Original Waterfront Crab Shack

Sat outside and had lunch on a beautiful day. Our first time at the restaurant. We were seated right away. Great food coupled with outstanding service. We were initially going to have lunch at Navarre Beach (45 min wait). Glad we made the change. We’ll definitely be back

Sat out on the back patio looking at the water with my wife. Received prompt service and were impressed by the new menus. They have new signature cocktails and more menu items, but still maintains the local feel. I had a blackened redfish sandwich and am confident that the Crab Shack has overtaken Juana’s Pagoda for the best fish sandwich in the area. The Crab Trap is highly recommended for the food and atmosphere. And they have a 10% discount for military and locals.

I’m torn between a 3 and 4 star review but the guy singing did such a great job I rounded up. The food was decent and the prices not bad. It’s right on the water of the bay which added some nice ambiance. I had a fish specialty with some topping that may have had crawfish. Memory is a little weak at this point but it was good. I was definitely irritated that they wouldn’t swap the coleslaw for anything else. To add insult to injury, they list the sides in sections as to what is comparable and what isn’t. Coleslaw was in the lowest section but had several other options. They wanted $ 3 if you wanted an additional side. I pressed a bit about swapping for a different vegetable. They wanted to apply a $ 2 charge. I find that kind of nickel and diming really frustrating and it kind of dampened my enjoyment in a big way. That being said, they had a dude doing live music and he was awesome. So management of this restaurant, please recognize this guy saved you.

We have enjoy dinner here twice in our first week.
Food is delicious and servers are friendly and efficient.
Meg was outstanding !

Had the crab cakes sandwiches. Very good and moist. Definitely would have another. Good size and price. Options to sit inside or outside.

We loved this place!!! I had the fried green tomato appetizer. Really good. Will certainly come back!

I am from Baton Rouge la and they feed me the best snow crab ever had. Even the Hush puppies were amazing!

We had excellent service from Haley who was such a sweetheart. My favorite are the hush puppies!!! Not too happy with the grouper fish tacos, they needed a little more flavor and spice. Also, not too happy with the shucking of the oysters. They tasted good but I don’t think they even know what shucking is. Complained to the manager about the shucking and he acted like he could care less. The reason for wanting to go To the crab shack was for the outdoor seating on the waterfront in hopes of some excellent seafood. I can’t say that I would be going back.

Friend took me for lunch. We sat outside in the covered area enjoying the sun but not the colder air. Lots of choice on the menu but finally decided on the Crab Cake Platter. It was served with Coleslaw, French fries and two hush puppies. He had the Fish Tacos. We both enjoyed the food although I was not keen on the coleslaw. Nothing wrong with it — I just prefer it with mayonnaise.
Friendly place, great views, excellent staff and service

We want here after purchasing a Groupon and I was delicious! We ordered an appetizer, drinks, seafood, the whole nine yards. It was delicious and the service was good until our server got a little distracted after being sat a 10 top but still wasn’t a long wait and he was friendly and had good suggestions. The décor could use updating but that just adds charm. Try this place and enjoy!

This restaurant is located next to a marina on the water, so the patio view is quite nice.
I ordered the fried shrimp lunch, which came with slaw, french fries and hushpuppies. The shrimp was very good. It wasn’t greasy or overly battered. The batter was very light and crispy. I thought that the slaw was way too sweet. The hushpuppies and the french fries were okay.
My boyfriend ordered a crabcake sandwich. I tasted the crabcake and thought it was overly breaded, but nicely seasoned.
Service was very good.

We moved here June 2014 and this is our favorite place for seafood. We always visit when my parents come and this trip it was New Years Eve and Meg was our server. She was very patient and gave us plenty of time to find something for my 8 year old daughter, that loves shrimp, but wanted something different.
She finally was excited about the Baja Chicken tacos, with a few modifications. Meg and the kitchen made sure those tacos came out PERFECT! The grilled tilapia and grilled asparagus is always delicious and a must have.
Thank you to the whole staff that was working that night.

Ultra expensive prices and rather «hole in the wall» type atmosphere but you cannot beat the taste and the quality food. The grouper posted boy is incredibly deliscious. I would visit this place more often if it weren’t ridiculously expensive. Had to buy a Groupon this time around.

