The Crazy Crab Jarvis Creek — Restaurant in Hilton Head Island

Incredible location, scene and sadly serve unseasoned food and misleading menu!

So wifey’s bday weekend and we come here and begin taking pics bc it just looks amazing! The marsh landscape and cool outside atmosphere had us believing this was going to be so great….but NO!

Asked for a double jack on the rocks and she brings out jack and coke. (No biggie, it happens here and there so no sweat).

There are four of us and look at the bottom of the menu to see the two Low Country Boil pots and a Steam pot all illustrated with tons of seafood. I’ve been crushing Low Country Boils and Steam pots for over 30 years and love them so I know what I’m expecting based on my tons of experiences and the pics on the actual menu. I ask for the Low Country Boil and shoot for “The Alaskan” since it was wifey’s bday so let’s goooo! She tells me the market price is $85.00Not a bone in my body thought anything besides the big low country boil with all the norms of sausage, corn, shrimp, and crab legs all in a seafood/old bay brother was coming. Just like the pic on the menu right? I tell my wife, daughter and mother in law we will split that as an app so figure out what y’all want for actual lunch.

A dry plate comes out with two giant crab legs, 3 small red skin potatoes and one big corn on the cob. I ask her, “where’s the rest of the BOIL?” she’s says smiling, “ummm yeah, this isn’t a true boil.” I say & ask, “I’m sorry but this is nothing like what I expected nor what’s on the menu for $85.00….am I able to not touch this and refund it?” She says this is the only thing on the menu we don’t refund. I explain what I expected based on the many many Low Country Boils Ive had and what’s literally on the menu illustration…nothing at all indicates this would simply be a separate order of crab legs. I also pointed out the potatoes may have been boiled but in just water as they are totally white inside and literally ZERO flavor or seasoning as was the tasteless corn on the cobb. She proceeds to tell us they literally do not season their food at the Crazy Crab “because of the all the allergies people have.” I said that’s exactly how Hospitals do it but not public restaurants. I ask if the crab is supposed to be ice cold as the legs were steamed but the knuckle/body was literally ice cold. Either way she went to get my but Then I showed her I have over 2 million google views with only one negative review and this is about to be my second bc I only like posting positive reviews and not be a negative nelly. Made it crystal clear it’s NOT about the money as we were about to crush 4 more meals until this stopped us in our tracks. Not to mention the 2-3 more jack on the rocks I certainly would have ordered.

She got the manager who repeatedly tried to suggest I was maybe expecting the steam pot or the seafood in a bags and I was pointed about not confusing the words “low country boil” with seafood in a bag not steam pot. I told her her own waitress literally told us we “should not order the extra four meals because most of their food is bland because they truly do not season their food for fear of complaints and allergies.” The manager said that’s true. She did not make us pay and because of that I was not going to write this review but I truly do want others to know what they are getting and both the waitress and her manager reiterated they do not season their food and yes the Menu is going to change because it’s misleading….not confusing which is different. It’s misleading….

Great real estate but scared to season their food and sadly you need to clarify what exactly each...

We reserved seats at the Crazy Crab which is definitely the way to go because this place is extremely popular. There were tons of people waiting outside, I definitely wouldn't recommend trying to do a walk-up.

We were seated outside on the patio on a potentially stormy night, but we were far enough in that we never got rained on. It was actually a lovely view and we really enjoyed seeing wildlife in the marsh. The inside of the restaurant is very pretty as well. I'd enjoy coming back another time and sitting inside too. There was somebody playing music on the other side of the patio, we could hear it over the speakers, but I'm glad we weren't too close. The volume was just fine for us to be able to hear each other.

The menu is seafood centric, which is what people come here for. We got free hush puppies, which was surprising because they are a menu item. It was a very generous plate, and they were delicious. I wasn't sure if it was a mistake or not. But we weren't charged for it.

We got a few appetizers, including the small short ribs, and seafood gumbo. The gumbo is darker, almost chilly like, and my son liked it. It looked very hearty and full of stuff. My other son loved the ribs, but it's not a very big plate, only three small ones.

My kids got the Kids Menu Alaskan crab leg plates, which were FANTASTIC. I would highly recommend this. If your kid is being weird about ordering from the kids menu, show them some pictures online because this was stellar. My kids were super pumped and got a ton of crab. It was a real treat for them. It also came with corn and potatoes. They were 20 bucks, which is a lot for kids meals, but for a plate of crab legs that's solid.

I got the swordfish because I'm allergic to shellfish, and it was okay. It's a thick fish, almost chicken like. It was fine, though not particularly exciting. It was grilled pretty plain and came with sauteed vegetables. I kind of wished I had gotten one of the other fishes that had more sauce on it, or even one of the steaks.

We actually got dessert too, which is unusual for us. Key lime pie, brownie Sunday, and peanut butter pie. The brownie sundae was not great, the brownie was very dense and a little bit gritty. The peanut butter pie was tasty, but it may have been store-bought. The key lime pie, which I didn't try myself, seemed to be enjoyed by my wife and son.

Our server was interesting. I couldn't tell if she was really busy or distracted or what, but she seemed somewhat annoyed at things. She also wasn't very knowledgeable about drinks, and had trouble taking my bourbon order. She was okay though, it was very busy. But I would hope for somebody else if I wanted to put in a particular bar order next time.

All that being said, the food was mostly solid, and I'm sure if I'd gotten a steak or a different fish I would have been even more happy. I'd definitely come back here, if nothing else than for the look on my kids faces when those big crab legs arrived. The view, too,...

Heard great things about this place, so my expectations were pretty high. Happy to share that they not only met my expectations, but exceeded them. Arrived to reservation early and was still seated right away. Great table right against the window which over looked the low country and water beyond. We were promptly greeted by our waitress, Beth. Extremely professional, efficient and so very friendly, this is how great service is done. Ordered drinks and they came right away. We then were brought a basket of fresh made Hush Puppies that were as good as they come: light crunch on the outside, fluffy on the inside with just the right amount of yum. Beth then gave us the run down on the menu and made some great recommendations. We asked about the “She Crab” soup, she ran to the kitchen and brought us out a taste, it was really good, thick, hot, creamy with plenty of fresh Crab. We ordered the Snow Crab appetizer portion which was served with genuine melted butter, super fresh and delicious. Then tried a bowl of the Gumbo, real hot as Soup should be served. Soup was really good with plenty of flavor, lots of sausage too. For our mains we ordered a local favorite Shrimp and Grits, which we never had before. We really enjoyed this, but be warned, super heavy. Shrimp were fresh and delicious served over the well prepared and creamy Grits. I had freshly steamed Maine Lobster which was beautifully served with fresh Corn, Red Potatoes and more Shrimp. It was really great, although I would have opted for a larger Lobster then the 1&1/4 pounder, but it was one size fit all deal. Through out the meal Beth stopped by often to make sure we were happy. After each course we were served hot towels with lemon for our hands. Drink refills arrived as needed. Only regret here was that we were too full for Desert. I have to mention, the Restaurant itself, beautiful place with high open ceilings, super cool lighting and just a great southern vibe. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating in a waterfront setting. If you’re in Hilton Head, put this place on your must eat at list. Just make sure to...