Happy Crab — Restaurant in Eastport

I was visiting family in Maine and my mother and father brought us (myself, my 29 year old sister and my 10 year old daughter) out to this place... What a MISTAKE!

When we arrived there was no seating outside, so we had to sit inside if we wanted to eat there... We were skeptical upon entry as there was a sign telling us that they were short staffed... Along with another sign outside saying they would be retiring soon.

Given it was a Sunday there wasn't ANYTHING else open. So we settled. Let's just start out by saying that Mcdonald's would have been better then this place!!

We waited about 5 minutes before being seated. Despite other customers dining inside the waitresses were no where to be found. We had to walk back towards the bar to even get noticed. We actually wound up seating ourselves just as a large party also came in and sat themselves between two tables.

A woman from the other table had gone and helped herself to getting menus and silverware for her two tables, my mother ended up asking her where she got them from as we hadn't been given anything. We looked at the less than pleasing menu for approximately 10 minutes before a waitress even appeared at our table. She welcomed us and took our drink order. Came back with our waters and tried rushing away again! My mom began asking questions about different items on the menu then made it clear we were ready to order... The waitress didn't seem happy that she had to take our order.

My father ordered a Shrimp Basket with Fries ($21.50) My mother and I both ordered Chicken Tenders (5 strips that were EXACTLY the same as my daughters KIDS MEAL) with Fries from the appetizers as meals ($12 ea. + $2.50 for fries) My daughter ordered Chicken Tenders with Fries ($8) My sister ordered a Chicken Wrap with Fries ($12) We also ordered two appetizers of Onion Rings and the fries with gravy & cheese. (Together those were about $20)

All together WITHOUT tip the bill came to $91.

Now let me point out... We waited 45 minutes for the appetizers to come out. Then an additional 15 minutes for our meals. (So literally an hour for our dinners to be placed in front of us from the time that we ordered!) Our waitress NEVER checked on us. We had to flag her down when she was at other tables if we needed anything... Our waters (the only thing we ordered for beverages!) were steady near empty. When we were able to flag her down and ask for more she said she'd grab us a pitcher... She came back and proceeded to start pouring it into our glasses making quite a mess along the way. There was water all over the floor.

My father's $21.50 Shrimp Basket was just plain sad. I've included a photo of it from before it was even touched... It looked like a child's portion size. Our Chicken Tenders were terrible. I've bought frozen tenders from Walmart they were better than these. The fries definitely tasted frozen. The wrap my sister had barely had anything inside of it. The ONLY thing that was even close to decent was the Onion Rings. Everything else was horrible.

The owner is apparently retiring, so maybe they just don't care anymore... But that's sad to let your reputation go down the drain because of that. They should be ashamed of themselves. I would say "never again", however they simply wouldn't care. Don't bother wasting your money here. It's simply...

This was the very first restaurant we tried in the area on our first trip up to take our first look at the property we would purchase and move to. The incredible experience and people we met during that brief off-season visit to try and get a feel for the culture was a significant part of why we decided to make the move. The meal we had at The Happy Crab was absolutely one of the highlights of that trip, one which we tell the story of all the time.

The property we were interested in buying was an older motel which hadn't been used since 2019 and was located in a town about 15 minutes outside of Eastport on US Route 1. It was the end of the day and we had spent the day walking the property and having discussions with the realtors and inspectors we were going to hire. Suffice to say, we were ready to relax with some good food and discuss what we thought of the different parts of the property.

We had our dog with us, so needed a restaurant with an outside deck, and The Happy Crab was the first one we came across, and it had literally just opened. Out to the deck we went where we grabbed one of the six or seven available tables, with our dog deciding that the best sunning area was square in the middle of where people walk. We were the only one's there, so didn't really think much of it, and the waitress insisted she could step around her!

Well the deck filled in with about 4 more tables filling up, and our dog being doted over by many. I can't remember how it all started, but by the time we were finished eating and ready to head back to the AirBnB in Lubec, everyone on that deck knew our names, knew what we were buying, were all incredibly enthusiastic about it, and couldn't have been more welcoming! Some wanted to give us their information because they specialized in some skill or service which they thought would be useful once we moved up and began renovations. It was the most incredible introduction to a community I was moving into that I've ever had, and essentially sealed the deal for both of us.

Yes, the food was great, but this review was highlighting the other part of eating out, the atmosphere and local culture you can expect to find at The Happy Crab! It will forever be a part of our story and we'll never...

Maybe it was a bad day for our waitress, maybe she had personal things going on, maybe it was busy, (it didn't look busy), but service was terrible. Took her fifteen minutes to even ask us what we want to drink, disappeared for what it seemed like forever, she wasn't very friendly, and out of respect I won't post her name but maybe you need a restaurant meeting and talk about customer service. We came in for an early dinner and sat outside and the chairs are terrible. They are not short person friendly. There's a little bit of ocean view but still nice to be able to eat outside. Restaurant has plenty of indoor seating. Booths and tables. Parking seems decent. No fee. They accept debit/credit and cash. This is an only seafood restaurant with some burgers and that's it. They have a full bar inside, the decor to the building is very neat and lively, dollar bills all over the walls. They have a newer style of a jukebox. Put money in it and play a song. That's a fun feature. Prices for food is like any other seafood restaurant. Prices were reasonable. The establishment was clean as well as the bathroom. Kid friendly yes. If your kid likes seafood or burgers they will probably like it there. I'm pretty sure I also saw pizza on the menu.

On to the best part. The food. My husband got the Captain's Platter. Shrimp, whole belly clam, scallops, haddock, coleslaw and french fries. He really enjoyed the coleslaw and scallops the best. I had a bowl of haddock chowder and I had the fish and chips. I may have given the place a three star but your food is absolutely amazing. The best haddock chowder I've ever had, almost ordered more. The coleslaw was delicious. Next time I'm trying the crab cake burger. Food wise your restaurant is a five star. Customer service needs some work. Your food is incredible. We will still be...