I wanted to give this restaurant more stars but... So, I was at the Mad Boiler for my birthday on a late afternoon. There were minimal patrons in attendance. We were promptly greeted and seated. The server was appropriately attentive and professional without being intrusive. We ordered one of the pre-fixe bags which proved to be an excellent choice. All of the food and drinks were outstanding. I'm sure that at this point you're wondering why 3 stars. During my meal there was a blatant health code violation. While I having drinks another patron entered carrying a small dog. After asking the hostess several questions about the menu they were seated (inside) still carrying a dog through the restaurant. Please note, this patron made no efforts to put the dog in a pet carrier, or conceal the animal, but sat the dog on the bench next to her (inside the restaurant). I was shocked that none of the staff seemed pressed. For those of you unfamiliar with health codes note that only a service animal is permitted inside of a food service establishment. Although I enjoyed the meal here I'm undetermined on a return. Question is, if this establishment would turn a blind eye to this violation what else would they allow? read more

They said they can deliver within two miles, but we located away 1.5 miles they said they didn't deliver. Anyway, we went there and try. Feel taste just so so. Sausage is so salty. Service is slow. You can see they moved very slow. read more

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I was in the mood for seafood, specifically boiled seafood in a bag, and I rallied my boyfriend and a couple of friends to check this place out for dinner, since it's the closest one to where we live. We arrived around 8 pm, and the place had the typical Friday dinner rush, but we were seated almost immediately. There are lots of tables but no booths, so if you're a messy eater like I am, you just need to be comfortable with people watching you eat (or slurp, in my case!). We ordered combo #2 with 1lb each of snow crab legs, crawfish, king crab legs, and prawns (head off, always!). We picked the mad sauce (a mix of the garlic butter and hot Louisiana sauce) at a medium spice level (since it inherently has a pleasant level of heat), with corn and potato (included in the combo and two side orders of garlic bread to sop up any remaining sauce. We also ordered the shrimp noodles. The prawns were amazing! We all agreed that we should have ordered an extra lb of prawns. The crawfish had their eyes on, so it was a little weird. Also, they weren't super meaty. The snow crabs were alright, but didn't as much meat as we'd gotten in some other seafood boiler places. The king crabs were really fresh and juicy too, so the next time I'd probably just stick to prawns and king crabs. The corn and potato were deliciously soaked with the sauce. Which brings me to the sauce which was undoubtedly the STAR of the evening. Spicy without inducing acidity, with just the right amount of heat and oodles of flavor. I'd drink a cup of it, anyday! The shrimp noodles were delicious, and a must-have! A tiny critique I have is that the staff does not seem to be super familiar or knowledgeable with the menu. Our server was pleasant and efficient, but she didn't suggest anything or explain the distinctions between the spice levels. Drinks are kind of overpriced, so I stuck to water. I'll definitely be back, with minor edits to my order. read more

I've been coming to this place for about 3 years and it's so delicious everytime. You need to try the mad boiler sauce with any boil bag you try, it's a little pricey, honestly eating out anywhere now a days is pricey. Best seafood boil in Chicago hands down. read more

The neon sign out front threw me off a bit, but walk inside and you'll be pleasantly surprised by Mad Boiler! I work on Madison and have been anticipating the opening of this joint for quite some time. So my boyfriend and I came by a few weeks ago and, wow! I can't wait to return. I had the Cajun shrimp noodles, my guy opted for the fried oyster po' boy, and we split an order of fries. Cajun shrimp noodles were really really good - spaghetti pasta, shrimp, bell peppers, onions, parmesan... Ya can't go wrong! My only issue is I'd wished there was like 20 more shrimp than there actually were in the dish! Oyster po' boy was also delicious from the bite I had, as were the French fries. Straight out of the fryer, and seemed to be lightly battered or something. Portions were HUGE, and we were gluttonous and ate pretty much the entire table. Next time we're back it's already been decided we will 100% be doing the actual boil - seems to be the biggest bang for your buck, and we both agreed the shrimp from my pasta was out of this world and we both would have been satisfied with just a plate (or bag) of those guys. They do have a bar, but it is very very limited, I wonder if they'd be better off as a BYOB. Finally, place was basically dead at 7:30 on a Thursday night. Get here before everyone else figures out what they're missing! read more

