Crab’s Claw Inn

I wish I could give a 0. Took 10 minutes for drinks. Filet mignon tips were great but salty as can be and over seasoned. The server was horrible. No name, didn’t bring bread, and didn’t check in till the plates was empty. DEFINITELY WILL NOT BE BACK!!!

Came here because my grandfather wanted to, aside from that literally never knew or heard of this place. We ordered the calamari for appetizer, it didn’t have really any batter or coating on it and as usual it was slightly over cooked. I’ve had much worse just being honest, it was over cooked and just OK. They have this old dude playing a piano which is kind of annoying but I just hate the piano haha. I felt like I was in a saloon and someone was about to get shot over a game of cards. If you could hear the piano you would understand. This doesn’t feel like a jersey shore restaurant ambiance wise.
For dinner I had the lobster ravioli with grilled shrimp and it was fantastic! I would come back here again for the food, our server was quite friendly and she was in training!

I’ve been coming to the Crab’s Claw for years. This restaurant and bar has a wide appeal from the towny local vibe to the summer shore goer looking for a night out. The sea food is excellent too.
Depending on the night there is usually live music. During the summer this could vary from reggae and island style bands to piano players.
There is a large bar in the center of the building then with booths and tables in the main room and a window seating area. One of my favorite things to order is the fried oysters. This usually comes with coleslaw, a roll, soup or potato, and a rice pudding or apple crisp. I would recommend getting the Manhattan clam chowder too. It has a good ratio of clams to vegetables. The menu hasn’t changed much over the years besides adding more BBQ options but that’s a good thing in a shore town where people come back every year and get the same thing. They also have a lunch menu that changes by day. These are takes on the main menu items at a cheaper price. I haven’t compared the size but you get good portions off the lunch menu too.
The upstairs bar is unique too. This is a West Virginia themed bar. They also serve Miller Light nips up there.
If you’re visiting for the summer or taking a weekend trip to the shore, stop into the Crab’s Claw for a good meal with a local feel.

This is a Lavallette favorite. The food is always on point and they have an incredible beer list. I would definitely recommend the broiled flounder, the buffalo calamari, and the blackened tuna wrap. Those are just a few of my favorites. I’ve been coming here for years and I absolutely love it.

A Jersey Shore institution. Eat at the bar. if you can manage to find a seat. Lively, fun and wonderful place. Great bar menu, and lots of free handouts at happy hour! This is happiest bar/​restaurant on the island. Even dancing late night with the occasional band. Dustin, the food server behind the bar is the best!

During peak season definitely is super busy! Don’t remember specifically what I ate over the summer, but I do remember it was good. Was just there again this past weekend. Friday night for drinking and they have a decent starter list of craft beers. Went for lunch the next afternoon and waitress was very accommodating. They had a special that included perogies, but i only wanted the perogies as an appetizer and she came through on that request. BLT was really yummy and they have a chipotle sauce/​spread that came with a different sandwich. I used that spread on my BLT and it amped up the flavor even more. I do not have anything negative to say about this place. It is good to go!

Pretty standard bar food. I got a pasta dish with chicken. Didn’t have much flavoring. They have an outside area which would be nice to go on during warm weather.

I give this place 2 stars one for quick seating and two because my son liked his lobster bisque. Total ripoff, I repeat total ripoff !!! For staters the house salads came out wilted. Little did I know it was the prelude to a lack luster dinner. We ordered the buffalo shrimp as a appetizer and when I tell you they’re 5 small shrimp for $ 15 I’m not lying !!! At this point we were stuck between a rock and a hard place. I really wanted to get out of my seat and walk out. The entrees come out and I thought to myself, did I order from the weight watchers menu. Not only were the plates sparse, they were flavorless! Moral of the story is stick to where you know it’s good. Point pleasant is where you get bang for your buck and the freshest seafood down the jersey shore !

