Crawdad King

Ate here for Courtney Y’s bday (see her review below!). We were going to go to Boiling Crab… which is my ALL time fave, but my BF got off work late that night and his work is in that area, so we decided to try something new. Not to mention we didn’t really want to wait the hour-​hour and a half that’s typical of BC.
Like people have mentioned… I actually think they’re closed now so I don’t know why I’m writing this review… but…I already started so might as well finish. haha. Pretty much… here’s the story. The seafood — not bad. But the sauce… well…you just CANNOT compare it to the whole shabang sauce at BC. And honestly — that is what makes BC SO FREAKIN KILLER. If all the OTHER crawfish/​seafood places could simply RE-​CREATE that sauce, name it something snazzy — you’ll DEFINITELY have a hit on your hands. That simple! Decorating would be easy too — wooden walls and give people some sharpies.
So I guess I am just writing this to encourage someone to open a new place like this, with a shabang inspired sauce, and preferably in Sunnyvale. Thanks.

Wow, this was my 3^rd crawfish place I tried. Crawdaddy’s at number 1. This place is do-​able if you need a crawfish fix. I would’ve given this spot a 2.5 if I could.
First off– they ran out of corn AND sausages. I need those two items to complete my meal. Oysters and fries are pretty skimped. Crawfish didn’t taste too bad here. The place is decent looking, but they def. need to do something to make it look like its actually open. Staff is nice, young woman served us but I didn’t find it conservative for her to be squatting while smoking a cigarette outside as we left. Atleast she thanked us!
I wouldn’t mind coming back if Crawdaddy’s was packed and if I wanted to save 12 miles. No wait here! Just please have corn & sausages next time! Btw, I did not have a bib while eating my crawfishies. I wonder why… Eating that stuff is surely messy!

FYI this place is closing soon. I came here last night and we tried to order a bunch of things that they didn’t have because they’re closing. I’ve never been to a restaurant like this. So NO I have never waited to eat at Boiling Crab however it is on my bucket list.
The crawdads were really good… but for some reason REALLY spicy to me, but nobody else. Which is weird b/​c usually i can take spicy. Maybe my taste buds were extra sensitive. The shrimp equally as good. We got one w/​the twist sauce and one regular. There’s not a big difference in flavor.
Overall the food was good, just a disappointment that they didn’t have everything. I guess its understandable since it is closing and it sounded like they’re closing at the end of the week. So if you want to try this place out, make it over there quick!

I don’t think I want to come back here, again. If I ever do is when i am on my way to the shooting range and I suddenly have the urge to eat cajun crawfish/​shrimp.
I tried this place before The Boiling Crab but after Crawdaddy… and I must say, Crawdaddy and BC taste a lot better than Crawdad King, at least CD & BC is FRESH. Crawdad King’s shrimp taste frozen and the cajun flavor is bland, it doesn’t have the «kick» to make you want to eat more. And they served the beer warm. Warm beer? Ewwww.
The service is good, but it is the good service that trying to rip you off. Good luck with that.

I guess lets start by saying I’m a pretty big fan of boiling crab and I prefer that place any day, hence the 2 stars.
The service was friendly here, and the décor was a little nautical as others have mentioned… When I went some of the friends of the workers/​owners were there hanging out which is cool, but overall there was maybe 2 other tables of actual patrons.
As for the food, we ordered 2 lbs of crawfish, 1 lb of shrimp and an order of fried oysters. The oysters where ok, as were the shrimp and crawfish. The size of the shrimp were pretty large and plump and the size of the crawfish averaged pretty large as well.
BUT what it comes down to for me is the sauce. We ordered the traditional cajun sauce for our shrimp/​crawfish and it was a little disappointing. The sauce was watery and although it did have garlicy and spicy components it had nothing on the thicker sauces of boiling crab. Also, an annoying thing was because the sauce was so viscous it penetrates your lips more when you eat thus leaving you with temporarily swollen lips. This is most annoying because it prevented me from sucking on the shrimp heads, which is where a lot of the flavor lies.
Bottom line, throw down some news paper down on your kitchen table, call up boiling crab, and order some food to go.
Enjoy!

Just found out that they CLOSE ON SATURDAYS! So please don’t go there on a Saturday because it’s wasting your time and gas. Sundays to Fridays, I believe they open around 4:30p to 10:00p; SOMETIMES the guy might be there earlier like 4:00p.
I come here every so often recently, they’ve improved a lot; after going around all other crawfish restaurants in the bay, Crawdad King is always my favorite! Owners are young and nice, comfortable to chill with.
I had dinner with my cousin/​friend last night, their crawfish is super HUGE and fresh!!! OMG! I don’t think I would ever have enough of their foods! Their sausages are super flavorful and for a reasonable price of $ 1.99 (6pcs) — who can beat that?
I am still saving one star only because of their business hours are still not consistent; my bf and I went there a few times at around 6pm and it was still closed. Although they post Mon to Sun from 3p-​10p, I still suggest you not to go there until at least 5:30p to be safe.

