Joe’s Crab shack

Been to the Chicago location a few times, however, this is my first time being here at the Amherst store. Seafood is flavorful and fresh as usual. We ordered the lobster comb, dozen shrimp, appetizer sample, and snow crab legs. All were very good, as I considered. My wife thinks the Their house seasoning is bit spicy for her, so if you can handle any spicy, please choose the other flavor.
Server Matt is very helpful and funny, we had a good and enjoyable lunch there.

Came here for fiancé’s graduation dinner. Service was really great. Fiancé and father in law had the shrimp special 2lbs of peel and eat. The shrimp were DESTROYED! So overcooked! Hard to believe a seafood place could wreck such a wonderful treat. Wish I could say was the first time we’ve experienced this but same thing last time as part of a steamed bucket. All other food is delicious hence the 3 stars. I’d so come back if they learned how to cook shrimp…

I avoided this place for years because I heard it was noisy and expensive. It wasn’t either one. One of my bus buddies raved about Joe’s after having the back wrapped shrimp, so I decided to give Joe’s a try on a Tuesday evening.
The place was not crowded and it was not overly noisy. We could easily converse and eat and enjoyed the informal seaside ambiance. The prices for everything seemed reasonable. Our very good waiter asked us to join their loyalty program, which I did, so I could get discounts and extra food on return visits.
Our party of 3 split an appetizer of popcorn shrimp. This was the best dish of the evening. These shrimp are tasty. I could eat a whole mountain of them.
I had the bacon wrapped shrimp for my entrée. I liked them, but mom and friend thought the back was unevenly cooked and had underdone parts. Our friend ordered a New England plate of assorted seafood items. Competently prepared fried fish and shrimp, but not outstanding. The cocktail sauce is great.
I plan to return to have more shrimp (lots more shrimp) and try one of their other dishes.

Crab cakes taste like they fill them with toothpaste. Disgusting taste t them. Worst place to eat by far.

It is a nice family place or with friends too. The food was nice, not great but nice. However, you end up spending appr 35 for appetizers and a steam pot for yourself which is not bad.
The service is quite nice. People are friendly and helpful in showing novices how to eat a crab.
This is my second time and I might go again.

Love the service and food every time I come here or order delivery. Good prices for the quality of the food too. Laid back fun family-​friends type restaurant for good food.

Arrived with wife and two kids. Ordered the drinks, an app, soup, and all meals immediately. 40 minutes later we get drinks, 40 after that we got served after my wife called the manager over. My kids were going crazy by now. Kids food was good, adult food average at best and small portions. The manager tried hard to apologize and save our first experience. I’ll try it one more time because the menu is right up my alley.

Loving my meal! The salad was so crisp and refreshing! The staff is super polite. I love that this is a place I can kick back and just be cozy having a good meal instead of having to be fancy (not to say fancy isn’t nice)

Extremely disappointed. The waitress was great, the ambience isn’t bad. However, the food is not up to par. I ordered one of the steam pots, and I was rather dissatisfied. The seafood was cooked to the point that was rubbery. Also it was extremely salty. The potatoes on the other hand, were hard as a rock. The corn on the cob was rather small, maybe because they are out of season. Unfortunately, it was bad.

Very good seafood. Cajun Steampot was delicious! Took some work cracking crab legs but it was well worth it. Fun place, quirky. Our server Malorie was gracious, knew her stuff and was fast and efficient. Will be back again.

Our waitress was so sweet. We sat at the bar and ordered some drinks and our food and our appetizer was so good. Crab nachos, fire balls and calamari. I got a shark in the water and it was good as always. We relaxed and had some great conversations and enjoyed the waiters and waitresses dancing and the atmosphere was so upbeat and happy.
When our food came out we had to ask for a bucket for our crabs as well as butter, but my meal for the most part went very smoothly. I got the crab daddy feast with garlic and herb and it was amazing. My corn was cook perfect, I had a huge load of crabs and the potatoes were delicious.
The place was packed, but everyone was so polite and their were some very funny patrons their to add to the entertainment.
I had to ask the waitress for a to go butter several times and because a few things had to be asked for several times I did not give a 5 star rating.
I have been here many times and on normal nights they are pretty with it. I will be back next year for my yearly dose of crab legs, fun and and family.

For the service I got tonight by our waitress/​bartender I would give this place 5 stars. But because the only thing the kitchen initially got right was the crabs, it knocks it down significantly. The food, when I got it, was delicious and so very filling. But here is a rule of thumb I live by as a consumer. If your establishment charges 25 to 40 dollars per plate, for your signature meals, then as a patron I expect impeccable service (which from our server I definitely got) and order accuracy. To put it into perspective for the same cost of my meal tonight I could have gone to a restaurant like Black and Blu and gorged on aged beef.
So the good:
Excellent beer selection
The crab is delicious
They do a great job at taking other genres of food and adapting it to their food selections
The bartender staff was pleasant, accommodating and efficient.
;-) had enough butter for my wife to almost bathe in it
The bad:
The kitchen must have been been sleeping because they forgot one portion of the meal, and supplied the incorrect sides completely.
The ugly: (this isn’t the restaurants fault)
My wife and I were totally grossed out by the fact that she saw a server run her hands under water and then dry them without using soap. We almost left. But the server was not serving in the bar area.

