Shaking Crab (Williamsburg) — Restaurant in New York

I would not recommend this place. The food is not good, the service is questionable at times, and you’ll be paying too much for too little. I got the Royal Catch seafood boil and the garlic noodles side, and boy do I wish I could get my money back.

Royal Catch Seafood Boil: None of the shrimp were deveined (which means you’ll be eating shrimp excrement) and they all had a very odd, mushy texture that makes me question whether the shrimp was fresh or not. There were 4 snow crab legs that were the only good tasting part of the overall meal—decent size, cooked well. There was only 1 king crab leg and it was overcooked. The potatoes were plain and the corn tasted fine with the sauce. The shaking sauce, medium heat, was a better part of the meal with a good garlic taste to mix with the cajun seasoning but nothing to write home about. For a $64 boil, I’d expect more than just mushy, unclean shrimp with measly portions of the “expensive” crab.

Garlic Noodles: Very strong raw garlic flavor and oily with a little bit of salt. I was a bit taken aback at how small the portion was for $8 considering the ingredients are only noodles, garlic, and maybe a couple drops of soy sauce.

Service: I did a pick up order and the person who took my order on the phone was nice and sociable. They were great at providing disposable bibs and gloves along with some napkins unprompted. I was put off when I went to pick up my order because when using one of the handheld devices to check out, the host/server quickly went through process without any input from me. They clicked through some options, never showing me the screen, and then chose a tip option without asking (I’m happy to tip, I just would like to know how much of my own money I’m giving) I was only shown the screen of the handheld device to input my phone number for a receipt once they were all done. I never saw the final total.

Overall I’m very disappointed with my experience since there were so many glowing reviews left by other folks (with a 4.5 star rating somehow!) Sadly a lot of the meal ended up uneaten because I couldn’t stomach it. Maybe they’ll have better days, but I’d rather not waste another almost $100...

I rarely leave reviews, but our experience at this seafood boil restaurant was so unacceptable that I feel obligated to warn others. I brought my friend here to celebrate her birthday, and what was supposed to be a fun night turned into a frustrating, unsanitary, and honestly stomach-turning experience.

First off, the service was absolutely horrible. We waited over an hour and 20 minutes for just one small seafood boil bag. To make matters worse, a table that was seated 30 minutes after us received their food well before we did. It was clear there was zero coordination in the kitchen or any urgency from the staff.

When the food finally came out, it was disgusting. The “sauce” wasn’t even a sauce — it was a watery brown mess that looked and tasted like it came from unclean seafood. The shrimp hadn’t been cleaned properly and were full of shrimp poop, which is completely unacceptable and a serious health concern. The crawfish looked even worse, filled with a dark, sludge-like substance that made us lose our appetite instantly.

Despite how hungry we were after waiting so long, we barely touched the food. Even with the small amount we did eat, both of our stomachs started hurting almost immediately after. We couldn’t believe this was what we waited nearly an hour and a half for.

To add to the frustration, the table next to us was also complaining. They received the wrong order and said their food was poorly made too. Clearly, this is not just a one-off issue.

This place completely ruined a birthday dinner, wasted our time, and made us feel sick. I would never come back, and I highly recommend others stay away. There are far better and cleaner seafood spots where your time and money will...

Update:

I have read your response. I am not going to return and judge you on your boil. I am going to judge you on the $120 I dropped at your restaurant the first time. Yikes.

My wife and I like to celebrate her living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer diagnosis every year by going out for oysters. We took a shot at this place. Wheelchair accessibility needs an assist to get up the 6-8 inch rise. Otherwise, it is ok.

As far as food, it was between so-so and bad. We ordered the oysters and they came with a single sauce and some lemon wedges. No vinegar or horseradish or tobasco so you could customize each one as you go. We had to ask for napkins. And then we noticed there wasn't any fork with the dish to put the sauce on the oysters, so we had to get their attention again for forks.

My wife got a lobster roll and for 30 bucks it was really bad. The amount of lobster barely made it past the top of the bun. She ate it, and near the end I ate a small piece and it was super dry. Unfortunately, because the cancer is in her brain, she doesn't know to say anything about not liking it. She just goes with the flow. $30! Crazy.

Our daughter got a kids meal and got the broccoli with her chicken and Mac and cheese. She couldn't eat the broccoli because it tasted like seafood. They must steam it using the same apparatus.

The automatic tip thing was a little bewildering at the end, all...