bit long. The atmosphere outside was great. With the pond and trees. Calamari app was excellent and I don't like calamari. The clams were also excellent. I with I could remember what they were called. You can't go wrong with any of the seafood you choose. We did Shrimp with Karai special seasoning. It's buttery and garlic with a kick of spice but you can choose the heat We also did king crab with butter garlic and karai special. If you leave here hungry then it's your own fault. Love this place. read more
3 years ago
Pretty great options for seafood boil. Wish the boil had more sauce, it's way different from what I've had before but still tasty. The service was great, very attentive individuals (they attend to you right when you enter which awesome ). The decorations = A1 the seafood puns were funny lol. Overall a good place to visit. Make sure to make a reservation beforehand. read more
2 years ago
The first thing when you walk in to Karai Crab is the smell, and then you see the delicious seafood. We made reservations and they sat us right a few minutes before our time slot. The hostess and server was very friendly. Our server knew the menu and was very helpful. We both ordered the king crab combo. There was was king crab, shrimp, mussels, corn on the cob, and sausage. It was really delicious! We also ordered their seafood fried...so good! We will definitely be back again to eat some Karai Crab! read more
This is our first time here and we ordered the kraken, which is humongous! The calamari have real squid, not just flour like from other places. And they said the chicken wings were good, but in a little salty side. We also have the kimchi fried rice which is also great. The staff were awesome and the service is top notch. They have covered parking but you have to pay $3 even after validation. Overall, we had a great time and wife said she wants to go back someday soon! read more
Kara Crab I've been meaning to try out for sooooo long because I always park by it to go to Da Spot that is just down the road. I went in on a random night it's supposed be reservations only, but I walked in I guess it was a slow night. Its a small hole in the wall, but it's the sister restaurant to Willows. I didn't use their parking but it's right across the restaurant. Can't really miss it because it had a big reddish-orange crab outside of it. Its a small business but super cute and connected to Willows. The staff are sooooo friendly and kind and their prices are surpringly affordable for seafood, with big portions, complementary soft serve ice cream, with bibs and wipes. Definitely coming back because of all that! I would recommend this place any day! Great date spot! read more
I only have one question for you guys: why is it some of the tastiest food in the world also has to be some of the messiest? Immediately upon pulling up to this place, we almost had to do a double take of the front entrance. Because it didn't even look like they were open at first. That is, until we saw the "open" sign up top...and then realized the curtains were drawn in order to block out the sun. Not that it mattered anyway. We were immediately seated outside in the back when the waiter escorted us to our table. Ordinarily, I'd have a problem with this due to the warm weather and ostensible exposure to the inevitable and occasional flies. But the view was gorgeous! So much so, that I didn't really mind all that much whenever I started sweating onto my own bib. But, I digress. For tonight's entrees, we decided to go with the snow crab with garlic butter sauce, fries, garlic noodles, and the salt and pepper shrimp for the appetizer. And sure enough, I have various thoughts on each item. First, the salt and pepper shrimp were tasty as all hell! But when they serve it, two things are apparent almost from the get go. 1.) The shrimp are served whole. Head and all. 2.) They're battered, but not peeled. So, this means the well seasoned batter sits on top of the shell of the shrimp. Which is inedible. I don't get how this is a good thing. One caveat I need to point out is how incredibly, insanely hot these shrimp were. Seriously, I felt like my fingers were on fire as I was attempting to peel these damn things! Which is a real shame, considering how delicious they finally were after that ordeal was said and done. Anyways, next we have the snow crab. As the menu suggests, you have various sauces to choose from. We went with the garlic butter...which made these crab legs messy as hell to the touch. However, the flavors were all there. Can't say the same for the garlic noodles though. I took one mouthful and was immediately unimpressed. They reeked of straight garlic and lacked any ounce of seasoning that would have otherwise helped this side dish resemble anything delectable. Needless to say, that dish was sent back to the kitchen and eventually removed from our bill. The fries were a lot better! The perfect side to go with my messy, greasy crab legs (needed the starch to counterbalance the abundant amount of superfluous garlic butter). So, that's it really. Other than the food being messier than Taco Bell, the service was decent and most importantly, the flavors were all there. I think the shrimp would have been better if served peeled and THEN battered, but that's just my preference. Karai Crab gets 3 greasy garlic snow crab clusters out of 5. read more
