Food is good going in, bad coming out. My wife and I have been to the Richmond location three times and had no problems. We have been to this location twice and she's thrown up twice. I almost threw up this time too but refused to throw up $30 something dollars worth of food as a principle. I still taste the sauce today (the morning after). Don't think we'll go back to this location. It seems like the sauce is stronger here than in Richmond. At least the service is decent here. read more

I love the fact that you eat with your hands here! It was my first time and with a big group. The party platter we had was more than enough and so customizable with the sauces. It's super casual and has a great family feel to it. I'm not a huge fan of spicy food, but they also offer a non-spicy option as well so it was all good! The seafood is flavourful and tastes like the sea. Just as it should! read more

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Very small portions. Maybe a bad night?? Ordered to go - $20 for a few shrimp, tiny bit of rice and 1/2 cob of corn. Yes that's right - 1/2 cob of corn lol. I was so shocked at the tiny amount of rice also!! Maybe caters to larger orders? I don't know, but very disappointed and won't be back....very expensive for mediocre food and way over priced for small portions read more

Adding insult to injury as I am reviewing this later in the year but I am completely disgusted by how this business was run. I understand that it is was newly opened but the level of organization the night I went was insane. They were overbooked in reservations and also could not keep up with the walks in. We had to keep track of who was in front of us. I'm almost certain that there probably was someone who was allowed to go ahead of us despite being behind us. Service was terrible. Saw a guy drop a straw on the floor and just put it back on the drink can anyways. Took us forever to order. Nobody really knew what they were doing. I can only hope that has changed for the last couple months but judging from their reviews I'd say no... Food is decent albeit pricey for what you get with the service included. Might be worth coming back at lunch when it's dead but I haven't tried. read more

Heat is great in a seafood dish but heat without flavour is like sex without love. The Headless shrimp dish was just that. Really needed salt and perhaps butter and some garlic to help it on its way otherwise it was bland and boring. A little beer would have helped out too. Too bad the Chef ignored minor details like these!. That's my review! read more

The lobster was so tough it could not be chewed- it was total rubber. The waitress came and asked how everything was- I said the lobster is overcooked she sort of shrugged, smiled and walked away. The sauces are higher in sodium than I'd like- although the flavours were there. Many of the clams were empty. The prawns were ok-also a bit over cooked but edible. The corn we were served had brown spots on it - the potatos were not cooked thru- we did not eat them. The fried rice and fries and sausage were good- which is the only reason we are giving 2 stars. No real drink menu to speak of and we essentially paid $150 for garbage food with soda. read more

I been loving this place these days. Love that they have a garlic steam choose that is lighter taste. The shrimp and clam I had was very big and fat. The clam has got smaller since the first time I visited them. They have a deep fried shrimp that looks like tempura, that was really good. Too bad it only comes with 10 pieces and rest of it it's fries. read more

Finally it's here in Vancouver. This place is similar to the Boiling Crab from the US. I had a pleasant experience when I dined at this location. Staff were attentive and friendly. Will be back read more

Lousy attitude from servers and poorly prepared food. Not coming back to this location.

I've been to the Richmond location twice and visited the Kingsway location (Burnaby/Vancouver border) the other day. And I've had no major issues with dinner/lunch! Our group made a reservation way past dinner rush hour (12 people at 10pm, called in around 3pm same day) and the restaurant wasn't busy at all. Moreover, the service was quite decent. We were seated right away. We did have to flag down a server to get our orders taken, but after that it was pretty smooth sailing. No missed orders, no mix ups and refills on our waters without asking. We (my bf and I) ordered 2lbs of shrimp with Captain's Boil sauce, mild heat (although, I could have done with medium - I didn't get much spice) with rice and cajun fries. Left happy and full. And garlic burps for days. read more

You want to RUIN your day? Go to this restaurant and give it a try! Read reviews of customers not recommending them. There are lots! read more

As with any restaurant, mistakes happen...my clam unfortunately contained sand and immediately the server took it away and after a little while came back with two freshly boiled and plump clams:)...great service and apologized sincerely... read more

