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DELICIOUS seafood!!!! I finally got to have King crab and it was so good. Everything was fresh, good flavor & seasoning, and excellent attentive service.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I found this spot on social media. I was so excited that they had chicken skins! I was terribly disappointed when I got there to find they no longer had them. We enjoyed our meal. The sauce was delicious. The drink was alright. But the food was good.
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.
Celebrated a birthday here and we truly had an awesome dining experience! The last time I dined at Karai Crab was when it was located next to the Willows restaurant. Since it was a weekday, the restaurant wasn't very busy. We were seated early and our sever was prompt in greeting us. We ordered and enjoyed : Calamari Karai combo with crab legs (Karai seasoning and cayenne spice level) The seasoning .. was amazing!! Perfect seasoning to enjoy with our Karai combo! We couldn't get enough of this dish and even ordered a side of the local kukkui pineapple sausage. The calamari was also delish! We wanted to order the ahi cakes but they were all out. Delicious meal and awesome service ! I can't wait to come here again for more delicious food ! read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
Pretty tasty and good service My only issue was the fact we got two small potato's in our $95 crab order. That's the cheapest ingredient and it was the least plentiful. read more
5 years ago
I've been eying this restaurant out for years now but never really found the opportunity to check it out until recently. SUPER EXCITED. It's located on the ground floor of the Interstate Building on S. King St. There's a parking structure for the building that would need validation and street parking up in front of the restaurant. My friends and I did family style sharing of dishes. We ordered the Garlic Noodles, Catfish with Fries, No Mess Shrimp (garlic butter with habanero spicy), Karai Combo (Karai special with cayenne spicy), and Pan Roast. Soooo much delicious food! First, the garlic noodles was SOOOO GOOD. I can see why so many people order this. Such a simple dish but great flavor! Strong garlic taste (who doesn't love that?) with noodles cooked just right. My boyfriend was super tempted to order another plate of garlic noodles because it was THAT amazing. But we didn't as we had too much food LOL. Second, the catfish was fried to a nice golden brown and was not over cooked at all! Sauce was really good (not spicy) and was a great dipping sauce for the dish. We asked for another sauce as there was too much catfish and not enough sauce LOL. Third, the no mess shrimp with the garlic butter. SOO GOOD because of the garlic butter. SUPER spicy with the habanero sauce tho. I was dying from just a couple bites but couldn't stop because of the deliciousness. Fourth, the Karai combo with the Karai special sauce was a boil of things: shrimp, clams, mussels, potatoes, sausage, corn. The sauce wasn't as great as the garlic butter but still pretty good! My friends and I actually dipped the foods from the combo into the big mess shrimp sauce for the flavor LOL. lastly, the pan roast was kind of interesting. It was almost like a thick soup with rice in the middle. Unexpected but really good. My friends and I all got a round of drinks too! I got their Lanikai Lychee which was REALLY good and dangerous. Not much of the alcohol could be tasted (dunno if it's weak or just super dangerous) as it was masked with the sweet flavor. My friends got the Palolo Punch with mango (good but not as good as the Lanikai Lychee in my opinion) and the Old Fashioned. Loved the food here and definitely will be back. Especially for the garlic noodles. I do wanna try the actual seafood boils with crab the next time! read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
There is so much I can say about this place. Everything is always amazing!!! Every time we go to O'ahu from Maui we eat here at least once. The food is top notch just like the service and owner John! The nicest man you will ever meet. Please support local businesses and visit Karai Crab! Make a reservation in advanced or call in take-out. Don't skip the garlic noodles or else you will regret it. I'm literally salivating just writing this review. read more
Got invited to check out this spot for a BDAY celebration on 11/14/2019 Thursday for a early dinner @ 530pm, so first off let's talk about parking situation here at Karai crab, You either can find Street parking but make sure you pay attention to them street parking signs on S. king Street or park inside of the building where there is Karai crab (Read the parking signs) you only can park where it says VISITOR PARKING only. Also parking is not free in the building even tho Karai crab validates your parking ticket it will cost you $3 dollars (would be nice tho if it was free parking with validation) . I believe this is their new location and opened up not too long ago, prior to they was located at the old willows Resturant near UNIVERSITY area according to YELP pics on there yelp page. This new location sits about 70+ people and lots of tables and also they got seating at the