The Boiling Crab
Seafood · San Diego
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About The Boiling Crab
At The Boiling Crab, we're passionate about serving up authentic Cajun-style boiled seafood straight from our own bags. We're a San Diego staple, and our menu reflects the flavors of the Bayou. Our customers rave about our tender crawfish, succulent oysters, and spicy shrimp - it's no wonder why we'...
At The Boiling Crab, we're passionate about serving up authentic Cajun-style boiled seafood straight from our own bags. We're a San Diego staple, and our menu reflects the flavors of the Bayou. Our customers rave about our tender crawfish, succulent oysters, and spicy shrimp - it's no wonder why we've become a local favorite. Inside, you'll find a lively atmosphere that's perfect for catching up with friends or making memories with family. Our friendly team is always happy to help you navigate the menu and make your dining experience even more enjoyable.
What Customers Say About The Boiling Crab
The Boiling Crab in San Diego is highly rated for its delicious seafood, especially the crab, shrimp boil, and flavorful sauces. Customers consistently praise the attentive and friendly service, with several mentioning specific servers by name. The atmosphere is lively and enjoyable.
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Tip: Come early, especially for dinner or on weekends, to avoid long wait times.
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What to see nearby
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Explore the area around The Boiling Crab
The Boiling Crab is located in San Diego, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Parks & Gardens
- Walker-Wangenheim School Park (A 865m) — park in the United States of America
- Mira Mesa Park and Recreation Center (A 915m) — park in Mira Mesa, San Diego, California, United States of America
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Frequently asked questions about The Boiling Crab
The Boiling Crab San Diego Reviews
Staff are super friendly and informative, wait time was very short and food came out pretty timely too!
Called & ordered. Arrived 10 mins later. Food was ready & handed to me 3 mins after i arrived. Staff ALL smiled, greeted me & asked if i had ordered yet. I ordered the fried shrimp basket with plain fries. Food was PIPING HOT!!!!! (PERFECT) DELICIOUS!!!!! Whomever trains the staff is doing a marvelous job.
This place is insane. My Asian friends, who have super high standards for seafood, had their faith in American cuisine restored. One of them said "This is the best oyster i had in North America" We ordered fried soft shell crabs, bucket with shrimp, oyster & crab legs, and Gumbo. Everything was perfect. We will visit often.
This was our first time at a place like this and Lao, our waitress, was very patient and detailed. We were a big group and she answered all of our questions and provided the best service. The food was really good and the atmosphere was great. 10/10
I had an amazing experience at The Boiling Crab thanks to Trent! From the moment we sat down, he greeted us with a big smile and such great energy. He was super attentive the entire time,constantly checking in without being overbearing, making sure our drinks were always full, and helping us choose the perfect mix of sauces and spice levels. The food was absolutely delicious, everything came out hot, fresh, and perfectly seasoned. The shrimp and crawfish were spot on, and the flavor of the whole sha-bang sauce was unreal. You could tell Trent really knew the menu because every recommendation he made was a hit. By the end of the meal, I was completely satisfied (and maybe just a little too full). It’s rare to get service that feels so genuine and friendly; Trent definitely made the experience memorable. I’ll 100% be coming back and asking for him again next time!
Our server Derrick did a damn good job! It was refreshing to not have to find someone to help us. Derrick was on top of everything, constantly checking in on us, explaining the menu and was easy to talk to. We let him know we were from out of town visiting and he recommended some great spots. The food came out quickly and fresh. Everything about our experience was great. Sorry I couldn't post a before picture it the after will tell ya everything you need to know about this place! so delicious the whole sha-bang medium spice is 🔥 😋 the vanilla cream ale is a good beer too!
My friend brought me here and we had a great experience. The food was amazing. The server Sean or Shaun (not sure how he spelled it) was awesome. Thank you for the service and the laughs. Here are some pictures I took to give our appreciation for a wonderful experience. Thumbs 👍 up!!! Memories are made, friends come & go, time is all you have just like all the names, dates and things written by people I saw all the way back to 2012 on the beams (I didn't get a picture of those wish I had). 🍽🍴🥤🍤🦐🌶🫶🤍🫶
I'm not from the area, so when a friend suggested this place I was all over it!! Everything tasted amazingly!!! Definitely a go to anytime you are in town! The wait for the food to a bit of time, but it was so worth the wait! The bathrooms were cleaned often and in great shape. Masks are still required to enter their restaurant.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Boiling Crab. I don't know how they manage to nail the flavors at every single location, but they do. I always forget how spicy their medium is. They remind me that I'm not as good a…
Celebrated a birthday service was great and so was the food. We didn't have to wait long to be seated our server was attentive .
Celebrated a birthday service was great and so was the food. We didn't have to wait long to be seated our server was attentive .
Celebrated a birthday service was great and so was the food. We didn't have to wait long to be seated our server was attentive .
Celebrated a birthday service was great and so was the food. We didn't have to wait long to be seated our server was attentive .
Boiling crab is honestly on another level for me. Everything about it just hits--the messy hands, the bold flavors, and that first bite that never disappoints no matter how many times I've been. Th…
This is one of my favorite restaurant, food is always good and customer service is always on point
what isn't there to like about boiling crab? Everything is always amazing. Love the environment and the servers are always nice..
what isn't there to like about boiling crab? Everything is always amazing. Love the environment and the servers are always nice..