I am very disappointed. I went again last night and it was the same with no improvement. This time the sauce wasn’t that hot, it still taste good. The customer services was pretty such not existing, just bunch of dudes chilling. Nothing lively about this place anymore. I was hoping for some improvements. Oh wells, it is still closer than San Jose.
But seriously, they need to start having rice!!! How can they not have rice on the menu?

We walk into an empty dinning room and a horrible smell. We had a big group that we were meeting there so unfortunately we stayed. We ordered three Corona’s and was told they only had two so I said ok I’ll have a glass of wine and was told, oh we don’t have any wine anymore. Then we ordered and someone ordered the Jumbolaya and was told oh we don’t have any more left and also they were out of Crab.
Finally we get some food and I thought it was ok. We ordered the Mild and Medium sauce and couldn’t tell the difference. They finally get some Corona’s and serve them to us warm.
I found the place to be dirty and the food not so good. I’m going back to the Boiling Crab.

Came here for my birthday and surprisingly there was only another couple in there. Really? I’m used to waiting for 2 hours like over at the boiling crab.
Oh well, no biggie. I love crawdads so you really can’t screw it up for me and they didn’t. Just in my opinion, I can go else where and get bigger ones that are more flavorful for the same price.
If I’m in the area, I might stop by again.

It’s been a while since I tried the place so please forgive if I’m missing out on any details…
First off, the hours listed on Unilocal were different than the actual store hours, I believe they open at 4 or 4:30p on weekdays. My friend and I decided to try this place, well moreso I because I didn’t want to drive all the way for Boiling Crab. Anyway, we were bummed and super hungry when we got to the doors only to determine that we’d have to wait another hour.
Sad, confused, and famished, my friend and I walked a couple stores down to the 7eleven to drown our sorrows in some ETOH. Thank goodness for that because it made the rest of the experience awesome.
We came back and ordered our food. Overall, not too bad, but then again when you’re super hungry anything tastes good. We’re probably going to have to give it another whirl to give a more insightful review.
Honestly, we were just disappointed that the time wasn’t updated because we purposely didn’t eat because we were anticipating the goodness of which is supposed to be Crawdad King.

3.5 stars!
It’s hard to compare Crawdad King and Crawdaddy… but after a deep breath, I’m gonna give it my best shot. Here it goes…
After dining at Crawdad King last night, I love them both equally… but for very opposite reasons.
Where Crawdaddy’s sauce was plentiful, thick, garlic-​y and spicy, Crawdad King’s sauce was semi-​plain and sparse. Where Crawdaddy’s establishment was leaning towards ghettoness, Crawdad King’s establishment was leaning towards a merry nautical theme. Crawdaddy: plastic cups for lemon&pepper concoction, no caps for drinks vs. Crawdad King: dining plates, actual plates for lemon&pepper concoction, and caps for drinks.
I would say the biggest difference would lie in the crawfish themselves. Crawdaddy’s: small but tasty vs. Crawdad King’s: BIGGER, MORE FRESH, not as saucy. If someone held me at knifepoint and made me choose which one was my favorite, I’d have to say Crawdad King. I’d sacrifice a little flavor for size. But then again, it depends on where your priorities lie.
Crawfish MUST be in season b/​c we paid $ 9.99/lb. Crazy! Service was quick and friendly. I can’t really speak for the crowd or the parking, b/​c we came at 9:57pm (10pm closing) on a Wednesday night. Needless to say, we were the last ones in the restaurant… but we left a big tip!
My crawfish saga continues…

My dad ordered take out for a family dinner at my cousin’s house after I went crazy for crawfish after eating at Crawdaddy.
The first thing I dug into was the «fried grub» as they call it. The fried fish was very tasty. Crunchy but not too oily, the fish went really well with the tartar sauce. The cajun fries didn’t have enough flavor though. They were pretty crunchy for being in a take out box, but I was hoping for a spicier kick.
Then, crawfish and shrimp time. The medium here is not very spicy, more like a mild, so if you like your crawfish with a kick, get something higher than medium. I would suggest the shrimps here over the crawfish because they had more flavor, were larger, and easier to peel.
Although the crawfish here was HUGE, the shell was also really thick, making it a lot harder to open. They also had very little flavor for some reason. Maybe they weren’t soaked long enough?
Crawfish Eating How To:
First, twist the head part off. (sucking the head, optional)
Second, rip the tail off.
Third, crack and then rip the rest of the shell off.
Finally, marvel at the tiny piece of meat and stuff it in your mouth.

