Mannnn this food didn't miss! I got the snow crab, shrimp, and lobster combination bag and everything was spectacular! Red potato just melted in my mouth! Snow crab was cooked to perfection and slides out the shell with ease! Customer service 10/10 and I will be back next time I'm in town! read more

I rarely write reviews, but after spending over $250 celebrating my friend's daughter's 16th birthday at Shaking Crab, I felt compelled to share our experience. From the moment we arrived, the hostess, Milk, was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and professional. She made us feel valued from the start, and throughout the evening she continued to provide excellent service to every table she assisted. She truly deserves recognition and a promotion. Unfortunately, our assigned server provided one of the worst dining experiences I've had. After taking our food and drink order, she returned only with our drinks and then disappeared for 15-20 minutes without checking on us. My friend's daughter's entrée arrived before our appetizers, and our appetizer--fried hard chicken wings--didn't arrive until about 20 minutes later. When we asked about the delay, the server said it was because we requested the wings to be fried hard. She then made a comment about "Black people in the kitchen cooking." Whether she intended it as a joke or not, the comment was unprofessional and made us uncomfortable. Because of the poor service and attitude, we asked if another server could assist us. While Milk continued to be wonderful, another employee with purple-blue hair was also very rude when we asked for assistance. Her attitude was dismissive and unpleasant. Later in the evening, around 11 p.m., I asked a staff member near the kitchen if they had lids for our seafood buckets. She responded "No" with an attitude. I then asked if they had to-go cups, and she said they did but claimed she was off duty. Less than 30 seconds later, she went behind the bar and began making and serving drinks, which made her response even more confusing. Shortly afterward, she began arguing with my friend at our table for no apparent reason. At that point, we asked Milk to get the manager. The manager came over, sat down with us, listened to our concerns, and apologized. He explained that he was actually off that day but had come in to help support the restaurant. We appreciated that he took the time to hear us out and said he would address the issues with his staff. The food itself was good, but good food cannot make up for poor customer service and disrespectful attitudes. We wanted this to be a memorable celebration for my friend's daughter, not an evening spent dealing with rude employees. Customer service is just as important as the food. Sadly, because of the experience we had, we will not be returning. I hope management invests in better customer service training because employees like Milk show what great hospitality should look like, while others left a very negative impression. read more

This is by far the best seafood boil place I have found in the Virginia Beach area. The shaking sauce is delicious and gets better when you turn up the spice level! The service is always fast, friendly, and accommodating! The walls are filled with hand written notes and signatures from over the years which makes this place quirky and unique. Highly recommended checking it out if you're craving reasonably priced seafood! read more

This was a first visit for me, I came to celebrate Mother's Day and will return. Our sever was so personable and hilarious. My boil was seasoned perfectly and there was enough for leftovers. However, the shaking wings! Get those! They're not pictured because I ate them all and even got an order to go and get didn't last long either. They're fried and sauced so a nice flavorful crunch. The atmosphere is casual and perfect for groups, families, and split dining! read more

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I love everything about the Shaking Crab, okay maybe not the wait at times BUT it is well worth it. The food is great and the Customer Service is just Amazing.... read more

Service -5 really liked the service. Nice guy. Fast and efficient and didn't bother too much! Ambiance - nice TVs and music level. My issue was the food. The seafood was overcooked and rubbery. Large shrimp and mussels though but overcooked. And I didn't feel like the sauce was very flavored. The best was the sausage. Shrimp was hard to peel. It did come to the table REALLY hot which was nice. Good for kids. Reasonable price. read more

Shaking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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I called in an order for lemon pepper wings, fries, and cajun shrimp rice. The wings were tasty. They had breading on them. The ranch they have is pretty good also, it tasted good with the wings. The fries were crispy and hot. I do wish the rice had more shrimp and maybe onions or something. It's literally just shrimp and plain looking rice. I've had it in the past and it was more flavorful, but it was still ok. The garlic butter goes well with it. I enjoyed my meal for the most part. They have seafood boils, seafood baskets with fish, oysters, soft shell crabs, and more. The prices are reasonable. The staff was friendly and it wasn't a long wait. There was plenty of seating inside. It's dimly lit and not to bright in there, so I appreciate that. I'd return. I'd like to try their oysters next time. Check them out!!! read more

Shaking Crab - Lemon pepper wings - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Great food. Great service. Great atmosphere. Went there with a large group of people. Did not disappoint. Handled a restricted diet very well. Took what I could eat, brought go to it back to the chef and out came something I could eat. Yo don't get that service everywhere. It's nice to be treated like a human in restaurants instead of being told to just "eat a salad." Would highly recommend read more