bar area. I believe they had two large flat screens at the bar area, just wish they had 2 more tv's or so in the dinning area. Unless their working on it to add more tv's . Happy hour I was told by their manager, that during the week days it is from 4pm to 6pm And Saturday Sunday a from 5pm to 6pm *I could be wrong tho just check with the Karai crab staff. Aight here is the fun part let's talk about their FOOD FOOD FOOD. So here is some items that we ordered that night on 11/14/16 Thursday *Raw oyster shooters it comes in 3 shooters for $9 or 6 shooters for $15 and u can choose 3 different sauces like (cocktail sauce, CHILLI pepper water, or Ponzu sauce) we tried their CHILLI pepper water and ponzu sauce out of the 2 I like the ponzu sauce) *Karai Chicken Wings $15 (Pieces I'm not exact sure) but it was aight. But not sure on that price tho $15 (kinda up there) *Sweet potato fries $8 (typical sweet potato fries the norm's) *Garlic noodles $8 (this item was GOOD, A must try when eating at Karai crab) specially if you love garlic. *also wish the noodles was litter softer, but it was a Ok. *Pan roast $17 (it comes with Crab meat, Sausage, shrimp, clams). Honestly I was excited to try this dish, specially when I ask our server about it and she said it was GOOD) But but 2x bruh when I got the dish it wasn't what I expected like barely had any sauce in the bowl and shrimp seemed over cooked, and hardly any sausage or crab and a had a clam with just the shell no meat (like wait hold up) so I was disappointed straight up. Wish they gave more crab and sausage (IMO) *Main dishes we got their KARAI combo for $27 comes with (whole shrimp, clams, mussels, potato, corn & sausage) Also ordered their whole shrimp with Local corn and kukui sausage for sides) Their local corn side order is $4, (corn is cut so small) also their Kukui sausage $4.00 is small as well. (Portion wise wish it was more per order) (IMO). Their side white rice is $3.00 Sauces you we had was their (Karai special) it's their most popular one. Also for heat levels you have Mild, Cayenne, Habanero, or Ghost pepper the hottest) Staff - STRAIGHT up tho THEIR STAFF was ALL KOOL Even our waiter and waitress wish I could have taken their names) Also their manager was a Kool BRADDAH as well he was kool enough to change the tv channel for us to NBA On TNT after they played the THURSDAY night football game (Browns Vs Steelers). Also their WALL paint decor is nice as well. read more
5 years ago
It was out first time here and I was craving some pan roast and this place had it! Drinks were ok and when we got out dinner, I was a little disappointed because it wasn't as flavorful as I had expected and craved. I guess the other restaurants in California, Nevada and Louisiana that I've been to that I had pan roast at was more delicious. Don't get me wrong, the service was excellent, the seafood pasta that the others in my party had was delicious but my pan roast wasn't up to my standards. It just needed more love and more flavor. Would I go here again? Probably not read more
The restaurant was a fun place to visit. Went with friends who had been there before and that helped with ordering. The garlic noodles were delicious. The bread was good-good for dipping in the sauces as well. Our table had clams, snow crab, dungeness crab, and edamame. We were prepared when given a bib, gloves and the appropriate tools to tackle the crab. I had the dungeness crab which is a whole crab cooked in garlic. There is a choice of 7 sauces and you can raise the level from mild to very spicy by adding cayenne, habanero or ghost pepper. I had the mild sauce and it was great-good flavor, some heat but not a lot, just a good flavor. The crab were cooked nicely. The portion was plenty. The sauce was so good, dipping the bread in it was a plus to soak up the flavor. The cajun flavors are great in the sauces. I noticed they have a happy hour also. Would be glad to go back again. read more
4 years ago
I came to Karai Crab because my bf and I wanted to have some seafood & oysters! Sadly they were out of the oysters. My bf and i shared a dungeon snow crab combo, karai chicken wings, and cod fish with fries. The snow crab combo broil was tasty, there were many clams and mussels, shrimps, sausages in it. Although I wish there were more seasoning that tossed evenly throughout my seafood broil. As you can tell from the pic some of the crab parts didn't have seasonings. My bf and I loved the chicken wings with karai seasonings. It was so crispy and crunchy, filled with karai seasonings which we really enjoyed. The cod fish was also good, the pairing sauce was really good that goes with the fish. The service was absolutely great. I was constantly getting checked in by the servers to get what we needed! if you're craving for a seafood, i'd say check Karai crab out when you're in Waikiki! read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
Don't miss out on Happy hour from 4-6pm M-F! We ordered the shrimp, crab (30% off), and delicious butter garlic noodles with soft roasted garlic. Everything except for the crab was half off the original price. Such a good deal! We also got the sauce sampler for half price. I recommend the lemon grass and the ginger sauce. The ginger sauce tastes exactly like the sauce on Chinese ginger chicken. We also got the okonomiyaki fries which wasn't on the happy hour menu. Nothing special but the fries came out hot .)This sauce goes so well with seafood! Great experience and great food. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