The Captain's Boil - There's a bib! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Just a word of warning... your clothes will smell like garlic until you wash or dry clean them when you finish dining here. Reminiscent of a southern crawfish boil - with an Asian influence - so come prepared to get dirty and use your hands. Service is definitely hectic; with no reason for it. When we arrived for our reservations, there were a few groups waiting and a few more leaving at the same time. The head of service was just running around in a panic trying to sort tables while at least half a dozen of her staff were not being properly directed. They just need to settle down, get sorted and the whole experience would be so much better. We've been to the one in Richmond when they first opened and maybe it was because they were new that the servings were huge. Still a decent deal. read more

It was our first time in this restaurant my friends and I. We ordered the special all you can eat mussels, but we barely eat any! First the serving in the plastic bags was bad enough to kill any appetite we had. Second, the mussels were HUGE and rubbery and tasted like plastic too. Without even mentioning the less than average service. When it was time to clean the table next to us we saw the servers carry a LARGE garbage bin right beside us and toss all that leftovers and plastic in it.. at that point we were really disgusted and couldn't even try to eat anymore. It was a traumatizing experience, the worst we've ever had in any restaurant in here. We didn't expect that walking in as the place looked really well decorated. But our bad, none of us checked reviews before going there. We were just craving seefood and decided to go. The amount of plastic used by that restaurant on a daily basis is shocking! read more

The Captain's Boil - Too much plastic :( - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The food is good especially the seafood BUT hot food is not healthy to put in the plastic!!!! With plastic globes to eat!!!! Weird???? Very inconvenient.... I wouldn't bother coming back, read more

My wife recently graduated from her 2-year College course, and we took the boys out to her favorite restaurant that had just been reopened due to COVID19. The food was perfect, the customer service was found wanting though. When I called to make the table reservation the previous day, I had to insist on calling multiple times before someone answered the phone. I understand that nowadays staff is still sort of reduced everywhere due to COVID19 economic slowdown, but they could have recorded an electronic message or come up with something if they had been more customer service oriented. When we arrived punctually for our reservation, they acted like they were not expecting any reservation. We were helped as if we were walk-in customers. I expected to be greeted by my first name, or at least something that showed they were expecting us. When taking our orders, the server did not double check before bringing it to the table, and as a result my kids got an adult size portion instead of a kid's size one. We didn't bother complaining right away. My kids were not able to eat everything though. I expected the server to double check the order before sending it to the kitchen. When it was time to close the bill, another failed attempt to show they were being customer oriented. The server did not allow us the freedom to choose how much to tip, or not to tip. It chose for us before handing us the amount+15% included. To top it off, when we naively added 20% as a service tip, the server did not care to mention the service had already been previously included. In short, we had paid 35% service tip for a less than ordinary quality one. As soon as I realized it, I politely brought it up to the server who processed a refund and allowed me pay my bill again and choose how much to tip this time, as it is standard practice. I chose 15% regardless of the less than ordinary customer experience. read more

The food is excellent, no question, but be prepared to get messy. It's served in plastic bags and you eat with your hands. Although a bib and gloves are provided I would take a longer apron next visit as the bib supplied is too short to be effective. The serving staff are great and the food plentiful. Go with an appetite. read more

I went before reading any reviews. Went early, 530 pm and the place was just starting to get busy. The servers pretty much leave you alone. The service is ok and the food comes out quickly. We had the shrimp with garlic butter/medium spice and potatoes, delicious. The crawfish and okra in the 3 flavoured mix/medium spice. The crawfish were small and too much work for so little reward. The okra was amazing. Okra is boiled and mixed in with the crawfish and sauce. Very tasty. read more

