Crab Zone

I ate at the Crab Zone on July 17^th and found the Food very good. However the place was empty and the girl who worked there told us it is always slow and they are changing owners. Went back Friday the 24^th around 7pm and they told us they were closed. I asked what was going on but did not understand them. The Lobster was very good the week before but the location is not good, very hidden and the atmosphere was dull, Great food as I hope the new Owners continue this part of the Business. Otherwise the current Owners should get a better location and some Marketing because they could be a success in another/​better location. I would do away with all of the Sports shirts and just concentrate on the Food. It was good.

I ordered with trepidation after reading mixed reviews. The first time I was on pain meds and obviously didn’t remember how bad it was. The second time, not only was I reminded how bad the fish was, overcooked and not seasoned, but it comes sitting on peppers and onions and that is nowhere in the online menu. The shrimp basket is really an extra large fries basket with a few shrimp. The «shrimp cocktail» is more a very very watery shrimp ceviche. If you have a hankering for seafood, a fish fillet from McD would be better than this.

Got a voucher and it’s close to home. We are always looking for new local spots. As the other reviews said the atmosphere is boring. The space is huge and has great potential. The hubby got the crab legs and I got the scallops. Those were really good. However, the «veggie side» was grilled onions and peppers. Not what I consider veggies. I also would have liked some fried clams but they didn’t have them. Sweet potato fries were good and the service was nice too. I felt we got our voucher worth.

Cajun sea bass was very good. Beer was ice cold. Service was great. Lobster was fishy, tough, way over-​cooked.

Amateurs. They have no clue. Sorry, no clue.
They have no clue about food, no clue about flavor and no clue about any ambience. I mean, if you see the hodge-​podge: sports jerseys, televisions… and it’s not a sports bar!
I ordered the scallops. They were baby bay not large. They were virtually tasteless. And tables in a public restaurant in America should have salt and pepper. They did not however salt alone could not fix these scallops.
I cannot recommend this joint, period.

The server was inexperience.1 pound of snow crab in the price says MP ask her what’s MP and she says to be honest I don’t know but it’s $ 23. The vegetables that I got with my snow crab was a fajita mix of onions Green peppers and red peppers was a Cajun seasoning for garlic bread I got a dinner roll cut in half with some garlic and butter that wasn’t completely covered the bun. The coleslaw was sour. I counted eight lightbulbs out in the building, my wife and I were the only customer is there. The inside theme of the restaurant was very weird the walls look like a beach but then they had soccer jerseys around the top look like the owner turn one of the tables into his office space is really dark and gloomy.

Went to this because of a Groupon, The place had better reviews when I bought the groupon and I love seafood and trying new places so this was going to be fun or so I though. The crab was cold and drenched in Cajun seasoning, had asked for garlic butter crab. Came back again still cold in spots and still Cajun seasoned. Crab was drenched with water could squeeze it out easily. So whoever did the cooking, has no idea how to cook seafood. Had the snapper skin left on along with the blood vein left in. Would not recommend to anyone, and we will not be back.

I purchased a Groupon because I noticed that the they have oysters. The place was completely empty when we walked in, so I asked the waitress how fresh are your oysters, she said they are frozen and she does not know, she added people always ask her cook questions but she is just a waitress. So I was scared to eat raw frozen fresh oysters so I ordered one pound of King crab any my wife ordered calamari without cajin. Well my wife calamari came with cajin and when we told the waitress she said it’s just a princle but my wife told her she can’t eat it, so the waiter took csit a brought it back in 3 minute, pretty sure the cook just dumped them back in oil to wash the cajin off so my wife ended up no eating. The king crab I ordered taste ok, but there where couple Flies that distracted my eating so we left

What a find! We came here with a Groupon and we will definitely cone back! Service was extraordinary!!!

I didn’t die. I wouldn’t go back. It is priced to high for what it is. Better to spend your $$ at the crab shack than this place.

We decided to try this place after seeing it on Groupon and what a disappointment. The boiled shrimp was horrible. I ordered the shrimp with the everything season with mild heat. The shrimp had no flavor and tasted like it was old. We did order the calarimi and I have to say it was good. Would I come back? Probably not, I’ll be looking elsewhere for seafood.

