Crab Shell

Despite the not-​so-​great reviews we decided to come here on Sunday afternoon for lunch because I was in the mood for fried shrimp, and didn’t see anywhere else close to where we were that had it. The entrance is confusing, there is a sign to go to the inside bar area, but then the bartender directs you back to the hostess stand (outside). The two young hostesses were dressed a bit unprofessionally to start. 35 minute wait to sit outside, no wait to sit inside. Which wasn’t a big deal because I can’t be in the sun anyways. We sat inside, and it was nice and quiet and air conditioned. The waiter hardly spoke English, and just stared at us to tell HIM what we wanted. He saw our menus close and came over, and stared at us again with his pad to write down our order. Not even asking «Do you know what you would like to order?» It was just uncomfortable. I ordered the fried shrimp entrée with french fries, boyfriend ordered the fried calamari appetizer. He said his was good. Mine came with 5 big fried shrimp and a small amount of fries, and some coleslaw. The fries were good. I don’t think I would order it again if we were to ever return.

Perfect spot for good weather day-​drinking. Very busy, seemingly at all times. Shrimp cocktail was very good. Jalapeño poppers EXCELLENT. If you’re in the mood for comfort food, try lobster pot pie. The crust was superb and was filled with thick chunks of lobster meat and the cream base was seasoned well. Staff is friendly, but busy. Enjoy!

Horrible service. Second time here thought the first time might have been an aberration, but same lack of service the second time here as well. Seated for twenty minutes before a the waitress would even acknowledge us, and this was after asking the hostess twice for the waitress.
Food is average at best
What is nice about this place is the location on the water/​marina. Good bar with live music makes this a good place for a drink. Just don’t come here for a regular dinner

Went to Crab Shell last night. We must have picked a good night to come because we didn’t see any of the things that many people have commented negatively on regarding this place. All friendly staff, food was good. Atmospheric here is nice and relaxing.
We went to a friend’s band play and this place is a great spot for outdoor partying.
I would definitely return.

Had panfried grouper and my friend had panfried trout w mashed potatoes. We had muscles in oreganata (sp) sauce for appetizer. The staff was extremely courteous and the food was good. Its a nice spot to have lunch/​brunch outside in the summer.

So disappointed. Came here yesterday to enjoy the nice views and weather. We came and in let the hostess know we were there to grab some drinks. A group of 6 of us were seated on a hightop table near the bar. Our waiter came to us and took our orders after a couple of minutes and everything was going fine. When we were ready to order our next round of drinks, our waiter asked if we wanted any food. We took a look at the menu and having just ate, we passed. At this point our waiter became angry and told us we can’t sit at the table anymore. We were told that «so many» others are waiting for the table and that if we want to drink we can go to the bar or somewhere else. I could not believe how rude he was to us. We told our hostess from the beginning that we were there for drinks and to have been kicked off our table because our waiter no longer wanted to serve us was insulting. So we had our ONE round of drinks and were told to leave.
Here’s the kicker, as we’re walking out, I asked the hostess if anyone was waiting for the table and she said NO!
I will NEVER go back here.

— Great atmosphere near the water
— Great service
— Good freshness of ingredients
— Standard quality of ingredients
— Clam Chowder– get it
— Maryland Crab Balls– get it
— Crab Salad Plate– get it
— Spicy Swordfish Sandwich– skip it
— Arnold Palmer w/​Free Refills– yay!

My go to at this place is the lobster roll. I would give it a ³⁄₅ it’s delicious but not the best lobster roll I have had.
I’ve ordered the calamari, jalapeño poppers, & Maryland crab bites for appetizers and they are all just ok. I honestly wouldn’t order any of them again.
In terms of drinks whenever I go here I get the coconut Mojito it’s actually delicious!
The atmosphere is fun in the summer when you can sit outside. My only complaint is I went with my dad and they refused us service because he had a tank top on. When we looked around there were tons of women with tank tops on and I myself had one on… Talk about discrimination… Not sure why it’s ok for women to wear them but not men especially on a hot day.

Touristy, on the water. You shouldn’t expect the best but the servers are nice and helpful. DO NOT GET A BLOODY MARY! I would recommend peel and eat shrimp, calamari was alright nothing special. Huge salads was a big plus!

Excellent clam chowder and fish &chips. Beautiful harbor water view. Winter day, inside the restaurant.

not like it use to be. The service was good (this time) but the food took about an hour. The foods is just meh… I guess people come here for the view, but to be honest, the last 3 times I came I haven’t been impressed. I was actually given a gift certificate after my last time because of an issue, and this time I was given 15% off because of the delay. I keep going expecting to be «wowed» with the seafood and I’m always left disappointed. I’m pretty sure it use to be better years and years ago. Our server was real nice though…
Its safe to say I wont be returning

Just moved from Los Angeles and excited to try this place. Guess what? Would have loved to give a raving review if a server actually came over. Yeah, sat there, and sat, mind you it was 1:45 pm on a Saturday. Hostess super unfriendly, no drink menus, no greeting, by anyone. Don’t expect much here as we won’t ever give it another try.

