Craft & Claw

While visiting a buddy in Philly, a group of us stopped in here to grab a few drinks. I’m not going to lie — I was shocked to see this place had replaced Mad River. Every time I had ever been to Mad River, it was absolutely packed and I can’t imagine they were hurting for business but who knows? We came on a Saturday night around 9pm or so and the place was absolutely empty. I was pretty shocked to see this, but at least we were able to grab spots at the bar.
It’s pretty much all crafts on tap — we went with some Yard’s. The bartender was a friendly guy and gave us some pretty good suggestions while we were here. It’s a pretty nice looking place inside — we didn’t try and of the food but I wouldn’t be opposed to giving it a shot. This is definitely a more low key type of a place.

I am giving this place a three because the food in the restaurant part was great and so was the drinks. I went to this place with my girl friends for the restaurants grand re-​opening. We purchased the VIP tickets, so that we can have our own table and server. The concept of the event was nice, however the event was over booked and it felt like a club setting more than a VIP dining experience. When we arrived we were informed that there was no food available and we waited about 45 minutes before one dish came out! Then we waited again for drinks from the open bar… the drinks were basic, a rum and coke or vodka and cranberry… this was a huge turn off because this is suppose to be a top notch restaurant… if I want a vodka and cranberry, I would go to the hood for cheaper the price and top shelf LQ.
So we left the event and headed down stairs to eat, because of the lack of food from the event. We ordered the fish and chips and it was really good! I ordered a martini and the bartender made it to perfection…
I would say go here and pay for a meal cause going to events here is not worth your time. You will leave hungry, unhappy and feel cheated…

A friend and I were looking for some great seafood as I was visiting from Colorado and don’t get much of a chance for fresh, delicious seafood. A few clicks around Unilocal on the ever-​trusty smart phone and BOOM! Craft & Claw!
Let’s start with the concept, Craft is for craft beer and claw is for crab, and golly do I ever love that combination! I could make this review much longer but the bottom line is that this place absolutely excels in their concept. I see so many trendy restaurants come and go, really just trying to pick up on the latest in-​thing and not really being committed to their concept. Craft & Claw pairs dynamite service with food that delivers in exceptional quality. Our server, Patrick, was extremely knowledgeable about both the beer selection and food and was charismatic to boot. Now, I live in Colorado and we take our beer very seriously. He was able to recommend a couple of IPAs that were perfect for my pallet. My friend is also a beer fan and enjoyed her stout selections as well. For the claw portion of our experience, we indulged in crab cakes and a pound of snow crab legs. Done, sold, marvelous! The desserts were also quite tasty and the portions were perfect! Thank you so much for making the best part of our Philadelphia experience the food!

buck-​a-​shuck and five dollar champagne = blue points and brut.
im nauseated after two and push the rest of these sad mollusks aside. drowning them in cocktail sauce or mignonette is a practice in futility. the bubbly on a budget just makes my stomach feel worse. my dear oyster house, im sorry for straying.
AYCE blue crabs and fries = solid B minus from this baltimore native.
first off, im straining my eyes to read the menu; moreover, the dim lighting makes picking crabs a little challenging. no brown paper or newspaper tablecloths. no pile of crabs dumped in the middle. no paper towel rolls. the presentation here is way too fancy and frankly comical. to their credit, the crabs themselves are actually well prepared and not that small. maybe it’s a compliment to say i’ve had worse. i preferred their asian style scallion and ginger. the baltimore style kinda skimps on the old bay and was sometimes watery inside. realistically speaking, i give this place a passing grade for the value alone. not too shabby for a cheap crab fix. like i said, solid B minus.
service is unfortunately hit or miss. i’ve been here twice and seem to get the extremely novice servers while the table next to me gets attentive and thoughtful service from someone obviously more experienced. being that i live in old city, i’m hopeful and see the flashes of potential from craft and claw. 2.5 stars for now.

So, I love Craft and Claw’s concept. Seafood bar food is a great idea in my book, however, they still need to work out some kinks.
First off, I walked in and instantly had a drunken flash back of my old days at Mad River but this time, I actually realized what a nice space they have. High ceilings, industrial and dark. It’s a cool place. I also really enjoyed the lemonade cocktail I had. It was refreshing and delicious though they probably could put more alcohol in it. I did want Champagne as it was their dollar oysters and $ 5 champagne night but they didn’t have any cold… kind of disappointing.
As far as food goes, the dollar oysters were OK. If they weren’t a dollar, I probably wouldn’t order them. Then we tried the fish tacos which had serious potential but they fell apart when you tried to pick them up. Also, I really didn’t like the flavour of the tortilla. Next was the blue crab mac and cheese… WOW. This was amazing. It was cheesy and loaded with crab. Delicious.
To sum up, there’s potential here. They also have some get happy hour specials during the week that I’d love to try but I think I may give them some time to work out the kinks before my next visit.

