Todd’s Crab Cracker

It has been 15 years since my last visit to the crab cracker. We decided to go last night at the new location. I ordered a plank salmon with risotto. It was average. Husband ordered a seafood Cajun pasta. It was really good. Overall it was nice. Service was very good. My only concern were the fruit flies. Too many.

Steamed clams were OK but could be more fresh. Good lemon butter flavor.
Halibut was on their specials list which was surprisingly good. Served on a risotto with creamy shrimp sauce and steamed asparagus. Sauce was flavorful although too much for the Halibut. If you’re looking to still taste your fish then this dish is not for you.
Service was excellent.
They should stop serving their stale goldfish though.

Straight outta PDX on a rainy night after a wind storm this place turned an almost bummed out anniversary weekend around!
Not only was the food AMAZING there was a live band that BUMPED!
My husband cannot stop talking about how good his meal was.
Will definitely be back!

I had seafood cioppino. it’s a little too tomatoey for my liking but lots of seafood and fresh. (all mussels & clams were open). so, that was good. It has an outdoor space which is perfect for a nice weather day

Too expensive is my conclusion. A crab meal is like $ 50 here. It is no more than $ 25 or max of $ 30. I rather go with Crab Pot for better taste. If they have the special here, it’s great. If not, their regular menu is terrible. Also don’t order any fried fish. They are so oily and a bit burn. Not coming back!

What a surprise! Walked past (or more accurately underneath) this restaurant every week for over a year with my only thought being that the place sounded like there would be a confederate flag over the bar.
But tonight, as a change from our normal post movie dinner at Rikki Rikki we took the big step of trying something new.
How did we miss this?
Suffice it to say, the baked seafood special was probably the best seafood dish I’ve eaten in years. Sweet crab, massive mussels, moist clams and a to-​die-​for broth along with really well clarified butter … which is more easily said than done. And my wife’s crab cakes went down just as easily along with fresh and well cooked vegetables.
Although the décor is early TGIF, the service was attentive and fast. Thank you James.
Oh, and the New England chowder, an order that often disappoints was rich and as tasty as a great clam chowder should be.
Sorry Anthony’s, I’ve got a new seafood friend … Todd

Excellent all around– service and quality of food. Food is very rich and flavorful. It was not cheap but neither was the quality. Perfectly cooked meat and the pie was delicious. My partner and I had a lovely date on the patio and would visit again.

After this restaurant moved from it’s old location to the new (rather out-​of-​the-​way) one, I decided to give it a try. I had no expectations except for that it served seafood.
Ambiance:
Upon entering, it looked like I stepped into 1992. The oak trim on nearly everything and multiple layers of seating areas made it feel a bit off. I also noticed that the average age was a bit more senior. The lighting in the place was also wildly uneven, giving it a rather sterile feel. Some placed got plenty of outdoor lighting and the inner seating areas were a bit dark.
Food:
There are eating establishments that believe that throwing obscene amounts of butter on food will make it delicious. Others, rightfully so, align themselves with the notion that other methods might work better, with butter used in select ways. This restaurant definitely fell in the first camp. The menu looked like it was from Red Lobster. It was uninspired and fitting a need for those who feel like a Saturday out at Olive Garden is «tres bien». It’s heavy on pasta, traditional fish preparations and caesar salads.
I ordered a cedar plank salmon with vegetables and some sort of pilaf. The salmon tasted like it was 50% butter, 50% fish. I normally like the flavor of fish without the heavy handedness of greasy sheen. The vegetables, as well, were spruced up with a little bit of buttery goodness. Imagine my utmost surprise when the pilaf tasted less like pilaf and more like the vegetables and fish.
Prices:
Seafood places are pricey, no matter where you go, and I accept that. Here, entrees were about $ 40-​$ 50 each. I can imagine so many other restaurants I would want to go to, with better food and ambiance, for this type of bill. You can get a far superior meal at an relatively similar price, at the likes of Seastar.
Would I go back?
Hell no. For some people, it might be fine, but if you like a little more flavor/​spice in what you eat and okay with not drowning everything in butter, try someplace else.

