Crab N Spice Carson — Restaurant in Carson

We visited this location on Friday for the all-you-can-eat special. This was our second Crab N Spice experience, with our first being at the Las Vegas location. One thing that doesn’t make sense to me is why each location runs the AYCE special differently. At this location, you pay $40 per person but are expected to share a single bag, whereas in Vegas, it’s $40 per person and everyone gets their own bag. For comparison, we spent $145 for two people here, while in Vegas we paid $180 for three adults and a child—and each of us had our own meal. I feel this inconsistency should be addressed.

We arrived about 10 minutes before the AYCE ended (9:45 p.m. on Fridays). We stood at the entrance for about five minutes waiting to be seated, almost as if we were being “waited out.” Once seated, we received the AYCE menu. A few minutes later, our server Michelle came over, took the menu from our table, and told us, “We’re not doing this anymore.” Naturally, I expressed my concern about the wait and politely asked her to check with her manager. To her credit, she returned and allowed us to participate in the AYCE but stated it would only be available until 10:20 p.m. (It was around 9:55 p.m. at this point.)

While I appreciated her asking the manager, her demeanor throughout the interaction felt dismissive and unwelcoming. She dropped off the first round of food, said, “Here’s round one,” and then essentially disappeared for the remainder of the time. Around 10:15 p.m., another staff member stepped in and explained that Michelle was speaking with the manager.

When our food arrived, we also noticed that we never received gloves or shell crackers—basic items that are normally provided for a crab boil. Meanwhile, the table next to us, who had a different server, received both items without having to ask.

Lastly, the food was overwhelmingly heavy with butter and garlic—far more than I’ve experienced at any other crab boil restaurant, including the Las Vegas Crab N Spice. I’m not sure if this is standard for this location or if it was just how our order was prepared, but it was excessive to the point of being unenjoyable.

Overall, this visit was very disappointing. Between the inconsistent AYCE policies, the lack of basic utensils, the poor service, and the quality of the food, I can understand why this location has such low ratings. Unfortunately, I would not return to this...

Well, well, well, If only we had seen these reviews before we decided to dine here. I was taken on a surprise date and it turned out to be a DISASTER! This was our first time here 02/01/2025 and to be very frank it was more than disappointing. I am a seafood lover and I’ve been to plenty of seafood restaurants. This one is by far the worst on the list. The server G, was the only good thing about this experience.

Not only are they falsely advertising an AYCE seafood but they upcharge on the standard things that go into them. $12 extra for snow crab legs(that’s per person), $12 for lobster(that’s per person as well), $5 for peeled shrimp, and the more bags you order, the smaller the sizes get.

(Even though you pay per person, everything is served in one bag inside a small round cake pan)

I got the CNS sauce mild, by the time the second round came out it was a completely different sauce. The appetizers didn’t come til the end of our dining experience, never got gloves, bibs, scissors, or any other seafood utensils, never received our lobsters (and when we told G, he said it would be another 20mins because they ran out), Waters only got refilled 1x, potatoes under cooked (hard), onions rings were soggy, eggs are Qual , and the fried green beans slid right out of the crunchy layer, crabs were over cooked, salty, shell was super soft, and its was FISHY NOT FRESH ! They had our server G running around in that little restaurant like a chicken with his head cut off. He was doing his absolute best. It doesn’t help how tiny the restaurant is with all them tables bunched together. (Someone flicked their hair behind them and it whacked me on my neck!). Let’s not forget to add they have the nerve to be seating to capacity!

We spoke to people in management and the Owner and all they did was give us lame excuses about how they have only been open 30days and they are trying their best. So we left paying $100 for something we didn’t enjoy nor was full on. We ended up leaving and getting burgers.

Do Not Recommend, very disappointed! They Need To Fix These Things...

Crab N Spice in Carson is a seafood feast chain (other locations are in Ventura, Oxnard, and Palmdale etc).

Its primary highlight is the all you can eat buffet for $39.99.

This place has a line out the door at times and it's popular on social media (TikTok and Instagram) so I assume they have a good social media person.

The Captain's Choice Combo ($45) was what the 2 of us shared--it was packed with snow crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, 1 corn, sausage, and potatoes. It came drenched in their signature Cajun-style sauce mixed with the lemon seasoning, which was flavorful and had a nice kick. We got ours mild and it def had some spice.

We also tried the clam chowder ($8), which was rich, thick, and filling. However, it was a bit light on actual clams. They also have this option in a bread bowl.

We got a side of French bread ($4) which came with melted butter (I should've asked for garlic butter).

Unfortunately, the soda machine system was down during our visit, which was frustrating, especially in an all-you-can-eat setting. The bathrooms were messy and could definitely use more attention.

Service was spotty--likely because of the buffet-style, AYCE setup. You pay with your server in the back.

The meal ended on a high note with their freshly made beignets ($5)--warm, sweet, and powdered to perfection. You can get these with Nutella.

It's right next door to Crumbl so I was debating Crumbl dessert or beignets but I'm glad I got them because you don't see them many places besides New Orleans - they are the same price as a Crumbl Cookie and I can get a cookie anytime.

It's also next to a Verizon store. Parking lot in front is not that big but there's parking nearby at Raising Cane's or even across the street at the Carson Mall / IKEA.

Overall, decent food with a few standout items, but service and cleanliness could use improvement.

Lastly note the hours because ayce...