I dined here with a couple of girlfriends/​coworkers last week. I have to say I was pretty excited to try it after my friend had described how wonderful it was! Now I did check Unilocal beforehand and saw that it didn’t get too many great reviews but I wanted to give it the benefit of doubt.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by 1 of the many hosts they have, and sat at a round table in the front of the back dining area. I definitely did not enjoy this seating as we were right in between the waiter’s post, the kitchen door, bathroom hallway, and next to the bar. Though we were sat in the hustle and bustle section of the restaurant we weren’t greeted or asked to take any drink orders for almost 5 – 10 minutes. We were informed that we had a newly employed waitress, not by the waitress herself but by the older host who insisted on talking down to the waitress right in front of us.
We waited a couple more minutes and were still not greeted, so another waitress names Sam, took the initiative to welcome us and cater to our table. She was a great server and the place is lucky to have her. Out of the other servers, we noticed that she didn’t spend her time dilly dallying around the room seemingly waiting for things to happen or for orders to be given. We witnessed the servers eating in front of us, a donut here or there. fruit by the foot candy, another waitress licking her fingers coming out of the kitchen. I’ve never seen anything more unprofessional! On top of that, the paystubs were given out in the middle of the floor. You had servers comparing their papers in front of us or even servers carrying trays with paper in hand.
Perhaps other people who have gone here to leave better reviews enjoyed the atmosphere a little more seated elsewhere but we were appalled to see the kinds of things that we did.
As far as the food, we came because there was a great lunch deal or so we were told. I ordered the creamy crab chowder which was flavorful but a little too thick for me. The salad was decent, but it shouldn’t be hard to get a salad right. I ordered the fish and chips, the fries were good and the quality of the fish was very delicious. The batter had a good flavor but it was too thick, it was almost like wrapping the fish in pancake mix but a little crispier. The lunch special also came with dessert, I opted for the apple crumb. The taste was there but the presentation just looked like a cold mashed up Apple pie.
This is probably the last time I’ll try the place again, and I don’t think I’d recommend it either.

Typical Jersey Shore seafood restaurant
Very casual, large bar with multiple tvs, several dining areas.
Handful of folks at the bar drinking right after a perfect NJ beach day.
5 minute wait on a summer saturday night at 5pm
The décor is dated and quite typical…
The menu was pretty extensive
My wife went with the stuffed shrimp… came with a salad. The bleu cheese dressing was the best we have ever tasted. I went with 3 appetizers, crab cake, blackened tuna and blackened filet mignon tips.
The crabcake was very good, more crab less filling.
I was impressed. The filet mignon tips was cooked to a perfect medium. The blackened tuna bites were seasoned perfectly unfortunately they were over cooked. Kids meals are a good deal… Grilled cheese with fries, dessert and beverage for $ 9, same goes for fried or broiled shrimp.
Overall this was a good experience and I would not hesitate to come back if I was in the area.
Half star knocked off for the décor, another half for overcooking the tuna… actually that deserves a star on its own.
Appetizers run between 10 and 12 dollars
Entrees are 20 to 25 dollars
Dinner for 4 was $ 100 with tip
Very reasonable at the Jersey shore.

Okay so the only reason I am giving this place two stars is primarily because of our wonderful and attentive waitress (Sam).
A few teachers and myself were staying in Lavallette and we heard through the grapevine that this restaurant had a great lunch special. Always willing to try new things all five of us got together for lunch. Walking in, there was an adorable gentleman playing lovely tunes on the piano, a unique and relaxing touch to a dining experience.
We were seated at a round table very near to the waiter’s station that provided us with a clear view of the all the employees walking into and out of the kitchen. For a good five minutes we failed to be greeted by anyone, even though servers were of extreme EXCESS in this restaurant. Finally, the woman that had initially sat us started having a very loud conversation with a newer waitress (in training) informing her she would be taking our table and asking her if she could handle it, in addition she asked us for our patience. Okay fine, we are teachers, patience is not a problem for us. However, after that encounter we still failed to receive any type of formal greeting, any bread to snack on while we waited, or even drinks for that matter for an additional 5 minutes. Looking around another waitress could read the looks on our faces and came over to apologize for the behavior of the other staff and informed us she would be taking our order. In regards to placing our order, the timeliness in which it was delivered, any of our needs fulfilled (such as drink refills etc.) Sam (our waitress) exceeded our expectations.
The food was only mediocre. The only thing I would recommend is the creamy crab soup as that was very tasty. I ordered the seafood combo which consisted of broiled tilapia and shrimp (both lacking flavor) and a typical SMALL crabcake (nothing special) as well as a baked potato (plain). The price was only reasonable because it was the lunch special.
Now, the reason I am really giving this place 2 stars is because of the unprofessional behavior of the employees. Most were standing around not doing anything. I don’t know about any of you but when I am eating a meal, I really do not want to see the servers of the restaurant eating a donut or licking there fingers when they walk out of the kitchen. Our dining experience was also disturbed many times when the hostess (an older woman) came around to literally yell across the dining room to direct the waiting staff. Another thing we witnessed that I thought was very unprofessional was the distribution of paychecks to all of the employees working at that time. Some servers were carrying trays while simultaneously attempting to grab the paycheck out of the distributors hand. Overall this restaurant was chaotic and there seemed to be no real type of professionalism among its employees.
Of course, on our way out, after paying for our meals, we spoke with the manager, whom apologized for her staff’s behavior claiming that transitions were taking place and they were understaffed. She then asked us what she could do for us. At that point we really did not want anything more than to leave. During this conversation a hostess was literally trying to move the rug out from under our feet and a man was attempting to move the piano past us through the door, neither of them said excuse me.
I am pretty easy going when it comes to dining out, however, being a waitress, I am aware of what is professional and what one should/​should not do in the presence of guests. I think that the manager of this restaurant really needs to regain control of the staff and lay down rules regarding behavior in the workplace.
Had our 1^st experience in this restaurant been a good one, we could look past the mediocracy of the food and prices. However, the next time we return to Lavallette we will be looking for a new place to dine.
Again, if you do choose to look past this review and try it out for yourself, I HIGHLY recommend you ask to be seated with Sam, as she will try her best to make your dining experience a great one. In addition maybe also request a seat that is not near a major congregation area for the staff and somewhere more private like the back of the restaurant.

