I have been visiting this local spot for over 15 years. I enjoy seeing everyone enjoying themselves with some great local seafood. The building hasn't changed and that's part of the charm. The waitresses are knowledgeable and sweet. The scallops are always top-notch! If you get a table near the windows you can watch the water and it's great for larger groups as well. read more

The Crab Shack is a must if you are in the Emerald Isle or Atlantic Beach areas. The restaurant has wonderful views of the water and great outdoor areas to sit if you have to wait for a table. When you sit down, the always friendly wait staff brings hush puppies (some of the best in NC) for you to munch on while you wait for your food. They serve pretty much any seafood you could ask for with yummy sides. My fish was a bit overcooked, but that is just a drop in the bucket compared to the experience that a visit to the Crab Shack is! read more

The Crab Shack - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

Went for lunch. Had a 30 minute wait. We waited on the back deck which overlooked the marina. Beautiful view. We had the lunch specials. Hush puppies were brought to the table as soon as we sat down. They were amazing! Food was really good with plenty of leftovers. Service was great! Would recommend. Very casual restaurant read more

Well, the best part is the food... it is delicious! It's everything you would find at a beach restaurant. It's not real fancy, but it sure is good. There is plenty of seating. Unlike some other restaurants at Emerald Isle! If you don't like protein from the sea, there are also land options such as steak and hamburgers. Staff... From the minute you get out of your car, ( plenty of parking) you are greeted by staff at a picnic table where they have cold alcoholic beverages that you can buy while you're waiting for your table when your table is ready you're called into the restaurant where you are greeted by a wonderful set of staff at the front desk who then take you to your table. These people are amazing considering they really do most of their work over 12 weeks. Everybody works together the service is impeccable, even during the high season. They have a senior menu, which is fabulous and then they have regular entrées. Prices are excellent for being on the island. If you get there early enough, you might get a table right by the windows which overlook the sound and it's just beautiful, but there is no bad table in the place every table you can see outside and see the sound and the ships. I'm telling you don't miss this place read more

I really want to like this local spot more than I did. I pulled up and the place was completely packed. That's always a good sign. I walked in and noticed that it would probably be quicker to order to go than to wait for a table. The staff at the front were best nice and I could tell that they enjoyed working there. I was given a to go menu and ordered the steamed clams. They said they didn't have any. Then I wanted crab legs and they didn't have that. So, I settled with peel and eat shrimp. I also preserved a cup of clam chowder (which they told me was water based and I was happy about that). I went outside to wait for my order and enjoyed the beautiful view of the sound. They call your name over the speaker when your table or food is ready. Prices are not cheap for this type of "casual" restaurant so I was thinking it's going to be amazing. I did notice that people seemed to all be eating fried food. The food was wrapped nicely and I was excited to dive in. Clam chowder was odd. Clams were food but it tasted like there was chicken or something else in it. It definitely wasn't the best, but I would eat it again. My peel and eat shrimp were inedible. They were so overcooked and mushy I had to throw them away. They also tasted "muddy" like they didn't clean them. I recommend not getting anything other than fried food if you eat here. Obviously a local favorite and a nice staff- but was not my cup of tea. read more

Never going to this restaurant again. The fish was similar to saw dust consistency. Strong fish odor and taste. The fish was brown and pasty. Our server disappeared and then got an attitude when I went to the front to try and pay the bill. Our food was $89.00 for two people and it was the worst sea food experience I've ever had at the coast. NEVER GOING BACK. Would HIGHLY NOT RECOMMEND this establishment. read more

Cute inside which overlooks the water. Simple and unassuming, but warm. Excellent service and food.

