Crab Shack Dabaso, Mida Creek — Restaurant in Dabaso ward

The Crab Shack is a unique dining experience. Situated on the outskirts of Watamu on the Kenyan coast just south of Malindi, you approach the venue down a sandy track that will challenge your Tuk Tuk’s off-road ability (I’d avoid anything with less than three wheels for this trip).

On arrival your reservation is checked (do book ahead - they respond to WhatsApp) and after a half-hearted effort to encourage you to pay for a canoe trip, you start your approach on an elevated wooden walkway that winds its way through the mangrove swamp. The restaurant itself is a series of simple wooden platforms with thatched roofs on the edge of the swamp, offering lovely views across the bay.

As the sun started it’s descent, we kicked off with an apperol spritz and a round of crab samosas (their speciality). The spritz was so so - a bit small, warm and light on alcohol. In retrospect I’d have gone with the local cocktail of choice - a Dawa (the Kenyan honey, lime and vodka-based favourite). The samosas were good. They were missing the advertised mango and tomato salsa, but a squeeze of lime brought them to life. Samosa aficionados might have hankered after a little more crunch, but it was a credible start.

After a pause, and a couple of Tuskers, we ordered our mains - ginger crab and king prawns. It took a while to arrive (a good 30 mins) but was well worth the wait. Both dishes arrived on wooden slabs and were served with coconut rice and green beans. The crab itself was spectacular (and I do like my crabs). The soft shell made eating easy - no need for the usual toolkit of nutcrackers and surgical implements. And it was cooked to perfection in a light ginger sauce that didn’t compete with the succulent crab meat. The rice was also fabulous, slightly sticky and very flavoursome. The green beans were green and beany.

The king prawns were similarly good. While the individuals were on the small side, altogether it was a healthy portion (7 or 8) and they were barbecue-grilled to perfection.

This place isn’t cheap - 5,200 shillings (a little over $59) rivals upmarket hotel competitors in town - and the service is pretty indifferent. But the views and the food in such a unique location make this a must for anyone in the area. We’ll be back for lunch tomorrow...

Some practical info: they do take credit cards. Service is slow, so expect to take a couple of hours for a two course meal (we arrived at 5.30 to catch the sunset and left at 8). No bugs to speak of when we were there - but you are in a swamp so I’d apply...

Situated at Mida Creek, not far from Dabaso village, the restaurant is a discreet, community run low impact wooden construction standing at the edge of the mangrove forest with panoramic views of the Creek.

The Boardwalk and Crab Shack was built by Mida Creek Conservation Community, to promote eco activities, protect the mangrove forests and provide education for the poor Mida Creek fishing communities. Access to the restaurant is via a 200 metre boardwalk, which gives guests a unique opportunity to absorb the beauty and magical atmosphere of the mangrove forest and Creek channels. The restaurant looks out to stunning views of Kirepwe Island and also provides a good spot for bird watching. The Shack provides lunch and dinner. Those guests arriving for dinner are recommended to come early and enjoy a drink as the sun dips spectacularly over the Creek.

The local special menu includes delicious fresh fish, prawns and crab dinner cooked by trained chef and MCCC member Dixon. Or sample a selection of snacks, including the Shack's signature crab samosas. Soft drinks and beers are also available, bring your own wine and spirits and pay corkage.

The crabs are sustainably farmed as part of another MCCC eco initiative and the fish are caught by local Creek fishermen. Eating out here really does support the local community and all profits go towards MCCC conservation and education activities!

Guests can also pay a small fee for a guided tour of the boardwalk without having a meal.

Visitors to Watamu can support MCCC's other activities: We involve the local community in practical conservation, environmental education and awareness and sustainable management of the natural resources.

Towards this aim, we organise mangrove plantings and beach clean-ups and have initiated several income generating activities including beekeeping, selling mangrove tree seedlings, crab farming and other aquaculture, poultry rearing, selling handicrafts as well as doing an eco-tourism programme.

We do several eco-tourism activities so you're bound to find something interesting. You can visit the Sita Community Snake Farm,take a canoe or motorboat tour through the mangroves or up to Kirepwe Island from Dabaso landing site, enjoy a picnic lunch, sundowner or Arab Ruins tour at Kirepwe Island or be entertained by traditional Giriama dancers...

I went to this place with my boyfriend’s family and friends and had a shockingly awful experience. some dishes were good, some were average and some disappointing, the service is very slow and unfriendly, but none of this was the real problem. my boyfriend’s sister is married to a kenyan man who was with us at dinner and he still hadn’t gotten his dish when we were already done with ours. when he asked the stuff about it, they told him that he would get his dish after us (caucasian people). we were obviously appalled and disgusted because it’s absolutely inadmissible to be treated like this when simply trying to get dinner. when confronted about it, the staff gave us some lame excuse saying that his dish took longer to cook (it was grilled chicken) even though there was a clear conversation about what previously mentioned between the waiter and our friend. to add insult to injury, when the dish finally came it was raw and when we were leaving, they had the audacity to ask for a tip. words cannot describe how awful this experience was, I strongly urge everyone to avoid this place that displays incredible amounts of internalized racism and disrespect, and no amount of nice scenery can make up for it.

in conclusion, browsing through the other reviews, I came across other instances of this exact behavior to which the restaurant replied with lame excuses and promised that it would never happen again, and since it clearly has, think long and hard before replying to this...