So you have some things you need to work out.
I’ll be back, this isn’t going to be my final rating for you… I don’t know if I’m foolish to say that or I see a real gem here that just needs some kinks worked out.
What Craft & Claw has done with the (old Mad River) space is awesome. I walked inside and it didn’t click until my friend said something… and then it all came back to me. Those were some fun times in my youth. The space looks pretty good. I’m impressed.
Now let’s talk about the experience. A friend and I joined for 1 $ oyster and 5 $ champagne night (see below specials — this was Tuesday’s special).
Let’s start it off with, you didn’t have champagne. Ok, you’re buddy just ran to get some and he’ll be back shortly (later on we followed up and we were told he didn’t buy it cold so it’s still warm). So we never had champagne. Alright fine.
So we each ordered a cocktail. The lemonade was good but not much alcohol in there. The Moscow Mule was great to see on the menu. You really don’t see enough of these. It was a great drink except a Moscow Mule (technically) should be served in a Copper Mug. Whatever, it’s a technicality and it’s kinda weird I know that.
We each ordered a dozen 1 $ oysters. I’m impressed that they came with a side of cocktail sauce, mignonette sauce and siracha. A+ for the siracha. Brought a smile to my face. Why, because I freaking love it. Regardless if you think it goes on oysters, I’m just glad to see it out and about more. The oysters were ok. Probably not something I’d order again (even for 1 $ each). I may snack on a friends, say like two of them… but they just were not tasty oysters.
I’d pass on the fish tacos. A little soggy, too much slaw and they just haven’t been perfected yet. Although I will say the presentation was nice… but if they didn’t taste great, presentation doesn’t mean much.
We also ordered the corn on the cob which was yummy and the Bacon Mac & Cheese which was awesome. These were the only two items we both enjoyed. I’d suggest to anyone that the Bacon Mac & Cheese is worth getting for the table to split.
I’ll be back (maybe not for oysters) but I’ll be back for some of the other amazing specials they have going on (from foobooz)
Every Monday, all-​you-​can-​eat snow crab legs and steak fries for $ 25
Every Tuesday, Buck-​A-​Shuck Tuesdays, $ 1 oysters and $ 5 glasses of champagne
Every Wednesday, all-​you-​can-​eat blue crabs and steak fries for $ 25
Every Thursday, Alaskan king crab legs, $ 20 per order, $ 20 bottles of wine and champagne
I see the potential, it’s just not there yet. It’s priced great to get a group of friends together and chow down on some seafood and drinks…
Ps Check in on Unilocal and get 10% off your check!

Another one of our happy hour adventures in Old City brought us to Craft and Claw on a very brisk Saturday evening. We greatly appreciate a Saturday happy hour, so they were off to a good start before we walked in the door.
Our bartender was attentive and chatty all night, and informed us immediately that Winter Warmer was on tap this evening, which is a perfect holiday season brew. He also recommended the thai grilled wings, and they were the best thing we ate all night: peanuty, spicy and nicely cooked. Things started to head slightly downhill from there. The rare burger we ordered came out medium-​well, the crab mac and cheese had great flavor but was a little cold, and the crab cake sliders were good but not really inspired.
Overall, the prices are a bit on the high side, cocktails a little small, and the food needs some tweaking. The concept is good and differentiates itself from the typical Old City bar/​restaurant, but there are better ones within a few blocks.

I came here with a friend on Monday because we were desperately craving snow crab legs (okay, maybe it was just me craving.).
Craft and Claw has their all you can eat snow crab legs and fries on Mondays for $ 25. I thought it would be a mad house of people or the quality would be lackluster but I was pleasantly surprised. I made reservations just in case and they were pretty accommodating since we ran a bit late.
We were seated with no wait and quickly served. We both got the AYCE special. They started us off with some Parmesan cornbread-​ish like thing with a crab spread. Pretty tasty.
I got the plain crab legs and my friend got the Baltimore style. They came out pretty quickly, along with a basket of crab fries (basically old bay style). The plate had about 3 clusters (like 12 legs and claws). My friend thought the Baltimore style was too salty and a big mess. I was happy with my plain with butter.
Service was super awesome! Even while we were still working on the current platter, the server came around to ask if we wanted to put in the next order; there was never any wait time. They also came around with hot towels too.
I had a great time and would definitely come back again!

