The Monster Crab AYCE Seafood & Bar — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

The place was okay at best. Not terrible, not fantastic, just okay. Which surprised me, as a lot of reviews rave about how good it is. Our first few dishes were fine. The Fried Oysters was hot and crispy, the chicken wings were juicy and tasted good, and the shrimp po boy was great. But it quickly fell down from there.

The lobster was chewy and tasted of nothing, and was super cold to boot. They also completely forgot the flounder po boy that was ordered. Which was sad, as there was never more than 3 other groups of people at any one time. The service was attentive and quite nice, they were just rather scatterbrained despite everyone standing off to the side attentive and fast. They also forgot another po boy and lobster roll during the next order.

The biggest disappointment was the boil. Everything was overcooked, didn’t taste like much, was entirely drenched in garlic and the butter was flavorless. Every single ingredient added to the mix was cold and chewy. I ordered peeled shrimp, scallops, dungeoness crab, snow crab legs, and I splurged and got a lobster in addition. The worst of it was the scallops. Cold, tough, chewy, flavorless, and really off putting, felt like chewing a rubber ball. I had the dungeoness crab second and that was fine, but towards the end of it there were lots of tiny shell pieces mixed in with the meat, making it harder to eat. By the time I got to the lobster, none of it had any flavor whatsoever despite having more garlic than meat on it. I want to reiterate that the staff was fantastic though. Very attentive, very quick to come over with drink refills and new menus, asked us questions if they didn’t understand something, but the food was just not there quality wise, and for $60 you would and should expect...

Holy cow! Amazing service! And the all you eat seafood is literally a buffet that will put you in a food coma. The spice level is spicy 🌶️ so don’t be fooled. The sauce is decent very garlicky but I guess you need that when you’re eating all that seafood! Boy idk where to start the options they have for fried raw soups salads bread seafood is mind boggling! The sauces are delish with the fried shrimps calamari! The sweet potatoes fried and regular fries are tasty! And then you get the big tray of seafood boil and let me tell you the amount of crab legs and shrimps and scallops and calamari they throw in that boil will be way more worth than $60 pp! The free soda refills are perfect. The clam chowder was delish i ordered the sea bisque too but didn’t get it which was fine bc holy cow so much food it ridiculous! They know exactly how much portion to give with the amount of ppl sitting on the table. The fried calamari was yummy, the fried shrimp was okay. But the shrimp po boy roll was yummy the lobster roll was okay. We did the Cajun garlic butter spicy boil with crabs shrimps and scallops! So much meat the shrimps are big we got peeled and with the skin on. Get some extra lemons! It was crazy! The staff was so attentive with the drinks refilling and helping move the buckets to trash and asking if anything else was needed. Nobody had an attitude they explained everything. Great place to go with friends and family. It’s expensive but something to do once in a while worth it! They are not cheap with their seafood they literally bring it on for you! You won’t be able to go for...

We went to The Monster Crab yesterday with my dad, and honestly, it’s a great deal overall. First off, the ambiance is really nice. They’ve got some great decorations, and the atmosphere is very welcoming. The staff is super attentive, and if you need anything, any of them are happy to help you out. It’s not like you have just one waiter—they all work together as a team, which I thought was fantastic. One of the things I really liked is that they add the gratuity to your bill, so you don’t have to worry about figuring out the tip. It’s a fair price, and you can just enjoy the meal without that added step. The portions? Very generous. Just a couple of things to keep in mind, though. Certain food items do come with an additional fee. I got the whole lobster, which was $10 extra, the lobster tail was $5 and nice size crab legs—$5 per piece. So yeah, just something to remember when ordering. Now, I do have a shellfish allergy—specifically shrimp—and they did let me know I couldn’t have any of the fried products because everything is fried in the same pot, so they couldn’t guarantee no cross-contamination. But the seafood boils? They were able to accommodate me! I got to customize my boil with the garlic buttery sauce, and it was so good. Not too garlicky, not too heavy—just really tasty. If you get a chance, definitely check this place out. The lunch special is a steal, but they do have a sign that says prices will go up the first week of December, so that $24.95 deal won’t last forever. Still, totally worth it. Hope you give them a...