As a Cajun with one daughter still in Acadia Parish; I was extremely disappointed in their claims. The crawfish and shrimp were poorly seasoned. The "garlic butter" was not real butter it was clear so I believe it was margarine with chunks of garlic so it tasted like oil. Nasty. The meat was bland which shows they have no idea what a REAL crab boil is. Another Cultural appropriation which they ruined I saw on the menu they had sausage, so I asked two guys if it was Tasso, Andoullie or Boudin. They said Kielbasa. Um, that is so NOT CAJUN! That is Maine! Not a single Zataran's Crab Boil or Tony Chacherie. It's a shame this restaurant has to Cultural appropriation to have a business THEN trash it. So disappointing! Oh and $6 for a beer! WOW! Didn't know I was in DC! We won't even discuss the poor service and attention from the server. We saw her FOUR times! His order, my order, food, then bill. I had to catch her eye just to get a ToGo box which was smaller than my purse! AND had a heck of a time OPENING the boxes because of the way they were brought especially if you have icky hands from EATING! But what do you expect from a Yank who probably can't spell Louisiana! read more

Shakin Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Had a great experience 2/8/23 8pm From service to the Great food that came out I will definitely be back for the price can not be beat 2 boil bags, fresh oyster ,fried oyster,and chicken tender meal . for $105 what a steal. read more

Nice atmosphere, great service, great tasting food!! Enjoyed steamed and soft shelled crabs! I will definitely go the again and recommend if you want to eat awesome seafood; fried, steamed, or raw on the shell. A seafood lovers place to eat!! read more

Shakin Crab - Leave a message wall - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Very disappointed in the online ordering. So disorganized. What's the point in placing an order online and the wait time time is over 3 hours on Mother's Day. The order wasn't placed until you pay at the door. Now wait another 15 mins and it's 8:45 pm. Placed order at 5 for 6pm pickup but the line for online orders was all the way to LA Fitness. WTF? If it weren't because my son wanted the food, I would had canceled. I called earlier and was told wait time for pickup was 45 mins!! Many people walked away. Dinner will be late after 10pm! read more

I had a taste for some fried comfort food and figured I would try this place. Decided to order online, which was a smooth experience. I ordered to pick up, scheduling about 1.5hr ahead. Arrived, let the hostess know my order number and name. It wasn't ready yet, due to me getting there early, I wasn't surprised. I took a seat to wait and, after about 5-10min, the hostess let me know the order was ready. She hands me the order and I leave. I guess I wasn't supposed to have fried food today. The order was entirely wrong. They tried to contact me after I had left but due to my phone settings, they were ignored (not their fault). In any case, for me to have to bring the incorrect order back to get the order I had ordered, you would think there would be some type of compensation or discount, on their part. Didn't happen. read more

Environment is very friendly and beautifully decorated. Service is on point and fast. May be bc there were only us and another table. Anyhow, I experienced great customer service Food: sauce wasn't like I expected. It didn't have a lot of flavored, watered down flavored ....it is all about the sauce but I didn't think it was as good as the other places read more

Shakin Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Girlfriends and I come here every summer. We didn't get here last summer because of COVID-19. We came yesterday it was amazing as usual. The prices are awesome the staff is awesome. I'm not crabs and shrimp were amazing read more

Oh my gosh! No expectations walking in just a hunger for seafood. Met my daughter for a "girls lunch" and we were blown away. Our server was so sweet and very helpful. Menu was self explanatory. Just trying to limit myself was hard. We decided to share a 1/2 pound crab legs and 1/2 pound shrimp ( heads off). It came with red potatoes and corn on the cob. We ordered the garlic butter and medium spice mixture for it to be cooked in. Sauce has a base of Old Bay of course. We were given bibs. Wipes and gloves. It arrived in a double lined clear plastic bag. Huge. I grabbed a shrimp peeled it (guts are already removed) and dipped it in the luscious smelling sauce. Perfection! We will make it a monthly date from now on. I'm only six minutes away so perhaps more for me. Lol. FYI do not grab your crab leg and snap it open toward your daughter. Just saying... read more