I don’t usually review places after one visit but the mood was right last night.
A friend and I decided to get dinner and I thought we’d check this place out since I was curious as to what they did with Mad River’s spot. A vast improvement. Craft and Claw will now be added to the (very) few reasons I’ll venture to Old City.
It was a first visit so we just decided to hit up the bar and grab a few appetizers. The Mozzarella Sticks had an old bay breading that instantly might make them might favorite in the city. The Crab Cakes were all crab and less filling so pretty excellent. The Artichoke kept us busy and since we’d never ate a whole one before the bartender taught us how to eat it. We couldn’t finish but definitely worth it. Like all of the food all of the accompanying sauces were house made. The food was excellent and was nicely presented. Next time we’re taking full advantage of the all you can eat crab legs with the corn on the cob and fries.
Chris and Ashley took care of us and safely guided us through the beer selections, cocktails, menus, and gave us enough information about the establishment to entice us into coming back. If there’s a spot on the bar and you see these two gentlemen I highly recommend either spending some time with them or grabbing drinks before you get your table.
Can’t wait to get at those crabs and oysters. Definitely looking forward to our next visit.

Review 200!
Super excited for another addition for Olde City! The name, Craft and Claw, will be sure to attract anyone and everyone. The wood and dark leather interior is attractive. Sadly, I did not got for the one of the AYCE nights: Monday (snow crab legs) and Wednesday (crabs, I think). I’ll be back for that!
First off, their Happy Hour is until 7, so I was able to squeeze a few $ 4 beers in. Our server, Patrick, gave some fantastic recommendations.
Now onto the food…
We got the Blue Crab Mac and Cheese, Fish and Chips, Oysters, and Snow Crab Legs (Baltimore Style). Lucky for us, they were having $ 1 oysters, which came out with their special pickle sauce. Delicious. The snow crab legs were meaty and awesome as well. However, their mac and cheese came out luke warm, and the taste was just OK, definitely better out in the city. The fish and chips. were really bad. The fish batter became soggy and limp. We literally pealed off the fried batter to just eat the fish inside. A big downer.
However, I’m willing to return for their AYCE nights and beer. I guess they just opened so they have random specials here and there, which is great, too. Their prices are reasonable.
Please fix your Fish and Chips!

First of all, it was pretty great to get a 10% discount on our bill for the Unilocal check-​in!
I have been wanting to try this place since even before it opened, as I am a crab leg enthusiast. We finally got our chance last Friday night as part of our Club Fluid pre-​game itinerary.
We ordered the Baltimore Style Mozzarella Sticks to share; for my entrée I got a pound of snow crab legs (plain with butter) and a side of the warm potato salad. My husband got the fish and chips.
Negatives: the only real issue we had was with the appetizer. It seemed to have been reheated as some of the sticks were lukewarm or downright cold (FYI: We did not complain about this issue). «Baltimore Style» was to refer to the old bay seasoning on the sticks but they weren’t very «crabby» at all. But it did give us the inspiration to try to make our own at home!
Positives: My crab legs were huge, cooked perfectly and tasted great. My husband’s fish (swai) was awesome and so were the fries, although we were not a fan of the homemade ketchup. Also enjoyed the warmed potato salad with arugula. It is vinegar based, not mayo based (my preference) and very tasty.
We didn’t try any of the craft beers and instead opted for selections off of their cocktail menu. I had a nice vodka lemonade.
Service was decent, atmosphere is nice. I will definitely be looking forward to attending a Monday AYCE snow crab leg night!

My association with this space is when it was Mad River, where the emanation of d-​baggery would pair with the cloying smells of Love Spell and Red Bull to create the sensation of being water-​boarded with Hawaiian Punch in a frat house. And while I sincerely lament the departure of modern-​day coxcombs with their backwards South Carolina Game Cocks hats, I do enjoy the new incarnation of this space, Craft & Claw, a touch better.
We came in on Halloween and sat at the bar. One of the most striking facets of C & C (not Music Factory) was how nice the bartenders were. Our bartender, Ashley, really made the experience. He came by to check on us frequently, chatted with us, and gave us a tour of the menu, even though we weren’t ordering food.
Nice craft brew selection, and great prices. I love that there are food specials most nights (e.g. Tuesday buck-​a-​shuck oysters, Wed AYCE blue claws, etc.). I can’t wait to come back and try the food.
And while I will stay and enjoy C&C, I do wish my displaced Mad River brethren the best. May you find a space where the floors are sticky, the eyes are vacuous, and the Popov and Vladamir flow like vodka.

