Shrimp Shack — Restaurant in Birmingham

Social Media Strikes Again

I decided to visit Shrimp Shack for lunch after seeing it recommended online. The restaurant was nearly empty, which meant the service was prompt and polite. The decor was charming, and the dining area was impeccably clean – staff were quick to sweep up as soon as anything hit the floor. The music was a highlight, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the meal.

However, I noticed that the menu on their website didn’t include prices, which left me curious about their price point. As it turns out, lunch for two came to approximately £160 – and sadly, it didn’t live up to expectations.

The first red flag for me was being required to prepay for our meal. That always feels off-putting in a sit-down restaurant.

We started with chicken wings, as they were out of garlic bread (on a Monday afternoon, no less). The wings were decent but lacked variety – the only option was a BBQ sauce that seemed like a mix of barbecue and sweet chili flavors.

For the main course, we shared the SS Boil. It was a generous portion for two people, but there was, once again, only one sauce option. This sauce resembled a creamy makhani, but it was overly rich and lacked depth of flavor. While the seafood itself was well-cooked, the accompanying rice, though appearing seasoned, was also bland. The chips were unremarkable.

One odd detail stood out: diners weren’t provided with bibs, which are typically standard for a seafood boil. Gloves were supplied, but they weren’t individually packaged and seemed to come straight from a communal box, which felt unhygienic.

We also sampled the creamy ocean pasta, and I’m glad we didn’t order it as a main dish. It was disappointing, tasting like a powdery cheese sauce with chunks of unseasoned salmon. It wasn’t baked, which only added to the underwhelming presentation.

To drink, we had a pitcher of virgin mojito – made with lemons instead of limes. It lacked the essential minty freshness and couldn’t really be called a mojito at all.

By the end of the meal, most of our food remained untouched. The staff, who seemed to be soliciting reviews from other patrons, notably didn’t approach our table.

While the music was great, the overall experience left much to be desired. For the price, the experience didn’t deliver, and I’d recommend exploring other seafood boil options in...

This place is a gimmick and the quality does not match the expensive prices. I booked online prior to visiting and upon arriving we waited 5 mins for our existence to be acknowledged and had to get the hosts attention just to be seated. The restaurant doesn’t have a reservation system so they were unprepared and we had to wait for a table to be cleared in a cramp area of the restaurant that seated 2 people. We were basically sitting in each others laps. There were many 4 person tables and booths free but the host rudely refused to let us sit there. These tables and booths proceeded to be free for our whole dining experience.

We finally ordered our food and were made to pay before our order was even put through to the kitchen. After how lacklustre the food was I’m not surprised that they were worried about people refusing to pay for it.

The drinks and garlic mussels starter came out fast. The glasses were warm and straight out of the glass wash. I was served four mussels drowning in a thick garlic sauce. The overpowering garlic of the sauce took away any freshness of the mussels.

The staff were constantly hovering and staring at customers whilst whispering to each other. It was very clear that none of them had worked in a professional restaurant setting. They didn’t even have waiting sections and there were way too many staff.

Our mains came out less than 10 mins after the starters and no attempt was made to clear away any glasses or plates so our table became crowded. We then asked for gloves and bibs and they proceeded to tell us they had run out. WE ORDERED A SEAFOOD BOIL.

The mains came out lukewarm and were stone cold in 10 mins. The lobster was super greasy and had way too much garlic. The stir fried veg was dripping in oil that spread all over the tray and underneath the soggy chips. Peri seasoning on the chips was nice but there was barely any of it. The little pot of coleslaw and the corn on the cob was nice. 3 of the shrimp in the seafood boil came with no meat, just the shell. The rice was nothing special and didn’t even match Uncle Ben’s packet rice standard.

We spent approximately £90 and everything was substandard. They’ve managed to take the luxury premium experience out of a seafood experience and I wouldn’t...

My experience at this restaurant was disappointing. We booked online and were seated promptly upon arrival, which was great. However, when we were ready to order, one of the staff noticed that our order was quite large and suggested we move to a bigger table. We agreed and moved to a larger seating area. A few minutes later, another staff member came over and told us that we couldn’t sit at the larger table because we were only two people, and the table was meant for larger groups. Despite the initial recommendation, the staff member didn’t seem to acknowledge the size of our order as explained by her colleague. We were asked to return to our small table for two.

When our food arrived, it was a lot, and we struggled to fit it all on our tiny table. To make matters worse, shortly after, the same staff member seated two university students at the very table she had told us we couldn’t use. They seemed unsure of their order, and after a short while, they left, unable to afford their meal. Meanwhile, we were still cramped at our small table with our large order.

Later, an older couple arrived and was moved to the same larger table for more space, despite having less food than we did. It was frustrating to see them treated with more respect and dignity when we were the ones with the larger order and had already been told the larger table wasn’t available to us. We spent a lot of money here.

I felt disrespected and unfairly treated. We had to eat quickly as our food cooled down on the cramped table, which ruined the experience. We ate and cleared up at the same time to make room. If we had been allowed to sit at the bigger table, we could have enjoyed the meal more comfortably. This experience was truly disappointing, and I won't be returning. Teach your staff to treat everyone fairly and also to make good judgements...