One of my GO TO restaurants! I can't say enough good things about this place. The food is always fresh, the staff is always friendly, and the food is always delicious...Need I say more because I can! This place is fabulous I'm not from the area and by far this place has the best seafood boils in the DMV. The seafood is seasoned to perfection and the flavor is absolutely amazing! If you're in the area definitely give them a try you won't be disappointed. read more

Currently receiving some of the worst customer service I've received in sometime. 40 minute wait to be seated, which we accepted due to the size of our party. After waiting to be sat the host suggested we move chairs from the lobby to the table ourselves. It's been over an hour since we've ordered, and still waiting. read more

I actually am usually a pretty big fan of Shakin Crab. I love their seasonings and sauces. The seafood is fresh and the staff is always friendly and upbeat. I've introduced people to crab legs at this restaurant and I've left my initials on their walls. So I was curious to see how we'd fare having them as a take-out meal during the Covid-19 pandemic. We ordered our usual. The number 2 combo with high spice and the Shakin sauce. It was underwhelming. Something was missing though I can't say exactly what. I am not one to leave crab legs or shrimp behind, but I couldn't finish this meal. I look forward to returning when life gets back to normal. read more

Good food at a great price! We ordered the seafood platter for carryout. They put it all in a bag with choice of sauce. We chose the Shakin Sauce which is all their sauces mixed with cayenne if you choose medium or spicy levels. Ours was medium and it wasn't overwhelming. It included 1 lb. snow crab legs (3 legs total), 1 lb. shrimp no head, 1 lb. crawfish, 1 lb. mussels. 1/2 lb. sausage, 4 corns, and 4 potatoes for $65! Everything was cooked just right. Meat came out of crab legs and crawfish easily. Crawfish were on the bigger side! The sausage was pretty basic. I will definitely be ordering again when in the area. read more

Shakin Crab - Seafood Special - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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My boyfriend and I decided to try this place after seeing it on Groupon and we were pretty satisfied! Our server was Deanna and she was awesome!! She was super attentive and nice. She made sure to answer our questions and recommend the best deals. They give you some free popcorn for the table while you wait for your food. We got the Special #2 in Shakin Sauce - 1lb crawfish, 1/2lb shrimp, 1/2lb sausage, corn, and potatoes. And we also got a side of hush puppies and an extra pound of crawfish. I think just the special alone might've been enough food for the both of us! So full but so good. The only downside I noticed was that the crawfish might not have been marinated/tossed long enough because there were many pieces I ate that still tasted like fresh water (from being cleaned). I often had to remix my bag, hoping the flavor would sink in. But otherwise, the prices are really reasonable and we will definitely be back! read more

The food is very fresh here, the music is chilled pop-rock music from about 5-10 years back, the customers are nice and the waiters are very kind. They don't go MIA half way through the meal, which is great. The restaurant and bathrooms are clean and pleasant. I was the only single person dining in and felt completely at home here. This would be a good date place, friend gathering place, and probably a good family dinner location as well. I will definitely be back. Final note: the seafood is so fresh that even the crab did not taste "fishy." Everything was very nice and the portions were generous. read more

Shakin Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Great new place in Manassas. Who would think a strip mall would house a cute seafood place like this? Nice service from the waitress Emily- great management who checked in on us- and the seafood in a bag with corn and spices was fabulous. The $3 hush puppies are a treat- and the silver bucket on the table to dispose of shells and more is ingenious! A+ experience! Highly recommend! read more

