The Crawfish Hut — Restaurant in Burien

The Crawfish Hut Seattle (not to be confused with Crawfish House in White Center and soon Renton) is open for business off First Avenue in the same shopping complex as Ross, Burien Spa & Barber and Sushi Maki.

Update: the bar area is now open, and the space has more than doubled for huge parties, and celebrations of all types!

They have moved into the space that used to be occupied by Nhop Nhop Restaurant, a delicious but short lived Vietnamese spot. They used to have a faithful following in the Federal Way area but moved up to the 5 Corners Shopping Plaza in late 2022.

At The Crawfish Hut they give you a bib (wear it, it makes it WAY more fun) plastic gloves (I don’t wear mine, they just slow me down) and items to break through the shells like culinary scissors and shell crackers. Their seafood is market price and you can fully customize your experience. For those not interested in working for their meal they also have classic seafood favorites like coconut shrimp and calamari and baskets with different types of fish and chips (fries).

We got the snow crab cluster in the Garlic Butter sauce with potatoes and corn and the headless shrimp in the Hut Special Sauce with potatoes and corn. We also got a side of rice to soak up all the goodness. We could not decide which sauce was better and tried to break into the shellfish as fast as we could manage. It’s a good thing the shells were there to slow us down or dinner would have been over in minutes! We were so impressed with the explosion of flavors, the sauces were next level and the seafood was of very good quality, full of freshness with ample meat.

Besides the delicious food, the service was very lovely and everyone that touched our table was upbeat and helpful with figuring out how to order. They have a full bar for beverages and desserts too. Throughout our time there on a Friday night it filled up pretty fast with groups of people having a great time. When we came in at 6:15pm on a Friday with four people we didn’t have to wait to be seated and when we left around 8pm there were a few tables left open but it was otherwise full. Parking was easy and while I did make a reservation on OpenTable, they didn’t check me in when we arrived because there were open spots.

Their future plans include to take over the space next door which used to be occupied by NorthStar Driving Academy. It’s currently under construction with plans to open in March and when it does they’ll have room for events and large tables and a full service bar with seats and a lounge. This might become Burien’s newest little slice of night life as I've been keeping an eye on the business right across the parking lot called The Box Coffee & Karaoke… If you’re looking for a taste of the ocean and you’re ready to get a little messy, check out The Crawfish...

Management was unwilling to honor a $200 gift certificate that was purchased for a birthday celebration! I presented the voucher when we were seated before they took our drink order. The staff was friendly and explained the menu. Our server said that the Manager had to be called in order to get the meal credit. As they started placing drinks on the table another server apologized and said that all the vouchers had already been claimed. I was shocked and explained that we had paid cash for this certificate and they had a legal obligation to honor it. We read through the details again. It's not expired. It doesn't apply to drinks. Otherwise, it's worth $200. We asked to speak to the Manager personally and the server handed us a cell phone with the Manager on the line. He was very firm, stating that all 5 certificates had already been claimed and we would have to take it up with the hospital because we purchased them at the St. Anne charity auction. We told them we were leaving if they would not honor it, stated that we're the original purchaser, have the original envelope, and can prove that we were at the auction and have never been to this restaurant before. He refused and went on to explain that we would have to pay for drinks that we ordered. I didn't touch my drink and we left, very frustrated and embarrassed by the situation. We were so excited to try this new seafood restaurant in our home town! Unfortunately, we won't likely return to the Crawfish Hut. We were there to have a fun family celebration, but this experience nearly ruined our afternoon. We made the most of it, going to Wally's instead & contacted the hospital foundation who has no idea how this could have happened but offered us a full refund, but we decided not to take the money. Since this was a fundraiser charity auction for the people of Burien and our local Highline hospital, we're going to consider this a cash donation. It's unfortunate the Crawfish Hut wouldn't offer us...

We ordered staff lunch for our team of 20+. From the beginning to the end, everything was extremely delicious and thoughtful! Reaching out to them, they were very prompt with their responses. They very much so worked with us on our budget and didn't let that get in the way of truly enjoying their goodness. I was able to chat through all of my questions through email, phone call, and even in person! (There were a lot of questions and checks ins from me.)

The pick up was smooth and seamless. I personally appreciate the level of attention paid to details. hooked us up with all the tools needed to crack/cut the shells, bibs, paper for the tabletops, wet wipes, and so much more. It made my job so easier and our clean up a breeze! They def are full service.

The food itself was delicious! Very flavorful - that hut special - the best! We got so many compliments on the food and flavors. Such a treat for our team. While we ordered for 20 people, we easily could feed more.

I appreciate their desire to support programs, orgs, and people working in the community doing the good work. It's nice to know there's a place that not only makes yummy food but also cares about its customers and the community they're in. We will definitely be coming back for team orders and personally for nights out with friends and family. Thank you to everyone at The Crawfish Hut -...