Wanted to go for a cozy romantic dinner. Left feeling a little depressed.
The new location is very spacious, but lacks décor. Our waitress was attentive and polite, though it felt like she was a puppet with some really short strings.
I was torn between the Mixed Seafood Grill (Salmon, Scallops, Prawns, and risotto $ 29), and the Crab Fettuccine ($ 25). I really wanted the pasta but was hoping for some scallops also.
When it came to ordering I asked, by the off-​chance, if I could maybe add just a handful of scallops to my Crab Fettuccine for maybe $ 5-​$ 10. The waitress looked shocked and told me that this would be an extra $ 30 or maybe more, but that she would go and check with «Todd». 5 – 10 minutes later she came back and told me it would cost $ 25 (cost of the meal) and $ 32 to add the small handful of scallops. Apparently they’re pricey at the moment.
I declined, OF COURSE. Duh! For that money I can buy the Crab Fettuccine and the Mixed Seafood Grill and get not only the extra small handful of scallops, but prawns, salmon, and risotto!
This annoyed me, and made me feel rather stupid and ripped-​off.
The food was good! Service was good, but there was a sense of money-​grabbing which ruined the whole experience.

We had gone to the old location once before, and I like the new location a lot better!
We waited until the last minute to use our Groupon… our fault. It was super busy because others did the same. We made reservations, but the host asked if we would sit in the bar since they were so crowded. We did, although I would’ve liked a bigger table for all of our plates!
Our server seemed a little frazzled (she forgot my soup and then blamed the kitchen… it came at the same time as our entrees). But she was VERY nice. The food was delicious and the portions are huge! We both took home at least half of our meals for tomorrow’s dinner!
I would go back here – the food was really good. And the service was friendly. But maybe next time I would go on a Thursday or any day except the day a Groupon is expiring.

One of the best, if not the best seafood places I’ve been in a while. Went here on Saturday evening to celebrate an early Mother’s Day and were seated right away though our reservations werent until a half hour. I’d recommend the outdoor seating, it’s got a great view!
The only con id have to say is that it was very obvious they were understaffed. While our waitress did her best to attend to our needs, it did feel like I was waiting forever for drink refills/​the check

My boyfriend and I frequent this establishment quite often and every time it’s been great. Jade is a always a gem and it’s always great to interact with Todd, the owner. Their happy hour can’t be beat with delectable crab cakes and delicious drinks. You are missing out if you haven’t been there.

Nice upstairs restaurant with outdoor seating, and a view of the western Kirkland cityscape horizon. A great place to go after the show!
I met a lovely couple from Juanita Beach at the bar, and the two female Bar staff were FUN, FRIENDLY and helpful when selecting a drink, entrée and dessert!
I enjoyed my first ‘Lemondrop’ last night… slightly sour, but poured over a a sugar-​dipped, rimmed glass. The cup of Chowder was flavorful and filling; the freshly-​baked, Bavarian roll had excellent texture and taste. We were too full for dessert, but the plate of baked goodies Jade offered was VERY tempting. Someone at the #CrabCracker must be a Pastry Chef because the Cheesecake, White Chocolate pie, and Coconut Cake looked like something off the Biltmore menu, and smelled equally delightful. Definitely, a selection waiting my next visit… let’s go! ;)

First time here, and it was a good first impression. It was a nice looking place, and especially a great place to eat during nice, sunny weather. We ordered the fried calamari for appetizer, and it was nice and crispy on the outside and still chewy on the inside. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly. And the cajun pasta had a great amount of seafood, and they were all big and plump, unlike some places where they use tiny shrimp, scallops, and shellfish. Everything tasted of good quality.

We got a groupon and decided to try this place out.
We ordered an appetizer and 2 entrees. This place looks pricey (not sure why its 2 star) but everything is midrange around $ 25 to $ 30 an entrée if not more. Given that I would have expected simple things like cutlery to be spotless or how they have the gold fish in open containers (who knows how many people have put their hands in there to get them) and even our plate (which was clean) had some black marks on it.
The hostess was really nice. Our food came out but it was all really blank. Their seafood is really fresh, but the food lacks the flavors that I was hoping for when you are paying this much.

Food was very good! (4 to 4.5 stars) Atmosphere disappointing.
The Crab and artichoke Dip is a MUST. Absolutely worth the $ 16 price tag. Chandlers crab house is famous for theirs, and it’s very good, but TCC has them beat!
For dinner I had the Cajun Seafood Pasta and it was very good as well. Huge portion and very generous amounts of fish, shellfish and shrimp. I find most places will throw you a few pieces of seafood in a dish like this and it ends up mostly pasta. The Cajun sauce was fantastic and once again was applied generously.
My wife got the crab cakes and a salad and
their crab cakes were pretty disappointing. Not bad, just nowhere near as good as those served at top puget sound steakhouses for the same price. (ie John Howie, The Met, El Gaucho)
The vibe was dead and the few people that were there (ourselves included) were all jammed into a small area where the music didn’t really reach so it was like we could all hear each other. The music that was playing was Creedence, Thin Lizzy etc. which are great but not in this setting. It cheapened the experience for sure. If they made their seating areas a little more updated/​cozy, spaced guests out more and expanded the range of their sound system throughout this place could really shine.