I hadn't been to shaking crab in like 2 years or really since the pandemic. Whelp what better way to get reacquainted then to do a quick Sunday date night with my hubby. I got the crablegs and shrimp without heads combo, added sausages and you get a corn on cob and potatoe. Your choice of seasonings mild, spicy and many more but I got cajun hot. When I say this meal was a missile it truly was. I got full quick so it became a nice meal for another night after a quick oven reheat. I guess we choose the right time to go because they weren't busy upon arrival but we tend to be a crowd any way and by the time we were leaving it was picking up in clientele around 530ish that evening. The service was immaculate, no females waitresses this particular Sunday, but the fellas were holding it down. No body around us had a long wait at all for their food and ours came out rather quickly as well. Sorry you'll have to enjoy my lovely face since this was the only pic I remembered after I got my food....just know I loved it. Oh and since we're all true Yelp heads I did a check-in and got 10% off the meal, don't say I didn't put you on. Stop on in if you have a hankering for a great seafood boil. Mmm mmm GOOD read more

Shaking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

the foods decent i've had a better quality seafood boil and calamari in michigan and the service is horrible. our waiter (he didn't tell us his name otherwise id say who) came by our table a total of four times, took like 20-30min inbetween each time he came to the table, he didn't speak to us he just dropped our stuff on the table and would walk away, we didn't get refills (even if you have to pay for a refill on your drink or order a whole new drink bc they come in togo cups we didn't get the option) and my order was wrong. I used to be a server so I will never tip below 20% no matter my bill but I did not tip him, there was zero reason why we should've been in that restaurant for almost two hours with borderline no service being provided. read more

Seafood broil was excellent... Fried shrimp and wings were okay. Service was marginal at best... setting was what you would expect from a seafood restaurant, totally acceptable. Message to managers, train your waiters to engage with your guest -- it's more than taking the order, dropping off the order and then dropping of the check. read more

I ordered a dozen steamed oysters, calamari, and onion rings. $45 with generous tip: Definitely over priced. The oysters were ridiculously small, the calamari way too chewy. The onion rings were the best part. I would not recommend ordering from this company. read more

Place was amazing. Went for my Birthday Dec 24th. Food was AMAZING. Service was excellent. Definitely will be back. The walls were all written on, was cool reading it all. We even added our names to it read more

Shaking Crab - Went for my birthday on Dec 24th. Was the best time. Food was AMAZING. Service was Excellent - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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We had a pretty good dinner there to which, everyones food looked really good. The Shaking Crab boil seasoning was really good. The talapia and fries I had must've been right out of the fryer because they were HOT! And that's a good thing. Will definitely be going back in the future for a second try. read more

Best bang for your buck, the quality, the service, the flavor, the price are all awesome. This is our go to seafood restaurant when visiting VA beach area. read more

The food is amazing. We come back to celebrate life. We always get great service. The sauces are fantastic!

How can you not get Shaking Crab while in Norfolk? This is hands down the best Cajun crab boil you can get here. We got 2 A combos, clams, and sausages. Snow crab legs were fresh and shells were packed with meat. You can tell it's good quality because you can break the leg in half and pulling the meat without the shell bending! Sauce is good as usual - I'd say less salt! It was definitely on the salty side. Also, the clam meats were a bit shriveled, I remember it being fat and juicy in the past. Service was great, very nice and attentive staff, which isn't too common these days! I'll definitely come back as long as they maintain quality here. Recommend! read more

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Came here on Labor Day weekend to try their seafood boil. It was a late lunch and there weren't too many people. We were seated right away. The booth we sat in was comfortable, however there were so many drawings everywhere it looked so messy. That's the style they are going for I guess. We ordered two combo A's for four people and added on half pound of sausage and clams. The snow crab legs were really good and paired well with their signature shaky sauce. Shrimp was very good and paired well with everything. There was a Yelp check in offer for 10% off the check. The price was so good here. It was like pre pandemic price on top of it being cheaper than Northern Virginia seafood boil which would easily be twice the cost of here. The service was pretty good. read more

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I absolutely love the food at this restaurant!!! My son visited me from KY and we took him there to eat. Now he is addicted also. Service is always fast and accurate read more

Awesome seafood boil! Super flavorful, peppery and just the right amount of spice. Price is affordable considering how plump the shrimps are! Oyster basket with fries were so good, the breading was insanely good, it's a must try! Atmosphere: awesome music playlist, the sharpie graffitti all over the walls are a little too much though, makes the place look dirty. Service: decent, had to ask multiple times for a straw, didn't really check in on us. Food: so so good!!! Try them all! read more