Was told the wait was 30 minutes. Sat in the car waiting. After 30 went back and asked how much longer and was told the wait had bumped to an hour/hour and a half. No text. No nothing. This was in 90 degree plus heat. Never again. read more

If you are looking for over-priced, previously frozen, and microwaved "seafood" served by disengaged waitstaff, boy do I have place for you! You must be prepared to wait...and wait...and wait some more for this meal and fully accept mediocrity in abundance. The WAIT: The place was packed and because they are they so busy they have parking attendants. We were not a large party, only 5, and our wait time was 90 minutes but we thought it must be worth it with the number of patrons there. Just outside the entrance they had a makeshift bar set up. We didn't expect great wine, and they didn't disappoint in that area, but we did expect great beer selections...but their beer selections were dismal. The restaurant has an outdoor only waiting area. Most of it is along the west side of the building but there is a small open area in the rear along the waterfront. You'd think the waterfront area would be pleasant, but it reeked of dead fish. While we waited, our seating choices were either hard plastic chairs nailed to the floor or small wooden benches. All the benches were taken, so hard plastic chairs nailed to the floor in the sun it was. Be prepared to order your appetizers to go and eat them while you wait... The WAITSTAFF: This must be a family run business violating child labor laws daily, the bus boys couldn't have been more than 12. When your name is called you enter the "chaos zone", moving through the hustle and bustle of young kids clearing tables and too close for comfort seating. Our waitress didn't smile, seemed bothered she had to take our orders, and barely made an appearance at our table. She like the others, seemed overwhelmed, overworked, and obligated to be there. The FOOD: The food was bland, tasted freezer burned, and it seemed as far from fresh as one can get. Among the foods we ordered, the clam chowder was terrible with no evidence of clams. The crab cakes were dry, had the consistency of saw dust, and there were no lumps/chunks of crab meat. Perhaps the owners sourced their food from a big box store, pulled it from the freezer, microwaved it, plated it, and served it hoping the minions wouldn't notice. The takeaway is stay away. 1 star is being generous. read more

We felt that the food left a lot to be desired. My meal (crabmeat and scallops panned in butter) was bland. The scallops were overcooked and weren't cleaned well enough, as each one was so gritty. And while I understand you will get some shell with crabmeat, having to pull out shells in every single bite, sometimes two, is not my idea of an enjoyable meal. We sat outside (which they don't service so you have to get your meal to go), and that was an enjoyable view. But I don't understand why their outdoor eating area isn't right behind the restaurant, which would make it "serviceable" and a more enjoyable experience for patrons. We won't be back though, because of the food. read more

The Crab Shack - a seagull perched on a post - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

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Love this place! The baby flounder lunch plate is delicious. Light and flaky. I've had okra, corn nuggets, coke slaw, potato salad to go with it. Can't go wrong with any of them. read more

The Crab Shack - Baby flounder with green beans and corn nuggets. $12.99. Delicious!!! - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

We have been here a few times over the years. Food is pricey as is usual in a vacation spot...but very good. Our waitress was outstanding! She was attentive and kept our drinks coming. The view is fantastic over the intercostal waterway. read more

The blacked grouper had too little flavor for my taste I liked the hush puppies The clam chowder was not creamy, but was rather a watery type The fried trout was tasty; just watch out for bones! read more

Only giving this a second star because staff was nice and friendly. The food was way overpriced for how awful and bland it was. Literally $60 for 1 soft crab, trout, and shrimp and two beers. I sent my gfs food away because I was the dumb one that just kept eating. Terrible place meal seemed microwaved. Do not go read more

Family friendly is the name of the game here!! Super friendly customer service and prompt meals. The food is really great and not overpriced and the view in the restaurant is gorgeous. The food is not overly spiced so it's great for kids and a variety of people. They start you out with hush puppies so who could leave disappointed? read more

The Crab Shack - Soft shell crab burger - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

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Great service Excellent food Reasonably priced Friendly staff Good hush puppies to start with Sweet tea is sweet read more

Food and service was good. Prices are fair and expected when you order crab legs. The wait time was a while since they cook everything to order. The French fries are not out of this world but their sweet potato is yummy. It gets pretty full very quickly so make sure to be ready to wait outside. The good thing is that they have a wrap around balcony overlooking the ocean for you to enjoy while waiting. Parking can get a bit muddy so be mindful that your shoes may get dirty. They have seafood, soups, steaks, and some chicken items. Make sure to tip your waiter since they work he's to get the waiting people outside in the restaurant read more

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Great food look forward to dinner there Friday evening Fresh seafood great hush puppies read more

Genuine place for crab. Excellent service. No reservations so prepare to wait by checking a great app that tells you how many are ahead of you. Bar is limited but the Riesling was dry and made a great pairing with the delicious snow crab I had. If you are nearby, don't miss it. Not knowing much of the options in the region, I'd say it's worth even a longish drive. read more

The Crab Shack - Crab dish - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

Great place to eat Great service Great people Great place to take the family Go to place when down read more

Definitely an older place with some weird decor, but it's reminiscent of an old sea side restaurant. Best crab legs I've had in NC.

