Angry Crab Shack — Restaurant in Tucson

For the last month or so I've been craving nothing but crab... finally the hubby and I got to opportunity to have a kidless* dinner and satisfy my cravings. We walked in and we're probably greeted we noticed there was a few couples waiting to be seated. The host notified us that the main dining room was full but there were two tables that would be ready shortly once they were cleaned and cleared. He also mentioned that there was nobody in the bar area and in addition to the usual bar sitting there was also four tables that say approximately four to six people. Knowing that our time was limited, we opted for one of the four table tops and the bar area.

At the time of our arrival, we were the only people in the bar area other than the bartender who came and explained our menu as well as took the order for a beverages (22oz Dos XX & a Hurricane) within 3 minutes. Her name was Judea and she was equipped with a big black permanent marker where she wrote her name on the white piece of paper that was on top of our table. She also explained the following: sea food is served at CURRENT market price (as noted on smaller table menu), your hands are your utensils, you'll be equipped with a roll of paper towels, plastic bibs, heavy duty scissors and pecan cracker thingy (my words, not hers). You can only order by the pound and no mixing. Food can take a while as it is prepared upon ordering. Oh, and it comes in a bag...we both ordered crab with trifecta sauce (butter, garlic and kajun) mine was a 0 (no spice) and the hubby a 3 (moderate spice).

Our timing was perfect as within 20 minutes of us sitting there our area was filling up and people were lining the entrance.

There was a bathroom located just adjacent to the bar area on a hallway. The women's bathroom door is very close to the paper towel dispenser which makes it kind of awkward when people walk in. Other than that it was fine I especially liked that the water that came out of both faucets was warm to take off any fishy residue. However the hubby says the one and only faucet in the men's bathroom came out burning hot.

Another small thing I was appreciative of what's not in the bathroom but at the bar, like actually sitting at the bar I noted hooks underneath the bar in front of stools for a purse or whatever else you may hang in there that it's definitely convenient and helpful to anyone.

The one and only reason I rated a four vs a five stars was because upon our arrival Judea did not appear to be the friendliest. She looked like she was really tired and ultimately and that affected my rating.

The best I have to leave for last, it really reminded me of the buffet the little hole-in-the-wall dive bar off of 4th Avenue because you can write on the walls. I think it'd be nice if they offered some markers to do that with in case you come unprepared...

I was so excited to visit here on our road trip. Sadly, my server didn't give me confidence in the restaurants ability to keep a food that I am allergic to from cross contaminating my meal. When we first sat down, I asked if I would be able to eat at this restaurant with a pork allergy and that it is bad enough to nearly kill me. He said, " Yes, we don't serve pork." I informed him that sausage is usually pork. To which he responded, " Oh yea, but that's all." I asked if it was possible to cook my food without cross contamination. He said"Yes" and then informed me that the vegetables were stored with with the sausage in the back. So I asked that my seafood be cooked and served separately. He told me that they could do that and we placed our order. When the food arrived, it was all mixed together. When I pointed it out, he said, " It should be fine." ( waving his hand as if i should dismiss my concern. I told him that it really wouldn't. He apologized for putting the order in wrong and took it back to be fixed. I could shake the feeling that this wasn't going to end well. ( he came out of the kitchen laughing and joking with a coworker.) We asked for a manager, but our server came out and said that he was mad at the people in the back for messing the order up and wasn't mad at me. He was completely missing the issue. I calmly explained that the real issue was that I am afraid to eat here because I am not confident that I won't end up in the hospital. I reiterated that my allergic reaction is almost epipen worhy. He responded, " Oh, do you have one? I hear they are expensive." At this point, I was just finished with the conversation and didn't know how to get him to understand the gravity of the situation, and I refuse to be rude or lose my cool. I just told him that I really don't need to see the manager. Honestly, I'd lost all hope that this server could understand how important his job is in this situation. I really hope that this server(Jesus) gets better training.... or finds a job that better suits him. He is definitely a liability to this restaurant and a danger to its patrons. I'm sorry to write such a bad review.. I just can't let anyone get ill because of a...

I stopped in for late lunch about a month ago. There was only 1 other couple dining at the time. They told me to sit anywhere, so I sat in a booth and then I waited and waited and waited, while the staff talked and laughed amongst themselves. About 15 minutes later an older woman (maybe the restaurant manager?) came over and asked, "Do you know what you want?" I replied, "Can I see a menu?" Then someone else, a male, brought me a menu. I asked for a glass of water while I looked at the menu. The water arrived a few minutes later and asked if I was ready to order. I ordered the scallop bowl & a cocktail (which I had to remind them was advertised outside the restaurant on a chalkboard for a special price that they initially disagreed with me until I told them to go look at their sign!). A few minutes later I remembered the dish came with a choice of rice or noodles, he didn't ask which I preferred, so I had to get out of my seat to find him & tell him I wanted the noodles. The food arrived relatively quickly (as they only had one order to prepare). The scallops were excellent and the vegetables were brightly colored, cooked al dente. After eating, I waited what seemed to be a long time again given the place was empty, but it was probably only 10 minutes, when a young girl - the waitress for the other party - came over & asked if she could get me anything else? I thought to myself, she didn't get me anything to begin with, but I let it slide and said, "Just the check." The food was the ONLY saving grace in this experience. The staff were unattentive with practically NO SERVICE. The decor was disgusting, the walls were covered in graffitti that I'm sure customers had done as it was very unprofessional. Instead of going for an urban chic design, it looked more like a rundown high school hangout. Although the food was good, I didn't even finish my cocktail. I wouldn't...