Woodcleft Crab Shack

Freeport, United States

3.3

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 516-868-6198
Website:
www.woodcleftcrabshack.com
Address:
150 Woodcleft Ave, Freeport, NY, 11520
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.5 miFreeport
1.9 miBaldwin
2.6 miMerrick
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Quiet
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Freeport) 13:02 Thursday, 26 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday –
Wednesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Woodcleft Crabshack is a family-​owned and operated restaurant on Freeport’s famed Nautical Mile. We believe in the simplicity of fresh, quality food.

Since 1978, when we first opened our doors, we have aimed to make you feel like part of our family. We only use the freshest ingredients, cooked with care, to create a variety of dishes to please everyone’s tastes.

Our menu is a complete seafood menu with many choices for all the landlubbers among us. In addition to our extensive «surf and turf» menu, we also offer lunch until 3:00 pm and a children’s menu.

Open year-​round, your table is always waiting at Woodcleft Crabshack. Welcome!

History

Established in 1978.

George, his family, and staff have been serving guests at Woodcleft Crabshack since May 1978. Throughout the years we have always used the freshest ingredients possible, preparing them simply to bring out the natural flavors and not overwhelm our guest’s palates. The restaurant was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. We re-​opened in May 2013 and are currently the second longest tenured restaurant on «The Mile.» In our rebuilding, we kept an eye on the past while modernizing our look. We have always tried to make our home, your home. We look forward to serving you.

Meet the Manager

Andy D.

Manager

While in high school, my parents decided to purchase a local clam bar and turn it into a full-​service restaurant. From day one, I spent weekends and all school vacations working in every aspect of the operation. I washed dishes, shucked clams, waited tables, did prep work, and anything else that needed to be done. When the time came, I enrolled at Pace University and over time received an MBA in Accounting. During my school years, I continued to work in the restaurant, learning to cook, mostly through trial and error. When I graduated I was all set to take a position at a prestigious Fifth Avenue Accounting Firm but something inside me wasn’t happy. I loved to cook. I loved to create something delicious that put a smile on people’s faces. I loved the freedom and daily changes that are part of this business. Above all, I loved working with my Dad. Learning everything from him, the years happily passed, and now, I am the General Manager hopefully making my dad proud every day.

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20 reviews of Woodcleft Crab Shack

