Joe’s Crab Shack

Just ate here for valentines! Exceptional service from Sean– really sweet and attentive guy. He made my dining that much better. The food was exceptional and came out in a timely manner, I’ll definitely be eating here again! Thanks again Sean

Amazing Food! Great waiter zack, the best one so far.
Sometimes the restaurant is so busy that the kitchen takes a while to get things ready.

Recently went 2 weeks in a row on Wednesdays for all you can eat crabs and had a great time with the family. Busy chains can be tough but the servers were amazing with us. Got in early and the food kept coming out hotter and fresher. I miss the ambiance though.

Our server was nice but inept.
We ordered and did not receive silverware until our main course arrived, which would have been fine except i had an appetizer that needed a fork. She was no where to be found.
We also did not get any napkins until i asked. I had to pull out some diaper wipes from my bag because she was no where to be found.
For the check she came and took my card, came back and there was nothing to sign.
Not sure if she didn’t process the card or if she just didn’t print the receipts.
I got the east coast platter which was bland and awful. The fried fish strip was more coating than fish. The crab cake looked like it came from a box and had no flavor at all. I switched out the stuffed shrimp (dairy allergy with my baby) and got the fried. They were okay, but very bland.
Even my peach tea was so syrupy sweet i couldn’t finish it.
I guess you go for the crab legs, but I’d rather buy and make my own at home…

I have been coming here for years and stopped coming here about six months ago because the food and service were progressively getting worse and worse each time. I decided to give it another shot and came here to eat this past Friday night— everything was perfect. The crab was delicious the service was perfect. We warned the server and explained how we were hesitant to come back because the last few times over the summer we came and were very disappointed. But the server reassured us that new management has been turning things around and they were right! Our server was very attentive and the manager even swung by to make sure everything was ok. It looks like this place is coming around which makes my husband and I very happy… We were once regulars and will be sure to be back soon. Keep up the good work!

Hello Fellow Foodies. My first experience at Joe’s. The service was excellent. It was a Monday night so it was not very crowded. We were seated right away. We took my 11 yr old son who loved the décor and buckets the food was served in. We ordered appetizers stuffed mushrooms and clam strips. The mushrooms were very small but over stuffed with stuffing they were very tasty. The clams were was lager then I have ever seen they were fried to perfection. The main course We ordered Louisiana steam pot, and larger grilled shrimp stuffed and warped in bacon. My son had chicken strips with fries. The fish in the steam was very fresh. It was cooked to perfection. The shrimp dish was good but the shrimps were not very large and for the price not worth it. Dessert was nice. The bill was 110 included one beer and a fancy drink. Not bad for two adults. I would come back for lunch.

OMG I need to contact corporate on this place. I’ve been coming no less than 10 times a month for the past 2 years. Something has seriously changed here!
Service: Very slow. Didn’t refill our drinks one time.
All the food came at once!!! Wtf?! I was going to send it back but I figured they would just put our food under a warmer or something.
SOMEONE ISNT MIXING THEIR FIRE GRILLED MIXTURE right. It’s so salty you can’t even eat it! I actually wish I could have saved someone and mailed it to their headquarters!
The place is dirty. Food all over the benches. Tables not wiped down properly. I sat down and ruined my work shirt!
I might have a medical emergency from all the salt I just took in.
Crab was NASTY. It was mush and I couldn’t even taste it!

Will not be returning. To begin there was a roach crawling in the restroom, we should have left then by my husband wanted to stay. It took 50 minutes just for our appetizers to arrive which the calamari was fried to a burned crisp. I ordered the grilled lobster with shrimp, scallops with no bacon and the broccoli no rice. My entrée arrived with rice no broccoli and no scallops. And the lobster had 1 claw. The broccoli later came along with the scallops wrapped in bacon. Also by then my husband had asked for a refill of beer twice. The refill of beer came along with our check. The service was awful, food was mediocre and the place could use a thorough cleaning. Our booth had trash on the floor and my shoes were sticking to the floor.

Do not come here with a large party. Arrived at 7pm. First beer at 7:30. Second beer at 8:40. We had 31 in our party. One server. Food arrived at 8:48.
Food was adequate.

I specifically asked for no sausage as I do not eat meat… When I reached the bottom of my pot to my surprise there was a huge sausage. My waitress assured me that she said no sausage which I whole heartedly believed. Slightly upset and I do mean slightly the manager shows up to apologize and offered another drink to which I declined. I just wanted out especially since I am very certain that I received two snow crab clusters and not the queen like the ad stated. The manager was «kind» enough to give me a 50 percent discount which somewhat softened the blow although like I mentioned before, I doubt I got what I ordered initially which means I was charged for what I didn’t get and received a discount off an higher priced meal. I can’t say I’ll be back but won’t completely write it off. My waitress would be the only reason. Let’s hope my tummy doesn’t take a dive on me.

Not such a great experience.
We were seated immediately, server comes we joke a bit and place our orders. We waited 20 minutes for our food to come. There were 4 others tables and one other server, not busy that we had to wait so long. Once the food arrived we were all disappointed. Our food didn’t come out at once, lukewarm food, dirty silverware, no drink refills, there was a pickle slice in the pasta, fried balls of onions instead of scallops and we had to hunt our server down for our bill.
I normally enjoy the food but today was a huge let down.