That honey garlic shrimp!! Definitely recommend trying that. We also ordered the snow crab and the karai combo with the karai special sauce. I wish it was a tad bit saucier as it was super delicious. It does have a strong thyme seasoning. The service was amazing also. We came in with no reservations for a party of 5 around 6:30 on a Saturday night. They gave us a table right away but said we only had one hour to eat since the table was reserved at 7:30. Not a problem at all! The food came super fast and we were out around 7:15. Will definitely visit again! read more
I thought the world was gonna end when they closed their original location at Willows in Moiliili. Thankfully they opened up again even closer to where I live! What's even better is that they revamped their menu to include even more seafood goodness! They're known for their seafood boils and Karai combo but my favorite things to order from here are the fried catfish and ghost pepper wings. I love that you can customize your spice level for most of their menu items. Wash it down with their karai beer and you've got yourself a pretty good feast! read more
This was an amazing experience. The staff was so helpful with my wife's celiacs disease. They explained everything to her and helped her through what she could eat. The Snow Crab combo is amazing with many different options for for sauce. Famous Garlic Noodles is ine of my favorite sides. I believe her name was Jen but she was great to us but honestly if you want great service with great staff, this is a must visit on your trip. read more
4 years ago
We came here for my daughters birthday. It was our first time, and we enjoyed it! Here's what we got: Snow crab combo - add one more 1 1/2 lb of snow crab. Signature Karai sauce, mild. It was good! I didn't feel like the sauce was quite thick enough to coat the crab well, so I felt it did lack a bit of flavor. Edemame - Sea salt, these were basic, but SOO delish! Garlic Noodles - Okay, these were 10 / 10, but not for anyone who gets overwhelmed by garlic. Fantastic! Pan Roast - This was tasty. Reminded me of a gumbo type dish. Mild / medium spice. The sausage was a bit strange, and very tough. Not sure if it was just my experience? Over all, it was good! However we go to a place closer to where we live that is comparable, if not better. So we probably wouldn't make the drive to town for it. read more
What a find Karai Crab was!! It was my turn to pick a dinner place and I wanted to make sure that everyone left the place satisfied and full. Because our last restaurant as a family, some people left the restaurant and had to eat again at home. I love to eat seafood so I just typed that into my yelp search and Karai Crab came up. I never heard of this place but the pictures of the food looked so good. I've seen other crab places where they just throw the whole bucket of crab on the table. This place isn't like that. Everything is served in bowls and not spread all over the table. At first I was a little hesitant because Karai in Japanese means spicy and I don't really like spicy. But there was a mild version so it all worked out. The way you order is first you pick a seafood such as shrimp, and then you pick a seasoning, and lastly you pick a spice level. They said it's a big portion and you could do family style but since we all differed in our spice level, everyone pretty much ordered their own thing. Only my sister and I shared. We got the shrimp with no shell, Karai special, and mild spice level. It was really good. My mom got the shrimp with no shell, garlic and butter seasoning and mild spice level. This was also very good. My dad got the snow crab and it was good. My husband got the Dungeness crab. His was too spicy so I didn't even ask to try his. My daughter had a kids meal that came with shrimp and rice. Just a note about the Dungeness crab. Just make sure that you hear how much it costs before selecting that as your entree. When they told us, we thought the waiter said $16 but it actually was $60! So when my dad got the bill he was shocked! My husband said that the crab was kind of small and wasn't worth $60. And the king crab was cheaper than the Dungeness crab. We also got some appetizers: seafood fried rice, bacon jalapeño cornbread, and sausage. The fried rice was good but the cornbread was just okay. It had pieces of corn in it and I didn't like that too much. It didn't really taste like there was bacon in it either. I don't know about the sausage since my husband ordered that and by the time I asked for a sample, he already gobbled it down. But he said that it had a pineapple in it. That didn't sound appetizing to me. Overall great restaurant. I think we'll be coming back when my in-laws are back in town. read more
5 years ago