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Kiera was AMAZING! Attentive, sociable, PERFECTION; thank you for your service! lol. Great suggestion on the no spice Shaking Crab sauce (still too much heat on the backend for a toddler btw Yelpers, my kid snuck a lil bit :D) We were a large party so I know how that can be funnnn in Server-Land but she made everyone feel like a smaller party lol and we enjoyed another lovely family birthday at Shaking Crab. :) read more

Shaking Crab will have you walking our shaking your head wondering ..."How In tarnation did I just turn into the gluten I feel like?" The first bike has you hooked and committed to eat every dang morsel!!!! The wait to be seated was annoying, they were short staffed, but the server in that circumstance gave us top notch service!!!! I believe his name was Tyrone . We enjoyed our food, and also got food to go!!!!! read more

Shaking Crab - I ate until I couldn't!!!! So good!!! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

The service here was terrible. Waited over 15 minutes for my server to check on me. I needed a refill of water for quite awhile. Server found the time to play on her phone while chatting with people at a table. Walked past me a dozen times without a word, even with my lid off my paper cup as an indicator. No common sense for the servers here. The food was decent, nothing special you can't find at any other boil seafood restaurant. The bathroom has disgusting sexual messages all over as they think this is appealing decor. Not appropriate to have children here. I should have left as soon as I saw the bathroom. I will never be back. read more

We ate there a few months ago and my husband got food poisoning. The seafood was not fresh at all. He the seafood boil and the shrimp was not fresh. No one wanted to hear that they served bad food so of course we will not be returning. read more

So it's been a while since I've ate at a good seafood spot since leaving Cali. I'm very particular about the seafood spots I eat at because so much is taken into consideration. The environment. Walking in I was very pleased to see no nats swarming or flies buzzing around. Most seafood spot give that hole in the wall vibe so I wasn't expecting a fine dining interior so that's fine, but regardless the inside was very vey clean. The air was fresh and wasn't stuffy, or overwhelming with smell. The waitress I had was Angie. She was AMAZING and a five star of her own. She was very polite and wasn't overbearing. She gave me suggestions and allowed me to ease into the meal as I was hesitant because I didn't know what to expect with the flavor. Loved her! The food was good quality. I ordered the shrimp and crawfish, a half pound of each at first then went for round two! I always compare the sauce or try to find a place similar to my previous spot, but I have to keep in mind all the sauces are typically unique to their own flavor. With that being said, it was a good sauce. It wasn't watered down, and was very well seasoned. The shrimp was nice and juicy (tail on) and the crawfish was soooooo good and fresh! The lemonade did not give me diabetes and I am so grateful for that. If I had one con, I would just say that napkin holders could be wiped down a bit more (nothing crazy on them, just needs a little attention). Overall my experience was 10/10! If I didn't live so far away, this would certainly be my new spot, however I live 2hrs away so if I'm in the area again this will certainly be my go to spot! read more

The food is so good and fresh! Having food allergies and dietary restrictions can make it hard when we go out to eat but not coming here! The staff really explain and make you feel safe to eat what they recommend from an allergy standpoint. We tried almost every side in the menu and it was all 10/10! The staff is super nice and made sure they could answer our questions and help when needed. The Shakin sauce flavor though is just unbeatable in my opinion. The space is clean and open and it's a nice casual space. read more

Shaking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

This place is AMAZING. Hearty portions for a decent price, in a clean restaurant, with friendly service- this place is great! I had the shrimp basket, Cajun fries and coleslaw. The shrimp was jumbo sized and butterflied- SO GOOD!! The Cajun fries were perfect- pure and simple perfection. The coleslaw was a BIG portion and delicious. I loved the cocktail sauce as well. I have zero complaints, and cannot stop raving about the food here! My dinner companion got the crab cake basket and onion rings- which he claimed was delicious as well!! I highly recommend if you are in the area!!! read more

Shaking Crab - Crab cake basket with onion rings. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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So I made a delivery order for a king crab combo, and muscles when I received it there was no sauce maybe a residual on the bottom of the bag so I made a phone call and I was told that if I came, they would remake it so when I came " remade it" but still the same amount of sauce to the point where I had to buy some extra sauce for another $11. I had already spent $160 on the delivery. read more

Shaking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Hot & juicy food each and every time we go. Customer service super genuine upon arrival. This is the only place I've been to that serves freshly popped popcorn while you wait on your food. Check it out frfr! Typically fast service a majority of the time. The sauce does change here and there and I get the exact same sauce each time so yeahhhhh! Spicy really kicks so be mindful before ordering! Nothing upscale about this restaurant, but it tends to give off a family radiance. The walls aren't as appealing to the eye being that everybody and their Mama has signed them with their names, quotes, etc!!! Our family typically read off what we see first on the walls and make it into a game. Nice way to get the teenagers to interact I must say. We come here a whole lot and never are we disappointed! read more