Great service. Affordable seafood. Hot hush puppies delivered as you sit down at the table. Good variety of food and side. Large portions even with lunch specials. read more

This place is exactly what you want when you are looking for some down home, no frills cooking. It's loud, crowded and we loved every minute! The wait staff is friendly and helpful and the food was on point. We were looking for some simple seafood and we found it. I am a soup slut and then soups here hot home. The seafood was cooked just right and the sides were also good. Great find and I'm glad we stopped! read more

The food.....what can I say? It was a huge disappointment. The tea was murky and tasted old, shrimp was frozen and rubbery, applesauce was canned and tasted like aluminum, below is a picture of my burned beyond belief sweet potato. When I questioned our server she said it was because they use a commercial oven and it cooks really fast. (I guess you know when the potato is done when the tin foil is black!) Never will I ever return! (I scraped the inside of the potato out to see if I could eat a couple of teaspoons out but it tasted burnt) read more

The Crab Shack - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

I brought a group of 38 to eat here 6-13-24. The service was wonderful. The wait was about half the time they originally gave us and all of the staff were friendly and helpful and we had a great time until the food arrived. Out of 38 people there were only a handful that enjoyed their food. I got scallops and crab panned in butter. The scallops were hard rubber and the crab meat was full of shell. Each of the two bites had six or seven pieces of shell in them. My son got a ribeye that was more than half fat. My wife got a fried fish plate and said it was good. That story repeated the out our group. And the food is VERY expensive. Do not recommend. read more

Sometimes all you want is basic good ol' fried seafood, and this is the place for it. Hard to go wrong with their huge fried seafood platters, especially flounder and shrimp. Nothing spectacular or 5-star, just your typical basic beach seafood spot, and that's okay for me. Only dish I've had that was not appetizing was the bland, watery clam chowder, that wasn't even as good as Campbell's or Progresso out of a can. Overall, though, this joint hits the spot for a fried seafood hit. read more

We've tried numerous shrimp burgers on the island and Crab Shack's is the best. Service is quick and friendly. read more

The Crab Shack - Shrimp burger - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

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Great food. Nice staff. Beautiful view of ICW. Casual dining. They have gluten free options.

The seating was miserable. 5 people ( 3 kids) crammed at a table that would have sat 2 comfortable. The view was about the best thing of the whole experience and we had a back window. We had to lay paper napkins down due to the sticky table. I ordered the lightly seasoned mahi, sweet potato, and salad. The fish was bland and a little over cooked. The salad was basic and that was the smallest sweet potato I've ever seen! This plate was around $25.00. The other adult ordered the steak ( which was good), sweet potato, salad, and added the Lobster tail. the Lobster was over cooked and STUCK in the tail. she was scraping the tail trying to free the meal and it just shredded. This plate was around $60 I did give two stars because my boys enjoyed their chicken fingers. They shared a plate. My daughter ordered the trio with Flounder, stuffed crab, and fried oysters, sided with a baked potato. the potato was overly dried out, she couldn't eat the crab and the oysters were swimming in grease. The flounder's taste was basic fried flounder. She is a good eater and rarely leaves food. When she turns her nose up, that's a big deal . The over all bill was $160. This was a price range we expected and were happy to pay, but the food was disappointing for this price. 4/27/2023 read more

Interesting place. We dropped in one day around 1 and were told that the lunch special was in play. Basically the early bird special. Place was packed and by the time the special was over at 2, the place was empty. Anyway, we went for steamed blue crab. Short story, don't waste your time. Mix of mostly small females with little, if any, crab.... Shrimp and sides were ok. Bottom line, go for the lunch special if you are into that sort of thing or order fried food. That seemed to look ok. read more

We go to the Crab Shack every year! The food is reliably good, hot and fresh. The fried shrimp are big and cooked perfectly. The sweet potato is baked and they give you cinnamon sugar for it. The hush puppies are our favorites around, flavorful and not greasy. Service is friendly. The dining room is long tables with vinyl covers so it's very casual and a little close but it's clean. They don't take reservations but they have a host station out front that offers beer and wine. read more

Wonderful seafood in a retro setting, reminiscent of our 1970's beach trips. Large portions and fast service.

