Although the spices here will not blow you away, the prices are reasonable and you will leave satisfied and happy with the meal. I am glad to have this place in Madison. When I lived in LA, I frequently went to Boiling Crab or to the Boiling Crab imitators; this place is not as good, but holds its own. I tried the all spices on a pound of shrimp and garlic butter on some mussels. Both were pretty good! I recommend you add on sausage, it is really tasty! Give this place a shot. It does not deserve the low ratings it has gotten! It is NOT traditional, Louisiana-style Cajun food. It is more Asian inspired (you can order white rice or edamame as a side) and is good at what it does. read more

Yes, this is a copycat of the Boiling Crab style restaurants in California, Vegas, and Texas. No, it is not authentic Cajun. That being said I think it's a great addition to Madison and serves its purpose well; a copycat of the Boiling Crab style restaurants. Just tying to get my point across to all the reviews complaining about its authenticity. I think the best item on the menu is the headless shrimp option. I've had it many times now and it's perfectly poached. read more

Mad Seafood Boiler - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great food and service, we came late and they were accommodating. Flavor was nice in the seafood combo B. Sushi was fresh and rolls were well made. Good yellowtail sashimi. read more

So, the first thing to understand about Mad Boiling Crab is that it's not cajun food in the style of Louisiana. Mad Boiling Crab's concept is similar to a chain of restaurants that are highly popular in Southern California called The Boiling Crab, opened by Vietnamese immigrants with their own interpretation of cajun food. This is not the same restaurant, but it is the same concept. The New York Times has a nice article about this, published in 2010. You order items by the pound, you choose the seasoning, and it gets served to you in plastic bags. Tables are lined with butcher paper, and bibs provided for your seafood feast. The prices are reasonable and comparable to other restaurants with similar concepts. For their Grand Opening special, add-ons to your pound of seafood are free (i.e. corn on the cob, potatoes, sausage, etc) We ordered a pound of shrimp and a pound of crawfish. The crawfish was not good, and I don't recommend it. The shrimp I enjoyed. We chose the seasoning to be everything, and I wasn't a fan. The garlic seasoning was too heavy on the garlic for my taste. I might come back for the shrimp, but the crawfish made me iffy to try other items on the menu. read more

This place is awesome! The decor is pretty cool but it seemed like they were in a rush to open this place because it could still use some work. The Cajun flavour is the best! I highly recommend!!! They had really good crawfish as well and Shrimp! It can be pricey but it was sooo delicious! Their Cajun fries are delicious! I will definitely be back! The overall experience was pretty nice, it was kind of hard to understand the waitress but we figured it out. The only thing that sucks is that almost everything on the menu is market priced so it'd be good to ask before you order. Anyway, this place had good food. I'll be back. read more

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Chose the Mad Seafood Boiler for this year's winter Restaurant Week. My wife and I were NOT DISAPPOINTED! The food was OUTSTANDING for what they offered on the participation menu. For the appetizer, I tried the Shrimp Shu Mai (dumpling) and it was off the hook! My wife had the Crab Rangoon, which was better than we both have ever had. We both had the shrimp platter, which included breaded and boiled shrimp, and both were cooked perfectly. The potatoes and broccoli were not overcooked and added a nice appeal to the presentation. The portions were so generous, we had to have a doggie bag. Nikki, our waitress was outstanding. Definitely adding this to our list of favorite seafood restaurants, and putting it right at the top! read more

Awesome food. Went here with some friends from Baltimore that got some crab legs and they said it was delicious. I got crawfish; it was also very yummy. The price is up there but it's *fair* considering that we are in the Midwest and this the first (primarily) shellfish restaurant there is in Madison. You can taste that the shellfish isn't "we bought this today from the docks" fresh but it's by no means not worth a visit. Worth the trip, food is amazing, seasoning works well. Only problem I had was that the service was relatively slow; however it just opened so I'm sure they'll get better with time to come. One thing that I noticed is that there seemed to be no bussers, that would probably help the wait staff attend more responsively and just have someone focus on clearing the tables, since it is quite a mess when a group leaves. read more

I'm always skeptical of midwest seafood places but Mad Seafood Boiler was really good. The portions were appropriately sized for the pricing. I had one of the combo boils with shrimp, crab, and crayfish in the cajun spice and it was so savory and delicious. It wasn't quite the same as NOLA, but I wasn't disappointed either. If you like seafood boils it is worth stopping by! read more

