Smashin Crab — Restaurant in San Antonio

Short version: Food was very good. Drinks were good. Service was great. Prices were steep for crab but at the moment I get it. Wish we could give 1/2 stars so I could give it a 4.5

Long version: Have to be honest, ended up here because Joe's Crab Shack location we always visited was completely shut down. Like, the building is gone. The only other choice is the location at the Riverwalk and we'll never go there again. I have another review written about our visit there if you're curious.

Because I was seriously craving some crab we looked for an alternate and lo and behold, there was Smashin Crab only 10 minutes from home. Decided to give them a shot.

The location of the restaurant is very nice. As a matter of fact, after dinner we just sat in the plaza under the trees for a while and enjoyed the breeze and the after dinner stuffed-ness lol

Time was right in the middle of dinner rush but we had no wait. There was ample seating inside and outside. We sat inside near the door and had the best of both worlds. Outside seating was covered for those interested. The inside of the restaurant, and bathrooms, were clean and typical of these types of establishments. A fun ambience and plenty of TV with sports for those who go out to eat to watch the game

Met our waitress, Morgan, and she gave us the spiele on how things worked at Smashin Crab. Her service and attitude were outstanding all evening. Even took the time to wave and say goodbye to us again when she left work while we were sitting in the plaza.

Ordered some Hurricane drinks (NOTE - If you order a meal that includes "flights" don't order additional alcoholic drinks at the beginning. The flight might be enough). Very savory and decent amount of alcohol in them.

Ordered our meal and appetizers. Appetizers (The Big Eazy) came out after about 15 minutes. I didn't realize everything in it was deep fried. Also, you could tell the oil was a little old because of the color and taste. Wasn't bad at all, catfish was great, I just noticed because I've worked as a cook. Our meal (The Catch plus 1lb of Shrimp added) came while we were halfway through the apps and, after we asked, they left it bagged until we were ready for it. Even with only 1 potato and 1/4 ear of corn per person there was PLENTY of food there for 3 hungry folks. We had them use the Classic seasoning, with a side of the same seasoning but a higher heat level, and it was delicious. Even had some leftovers to take home. Also with our meal we got a flight of margaritas and they were very good as well.

Finally, ordered desert, to share since we were stuffed, of bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. A hint too much cinnamon for our taste but still a very good portion and savory as well.

We'll definitely eat here again but may wait a little bit for prices to come back down a little. Looking at an old menu of theirs from not too long ago showed a decent difference in prices. That being said, it was money well spent and we understand that the market at the moment is crazy.

Thanks...

(UPDATE 28 Feb 2025) Another great night out at Smashin Crab. Took advantage of the 2 for 1 Hurricane special they were having, as well as happy hour margaritas. The drinks are consistently good, and for the price the contents are surprisingly not a rip-off at all. The food was terrific again. I had the redfish dish this time, while my wife had what is our go-to favorite, the Catfish Atchafalaya dish. Both were great. Not cheap, as prices continue to go up, but the presentation and taste were great. We'll keep coming as long as they keep the food/drink/service levels up like they have been.

(UPDATE December 2024) My wife and I ate dinner here on a Friday night and a) took advantage of Happy Hour with a flight of Hurricanes (excellent--and they don't rip you off on alcohol content) and b) got the head-off shrimp boil that included a potato and corn cob. Should have taken a picture. It was all excellent. We will confirm, however, that they are not kidding on heat level when it comes to the spice. Whatever you think you can handle, go down one or two notches. They have 6 levels of heat and I did #2. I love spicy, but I'm telling you, it was very hot and anything above would burn y our adenoids out. You have been warned. Otherwise, great service by our server, DJ, and great food and drink. Thumbs-up!

(UPDATE) Ate dinner again last night and it was still as good as it was our first and second rounds. Once again ordered the Atchafalaya Catfish and a spicy margarita. That dish is just excellent: spicy, but not over the top and plentiful in size. The margarita was excellent as well. Employees were friendly throughout our time there, from the front greeters, to wait staff who welcomed us and told us goodbye as we passed them, to our waiter. Nice job.

(Review from 3 months ago) My wife and I ate here for the first time tonight. Had Alex as our waiter, and he was very nice and helpful. Got there during happy hour, so we tried the Hurricane Flight, Smash'd Margarita (Strawberry), and the Spicy Margarita (Excellent) as we waited for our food. Unlike many happy hours, these were the full-size offerings with actual alcohol in them--very tasty and great deals!

On the food front, we both ordered the Atchafalaya Catfish dinner, along with a side of mixed vegetables. We loved the taste of the catfish plates, which for us had just the right amount of spiciness with out being over the top. Really great taste.

Overall, we had a great meal with good service across the board. Really enjoyed it, and we'll definitely be back.

Oh, as we walked out I should note that we had at least 4 or 5 employees take the time to say, "Have a good night" or "Thanks for coming." That's a nice touch, and kudos to management for including that as part of the team's training. Nice first impression...

I tried multiple items and honestly did not enjoy any part of the meal. Boudin balls are too wet and lack flavor. Red beans and rice are too salty to enjoy the flavor. Sausage was the worst....poor quality and the texture felt as if they were soft, soggy, old... something just was not right about it and they didn't even comp it on my ticket when I brought it up to the server he should tell management they were terrible. Cole slaw had an oddly distinct flavor and too wet. All portions were too small as well. The main boil trilogy mix lacked flavor and didn't bond well as a soak.... barely detected any flavor as long as it sat. Shrimp are $5 extra per pound for head off when they're already above market rate. I get a good boil, head off for $18/lb while here it's $17/lb with head on. The crab legs were rubbery, not as fresh as they should be. I came here based on a recommendation from someone else.... who later told me they have been several times but every time after their first visit it was lacking. I was upset they didn't share that prior or I really wouldn't have wasted time/money giving this place a try. Not only was the food horrible, the servicec was slow to acknowledge the tables and then disappeared when I was ready to pay that I had to walk up to a register. The shades inside didn't work to block the evening sun. And I don't like the menu only shows highly priced options and no a la carte. I understand market may fluctuate, but I've seen establishments work that out to print proper menus. There's nothing I can recommend from the establishment except the size of the shrimp met expectations. This was a very honest review and not intended to be malicious. I tried too many different options to not get at least one part of the...