Shakin Crab - Shakin crab! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

This place has been on my bookmarks for a while now and I decided to finally try it out one Friday evening. Surprisingly, it was pretty full and we had to wait 5 minutes to be sat which wasn't bad. When you walk in, the first thing you notice are the writings and drawings all over the wall (cool concept, but lots of inappropriate drawings.. if ya know what I mean haha) I had a group of 3 and we ordered two combos and a side of hush puppies. (While you wait for the food to come out, they give you a little thing of popcorn which was so good) I love popcorn, ha. Anyways, starting with the hush puppies- delicious! But so small and didn't last long. Combo 1. Shrimp with heads 1lb and Crab legs 1lb Combo 2. Shrimp with heads 1lb and Crawfish 1lb We got both with the Shakin sauce and spice level medium with hot on the side. First off, their spice level is low. Hot is not hot.. at all. I wasn't a fan of the sauce all too much. The butter was on the top and everything else was on the bottom so it kind of felt like I was just eating straight butter sauce (not a fan). The crawfish had that seafood-y taste to it still and did not taste like it was cooking in the sauce at all which was disappointing. Another thing that I thought was odd was that the sausages come separately when you buy the combos, but if you get the specials (which is 1/2lb of meat instead of 1lb), you get the sausage. Shouldn't sausage be included in the larger bag of food? So I was kind of disappointed when I found that out.. I want my sausages! In the end, I wasn't too satisfied with my meal. It was an alright meal, but I don't think I would come back here for seafood as I prefer hot n juicy and chasin tails more. The service however, was great. Our server was wonderful and friendly. Oh, this is random, but I have to give the gloves a 1 star. Just like hot n juicy, worst gloves ever. They're oversized and somehow manage to ALWAYS bleed through while using (what's the point giving out gloves that bleed through if your hands still get gross?) Overall, glad I tried it. Unfortunately, does not beat my other two places except for the hush puppies (cus that was yummy), but I probably won't be back anytime soon. read more

Shakin Crab - Steamed Oysters - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Really 4.5 - the door staff or hostess portion is sort of lacking. Find the right kind of person to set the tone when you first arrive because the food is absolutely great. We just happened into this place after doing some shopping in Manassas and at first we thought we might have made a mistake. The initial contact was not very welcoming but our waitress was outstanding. I wish I would have remembered her name but suffice to say she was pleasant and checked on us just enough. She also answered any questions cheerfully and even went back to check on a couple of substitution requests. We both got snow crab legs and also ordered some fried shrimp. The shrimp had a light coating and they were generous in size. Loved them. The hush-puppies and coleslaw were great as well. The crab legs were perfectly cooked and we each enjoyed our chosen spices. The crab legs were also good sized and the taste was amazing. Hopefully we just caught that person on an off day but we'll be back to try it again. We'll update the review appropriately at that time. Enjoy! read more

Came here with medium expectations. I was completely blown away. Ordered the fried: softshell crab, jumbo shrimp, calamari; and steamed snowcrab. Had the hushpuppies and cajun frieds and corn. Yes, we pigged out. It was glorious. The seafood was perfectly deep fried, light, not too greasy, fluffy flakes. The snow crab was succulent. The hush puppies were decent, the corn had a smoky quality. I loved it all. Nooooom!!! read more

This place is my absolute favorite to get a seafood boil! Service is always great and fast . Everything is very flavorful and addicting , I love the hush puppies and the popcorn they give. The number one thing I get are mussels and clams and then I add crab legs and they all come out PERFECT read more

We absolutely enjoyed our dinner! Our server was fantastic, I don't remember his name but he had a half up man bun. He came often to check on us and to refill our drinks. The food was great and fresh! Loveddddd the seasoning, much better than other seafood boil places. Will definitely come again with my family. read more

I have never seen a crab boil restaurant before so when we went here, we were surprised and delighted. My dad is a pescatarian and this is his favorite option when he comes down for dinner. The crab boil includes many tasty options from a pound of shrimp, crab legs, oysters, etc. Boiled In spices to a combination of many different types of seafood. There are also basket options like fried shrimp, oysters, fish, or hush puppies and there are options to add other items into you crab boil. It's really fun, the servers are really kind, and the restaurant itself is very comfortable. read more

What can I not say about this place. The food is so great and the waiters are very friendly. If you get one of the special you can add either an additional set of sausages, shrimps or crabs, and, the shaking source is out of this world. A friendly spot to bring Family and Friends or just to get away and eat some good sea food. read more

