The Crab Shack – Folly Beach

The food was just OK and we had to sit outside with very loud music and heat which did not work well for our very geriatric population. 91 y/​o mom could hear nothing! They had many open tables inside where the noise level and temperature would have been much better. At 7:00 they were out of many sides

Awesome food and reasonable prices. The steam buckets are better then any Joe’s crab shack has to offer. The oysters and shrimp were so flavorful and tender, melt in your mouth. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 star was the wait. We arrived around 6:00 and had to wait 20min for the table. By the time we left, there was an hour wait. But great local seafood. Definitely check it out.

I really do not understand the great ratings. We ate dinner tonight and the food was nothing more than ordinary. My husband and I both commented that the fish had an odd taste. If you want a plate of fries, go for it. My fish and shrimp dinner was mostly fries with 4 shrimp and a small piece of fish. We arrived at 7 and they were out of most of the sides-​no slaw. Had to pay extra for a salad that was ice berg lettuce and croutons. Nothing else! But to get the 2 sides offered for my dinner, these two items and collards were the only options. Will definitely look for other options for the remainder of our vacation.

It’s the Shack-​Attack in the heart of Folley Beach.
A super popular restaurant (expect to wait) with good location, high prices, and great seafood.
I ordered the shrimp and grits, and was not disappointed. The grits were stone ground yellow grits, cooked perfectly, almost like a thick cake. Sounds weird, tastes great.
We tried the crab dip appetizer. It’s really good, the table will fight over the last of it. Quick Tip: it’s a cold dip, almost like a spread. Comes with crackers rather than chips.
Another tip: The best value is the sandwiches. They can be had for half of what some of the menu items cost, and they were very tasty. If I went back for lunch, I would get a sandwich for sure.
A solid four stars. A little pricey, but worth it.

The Crab Shack was a nice casual place to eat.
The noise level was high but in a patio situation it is acceptable. The décor was average and the misting machines are genius for the hot summer season. The service lagged a little with food getting to the table, but otherwise good service.
Now for the best part: the food!
I had the Double D Barbeque Crab and Shrimp sandwich with fries. The shrimp were slightly overcooked, the barbeque one note, and the crab a little soggy. It was a crabby slightly tangy sandwich with a bland type of texture.
My favorite were the fries! Salty, creamy, and that wonderful crunch that made me eat more than I should have. Highly reccomend the fries.
I got to try the shrimp and grits. Again the shrimp was a little over done. The grits were thick, a little dry, but balanced with the roux sauce.
I will say their crab dip was perfect! A bit of spice with the cheese and crab made it hard to stay away.
I will definitely go again next vacation.

The food was ok, not bad, not amazing. Our server clearly felt bad about the slow service and brought us an additional appetizer. I was a little disappointed in the food after hearing all the rave reviews.

After several more times here with solid good times, great food, right on service and seriously good live music I have to go ahead and give 5 stars. You can tell these people care.

Food is excellent and the crab legs are too! We always come to the crab shack when we are in town! Every waitress we have ever had has been super nice. Never a bad meal! A must for folly!

This was a welcome restaurant after a long day at the beach. I got the frog more stew which is just a shrimp and sausage boil and it was fabulous. Best shrimp we had this week on the islands! We got the free crab dip (make sure to check in!) and the crab balls (nomz!) as appetizers. My
Dad got the tomato pie (insert salivating emoji here), mom got the crab and shrimp boil, sister got the crab stuffed flounder and husband got the fried shrimp basket. Everyone enjoyed everything!
The reason for only 4 stars was that it was a bit dirty. I think an entire dinner ended up under our table from the people before us and we were sliding around, the waitress even slipped and knocked a chair over.
Great service and ambiance (live music at night) though and we will definitely come here if we come back to this area!

Great place to sit outside, close to the Tides Hotel. Great for kids and service was excellent. A clown rated this place bad, but our food was good. Maybe the guy was having a bad night?

I enjoyed the seafood bucket and beer. The hot crab dip is amazing. Its super casual and if you are at Folly, great choice.

Good place for kids. My son loved the crab dip. Thx for the check in coupon Unilocal & FBCS. Beers are reasonable. Well worn but solid place. Paper plates, found-​on-​the-​beach décor… and local seafood. Nice beach seafood dive.

Good variety, and very fresh food can be found at this seafood restaurant conveniently located off the main drag.
Sitting outside is the way to go as you can watch the crowds pour into town while sipping on the beverage of choice. If you are around long enough they usually have good local entertainment as well.
A plus… Folly Beach Crab Shack!
I forgot to mention that Andrew, our waiter, was very professional yet casual… perfect for this place!