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Long Beach, NY
Another amazing seafood dinner here !! Flounder was so fresh i think they caught it 10 minutes before we got there. Mamies Dish was huge and had a lil of everything (Love Boat) and she said all great. Place was PACKED and service still great !
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
Great food great atmosphere you had a good time the friends birthday so she’s going to show up face and she’s coming great Manhattan clam chowder
Place rating: 5
Fishers, IN
Got a groupon n took the fam here for lunch. Service was good but the sangria, now that’s something to write home about. My husband asked for the ingredients. They have a good kids menu n the lunch menu was good. The ladies here were very attentive also. I will be back here again!!!
Place rating: 3
Lawrence, NY
Casual restaurant. My husband likes the food more than me but the sangria is awesome. Fried clams and oysters are very good and so are the crab cakes. For seafood without mtging your house it’s fine. Service is good but not great.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
I wandered in for lunch and was blown away by the calamari salad. About 15 calamaris lined up in a perfect oval over the salad (tasty greens, tomatoes, and dressing), all perfectly browned yet meltingly tender. There is no room for error with calamari so they have to know what they are doing in the kitchen. I also had 6 raw clams on the half shell and they were as flavorful and fresh as I have ever had anywhere. The server was very friendly and attentive, even though the place was, I’d say, at least half full. The New England clam chowder was delicious. Two bowls would make a fabulous meal. Everything was top quality. I wanted to return for a lobster dinner but they only have lobster tail on the menu.
Place rating: 3
Mineola, NY
Crab Shack deserves more than it’s current rating of 2.5 stars, probably closer to a 3.5. Perhaps they heeded the criticisms from other Unilocalers regarding service, because my experience was perfectly fine. The waitresses were super nice, smiled, were very patient, and knew the answer to all our questions regarding the menu and was even equipped to make recommendations. It was also very easy to get their attention and they were quick to help. So it’s at least 4 stars for service! The food on the other hand was not too great. I’m not quite sure what the rave is over the Manhattan clam chowder; it was okay, not phenomenal. The bucket of steamers could have used some garlic butter, or paprika, or any sort of seasoning to spruce it up. It was also very sandy despite our efforts to wash it in the provided clam juice were rinsing. I agree the food is overprices, but then again, it’s about location! And given what Freeport Marina is, one should expect to add a random $ 5 on top of any dish. The owners have to pay their staff and pay rent! The seasoning for the lobster, clams, and shrimp was fine, but I have to give only 3 stars because the shrimp was undercooked and partially raw. Still, it’s a fine place to eat and offers a relatively quieter and more family friendly alternative compared to all the other bar-​type restaurants with loud music.
Place rating: 5
Freeport, NY
Once again I’m back at the crabshack and the customer service is wonderful. The food was delicious i love coming here keep up the good food and service. Thank you for everything.
Place rating: 1
TriBeCa, Manhattan, NY
What a LETDOWN. Friday night, the Nautical Mile is popping boy did we choose the wrong place. The crab cake had imitation crab meat, the tartar sauce came in a little package! (Any self respecting seafood restaurant makes their own). Got the fishermens platter, WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT! With all the fresh seafood on the mile, this stuff was frozen cardboard. What a shame with so much nightlife!
Place rating: 1
Freeport, NY
This place is simply awful. It looks nice on the outside as a new Freeport resident, I am very interested in supporting the mile. But the food was so awful that after spending $ 70 on dinner, we came home and ate the food in my house. The service was also bad. I found the older waitress that I had to be very very rude. If you are on the mile go to another restaurant. It really does not get worse than this.
Place rating: 2
Laurelton, Queens, NY
The people that work there nice enough but don’t seem to have any idea how to run a restaurant. We experienced poor service and long waits when the restaurant was empty. When the dining room actually is full they tell you an hour wait for a table while there are 3 tables waiting to pay their bills and leave! The staff was overwhelmed at half capacity. It was frantic and uncomfortable to watch them run around saying what they can’t do.
It would be different if the food was worth the wait but it’s not. I had the shellfish broil and it was loaded with breadcrumbs and paprika. My BF had the Seafood Fra Diavolo. I have never seen him use so much salt. He said the sauce tasted like canned.
There are so many options on the mile. No need to settle for this mediocre experience.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
Very casual but tasty restauraunt, great place for lunch or low key dinner and drinks.
Checked in using Unilocal and received a discount off the bill, thanks Unilocal!
Started with the new England clam chowder and it was amazing! Also had grilled chicken sandwich also tasted very fresh.
Will be back.
Place rating: 1
New York, NY
I always read Unilocal reviews before I dine anywhere, and I try to take things with a grain of salt. If a few people complain about small servings, I may err on the side of believing they are accustomed to dining at a place like Appleby’s or TGIF where the servings are huge. If they complain about slow waitstaff, I assume they may have come on a night that was extremely busy. I am pretty generous in my interpretation. However, I wished I had paid attention to the bad reviews for this establishment.
This was one of the worst meals I have ever had. The food was bad. Pretty gross. Between the 3 of us, we had shrimp, scallops, lobster, salads, baked clams, mixed vegetables, and baked potatoes. The shrimp was tiny, tasteless, and over cooked. Despite the fact that we all ordered (incredibly small) lobster tails, only one of us got drawn butter. The vegetables were obviously frozen, and possibly not even a brand name frozen vegetable, because there was practically nothing but broccoli stems and limp carrots. The scallops were sitting in a lake of liquid that resembled milky water with orange grease. An orange oil spill in my milky water! They were overcooked and had little flavor. The baked potatoes (how do you mess up a baked potato???) were undercooked. between the small servings and the bad food that I wasn’t able to finish, I was pretty hungry towards the end of my meal. I wish I would have been able to finish it up with the saving grace of a decent potato, but I couldn’t, It wasn’t cooked enough to eat the whole thing. Oh, and we started off with a fresh-​out-​of-​the-​bag green salad. Not what I expected.
