QT Crawfish Restaurant

Being from Texas, I am a crawfish fiend! It’s not quite like home but it’s delicious for such limited options in the Tampa Bay area. Would give 5 stars if they had in season prices (typically 5 – 7 dollars per lb between Feb and July) instead of the expensive $ 9/​lb year round. Price aside, it’s decently good crawfish.

The Unilocal reviews are mixed, but with a total of 4 star rating, we decided to try QT Crawfish out. First of all, crawfish and cajun cooking is not new to us. This is a staple where we originally hail from, and were excited to possibly find a new, great cajun restaurant. Nope. Instead, the so-​called spices are a weird mixure of chili powder and chuky substance. It was the oddest taste and didn’t come close to creole. The potatoes you get with real crawfish meal are red potatoes. At QT, you get large, undercooked idahoe potatoes. Huge cajun no-​no. The website gives this «feel good» description of how the owner was drinking Abita beer (Louisiana beer), missing the flavors of his home in Houma and Larose, and decided to open up his own Louisiana restaurant in Pinellas Park. It also says they serve craft beers. If your definition of craft beers are bud, bud light, heine, and shock top– all bottled-​then you have hit the jackpot. Ask what the owner’s name is and do a quick online search of proprietorship… I guarantee you, this guy is no where near Louisiana roots. His food definitely shows it.

The food is good but I would rather order to-​go if I am really craving for some cajun food than eat in the restaurant because the service was not really the best and I usually do not complain about the service.
I am giving this place a 2 out of 5 stars:
+1 star — the food is decent and desirable especially if you are craving for seafood cajun style. We ordered a basket of calamari and it tasted good with a good amount of crunch and softness from the calamari if you like crunchy calamari. We also ordered a pound of boiled shrimp with their cajun sauce and it was tasty.
+1 star — 10% off on your bill if you check in on Unilocal so do not forget to check in!
–1 star — the service was not the best. We had to go up to the server to ask for utensils, water, and our check. We really did not have a problem with it but it was inconvenient while we were eating with our bare hands. Also, we went with our friends who also ordered a separate pound of shrimp for their own. The server served us two pounds of shrimp in one plate but our friends wanted it separated so they did not have to reach on our side of the table for the shrimp and the server seemed like she had a problem with our friends wanting our two pounds of shrimp in separated plates but I do not want to assume anything since she was the only server for three tables.
–1 star — I am not sure about the prices of the other food items but I think the shrimp was expensive. I do not understand why the shrimp is around $ 17-​$ 18 and I have been to other cajun places and the prices ranged from $ 10-​$ 12 for the similar shrimp cajun style
–1 star — the bathroom is clean but it needed some soap since we are eating with our bare hands and we wanted to wash our hands with soap after eating so our hands did not smell like shrimp.
Location and Parking: This place is located inside a small mall area across Sonny’s BBQ on Park boulevard and there are tons of parking spots because they have a private lot.
Overall, I will come back to this place to order to-​go if I am really craving for cajun food but I am not sure if I want to eat in the restaurant. I think other people should give it a try but the service was just lacking for me.

This experience was one of the worst. Being from South Louisiana this was nothing like home. The crawfish were not fresh they were cold. They were poorly seasoned and the potato that came with the pound of crawfish was very hard and unseasoned.
We also had fish. The fish was fried so hard we couldn’t even enjoy it. The best thing on the plate was nothing. Even the French fries were hard. I would advise you stay away from this place if you are looking for a crawfish fix. Clearly the people giving these 5 star reviews have never had authentic south Louisiana food. This was more like over priced fish sticks. Nothing was fresh. It was like everything came out of a box and was dropped frozen in the grease. The food was very heavy. Like the grease needed to be changed.
We are never going back. I had to give a star because it won’t let me leave it empty. I guess the one star would be for them having the news on the TV. I do believe that most of the reviews written were from friends.

