Hole in the Wall Crab Shack

So the shack may or may not be closed. I figured I probably better write the review, just in case.
We finally managed to trudge all the way out to their new location. Whatever the reason, it was not particularly easy to find. Probably the fact that I didn’t look at the directions all that well.
Once we figured out how to get there, it was less than impressive. Even though the new space has been open for a while, they still had a banner over the old store, so it really doesn’t look like they had «moved in». And if that is any sign, they may have moved out again. Guess we’ll know soon enough, right?
Inside, we were met at the counter nicely enough, but the offerings were slim — it turns out you cannot actually get crabs by the bushel (or however they serve them) until it becomes «night». So if you happen by in the middle of the day, you need to deal with a crab cake or something similar. Too bad, because the crab cake is pretty depressing. Even the hush puppies were sad. You can find better on the buffet at Golden Corral.
They also offer and odd half lemonade/​half tea drink (sometimes called an Arnold Palmer) that is really one of the stranger flavors I have ever had — and I’ve had a few odd ones in my time. Regardless, if they were closer in, I might stop back and try out some of their crabs. If they were to open again. But being that they are so far out, I don’t know that I’ll give them a go if I had that chance.

THIS PLACE IS CLOSED!
Also they ran a Groupon deal the DAY AFTER THEY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS!!! Groupon will at least refund your money though.

Crustaceans are tricky buggers and with them, you have limited courses of action. The most optimal choice would be to carry around a small kit of instruments carefully rolled up in a jewelry case with which to extract the meat skillfully and gracefully.
If you are not an international spy, however, you end up doing what most of us do, which is look at the animal with a bit of confusion, poke it with a fork, fail to extract meat with fork, and finally revert to caveman status, ripping the damn thing apart.
Once you finally gain entry, you realize that there is very little meat in the legs and claws, the body holds some type of ill-​colored jelly-​like substance which you assume are organs and you decide not to take your chances with, and all for $ 25. To top it off, waitstaff is going to be picking crab shell out of the woodwork for weeks that has inadvertently been jammed in there like ninja throwing stars during your caveman frenzy.
Hole In The Wall Crab Shack, I will be back. However, not to try this dish. I understand that crabs are expensive, though I don’t understand why for the amount of work involved with what I consider a low-​yield payoff. I understand that for what they are, you probably do them best (though the garlic crabs I got were more salty than expected). My friend’s shrimp looked very appetizing, and I did regret my purchase. Hopefully my next visit will be regret-​free.

The crab cakes and hush puppies are DELISH!!!

The crabcakes are great patties of thick, delicious crab. I thought the hush puppies and corn were pretty typical, but the fries were really tasty. I wouldn’t mind a better drink selection — all they have now are their house-​made lemonade (which I didn’t try) and bottled coke products.

Let me tell you about my crab drama!!! Be prepared for a long review. Of course I found out about HITWCS on Unilocal!Haven’t had good crab since I moved to Clt. Being from NoVa I had to try this place.
So since you have to order the whole crabs by the dozen, I decided to have some peeps over. I told my friends to be at my house around 6. So around 3:00 I called HITWCS to see how long it normally takes to cook up a few dozen and if I could order over the phone (takes about 25 – 35 min and yes you can order over the phone). The girl tells me they are out of crab!!! Seriously guys!!! On a Sat night!!! She said that they were getting a shipment in around 6:00. I then thought to myself, what do we tell clients at the salon when the product they want is out of stock? «We are getting a shipment in soon,» even if we are not exactly sure when its coming. So then I started to worry. Are they just telling me it’s coming at 6:00 to get me off the phone? I told my friends to come at 7:30 so there would be plenty of time.
As I patiently waited till 6, I was going out of my mind! Here I had 8 people coming over for dinner, they are bringing coleslaw, potato salad, but I have no crab! What was I going to do if they shipment was running late, or stuck in traffic, or worse got into an accident? I tried to not be annoying by calling right at 6 so I waited till 6:13 lol. I called and STILL NO SHIPMENT!!! I was now totally freaking out!!! They said the owner himself is in the truck with the crab and they are about 30 min away… AHHH!!! My stress level was through the roof!!!
7:00 rolls around and I call. YAY!!! The crab was there! So I placed my order — 2 dozen medium sized crab and 2 orders of garlic crabs. I leave to go pick it up as my first guests start to arrive. When I get there they tell me it will be another 10 – 15 min. So as I waited they were showing Diners Drive-​Ins and Dives (I had not eaten anything since 10:30 that morning in anticipation of my crab). So of course my stress level is crazy high and as I watch all this yummy food on tv, my stomach was totally talkin to the lady sitting next to me. And finally my order is ready!
When I got home and poured that first bag of yummy delish crab onto the table, I almost died! The level of deliciousness is indescribable!!! The seasoning on those crabs was so amazing, we were all licking the outside of the crab before cracking them open lol! No need for any butter or lemon for dipping. Both types of crab were OH SO YUMMY! Wish I took a pic of the crab extravaganza! Totally worth the long wait!