Great location on the water with plenty of parking. Unfortunately that is about all that is good about Crab Shell. They do not have a drink menu, and there are hardly any beers on tap. The service is incredibly slow. I ordered the lobster roll with sweet potato fries. The lobster roll is literally served on a toasted hotdog roll for $ 20. It is not impressing at all. My silverware was wrapped with a couple pieces of old lettuce in them. Ick!!! I would not come here again. Go to Dolce instead. It’s rated better on Unilocal for a reason!

Nice location! I had the whole belly fried clams, which I loved and my wife had jumbo fried shrimp. There are quite a few things on the menu I would love to try but I am a sucker for whole bellies. A very good first experience. We will be back.

Had a light lunch here late in the afternoon. Located on the water with optional outdoor or inside seating and an outside bar, the view from outside was very nice. We split the crab cake appetizer and the oysters. The crab cake, though certainly full of crab, was on the overdone side. The oysters were great — very fresh, very large, and delicious. Our waitress randomly stopped being our waitress half way through the meal, and began waiting on other tables. Overall, it was a decent meal but I really enjoyed the oysters.

Saturday Night, and again we wanted to venture out to a different world (outside of White Plains).
My husband decided on a whim to go somewhere [ which I have no clue]. All he said was that we were going to Connecticut.
Hit 287 into 95 and here we go…
We reached our destination and we are headed towards Crab Shell. Walking into Crab Shell was nice– right by Sound.
The vibe, the music and the docks.
We started off with drinks while we waited for a table. We caught the sights and the band playing.
After 25 minutes, we were seated at a table still close to the water. Menu is detailed yet simple full of scrumptious sounding food… We started off with Fried Oysters and a Lobster Bisque.
Kind of disappointed with the insufficient oysters in the appetizer portion, however, the Lobster Bisque was a hit.
After our appetizers, I did the Lobster Roll (with drawn butter), my husband went for the
Soft Crab Shells. We were anxious to sink our teeth in great seafood, but to no avail…
1. Lobster Roll– too small
2. Soft Shell Crabs (3)-they were incredibly puny
Although the service was on point, the price did not equal quantity. Food had a hint of mass-​production, nonetheless, atmosphere, folks and music is definitely a turn on for me. Would like to try other items on the menu.

Can’t write a review. Hungover. Just feel confident that the mozzarella sticks and the stuffed clams are simply fabulous. Being by the water is exhilarating. Parking is plentiful. The place has been around forever so it must be good.

I went there for lunch today, nice atmosphere but the food was terrible and overpriced. Never come back again.

I’ve been here a few times with my friends. Each time I’ve had lobster roll. Last two times we came, we sat outside and I can say only good things about eating by the water, it’s just beautiful. If you are looking to try a lobster roll for the first time, I recommend getting the lobster salad roll, it’s delicious. I’ve also tried their lobster roll with the drawn butter and it’s good but a true lobster roll is supposed to be a lobster salad. They put a little bit of roasted red pepper into the very simple lobster salad and it’s just perfect with the lobster, mayo, lettuce and tomato. Understand that a traditional lobster roll is served on a grilled new england hotdog so it’s not a HUGE sandwich and but you get a good portion of lobster meat.
They have daily specials, my friends ordered some things off of the special menu and I don’t think that overall they were very happy with them. My bff ordered shrimp and scallops, the guy who took our order didn’t explain to her that she could have had them fried, broiled, or grilled so they served them to her fried and she wasn’t too crazy about them. Our other friend ordered rainbow trout with some crabmeat and capers in a butter/​lemon sauce. However, it was served on the side in a ramekin instead of plated over the trout, that was odd.
I think it’s best to stick with the food that is on their permanent menu because I’m not so sure if they are all that familiar with making the specials that they offer. Sometimes when you go to a seafood place, you have to stick with tried and true food, you can’t get all experimental because you could be disappointed lol.
I’d say that having moved up to Stamford from westchester 7 months ago and I am so close to the water, I love that ocean side dining is so accessible without trekking down to city island.

Tried to grab a drink at the outside bar. I was refused entry because I had a tank top on??? Luckily they offered me a shirt for $ 5. Are you kidding me? Are you guys really struggling that much for $$?
Hey Crab Shell, wake up. You have an outside bar on the water, its 85 degrees during summer. Get a clue. Your hostess wasn’t friendly either. I will make sure every person I know never goes there again.