The Captain's Boil - Our bagged food. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Wow, what didn't go wrong with this place. Went new years' eve with some senior less agile relatives and they stuffed us into a booth, refusing to give us a table that was for 2 hours later (which NO ONE showed up for). Thanks for that- Our waiter could barely speak English, and when we asked if the waitresses spoke Mandarin so we could friggin' communicate, they refused to speak it even though we heard them speaking boisterously in Mandarin as we walked in. Back to the barely speaking waiter, we asked him how the okra was cooked (boiled? Fried? Never been here before), and he replied ".....raw?" And after about five minutes of us trying to get to the bottom of it he finally went to ask another waiter. Asked whether the clams and mussels were frozen (a tell is the half shell on mussels) he replied fresh, and two seconds later admitted frozen (there was a lot of saying one thing and then the opposite). We didn't order any mussels or clams, and they were out of dungeness despite having a fresh fresh fresh seafood market two doors down. Food was ok, nothing like Boiling Crab like it's based off of, at least the shrimp was fresh and okra was really good boiled with the sauces. Snow crab legs were grey and flaccid, obviously not fresh. Horrible. Service is way too difficult for me to ever return again. Good luck. read more

OK let's just say I like the concept, but not sold on the execution. First off the place looks great with the lazer cut wall art with a maritime theme. It kind of goes down hill from there. We went for a birthday and it was a fun occasion. The greating is good, we are seated we order, and the seafood comes out - in plastic bags??!! The bags are plopped on the table. Not displayed mind you, just set on the table some times 3 bags at a time. Terrible presentation. The clams with garlic had a ball of garlic in the centre. Really could they not stir/mix the garlic?? No love for the food. We displayed the seafood in a long row. Next the paper they use to line the table leaks through and pieces start to tear off. Use butcher paper or a plastic table cover which can stand up to the moisture. When we ordered rice it came in Styrofoam---Ugg really? The seafood is good but I don't want to think about the chemicals leaching from the plastic. In a word terrible and whats more they should know better. read more

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I'm sure the food is great but I'll now never know. Went there, sat down, got my beer, and w as forgotten. After I finished my beer and realized I had been without beer for a good 15 minutes, I knew something was wrong. Why are we being ignored HMM? Wifey goes up to ask whats up. Server comes over to tell us that the order was submitted to the kitchen staff or whatever, but for some unknown reason the kitchen staff decided to just ignore/overlook/disregard our order, so NO food was being prepared. Well thats just swell and fine. So we decided to tap out and leave. I appreciate that the serving staff knew that they dropped the ball and comp'd my beer. Thanks. I got beer at home. I could have sat at home and cooked my own food and drank my own beer, but instead myself and my wife wasted our time at the Captains Boili and waited for food that didn't come. Thats not why you go to a restaurant. Went to Safeyway, bought a meat pie. Placed the meat pie in the microwave for six and a half minutes. I was then finally able to eat something. The meat pie tasted great. It was a Swanson meat pie. I also bought some cinnamon buns. I was able to look a few different packages and got the one with the most icing. Thank god for mall miracles. read more

PLASTIC OVERLOAD. I can't give over how super wasteful I felt going here. Please please start using compostable cups, plates, forks, etc. The food was good but I felt like an jerk wasting sooo much. read more

I just love this place!!! The captians boil is my faaaav!! It is pretty spicy, just the way I like it! So if your not up to spice, def dont get spicy, even the mild has a kick! Only thing that lost the star, is they are not super organized yet. Mind you it was a little while a go i went. Maybe 2 months ago. So hoping they tightened up! Ordered take out just last month, and i ordered a whole dungenous crab. They even gave me the table paper, big and gloves! ( i did ask for that though), eating from the comfort of my own home, was actually really amazing! Def will be going back ALOT more. read more

The overall experience was good. The staff was friendly and easy to approached. They have a clean environment like they promised. Captain's boil has a trendy music list that the whole family can enjoy. The food was good and fresh as they promised on their site. The way you order the seafood is by the pound that makes it more expensive. Depending on what you order your food will come served in a bag or plates. The menu was close to what they have on the website. Although they some of the items like the snow crabs and lobster didn't have a price on the site it was said to be seasonal, we had hope that the menu in the restaurant had the price, but sadly they didn't. The menu on the site said they had ice cream, once we took a look at the menu we were disappointed to find that they didn't have any ice cream. We feel that the menu was a little bit misleading. We could defiantly come back to Captain's boil. We think that the price for the food was high but worth the price. read more