The corn on the cob is soggy and overdone. The fries are pretty limp. There is no unsweetened tea. Look past all these things, and the booming loud episode of Seinfeld on the TV, because the other food here, ROCKS.
The crabcakes are really where it’s at. No strange filler, just jumbo lump crabmeat, and seasonings – fried to a nice golden outer crisp. This place could give an upscale seafood restaurant a run for the money. So sweet and savory, I wish we had ordered two cakes.
On this particular day, only medium garlic Maryland crabs were available. They arrived in a plastic basket (well, everything comes in a plastic basket), cut into quarters for easy eatin’. The garlic sauce is SO mouthwatering, so full of flavor, that sauce could make a brick taste good. The meat is tender, not overdone and tough at all.
By the way: one man who was outside the store told us his wife loves the garlic sauce so much, she «got horny after she ate it». (uh…TMI!)
There are no vegetables besides the soggy corn and steamed broccoli, which is fine. Just go for the crabs and the crabcakes. It’s an unassuming location in a strip shopping center… the sign is just a banner over something that says «Ooey Gooey» or something like that, but don’t pay that no attention. Wish this place wasn’t so far from where I live/​work!
PS: Totally agree with Nicole W. The hush puppies are slightly sweet, totally moist, and really some of the yummiest balls of deep fried-​ness I’ve ever had.

Finally, a real CRAB cake. Not a crab & filler cake. Not a faux crab & cracker cake. A Craaab Cake. Crab cake. Yum.
The Whole in the Wall is still kinda hard to find b/​c, though it’s in a development, it is on the side and their permanent sign isn’t yet up. There’s ample parking but limited seating. Décor is all fisherman’s nets and wheelhouse but it isn’t over the top.
I give them five stars for service and consideration — the sink in the main room is a nice touch for post crab cleanup. They also are very accomodating and will customize your meal if you prefer baked instead of fried and/​or you want to switch out the sides. The owner is very outgoing and honestly wants your feedback.
The food I give 3.75 stars. Crab cake alone is a four, shrimp was a four and baked tilapia was a four but the fries bring the score down a notch b/​c they seemed under cooked. The hushpuppies are good and the broccoli is very good. The corn is what you get in a low country boil and I can’t decide if I like it. It is a little chewey (?gummy?) but I’m kinda diggin’ the seasoning. If the fries were better, the food would be a solid four, but b/​c they have only 4 options for sides, this time around the fries kinda carry weight.
That said, the whole crabs and garlic crabs look delicious and we can’t wait to visit again for a taste. Our preschooler loved the shrimp and broccoli and we loved our main dishes so we’ll definitely be back.

I’m going to be totally honest here — I did not like this place. Where do I begin?
1) To their credit, the crabcakes in the combo platter were full of lump crabmeat, but mine was slightly cold in the center. The garlic sauce was flavorful, but it was too salty and there was too much of it.
2) The hush puppies were a bit dense and could have used butter for dipping.
3) The fries were a greasy mess — undercooked, mushy, and flavorless.
4) The corn was overcooked and covered with a salty sauce (maybe the same as the crabcake?).
5) Coleslaw was part of the combo, but they had none. We were not offered any substitutes or a reduction in price. Just «no coleslaw for you.»
6) Service was, in a word, indifferent.
7) The fried shrimp were large, crispy, and tasty.
8) My husband couldn’t wait to have crabcakes and beer… but they don’t serve beer. Ouch.
While I appreciate that they recently moved to a location with a dining room, it had no character. The radio was tuned to a loud, cheesy pop station; who wants to hear Creed when they’re trying to eat?
At $ 15.50 for a combo, I expected much better. I most definitely will NOT be back.