Also, DON’T TOUCH YOUR EYES while or after eating! After washing my hands 5 times, the crawfish shrimp juice still stung my eyes when I put my contacts on.

My sister got me to come to Crawdad King.
The secrets my sister told me about this place is when it’s snacks for two:
1. Order by the pound, so food stays fresh and steamy hot
2. Don’t get mild, minimum «medium»
3. Keep eating protein, you won’t get hungry later
4. Credit card payment method is accepted over $ 20

Perhaps it was bc the crawdad is actually not in season right now… or perhaps i’m just not that into crawdads, but they tasted just «OK» to me. My brothers thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and had 6 lbs of crawdad (3 lbs of hot garlic flavored, and 3lbs of medium flavored), i had the fish and chips (which was their special that day during happy hour, simply bc i couldn’t find myself getting full off of crawdad alone, bc i didn’t plan on chowing down pounds of it like my brothers). The fish was not oily and they actually provided generous portion. it was a bit bland, but that was ok by me. The fries were crispy and well-​cut, not overcooked. i particularly enjoyed the garlic and cajun styled fries… sadly i enjoyed them more than the crawdads itself. They were some of the best tasting fries i’ve ever had!
They used to have specials here where you buy 4 lbs of crawdad, and you get a pound for free, but bc they weren’t in season, they weren’t offering that deal. Also, be aware, they like playing LOUD ghetto music here, so be prepared! Dont get me wrong, our waitress was really nice =) So our bill came out to be ~$ 200 for drinks, 2 fish & chips, chicken strips, and 6 lbs of crawdad. I would prefer to get my seafood fix at crustaceans or thanh long, or even PPQs.

little animals, tiny claws and corn soaked in spicy goodness… what more could you ask for?
I like crawdad king… its probably one of the best crawfish places in the southbay (until the boiling crab opens im sure). My fiancé went on a quest to find the best crawdad place in the southbay and crawdad king made the cut. at least the little guys have flavor here, some other places are seriously lacking…

I’m always down to try crawdad places. ALWAYS. Ever since I had my first pound, I’ve been addicted and crave them at least every other week.
Since I’ve been to Crawdaddy off of Story Rd., I went to try Crawdad King with a friend. We were both hungry and expected a good dinner. I was personally hoping that it would be up to par with Crawdaddy or Sac Crawfish. I guess I was setting my standards too high because this place did not satisfy my crawfish craving.
One of the reasons why I love to eat crawfish is the broth that the crawfish is stewing in. My favorite crawdad restaurants have big chunks of garlic and everything is well marinated in the broth. I love the broth so much i pour it all over the rice and even ask for some extra on the side to dip.
This place had a little bit of broth in the bottom of the bag and it was ABSOLUTELY TASTELESS. My one pound of crawfish might as well have been boiled because it sure tasted like it. I ordered the Original Cajun Medium and it wasn’t even spicy like the other crawfish places. The sausage was good but I think it was too thinly sliced. The corn had this weird consistency when you bit into it, almost mushy/​powdery. Not at all satisfying and did not soak up all the «juices» (which makes sense because there weren’t any).
We ordered CK Fries (cajun garlic fries) since other Unilocalers recommended them. Now I know those Unilocalers must be friends of the owners because McDonalds makes better fries than that. They were nothing special and they weren’t worth the $ 5.00.
The one thing I do applaud Crawdad King is that their crawfish is FRESH, which is really important to me after my horrible experience at The Boiling Crab. All of their crawfish were cooked just right, not too rubbery and were tender.
So after my pound of crawdad, 3 slivers of sausages and 1 bite out of my gross corn, I was still hungry and couldn’t believe I paid $ 17.00 for this dinner. I even ate all the leftover fries (which I thought I wouldn’t be able to fit in after my dinner but since it was so unfulfilling I killed). BTW I was still hungry and couldn’t wait to go home and make some instant noodles to fill me up.
THUMBS DOWN

