The Boiling Crab

Great food, prices are $$. Good energetic services. Waiting time is a little bit long but worth it. Recommend to Unilocalers

Soooooo, they changed their location and moved to the opposite building which used to be Coconut Bay. I had a fright when I pulled over and found the ON LEASE sign with no note saying they moved. I double checked Unilocal and there were no «This location is Closed» notice either. You guys!!!
Anyways, no line! I came at 3pm on a Friday. Thainenw location is HUGE! I love it! the staffs were really friendly, and helpful. Constantly checking on us. We ordered the mussels (minimum 1lb), ½ lbs of shrimps, 1lb of fresh LIVE crawfish, fried calamaris, rice and sweet potato fries! All in medium Sha-​bang sauce. It was not as spicy as I remembered. So next time I’ll try the hot option. So so good! Shared all the food between two of us, and plenty of leftovers.

Took my friends out for one of their birthday’s here. We really enjoyed the casual and laid back environment. The food was pretty good too and really flavorful with a lot of garlic, but I happen to like garlic. Overall my experience with the food was amazing, however I can’t say the same for the service here.

My personal experience with boiling crab was heart breaking. I wanted to love this place but a couple things got in my way.
1– our food took about 45 min to get when it was about ³⁄₅ full
2– our waitress went home and our new waitress never came to help us out
3– I had to ask the front desk for our check and then wait another 20 min to get my change back because they forgot about us.
For what it is, the food isn’t worth it to be sitting there for like 2 ½ hours just for 2 lb of shrimp. I’m just glad i tried it once that way I will know never to go back. The staff looks like young teenagers. They forget allllooooottt of things, also they are not as organized as it should be. Not cool.

The moved to a larger location in the same plaza, which means shorter waits probably. I went on a wednesday at dinner time, 6:00pm, and the place was empty. I say it was empty because this place is huge compared to the old location.
So much more space to walk so you won’t be bumping into anyone on your way to tables or the bathroom anymore. Same old food, environment, and service, which if you don’t know is great. By the time I left, there was a short line waiting outside, but was probably because they need more staff since the very back area where I was had some empty tables. Or those were just bigger parties that were just waiting for bigger tables.
Overall, great new changes to boiling crab.

Be prepared to wait FOREVER!!!
Lol I’ve been to many Boiling crabs and even tho the wait is at least 2 hours any day of the week. It’s worth the wait.
The whole shabang on everything is the way to go. If you don’t like spicy stay away from mild and medium spiciness. The shrimp is the best. Great with corn sausage and rice.
Sometimes it can take a minute to come out.
The only down side (besides the long wait) is the horrific parking lot. I know there’s not much the restaurant itself can do about it but trust me… It’s bad.
If you’ve never been, you must try.

I’ve been coming here twice a month or even once a week. The food was very good, I mean very very good!
The place was always fully packed every time I came but the wait won’t take as long as an hour. I always got seated for about 30 – 45 minutes and still I came back here even with that waiting time due to the food they’re serving. The food was really good.
Anyway I always order the shrimp and the crab. The cajun fries tasted so good which complements your crab and shrimp.
Another great thing was the staffs whom takes your order, they are very attentive and welcoming.
Overall, this place provides great food! GREAT! The wait is the problem but, when you had their food, you will forget about waiting.

So glad they moved to this new location just across the parking lot from the old location. The wait time is reduced tremendously which is defiantly a plus. The food is always great and the service was excellent. The shrimp with «the whole sha-​bang» is the way to go. Mild was just the right level of spice for me. The oysters on the half shell were incredibly fresh and we couldn’t stop ordering them. I would recommend the fresh crawfish over the frozen, it was worth the extra cost.
The only drawback is that they do not yet have a liquor license so there is absolutely no alcohol. They would not even let you bring in your own. NONE at all !!! Wine was always enjoyed with the fish in the past. I do not know how long they will keep this policy but just be prepared to go dry turkey.
Can’t wait to go back. They would have got more stars if drinking was allowed.

Came here for the first time since they moved across the plaza to a larger space. Food is consistently good and the service really stood out for me this past visit. Our server Patrick did a perfect job, and everyone else who helped us out was friendly too :)
Everything is clean AF in here right now, very attractive… hope this lasts!