Not too much bad to say about Mad Boiler. I'm glad there is an alternative to the other similar eateries, because I would never wait outside in a line for an hour or so for anything. On our first visit, the wife owner was working the room, and she's a gem! A perfect example of what restaurant hospitality should be. While the hostess or server did not bother to ask if this was our first visit, she did come by and explain the ordering process, which is a bit unique. All of the seafood is set at a market price per pound, and available in several different preparations and heat levels. With the King and Snow crab anyway, the 1 lb. portions were very generous, more so on our first visit. On our second visit, neither owner was visible, unfortunately. Our server was training a new person, which made the service spotty. They did add a few cocktails to the menu, which is helpful. The crab portions were slightly less generous, but still not bad. But they do a good job with preparation of the crab. Neither time has the meat been waterlogged and soggy, which is the worst. I tried a dry rub preparation last time, but think I'd go back to the butter garlic, although messier and not great. I get the potatoes, which then come in the bag with the crab. They're very unpleasantly dry with no sauce and just the dry spices. I asked if plain butter was available, and the server said it was. I got a 1/2 full little cup. Eventually asked for another, and it was 1/4 full. About a tablespoon. Kind of stingy, but I'm glad they had it. My only "complaints" if they can be called that are that the music is too loud. Music is ok, but this isn't a nightclub. It's so loud conversation is a yelling match. Also the cups. I'm ok with disposable everything else they have as it's a casual concept, but real glass drinking glasses would be an improvement. Definitely recommend Mad Boiler. I hope they're around a long time, but selfishly hope that lines out the door never form to get a table! read more

The crab was just ok. I had the snow crab which the legs were very small. I did like the fact that they had dungeness, however did not like that fact that they sold it whole and served it as two pound when I only eat the legs. Not one of my favorite crab places and I probably will not be back. read more

Updated This message is a response to the owner's comment: You don't sound too sorry but offended. However, I can reassure you I didn't rate you based on the number of limes. And just fyi, maybe the person who gave the waitress the limes isn't "you" (owner) but he sure looked like you (from your picture) and he was at the bar. I'm sorry if I have mistaken then. My waitress was really nice actually; I didn't have a problem with her. I asked for the limes but she looked confused and went to ask an Asian guy (looks like your pic) at the bar. However, I rated you mainly for the taste. I can only taste the spice from the garlic butter LA and sweet chili LA. (level 1, yes she did warn me about the LA being a little spicier so we also ordered sweet chili garlic butter). We had the sweet garlic butter which wasn't spicey but it was very bland. Sorry if I couldn't remember the number of spice levels. Maybe, I would suggest keeping the menu more simple; get rid of the forms to fill out? If I have never been to seafood boil restaurants, I wouldn't have thought of asking the waitress if we could mix the sauces. On the sheet, it said circle one. Overall, it was a bit confusing process. As for your prices, your clams were a dollar more per pound but I understand the area you are located so it's reasonable you charge more. Another example is corn. I saw you mentioned in another person's review that your corn is bigger? That was one of my criticisms to Angry Crab (corn was too small) but I was impressed they improved and last time I was there, the corn was a very good size. You don't have to be defensive. Instead, take in what others are saying and try to be better. You'll never improve if you don't listen. I also gave Angry Crab criticism in the past but they took in what I said and changed. There is a reason why Angry Crab is always packed. Just saying. ------------ We had different combinations of flavors (garlic butter Louisiana, sweet chili garlic butter, sweet chili Louisiana) for our shrimps and clams with spice level 2 (out of 5). Overall, I thought it was too spicy for my taste. It was a bit more pricey than other cajun places. They were also very very very stingy with their limes. There were 3 of us with 4 lbs of food and the owner gave us 3 thin slices of lime (seriously?). Hands down, Angry Crab is much much better. read more