I'm going to give this place 5 stars because this is a truly unique place in Madison! Coming from the East Coast I was really craving seafood and especially missing the crab and crawfish that I had over there. The concept is really simple. They steam the seafood and put it into a bag with a whole lotta different spices, toss it all up together and you're good to go. I'm so glad that they brought one of these places to Madison because there really has been no good seafood places here at all! That being said, I really enjoyed everything that I had here and they seem pretty friendly. I wish people in Madison would give this a try and not judge it based on being "not Cajun" because it isn't! It's more like Asian fusion I would say. Even though the crawfish is frozen, it still tastes decently good! read more

I was so excited to try Mad seafood Boiler but I was so very, very disappointed. Honestly, you'd be better off going to any one of the numerous other restaurants in the area. I should have known it was going to be not-so-great since there were only 3 other parties there eating on a Saturday night however, I was hopeful...I mean who doesn't like a seafood boil right? Well, there wasn't much to like about this seafood boil. The quality of seafood was mediocre, the seasonings were not even remotely Cajun, the sauces were underwhelming, and the andouille sausage was terrible. Oh, and every single appetizer option was fried...literally...Every. Single. Option. The only real highlights were that there were numerous seafood options (shrimp [heads on or off], crawfish, 3 types of crab, clams, mussels etc.) and service was pleasant & fast as the place was almost empty. I will not be back and I don't think this place will be around in 18 months. Sorry Mad Seafood Boiler... read more

Pretty good price for the seafood. I got half a pound of shrimp and half a pound of crawfish. You get a side for free if you order 1 pound or more! read more

Mad Seafood Boiler - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My friends and I all wanted to give this place a try as it's a bit unique for the state street dining scene. We were largely not disappointed. They had a special going on with a free ad-on (sausage, corn, or potatoes) and $20 for a whole lobster. I obliged on both fronts and was very satisfied. My friends tried some of the other things: shrimp, mussels, snow crab, Cajun fries, chicken tenders, etc and all were good to very good. I do think going for the second level of spice has the best overall flavor. And that's coming from a dude who likes his heat. This place is better than the reviews indicate. Service and atmosphere are more than adequate and the food is tasty. The only complaint would be the price, but for fresh seafood in Madison, it's to be expected. read more

Great food for a great price. My boyfriend and I ate the combo B. Will be one of my favorite places in Madtown. read more

Mad Seafood Boiler - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We'd heard that there was a new Cajun restaurant in downtown Madison and wanted to give it a try. Just a block off of State Street, it's not exactly what we expected. The menu was posted on the door and we could see people eating through the window. It's really a seafood boil. Choose from a variety of seafood options such as crawfish, shrimp with head on, shrimp with head off; mussels, various types of crab, lobster, and clam. Choose the flavoring: cajun, garlic, lemon pepper, all three. Choose any add-ons such as corn, sausage, and potato. They also have a few appetizers such as fries w/cajun seasoning, chicken wings, and fried chicken, fish, and shrimp. This sounded great to us, so we went inside to give it a try. The space is bright, airy, clean, and modern. The tables are covered in paper and they bring you disposable bibs as well as disposable plastic gloves to wear. There are paper towels at each table, cutlery is at the bar if you want it, and they bring you moist towelettes with your check. Our waitresses, multiple servers covered our table rather than just one, were all very friendly and happy to answer any questions we might have. We opted to get one pound of crawfish and one pound of shrimp (head off) in the cajun spice w/sausage and corn on the cob. We also ordered the Cajun fries to start. A lot of the prices in the menu are listed as market price, but the prices seemed pretty reasonable overall. The fries were crispy and crunchy. I did not find it particularly Cajun flavored, but I did enjoy the seasoning. When our boil arrived it came double-bagged inside of a bucket. It was very hot, and with no utensils I was glad of the plastic gloves for the little protection they offered. It felt like I was burning my fingers trying to pick up pieces of potato. It was also very messy so I was glad of the paper, gloves, and bib. The shrimp were tasty and we learned quickly to remove the shell and dredge them along the bottom of the bag to pick up all the flavor down there. The crawfish weren't worth the effort to eat them. I'd eaten them before in South Carolina and really enjoyed them, but these seemed to require much more effort than I remembered and a very small payoff. They also seemed to be very little juice in their heads which was disappointing. We did have potato in our boil although we had not ordered it. There was just a smattering of sausage and three pieces of corn. Overall I really enjoyed the novelty of the seafood boil. It was a unique experience in the Madison area. The price wasn't bad and we did leave full. However, it is a lot of work for what you get and it is very messy. I'll probably go back but not very often. read more