Finally came for my first time after hearing about all the hype. I was expecting to wait a while since other reviews said there’s always a long wait. We actually got seated after 10 minutes, got our food in 10 minutes. Our waitress April was super sweet and helpful. The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because they don’t have their liquor license yet and my father in law and I were looking forward to getting our drink on! Lol but other than that everything was dope!
Shoutout to April the waitress! :)

Location moved to the adjacent building where Coconut Bay used to be (Gonna miss their refillable Thai iced tea). Much larger location, with empty tables and 15 minute wait times compared to the hour waits from their previous smaller location. ALSO… PLENTY OF FRESH WOOD TO DRAW ON! :D They also hired a bunch of new attentive and friendly staff.
Food is fresh and delicious as always. A lb of shrimp and mussels with corn, potatoes, and sausage in a mild whole she-​bang sauce always leads me content. And 15 dollars for 12 fresh oysters, yum! If only market price of seafood can be cheap year round though.
Only downside is Cathy Nguyen doesn’t work here anymore! ‚(

First things first, they moved! It’s still in the same plaza but it’s moved to the old coconut bay location and the place is HUGE. I am a tad bit sad that the board my friends and I used to sign on every time we went is gone though.
Anyways, boiling crab honestly speaks for itself. I definitely recommend getting the shrimp whole shabang! It’s basically my go-​to and I usually get a whole pound. Also definitely get the Cajun fries or the sweet potato fries or both! You won’t be disappointed.
My favorite part is definitely the lack of utensils! Everyone gets a bib and you really get to dig in with your hands. It’s a great place to hang out with friends and catch up.
I would definitely recommend keeping a piece of lime to dig your fingers in to get the seafood smell out of your hands before you leave.
The only tip I would have to say is that sometimes the wait can get a little long so plan accordingly! Besides that, this is a place I love taking my friends whenever I’m back home

Major food posioning.
Everyone in my party got sick and is throwing up a ton.
If you ate on ¹⁄₆ and had shrimp for dinner you are not alone!
I had a feeling the shrimp looked uncooked a tad.
And now I’m throwing up unable to retain fluids.

A pound of shrimp, the whole shabang, medium spice and some potatoes. It burned so good. Our waiter Puno was super funny, friendly, and just an overall awesome waiter. We got there a few minutes before the restaurant opened and within a few minutes the place was already packed, so I really suggest getting there before it opens. But even though it was busy, the drinks, food, and Puno came to our table all at reasonable times.
We ordered a pound of shrimp, a pound of King crab, potatoes, two orders of rice, and some lemon pepper fries. It was just all awesome, especially the sauce my shrimp came with. I was just eating it with everything. The shrimp, the rice, the fries, potatoes; like I wanted to tie up that bag and bring it home with me. And I’m not exaggerating for comedic effect. For it being only a pound of shrimp, I actually got a pretty good-​sized bag of shrimp. My friend ordered the king crab and got an okay amount of legs, but she didn’t look like she was complaining, especially since we had the rice and fries to munch on too. For the price, amount, and quality of food, this is a restaurant that you really need to check out for yourself. Great food, great waiters, and just an overall messy, but tasty experience.

I haven’t been to this location in a while. It was my second time coming here. We came around 7pm and no wait! I didn’t get to get the server names but they were very nice and welcoming. Our food did take a little longer to come but users table due to a really big party that had ordered before us. Our server kept checking up on us due to the delayed food by asking if we wanted more refreshment or if we needed anything. Too bad I didn’t get his name.
We ordered 2lb of shrimps, 1lb of sausage, 3 corn on the cob in the whole sha-​bang and medium spicy and medium spicy on the Cajun fries. We also got Stella and bluemoon to celebrate last dinner of 2015. It was really good! But, we were dying after due to the spicy. We forgot that we always mild. It was probably because we ordered the Cajun fires first and continued with the same spicy level.
Overall, great experience! We were also told that the location will be moving. It will be in the same plaza though!

Be prepared to wait! Especially if you’re thinking of going for lunch (12pm) or dinner (6pm). I’m sure it gets crowded before 6 too! The wait can be up to 2 hours! They have plenty of parking because its in a plaza and they do have a big waiting area. I love that they have a TOGO building. It’s right next to it. All you do it call in, order, and pick up! I usually get a pound of shrimp whole shabang (all the flavors) medium! Half a pound is good enough for me, so I always have to share with someone. But you can order in half pounds! I also get the sausages mixed in the bag. The sausages are so good! It’s definitely a must!

