Bag O’ Crab — Restaurant in Merced

I've never been to a place like this before - it felt almost surreal, and not in a good way.

The prices at the restaurant are exorbitantly high, especially at a restaurant where you literally eat with just your hands. Ontop of easily having to pay fifty dollars for a meal for two, you are only given plastic cutlery to use, along with a plastic plate and cup. We asked our server about this, and she responded by saying it was so they wouldn't have to deal with washing out stains on the cups/silverware. I was genuinely confused, because... isn't that what a good dishwasher employee is supposed to do?

The automated robot was an interesting take, but it seemed like there was next to no point in having one as a server would have to go out with it regardless, making the purpose of automation in the first place redundant.

The food was nothing special either, tasting bland and generic, which was surprising given what you're paying for. The fish and chips were good, though, but I wouldn't go to the restaurant for that alone...

I can definitely get with the theme of getting "Down 'n Dirty" with your hands and was open to the idea of eating without any restraint to having to deal with social etiquette, but the restaurant and the execution of that idea fell flat hard. It felt like the restaurant cut corners at any opportunity to cut costs and was tacky as hell, with not even providing decent utensils and cups/plates, using automation (although done redundantly), and the insane prices for the uninspired food. I wouldn't go here again. I respect the idea of trying something new though, so I'll give two stars. Included a picture of some of the food I had too, which... you can decide for yourself, haha.

Seems to work for others, but sorry,...

I recently had the opportunity to try the bag of crab at this restaurant, and while I was initially impressed with the friendly staff and the generous servings, I must say that the quality of the food left much to be desired.

One of the main disappointments I encountered was with their ribs. Although the serving size was substantial, I found that the ribs often lacked meat and were mostly just bones with small amounts of meat clinging to them. As a customer, I believe that I shouldn't have to ask to ensure that the ribs come with an adequate amount of meat.

Similarly, the crab offerings also left me wanting more. The crab often came with a scarce amount of meat, which was quite disappointing considering it is one of the main attractions of the menu. While there were other items on the menu that were worth having, such as the fried shrimp, Po' Boy sandwich, and wings, for those who specifically crave crab and meat, this restaurant might not be the best choice.

Furthermore, I found the prices a bit steep for the quality you receive. Considering the lack of substantial portions in certain dishes, it felt like I was paying more for the name rather than the actual quality of the food.

Ultimately, while the staff at this restaurant was extremely friendly and the servings were large, the lack of quality in certain dishes, particularly the ribs and crab, left me disappointed. The limited amount of meat on the ribs and crab, coupled with the relatively higher prices, makes it hard for me to recommend this place to those who are looking for a satisfying crab and...

This place took me by surprise. I've always been hesitant to check it out because it's a seafood restaurant, which immediately tells me most of the menu items are going to be pretty expensive. But I caved into my love for seafood, convinced my cousin and partner to join me, and we had a great time dining in. Our waitress, Val, was wonderful. She was so patient with the three of us struggling to order our food despite looking at the menu online ahead of time. Val even took the time to tell us about the robot servers, which I was overjoyed to see zipping around the restaurant with drinks and bags of crab.

The three of us split the King Crab combo ($79.95) with Cajun sauce and then ordered a Snow Crab with Lousiana sauce on it's own as well as a side of fries ($29.95 + $4). Each item was delicious; so much so I took a part of the Snow Crab, put it inside my bag of shrimp and Cajun sauce, and took it home. Some things to note: the King Crab combo only came with three King Crab legs, but you get 2 small cobs of corn, 2 small potatoes, and about 13 or so shrimp. Thankfully, the food gets cooked and brought to us fairly quickly and tastes as if much more time was spent making food taste as good as it did.

In general, the restaurant is worth checking out if you love, well, crab and if you have some money to spend. My total came out to $123.30, but I enjoyed the food, Val's service, the decorations on the wall, and the kawaii as heck robots that deliver the food...