Run, don’t walk! The crawfish and shrimp poboys were EXCELLENT. The remoulade was perfect. Sorry, no pics of this one… it was so good, I couldn’t stop eating to snap a pic. Portion sizes were perfect. We’ll definitely be back.

I debate on giving this place 2 or 3 stars. I’ve been here twice now and the experiences were night at day different.
First time I went was on $ 2 taco Tuesday. My bf really wanted some crawfish, so we ordered a pound of the spicy. This was my first time I had crawfish so I can’t really compare it to anything, but they were pretty good and the spicy seasoning added a nice touch. The service was great that night… but we were also the only people dining in that night.
Now the second time was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. It’s a small place to begin with, but there was only one server working. There was a 4 top and 2 other couples dining in that night when we arrived. It took the server about 10 minutes to even greet us, then about 20 more minutes just to get our drinks. I’ve served before so I’m usually very understanding when it comes to service… but a total of 10 people isn’t that hard to handle.
Again, it was Taco Tuesday so I went with 1 scallop and 1 fish taco. My bf went with two of each and a pound of crawfish. After having to get up to re-​fill our waters our food finally came out. We ended up receiving the crawfish, 3 shrimp and 3 fish tacos. She then said the scallop tacos were on their way out (which made us a little confused bc she got the order wrong). After all that had gone wrong in our experience the tacos came out cold. I’m talking about the fish still being frozen cold! We were so disgusted we asked to just pay for the crawfish and get them to go. Even after all this I still had a little hope in this place, but the server ruined it even more because she didn’t apologize or wasn’t even phased our whole experience was horrible.

OMFG, don’t pass this place up. Ultra personable staff, expectionally priced, delicoluously seasoned food. Worth the trip from Riverview.

This was a nice little spot. We stumbled upon it on Unilocal looking to grab one last dinner out before the end of our vacation and the Cajun crawfish theme really drew us in.
When we got there we also found it was Taco Tuesday! Score! Two Tacos and a pound of crawfish and we were off!
The tacos are delicious! Several types of fresh seafood to choose from, with lettuce and spicy roumalade sauce that was excellent!
Then we moved on to the crawfish, and even though we knew we were going spicy, but wow! It will absolutely clear your sinuses! The sauce apparently is cooked the same way no matter what the spice level, it’s the concentration of the heat. Well, i got a good batch of spice in my medium and had me sweating! I don’t mind but the girlfriend was struggling! Despite the heat, the flavor was still great, and I really enjoyed the place.
If you’re a fan of crawfish or cajun food, I’d give this place a shot!

This place… I found out about this place shortly after finding out that I may be allergic to shellfish…
… I still went here almost every weekend for about a month.
QT is definitely a great crawfish option for those in the St. Pete/​Tampa area. I always get at least 2 pounds there then spend about an hour or so just chatting away and filling my tummy with these delicious little critters.
The sauce that the crawfish sits in in is very flavorful! Although my personal technique is to open a bunch of crawfish and stick the tails in the sauce to absorb more flavor. Follow their slogan and suck the head! You won’t regret it. I know they have different spice levels of the sauce but be wary. Apparently, this is dependent on how long ago the sauce was made. I’ve gotten the spiciest option sometimes and not had a problem. Other times, I’ve gotten the medium and felt my lips burning just a couple of crawfish in. The crawfish themselves are also a pretty good size! Not too big but not tiny either.
As for the place, every time I’ve been it’s been relatively empty but always clean! I know that’s hard to do for a place that primarily services something as… robust in smell as crawfish. The service is good but not great as, sometimes, they go to the back then we can’t find them for a while.
All in all… now I’ve made myself want QT crawfish and I hope you want some too!

This place is awesome! Bought a Groupon to try it out. We had the Crawfish Po’ Boy, Crawfish Étouffée and Fried Fish Po’Boy! Tasted great! Great flavor and very well cooked! The server was also very nice and friendly and checked on us to make sure everything was ok. Would recommend this place for sure!