This is my favorite seafood place I crave it almost every week definitely recommended
Food is delicious . Try the edamame ,quickly sat down. Calm ambiance. With very tasty and fresh.
One of the most upscale seafood restaurants, offering delicious food in an elegant setting, with professional and outstanding staff.
One of the most upscale seafood restaurants, offering delicious food in an elegant setting, with professional and outstanding staff.
Excellent food, excellent service. Love the crab, andouille sausage, and the corn! Also, the atmosphere is fitting.
The seafood here is plentiful and enjoyable, but something is just not quite top-notch. The shrimp were overcooked and still had “poop lines” down their back, which are challenging to remove with plastic gloves on. The mussels still had the “hair” in them. The potatoes and corn were excellent, as were the fried scallops. They serve their food with lots of lemon wedges, but even that can’t seem to add enough brightness to the overly buttery sauces. Service was good, and the atmosphere feels homey. Nothing is trying to be over-the-top (no fishing nets and oars all over the place, just a nice hardwood interior).
A wildly popular seafood boil experience where the messy fun is the main attraction. Order a mix of fresh crab, shrimp, and crawfish drenched in "The Whole Sha-Bang" sauce—a delicious blend of Cajun spices, lemon pepper, and garlic butter. Wear the bib, embrace the chaos, and prepare for long waits, as the experience is worth it for seafood lovers seeking bold flavors and a lively atmosphere.
We went on a weekday and the two of us were seated right away in a booth. Our wonderful server was Ron and he did a great job advising us what to order. I would say that this place would be better suited for larger groups. They did not have a seafood bucket with a variety of seafood like other restaurants. Each order for the seafood boil had a 1 lb minimum, except for shrimp where you can order ½ lb. Since there were only two of us, we were limited on what we could order. We ordered 1 lb of Alaskan snow crab legs, 1 lb of clams, and ½lb of shrimp (with heads). All in the Sha Bang sauce, which was pretty tasty. We were advised to order it in Mild. Glad we did because it did have a little heat and Medium might have been a bit too spicy. Food came out pretty quickly. It was fun to dump everything on the table and eat with our hands. We were given bibs, gloves, lots of napkins, crackers, lemons, salt and pepper, melted butter, and hand wipes. Not much of a selection for alcohol drinks and no wine.
The food and sauces are great. Waitress is also very kind. This is our first time here. And I think it is kind of complicated to decide how to order for who first comes here. There is no combo here, but waitress is still very patient to help us to decide our dishes. The only downside is that the portion is a bit small and a bit expensive.
Came here on a Sunday night because the girlies and I were craving seafood boil. We came here during Super Bowl and it wasn't crowded until we finished and left. The game was playing on every single …
I enjoyed eating here at the Boiling crab! They were out of a few different crabs but otherwise everything was tasty !
So so good!! We got the shrimp boil and fries. The whole sha-bang sauce was so good, so flavorful.
I came for lunch for a birthday party. Everyone ordered a variety of menu items including crab legs, Cajun hot wings, Shabang Bang shrimp, Shabang Bang scallops, corn, and fries. I ordered the clams in butter sauce. I wanted the Cajun seasoning on the side so I could control sodium levels but they wanted an $5 up charge for a small little side of seasoning. I thought that was ridiculous, so I passed. The clams were pretty good. The garlic butter sauce was tasty and each clam had a decent amount of meat in them. The only problem is that they disappeared quickly. Thankfully I had ordered a piece of corn. At over $20 both items, the meal was not filling. I went to eat elsewhere when I was finished here because I was still hungry. The service was good. The employees were in high spirits and had good attitudes. The place is fairly loud and they don't give you plates.
Good Customer service but the food is mid, fries are delicious though. Boiling Crab is so overhyped. If you want a good seafood boil, Crab Pub In oceanside is the best around.
Shrimp and fries are always good! Service is also always good. They constantly rack up the prices on the crab though and it doesn't even seem worth it anymore.
After waiting for 1 1/2 hours. When we finally got seated and ordered our food.\nWhen the food arrived my shrimp was over cooked and my clams didn't taste fresh. We ( my husband and I) spent …
After waiting for 1 1/2 hours. When we finally got seated and ordered our food.\nWhen the food arrived my shrimp was over cooked and my clams didn't taste fresh. We ( my husband and I) spent over $…
After waiting for 1 1/2 hours. When we finally got seated and ordered our food.\nWhen the food arrived my shrimp was over cooked and my clams didn't taste fresh. We ( my husband and I) spent over…
We waited for almost two hours to be seated outside when the hostess told us that if we chose to sit outside that it would cut our wait time in half from an hour and 45 minutes till like maybe …
I have been coming to this restaurant for the past month trying to get a dine in meal. The county has been in the orange tier for a couple of weeks now and they still have not opened for dine in?? …
I spent almost $300 for my family to have a great experience. Only to be met with rude customer service from the manager who looks like a 20 yr old college student. I have been coming to this restaurant when it first opened and to the original location in OC for years. The price hikes that they constantly raise here is ridiculous and have no boundaries. I would 100% recommend seafood lovers look at other independent seafood boil restaurants they are trying to charge $75 for a lb of crab legs or $16 lb of mussels. Last I checked there are no the pandemic has been over for 5 years now so these prices are so inflated. Be smart consumers and don't put up with these crooked restaurant owners trying to price gouge there customers. Don't get me started on the lack of sauce in each of their bags of seafood and charges for every condiments.
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About The Boiling Crab
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9015 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92126
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9015 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92126
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