Madison Crab House - 3 thin slices of lime for 3 ppls eating 4 lbs of food. so cheap - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First, I agree with Steven G's review. I wanted to like this place as its good to have options, and a new restaurant in my hood is always exciting. But I don't think I will (ever) go back. 1) First it's another restaurant that screws over the single dinner. Totally not a place to go alone. I recommend they change their policy.Vfor example , I wanted to order 1/2 Lb Of two items, shrimp and crab legs. But the minimum order is a 1 full lb. each. . So sorry, at the ridiculous over prices I am not paying $48 to have variety. So as a sigle diner, it's not a good spot (understatement- check out "Taco Joint" - caters to single dinners- individual guacamole for $3.50-4, indv. Tacos for $3-4. ) great prices so I can have a few drinks there too. Different cuisine yes, but they make the single diner feel welcome. 2) overpriced, a little pretentious, and "trying too hard" ( like every new restaurant in west loop lately). 3) watch out for spice level. They have 1,2,3 or 4 "peppers". I though 2 peppers would be about medium. It turned out to be super hot. I would equate 2 peppers to ABOVE "hot" on the wing scale. Crazy spicy. Order 1 level down from what you usually get. 4) the bag of messy stuff is kind of annoying. Maybe I just don't get this. It's difficult and you have to peel the shrimp. But they are So hot (good thing) you can't peel them when you first get them. Too much work and too hard to do. Also- Such a waste of napkins , as you have these plastic gloves on; you can't just grab 1 napkin. You wind up grabbing 3-4 each time. And it's so messy. From a sustainability perspective this is terrible. Because of the spice and mess, I am guessing I used 30-40 napkins. Such a waste! With all the great restaurants, pubs, Etc... In Chicago, don't know why anyone would go here twice.... Too bad, as we could use a good seafood place here. read more

Sat June 18 2016 11pm The foods pretty good in general not so sure about the "Cajun" originality to it(on certain dishes or sides). Had the shrimp, coleslaw, potatoes. Shrimp not bad when I first had the coleslaw it was really good. This time it was not bad, better before. When I had the crab legs before it was not bad a little too salty though. Personally as a chef/cook I would do something about potatoes too bland a bit overcooked. It really needs a little spice for example making it Cajun mash or roasted and cajun spiced. Even melted butter side would be better. It would be nice to see some more sides maybe dirty rice. As for the drinks I had a mixed drink before was a jack n coke mixed well by the bartender. Only complaint is the cups used I think it needs to be in an actual glass. Overall service was ok nice greeting from the front desk lady. Servers are kind. Bus boy was working really hard. Front desk lady on her phone a lot. Will be back maybe to try something I haven't yet. read more

I will say that I came in on Monday, September 5 for Labor Day. I wanted something different other than traditional BBQ. I saw on Facebook they were running a special for 1 pound of shrimp for $7!!! I HAD to try it. The shrimp was DELICIOUS!!! I made sure to get more than enough so I could eat my heart's desire and be greedy and take some home. Great place and even without the special it's reasonable. I will be going back. However........ I was disappointed that I was seated at the back and then forgotten. I understand they were swamped with customers but once a server is assigned to at table it is there responsibility to continue to check on me and make sure I'm ok as a customer. I arrived around 5:00 PM (1 hour before the special ended...plenty of time). I didn't get my order taken until 5:30, mind you I had to flag down the host who sat us and he still didn't come so the couple next to us had to get his attention. Unacceptable. Then we ordered soft drinks. We waited until 5:45 to get them and it was because I had to flag the waitress down AGAIN to get something to drink. Lastly, we were already running behind due to ordering 30 minutes after being seated so we needed our check. We wanted to be gone no later than 6:05 PM to head to our next event. We waited. By 6:15 I had to speak to not 1 but 2 additional waitresses just to pay my bill. The first waitress didn't even bother to relay the message that we needed to leave. Finally paid and we left. Can't give 5 stars, wish I could give 3.5, but 4 will do. Again the food is delicious and I am willing to try again. I will chalk it up to the special they were running and the holiday weekend. If it happens again this weekend when I return I'm going to be sure and reflect it in an updated review. read more

