Art’s Crab Shak

I’ve just learned that Art’s Crab Shak has closed. Where have I been? It’s a sad day for me. Heart break all over again.

Definitely going to miss this place! Loved their crab sandwich. Probably one of my favorites.

Art’s closing is one of the saddest things Ive experienced as Oakland goes through this gentrification. Not only was it great food in a comfortable environment, but dare I say it… It was hipster free! Walking up to a locked door today was very devastating:(. You will be missed!!!

I am very sad will there ever be another Arts Crab Shack in the East Bay. Is there any other place that can compare to this restaurant /​bar. been in the neighborhood for a long time. is there any other place that makes crab legs equal to arts.

Well I saw on the KBLX fanpage that this resaurant is closing it’s doors permanently! So call before you come. We drove for an hour to a closed restaurant at 1:30 pm

First let me state that the service was horrible. My party of 3 had to set ourselves and wasn’t even acknowledge when we came in. After we sat down over 5 mins passed and we had to ask to be waited on. I ordered the crab cakes and catfish dinner. The crab cakes where one of the most disgusting things I have ever tasted in my life, the catfish was decent but not good. Plus we asked to pay before they brought us our good as if we where at burger king or something. In the end I wish I would have just walked across the street and went to Burger King. The staff where so ghetto and rude I dint even bother sending my food back.

My partner wanted crab and this place was recommended to me. We were informed by customers that we’ were supposed to seat ourselves and then 2 out of 3 times we did we were told to get up and wait. I ordered the crab sandwich and coleslaw. The sandwich was too buttery and the slaw was a little boring. The waiter appeared to be too busy to check on us. Also don’t be surprised at having to pay for your food first while dining in.

Good food. Positive atmospere

I love garlic crab! I use to come here all the time back in the day. This place is more like a dive than a restaurant, very small and dark with 70s décor. There’s a bar where all the
hangout and talk shit, theres music playing mix of oldschool/​hip hop/​rnb. It’s located in a seedy area so you may see couple of bums and hoes outside around the building. We would usually order the large bucket and a fried appetizer for 2, which we would get so full and have take leftovers home. The crab bucket usually comes with garlic
was the first time I ate there in years! They have really cut back on portion, the large bucket is enough for 1 not 2 persons, the crab was a bit bland than what I remember but it was still good.

Just sat down to eat some Crab with a couple of friends and it took the waiter 10 minutes to acknowledge that we were even there. Then when the waiter came back with our drinks there was a long hair in one soda and food particals in another. So we got up and left due to if there was that type of disgusting body hair and food particals in the soda what was going to be in the food when we got it.

Business hours say 11 – 11 but when I arrived at 1pm in the day arts crab shack was not open! Very disappointed and embarrassing. I was meeting my dad there for lunch. I told him that this place was open and I had my dad wanting some real garlic cooked crab and they were closed! Wtf! FIX YOUR BUSINESS HOURS!

I ordered the prawn dinner and fries along with the garlic noodles. I received pasta noodles with garlic sauce and the prawns was so over cooked and rubbery. I would not recommend

OMG!!! I was taken here once and forgot the name. I looked high and low for this spot again and Unilocal helped me find it. This place is so amazing. The food is so AMAZING and its like a flash back to the 70’s décor (well kinda) makes you feel at home. I’m on my way back to the bay this week and can’t wait to stop by here once or twice. Thanks Unilocal!!!

Arts crab shack has went down hill!!!
#1 service is terrible
#2 portions are smaller
#3 food don’t taste the same
#4 no crab crackers (fo real)
#5 won’t be coming back no more

Be prepared to pay for your food before they bring it to you! Never heard of such a thing but maybe they have been burned in the past and make u pay before now? anyways… Crab was soo good! although, you need to ask for the crackers because they don’t just come with the crab! When i asked the waiter said «I’ll have to see, we don’t have enough.» LOL!!! how are you a crab restaurant without enough crab crackers for your customers? needless to say, he brought us what we needed. the hush puppies were awesome but really didn’t like the okra. felt like it was all breading and no okra. :(I’ll def return for some crab!!!

How are you going to call your business the crab shack but serve fake imitation crab cakes ’ and charge me 18 $ like they are real !!! What a waste of money !!

Art’s Crab Shak is definitely a throwback eatery. It’s quite possible that a few scenes from blaxploitation films were shot in the very booth I sat in (just kidding).
Honestly, I am sure that Art’s has is «regulars» but needs to turn up the charm for new patrons.
We started at the bar and ordered crab, fried chicken, fried okra and fried oysters. The waitress waited to tell us that we would have to move to the «other» side because crab could not be eaten at the bar. It’s no surprise that people are going to want to order a namesake item and it would have been nice not to have to move with drinks in-​hand.
The booths are small and was easily cramped with our party of 3, our food and drinks.
The crab plate looks like several of the pictures posted with crab, plenty of mushrooms and a huge half-​lemon on top. Really, a nice presentation.
The crab was a tad salty but the fried chicken and oysters were freshly fried and tasty.
While everything was ok, I don’t see reserving a bar stool any time soon!

My visit was actually about 2 years ago now. My BF brought me here for my birthday.
Now that I’m witting this review all I remember was the crappy service we got.
1. It was still early, about 12pm. Service should not be bad when you just opened and you only have two tables to wait on.
2. Why is it extremely dark in here? At night I can understand but in the day time there should be a bit more light.
3.The food is really not all that. I mean honestly I expected more options and hey for all I know now they very well might have changed that but back then, bleh.
In sense I was wishing I never chose this as my birthday lunch, but oh well ya live and learn.
Do they have a parking lot that we are not aware of? Because that street parking can be one hell of a *it*h!

I used to be a huge fan of this place. I went there yesterday and it was all bad. The portion sizes have changed to smaller amounts and the prices have gone up! Not to mention when I ordered crab, I was told the restaurant didn’t have crackers. I proceeded to use my hands and got the worst and deepest cut on my thumb I’ve ever had in my life! The blood and pain ruined my dinner. Plus the waitress picked up crackers from customers sitting across from us! They obviously had them and I don’t know why a restaurant serving crab doesn’t have enough utensils! Don’t go here unless you’re a local. Poor customer service, poor portions sizes for the price, terrible place overall.

Wow, Unilocalers totally let me down on this one.
Look, sure it’s not pretty on the eyes… but sometimes some of the BEST food comes from the neighborhood dive spot. So, I don’t let that deter me from trying a new place. In this case, it was a dive, and so was the food.
I ordered the calamari appetizer and the single person crab bucket.
Calamari was fried, and not in ringlets, they were strips of fried tastelessness (is that even a word?). The «bucket» consisted of the saddest looking set of crab legs, the «single person» order provided about 4 – 1 inch pieces of crab meat. And instead of having a nice white, pinkish look, I ate grey toned crab meat, and yes, I ate it.
You let me down Unilocalers! If you’re looking for crab legs… pick any spot BUT this one.