Came here a lot since i am a seafood lover and it's near to my house. Snow crab legs, a pound of shrimp with Captain's Boil mix are my all time favourite, (good for two ppl) not forgetting their french fries which i think it is the best french fries ever in town. The environment for lunch time and dinner time is totally a huge contrast, dinner time is much more busier and feels rushing everywhere while lunch time is more relaxing while eating. Saw some reviews complaining the Chicken teriyaki combo with rice for dinner time is plain and tasteless, but for me the rice combo is highly recommended during the daytime since it is the lunch special combo, you can try a little bit of everything for just 10.95. Expect and be prepared for long line up for dinner time, it is better to make a reservation few days before visiting especially for weekend. (Tried to call for booking a day before Saturday and was fully booked) Saw some mean reviews that said super poor service as servers can never serve because they were busy. Personally think if enjoyed being served nicely, should choose to go during lunch time or another restaurant with less busy environment. Servers are friendly and cups always be filled during lunch time but i guess for dinner time they are too busy and shorts of staffs, can see servers are always rushing and tried to perform multitask. Instead saying their services are poor, i show respect to them. (You'll be considerate as i do if you tried working as a server in a busy restaurant before) read more

Went there today: Despite it only being the middle of the dinner rush, there were no clams already. Originally they served one of us water and then I guess forgot about the rest until we asked a good thirty minutes a later. Furthermore, they advertised a 10% off until February 6 but didn't automatically deduct the amount from the bill - in fact we had to go back and mention that and they kept telling us about how we had paid already and nothing could be done. Mild was still rather spicy. read more

If I look at their regular prices and seasonal catch prices.. I wouldn't consider them as it's very casual dining. $50/person prices I would rather reserve it for some higher end restaurants. This is why their lunch hour specials are such a great choice and a bang for your wallet. The sizzling plate offer either chicken teriyaki or fried fish teriyaki accompanied by some sides of mussels, clams, shrimp and crawfish. At $12, you get bit of taste of everything in the seafood family without having to spend too much for only one type of seafood. Sauce was very flavourful as well. However, reading some reviews before going, I expected it to be pretty spicy and ordered only medium. But if you are Korean or Indian and is used to spicy food... That's NOTHING. I mean I felt NOTHING. My friend said it was bit spicy. But I didn't even realize there was a spicy component. I mean it's flavourful and tasty. But NOT spicy. So dear Koreans, Indians and whichever cultural background people.. Order spicy. Oh and only down side is this place was sooooo cold. I don't know if it's because I'm a major wuss.. It felt like there was no heat. Maybe ordering spicy would help? read more

I think if you're prepared to spend money and love seafood you'll really enjoy eating here! I tried the $100 combo which consisted of 1 Dungeness crab, 1 lb of mussels, 1 lb of shrimp, Cajun fried rice, fries and one side (we chose corn). I split this with just one other person but it was definitely a lot of food for 2 people. The fries were crispy and freshly fried, kind of like the ones from Costco. Next came the fried rice which was surprisingly good. Very buttery with a lot of flavour! It was hard not to fill up on carbs. Next came the shrimp, mussels and corn which came in plastic bags (the website says they are biodegradable). You're given gloves, a bib and paper towel on the table so you can be as messy as you like. We picked the captains boil sauce for everything so I can't comment on the other sauces but it was delicious and very indulgent. The crab was a decent size with quite a bit of meat. Mussels were plump and the shrimp were a good size too. No fishy smell or taste so the seafood is reasonably fresh. The crab was definitely the best of the three! Overall I think it was worth the money and will definitely come back. read more

Disgusting the sauce had so much garlic it was gross It all tasted freezer burnt and old read more