Now those are some good freaking crawfish! Ive been meaning to try this place after passing by and seeing the sign. Glad I did. The server was very nice and very helpful with the menu. They definitely know how to serve them. You get a choice of a few different spice levels for the sauce. I went spicy with a side of extra spicy. Very fresh and very tasty. Price isnt bad either. 8.99 a pound.
Now to the tacos. Again, amazing. Two dollars on Tuesdays. These things are huge as well. Scallop taco was my personal favorite. The inside reminds me of a small diner. Not a huge amount of space but it makes this place comfortable. Cant wait to come back and tey some of the other menu items and of course have the crawfish again!

On a recent trip to Pinellas driving down Park Ave on my way to a friends home I noticed this bright yellow sign «CRAWFISH» well for a girl that loves her Cajun/​Creole food that was all it took.
I took a small table by the window and was greeted with a friendly smile and a «what can we get you today?». One look at the menu and a few customer’s plates and I was hooked. One bite of the gumbo and I thought I was back in the French Quarter of New Orleans! I had two of the fish tacos and my son had the scallop PoBoy. Both were amazing.
My visit was so positive, I went back on a Tuesday when they have Taco Tuesday and was not disappointed. There was a friendly couple sitting nearby that told me he was raised in Louisiana and this was «the real deal».
Very clean, friendly and reasonably priced. Worth the trip.

The place is nice and quiet. The services is great.
I have had shrimp Po boy, Oyster Po-​Boy.
Just today I order the red beans and rice.
The spies was just right.
The red and yellow sign you can’t miss it.

Driving through St. Pete and Unilocal happened to recommend this place, so glad we stopped by.
The calamari was delish, very crispy and fresh. The crawfish potsticker was more like an empanada to be honest, it was good but I wasn’t a fan. Then there was the scallop tacos, omg, amazing! Would totally go back next time I’m in the area.
All around, good quality food, great service, and good bang for your buck. Check it out if you’re in the area!

Not having had crawfish in such a long time, we came here very hungry & eager to try this place. Apparently sit down restaurants serving crawfish by the pound are pretty rare to come by which also made this find all the more special in the Bay Area.
From the outside you cant miss this restaurant with its Red & Yellow striped vinyl decal plastered across the windows as you drive by on Park Blvd. The interior was nothing too special but then again we didnt come inside looking for a flashy interior or pretty seats, we just wanted crawfish!
As for the food, the crawfish was very yummy. Had almost like a gummy like taste to it, as attempting to open each crawfish one at a time trying to get the most meat is a topic of conversation all in itself. pretty fun experience trying to perfect how to pry open one of those little suckers and get all the meat out in one piece. Good spice on ours and you are given the option of changing the degree of your spice with when you order, based on your personal preference. Also, the crawfish we received had a good size to it and after the 1^st pound we all wanted more.
I had the po-​boy sandwich & the jambalaya and it was good although the true stars was the crawfish. i’d def come back for more!

YUM. YES. FEED INTO MY CRAWFISH ADDICTION.
I have been eating crawfish every week now and QT does not help. It just adds onto the list of places to visit when I want crawfish (it’s a good thing). Especially when I’m trying to binge on crawfish before the season ends because who wants frozen food? Fresh is way better! Live is even better: D
I absolutely love the crawfish jalapeño poppers, they are really unique and are so tasty. I highly recommend these to start with. I did try the crawfish potstickers and they were not what I was expecting. They are more like empanadas and I’m not crazy for it (I was thinking steam potstickers).
The crawfish was yummy! Sadly, not as yummy as ones in Orlando because of the sauce, but still tasty. I tried the extra spicy and it was barely spicy at all so the spice level is weak here. The flavor of the sauce isn’t bad, it’s just not as tasty as other places and very watery.
The big plus is also the fact that it feels and looks clean inside. The tables are not sticky and the whole restaurant doesn’t smell dirty. This is wonderful as I know how messy these meals can be. They do have a very large menu so check it out!
I want crawfish, NOW!