We started with the seafood nachos and they were delicious. The salsa was good, too. The fried oysters were large, lightly battered and very good. The shrimp was also lightly battered and yummy. The sautéed spinach was yummy. The cole slaw was very good, very light on mayo. Tarter sauce was yummy. Everything was delicious and I’d definitely recommend it. I bet it has a pretty view at sunset.

The staff was friendly and the food was fantastic. I had the Baja Shrimp Tacos. Cole slaw is also very good. We sat outside and had a beautiful view while enjoying our lunch.

The food came out quick, our server was nothing but smiles. … but the most amazing part of the dinning experience was how good our plates of food turned out … The temperature was just right and I enjoyed my plate of crawfish and crab creamy pasta. I wish I would have thought to ask for a little more pasta sauce. Overall it was delicious. My mom and her friend can’t wait to come back and bring more people

Went for dinner last night, we sat right out on the deck over the water … Had the king crab … Which was amazing! and the crab dip for an appetizer was pretty delish also (eat it pretty quickly or it gets greasy).
We also had the island tea and the bucket. Very strong drinks … The enjoyable kind of strong :)

This place should be called the «Original Waterfront Hushpuppies Shack». Their Hushpuppies are really good! Everything else was just okay. The service was fine and the place looks nice inside but its probably not worth the prices. The tables by the open windows are very very nice on a cool evening.
The main reason for 3 stars is that the fish does not taste fresh. I ate the blackened Redfin which tasted fine because it had been completely drowned in sauce. While the sauce was good, the fish still tasted like standard store frozen fish. Nothing special.
I will probably go back and give it another try because the tables by the windows are nice, beer is fairly cheap and the service was good. I would say, give it a try but don’t expect anything amazing… other than the Hushpuppies. Those things were LEGIT!

First time today price is high for a bucket of seafood .
The taste is bland or i must say lack of some seasoning.

Yep, Unilocal… you did it again.
Wanted to try a new place (for us) for lunch on the waterfront in a relatively new town. Turned to Unilocal… as any sensible and well-​read Unilocaler would… and found «The Shack» or, more formally, «The Original Waterfront Crab Shack,» next to the Fort Walton Beach Yacht Basin.
Limited parking, but we were fortunate; we arrived just in time for a mid-​afternoon lunch. Bar was about half-​full, the covered patio – half that… outdoor deck – nada, nobody. Yet, I still liked the ambience. There was something about the feel of the place that said, «glad you’re here; grab a seat, sit back and enjoy.»
I started with a glass of Pensacola Bay Seasonal ESB (Extra Special Bitter). It had a moderate hoppy flavor and a little citrus finish. Nice all-​around beer to accompany a variety of dishes. Yes, I’d order it again…
Next up… Pick Two Combo with Grilled Fish and Fried Oysters, Coleslaw, Steamed Broccoli, Hush Puppies. All around good with moist flaky fish, sweet and tender nicely fried oysters and broccoli steamed just short of soft. (So it was fine.) Hush puppies were fairly run-​of-​the-​mill standard fare with a speck or two of green (onion or japaleño…not sure since I paid little notice to this frequent add-​on). Coleslaw was creamy and slightly sweet but nothing out of the ordinary.
(One downfall… IHO…was that the fish, although cooked very, very well, was Tilapia. I should have asked beforehand because I am not a fan due to the farm-​raised factory aspects of this cheap fish. I should have specifically asked for fresh Gulf-​Coast fish… so, definitely my error.)
My wife ordered Deep Fried Shrimp with Grilled Asparagus, Coleslaw & Hush Puppies. The batter-​coated shrimp were fried to a beautiful golden color. But, although they were fried consistently, the breading fell off a few of the pieces. The asparagus was highly seasoned and over-​grilled making it wrinkled and limp. Good flavor… not-​so-​nice texture.
Looking forward to next time when I’m all for sampling the «Fried Green Tomatoes with a Volcano Crabmeat topping.»
With a little more attention to detail, I’d rank it 4 stars, but for this visit… just a 3−½.
Pleasant, attentive, and polite serving staff… and, as I said before, great atmosphere in a nice waterside setting.