Crawdads On The River

Really love the atmosphere since you right along the river. The food is a bit pricey, and never consistent it’s a hit or miss.
Pretty view, come have a couple drinks and head to the next spot. The service is ok.
Come during the summer check out the boats, go on $ 2 taco night and usually they have live bands playing.

I really like this place. In the summer it is great to sit outside and watch all the activity on the river. Super spot to spends some time with your favorite beverage and friend. Of course the crawdads are good — try them. We have ended up bringing an order home for later more than once. Their burgers are tasty but try either the Gumbo, Étouffée or Jambalaya. We enjoyed the Étouffée so much we learned how to make a version of it at home via YouTube. If you have not eaten here, you are missing out on an experience.

We celebrated my birthday at Crawdad’s 2 weeks ago and they were fabulous. They treated us as if we had paid big bucks to reserve a private room, even though we hadn’t. The service was great, the perfect blend of attending to our needs and leaving us alone to enjoy the comaraderie of old friends. The food and drinks were delish and the weather was beautiful outside on the deck.

So this time it wasn’t bad. It was actually really good or maybe I was really hungry. The service is still terribly slow though.
My friend and I ordered the cajun fries, Half a dozen oysters, the jambalaya and the salmon.
The fries were crispy. With sausage and aioli dressing. The dressing was light. The fries were salty from the Cajun. I think the fries were baked because it was stuck together but it stayed crispy. It was so good. All fries should be like this and we sat outside. So even though the fries cooled down they were still crispy. The oysters were small but the raw oysters were good, they tasted how it should. The jambalaya was very good. Chicken, sausage, craw dad all in one plate. The flavor was good. And it wasn’t dry like I imagined. The sane was cooked over potatoes and by the potatoes were spinach and chorizo? I think those were the meat. The salmon was moist. And everything around it complimented it well.
There was only one bartender who took the role as a host and a server. I know we took a while to order but he took a while to come back. I think I saw him take a shot with a customer at the bar, maybe that’s why it took him to come towards us. He was too buzzed to remember lol jk.
Overall food was better. Service still eh. But they were nice though.

Here is the lunch menu with the so called «7 other seafood selections» on the menu. I guess my idea of seafood is a little different than what the menu offers. I was looking for something more along the lines of salmon, trout, halibut, mahi mahi, catfish, red snapper, swordfish, seabass, cod, flounder, sturgeon, scampi, prawns, etc. REALLY… any fish or shrimp would have worked for me!

I had forgotten about this place. Then I got a text from my friend, Ken. He said, «You’ve been to a place on the river called Crawdads and you didn’t tell me about it?» I was like, «Says who!!!» Well, apparently, one of his Facebook friends checked in to Crawdads On The River and then it showed that he had other friends, namely me and the Mrs., that had also been there before. Oh, yeah. That’s right.
I can see that if you live in the Sacramento area that you might stop in for a bite every now and again. I can even see if you have a boat and you’re drifting down the Sacramento River how you might like to come by. But I thought that it was merely okay.
It’s a bit pretentious. You know, the snobby guy drinking Heineken with his collar flipped up? Or the young girl that’s a bit too skinny and eager trying to catch you looking at her? It’s got decent food, but I thought it was on the high priced side. Don’t tell me I was paying for the view… because I’ve seen plenty of better view elsewhere.

Took my aunt here for Sunday brunch for her birthday, and it’s really nothing to write home about. She was polite and said it’s the thought that counts.
The most annoying thing is the flies. Because it is hot outside when we got there a bit after noon, we chose to sit inside. The flies were all over us. We had to re-​take our pictures so many times because flies were flying all around us, landing on our faces, etc., so we couldn’t hold our poses. The flies continued to harass us through our meal, major distraction.
The food itself was mediocre and disappointing. The Frito Misto sounds interesting with fried calamari, lemon chips and artichokes. Oh boy, the lemon chips were so bitter and sour that no one could eat it. The rest of what we ordered included clam chowder in a bread bowl, Mardi Gras burger, chorizo tacos, Cajun benedict and jambalaya. All of them were just ok, no «wow» moment at all.
For dessert we chose bread pudding to share for the birthday celebration. The bread pudding was burned. The edges were burned brown and chewy. I can make better bread pudding than that.
Overall, we enjoyed the view, but hated the flies. We probably won’t be back. The owner should have simply closed the doors and gotten the nice cold air conditioning going, instead of being cheap about it on a hot day by leaving the door open and inviting all the flies in.