The Crab Fix has been sated!
Chad E. previously saw my dilemma with another Crab Place in Wake Forest and told me about this establishment.
If someone asked me to describe in a few words what Hole In The Wall Crab Shack is all about, my response would be; «Delectable, flavorful and above all else quality.»
I want to forewarn anyone that is thinking of visiting this slice of heavenly goodness — the prices aren’t your cheap Red Lobster variant so if you’re expecting inexpensive you need to revisit your crab craving. However, if you want blue crab cooked to perfection this is the place to be. Additionally and this isn’t even a second place mention, more like tied for first — the Crab cakes are Deee’lump’tious! Yes I just made that word up, and threw Lump in the middle of it. Think Delicious, Sumptuous, Scrumptious and it’s all about one giant patty of Jumbo Lump Crab Meat. No filler anywhere to be found, just a monstrous handful of jumbo lump crab meat, smashed on a flat top crisped up and placed on a bun. A couple other items to note: Get the Lemonade it’s more than worth it; Sweet, tart and tangy and made right in house. People have raved about their hush-​puppies and I’ll add my two cents on them being all that and more.
Midway through our meal, since the illustrious and oft-​mentioned Brit was with me, we got a reprieve from the crab love fest; more so my love fest than hers but that’s beside the point she was eating vicariously through me anyway. Garmin, and I hope I’m spelling his name right, one of the owners came out and chatted with us. I had told the lovely ladies at the order counter that they are listed as Closed on Unilocal,and wanted to give them a heads up about it. He came out to thank us for mentioning this. He sat down and we chatted for awhile. We talked about his business, the reason for his move from the original location, the price point, value and quality of his food. He’s a great guy who expresses his passion for his food by putting a memorable meal together on your plate/​basket or your to-​go bag. He’s been in the crab business for years, but for this place truly being opened for a week at the present location and only 8.5 months at the previous one it’s amazing to see and hear of the success that is greeting him, the staff and his family.
This place is now on our official food map and marked as a ‘must visit’ for when we come to Charlotte in the future.

Hole in the wall is now open!!! New location. Seating. Tons of parking. Same amazing food! And a couple new items like the crabcake sandwich. Come one come all. Time for crabs!!!

These guys have to be some of the friendliest people I have ever met! I was stuck trying to figure out what I wanted for dinner and by the time I figured it out it was 8:50. I figured I’d call and see if they could do a take out order, if not no big deal. I called and they said no problem. When I got there, like 6 minutes later they came and opened the door for me and started chatting right away. I thanked them profusely for letting me order and was told it wasn’t a problem at all. They told me how they’d be moving soon and got my name and email to add to their list for when they have the new location secured.
So after chatting for like 10 minutes I left and couldn’t wait to try my food. I had gone with the crabcake platter and was happy with it. The crabcakes were great. I went to school in Baltimore and have had my share of crab cakes, and these can hold their own. The fried shrimp were okay, not a stand out. The chips were really yummy though as were the hush puppies and corn.
I will most definitely be back to try more and have a lovely chat with the lovely owners!