Pros: Our waitress was delightful and the blue cheese dressing tasted as if it was home made. The clams were edible.
Cons: Everything else. I really regret wasting $ 150 on a bad meal.
Place rating: 5
East Meadow, NY
I am so incredibly pleased with the choice to take my grandpa to Woodcleft Crab Shack on his 91st birthday! He talks about his love for soft shell crabs every summer & I know it’s been quite some time since he had them last. I checked the menu & sure enough, the Crab Shack have them on the menu! Score! I called to verify & the owner & chef answered & assured they’d have them that night. I had no idea if they were always available since they are seasonal. The owner/​chef was very friendly & assured me he’d have them. When my grandpa & I arrived, we sat down & ordered our food. The man I spoke to on the phone saw the order come in & knew it must be me with grandpa so he delivered the soft shell crabs himself with my broiled seafood platter & wished my grandpa a happy birthday & exchanges pleasantries. A few minutes later, he came back to check on us & see how grandpa was enjoying his special meal! Grandpa loved them & said they were cooked perfectly & informed me we must come back sooner than later! I was so impressed that the man cared so much about his guests & it was really nice. The two servers who were running the restaurant that night worked together as a team & were both so sweet & attentive. Grandpa had a second beer so decided he didn’t need dessert because the beer was better lol & when I gave our server my credit card, she came back with the check & credit card slip & the other server & the owner/​chef with a complimentary slice of cheesecake with a birthday candle! How sweet, kind, & thoughtful of them! More restaurants should take notice of the great customer care that Woodcleft Crab Shack gives on the Nautical Mile! Not only is the seafood fresh, food prepared so well, but the graciousness & care of the staff & management will keep me coming back again & again! Thank you Crab Shack! You have helped make a memory so precious that I will always have to cherish of my grandpa Ed & myself spending quality time together.
Place rating: 2
Long Island, NY
how is this place still in business? even rebuilding after the hurricane? the food ain’t worth it.
not. at. all.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
We started with the steamers … And I have to say it was my first time having them. They were delicious, highly recommend. Our waitress was great, she gave us a tutorial on how to eat the steamers, also I appreciated how she knew everything about the menu and how to enjoy the food.
I had the shrimp and scallop scampi it was omg good. The scallops were like butter it’s a must have! My boyfriend order Zuppa de clams and mussels. Heave them 5 stars.
Usually we take pictures of our meals prior to eating but we were so please with our appetizer we were excited to eat our entrees. So the pictures I was able to take we’re our half empty plates.
I am definitely returning to try the other food on their menu and would recommend this restaurant to anyone that enjoys great seafood with good company.
Cheers Woodcleft Crab Shack.
Place rating: 1
Massapequa, NY
I had lunch this weekend with my mother at the Crab Shack. We ordered the meal combo that comes with salad, coffee and dessert.
The salad was clearly bagged, but wasn’t horrible. Can’t really mess that up. The broiled flounder we both had was tasteless. The mixed vegetables that came on the side were obviously from a frozen bag. The carrots were mushy and waterlogged. There also didn’t appear to be any seasoning at all on them.
We still continued on to coffee and dessert, hoping it would get better. The apple pie we ordered «warmed up» was half warm, half cold. The crust had a layer of white goop that frozen pies usually get when they aren’t cooked all the way or are re-​heated. It was just a sad sight to see. And unfortunate. I know that Sandy did a number on most businesses in that area, but if this is what you think is acceptable for your customers, then just close up shop and give up. Because that’s what I got from this restaurant based on the food that they served. It was «We don’t care anymore» food.
Oh, also, our waitress didn’t crack a smile once and seemed annoyed. I felt like I was being judged by her every time I asked for extra napkins. Jeez. The only other waitress there who wasn’t waiting on us was more pleasant to us than our own waitress was. She even told us to have a nice day and said good bye to us. Our waitress looked like she’d rather die. I mostly feel bad for the owners. If this is what they are okay with serving their customers then they have just given up. I hope they find a way to turn things around.
Place rating: 5
Holbrook, NY
A must try if you’re on the nautical mile… Manhattan clam chowder is amazing. Calamari is phenominal too. I could eat the apps and soups here all day– they’re my favorite part. As for the main dish I personally love the crab cakes. It comes with 3 of them, vegetables and a salad! So I even have some leftovers to take to work the next day… Good music, reasonable prices… 5 stars!
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
Great fish sandwiches. Eating there for years. Food is reasonable because you’re not ON the water. Plenty of parking which is a major plus.
Place rating: 1
Bellerose, NY
It’s hard to decide which is the worst: pricing, atmosphere, service, or the food. Friends and I met mutual friends here who chose the place — I would not have packed this place as it is not waterfront and does not look impressive. The salad was the first disappointment. The balsamic dressing tastes like water, and when I asked for creamy Italian instead (after flagging down the waitress who seemingly avoided our table) I was simply told they don’t have any. No other options were suggested until I asked. The entrees were bad. My boyfriend’s salmon was dry, my shrimp scampi was forgettable and way too oily, and someone else at the table felt sure their meal came from frozen seafood. Nothing seemed fresh, which is ridiculous for the price and location. There was no ambiance or good service to make up for the lacking food, and I wish we spent our time and money elsewhere.
Place rating: 3
Long Beach, NY
decent