I enjoy going to Crawdads. We usually go there when we take the boat out on the river they have parking up front and when that is full there is valet boat parking in the back for $ 8 which isn’t bad.
The service is says friendly and timely. Our waiters have always been courteous and kept a good eye on us and made sure we were happy. Surprises me this place only averages 3 stars. They also recently renovated. The place has a classy yet casual feel to it. Whether hanging out with friends on a Friday night or spending all day on the river, the dress code fits both.
The food has always been delicious! Nice presentation and everything is always packed with flavor. I like my liquor and I have yet to have a bad lemon drop martini.
I definitely recommend this spot if you are looking for good food, good drinks, good prices and a good atmosphere

This place gets two stars for its location and its food, both which are great! Too bad their service is HORRIBLE.
A friend and I decided to try this place after a nice day boating. It was mid-​week towards the evening and decided to end the beautiful day with a drink and finger food. We are able to boat and dock right next to the restaurant!
But as soon as we stepped off my boat, we were rudely greeted by a short lady with long brown hair in a pony tail, grey long dress with gold hoop earrings. She walked up to my friend and said «YOU NEED TO PUT A SHIRT ON BEFORE COMING IN TO MY RESTAURANT.» My friend had a top on, but I can understand her point; however she didn’t have to be SO RUDE and condescending! It really put us off.
We brushed her attitude aside, my friend put on a shirt and we walked to the bar and sat down. It was so hot, that even the bartender was covered in sweat. It was not pleasant. We ordered two beers from tap, however one of the beers we ordered had an empty keg, so they had to get another. After waiting for the longest 5 minutes ever, We decided to just get a different beer (I had already finished mine), and asked our bartender. He refused to get my friend another beer saying, «it’ll be right out, just wait.» I could tell my friend was VERY upset but she bit her tongue… and waited another 5 minutes…
Once we finally got our drinks, we decided to distance ourselves from all the negative energy of the bartender and girl with hoops; we sat outside and ordered food. To our surprise, the food was really good and came out fast. Our server, Kendall, was a breath of fresh air after dealing with her co-​workers, and tipped her well as a thanks.
Food:
Frito Misto — great, nice and crispy, yet soft inside.
Ahi Poke — Awesome taste, fresh and great texture. Love the seaweed.
Linguini and Clams — fresh, buttery and spicy! Too salty tho.
So after our first experience, we dared to try it again. Service was a little better and our host, the same lady who yelled at my friend from our first visit, was also wearing the same exact outfit, put on a short-​lived smile this time when she greeted us.
After we were seated, she walked towards the dock and yelled at someone who was standing there with a beer, «YOU CANT DRINK ON THE DOCK.» then continued to hassle the guy who was helping his friend tie his boat up to the dock. Again, I understand her point, however, being in the customer-​service/​restaurant industry LEARN SOME MANNERS!
We then decided to leave. We wont be going back. I have since shared (and will continue to share) my experience of this place with all my friends at the Sacramento Marina and other boating friends.
If you’re out on the river, looking for food and a drink, just keep going up-​river a bit longer to The Virgin Sturgeon.

We had a nice dinner. I’ve lived in the Sacramento area forever, but have never been here. The service was quick. The food had a lot of flavor. We had reservations for 5:30 and the only bad thing was the sun level. We sat outside and the sun was shining right through the top. It got very hot. I definitely recommend this place. It’s very casual.

Love this place, great food, friendly staff as well as great view of the river. As someone who grew up in Sacramento, a place like this is exactly what I love. Definitely recommend coming here!

