Dancing Crab Cajun Seafood & Bar — Restaurant in Kansas City

I was sorely disappointed with this visit to Dancing Crab on a tuesday afternoon 4/22/25 at 3pm. We ordered fried shrimp basket, fried oyster basket and 2 crab/shrimp platters. The fried food was mediocre the fries were ok, but no spices just crunchy batter on the shrimp and oysters. The crab was absolutely the worst dish I have ever had. It was extremely disappointing because a year ago the last time i ate here the food was all superb. We ordered the crab platters with the garlic butter option mild instead of cajun seasoning. What we got was something with tons of garlic sautéed in what tasted like canola oil and a splash of butter and zero seasoning. I make garlic butter flavored stuff all the time i can tell the difference between ghee, canola oil, olive oil, and real butter. Whatever they gave us was not ghee or real butter. If it had any butter in it at all it was just a dash of flavoring. When we opted for mild seasoning we still expected some seasoning, like garlic salt and mild spices. But we got grease and nothing. I thought well thats ok I love snow crab. I often make it at home myself and love its sweet flavor that only real snow crab meat has. Alas, this crab had zero flavor because it tasted like water. I mean, it was real crab, I dont know if they pre boiled it too long and then just keep it warm in the oven or something but it was really super bland and even tho I cracked it and ate it it didn't taste like snow crab at all. It was crab, had the texture of crab but tasted truly like water and not even salt water which would of been an improvement. Lol. Also of note was when we arrived 3 of their employees were outside just hanging out in the parking lot under some ornamental trees, and they all went back inside when we parked. We weren't the only customers however. I thought later that was just weird. If I ran the place i would expect employees to stay busy unless on break. Maybe they were on break, except they all came back inside soon as we pulled up. Last time we ate there it was mid afternoon too so I expected the same quality food as before. My last review of this place, I was super impressed with how tasty everything was. There is no excuse for how bad our crab was this time, this resterante is The Dancing Crab after all. Another thing was, there was no salt and pepper on the tables, and although they have potatoes listed as a side they are all overboiled and not baked. My father wanted a potato instead of fries with his fried shrimp and when they brought it out they didnt have butter or sour cream even when we asked for it. They did bring me a bowl of sliced lemons and salt and pepper, and I used the lemons and salt to try to flavor the "garlic butter sauce" but the icky oil flavor was just not good. I had taken my father there telling him how awesome the food was the last time I ate there. I do not go to KC very often so this was supposed to be a huge treat. Now all I can say is I will never go back there again. The boiled shrimp was ok, it wasnt over cooked. The cocktail sauce was ok. My advice is stick with the fried food its made fresh. The crab may or may not be good but when its waterlogged it is flavorless and doesn't taste crabby at all. We had 2 fried baskets 1 shrimp one oysters, and two 1/2pound crab 1/2 pound of shrimp platters. The potatoes were overboiled and watery/flavorless too. Meal cost 127 dollars for 3 ppl and 2 ppl drank water. Im not going back but if i did i would stick to the fried food and boiled shrimp. They do have really cool atmosphere beachy decor and fully stocked bar. Just dance on away from...

I'll need to break this down. The location was clean and had a comfortable quaint setting.

Where they succeeded:

The waitress was very friendly, polite, and attentive, along with the other staff. I ordered the signature boil with 1lb of crawfish and shrimp. The shrimp was the best experience here. It tasted fresh and not overcooked. The crawfish were full mature size and did not disappoint.

Where they failed.

Appetizers! We had the clam chowder and fried calamari. The chowder was without flavor, like it was made from a cook who never tasted real clam chowder before. I wouldn't be shocked if this came from a can. The Calamari came with tarter and cocktail sauce, so we asked for marinara sauce, and it came in a take out packet cold from the fridge. That's very fast foodish, and that's a bad look. The calamari looked and tasted like a frozen brand. It was unpleasant to eat. Both appetizers were a bust. If you are pushing fresh seafood as your main menu item, the appetizers need to meet that level. Don't give me Dennys at this price level. Being better here is very easy... do it quickly!!!

P.S. Only use Styrofoam cups for to-go orders. Serving it tableside is a step down from fast food.

Boil was 4 stars, and...

Very nice decor was my first impression. Ordered our food and drinks and it took a little longer than the usual seafood restaurant but I didn’t mind much. I ordered a side of rice that I never got. When my food came, there were no bibs and gloves given to me so I dont know if they don’t have any or if my server forgot. Seafood was mediocre, comparable to other places in kc area. Sauce wasn’t spicy at all even though I asked for the spiciest level. Their fried baskets are fresh and super crispy which I loved. I also love that they have pasta on their menu. My boyfriend didn’t care for it but I’m a pasta lover so I enjoyed it. My boyfriend asked for a refill on his soda towards the end of our meal. When the tab came, I was charged for the side of rice that was never brought, the drink refill and an extra appetizer which I had no idea where it came from because we never ordered it or received it. I asked the server if they charge for refills and she said no, then when I addressed the issues with the bill she got it wrong again and had to fix it twice. Overall, I would be back again for the food is good and it’s closer to home. But the servers are a bit….lacking. Just look closely at your bill when you go...