Finally made it here for their all-​you-​can-​eat crab legs on Monday night! I’m really glad we gave this place a go, but there are still improvements to be made.
The atmosphere is great. I love what they’ve done to the place. The exposed brick and leather and wood– it’s all quite nice.
The beer list is lacking. When you’re in Philly, you have to bring it beer-​wise, especially if half of your restaurant’s name is CRAFT. Still though, this takes time and I’m willing to bet they get better and better regarding this.
Tried the Elote (corn on the cob) w/​out mayo and it was delicious. If you’ve never had corn on the cob with lime juice & salt in general, you may be surprised at how easily you can give up gobs of butter!
The crab legs were great. You can get them plain, Old Bay, or with a ginger-​scallion broth. I tried the ginger-​scallion broth first cause I know what Old Bay is like (awesome) and it was just okay. I went with the OB the next go-​round. They give you all the fixin’s, crackers and hot butter and even a little slice of plain ol’ corn on the cob.
We had one friend in our group who ordered off the menu and got the salmon. It was obviously over-​cooked, but she ate it and didn’t complain. There were some other flaws with this dish, so I’d like to point out that perhaps sticking with the easy-​breezy crab legs is the way to go, at least on this particular night it was! Also, she was done with her entrée before we even finished the first round of crab legs, so I felt über guilty eating the entire second round in front of her! Although, I did share some of my crab meat with her and the staff didn’t say anything like that’s not allowed, so that was nice.
All in all, I’d go back!

Alright — let’s be clear. This place is still run by the team responsible for Mad River, but they’re really taking aim at a new kind of establishment, and so far it seems they’re succeeding with Craft and Claw.
Let’s start with the craft. We’re talking about craft beer. Our server, Patrick, is passionate about beer, and he was happy to share his passion with us as his customers. They’ve got a beer menu, but then they’ve also got another list of about 15 beers, all of which Patrick rattled off from memory.
To the owners of Craft and Claw — you’ve got a great employee in Patrick! He spoke highly of your plans for the business, and about the way you operate in general. It’s always good to see that your employees respect their place of work.
Back to the craft — I don’t know much about beer, but I didn’t feel as though the selection was too great. Would like to see more microbreweries to choose from — something like Abita, more representation from Yards. We ended up drinking a Harpoon Octoberfest and a Sierra Tumbler — definitely beers that are less known to their mainstream brews (Harpoon Lager and Sierra Nevada), but well known breweries, nonetheless.
The food — decent. We decided to split three appetizers: the crab mac n’ cheese, fish tacos, and crab cake sliders. Mac n’ cheese was just okay — I think that the crab meat might be frozen, because something tasted like it had been frozen.
The fish tacos sported fried fish of some sort, and it was tasty with the right mix of ingredients, but I always prefer grilled fish or broiled fish. That’s a personal preference thing, not a quality thing.
My favorite were the crab-​cake sliders. Mini brioche buns lay cradled a delicious lump crab cake, and wasn’t fried. Served with some sort of chipotle aioli and other accouterments — and all just combined for a delicious bite every time. Maybe there was a little too much of the aioli on one of them (you get three, same with the tacos), but all in all, nice.
I’d go back. If I owned the place, I might reconsider the entrees on the menu; they’re a bit pricey and don’t seem as appealing as the apps. Just a thought.

What a great experience! I visited this place on a Wednesday to be able to enjoy their all you can eat crab special ($ 25.00 all you can eat). I didn’t know what to expect but I’m so glad I went because the food was soooooooooooooo good!
The crabs come out 4 at the time. I got the old bay plate… yum! When you get your first serving they include corn on the cob and bring out crab fries. I’m not sure what they butter the corn with but it was so good, its a shame they only give you one. They also bring out a chef treat at the beginning which is pretty good.
For all you can eat, a house drink, beer, spring water, and tip I spent $ 40.00 you cannot beat that.
Oh wait there’s more. The staff is great! They came around to make sure each table was taken care of and took the time to talk to you. Most all you can eat places are ready for people to go after a second plate… lol… after my second plate this guy walked up to my table, I’m guessing he was the manager, and asked how the food was. I said great and that I thought I was done he smiled and said noway you have to go for 10 plates… lol. Very nice :-)
The missing star is due to:
1. Parking (the issues all over Philly)
2. Crab night should be every night not just Wednesday… lol
3. Time. I wish they had lunch hours