Shakin Crab - Love this place - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

It's my birthday and we needed to eat some food. I suggested a seafood place near by and had been wanting to try it so off we went! Our server was Lori (not sure of spelling) and she was super nice. She knew the food, made recommendations and and was overall a pleasant person. We had a pound of crawfish and as a person who had never had crawfish, she demonstrated how to crack and eat them. We ordered them medium spiced with their special sauce. Delicious!!! We also got a pound of snow crab legs and mussels! Man o man were they delicious!! I would pluck the mussel off the shell and go back in the bag to dip it in the juices! That was the bomb. The corn and potato in each bag was also on point. Maybe the corn could have been 1 to 2 minutes less on the boil but so good and juicy. The potato I just picked up and bit in to it and back in the back to sop up the juices! Did I say the juices in the bag was completely slurp-able? Is that a word? It is now. The beers were cold, the food was delicious and the meal was messy but in a good way. Forget the gloves they bring you, you are just gonna have to dig in. You the lemons to squirt on food if you wish but we juiced up our waters and scrubbed our nails with them after to remove any seafood smells. That was the perfect amount of food for 2. We are coming back for sure to sample the crab and shrimp. The decor is cool. Graffiti on the walls and paper on the tables. read more

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This is my favorite seafood place in Manassas. Their shaking sauce is everything!!! The servers are fast and friendly, the food doesn't take too long to come out and it is always perfectly cooked, and I really like their nautical casual theme and the fact that you can sharpie their walls. I don't have kids of my own yet, but I'm sure that when I do, they'll love this place as much as I do... read more

Visited the Shakin Crab with a group of friends for a send off to my buddy's son who was leaving for basic training. We had a large party of 9 on a Saturday night around 6pm. The restaurant was starting to get busy when we arrived. It was full, w/ folks waiting for a table, by the time we left about an hour later. The bar staff was attentive and very friendly. They have a few good seasonal and local beer options. Table servers were slow with bar drinks. I didn't get a strong positive, friendly vibe from the wait staff, but I want to be sure to say that no one was rude or impolite. I would say the service overall was slightly below average for restaurants in this price range in this area. I find other places in Manassas w happier, more outgoing/friendlier staff for dinners in that $25-35 per person price range. The decor is crab shack typical- wood paneling. But it's very plain/drab with no color or anything of visual interest. It was clean and well lit. They have black sharpie graffiti on the walls and bar, most of it uninteresting. Some clever and artful scrawling might make it more appealing but - whatever- it's a crab shack, right? Menu was a bit difficult to navigate for some in our party, which is weird for what is a pretty straight forward set of steamed bagged options: crab, shrimp, crawfish, mussels, potatoes, corn with your choice of spice combinations. They also have some platters that include fried options. It was the steamed items that most of our party was after but a few chose the fried platter options. Food quality was good but portions small for the price. Steamed items were just right though. Those with the fried items liked theirs as well. Prices are too high or portions too small in my opinion. The meal was tasty but many in our party left still hungry, less than satisfied. If you are after a tasty steamed seafood meal, aren't real hungry, have some extra coin, and don't care about ambiance or interaction with your servers, then I can recommend this place. Most of our group said they had been wanting to try the place, were glad they did, but probably wouldn't give it a second go anytime soon. read more

If your looking for fine dinning this is not it. It's very messy. The food is served inside a plastic bag. Not on a plate. They give you a paper plate but it was easier to eat from the bag with your hands. I felt like a homeless beggar eating out of a trash bag. The food however was very tasty. The worst part was that everyone in our party of 6 got stomach cramps shortly after. Or what I'm assuming was mild food poisoning. Nothing terrible but the cramps lasted into the next morning. read more

My first time here and it was a good experience. I had crab legs and shrimp with potatoes and it was great. The sweet tea was just right. I loved the fact that you could write on the walls. I plan on coming back as my new seafood hangout spot. read more

