Crab Joyous — Restaurant in Lower Merion Township

Ok..so I had been wanting to try this eatery.. Some Reviews were good and a few people nearby said it was good to go there to eat. So I was finally in the area so I stop in to place a order.. First the young lady at the cash register who was taking orders was very customer service oriented & knowledgeable..Which gave me a good feeling. So I order the Shrimp and Flounder basket combo with onion rings along with a appetizer of the hush puppies. First the basket was small and so was my food..The flounder would have been good if it was cook throughly. As well as the shrimp that should have been devined which was nasty to see so that right there let me know they are not cleaning the seafood properly. The onion rings were greasy. The best part of the meal was the hush puppies!! Before I forget one of the staff or supervisor attitude was not a pleasant one as well. Once I came to see if my order was ready the nice young lady at the front checked which whoever this Asian lady title was that brought the food had an very bad attitude and her customer service was very unpleasant. She just dropped.my bag on the counter and didn't want to hear what I had to say upon checking.my bag to see if my order was correct. Which of course no condiments , napkins, or utensils were in my bag . So I ask for them this Asian lady of whatever title she was gave me an instant attitude and question me about what I needed in a very unprofessional way..I then said politely the cocktail sauce and tartar sauce which she never gave me a chance to finish asking for napkins and utensils. At this point I just wanted to give the food back and get my money but instead I just took my order and left. For my first time there the experience was not good and the food was not correct and its not an authentic Cajun Seafood eatery. Don't wast your time thinking your getting some real good seafood..Its really a Fast food place like a McDonald's, or Wendy's, . I would take Checkers or Popeyes over this place. Also save yourself a trip, money and a good meal and go right up to the Bala Cynd plaza and have choice of really good food choices!!! Sorry but I had to give my truth and I normally don't do reviews but had to about...

Visited the restaurant last night with my sister...it was a backup choice because our favorite seafood place was closing soon. The found was ok, we thought they could bump up their seafood boil seasoning/sauces to be more "flavorable" a bit though.

The portions and prices were pretty standard and you have the option of building your own boil bag or a preset combo. Be mindful if you choose a combo or family platter, it does not include broccoli (but you can for additional $$).

In addition to boil bags, we ordered fried flounder (delicious...perfectly battered and fried), a crab cake (nice flavor, but a tad too much filler for me), and buffalo wings (I'm a wing junkie, sorry). The do have a pretty full menu of items to choose from, including steamed, raw, and fried selections.

Our server (I believe her name was Devin) was really nice and really attentive to our needs. Atmosphere was casual and clean. It was freezing in there last night, we asked if hot tea was available and stated that it really cold. She told management and the heat was turned on....GREAT customer service move!

Sorry no photos, was trying to keep warm and went right to eating when...

Seafood in general is expensive, and given the hit and miss nature of the quality, you can either have a really good or really bad experience. Fortunately red crab 1 was an excellent experience. Everyone at my table ordered a special combo bag, which I think were generously proportioned. I added crawfish into my bag and these guys were gigantic and the meat was succulent. The crab was easy to crack and the meat came out in one piece, which speaks to the quality. The sausage, corn, and potatoes they throw in there were all good. The black mussels were meaty, and the shrimp was easy to peel and good. Now the sauce plays a big part, and everyone at our table got the boom sauce which is all of their sauces combined. Unfortunately the further down you go into the bag, the saltier it got, but it was not so salty that it became a make or break situation. That would be my only critique. Our waitress and the overall dine in service was friendly and attentive. Thank you red crab 1, definitely will be back when I’m craving seafood in a bag. I’ve been to a couple others in Philly as well as DC and NY and this ranks...