This place is in my «Love the view but not much the restaurant itself» kind of category. It’s the epitome of a lazy river restaurant. Venue is satisfactory.
Décor is great, goes well with it being on the river. It’s great that they’re dog-​friendly and they even have communal dog bowls available for water. Better pick than going over to Swabbies if it’s a good day.
Yet the service is my only complaint … it took a inordinate amount of time to get served water and drinks. So here’s a tip … If you want a drink quickly, it’s better to go order it yourself at the bar. If you’re waiting and all you’re dreaming of is an ice cold beer and can’t stand waiting 10+ minutes for your brew, save your tip money for the bartender and order right at the source.
The food was great and diverse. Most people would think all they serve is crawfish but they did have a decent burger and jambalaya.
I came twice in a week, one of my own volition and one went with my office. The service is consistent in terms of serving time and it’s interesting to hear what staff have to say when a big party comes in to sit down for drinks and food. If there was a good system of serving a big party, it wouldn’t be that bad … so sorry to hear that we were making the restaurant some money on a wednesday afternoon …

Wanted to take out my husband for his birthday somewhere unusual, so to say. After browsing thru different places I stumbled upon Crawdads I reserved this place mainly because of its location. Reservation were made for 1pm on Sunday afternoon, I did specify that we would like to sit outside, but unfortunately when we came in we were told that there’s no room outside :(. I wasn’t too excited by that …:(on the other hand food was amazing. I read a lot of reviews saying that food ain’t that great, but on that Sunday afternoon food was outstanding and brought out to us promptly. We ordered jambalaya ~ very very flavorful, clam chowder and chicken sandwich.
Glad that I made reservations, cause this place was packed and there was a long line forming at the reception.

I have mixed thoughts about this place. If I could, I would give it 2 stars for its food and 5 stars for its location. I figure 4 stars overall is a happy medium.
My husband and I shared the calamari, short ribs, and jambalaya. Out of the 3, I would only maybe order the jambalaya again. It had good flavor and gave you hefty portions of protein. My kind of dish!
The calamari and the short ribs, on the other hand, were major disappointments. The calamari was too floury, and you could tell it was prefrozen. Now I know most calamari is prefrozen, but the texture of this one was just off a little. Maybe it was the batter they used? The short ribs were lackluster; boring flavor with wannabe kimchi. It serves me right for ordering an Asian dish at a primarily non Asian establishment!
Nevertheless, I would still come here again for the location and ambiance. You really can’t beat a view of the river and the calming sounds of moving water. We came here on 4^th of July night and even got views of some fireworks off in the distance. Next time I come, I’ll just order drinks and fries and hang out with good friends!

I love the view of the River at Crawdads
I was very appointed that the new chef remove the fish and chips off the menu! That is another reason I return is for the fish and chips (CRISS CUT FRIES). Sad… very sad! I will return for the venue!

Living in Sacramento is great, but being from the Bay Area I sometimes miss some waterfront dining. Crawdad’s gives me that fix, without driving to SF or Monterey. This place is part of what makes living here so great — warm summer nights, pull the boat up for dockside parking, live music, and great food. I love their fish tacos — probably the best I’ve had outside of that little shack I ate at one time on a deserted beach in Mexico.
PRO TIP — Crawdad’s has free dock parking if it’s available, with people to help guide you in. Come and go from the bar to boat, that’s the good life.

The next time you’re in the mood for excellent food, a unique and fun atmosphere, a great staff and a breathtaking view, go to a little place called Crawdad’s on the River.
This Sac-​River hotspot is literally ON the water. I’ve been here several times and its been a 5 Star experience every time. Check it out! You wont be disappointed.