This review is for Crab Zone, I have no idea why it currently says the name is abo warda.
We went here with a groupon. The décor is a little random, like someone else said, they seem to be struggling to find an identity. Soccer jerseys line the top of the walls all around, there’s a stage for karaōke, and several tv’s randomly placed… but it was clean. Even the bathroom was really clean. It was a little warm in there though, they really could stand to turn down the AC a bit.
We ordered the king crab legs, snow crab legs, shrimp, and chicken tenders basket with fries for my daughter (she is 2 — they do not have a kids menus/​options at all, which is something they really need to add). You get to pick out what seasoning you want and what level of spice you want for each.
There was only one waitress for the restaurant, and it was Friday night… there were maybe 6 or 7 other tables of people. We ordered our food at 7, got our drinks and that was fine, but it took 40 minutes to get our food. That is unacceptable. We thought about leaving about 30 minutes in, also because our waitress had not been back to our table to check on us or refill our drinks since we ordered, but we had the groupon and didn’t want to deal with trying to refund it. I honestly can’t imagine what took so long. I get that they’re new and all and I’m trying to be forgiving of little things. But 40 minutes is a long time, especially without ever even coming by and giving us an update on our food or apologizing for the delay or at least refilling our drinks.
At about 7:40 she finally came with our food, refilled our drinks, brought condiments, etc. The food was good. The king crab legs were sliced open (not sure the terminology on that) so that the meat was exposed and it was seasoned and it really was good. (I would recommend getting the spice that has all the spices mixed together. That was definitely our favorite.) It came with a side of melted butter and coleslaw, however, we were given the crab cracker tools but no forks… not sure how we’re supposed to eat the coleslaw without forks, so that was a little weird. The snow crab legs were good too, those were just boiled and the season was on the shell, but there was enough that you could taste it and it was good. The shrimp was good as well. They come out whole, heads and all, which our waitress had explained when we ordered. They also came with some sauteed fajita veggies, which I couldn’t really figure out the concept of how I was supposed to eat it, but I ended up just taking bites of shrimp and grabbing some veggies with my hand and eating it together. Their motto on their menu is «Get Dirty» so I guess that makes sense.
Anyway, the food I would give 4 stars and the service I would give 2 stars, so I think it’s fair to give an overall 3. I hope they get it together a little more, it has potential but there are several things that need to improve for us to want to come back.

As I was meandering around the Food City plaza parking lot I noticed a sign that said Crab Zone Get Dirty now open… yeah, I was thinking the same thing you probably are right now: this place will either be a dirty dive or a hidden gem.
While sitting in my car contemplating my next move, I looked through the restaurant windows and noticed the 6 diners inside looked happy enough chowing down on their meals. So, I chanced it! The restaurant was definitely having a slow night as it looked as if it could hold upwards of 60+ people.
First impression: The ceilings are sooooo high you’d think the environment would seem cold, but it didn’t. They have a large accent wall painted bright red and there are at least 6 large screen tvs playing. It’s bright and inviting.
Food: I decided on a to go order of *12* scallops with spicy level 2 fajita seasoning and an order of sweet potato fries. All of my food was verrrrrrrryyy tasty (even the soggy buttered and grilled bread) and I would definitely order the same thing in the future. Buuuuuut…
…my biggest concern was when I arrived home to enjoy my meal I noticed 2 of my 12 scallops were missing!!! (Alert, alert… danger Will Robinson!!! If you are of a certain age you will know what show I’m referencing ;)
So, I immediately called the restaurant and asked them «What gives? Where’s the rest of my food?» From what I could hear in the background and what I was told, the person that cooked up my food KNOWINGLY shorted me but decided not to tell me before I left the restaurant. What??? Who does that? Did you think I wouldn’t count the scallops before I ate them? The prices are not so low that I’d overlook something like THAAAT… smh. For some reason it appears they thought the taste of the food should help me overlook them shorting me. I don’t think so.
The offer was extended to give me 14 scallops the next time I come in to order something. I think it very arrogant of them to think I would be ok in the 1^st place with not receiving a full meal.
Anyway, for today’s score I am going with a 3 due to staff being friendly and tasty food. I would’ve given a solid 4 if I didn’t feel like I was being yanked around after I got home. I will update review if it seems to me business practices have improved.

Me and my friend decided to try this place due to a groupon, as we do with trying many new places. When arriving to Crab Zone, the first thing we noticed is it’s hidden location in the back corner of the complex, surrounded by a Hispanic market and pharmacy. It appears incredibly out of place and struggling to find an identity. When we walked inside, we were greeted by a very nice younger lady who told us we could sit anywhere. There were booths and tables covered with white disposable table cloths, lcd TVs poorly placed around the room, a center stage for live music, and a large glass display that was completely empty and looked like it should have been filled with something.
We were the only ones there besides a security guard who was sitting alone at a booth. I ordered a fried shrimp and chicken basket which ended up costing 16 dollars and consisted of clearly frozen steak fries and chicken tenders. This was not on the menu since they had chicken or shrimp, and alone each was priced at 10 dollars. My friend ordered the snow crab at market price which was 24 bucks.
My food came out 10 minutes before hers along with buttered dinner rolls that were cold and over cooked. I asked for honey mustard which they did not have, but I was given a packet of ranch instead. She was given a spork, yes a plastic spork, with her crab legs. A gentleman who I assume was the owner stopped by to check on us briefly.
I finished my food and was sweating profusely due to the restraint being way too hot. I decided to use the restroom which Is where I found the most interesting item on the toilet paper dispenser. Sitting there, was a Bic pen with the inside portion removed with white residue around the end. I can assure you that this was most certainly some drug residue, so I took a picture as I couldn’t believe what I saw.
Our total bill was 50 dollars and we received a non-​itemized receipt that I had to confirm the total with the waitress.
Overall, this place was terrible. The food was sub par and the ambience was confusing and lacking any character. I can’t imagine this place lasting more than a few months. Save your money and go somewhere like Joe’s Crab Shack if you want good seafood.