Madison Crab House - Overall delicious! Wear your big and gloves! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here on a random Monday evening for dinner and there were about five people in the whole restaurant - I was so shocked (and slightly nervous) since other restaurants that I had been to similar to this are usually packed out at all times... however, the food ended up being SO GOOD!! I got a pound of shrimp (mild Cajun w/garlic), a pound of crab legs (medium spicy w/garlic), and their garlic fries. Not going to lie, my breath was a little hot from all the garlic but it was worth it lol!! read more

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Really like the setup (laid back). Customer service was good. I sat at the bar and Kashia was really nice and attentive. You will not be disappointed with food or service. Plan on visiting again on a weekend and week evening. read more

I liked this place. Service was prompt, nice and not overly solicitous. Water was filled several times, but we weren't asked if we wanted another alcohol drink. Food was delicious and I thought well priced. It was quickly served and piping hot. I would definitely go back. read more

The Cajun Butter Garlic combo is a winner for the shrimp and probably anything else there. Gave these guys an honest go on food. Fried calamari, shrimp, and soft shell crab. Steamed snow, shrimp, blue crab, and lobster tails. No option for plain old bay seasoning? I'll bring my own hah. -The steamed options were very good, but the fried options were not. Looked like a seasoned corn meal breading which overpowered the soft shell crab and calamari. The shrimp was OK. But the rest just tasted like breading; burned breading. -The steamed options again were great except for the blue crab, which was a bit too soft for my liking. I'm presuming it was frozen, and I'm just accustomed to fresh which isn't really practical I guess on a business model that isn't right by a fishery. - They give way too much butter sauce on the side and too little citrus for spritzing on the seafood. read more

This was my first time having a seafood boil and I loved it. The food is jam packed with seasoning and flavor. I would definitely recommend wearing the gloves they offer because my hands smelled like garlic for at least a few hours after but it was totally worth it! read more

Madison Crab House - King Crab legs with Sausage and Garlic Butter Sauce - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really like the flavor, especially the spicy crawfish and crab legs. The combo really worth trying.

So seafood boils are my thing, I wish I could give a 3.5 rating instead of just a 3 but anyways, service was fast and friendly. You get a lot for what you're paying, BUT the quality and sizes of the shrimp was meh. Very small pieces and they had that rubbery consistency where it was even hard the peel, sort of as if they were over cooked. Snow crab was good, also hard to peel I'm not sure if I just got a bad batch or what. The mad sauce was very tasty and they let us substitute crawfish for mussels in one of their large deals that lets you try everything I think it was A. read more

Just want to started my saying the seafood boil here is amazing. Service is on point. Located in the west loop which is mins away from my place. If you are looking for an alternative to angry crab and low country. Look no further. Mad boiler is the place to be. I ordered the king crab, clam and crawfish w the garlic butter four crab spicy. Gotta try the purple haze craft beer. Excellent. Stanley the owner was super nice. Took care of Gemma and I. read more

Madison Crab House - King Crab, Clam and Crawfish - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Looking for a good, reasonably price seafood place and close to work. Online menu is not correct. They do not have the lunch specials anymore. I tried the lobster roll. A little pricey for the size of the sandwich but the garlic bread they used is really good. read more

Me and my boyfriend were in the mood for seafood yesterday and i found this place while driving along madison. I immediately opened the place in yelp and checked that there are so many good reviews so i gave it a try. The hostess greeted me and walk us through our seat, after a minute, our server, krisha, came and explained how the thing goes, she was all smiles and happy and made it feel so exciting to order . So after a minute, we decided to give calamari and a pound of snow crab and shrimp a try with garlic butter sauce. I wasn't very happy with the calamari, i think it has bland flavor or something, i wouldn't get it again unless they changed the way they make it so i was a bit down at first but the snow crab and shrimp, it turned my senses upside down! and believe me, it was amazing! It's a must. It was satisfying even though i waited for like more than 30minutes for the food to come out. I forgot to take pictures of it cause my hands are all messed up with the sauce. The service was amazing, my server was the bomb! I would definitely come back again and wear those cute bibs and gloves again. read more