Shakin Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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Delicious fresh seafood and the different sauces make it even better. You get to choose everything so it's how you want it. I got a combo with Snow crab legs, shrimp, sausage, and 1 corn on the cob and 1 red potato all in a bag steamy perfection covered in Amazing Garlic butter sauce and Cajun mild sauce, so flavorful and added to the seafood perfectly. And the Hush puppies were AWESOME!!!! I ordered an extra order of hush puppies ToGo to take home they were so good. read more

Shakin Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Never knew this place was here until tonight. Stopped on a whim. So many cajun seafood places around the area now. Like the other establishments this place does not provide salt unless you ask for it. I'm not a salt junkie but my hubby is and asking for it in any restaurant seems odd. They bring you free popcorn as a starter which is wonderful.....Who doesn't like popcorn? We both opted for the fried shrimp basket and the shrimp was amazing. I ordered hush puppies as my side and hubby tried the onion rings. The onion rings were good but I've had better. My hubby liked them more than I did. I was unhappy with my hush puppies.....I'm not a fan of hush puppies having corn in them. It's a texture thing with me. Without the kernels of corn in them they would've been amazing. Again, that's on me. Not everyone makes hush puppies with corn in them. We'll be back. The shrimp was amazing. read more

If you like seafood this is a really good place to check out the food is good and the staff is very friendly and helpful So if you're in the area please stop in and check them out read more

This is hands down the best crab boil in northern Virginia! I've tried other places but they're not even close to shakin crab

Amazing food. Fast and easy Beer selection good and the gloves are a great idea Super lay back environment and food was amazing read more

First off I had to calm myself down a bit because ever since my friend introduced me to this Shakin Crab joint I can't stop craving their crab legs. When you walk into the restaurant you're not greeted with a fresh fishy scent, which is a definite plus for a seafood restaurant. And No matter what time I walk into the restaurant there is enough seating and available tables. So I never had to experience any waiting issues. Once you're seated, your server grabs you a lil basket of popcorn to share with the table. I always end up eating more than one basket of popcorn because there is a lil wait time for your meal. I usually order off their weekly "specials" and get the bag with 1/2 lb snow crab legs, shrimps, sausages, corn and potatoes w/ The Shakin' sauce for just $21.99 DING DING! The prices at Shakin Crab is much more reasonable than the other seafood joints I've been to in the DMV. I would def recommend this spot, no bad experiences yet. (Fingers crossed). read more

Awesome place if you love Cajun seafood boil. This place was much better than Chasing Tails and the food more fresh. Would suggest the all of the above seasoning and ordering extra. My only critique would be that they should really add dinner rolls or bread to their menu so you can have something to soak up the sauce read more

Usually on point, sucks that we have not gotten consistent service lately. We ordered extra stuff on the side of a special and we were shorted what comes in the special. The guy who took our order did not confirm the order and when we called back to let him know how they messed up, he was not friendly about it at all. The food is great, but the people in charge need to step their game up. read more

Shakin Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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Seafood HEAVEN!!!! Best seafood since living near the Gulf in Texas. Love the crabs and shrimp boil. Whole family loves it here.

Very good everytime I come by and pick up the food. Comes out quick, is consistent with the taste and price is fair. Recommend to everyobe

We love the food, especially the crab legs, shrimps and mussels. But honestly the ambience is so bad. We hate the wall message and now with the added picture wall...they look very messy, dirty and cluttered. Eew! The whole place needs to have a make-over, needs to be cleaned up, and be made classy and modern-looking. You'll have more customers for sure, if you do. read more

While I expected more from our server, the food was good! The food was hot and came out pretty fast. Upon being seated, they bring fresh popcorn to your table. The prices, in my opinion, are pretty reasonable. Overall, I enjoyed myself. read more

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We love Shakin Crab! Had some last night after three months because I moved to GA and was in town for the weekend... OMG! I was craving it so much! Such great flavor. We always get the Special #1 Cajun flavor mild or medium. Sooooo delicious! read more