Shaking Crab - Exterior of building - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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The food is the best around for a very reasonable price. I love Captain George's Restaurant but I'm not paying $55.00 + for a single dinner and the fact that they don't keep up with replenishing the self-serve food bars. That's disappointing to me especially @$55.00/head!! Now The Shaking Crab has excellent food but the prices have gone up too much and people don't want to pay that much. The food is cooked to perfection but when the prices went up they went up too much. read more

Shaking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I was a little skeptical about going in due to all the graffiti on the walls and chairs. It was quiet and the music wasn't too loud. We were given popcorn #weird to start. Neither my husband nor I eat popcorn. Not the best choice for a starter. We were waited on immediately and the service was par excellence. The food was delicious and very filling. I ordered shrimp with sausage added to the bag. My husband ordered catfish and fries and sausage. We both enjoyed our meals. Looks can be very deceiving. read more

Great place to get a seafood boil! They start your visit with some delicious buttered popcorn while you decide what you want to eat for your meal. Cool, relaxed atmosphere and very attentive staff. The shaking sauce is amazing! Perfect combo of all the spices without being super spicy! read more

Shaking Crab - Combo with Dungeness crab legs and Shrimp with no head, sausage fried rice! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

First time eating sea food, and this place did not disappoint. I'm not saying I'm dumb but I like when menus are dumbed down for someone like me and this menus were simple and made it easy to figure out what the hell I should eat. Food was fast the environment was nice and chill and the food was super good! Thanks for making it easy and simple for a dumb guy like me lol read more

Pricey! Our waitress struggled a bit with party of 7 at 6 PM on a Sunday. But she really tried hard and did a great job! Very pricey, since other places with similar concept ("crab pot steam bag") include corn, potatoes, AND sausage in their combos, and this place charges extra in various combo and ala carte options. You'd have to review the menu because it's difficult to summarize here. The sauce in the bag was highly concentrated; strong flavors but with little liquid...almost muddy. I almost ordered extra drawn butter for my crab legs, because I couldn't really dip them in anything. But the infused flavor was decent, so I didn't bother. Both the Snow and Dungeness crab were plenty meaty and well cooked though! And the sides were delicious as well. There was a pretty big group of thugs hanging out in the front and side parking lots as we were leaving and it was getting dark: loud cars and music, just being a menace. I don't know if that's normal, but it was definitely noticeable and bothersome on this Sunday evening. If you're looking for something different in Kempsville, this is good enough. But I would definitely try a lunchtime instead of dinner. read more

The Shaking Crab is a great hole in the wall restaurant away from the tourist attractions. The boils are amazing and flavorful. The waitstaff was having fun and knowledgeable about the menu. Highly recommend if you are looking for a seafood boil in the Virginia Beach area. read more

Great food and service ... I truly enjoy coming here , the food is always fresh... the waiters are friendly

The food was ok but the service sucked. Was seated at a dirty table . When the food came I asked for silverware for me and my son and the waiter brought me a plastic spoon. Waiter never came by and had to flag down whatever wait staff we saw.... read more

The service was absolutely perfect the server was very very nice the bar drinks were so good the oysters were just tasty fresh my fried shrimp plate was. Really good crunchy fries def we will be back read more

This food was amazing and seasons we well! Definitely will be coming back frequently! Amazing service as well, we felt at home and respected at the same time. Plus the background music playing was comforting! read more

Shaking Crab - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

We were a party of 6. Even got a colleague to come with us who doesn't eat seafood... Go figure. Anyway, The popcorn was on point and a great introduction. Waiter was all over the place, but attentive, and efficient. Wish I remembered his name. But supper cool! Started off with the crab cakes for the table. They were ok. Not bad, but just a bit smaller for our preference. I got the crab legs with shrimp without heads couple of potato and corn, with Old Bay seasoning. 2 of my colleagues got the same with the garlic butter, another got the mussels and crab legs. This is where things got good. Steamed perfectly when the legs snapped as opposed to being like rubber. Portions were great, taste was great. My only complaint, (which was my fault I should have been clear) was when I requested extra butter they gave me garlic butter. The garlic was too strong for my preference, but my colleague enjoyed, so that is just a matter of choice. I prefer just plain butter with the crab legs for the corn and potato and shrimp. All in all a great spot and for sure would do it again. read more