We stopped at the crab shack while walking through Folly Beach after a kayaking trip a few miles up the road. The bartender helped me by getting an answer for how much parking was in the lot behind them.
As we sat down we promptly got drinks and ordered an appetizer. We talked with our server, Will, who found out we were from Missouri and had never had proper seafood. He helped us make the perfect choices and even let us try some oysters for the first time. I can’t say enough about the level of service he provided and how amazing the food was. I had the crab and shrimp bucket and it was done perfectly and tasted incredible! I highly recommend stopping by here if you are in Folly Beach

She Crab soup is definitely worth trying. I saw staff bringing out some of the biggest crab legs I’ve ever seen. I was drooling. Overall the experience was great. Our bartender was super nice and the restaurant was clean. Happy eating!!!

This was our second visit to Folly Beach Crab Shack and like my first, it did not disappoint. We had come here a few years back and had a great experience so when I decided we were heading back to Folly for the day, I knew our first stop would be here. Like the last time, we ended up really connecting with the bartender so we skipped eating in the dinning area and stayed at the bar instead. I can’t remember our bartenders name right now but she was nothing short of phenomenal. Very personable and very friendly and was always checking to see if we needed anything and how our food/​drink was. She made us feel like a local, even though we live MILES away, in Mt. Pleasant. Ha! For lunch we decided to have the soft shell crab feast. It came with 2 fried soft shell blue crabs and 2 sides. Perfect for sharing. Fries and collard greens made up our choices. Let me tell you, if this is your first time eating soft shell crab, then the place to do it is at Folly Beach Crab Shack. Our meal was outstanding! Everything from the soft shell crab, to the seasoned fries and delicious collard greens. The crab was fried, but it was perfectly coated in a light breading that allowed the mild, succulent flavor of the crab meat to come through. They serve pretty much everything with their house made dipping sauce, which is so dam good. I could honestly buy a jug of it to take home with me. and oh, don’t forget about the dry roasted peanuts in the corner for you to snack on while you drink a cold beer. Salty peanuts plus cold beer equals a perfect lazy afternoon. Laura and I really love this place and we’ll revisit and bring friends every single chance we get.

Similar experience to Rita’s but some of the food was very good. Appetizers were very good, but my burger was dry and had an odd flavor. Had a great server, Jonathan, and loved the atmosphere. But half of us liked a lot and the others were just okay, found the sandwiches had way too much bread and the fries were not great. I think is really more of a 3 ½ star. A little overpriced and not much parking.

Excellent service, food and drinks. Crab cakes were big with lump crab meat and crab legs were superb as well.
They got pretty busy, but always checked on us regulary. The baretnder, jessa? She was attentive and very sweet. This is a locals hangout, because its the very best. Definitely will be back here again.

I get this is a tourist trap
I get this is going to be crowded
I get the service is going to be slow and lousy when sitting in the bar
I get that prices are going to be high
I dont really mind all that, really dont
But I CANNOT forgive overcooked seafood in South Carolina.
IF YOU LIKE
dry steamed oysters with no juice
old steamed overcooked crab legs that bend, not crack
steamed shrimp whose shell is separating from the body (classic overcooked sign)
Fried shrimp that are chewy and tough
fried oysters that are crumbly in the middle
THEN GO HERE!!!
MAYBE it was an off night?
MAYBE it is a new owner?
MOST LIKELY, I wont be back to spend $ 150 to try it out.
BTW we would’ve mentioned something to the server had we been checked on during the meal. First check back was literally as i was eating my last bite of fish, which now come to think of it, makes me upset on the service aspect of it.
We would’ve at least been giving the kitchen a second chance at success. We had already waited so long to get the meal. Oh well, I suppose.
NOTE TO OWNER: I understand most Unilocal reviewers think they are blessed with the knowledge of the industry giving them full blown right to bash away.
I am not one of those people. 20+ years in the industry gives me a slight edge on the review of your operation.
PLEASE stop serving food this bad to people or retrain the cooks. If you think what we had is up to your standards, then I am sorry to say, your standards are too low to be in operation. However, many of the tourist sheeple who think IHOP and Applebees are the best thing on the planet would probably disagree with my input.
I say skip iit

How do I describe the best dining experience I’ve ever encountered in my life! Got the grilled shrimp with fried okra and potatoes. besides the food, the service was phenomenal! Andrew was the BEST! he really understood my love of fried okra and made sure we had enough for everyone.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the menu options, but you shld definitely ask for Andrew for an amazing dining experience