My boyfriend and I were driving along the Kirkland waterfront and around the area and decided to check out the new restaurants in the area. We drove past where the old location of the Crab Cracker was and then saw a banner in the Park Place area of the Crab Cracker’s new location and immediately turn in! Neither of us had been to the Crab Cracker before and were both excited to try it out! It was awesome!
We arrived during Happy Hour and couldn’t decided if we wanted dinner or Happy Hour appetizers. We ended up ordering a variety of the Happy Hour appetizers and drinks. The food, ambiance, music, and service was amazing. The Crab Bisque is a must have. The bowl is a very large serving, enough for a meal in itself, with large chucks of crab meat. The crab cakes are delicious, and don’t leave without trying the fish tacos! I was having a hard time figuring out what to drink and the server recommended the Lemmon Drop and it was delicious! It was so fresh and made with real lemons, and is the best Lemmon Drop around!
Scott, our server, was fun, had great recommendations, was prompt and really enjoyed him.
We enjoyed our little date night with amazing food, great service, and fun jazz/​blues music while we dined. We think this might just be out go-​to Friday night hang out! We’ll be back again soon!

Seafood in a quick fix and not much else really…
Todd’s Crab Cracker is an interesting little place. It is by no means a pirate shanty or casual fun time restaurant. Yet its not a fine dining, table clothes and what not place either. However it has elements of both.
When all is said and done, Todd’s Crab cracker isn’t bad, its just not great its almost like they re still getting into the groove of things, figuring things out. They definitely have the basis and ideas to be successful if they tweaked and improved a few things.
Like i said the décor and atmosphere just felt strange. However the food was more than fine I would say. Ordering the crab cakes and calamari. The crab cakes the best Iv’e had in recent memory. thin, flaky, crispy just how they should be. Don’t let me forget not one but two sauces, the wasabi balsamic was a great contrast. Meanwhile the red pepper aioli although tasty should’ve been pureed or blended more. The calamari, while the aioli and cocktail sauce were pretty much on point the calamari were not
The service wasn’t bad, it was just wasn’t very experienced. Th way win which she tried to joke and interact with our table was out of place and not right so to speak for one. Secondly when my mother was being served soup our waitress spilled the soup all over the the bowl and plate it was on. Although nothing spilled on anyone, the precaution that should come when serving soup was not taken.
Ultimately Todd’s Crab Cracker is just another local restaurant. However I believe they will cpnyine to serve delicious crab cakes to loyal customers for some tome

Dined here last night for the hubby’s bday. He REALLY wanted Chioppino and this place was close to the comedy club we were heading to after so I thought, how perfect.
I thought wrong.
Silly me for not reading the reviews beforehand. Had I done so, I could have saved a lot of cash.
The service was great so no complaint there but considering it was close to empty at 7:30 on a Saturday, I expected nothing less.
The décor reminded me of a spiffed up Skippers from the 80’s but waaaaay too dark. We’re in our 30s and struggled to read our menus.
The hubby enjoyed his Caesar salad & Chioppino but I ordered the grilled prawns with ‘seasonal’ veggies & risotto which were um… Nasty beyond belief. Between the flavors, textures & lack of heat it was just really, really bad.
Our server noticed I hardly touched my meal and after I politely explained how horrible it was, she was kind to offer me a free dessert & a $ 15 off coupon for next time.
I wish the manager would have just removed my meal seeing as I will never return but I suppose it’s the gesture that counts. I should mention that the coupon expires on 12÷1÷2014. It’s good for dine in only, after 4pm AND with purchase of entrée. Not much of a deal afterall.
I’ll save you time and money and tell you to skip this place. Just about ANYWHERE else would be a better option.

A-​Ok.
The wife and I had dinner here on a random Wednesday night when for some reason every one of our regular places in Kirkland had people waiting and we were incredibly hungry.
What I remember off this place:
— The service was good. There was nothing to complain about.
— The food tasted okay. I had the fish and chips and it is hard to screw that up. My wife had a shrimp dish and the shrimp were slightly overcooked.
— The cocktails were strong but overpriced.
All in all, it’s an okay place. If you happen to step in you can be assured that you will get some meal. I wouldn’t necessarily go here out of choice though.