Who could resist crab and lobster… It wasn’t much but very well needed in this case. Not often do you get the chance to come up ½ hour from home to dine out and enjoy yourself. This is definitely on my to do list and is a spot I frequent whenever I’m in Orlando it just so happens I live in Miami and they have one in Lauderhill. I think you guys should add more meat to the pots but even if you don’t you still got me as a customer. My drink was awesome I ordered the patio punch and boy was it a kicker

I arrived and was seated immediately, which is rare for a Friday night. My waitress came to the table as soon as I was seated, she wrote her name on a paper towel and said she would be back. She did not return to take my order for at least another 10 to 15 minutes. The appetizer arrived and I finished eating it before my iced tea arrived. I finally got my tea but after I finished it, it remained empty, no refill was offered. The service struggled but the food was awesome!
I ordered the Classic stream pot and it was cooked perfectly, the crab meat easily came out of the shell in complete pieces. The smoked sausage was perfectly spiced!

Food is great — I live close by. Consistently tasty. My fave are the steam pots. They are all yummers!!!

Going to Joe’s crab shack had become a tradition when its come to my husbands birthday. He loves it. Walking in, ill be honest it wasnt as nice looking as i expected (only because the only other one we’ve been to, was in ny and i guess it was maybe a new store). It could use a little dusting and definitely a new sound system, because it kept making a really loud zaaaping noise until they had to eventually turn it off
After looking around more i realized they were going for that shack look anyways. So no biggie. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our server came over, very friendly and offered up some specials, asked if it was our first time and then gave us some time to look at our menu while he got our drink orders.
My husband always gets the lobster daddy. Me on the other hand, After being on the boat, i wasnt feeling too good, so i had a hard time deciding. The waiter brought our drinks over and gladly helped me decide. So i got the east coast platter, with crabcake, shrimps, fried onion, fries and beer battered fish.
Again i wasnt feeling great, so i didn’t eat much, but i really enjoyed what little i did eat. As our waiter came to check on us, he noticed i wasnt really eating and asked if it was okay. I told him it was great, it’s just me. I thought i had read on the menu that my meal came with coleslaw. (But it didn’t, it was another platter that offered that) but before i realized, i asked him if it came with my order. He so kindly said, no but that he’ll bring it for me anyways.
When my husband decided to come up for air, after completely indulging into his bucket, he raved about how great the ragin canjun seasoning was. And in honor of our Fishing trip, he got the shark bite drink. I had a few sips of his and it was just right.
I knew my plate was good, because my thoughtful husband helped me eat the rest of it lol. My coleslaw was good and i felt satisfied with everything.
The workers all did the cotton eyed jo dance and we had great time. I really liked it here and will be returning.

I’m surprised the overall rating here is as low at it is. I had a pretty good experience here, especially in terms of the food, and if you’re signed up for their email promotions there are coupons galore to be had. That’s one of the good things about chain restaurants, there are always promotions.
Our dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack started off a little shaky. We arrived on a weekend evening, I can’t remember if it was Friday or Saturday, but we were lucky enough to not have a wait. I say things were shaky because I walked in and there was a couple standing inside the door, I asked if they had spoken to the hostess and they said they had. I then approached the hostess and informed her that we needed a table for two. She rudely responded that the other couple was ahead of us. Yes, I told her, we knew. She continued to be snippy somehow implying that we were trying to get ahead, when all we thought we were doing was putting our name in. Maybe I was being a little too sensitive, and I have my theories as to why the hostess was so rude, but after we got past her, everything was great.
Our server Leah introduced herself and we ordered a few drinks. The drinks here are gimmicky and a little pricey, but they’re fun so I think it’s worth it at leat once in awhile. By boyfriend ordered the shark bite which was some sort of blue alcoholic beverage served with a shark full of grenadine so that you pour the «blood» out of the shark and mix it into your drink. Yes, gimmicky, but it was fun, the drink tasted great, and after one or two the shark is fun to play with. I ordered a sweet tea vodka drink that was also quite good.
For our meals I ordered a steamed queen crab platter and my boyfriend ordered one of the large pots. The seafood was delicious. His boil came with two lobsters so we each had one, and I shared my crab. It was a giant feast and either meal probably could have been split (though not if you’re shellfish lovers like we are.) Service did taper off a little towards the end as it took awhile to get the check, but this type of food takes a long time to eat, so I think they just try to give you some space.
Our bill was a little over $ 100 for the two of us, but considering we had multiple specialty drinks, two lobsters, and pounds of crab and shrimp, I thought it was more than fair. I also had a $ 10 off email coupon (seriously, sign up for the emails) that made it feel even more reasonable. I will definitely keep Joe’s Crab Shack in mind for future seafood dinners as everything was tasty and cooked perfectly, and given the other options in the area, you will save a few dollars coming here.

