Captain Pell’s Fairfax Crabhouse

I love this place! Its my crab leg go to spot!

The food was fantastic! We had crab legs, clams, and oysters. All were delicious! The calamari was great too! We weren’t a big fan of the coleslaw but can’t complain. The building needs some TLC and the staff was OK. All in all a delightful experience!

The price of Capt Pells crab feast is now $ 48. I can go to May’s crab house in Frederick Md. and pay $ 34 for their crab feast which also includes hush puppies, fries, crab soup and corn when in season. I’m also tired of the Fairfax City tax added to the bill at Capt Pells. When capt Pells lowers their prices, maybe I’ll return. I’ll go elsewhere as other places have AYCE crabs for far less.

I love this place. There’s not really another place in Fairfax where you can get crabs and be messy without being judged by everyone else. To describe this place, it’s a crabhouse. Like a roadhouse, the atmosphere is meant to be super casual because the food they serve isn’t meant to look bougie. It’s perfect to get your fix of beer and crabs.

I experienced quite a few wow moments here. The environment is family friendly and relaxing. The seafood is abundant. The seasonings are amazing. It was definitely a happy moment for me. The staff is extremely kind and professional. The all you can eat crabs can be tiny, but other than that, I highly recommend!

Well worth the 2+ hours to finish a dozen large shared with a colleague. Messy messy! Crab bits everyw, even in my hair! but it was worth every hammer strike. Will visit again next time in VA.

Captain Pell’s will forever hold a special place in my heart! I am a Maryland transplant so I KNOW my blue crabs lol moving to VA worried me that I would never find decent seafood again and was thankfully proven wrong!!! Captain Pell’s has amazing selection of crabs from various sizes! I always get the jumbo because who doesn’t enjoy eating a crab as big as your head?! The shrimp is always succulent and juicy! Crab legs are also pretty tasty! I am obsessed with the crawfish bites. The restaurant is kinda awkward with seating and this is def your «no frills» type place. But honestly once you’re munchin on your food, none of that seems to matter! If you’re looking for out of this world crabs COME HERE and trust me, I should know! I’m a Marylander ;)

I was a little taken back by the ambiance but the food was GREAT! The Crab balls are to die for. We ordered a dozen of medium crabs only to receive a bunch of babies. The manager Danny took the minis back and hand picked larger crabs for us. Great PLACE and a new Weston household favorite.

This place will always have a special place in my heart because it is the location where I reached my personal best for eating the most crabs in one sitting (16 crabs!).
An AYCE crab feast is $ 48 which means you have to eat thirteen crabs to get your money’s worth. We received tray after tray of medium sized male crabs that were hot, perfectly cooked and seasoned with Old Bay. As a bonus, the last tray was full of jumbo crabs since we literally ate till closing time.
The hush puppies were super legit, slightly sweet and crunchy. Roll your sleeves up, crack open a couple of beers and grab your most patient and hungry of friends — you’ll be here for a while! This spot is no frills but they are serving up quality food in the middle of Fairfax so close your eyes and pretend you’re having a beach day!
Tip: Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for coupons and deals!

Overall its a messy but fun atmosphere. You get down n dirty, but they dont provide any bibs so come prepared with appropriate wear.
We did a two dozen stack of jumbo crabs. They’re a fun size to munch away on. Id sat for the price, its readonable. The seasoning is really strong, perhaps too strong for my liking. They also provide melted butter and vinegar if you ask for these.
Again, it was a neat experience, but I wouldn’t come back unless I was dying for blue crab and stuck in fairfax.

The crab cakes are huge, but that place gets packed and the wait staff leaves much to be desired in the friendliness department.

This place is a paradox. We visited and spent $ 80 bucks on some very good food but our waiter said two words to us. We told the waiter it was our first time visiting and all he could muster was a grunt and a «what are you gonna order»
I would have given it 4 stars but the customer service was horrible and we might not return– and we have a lot of friends we are gonna warn about this local fairfax spot.
Tip to the Management– fix your customer service.

Never been here because this place is really easy to miss when you’re driving on 50.
Had a bushel of crabs and a pick two combo of shrimp and soft shell crab. The crabs were good, but not very big. The pick two combo, you don’t really get your money’s worth. You get one soft shell crab, which tasted a bit spongy. The shrimp was bland so you really have to engulf it in butter. The fries and potato salad were very generic. The only thing worth it here are the crabs which just won’t fill you up with the size they offer. I feel like chasin tails and hot & juicy can get away with it because their seafood is packed with Cajun spices and flavor.
Sorry Captain Pell, I’m going to need a bit more flavor if I’m going to fork over all that money.