My family and I were visiting from Detroit for Christmas and decided to try Mad Boiler. We'd visited restaurants like this in New York, but this was our first experience with a crab bag restaurant in Chicago. We ordered the King Crab, Shrimp (head off), Sausage, and Buttered Noodles with Mad Sauce. Everything was DELICIOUS!!! The butter sauce was everything and our server was very friendly and courteous. We visit Chicago a ton since I used to live here back in the day so we will certainly be back!!! read more

The boyfriend and I were craving some seafood so we decided to check this place out and we were not disappointed. The Cajun kick really took it up a notch. We ordered Combo A which came with corn potatoes and 1lb each of crawfish, shrimp, and snow crab legs. We got the Mad sauce and oh my god. Silence took over the table as we nearly devoured the whole thing. Everything was perfect and we will absolutely be coming back here. Sometime soon hopefully.. read more

One of the best place for Cajun style seafood. Location is perfect for me since I work very near to this place. Had Snow Crabs & Shrimp (Head off) in mad sauce spicy flavour. It's amazing. The server is very polite . Must try for everyone. read more

We ordered combo b with the mad sauce(sub crawfish with mussels without extra cost, jumbo shrimp noodle, fried oysters (3 medium sizes) with fries, mad wings for 4 people and we were very full. They also have a waiter who knows how to translate so that really help my mom with her questions. Overall it really filling. Bill came back to be around $115. Would come back !!! read more

Being a California native, I miss Boiling Crab and similar establishments. I'm excited to see similar style restaurants starting to appear here in Chicago. Mad Boiler does the trick and I can definitely see myself coming back. I shared 1 lb of head off shrimp with garlic butter and cajun dry rub, mad fries, and cajun shrimp noodles with my SO. The shrimp were a decent size and I loved the garlic chunks in my sauce. They do fries well and I especially enjoyed using the fries to scoop up the sauce and garlic from the shrimp. I like that a bucket was provided for all the shrimp shells. The place was busy, but not overly so when we went. It is located in a less busy street of West Loop. We didn't drive, but street parking doesn't seem too bad in this area. They are BYOB with a $10 corkage fee. read more

So good! I don't get the hours of operation, but it doesn't stop me from going. I always get crab legs and fries. And enjoy every bit, lol.

I am surprised this place was not full of people!!! The service was great! Our waitress spoke broken english and she managed to do an amazing job and walk us through the menu (first time boiler) The food came to the table a lot sooner than expected and it was amazing! I will definitely come back here with a group of friends and enjoy the $2.50 happy hour special!! read more

Great food and friendly service. We've tried shrimp, crawfish, and their seasoned fries. I've also never had to wait for a table. Great spot for my seafood cravings. read more

Was so delicious. Be sure to get the garlic butter + Cajun seasoning. Would definitely go back.

Only ordered out from here once and it was delicious. Will definitely return to try other menu items. However, they forgot my order of garlic bread that I paid for and I didn't realize until I got home. Staff was otherwise friendly. read more

OMG!! The owners of Miku have done it again! Mad Boiler is amazing! Make sure to come hungry, because this will fill you up. Fast! We decided to skip appetizers because we already knew we wanted to devour as much seafood as possible. With the many choices of sauce options, it was hard to pick just one. I'm a curry fanatic, so to see curry on this menu... It wasn't a hard decision for me. I didn't want it... i NEEDED it! So, we chose the shrimp with curry, level 3 spice. My GAWD was this incredible. I seriously could live off of their curry sauce. It was that good. For our second choice, of course we went for snow crab. My partner and I debated over snow crab and alaskan king crab for awhile. Our argument was she felt snow crab was sweeter and I felt it didn't have enough meat. Although, it was perfect. For our sauces we did both the garlic and cajun sauces, level 2 spice. The crab was perfectly seasoned between the garlic and the cajun, not to salty not to light... just seamless with the sweet meat. Oh, and don't forget to order a side of fries!!! From the oil to the crunch, they certainly nailed it. Highly recommend!!! Enjoy! read more