The seafood at this resturaunt is the furthest thing from cajun, and that is coming from someone with cajun roots who was born and raised in louisiana. This food is a disgrace, honestly. Never in my life did i have crawfish boiled with heaps of garlic like is used at this resturaunt. In fact, nobody back home uses this much garlic in seafood boil. The amount of garlic used in the fake cajun seasoning is appalling and disgusting, clearly used to hide the off flavors of the unfresh seafood. nobody uses this much garlic in true cajun dishes, and eating here will make you smell like a piece of garlic the next day. unauthentic food, and way more expensive than what its worth. The lb of crawfish that i ate would be worth no more than $3 back home considering how poorly made it was. Try again on making cajun food, and maybe consult with an actual louisianian if you want to make "cajun" food. This is so typical of the midwest. never go here, its so inauthentic and gross and overpriced for what you get. Also, fries cant be cajun. Dear owners and chefs, do your research before you try cooking food that is out of the scope of your culture and dont misrepresent it with awful flavors like you have these first few weeks of opening. And remove the word cajun from your marketing, as it is false advertising. read more

I am with my mom in the restaurant right now! We got the whole live lobster, 2lb king crab legs, clams, fantail shrimp, Cajun fries. These are in everything sauce and garlic butter sauce. My mom loves them. We are waiting for the snow crab legs! Very nice place and very seafood for Madison. I'll post some photos later! read more

Mad Seafood Boiler - Awesome seafood! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Love this place. My team loves to come here and tear some seafood up when I'm in town. Always had great food and a fun time. A little pricey but well worth the trip. read more

Seafood Boil Combo A simply mouth watering All I can say is wow. Everything you could want in a seafood boil you get with this. read more

Went there with my husband. He is not into seafood and he got sushi and Love le it. I got a comb A with all three sauces and I was impressed it was finger licking good. Will def come back read more

I wanted to try it, but you can't order ahead. Phones don't work, so it's really inconvenient to go there and have to wait forever when you just want take out. Their online ordering is also down. Really disappointed! read more

The food is very tasty. The service is excellent, and the drinks are perfectly blinded. I have been here several times. All of the combos are set to please any appetite. Keep up the good work. You guys make my tummy happy and the price is right. read more

It was really good when I went with a friend. All combos come with two half corns, potatoes and a bowl of rice. We typically get the Combo A for two people which has 1/2 lb shrimp, 1/2 lb crab leg, and you get to pick 1/2 lb mussel or 1/2 lb crawfish. Crawfish meat was a little small but the mussel was also small as well. It is the way it is then. The cajun sauce is great. I had the combination of garlic/butter, lemon, and cajun. It was very oily, I wish they didn't need to put that much butter that looks like juice sitting on the bottom. First time however, I felt like I miss definitely missing at least half a pound out of 1.5 pound this combo was supposed to receive. Second time, I felt like I was missing at least 0.7 lb. I value integrity when eating food per lb. I would appreciate it if they show me the weigh of each at the end before serving. read more

Love this place. Love the fact you pick your spice and flavor. If you don't like it, you ordered wrong and it's your fault.

Been here twice now and i cant say anything bad. First seafood broil place i tried in wisconsin since moving here in 2017 from Los Angeles. The shrimp is good but the snow crabs are absolutely delicious. Im not much of a crawfish person but it was alright. The mussels were good as well. When my gf and I go, we usually order combo a or b and its enough for two people for approx. $30. Cant say its the best as I havnt been to any other places for seafood broil but it was delicious. The snow crab is a must ! read more

My favorite restaurant in Madison!!! Every item on the menu is exquisitely flavorful. 10/10 would recommend - I order dinner from here 5 nights a week. read more

Amazing food, beautiful space , great location. Love their new sushi menu . Cant beat their lunch specials . read more

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I was very happy with my order! I would recommend any of the combos based on your personal preference. I ordered the garlic flavor and thought it was delicious! I also ordered the california roll which was underwhelming and there are other better places to get them. The sushi menu/variety looked very good but I did not order any of them! Maybe next time! Overall recommend for seafood lovers. read more

Great food and great price! The customer service was also great and we enjoy coming back.... However, one thing that never changes is the cleanliness of the restrooms. MUCH improvement is needed to maintain sanitary conditions in both the men's and women's restrooms! So 5 stars for food & service, and 2 stars for restrooms made me give them 3 stars. I would really like to see this improve! read more