For years I have been wanting to come to this place but couldnt sell my wife to step outside of the chain (like red lobster) seafood establishments. Stuck on a Seafood Jones we finally tried it out and wasn’t disspointed at all. Its a very divey type spot with no frills and is all about eating. They do have flat screen TVs with sports on all around the restaurant.
We both ordered the pick 3 seafood platters and received enough food on these trash can lid size plates that could feed us as well as our 4 kids if we brought them. Defintely couldnt finish it all. The crab cake was pretty good and the fried oysters melted in your mouth. The fried shrimp were really fresh tasting as well as the clam strips. All the food was seasoned very well. The service was quick and good and everyone around us looked happy. My wife left out saying. I will never go to red lobster again! Lol

We went to Captain Pell’s with my mom, cousin, and some friends to take advantage of their $ 29 per person special. It was a Sunday afternoon.
The crabs were good. Good size. We had great service. The waitress kept bringing us plate full of crabs.
It was worth the time and money.

It’s time to update my review! Last week, I gathered a group of my girlfriends for AYCE crabs! Right now, Captain Pell’s is running a Facebook special of $ 29 for medium all you can eat! We went on a Monday night and the place was nice and quiet. A group of 8 women really got our share ‘crabs’. Although the menu offers other food options, most of us opted for the AYCE. The others ordered the Alaskan King crab legs that came with side dishes of fries and coleslaw.
The crabs came out by the dozen, and they were piping hot! Besides fresh and hot, they were medium crabs LOADED with lots of meat and fat (you all know what I mean by FAT). Little bowls of butter complimented our crab fixation as well as a large basket of hush ‘crack’ puppies!
Services was awesome! We loved our guy (can’t remember his name but he is the institution)! He was always on point in bringing out more crabs, and patiently cleaning up that brown paper mess! This special is found on Facebook and runs until Dec. 1^st.
SO. trying to figure out when I can partake again…

Captain Pell’s in Fairfax is a very casual dining establishment. Upon walking in, you are greeted by old arcade machines and local advertisements plastered over their walls. I arrived in a party of 4 and was immediately seated on a Friday night. Well-​known for their all-​you-​can-​eat blue crabs, their menu items offer a variety of seafood that come steamed or fried. They also offer «pick combos» which allow you to try 2 – 3 different entrees with a side of french fries and coleslaw. Our server was very attentive and friendly. She offered recommendations and was quite accommodating to our requests.
Per her recommendation, I ordered the Neptune’s Platter ($ 35) which consisted of 3 snow crab clusters, fried onion rings, corn on the cob, and coleslaw. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of food that I received! Their snow crab legs were extremely large and meaty. I also tried their fried clams, which were breaded in a crisp layer containing the juicy shellfish. Yum!
Everyone at my table was very satisfied (and stuffed) following our meal. While you are expected to spend at least $ 20 per person, I do believe that their portions make it worthwhile.

I have driven past Captain Pell’s for so many years now and when my cousin who has moved out of the DMV area was visiting and had a hankering for blue crabs, we opted to try this place. Now, when you walk in, it will be a bit jarring and its just a large room with tables covered in paper and people running around delivering fresh crabs and seafood to hungry customers. Many reviews note there is a lack of ambience, but I disagree. It is what I expect a crab house to be — simple, direct, and as clean as it could reasonably be. Both times I have been, there was no wait, so I have been incredibly lucky.
They have various seafood options, fried scallops, boiled claims, snow crab legs, soft shell crab sandwiches, but if you are coming here, you should be the blue crabs. You order by the dozen, but we also asked for 1.5 dozen, which they accommodated. They have all the sizes but in my opinion, large is the best option. We went this past Sunday and got a dozen large males for I believe, $ 72. We also got a size of fried oysters, which I love.
The crabs are on point, service is quick and efficient, and water and sodas come out in large plastic cups so you don’t have to worry about going thirsty during all that crab-​busting and eating.
These crabs are as good and even better than some I have had in MD, so there! VA crab houses can hang too! Bye Felicia!

The décor in this place cracks me up. This place is also beyond awesome. Once you get past the divey atmosphere. You are in for a real treat.
The menu is simple here, and so is the food they serve. This is a great place to come to dine and watch a sports games with your friends. The food here in inexpensive and the products they serve is always fresh and tasty.

Came here for lunch 2 weeks ago with my mom. It was Saturday around 1 and the place was dead. I’m guessing this place is a landmark here in VA but this place needs some updating. I’m a big advocate of hole in the wall and laid back seafood restaurants but this place felt beat up and dirty compared to the mom and pop joints I’ve been to in the Keys.
I ordered 2 dozen oysters. There were on the small side and wasn’t the best tasting but they were freshly shucked. We both had the crab soup and it was delicious… creamy and little bit of spice. Service was decent but not the friendliest. Server automatically brings wooden mallets and paper towels when sat down since they’re know for all you can eat crabs. I’m willing to give it another shot next time & try other entrees but I rather stick to my favorite seafood stop, DC Marina.