Used to love this place. don’t know what happened. Should have left before being seated. Was directed to a dirty table that needed cleaning. Pointed dirty spots out to server. We ate upstairs. Stairs and walls were filthy. Wallpaper peeling off walls. Dirty table legs looked like they were never cleaned.
Waitress forgot to bring ice for the melted iced tea that was served. glasses must have been sitting for a while. Hot interrogation light over table had 120watt light bulb in it. Keep food and us warm… Special drink extremely expensive $ 15.00, greasy fish and shrimp dinner, crabcake tasted like old crab. Watch out for servers coming up the stairs.
Went to restroom that was not attended to. paper on floor. Plastic Paper holder would fall apart when paper was pulled. Heard dishes crashing loudly 3X’s. Entry door grimey and displayed 3 layers of repainting. Like I said loved this place 5 years ago. Now I would not bring a guest there. They need to clean up their act. Sorry. but beware. I would have been embarrassed if I brought out of town visitors.

The first time I went there the experience was great. Great food, great ambiance, great company. Service was great too. Love the steam pots a lot of food; however, as seafood goes, pricey. But it was worth it. The second time I went I must say, I was disappointed as our booth had a bad smell. It smelled like a sewer. We told the server but nothing was done. I am sure the food was good but I just couldn’t enjoy it:(
I just now saw that there is location near my home as Ft Lauderdale is a long way from home and having to drive an he just to get there it just isn’t fun. I will have to try the location on 36^th street snd will Unilocal it.

It has been many years since we came to this restaurant. Thankfully, they still do one heck of a great job with the quality of seafood and incredibly great service. The menu has changed with many offerings including steampots, grilled, fried, you name it. This is a casual fun atmosphere and we saw very large party’s celebrating birthday’s. It’s the kind of place where you can get rowdy and it would not matter.
Our server was so personable and this guy knew the menu inside and out. He told us what was excellent and what to stay away from. Not that anything was bad he just had his favorites. We started with some cocktails. They make a very lovely Margarita. I was quite happy with my choice.
I ordered a mahi sandiwich grilled with a side of fries and my daughter ordered the steampot of crab’s. They were excellent and meaty. My sandwich was very good as well. The fish was fresh, good btread and seasoning. I would come here anyday over the dreadful Red Lobster.
This place is fun, casual, good seafood, reasonably priced and they give very good service. Cheers for tasty seafood!

Wait… I haven’t reviewed Joe’s Crab Shack before???
I’ve never understood why people bash Joe’s and instead flock to «that other crab place in Broward». The other place in question is practically walking distance from my house but I still choose to drive to Joe’s — mostly because the prices are cheaper and partly because the atmosphere doesn’t seem quite as dirty to me.
I’ve been coming to Joe’s for years. It took a while to convince my family members that a certain other seafood chain (it may rhyme with «Dead Mobster») wasn’t the end-​all be-​all that they had been raised to believe, but we began frequenting Joe’s anywhere from once a year to four times a year. Plus lets be honest we were pretty much just going to «Dead Mobster» for the snow crab, so we might as well come to Joe’s and enjoy some other options.
At this point I’ve tried most of the menu and narrowed it down to what I believe to be the best.
APPS:
There are some good apps here: the crazy crab dip and the mussels come to mind first, but I tend to want to save room for my crab and I just order the lobster bisque.
The menu lists clam chowder and soup of the day as options, but the soup of the day is always lobster bisque as far as I can tell. I’ve had lobster bisque at places that range from 5 star restaurants to side of the road hole in the walls, but for some reason I’m convinced that Joe’s is the best!
ENTREES:
First thing — skip anything that isn’t a bucket or a steampot. These other entrees are just gross if you ask me.
I give them credit for adding the steampots to the menu. This allows someone who wants some crab but doesn’t want all crab to still enjoy while also getting some clams, mussels, lobster etc. The steampots are all tasty and you should be able to find something you enjoy.
For me, it’s ALL ABOUT THE CRAB. I go for the bucket of queen as I’ve learned over the years that king is far too spikey and snow is a lot of cracking for a little bit of meat.
Bucket flavors — steamed is best if you just want that pure crab flavor. The garlic is good, the bbq flavor is surprisingly good and different. They’ve also got old bay and I believe a fire-​roasted flavor. For me, I stick with steamed and extra butter ;)
DESSERT:
I’m usually too full but I’ll try a bite of others. My mom swears by the turtle pecan something. My step father loves the key lime pie. On this visit we tried the new smores dessert and also had some apple crumble — both good!
DRINKS:
Drinks can get pricey here because of all the gimmicky souvenir cups etc. But the drinks are strong and quite big.
SUMMARY:
Here’s the lowdown. Buckets of crab are 1.25lb and range from $ 25-​$ 30, which is cheaper than that other Broward county staple. There are some pieces that do seem overcooked but honestly the taste is still great and I’m fine overlooking it.
The service is so-​so. It can sometimes be hard to find your server but this visit was fine.
The ambiance is gimmicky as well and the servers have to dance to certain songs. They looooove birthday’s here and you will see at least one table a night participating in some kind of embarrassing birthday procedures. This is all «take it or leave it» for me and really it’s just the crab that keeps me coming back.
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