Hands down, service was EXCELLENT! And ever since I’ve been back from the all-​you-​can-​eat crab and fries on Monday nights, I’ve been telling everyone to go! I was really surprised when I found out that this was the old Mad River and have to give the new owners props for cleaning up this place – it’s definitely a more chic place than what it used to be!
The crabs were excellent and come in three flavor options: plain steamed (with butter), Baltimore style (?) (old bay), and Thai ginger (?)… I forget the exact names of the options but don’t worry the excellent server will tell you. Aside from our personal server checking up on us, the manager (s) also walked around and stopped to make sure everything was satisfactory… but not too often where it became bothersome. The food came out really fast and our crab bowl refills came out just as we were finishing the first. Steak fries were also excellent and served with a homemade ancho ketchup. We also got to sample some housemade rolls with crab butter (yum!). The only thing that I wasn’t a huge fan of was the arugula salad with duck prosciutto… It wasn’t awful, but just not my cup of tea.
I would definitely go back for crab night and would love to go back on any other night to try their other menu options. Craft and Claw might just bring me back to Old City after all… (^_​^)

On my first excursion to Philly, boo and I stumbled (literally almost, since it was a cobblestone street) across this and decided to give this place a try based on the menu.
What I loved about this place was the décor and the staff — tons of space within the joint, and very relaxed so that it looked like it was a bar with a classy touch (hard to pull that one off, amiright?). The staff was super enthusiastic and as friendly as can be, from the chorus of «Hello/​Welcome» from the team of hostesses to our waiter who was a Philly native who helped us select good draft beers based on our taste preferences and food pairings! A man who I can only assume was the GM/​Manager/​Owner-​person was also walking around at times to check in on us, and there was even a time where he comped someone’s dessert because he said they waited too long for it. How nice!
Food wise, I LOVED my bf’s Crab and Macaroni — it was crab-​meat marinera with bucatini pasta. Sounds strange, but jeez it was divine. We saw a ton of people have it around us, so it MUST have been the special! The fish tacos was delish (albeit a bit more spicy than I wanted), and I had the arugala salad to keep my hourglass figure lookin’ as it should. The duck proscuitto was great in the salad, but it needed MUCH less dressing, which was literally my only complaint for the night.
All in all, great company, food, and atmosphere. Would come back more for the fish and chips if I lived anywhere near!

UM, my two favorite things in the entire world — craft beer and crabs — how can this place go wrong?!
Firstly, I commend Craft and Claw on the atmosphere and beautiful renovations. This is no paper tablecloth/​picnic table crab joint. Craft and claw is upscale in décor, but casual/​inexpensive in pricing. Essentially, the best of both worlds.
Secondly, this place gets 5 stars for the FOOD — SO freaking good! I’m originally from right outside of Maryland, so I get so excited when I see things like Maryland crab, Old Bay, and Oranges Crushes on the menu — all things that are tough to find in NY.
And compliments to the Chef — My friend was visiting from Ireland and he said his meal at Craft and Claw was the best he’s had yet since visiting the states. This says a LOT, as he is a big foodie and has dined at some of NYC’s finest restaurants.
Thanks C&C — can’t wait to visit Philly again!

Had dinner here last Saturday night and was blown away. There was a 15min wait for tables so our party decided to grab a drink at the bar. The bartender, who was super friendly, recommended there signature cocktail-​cant remember what it was called but it involved fresh squeezing oranges behind the bar-​refreshing to say the least!
I had the mac&cheese for starter and snow crab as an entrée. Both were superb! My partner got the alaskan king crab and i have to say it out did the snow crab-​Ill be ordering this on my return visit.
What I liked most about this place was the atmosphere and dining style. Its not casual yet not fine dining-​sits somewhere right in the middle. Nothing pretentious about it.
Awesome addition to the Old City and will be sure to visit next time I return to Philly.

We went on a Monday night which is their all you can eat crab legs for $ 25. My husband ordered that while I ate their fish and chips– the fish needs more portion control it’s 3 little beer battered fish. Wish it was bigger, and the chips were good although it’s so much. I also ordered the crème brûlée– the dessert is not up to my standards because the brulee itself is too runny. Looks like soup, it’s not fully cook. So, I didn’t eat it. I enjoyed the mexican corn so much. When I go back there I will probably order 3 of them.