The Crab Bucket

Great food!
Crab legs were great tasting and good size serving
Service was okay a little on the expensive

Customer Service is horrible. The food is ok depend what day you go. Shitty customer service. Decent food.

We visited this place out of curiosity and on the recommendation of our kids. I should stop there… LOL, but at any rate we took a leap of faith and were a bit disappointed with our experience. The service was fine, as we went on a Sunday afternoon with some friends after church and were seated right away. This place serves the seafood by the pound so we ordered 6 pounds of shrimp as there were 6 in our party along with some extras such as fries, sausages, and garlic bread. The shrimp comes in a bag mixed whatever extras that you order with it and you are supplied with a bib and wax paper over the table and no utensils. It is a fun option of eating with your hands, as the mess is a part of the experience. As a side note, I took the mess experience to a new level literally spilling the garlic juice content of my entire bag of shrimp all over my pants! After I got past that mishap we proceeded to try the entrees and the shrimp was hot, but lacked the flavor I was expecting after being bathed in garlic butter. The sausage was good, as were the fries, as those things go. The menus is extensive and perhaps I will go back to experience a more traditional dish that requires utensils.

I visited the establishment for the oysters and crawfish.
Before ordering I asked where the oysters originated. I was told West Virginia. After all these years on this planet I have never ate West Virginia oysters. Oregon, Alaska, Washington, East Coast and Gulf, yes… but never West Virginia. They were good sized but very salty. No sweetness.
The boiled crawfish were nice-​sized but certainly not fresh as there was nothing in the heads to suck and not sweet.
I probably should have just ordered the crab.
F

First time I had this and it was ok. I ordered the meal to go since its Easter Sunday and my family had the flu. I would give this place 3.5 stars.
Here is an overall summary:
–The cashier helped me order over the phone
–Parking is easy to find (parallel and private lot)
–Small place
–Food was prepared quickly
–Price was decent (ordered 2 lbs shrimp. 1 lb clams ½ pound sausage for 44 $)
–I had to ask for paper and extra lime, pepper and salt— I think it should be a given thing.
–There were more sauce than clams… more empty clam shells
–Shrimp shells were really soft– kind of hard to peel.
–Sauce was full of flavor (kawa-​bunga wild sauce)
It’s a good place, especially it being in Salinas, where there’s not much good places to eat. Living in San Jose… it’s not the best. I would choose CrawDaddy or Kickin Crab over this place but overall good eats.

Finally got around to trying this place. Everything was delicious. Our group ordered 3 pounds of shrimp, 2 with cajun seasoning and one with lemon pepper; pound of King crab legs that were cooked to perfection; fried shrimp, lemon pepper fries and sweet potato fries. The only thing I wasn’t impressed with was the lemon pepper fries– they were pretty skimpy on the seasoning. Service was a little slow, but it looked like they were under staffed and it was peak dinner time. Would definitely recommend this place to seafood lovers.

We decided to go out for family dinner and we love seafood. The service was good not too bad our waitress kept coming back to see if we were okay. I liked that. I was pretty excited about eating crab (I’ve been wanting it for a couple of weeks) we ordered lemon pepper fries (basic frozen fries) we ordered 2 orders of shrimp and two orders of crab 1lb or sausage, calamari and corn on the cob. The shrimp was so hard to peel and it didn’t taste very fresh. Crab was okay, I’ve had better. The calamari wasn’t good. The sausage and corn were good. The down side both my husband and I are sick from bad food. We will never step foot into that place. That was our first time there. Like I said the waitress was on top of everything.

Best crab in town! When ever I’m craving seafood I go here. Great atmosphere and friendly staff.

The shrimp is so low quality is freaking nasty I can’t even peel them off with out the shrimp falling a part it doesn’t even taste like shrimp the boiling crab is way better!!!

Snow crabs were great, shrimp were a bit odd with heads still on but good. Garlic bread was on point. Server was a bit less than great, asked for things I never received. Still the crab was good enough I will be back.

5 stars for food alone, but the service… WOW it was so bad. 4 stars wouldn’t even be fair.
When we got there, we only had to wait like 5 minutes, but when we left, OMG you should have seen the line. There was literally a crowd of 12 – 15 people standing outside. That might not sound too crazy, but it’s not a big storefront so I had to elbow my way out.
The prices are very comparable to that of Boiling Crab — $ 12/​lb for shrimp, $ 11/​lb for crawfish, $ 12/​lb for green mussels. My boyfriend and I got a pound of each of those, plus Cajun fries and our bill came out to $ 42.
So prices and food are fantastic, but the service…
After we were seated, someone came to take our drink order and then just walked away. She brought our drinks, and we said we were ready to order but she was like «hold on» and left, and didn’t come back for a while.
It took 30 min for our Cajun fries to come out, and then another 20 for our actual food. No one ever checked up on us, until we flagged them down for water and the check.
The staff just seems really inexperienced and were very inattentive. This isn’t the place to come for a quick meal, but their food IS very good and their prices are fair.

This place is like a knock-​off of Boiling Crab. The food isn’t the best, but it’s good enough to satisfy the Cajun shrimp cravings I have once in a while; driving to SJ just for Boiling Crab would be a waste of time.
I always order the kawa-​bunga, medium spicy, 1 pound of shrimp. I noticed that the shrimp is mixed with fresh and not so fresh shrimp. Sometimes the sauce is a little too salty, so I have to drown my shrimp in lime. One time I tried their clams. They were kinda gross because it tasted way too salty for me. I still finished it none the less.
The service is ok. The female servers never really smile, and that kinda bothers me every time I eat there. I also work as a server at a restaurant and I highly believe in good customer service. As in, smiling all the time rather than looking you’re bored or having a horrible time at work.