Went with three friends & had an absolutely amazing experience! I would recommend this for any couple or group to go and enjoy a great meal amongst friends or family. We ordered two different things to have enough of the things we all enjoy, we all had plenty of food, got full, messy, used the bibs, needed to wash our hands afterwards, plus lick your lips! The food was hot, fresh, & amazing. The spices used and the hotness you desire was spot on, both dishes were ordered different and perfect on flavor and hotness. (Spicy ness) The staff was awesome explain g anything we wanted to know, paid attention to detail, was a great experience. I would do this again soon real soon, this is gonna become my new goto spot for now on! read more

This place has excellent sushi. It's quite good and we are from New York / Chicago where great sushi places are everywhere. This is our Madison sushi pick. They have the best soft shell crab roll and we love the crazy salmon roll. The food is usually ready 20-30 minutes after ordering for carryout. We need to go back and try the crab because we keep just ordering their awesome sushi. read more

Awesome Vietnamese/Cajun spin off food. Being that my family roots are from New Orleans, the bar is set pretty high with me when it comes to Crawfish/Shrimp/Crab broils. I will say this, they definitely have the Cajun seasoning down! Shrimp, Sausage, Corn, Potatoes, were tender and delicious, however DO NOT ORDER THE BLUE CRAB! It's not worth it, barely any meat and not worth the money. Chicken wings were delicious, and they have free refills on drinks. I would go here when I need to satisfy my Cajun palate. But I will go back to try more seafood in my bag/broil. Solid 3! read more

Good cajun seafood boil at a reasonable price. Very casual restaurant so eat with your hands!

The sushi lunch special is high quality, reasonably priced ($10 for two rolls and soup or salad) and flavorful--the fish is definitely fresh but I was really impressed with how light and airy the sushi rice is--sounds silly but it made a big difference as it didn't weigh down the sushi (or me for that matter). I only did take out for this occasion but I hope to come back for a sit down experience. read more

Wow! What a flavorful and broad menu this restaurant has to offer. The combination B was definitely enough to feed two! Also had the fried rice, shrimp tempura, and sushi rolls!! All excellent! kind service as well- highly recommend!! read more

Mad Seafood Boiler - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place is great!! We did fried shrimp appetizer and 3 sushi rolls- all awesome! Chicken teriyaki was ok....stick with seafood here. Very impressed with the sushi. Will definitely be back. read more

This is a must every time I head to Madison. With in the next few weeks I'm going to have to eat there again :-) good food, fresh food and it is right downtown on State Street.. fast and friendly service. Love the spicy shrimp and sushi.. read more

LOVED this experience and food! My husband and I each ordered a combo plate and shared so collectively we had shrimp, crab legs, mussels, clams, and crawfish. It was a ton of food! We took home leftovers that will last for at least two more days. We had all of the flavor mixes together and it was wonderful. Very Cajun and garlicky. We tried the lowest spice level and the next level up. The lowest level still packs a kick and the next one up will make your mouth sing for quite a while. We really enjoyed the concept of "digging in" with our gloves and bibs. It felt like we were on vacation because the seafood was so good and so plentiful. This place reminds me a lot of a place in Seattle called the Crab Pot - nothing but a good time! Especially for the land-locked Midwest city of Madison, this place is really unique and impressive! read more

Great Place. I have order delivery from here twoce and the service I recieved was excellent. Both times I ordered the Combo B platter. My boyfriend has a shrimp allergy so I called the restaurant and asked if they could accommodate for that. The manager said they could and that the shrimp would be boiled separately from the rest of the seafood. However if you have a highly sensitive allergy I would not suggest eating here as it is prepared in the same kitchen. When we received the food both times it was very good and fresh. The seasonings were great! I recommend combining all three together. The only reason why I give 4 stars instead of 5 is because the portion of rice and potatoes is a little small but the rest of the seafood makes up for it. read more

So a crab place with no crab? I didn't think I'd see the day. We made a whole reservation without being told they only had 3 lbs of crab for an 8 person reservation. Ridiculous. read more

So this review is based on a delivery order... Mad Seafood Boiler has expanded their menu! They now offer sushi and poke bowls and sushi burritos. We ordered three rolls and a poke bowl. I didn't have super high expectations given the original theme of the restaurant. I was wrong! The sushi and poke bowl was great! Priced fairly too. read more