This was my first time eating Crawdads ever. not sure if it’s my cup of tea. We came here originally thinking they served Soju (Korean Sake) and found out that they stopped serving it due to past experiences with belligerent drunkards who couldn’t control themselves. We ordered 1lb of the cajun style crawdads (hot) and cajun garlic fries. I enjoyed the garlic fries because it was different. they seasoned it with spices. but i warn you, its reallly really spicy so by the time i started eating my crawdads my toungue was burning in hell already.
The crawdads itself. Um, not really a fan of. Not as flavorful and so difficult to eat. If I were to invest all that time cracking shell, I’d rather be eating crab. You only get a small amount of meat and most of it you end up throwing away. Another thing I dislike about the crawdad is the green bile looking stuff inside of it. I got a little grossed out so that just pretty much topped it all off. We ordered it with corn and sausages and I did enjoy the sausages more. They steamed all three in a plastic bag. I think thats pretty cool.
If you and your friends are crawdad kind of people, I would think this is a great place to hang out, put your plastic bibs on and go at it. Other than that, it’s not a place for me unless its for the Cajun garlic fries.

So we went on this cajun marathon and tried about 5 places in the south bay and even boiling crab in LA. Crawdad king has the best crayfish and shrimp in the south bay by far.
the cajun shrimp is REALLY good. Their medium is very spicy though so order with caution, The crayfish are good too. Sometimes they are smaller than others. i guess it really depends on the inventory when you get there.
All the food comes out in a plastic bag — its a big mess! but fun. be prepared to do lots of work for little meat if you order the crayfish but the work is so worth it.
The clams are kind of griney. I’ve ordered them about 5 times and each time, it feels like you are eating sand, needless to say, I don’t order them anymore.
The fried oysters are good, just don’t bite into them right away unless you want bigger lips due to 3^rd degree burns.
In the past, the crayfish used to come with sausage and corn included in the bag but now, they charge you for it.
Don’t order the pepsi, the fountain drinks there taste a lil funny.

For those of you who are clearly uneducated (j/​k), and don’t know what crawfish look like, your initial reaction will most likely be, «Aww cute, they look like baby lobsters! » Cause yes they really do, and yes they are pretty darn cute. But besides aesthetics, and besides the novelty of eating with your hands with bibs tied around your neck, I personally don’t enjoy eating crawfish as much as most people do. Why, you ask? Because it’s too much work for such little of a reward.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I should have to work for my food. That’s probably why I don’t really enjoy eating crab or lobster, unless someone else is nice enough and will crack the shells to get the meat out for me.
I think I’m going to have to agree with Justin G. on this one, and recommend you order the shrimp along with maybe a pound or two of crawfish. I’m not even going to lie, I probably ate 5 – 6 shrimp along with half a pound of crawfish, but they were really just that good. I also recommend that you order all the seafood to be seasoned to Medium. My cousin who can’t handle much spice ordered Mild, and it was rather bland.
As far as service goes, it was great and the waitresses were all attentive and courteous. We came on a busy Saturday night and the kitchen seemed to be somewhat backed up. However, the waitresses repeatedly came by to let us know our food was coming right up. I really appreciate that fact because I hate it when it feels like they’ve forgotten about you.
Oh, and one more thing. Since you never really feel too full after eating seafood, there’s always room for dessert at Crawdad King. I suggest the fried banana, it was just sweet enough to hit the spot. Yea you know, your yummy food spot.
Minus 1 Star for ruining my manicure while trying to crack open crawdad shells. But I have to admit, it was kind of worth it :)

After being sucked into «Boiling Crab» now SJ Crawdads and thinking that all crawfish joints were that way, Crawdad King really opened my eyes that there is better.
I was glad to see that they had a vast variety of seafood, southern food and many regulars such as fries and all at a reasonable price. I am a big fan of the jambalaya so my only knock on Crawdad King was that for $ 5 they could have given more but none the less they had it, so i was ready to pay for the premium. Speaking of premium, their beer selection and prices were great. They charged $ 2 for domestic and $ 3 for imported. They also served MGD which was great because it truly is the best of the cheap beers. Oh and they serve other drinks like soju etc…
Ok on to the food, the crawdads were good but they could have used more sauce, although i’m more of a shrimp fan and like most places I order with caution, so I ordered mild but it really wasnt too tasty. After having ordered it I wished i ordered hot, but I guess that’ll be for next time. I’m still amazed of the food selection but was also glad to see some sports program on, they had a bulls vs pistons game yesterday but I’m hoping that they stay true to their home team that when the warriors are playing thats the only thing they’ll show.
The restaurant itself was very clean and the small bar was kinda cool for having a quick meal with a buddy. The restroom was out of soap but i think they might have forgotten to refill the dispenser, so i snuck in the womens and stole some of theirs. Our server was nice and very helpful, she was also informative about their competitors. I would definitely reccomend this to everyone that enjoys seafood.