Crab Trap Perdido Key — Restaurant in Elberta

As a local seafood enthusiast who’s somehow managed to avoid The Crab Trap until now, I had high hopes based on glowing recommendations from friends. Spoiler alert: it was an experience.

From the moment we walked in, the hostess and a young sidekick seemed more captivated by the latest episode on their phones than by actual guests — a distraction that lasted our entire visit. Maybe they were live-tweeting our arrival? Who knows.

Our server, thankfully, made a swift appearance and took our drink and appetizer order. We aimed for crab claws, but alas, they were out of stock, so we went with the hot crab and shrimp dip instead. If you found crab or shrimp in there, congratulations — I must’ve been eating cheese fondue pretending it was seafood. The dip was more lukewarm cheese overload than ocean delight.

My husband went for the Cap'n Platter, while I had the blackened Redfish étouffée. His fish was as dry as my sense of humor after this meal, and the fries were cold enough to challenge the seafood’s moisture level. When he sent the fries back, they returned quickly — looking suspiciously like they had a second swim in the fryer. The limp, oily fries were less “crisp sidekick” and more “sad potato.” I also might add most of the lemon slices we were served looked as though they were already squeezed. It was an unsettling and weird sight to behold.

My redfish portion was small and dry, barely making a splash on the plate. The étouffée sauce was decent but leaned heavily on the salty side. Instead of being served over rice, the wild rice blend came alongside—and felt like a sad, dry afterthought. The greens tasted like they’d taken a wrong turn from a fancy garden party to a cold cafeteria.

To be frank, when a dish is pushing $30, I expect at least edible food that doesn’t look like the kitchen crew checked out early. This meal might pass muster with tourists who just want a quick bite, but for locals who know their seafood, it was a disappointment. The photos don’t lie.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m kindly giving The Crab Trap a 2 — mostly for the effort by wait staff to...

We have had a WONDERFUL vacation as a family and there was only ONE mishap. We wanted to go to a wonderful restaurant to cap it off. The Crab Trap Restaurant & Bar - Perdido Key was definitely closing but there is no earthly excuse for the indignities my family suffered. We waited 15 minutes for service- just drinks! Out of 5 meals, 2 were correct. The "blackened" Mahi which cost 25.00 for ONE FILET and some hard cold rice and cold canned greens was absolutely inedible due to spice level. Blackened does not equal spice, but apparently it does here so beware as the staff doesn't know/care enough to alert you. They do not deveine the shrimp. You heard me, they will have boo boo in them. They do not take out the boo boo sack. They also gave us hassle trying to fix the receipts- wrong orders on my receipts, full price for uneaten meals, 1.25 off for boo boo shrimp, not really wanting to take off or make right the errors' we spoke with the manager(?) Who kinda sighed and asked to make it again. The second crab topping was not only cold but it was RANCID. Like I said, they were closing- we were more than amicable knowing this fact, we were all ready and willing to order and have a great time. This place did not care to help us make this a great experience. I spent 75.00 for two meals and a beverage and I expect more seeing as how I spent MUCH less for greater service and food. Gross. And I'm talking about you all's behavior AND the...

We visited this restaurant for lunch last week (October 8, 2024) while vacationing in the area. Let me start by saying, we love trying out new local-to-the-area restaurants while on vacation, and that's why we stumbled upon this place on our way to Orange Beach for some sightseeing. We decided to stop and have lunch. We walked inside to see a cute, little establishment with fishing decor but no employees in sight. While scanning our surroundings for someone to seat us, we noticed a dirty pair of shoes sitting on the counter. My daughter made mention of it, but we simply brushed it off and continued to wait to be seated. A few moments later, a lady appeared and took us to a table. From our first glance at the menu, we knew it was going to be an expensive meal (the most expensive, in fact, of our entire trip!). We didn't order anything elaborate, like crab legs or similar, but our bill totaled to $140 after taxes and the tip. There were four of us (two adults, two teenagers). We ordered a shrimp plate, two chicken tender plates, a pasta dish, and an appetizer of mozzarella sticks. The appetizer (that cost $10.99) arrived consisting of six cheese sticks, a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella cheese, and a small cup of dipping sauce. Our minds were blown! Besides being so expensive, the food was good. The chicken tenders I had were tender, juicy, and delicious. The service, once we were finally seated, was great. The ocean view...