6 years ago
My husband was craving for crab legs and we weren't too sure what places were open. Thankfully, to our advantage, Karai crab was back up and running that day due to the whole covid-19. Although they weren't offering dine-in options right now, they were offering curbside pick up and free delivery (in certain areas) for orders over $50. So double check their website if they're still offering that option. It's ashamed that our first experience had to be in our own home but we are so glad we chose this place. The food was so delicious and flavorful. It was well worth the price. Everything was very presentable and nicely wrapped so that nothing would leak. However, the garlic noodles did leak a little but it was packaged and at the very bottom so nothing else got messy. The crab shells were soft enough for us to crack without the proper tools. I wish I could've tasted their cornbread but they weren't offering it during this time. It's all good. That just gives us a reason to go back when everything is fully open and up and running. Needless to say my husband thanked me for choosing this place. He absolutely enjoyed every bite, so did I. Thanks Karai crab! read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
4 years ago
The lychee fruit spritzer was perfection!!! Id say that was the only thing that really Stuck out to me. The fried chicken skin was awesome; however kim chi fried rice had too much black pepper & was a little bland. We ordered the snow crab leg combo, but all the seafood was over cooked. The shrimp skin was so hard to peel off the shrimp itself. Also, There were also only 3-4 pieces of shrimp, clams & mussels that came with our order. Ambiance & service was great, but wouldn't recommend to food lovers. read more
5 years ago
What can I say about this place! If I could give 1000stars to this place I would. Went in here with some contemplation but man was I blown with their service and food. There is not one thing I can pick on for this place. Starting from food to the service, it was spotless. Our waitress was the sweetest. Sandrine (Not sure if her name is correct) she went an extra mile to make sure everything was great. Note: this place is not in the tourist attraction zone but keep in mind that this is a must visit place when you are there! read more
More info about Karai Crab
1314 S King St
Ste G2
Honolulu, HI 96814
Directions
(808) 952-6990
Call Now
Visit Website
https://karaicrab.com
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Ask the Community - Karai Crab
Is there bar service I couldn't find a drink menu? If not is it BYOB?
Aloha, yes they serve drinks! They also appear to have a top shelf Japanese whiskey service! (You can see them at the bar area!)
Is there outdoor seating for this restaurant?
No, there is not outdoor seating.
Is it all you can eat?
No it's not a buffet you order what you want to eat off the menu
What's the parking like at the new location? And will a lifted truck fit if there is a garage?
We do have parking in the structure but not made for a lifted truck. My suggestion is to make a reservation or come to the restaurant after 630pm. After 6:30pm there is free street parking right in front of our restaurant.
When is happy hour?
4pm - 6pm and late night 9pm - 10pm last call for the kitchen is 1030pm
Where's the nearest place to get a Tide stain removal pen for an oil spot where I dropped the onolicious garlic fries?
Lol. Up on King Street there is a CVS.
What is the address that you are relocated to and what date will you reopen ? Also just a suggestion you should hire someone to keep your website updated.
Aloha L.J. Our new address will be 1314 S. King St. Honolulu, Hawaii 96814. We are looking the… Read more
Hi, how do I check my balance on gift cards that I have?
You can call in. That's what I did.
Are they still open? Since Willows is closed?
We are still open month to month at the same location for now. We are still looking for another location in case someone does buy the Willows property. So far we are staying put for the while month of February.
Do they not do reservations on opentable anymore?
We could not find them on open table. We had to call them directly
Is there a free parking?
if you valet you still pay the $3 + tip but street parking is free
Aloha! I wanted to ask the crab dishes you serve, are they gluten free? My wife has a gluten allergy so I wanted to make sure. Thank you.
Aloha Joe, Yes, our sauces and crab dishes are gluten free, only our Lemon Pepper seasoning is… Read more
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29 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
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Karai Crab - seafood - Updated July 2026
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