I’ve only been to boiling crab 2 times in my life (3 if you count the time when I just gave up after being told there was a 3 hour wait), and so I have a pretty small sample size of «what’s good» in all things BC.
That said, I absolutely enjoyed my second time at BC in Rowland. There are so many great things going for this place that I just didn’t experience when I was at BC last year in Garden Grove.
First of all, this place is HUGE. Don’t be intimidated when you see how large the line is because it will move fast. My friends and I were told our wait would be about an hour (coming in at 7pm on Black Friday), but we got in in about 40.
Second, the service is on point. The waitresses were super friendly to us and even put our bibs on for us. Sorry BC in GG, but I find this a major plus. At the end of our meal, our waiter was nice enough to split our check and didn’t complain about it.
Third, the food was just as great as I remembered. We ordered 2 lbs of shrimp, 2 plates of fries, rice, and a corn on the cob. Everything about it was delicious.
Hands down a better BC in SoCal than the one in GG. Though it’s farther away, if you are looking for Boiling Crab, this is the one to go to.
Eat well and prosper,

Love love love love love boiling crab! There’s always a long wait but it’s worth it! If you don’t want to wait, take it to go and eat it at home.
It’s just as good. I promise. But it’s fun to eat in the restaurant– with the bibs and with your hands.
Some people may not like it coz you have to peel the shrimp and eat with your hands but it’s so tasty that you wouldn’t really mind.
It’s usually $ 10 per pound of shrimp and you can get it in different flavors. I like the whole shebang. It’s all the flavors mixed!
They have crabs, oysters and other seafood as well.
A lot of people complain about the wait but like I said, it’s worth it. Try to go early to avoid the wait. I know they open around 5pm.
If you like seafood and some flavor, this is the place to do.
Oh, they do not take reservations. So you really have to wait.

Seems like a lot of people still love Boiling Crab because a ton of reviews still complain/​warn about the long wait times. I see some things have not changed. Sad to say, but I do not know if my taste buds have changed or maybe they changed the food recipe but Boiling Crab just did not taste as good as it used to.
I first had Boiling Crab back in 2008, I remember taking my first bite of the shrimp after I peeled it and immediately fell in love with all that flavor. I was hooked! It was so delicious! Even back then I remember waiting over an hour for a table. I came back various times throughout the years and to various locations as Boiling Crab became my guilty pleasure. So much pleasure, so much guilt… my stomach hated me for loving that fattening sauce and punished me by giving me heartburn.
Recently Ken and I came back and surprisingly we only waited about 20 mins or so for the two of us at 4:30 on a Saturday. We did our usual order, 1.5 lbs of shrimp, whole shabang mild with ½ lb of sausage, Cajun fries also mild, and just for fun we decided to get snow crab legs, whole shabang mild. The Cajun fries came out first, probably 5 mins or so after we placed our order which was nice. The fries were nice and crispy but I did not think they were seasoned enough. They used to be better, I mean it did not stop me from eating them all. They were good but to me, Cajun fries as Boiling Crab used to be the Holy Grail of Cajun fries but the fries we had today seemed average.
The shrimp and snow crabs came after what seemed like a 10 – 15 min gap. We had finished all our fries by the time the seafood got to the table. Our shrimp was way over cooked, I was pretty disappointed. The skin was super soft and flimsy not crispy like when shrimp is cooked just right. I think they might have tweaked the sauce recipe a bit because I remember the sauce tasting a lot more flavorful and garlicky. It was not as thick as it used to be and a lot more oily. Still good but not as good as before, unfortunately. The snow crab legs were all right, Ken loved them but I would have stuck with shrimp. I would not really recommend getting it unless you love snow crab. It’s priced at market price so that changes each time.
Chances are we will probably be back, maybe not soon but eventually. I just hope next time they do not over cook the shrimps.

I LOVE this place. They serve very generous portions of crab and other seafood for a great price!
The last few times we have come here, we ordered crab legs, crawfish, and shrimp. Everything is served to you in a big bag and it is drenched in super flavorful sauces. We ordered the «Big Sha-​Bang» flavoring which includes all three of the flavors they offer. It is amazing! I recommend getting a side of Cajun fries and then dipping them in the sauce that the seafood comes in. I love doing that, it tastes so good.
I’m not a huge fan of the crawfish. We only ordered it because our friends wanted to. It’s just too much work for hardly any meat. The eyes and legs on the crawfish also kind of creep me out. I’ll stick with my crab always.
The service is pretty good too, especially since this places is always packed. Be prepared to wait a while to be seated, even if you come on a week night.
The only thing that I don’t like about this place is that they do not have a full bar. They only serve beer, nothing else. But that is my only criticism.
I absolutely love this place and can’t wait to come back.

so bombbb!