Raising Claw — Restaurant in Garden Grove

I knew it was in for something good when the tables cloths were butcher paper. It wasn't too busy at lunchtime on a Sunday, and I was seated right away. The next indicator of what was to come was the table settings: a disposable bib, vinyl gloves, and scissors (no knives, forks or spoons to be seen). The menu takes a cue from Raising Cane's, and it's simple and direct. The menu features crab legs, crawfish, shrimp (heads on or off) and muscles. I chose crab legs (labeled as "Market Price"... i.e. $68/lbs today)... Expensive, but one of my favorites. They provided "complimentary" French fries (mmm. Cajun fries) as an appetizer. The legs were served a short time later, brought to my table in two layers of plastic bag, tied at the top and steaming hot. I'd chosen Cajun spicy, and it smelled amazing as I opened the bag. I should have used the bib, but I did use the gloves, and it fun and delicious to dig into the two clusters of perfectly boiled legs simmered in a delicious blend of spices. I only got one spot on my shirt (🙄), but cleaning up after was easy due to the gloves. I used the outer bag for the shells and I think with the gloves and scissors I got ever bit of meat out of those legs. Fun, messy, delicious. Definitely a treat and a "must come back when my wallet recovers.". Definitely recommend if you like Cajun spiced seafood. (Didn't think to take a photo till I was stuffed and enjoying a complimentary scoop of coffee ice cream...

Went on a Monday evening around 5pm, which I recommend, since there was no rush or extra wait time. Was sat promptly and the host offered the opportunity to sit anywhere available, we sat in "the boat".

There is an extensive menu to select from with a weekday happy hour, 2-6pm, if I'm not mistaken. We chose as an appetizer, cajun fries and 1/2 dozen oysters which included salmon roe. The cajun fries were spiced perfectly, maybe an Old Bay derivative? The oysters were fresh and plump and the roe added a crispness that I did not know I needed. For the boil we chose 1lb shrimp, potato (3), corn (2), and sausage, which was seasoned "Raising Style" with all options mixed together at a medium spice level. The shrimp imo, were a bit over-cooked but tasted great, this may be my own fault, I think leaving them in the broth cooks them longer and creates the tough consistency I experienced. The red potato and sweet corn, paired perfectly with the smoky spice of the sausage. For the bev, a Modelo Michelada 🤙

Raising Style is the way to go and the medium spice was perfect, not too spicy and had great flavor. Price was great for the amount of food that was received. I took home a potato and some slices of sausage on white rice with the sauce from the bag. Delicious!

They even gave a free scoop of ice cream at the end...

My husband and I are big time Boiling Crab lovers, but we couldn't pass up this BOGO deal + it being so close to our home. Trust me it's worth the change.

More details see below:

We arrive around 9:40pm planning on doing take out since the close at 10pm. BUT since were greeted with kindness and asked if we'd like a table tor two, we decided to dine in (they didn't make us feel guilty for dining in so late).

Food -- We ordered Raising Cajun 1lb shrimp head on and lb mussels (free), cajun fries, and rice. Shrimp and mussels were fresh and the sauce was spicy, garlicky, and overall flavorful (I would compare it to whole shabang medium). We LOVED the fries but the rice could have been fluffier.

Vibes and Service -- It's still too new to tell and we came very late, so we didn't get the full experience but my husband really like the house music they played. Staff was very attentive and met all our expectations.

Best of luck to the Raising Claws crew. I'll be breaking hearts at BC since we'll most...