Great view and good food and service. I haven't had deviled crabs in forever and saw this on the menu. I received 2 with potato salad and green beans. It was delicious with a basket of hush puppies. I'll go back to try more of the menu items. read more

Fresh and delicious. This family owned restaurant is the best around! Get the crab legs!! read more

The Crab Shack - Snow crab legs - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

Have been coming here for many years on our annual vacation to the area. I have to say though the last two years it has become a disappointment. This year ordered the crab soup, still had its wonderful flavor but found a lot of shell in the soup. Ordered the fried flounder and was way over cooked and lacked its usual flavor that I've been accustomed to over the years. Service was also subpar and we were not there when it was the busiest time of the evening, can't imagine what it would be like when it was dinner rush. I do have to say I liked seeing the addition of the Sun shades on the deck, but next year not sure if we will be returning. read more

Going to eat salads for the next week after my visit here. Food is excellent, but it's not the type of food I eat too often. All the fried seafood you could think of. Fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried crab cakes, french fries, etc. If you eat here enough, you'll definitely need to see a cardiologist. They bring over complimentary hushpuppies to start out. It's quite a large basket, and they will keep bringing out more if you want. I ordered the clam chowder to start out. It was good, but certainly not the new england style I am use to. A much lighter broth, but enjoyable nevertheless. For my main entree, I had the crab cake sandwich. With the white sauce and coleslaw I added to it, the sandwich was excellent. Fried just the right amount and it was a fairly good size crab cake. Also had some of the fried oysters and steamed shrimp. Fried oysters were delicious, and the steamed shrimp was pretty good. A little spicy on the shrimp, but nothing over the top. There is grilled and steamed seafood here, so I suppose you could eat healthier if you want to. But I just had to go for the fried stuff on vacation! The waitress brought over big pitchers for all the drinks. It makes sense, that way she doesn't need to constantly refill our drinks. I think more places should follow this practice. This place is quite open, and it is right by the sound which is a beautiful view. Hope to come back here again sometime! read more

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Service and view were nice. The basket of hush puppies to start were good! The meals didn't have a single seasoning on it, and my popcorn shrimp were barely fried. Would never eat there again. read more

It was a bit surprising to me that this restaurant only gets 3.5 star on Yelp. To me, i got a 5-start experience. We came here for lunch. Hubby got the lunch special - a shrimp burger with one side and a drink under $10. The portion was large. I got the steamer platter with a ton of seafood including snow crabs, blue crabs, clams, and shrimps, and came with a cup of clam chowder. It was not cheap ($32) but worth the value. I got the spicy version with a lot of old bay seasoning. It was definitely delicious. A couple customers came by and asked me what I ordered. :) I would recommend this dish to any seafood lovers. The restaurant feels like a captain's room on a large boat, and service was really good. read more

The Crab Shack - Steamed platter- a must have. - Seafood Near Me - Salter Path, North Carolina

For the money, there are a lot better restaurants in the area. Stingray scallops, farm raised shrimp and crappy wine is what you'll get at this restaurant. Oh and barely done baked potatoes and baby food apple sauce. read more

The Crab Shack is a regular stop for us during our annual visit to the Atlantic Beach area. Although we've been going for 15+ years, we were especially curious how this year would be, given all the challenges associated to the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing and limited seating in restaurants. The food at Crab Shack was terrific as usual! Most of our group opted for something fried, which they served-up perfectly. The service we experienced during each of our visits was stellar. We had 3 different waitresses each visit and all of them made sure our dining experience was a pleasant one. Strategy - Given the challenging experiences we've had with other restaurants back home (during the pandemic), we opted to visit Crab Shack at off-peak times, which worked perfectly for us. Until we get beyond this 'new normal' (which includes limited restaurant seating, significant carry-out volume and many folks who are short on patience), my advice would be to plan carefully. Also, be nice and tip your servers well. read more

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