Everything everyone else said is true. The owners are just really great down to earth guys. They really just want to cook tasty food that people will enjoy. I know they are looking for another location that will have a seating area. Yea! Everything is cooked after you order, so if your lunch schedule is tight, call the order in.
I have not had a crab cake of this caliber since I was in Baltimore. These are real deal crab cakes. Not the southern style of little shreds of meat surrounded by tons of breadcrumbs and a whole bunch of other junk to save on food cost. Lump crab and just enough binder to add a complementary flavor and to hold all the crab meat together.
I did have a combo and will say next time, «to heck with the side dishes, just give me 2 crab cakes.» …Who am I kidding, I will probably order 3 crab cakes and some garlic crabs… and then refuse to share =)

OMG! Finally a taste of home (DMV), here in Charlotte. CRABCAKES, CRABCAKES, CRABCAKES — All made with LUMP MEAT, anyone from the DC, VA, MD area know what this means… NO FILLER!!! Great little location. But very flavorful food. They cook everything fresh for you, no bins, or heat lamps here.
They also have FULL in the shell Blue crabs, and the legs. If you love crab you now have a place where you can enjoy them. Cooked to perfection.
I got the crabcake COMBO, since I am allergic to shrimp they subsituted the shrimp for flounder and it was GREAT… I can’t sing enough praises to this spot. I now have a taste of the wharf fight here in Charlotte and it’s about time.
Keep up the great work guys, you now have a loyal customer.

Well well well, Hole In The Wall Crab Shack… nice to meet you!
I’m so glad I finally got a chance to scurry on over here for a quick lunch. And oh wow was it delicious and the portions were a plenty. Since I don’t want to sound like a review on repeat here are the highlights of my meal…
Crab cake: Zowie. One of the best crabby cakes I’ve ever had. Large, burstin’ with flavor and SO full of crab. I’m not quite sure what type of magic holds all the crab together but it’s insanely good. Mama likes!
Hush puppies: Perfectly fried balls of joy. Yes, balls of joy. Wonderfully brown and crispy on the outside and a lovely spongy and delightful inside. I plowed through three of ‘em so quickly.
Broccoli: Yeah, I did it. I’m not a huge coleslaw fan so I subbed in broccoli and it was super good. I’m sure it wasn’t the most healthy broccoli I’ve ever eaten but it was spiced and cooked just right. No limp broccoli trees here!
The staff: Seriously some of the nicest owners & staff around. Super chatty, funny & kind. They are really happy to tell you how they get those fresh crabs every week, too! Yeah, you just want to hug ‘em — both for their disposition and for their delicious food.
Miscellaneous: As others have noted, at the moment there is no place to sit and chow. They might be moving to a new location, so keep your eyes posted if and when the address changes! Also, prepare to pay a bit more than you may be used to but the food is a) outstanding and b) very, very fresh so it’s worth it.
I’ll be back to try more of the menu very, very soon!

I went around 2pm on a Thursday due to all the other reviews on Unilocal,and it was so impressive on multiple levels.
First of all, the guys who run the place are great. Welcoming and obviously into their business, they asked how I heard about them and other suggestions now that I’d seen the place.
I had the crab cake sandwich and the crabcake was amazing. Fully of chunks of crab, it was one of the best I’ve ever had. On the downside, the coleslaw that came with it tasted like Food Lion’s deli brand or something — they’d do better making it themselves! I appreciated that they threw in some Texas Pete packets too — clutch for a Southern girl that likes spice like me!
Will definitely go again!

Went here to pick up some crabs for my birthday (takeout only) and boy was I impressed. I am from the DC area so I used to eat these crabs all the time growing up.
The owner is extremely friendly and made it a point to ask me what I wanted to see at his restaurant in terms of food or amenities.
The crabs were outstanding. I got a dozen regular steamed males for about 30 bucks or so. These have the old bay type seasoning. Very meaty and satisfying. I got a crab cake as well because of recommendations and I have to admit it was one of the best crabcakes I have ever had. They also have this special garlic sauce which I will be sure to try the next time I pick up crabs from this place.
Just as an FYI, the owner did let me know they will have to move to a new location due to the fact that their place was bought out. On the plus side he did tell me that he was going to get a place where you can sit, and possibly throw an all you can eat event.
Yeah, I’m in.