Came here last night. Cute ambiance and great servers/​service.
Food was not spectacular. Calamari is no longer how you see pictured on here. No more strips. Its now overcooked and small pieces of the tenticle kind. Zero flavor. They even deep fry the lemon which was strange. I asked for more siracha aioli cause it was so dry and they charged me 50 cents for a second ramekin of it… Really?!?
I liked my longboard lemonade… But they use too much ice and not enough vodka. My friend had the mardi gras drink which ended up being way too sweet so she sent it back for something else.
I had the garlic clam pasta. I liked this a lot. Lemon garlic clams on top of linguini– $ 18 and a good choice. My friend had shrimp grits. These were really runny and lacked flavor at $ 23. I aso started with a starter caesar salad at $ 6 which was very good (yummy homemade croutons).
Our servers were attentive but the food failed to impress for the price. For two people it was $ 96??? There are many better places in Sac to eat that will leave your stomach and wallet happier.
I just really felt that everything was lacking flavor and not prepared well… I would only come here by boat again.

I went here today despite the reviews that say the food isn’t worth it. Well I thought the food was fantastic! It was the perfect day to be on the river. The breeze was blowing, the temp was great and the food was nommy. We got the ahi app and were very happy. I got the Po Boy and it was easily the best one I’ve had. They took the guts out of the bread which makes it much easier to enjoy the flavors of the shrimp and sauce. She got the career with shrimp and it was so good the person next to us ordered it after seeing it arrive at our table.
The menu is a bit limited. There are only like 10 choices including apps and lunch dishes. The atmosphere was great. The ladies were pretty and the food was tasty. What more could you ask for on a Saturday? I give it a rating of «pretty bomb»

I came here for a Unilocal Elite Event a while back and had a great time. Tasty food, fun people, awesome patio. But when I came this past weekend for dinner with my fiancé, I was less than impressed.
We were seated immediately and given a choice of tables, which was nice. Our server immediately introduced himself (Gabriel) and came back to get our drink orders. He was … odd, though. Instead of chatting or asking us what we would like, he just kind of stared at us. And I always feel very awkward just spurting out my demands. Dr. Pepper now! or the kid gets it!
Anyway.
We started with raw oysters, which at $ 18 for half a dozen (says the menu, but our bill showed only $ 16, which was confusing), were rather on the small side. Later we found out that they were the very last ones. It makes me wonder if people throughout the day got all of the larger oysters and the smaller ones were left for later in the day. Even distribution would have been nice. BUT. They were freaking delicious. A little bit of tabasco and lemon, it was like a beautiful beach day in my mouth.
For dinner we ordered the Po’ Boy to split, as well as the fish tacos to split. The Po Boy was as good as I remembered it. Crunchy shrimp, tangy sauce, soft bread. I’d recommend that to anyone. And the fries that came with them were delicious as well.
But for the caliber that Adam Pechal is at, I would have expected better fish tacos. First of all, fish tacos do NOT go on flour tortillas. That was strike one. Secondly, there was hardly any flavor. There was an abundance of cabbage «slaw» on it, but it lacked any kind of seasoning. And the fish was bland as all get out. By the time I got to the second half of the taco, the flour tortilla had turned pasty/​gummy from the sauce, which was also bland. It was just not good. And to top it off, the tortilla chips that came with it were stale and chewy. I was severely disappointed in this dish because fish tacos are one of my favorite meals.
Another issue we had, was that Gabriel would tend to only pay attention to one of us. He asked if we wanted refills on our sodas, I said, «no, I’m okay,» and he immediately walked away without asking my fiancé, who did want a refill. My fiancé asked the girl that dropped off our food for a refill, and she said yes, but basically ignored the request, so he went our entire meal without a drink, because there also hadn’t been any water refills offered.
This one-​sided attention also cropped up when we got our bill. It took Gabriel about 7 passes (no, I’m not exaggerating) to actually pick up my card, and when he brought it back, he set it down in front of my fiancé and said thank you without even looking at me. And it was MY card. It was just one awkward situation after the next.
Especially with the family next to us that let their children take all of the silverware off of the tables around us and «sharpen» the knives against each other. Super classy, right there.
TLDR: Tasty oysters, if you come early. Fish tacos were a no-​go. Patrons were less than appealing. Maybe this place would be better on a weekday, instead of a Saturday afternoon.