My boyfriend and I showed up at a really weird time for lunch (around 3pm) and the place was pretty much empty. It was just us and the waiter. Firstly the ambiance is super chill and the waiter was super nice to us, helping us through the menu. They messed up our order once but they immediately said that they wouldn't charge us extra for it and were super accommodating about it which means they really care about customer service. The lunch deal is pretty good and would definitely recommend ordering. We got the oyster poboy, the cajun noodles with chicken and the battered white fish. The white fish was definitely amazing and would definitely order again. The fries that came with it were amazing too and really flavorful. The poboy was pretty decent too. I didn't get too much of of a chance to try the cajun noodles bcuz (1) they were too spicy and (2) we got full at that point but from what little I had, they were super good. read more

Madison Crab House - Oyster poboy, cajun noodles shrimp and battered white fish - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best seafood in the city. I go here often and I usually get the cajun butter flavor. Haven't had a bad experience yet.

Awesome Cajun food. The food was so hot when it came out and everything has so much flavor. The shrimp garlic noodles and Cajun fries are amazing. read more

HORRIBLE!!!!! Whoever is putting these fake reviews saying the food is good must definitely be in on the scam. I spent $400 there off the reviews alone. NEVER AGAIN!!! My stomach is sooo off right now, I wanna stick my fingers down my throat to vomit. Total waste of time read more

Food quality and portions are great, but they goofed and double charged me for an order and would not issue a refund. Still, If you're looking for Louisiana style boiled seafood this is the place to go. read more

I really wanted to like this place. The space is nice, with the now traditional "rustic industrial" decor that is all Chicago restaurants these days. The place was EMPTY when we got there at 7pm on a Wednesday. Obviously this is always a little scary when walking in--- why is no one here!?! Service was mediocre at best. Since they weren't busy it appeared that only one server was working. Drink orders took forever. We got our appetizers before our beers. We all ordered a combo- I got the snow crab, clams, and shrimp combo which comes with potatoes and corn. The portion size was fine- I definitely had more than enough of the seafood to. Somehow the corn managed to be overcooked and bland even though it was tossed in the cajun garlic butter stuff. I think I found one loan red potato in my bag. The cajun garlic butter sauce was meh- mostly just greasy. Overall the food was nothing I would return for. Unfortunately, the evening we were in there was torrential rain. While dining I felt water hitting my foot under the table. I assumed someone at our table spilled a drink... when I looked down I realized the restaurant was FLOODING! It took close to 5 minutes before any employees appeared. The only thing they said was so sorry. Was this water sewage? Is this safe to walk through? Is the restaurant closing? No communication. We continued to eat with our feet pulled up into the booth mostly since the server never reappeared to ask us if we wanted a box in order to leave, etc. We asked for some wet naps. Server tells me they don't have wet naps but there is a sink mid restaurant where I can wash my hands. Really? You want me to wade through the 1-2" questionable water to wash my hands. Ok, I'll use my water glass and a napkin. Thanks. When she finally did reappear we waited again a solid 10 minutes before getting the boxes/bags. We receive our check and I see a measly 10% off our bill for this inconvenience. Seriously? I understand that flooding is not something you can control... but customer service is. There were only 4 tables in the restaurant. I'm pretty sure you could've stepped up your game a little Mad Boiler. There are so many other restaurants in Chicago- some very similar in concept and cuisine. I wouldn't waste my time coming here. read more

It's my first Cajun food experience!! We ordered shrimp and two lobster trailer, in addition to their mad fries. The garlic butter sauce is amazing! In general, I hate garlic and onion because they are too strong. But mad boiler's sauce is definitely worth of trying. The portion is great too. Two people ended up soooo full at last. read more

The hubs and I stopped in while my daughter was at a concert nearby. The service is outstanding! Our waitress is very friendly. The food is very tasty. We did the medium garlic butter mixed with cajun. Items only come by the pound, not the half pound. We had shrimp and snow crab with corn and sausage. It was delicious. Atmosphere is modern and loud when it's busy. Don't forget to BYOB for now. They haven't secured a liquor license yet. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more