Crab Bucket doesn’t take reservations, but I was able to call ahead that day and request a table for a large party. Granted, they opened at 4 and we were coming in at 5… If it was for 7pm during peak times, I’m not sure if they would’ve been so accommodating. I Introduced a group of coworkers to this place and they all loved it. Some people got the garlic butter shrimp, lemon pepper shrimp. but my all time favorite is still the Kawa-​banga Medium. It makes my nose run, but so flavorful and delicious! The garlic butter wasn’t really flavorful. The waitress was really nice and attentive. She even split up all the checks for us without asking! I’ve never seen a restaurant do that! Points for them!
Prices are a little steep, but it beats having to drive to SJ and wait 1−2hrs at Boiling Crab.
For me, 1 lb of shrimp Kawa-​Banga Medium, and 2 draft beers for $ 24 + tip.

The food was delicious however I wouldn’t recommend ordering the King Crab unless you bring your own sledge hammer. We broke three crab crackers and when we asked them to crack up the crab they said they didn’t have a hammer but would mention it to the owner.

I originally had a 5-​star review for our first visit but just noticed it was never posted. Unfortunately, we have completely changed our minds. Our second visit was ok, but today, it was NASTY!!! We’re Monterey locals and eat seafood VERY regularly. Sweet potato fries were good as usual but when our two bags of shrimp came out, the heads and legs were all black… signs of old age. We asked to get another order but they said they just got the batch of shrimp and it’s all like that. In addition to that, the clams were no where near fresh but it was edible so we ended up finishing that. I wish I took a picture of it but it was an afterthought!
Recommendation to owner, don’t skimp on quality and freshness. Word gets around fast and reputation will go down real quick! We won’t come back anytime soon. We’re in the restaurant business as well. You could order fresh seafood daily and the suppliers will deliver!!! No reason to buy a ton and let it get old and serve crap food!!! It’s a pity that quality is not your priority.

Compared to The Kicking Crab in San Jose, this is the Salinas version. Exact same concept, you buy the seafood by the pound and then pick a flavor and spice level and they give you a bag with all of it. Came here with the boyfriend and ordered the snow crab, mussels, and shrimp along with sides of corn and potatoes and fried calamari. We ordered the mild lemon pepper and it was pretty good, although not as spicy as we had liked. It’s a decent meal for the price (came out to about 60 total but the snow crab was a little pricey for the amount that we got). The fried calamari came out really hot which made it THAT much better. The service was pretty good, they always came around to check how we were doing and even switched one of the TV channels for me so I could watch the game. This is definitely one of the better food options in Salinas and I would recommend it.
Side note: the parking lot is a little sketchy and is horrible to get out of (blind spot galore!)

They have improved since the last time I came in. And I still love the fact if I am craving this type of shrimp I do not need ti drive 1.5 hours to San Jose.
What I first noticed as I entered is that there were hardly any people. I came during lunch time around 1pm on a Saturday. I asked them if this is how it is during lunch hours so I can get the insider tip. who likes to wait for food that they have cravings?! unfortunately it’s hit or miss … but by dinner time around 6pm it is usually packed. Second was a distinct cleaning cleanser odor. But after 10 minut s the odor went away or I just got used to the smell.
As always I ordered the the 1 lbs of shrimp kawabunga style. They now have ½ of sausage which I also ordered and corn on the cob all in one bag… Yummy! My friend ordered the 1lbs of garlic butter shrimp style but he ended up putting his shrimps in my bag cause mine was tastier. Oh yeah… We were still hungry after eating all that that we ordered a king crab. It was very juicy and succulent in the kawabunga sauce.
They now have hand wipes after you are done with your meal which they did not have before. Also on the board menu I did notice they are offering ranch and cocktail sauce for purchase and noodles… :)
Until next time.

I’m a fan of this place, prices are very reasonable. I mean compared to other Crab shops I’ve been to this place is like the others. Corn on the cob came out pipping hot. The Kawa-​Bunga Medium sauce satisfied my taste buds. The shrimp tasted fresh and the mussels were good as well.
I’m sure this place will stay in Salinas, just need more word of mouth, a bigger location and add more garlic chunks to their sauce and they will be good to go.

First off, I was pretty excited that they converted flying chicken into crab bucket. It’s a little restaurant that holds a capacity of about 80 – 90 ppl. However, i do have to admit that this place is pretty adequate for salinas. The service was good, the ladies were attentive and nice.
Now, let me get down to the food. I ordered 1lb of shrimp for the price of 11 $ as well as 1lb of clams medium, Kawa-​bunga. The sauce or seasoning was lacking flavor; It was more oil based and hardly any garlic. So, I wasn’t to fond about there sauce or seasoning which plays a huge part. I also got 1lb of clams. Now, let me tell you, be aware that if you do get clams you’ll probably get ¾ shells and the rest meat. Which is completely not worth it.
Overall, great service and vibe, just needs to work on their seasoning and proportions. I’ll definitely be coming back.

The Crab Bucket is the best idea to bring to Salinas. I love the Boiling Crab from San Jose and this is just the same! My friend Vanessa and I walked in, but the first downfall was the wait.
Once we actually sat down our waitress «Michelle» was just delightful. Her customer service was just great! As my friend Vanessa and I enjoyed our own order of a pound of shrimp kawa-​bunga style and an extra pound of sausage mild we did notice it wasn’t as hot as expected. Next time I might have to go a bit spicier :) we also ordered Cajun and lemon pepper fries. I would recommend the Cajun fires over the lemon pepper fries simply because they had more flavor.
This place is my new favorite since I’m a huge seafood lover. You can’t go wrong with this place.
I only wish this place the best.