We had a great time here for karaōke last week. We got here early for karaōke, filed into the bar, grabbed a few drinks, and bombarded the karaōke host with requests. Despite the fact that we got to him pretty soon after he started setting up, we wound up having to wait about 50 minutes from the start of the night to get our people on stage. It was so much fun listening to/​watching the other patrons perform for everyone. The key is that the screen with the lyrics is behind the bar where everyone can see them. I was singing along to songs I was hardly even familiar with.
The air here is supportive, and it was a really great time. Next time we come I want to come even earlier for dinner and I’ll reassess again.

Mediocre food that’s overpriced.
The wings are fatty and breaded. — six for $ 9.99
The crab dip is very generic. Also they just give regular crackers to dip. — $ 14.00
The fried oysters were nothing special and over $ 23.00.
I think the place could be so much better if they upped the quality of their food or lowered the prices.
Also it was very crowded and due to the crowd the service was quite slow.

Old school seafood, kinda cool. Food is a tad lackluster. Tourist destination.
Broiled flounder and broiled blah blah blah seems the mainstay, like nursing home fare.
Chef has great articles in the NJ Gardner’s newspaper.

I usually go to crabs claw inn for Wednesday night karaōke. That’s always a great time. I’ve eaten there once and don’t remember anything spectacular or awful about the food. So three stars for the average food. The drinks are fairly priced and there is nightly entertainment on other nights which consist typically of older local bands. Good for an «older» crowd. The bar is small and can get really crowded. They shut the dining seating off during bar hours so you can plan on standing while you’re there. There is typically no cover charge. The crabs claw is good for family dinner. If your there with adults you can easily transition into drinks after dinner. The crowd is fun but not overly boisterous which you can find at other places down the shore. Again it’s over all an «older» crowd most nights aside from Wednesday’s.

Just not good… I’m turned off as soon as a place puts stale bread in front of me. Nothing tasted fresh.

First time here. Had the stuffed lobster–
Lobster was good, crab stuffing could have used less bread crumbs and more crab.
King crab legs were great but a lot of work .
Drinks were good and live music was nice .
Accommodating to kids — def be back

Delicious seafood!!! Yummy food! Great beer and great entertainment! Really fun atomosphere!

Tuna Nachos, Dungeness Crab, Prime Rib, and Crab Cakes. And is this was my last meal, I would go to heaven a very lucky girl. Absolutely amazing. Great local spot with awesome service. When I return to the shore, I’m also returning here.

Pretty pricy establishment. They do a good, though not spectacular job with their food.
The beer selection is extensive, and the bar is pretty good in general.
The place is absolutely PACKED in season, so expect a fairly long wait for dinner. This is fine if you don’t mind packing yourself into the bar area for a few cocktails. It’s not so easy if you’re a family with younger children.
Given the smaller portion sizes and good but not great quality of the food, you just don’t quite get what you pay for here.
In the summer months, when the place is packed, consistency and quality are an issue. They tend to be a bit more on their game off-​season.