Came to Vancouver on vacation with my family. This was our first food stop. Jeremy served us, and he was outstanding. Shout out to Jeremy! When the food came it was sizzling hot. Everything that we ordered was delicious, so much so that even though today was my first day in Vancouver on this vacation I can tell you that I will be back (quite possibly more than once) before I go home. The rest of the staff was extremely friendly, ordered us a cab to go home and when the cab didn't come they ordered it again. If you're in Vancouver anywhere near Kingsway definitely try this restaurant, you won't be disappointed. read more

First off, there was barely any service whatsoever, the place wasn't even full. We had to ask for water countless times and never got it in the end. The Cajun sauce lacked flavour and the food was not cheap. Us girls split the bill three ways and paid around $40 per person, but we were still starving lol it was so sad. read more

We were waiting for over an hour and they kept bumping us to seat bigger tables. The wait is not worth it. I've had their food before and it's okay but not worth an hour wait. Trust me save your time and don't bother going here, we live in bc there are better seafood restaurants. Also their service was terrible! I really hope my review has convinced you not to go here because I wished I listened to the reviews before coming here. read more

We went to the Kingsway location yesterday and ordered the sizzlers and calamari, my wife's plate had either sand or mud which we suspect came from one of the mussels that spread throughout her food. We called over the waitress who apologized and then...nothing. She didn't offer to replace the plate, she just stood there after saying sorry. The decent thing to do would have been to at least offer to rectify the situation. Since we didn't want to create a scene, we just asked for a serving of rice and sauce and then tried to scrap off the gritty sand/mud from the rest of the seafood. When paying the bill we were again asked how the food was and we honestly said, the food was good but the hygiene and service could have been better. Again, apologies were offered but no indication of anything that would resemble a willingness to correct the mistake. To the manager: train your staff better. I don't leave that many detailed reviews but will do so when the place absolutely deserves it. Should I be grateful that I was not charged for the rice and extra sauce? read more

Walked in and the entire restaurant reeked of sewage. Health inspector should really check this place.

HORRENDOUS. I've never been more upset with a restaurant in my life. Almost in tears now thinking about how disgustingly wasteful this company is. Nothing but plastic bags, plastic bibs, plastic gloves, plastic cups, plastic straws on every table. Service was pleasant enough but when I asked a server why everything was served in plastic bags she just giggled and said she didn't know. I can't decide what is more sad, the restaurant deciding to do business in this way or how indifferent it's staff and clientele are towards this consumption. Our table at Captain's boil presented us with everything that is wrong with North America. Over 8 million metric tonnes (!!!) of plastic end up in our oceans every year. It's a proven fact. And by eating at this establishment we are personally responsible for contributing to this statistic and harming the sea life that ends up on our plate, and in this restaurant's case, A PLASTIC BAG. The tragic irony of this left my husband and I speechless, feeling sick to our stomachs. I will go out of my way to tell friends, family and the COV to stop supporting this restaurant unless it changes the way they serve their [mediocre] food. read more

The Captain's Boil - PLASTIC EVERYTHING! GROSS - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Can't order seafood after 4pm is a huge fail. Don't call you lobster rap a dinner meal then not serve it at dinner like wtf there nothing else to order but seafood lmfao. Trashy service. read more

It was not busy but took half hour to get food. Other customers who ordered later than us started eating. Too strong flavor. Not going back.