My wife and I finally made it out to the Crab Shack this weekend, and I am here to report that the rave reviews are warranted.
I like the Shack’s character. It’s a little bit hidden, the type of place that, when you’re there, you feel like you’re «in the know» about some sort of secret. The guys that work behind the counter are super friendly, and love to know where people heard about them. The owner said that every other person who comes in the place heard about it on Unilocal.In fact, he said that Unilocal was fast becoming his best friend.
We got a dozen regular sized female crabs and the crab cake combo. I liked the steam crab, even though they took a while to prepare. What really stole the show though were the crab cakes. Hands down the best I’ve ever had. Well-​seasoned and consisting almost completely of big crab chunks, they were awesome. The fried shrimp on the side were great as well, as were the made-​to-​order fried potatoes, which were sliced very thin.
Go check this place out for a crab cake by which to measure all other crab cakes.
So glad to have this place in Charlotte.

Being a native Virginian, I was introduced to crabs at a young age… in fact, we didn’t have ice cream trucks that came through the neighborhood, we had crab trucks serving up steamed or fried crabs… so I think I know a thing or two about crabs and WOOHOO! The real deal seafood has arrived. There’s a new sheriff in town, and until today the best crab cake I had ever had was in Hanover, MD at G&M… the crab cake king now resides in the QC… yes I said it! My review covers 2 days… forget what you heard, you can never have too much of a good thing:-)
The crab cake… I can’t even describe the seasoning of this work of art, you just have to experience it yourself… huge lumps of blue crab put together with absolutely no filler, pan fried to perfection… where am I again? yep, out of body experience good!
The lemonade… to call their signature drink ‘lemonade’ is a terrible injustice, it’s so much better than that! It doesn’t have that ‘twangy’ aftertaste that I hate about lemonade at other places… I heard the owner call it ‘lemon crack.’…get some, you’ll thank me later…
The garlic crabs… oh the garlic crabs… a saucey mess but oh so good!
The sauteed tilapia… cooked with the same sauce that is on the garlic crabs (I think) and melt in your mouth good!
Fried shrimp… comes with the crab cake platter along with corn, hush puppies, fried potato slices and slaw (all made in house except the slaw)…as the previous reviewer said ‘finger lickin good’!
If you’re still in doubt, I overheard a customer say that they came to order crabs one night but the restaurant had lost power an hour before closing and couldn’t take any orders because of course they couldn’t see… but they cook with gas… the customers decided to shine their high beam lights from their cars into the restaurant so that the owners could prepare their orders… you be the judge!
It’s takeout only but I didn’t even make it out the door before my styrofoam top was open and I was enjoying my food standing at the counter with the owner’s…as they were asking me what I thought about the food… I could only moan and shake my head in response… needless to say, my plate was empty in no time. Unilocaler’s, do yourself a favor and go… now!

First impressions are lasting impressions right? Some might say it’s ludicrous to grant 5 stars to a restaurant that you’ve only eaten at once, but these guys are on point. Not just with the service, but also the fantastic food. I have never been giddy for a restaurant before this. Ironically, the couple that came in after us was just as giddy. The kept talking about how their friend raved about the place and I can assure, it’s not all hype.
Everything is made to order so expect a wait for crabs and chat it up with the owners. Live crabs are delivered on Wednesdays and boy oh boy are they good. I can honestly say that the garlic crabs were some of the best crabs I’ve ever had. They were seriously Orgasmic with a capital O. What’s KFC’s slogan again? Finger licking good? Heeeeeck na, this place is so much more deserving. I seriously sucked every single one of my fingers.
Crab cake kinda guy? The crab cakes were made just how I like them. Little filling, lots of crab lumps, cooked to a golden brown on both sides and amazingly tasty. Lemonade kinda person? They have some good homemade lemonade. Don’t do crab? Okay how ’bout shrimp. The fried shrimp, OMG, seriously? My new, absolute favorite shrimp. And they tell me the steamed shrimp is even better!
If you’re worried about looking cute while you gnaw on a claw, don’t stress too much, it’s to-​go only ATM. They do plan to expand next door and add seating though.
The Crab Shack is just that; a Hole in the Wall. There’s a counter, a kitchen, some benches, and two awesome owners manning the register and kitchen. Upon entering, you’ll be happily greeted and they might ask how you heard about them. It seems most of their customer base is due to referrals and word of mouth. So if you still haven’t heard, let my big mouth be the first to tell you. If you like crab, fish or shrimp, you must check out the Crab Shack!