OK, OK, I gave it another shot (a year later) after all of the glowing reviews subsequent to my first take. I thought that I must have been hung over or sleepwalking when reading others’ experiences here that were in stark contrast to mine. I was wrong-​about the hangover. As much as I would like to like the food here because the manager is so nice, the food here-​at least the fried food-​is simply awful.
This time I tried the soft shell crab Po’ Boy. The breading they use is a big part of the problem. It creates the impression (could be correct) that the seafood is frozen and out of a package at the store, not made fresh in the back. It is a heavy breading that adds nothing except calories to the food. The soft shell crab was heavily breaded and almost flavorless, and overcooked as well. The fries were terrible. (Change your grease).
My guess is the owner has alot of friends who were encouraged to review here because then the reviews would make sense based upon her nice personality. However, based upon the food itself, the highly positive reviews are simply misleading or written by people who have absolutely no idea of what is good fried seafood. There are so many superior options in the area, like Gulf Coast Po Boys, Ricky P’s or even Cajun Café that offer authentic Cajun food that tastes vastly better than the offerings here. So, at least for the fried selections, avoid this place.

It was my first time coming to Qt Crawfish after driving by many times. I’m really glad I came!!!
When you walk in, it doesn’t really look like a restaurant, (it’s very clean, though!) but don’t let it fool you.
The menu has plenty of great choices, and I picked the Jambalaya.
There was only one server there, who seemed to have everything under control. He was very nice and fast with everyone’s orders.
Anyway, the Jambalaya! Absolutely fantastic. Full of flavor, textures, and perfect amount of spice. I was extremely happy with my dish. I will absolutely return to try the Crawfish and the Shrimp Po Boy.
Other than the restaurant being plain/​lacking in theme, (not a huge deal), the customer service and food has got me hooked.

Decent food for a decent price.
We were craving Crawfish and there are not many good dine in places for some good Cajon food. We heard about this place and wanted to try it out. The place is very clean and the service is good. The po’boys were very delicious but a little too heavy on the sauce so it took away the flavor of the seafood just a little bit. The gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice were wonderful and made very well. The Crawfish etoufee was good but nothing to rave about but if you have a craving for it, it will do. The Crawfish was frozen and the sauce was good but again, will hit the spot if you have a craving but not the best. Worth a try.

QT Crawfish is a great little taste of New Orleans tucked into a strip mall along Park Boulevard in between 49^th Street and US 19. From the outside you’ll see the sign saying «Crawfish», and inside you’ll find a super clean restaurant and take-​out counter with space for about 15 tables.
During crawfish season (March through June), this is the place to come in with a group of friends, sit at a table, and order a pound or two (each) of boiled and seasoned crawfish with small redskin potatoes, Andouille sausage, and half-​ears of corn on the cob. Order some Blue Point oysters to start, and a bucket of your favorite bottled beers, and then dig in!
If you’re not a fan of the little mud bugs, then you’d probably prefer one of their baskets of fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried fish, fried scallops, fried calamari, or fried chicken strips or wings baskets. They also offer cups of gumbo, Cajun fish tacos, Po’Boy sandwiches made with fried tilapia, shrimp, scallops, oysters, or crawfish. In addition to the cooked crawfish, you can order snow crab, clams, King crab, shrimp, mussels, scallops, frog legs, and scallops as a lunch or dinner entrée, and seasoned mild, medium, spicy, and extra spicy. And finally you can order one of their Cajun rice dishes including jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, and red beans and rice.
Since I was there out of season, and in between client appointments, I had the fried oyster appetizer basket with remoulade sauce, followed by a bowl of their crawfish étouffée. Both were really good, and very filling. Unless you ask otherwise, the food is served lightly spiced but you have a choice of various hot sauces sitting on each table so that you can punch up the flavor to your liking.
QT Crawfish is open every day from 11am — 9pm. There are so many different things on the menu that I really enjoy, and so I know that I need to plan a follow-​up visit or two and try some more of this Cajun goodness in Pinellas Park!