A very hard restaurant to give a 1-5 star rating to, but I think that makes it precisely the kind of restaurant that needs a detailed review. I went to Captain's Boil with a coworker today for lunch. As other reviews seem to agree, the food was very good. We each had crab legs (he had snow crab and I had king crab), and they were fresh, tender, moist, cooked just right. And even the marinades, which were kind of different than I was used to, were very tasty. But the experience overall was . . . odd. Generally the good: This is casual seafood, focusing on crab, crawfish, shrimp, shellfish, etc. Great for kids (everyone gets a bib with a cute sailor shirt print on it). In Vancouver, it's a welcome addition, where it's tough to go somewhere and just get some messy crab legs without all the cloth napkins frills. And the price was generally okay -- snow crab legs were $19.95/lb, which is not bad. They also have seafood fried rice, fish and chips, etc, all of which looked tasty at other tables. The things to be prepared for: - It's not clear at all from the menu how dishes are served. If you order the crab, shrimp, or crawfish, that's literally exactly and only what you get: boiled in a thick greasy marinade, served in a nested pair of big plastic bags (the outer one for the shells? -- that's what we used it for anyway) and unceremoniously plopped down on the table in front of you. No plate, no silverware to speak of, just crab legs. They gave us a little cup with a pair of scissors and a metal lobster cracker in them. They reluctantly gave us a second pair of scissors and a fork when we begged, but it was clear they thought this was unreasonable. They expect you to manage everything with your hands, directly on the butcher paper tablecloth. I've done this kind of thing at weekend backyard crawfish boils in Texas while wearing shorts and an old t-shirt and drinking beer, but totally didn't expect it on a weekday wearing work clothes. With the plastic bags, I couldn't quite shake the feeling I was eating out of the garbage or something. - If you want rice, fries, literally anything other than the crab or shrimp or whatever, you need to order it a la carte. We ordered some steamed rice. It came much later. In a flimsy plastic bowl with a plastic spoon. There's a menu item that's a bit of a combo with fried rice and some mixed seafood, and from other tables that clearly looked like the way to go. If nothing else, I think it's the only way to get an actual plate if you want one. - Further to the lack of plate, I'm pretty certain this is the single messiest meal I've ever had in my entire life. The crab/shrimp/crawfish are prepared Chinese-style, totally doused in the marinade. An oily marinade chock full of bright red chili powder. Even with plastic bib, plastic gloves, and lots of paper towels, it gets EVERYWHERE. It was on the table, on the floor, all over our gloves, INSIDE our gloves, on the roll of paper towels. Do not wear your best clothes here. In fact, you know that ugly sweatshirt you wore when painting the hallway? Yeah, wear that. If you have kids, just get one of those David Vetter "Boy in the Bubble" deals for them or something. They're going to be a disaster after this. Cracking crab shells is a messy business on the best of days, but when the outside of the crab legs is totally covered in bright red oily stuff, there are going to be casualties. (It's very good, though. Did I mention that? It really tastes terrific. But holy cow, it's messy. I can't emphasize this enough.) - The service is negligent at best and surly at worst. They seemed impatient with our questions ("Does this come with any sides, or we have to order them separately?"). They were definitely resentful of our requests (fork to eat the crab meat from the hip joint parts, second cracker and scissors so we each had one). Our cups of water were never, ever, refilled. When it was time to get the bill, we practically had to trip someone to get her attention. - This is NOT the place to take your environmentalist friend. SO MUCH PLASTIC. Disposable plastic bibs and gloves were kind of understandable. The disposable plastic cups for drinks were not. Or the disposable plastic bowls for rice. Or the disposable plastic spoons to eat the rice. This wasn't McDonalds -- this was a $20-$40 seafood dinner. At least the fork was (inscrutably?) metal, but we were only allowed one for the table. Overall, the amount of paper and plastic we left on the table at the end of the meal could have filled a small landfill on its own. At any rate, that's what you need to know. The crab was really good, but I'm just not sure if I could eat it again. Too much mess and effort. Someone at a nearby table had ordered the fish & chips "side" as his lunch, served in a tidy little wicker basket, and I was honestly jealous at how low-maintenance it seemed compared to my crab lunch. At the very least, go for the combo meal so you can get a real plate. read more

Ordered a variety of things for take-out. Shrimp in the garlic butter sauce was dry, there was barely any sauce in the bag. When I go to the other location, there's usually a good amount of sauce. Same issue with the crab legs and clams in the house sauce. Not enough sauce in the sense that it was kinda dry, but still SO salty... like it needed to be diluted or something. I'm not sure why the food isn't consistent at this location. Would not recommend. read more

I love the cuju sauce and captain special in the shrimp and clams. Putting the juice from the seafood bag into the fried rice is the best!!!! read more