I have to give this place a five. They went above and beyond for what I came into this meal expecting. I was nervous because I’m not huge on sea food but for all intensive purposes this was exceptional.
Me and my fiancé arrived here on accident, we were attempting to go elsewhere but we just were not happy with the wait at our prior stop so we ended up in this magical little joint.
We were met with a large parking lot full of open spaces when we walked in we out also met with a great assortment of fishing decorations the staff was incredible they were very nice and accommodating, they did everything that was expected of them and more.
Me and my fiancé each ordered buckets which by any means are not cheap but for the quantity and the quality was very much worth it on my opinion.
The lobster was cooked perfectly and you can tell it is very fresh. Now I have eaten actual fresh lobster before so I can say this with an honest opinion. The corn on the cob was a great added touch to offset a lot of sea food these buckets come very full so either expect to eat like a champ or take a doggy bag home like I did.
All in all this was a solid 5 and I will definitely not only recommend to friends and family but I will be back for second, thirds and possibly fourth. We will see how my bank account looks after thirds.

The food here was just okay. I do enjoy their $ 2 Tuesdays. They have some good options available for that special. I wasn’t too impressed with the food here. Yeah, the seafood was good, but sides such as mashed potatoes and vegetables could use an upgrade. Very disappointing for Joe’s Crab Shack. Overall, this place is just average. The price is a pretty penny. I’ve had better.

I have been to Joe’s Crab Shack over two dozen times at this location and have never been disappointed. This past Tuesday, I again took the whole family there for «$ 2 Tuesdays». The place was fairly busy, but my party of eight was seated fairly quickly. We ordered fried pickles, fried calamari, and nacho fries appetizers which were all delicious. I had a $ 2 category 5 hurricane which was fantastic as usual. For my main course, I and my daughter had the new sesame ginger queen crab which was seasoned to perfection. My landlubber wife had a fried chicken salad which she enjoyed. The service was great, our waitress was very attentive.
The restaurant is rather noisy, which is perfect for families with small children. I can’t wait to go back again.

Oh Joe’s. I want to love you. I really do…
First off, I love seafood. It’s extremely difficult to find good seafood that is actually fresh. I’ve been to Joes Crab Shack a few times. Each time I go my food comes out cold. I have gotten the crab legs and I have gotten the «pots». It doesn’t help that you don’t get much for what you pay. The prices are very high and therefore I expected hot, succulent, fresh seafood. Each time I get it, it’s definitely fresh but it’s never warm. It takes forever to come out and I know it’s sitting there dying. But they bring it anyway! Ive gotten a few different flavors and they were all good but you get more corn and potatoes then seafood.
I’ve gotten the Crab Nachos (it’s an app) twice. One time they were loaded and stacked super high and hot! Last time they hardly covered and there were about ten on the plate. It looked like we received someone’s leftovers…
They have the drinks working for them though. Get the Shark Bite. It’s delish.
No complaints on service except for the length of time it takes for food to come out. I have a feeling that’s the kitchens doing.
Sadly, because I love seafood and the atmosphere at Joe’s, I’d suffer through cold seafood there again. But only when I feel like really spending a buck…

I remember coming to Joe’s Crab Shack back in 2011 when it first opened. I Also remember not being very impressed then. We decided to give it another try.
Friday afternoon, there was NO ONE else in the restaurant. Okay. We were seated very quickly, and the staff was very good. They have specials for lunch where you can get 2 baskets for something like $ 11, which is great… but they were all battered and fried, so I didn’t want to eat any of them.
We started with a cup of lobster bisque which was good. For lunch I ended up getting the lobster salad. The description made it sound delicious. It had wayyy too much stuff in it that wasn’t lettuce. Peppers, celery (what?), too many onions, and hardly any lettuce. My husband got a lobster grilled cheese, and he said it was satisfying.
Needless to say, I was not impressed once again. It was WAY too expensive for lunch (we spent over $ 50 on a soup, sandwich, and a salad!). I don’t see myself coming back here.

Good quality food for a chain, I mostly enjoy the happy hours at Joe’s as the meals can be a little expensive here.
Happy hours are Monday through Friday from 4 – 7 then from 9 until close — gotta love those late night happy hours! Help yourself to $ 5 appetizers, $ 3 drafts, hurricanes, and house Rita’s. Thursday happy hours are half off signature cocktails. Twosday is $ 2 hurricanes l, drafts and bites, meaning a ton of food and drinks for your money!
The clam strips are my favorite, everything else I’ve had is from the happy hour menu and I haven’t truly loved any of the apps — perfect for snacking on while drinking their many rum filled cocktails. Definitely check the place out during the Thursday happy hour!

I came here with a friend on a Wednesday night and didn’t have any trouble getting a table. That may change now that UB is back is session. Service was great. We ordered a calamari appetizer, it tasted freshly made and portion size was good. The batter got to be a bit much near the end so we were just peeling it off and then eating the squid.
We both got the Samuel Adams steampot but with the cajun pot flavoring. The crab was very good, fresh. The lobster on the other hand was really salty though. It also came with potatoes, sausage and corn, which nicely rounded out the meal. I was really full at the end and actually took some of it home. Probably if we didn’t order the appetizer, I could have finished.
I’d probably come back again if I’m in the mood for seafood, maybe try some other items from the menu.

Was curious about this chain restaurant and came here with my wife after seeing Aziz Ansari perform at UB a few months ago (that was a fantastic show!).
The restaurant left much to be desired, but had a kitchen that was open pretty late. They had a ton of seating and I think we were the only one’s eating dinner around 10pm that night. We ordered a seafood pot for 2 which came with a decent amount of crab legs, corn, potatoes and shrimp.
Definitely enjoyed the crab legs and corn and the food tasted quite fresh. At $ 45+ for two, I thought the price was fairly reasonable given the amount of seafood you got and service was friendly.
There are local non-​chain places that offer better value, so I don’t see myself returning, but it was fun to check out this place!