Dinner with family, so happy they brought us here. Calamari on point so "ono". Perfectly done and tender! Garlic noodles for real garlic lovers. Clams meaty and delicious. And the Kraken, crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, potatoes, pineapple sausage, and sweet corn. Tasty and cooked to perfection. Can't go wrong. Everything was so good I wanted to go back the next day!!! Everyone enjoyed the food, service and hospitality. The owners and team are so nice and friendly. Check it out you won't be disappointed. read more
2 years ago
Came with friends and family for a bday party. Total of 8 of us. The establishment takes reservations at the moment, provides hand sanitizer and practices all covid protocols. We ordered the karai combo (me and the hon) and it includes: shrimp, snow crabs, clams, mussels, pineapple kukui sausage, corn and potatoes $70 for the 2 of us. We wished there was more than 2 potatoes. We also chose the karai seasoning which is very tasty but a little on the saltier side for us. The crab was a disappointment for us as well as the rest of the party as the meat was so small. Others ate from the the bigger pan $200. Plenty food but again, if you're with big eaters, the crab meat on snow crab is scant. I tried the pan bake from a friend and it was delicious. I would share that with someone as it has a nice kick. The garlic noodles as like other reviews, is tasty as well and a good side. The best however, is the miso clams. Soooo tasty and you can mop that broth with french bread. This is definitely a must if you love clams. Would I come again? Yes. But I would definitely sample other items. Not inexpensive but the flavor is spot on. Other establishments give heartier crab but flavor is lacking. Parking is in the guitar place and parking is $3 with validation. read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
We made reservations for 4 at 6pm on a Friday. I was surprised that it was not too crowded for a Friday early evening. Been here a couple of times, but this is my first review. As always was pleasantly greeted right away by the staff. I ordered the premium Japanese whisky flight . We ordered crispy chicken skin and the mushrooms w/ Karai sauce for pup's. As always the pup's were on point. I ordered the catfish for my meal. The catfish didn't disappoint, the fish was very tasty and moist. The wait staff is very friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back. read more
6 years ago
Garlic and fried food heaven! Calamari, catfish, and even chicken skin - perfectly fried to optimum crispness for your next cheat night. But center stage goes to the crab legs - my daughter chose this place for our family's early Valentine's dinner based on the reviews for the crab alone. Since we don't really eat crab in general and never whole, we were super awkward trying to help my daughter get the meat out with the cracking utensil and scissors. Finally, we asked the waiter, who told us how to use the scissors on the softest parts of the shell. Kevin got the hang of it after the second leg, and my happy daughter feasted to her heart's delight. The staff was attentive and unobtrusive, expertly pacing our meal and drinks throughout dinner. Tables were spaced out well, and diners adhered to the "masks off only when actively eating and drinking" policy noted on the tabletop signs. Two thumbs up from the whole family, we will be back! read more
3 years ago
First time to Karai Crab and we enjoyed it a lot! We went during happy hour and the prices were great! $3 beer? Can't go wrong! The Happy Hour apps also looked like good deals, but we had to try the seafood bake! We ordered the Karai Combo which was $35 and the Snow Crab which was on happy hour special (30%off) so 1.5 lbs of crab was $35. It was a lot of food and drink and everything was delicious! Plus the staff is so nice and helpful. Parking was easy because you can park in the Interstate Building and there's ample stalls. We'll definitely go back! read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
Food was delicious and fresh. The biggest king crabs legs I've ever seen. The sauce was spicy but very flavorful. We started off with the calamari so tender and delicious, followed with garlic fries, love me some fried food. And then the clams in white sauce, they were just okay. For the main entree was Alaskan King Crab Deluxe, my family twirly enjoyed every piece of it. We ordered dungeons crab legs extra spicy. So finger licking good. Service was good, ambiance was pretty quiet for Monday. read more
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
Good Cajun seafood with a blend of sauces. Their noodles and rice are great when mixed in. The drinks aren't great and the ambience is really casual. read more
2 years ago
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
4 years ago
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
More info about Karai Crab
1314 S King St
Ste G2
Honolulu, HI 96814
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(808) 952-6990
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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…
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…
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Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
30 reviews that are not currently recommended
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Karai Crab - seafood - Updated September 2026
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