Came into this place to try it out. Sat at the table for 15 minutes and was never even acknowledged by the wait staff. There were 2 waitresses and 7 occupied tables. I got up and got us menus and still waited. The wait staff waited on the table next to us and never said a word. We got up and walked out after 19 minutes of waiting for a simple hello, that never happened. Will not be going back. Absolutely horrible service.

Our fried shrimp, calamari, and scallops was very good and the price is very fair. We will back to again!

I do not see how any of the good reviews could genuine, this place is terrible at best! I went here and ordered their shrimp basket, and their BBQ snapper and it went all downhill from there! I’m not going to rate the service, because the place was so new that the cashier didn’t know anything about the menu which is understandable, but the food! First off, lets start off with the best part of the meal, if it even deserves that title… The Shrimp. They were basically the same pre-​frozen butterfly shrimp you would get from any Chinese restaurant/​buffet or low end fish joint, nothing more nothing less. Now here comes the beginning of the disaster. The Fries included with the shrimp were not bad tasting steak fries (which was strange) until I discovered several under-​cooked ones scattered throughout them smh. Then came the Snapper (if it even was that). It was rancid. Yes RANCID. It actually looked more like tilapia, especially consistency-​wise, but it was definitely rotten and completely inedible. I regret not returning to at least receive a refund (there was no way I would’ve taken a replacement plate), but I was so livid that I wasn’t sure how I would react if I returned. As a former line cook and restaurant school graduate, one thing you learn is the first six months of an opening are crucial! They failed big-​time IMO. I see they have a Groupon out right now too, but I warn you: EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! It really was THAT bad

New restaurant but food is good! Be prepared for it to be a little messy but great Cajun spice. Shrimp were a little over cooked and beer was not chilled enough but they have only been open one week. They are listening to customers and have added salads. We will go here again!

We have Been there two times already and the food has always been fantastic.
I love the idea of serving the food in a tray instead of plate. The food are fresh nothing frozen!! The owner himself stopped by the table to ensure everything was to our satisfaction and he urged us to let them know if there was anything more that they could do as it was his aim to ensure that everyone went away happy — they achieved that goal! Try the King crab and grilled shrimp — it’s delicious! And I loved the seasoning !
You must try it

We decided to try some place new tonight and saw an advertisement for this place in the New Times. It seems confusing to me, because the entrance is not obvious (its in the same shopping center as Ranch Market on the SE side of Glendale and 35^th Ave).
Nothing from the name of the place suggests they specialize in Cajun-​flavored dishes and, while the menu’s look nicely done, they lack vital information about what they offer. For example, I ordered the fried shrimp basket, but didn’t see french fries on the menu, however, the waitress informed me the shrimp basket comes with fries. I did see Cajun fries on the menu, but not shown as included with the shrimp basket. In fact, there is no description of the food whatsoever on the menus. It simply says Crab Legs … M/​P (market price). Today, the ‘market price’ for snow crab, king crab or lobster tail was $ 20. Ok, fair enough.
The fries, also not described (shoe string? curly? waffle? steak?) were steak fries. I believe these are frozen from a bag, but they tasted good. Not as good as fresh, but not terrible — nothing special.
They have many LCD screens on the wall showing sports, but they have no bar. They have a stage where a live band can perform or people can sing karaōke… but they have no bar. At a Louisiana-​style seafood place (which this placed could be accurately described as) I would expect to see related things on the walls of the restaurant. The walls are bare, except for the TVs, which you couldn’t hear over the loud music (not live and not karaōke) that was playing even though there were only two tables in use by customers. Subtitles on the TV were in Spanish. Only in America! It was hard to hold a conversation over the music, the air conditioning was set too high (it was uncomfortably hot inside) and the place is just a big room that looks rather sparse.
The menu does not offer any kind of salad.
The garlic bread was too salty for me. Its as if they used garlic salt instead of garlic butter to season the bread. If it wasn’t so salty, the bread itself was excellent and one order was enough to feed three people as an appetizer. In fact, they should consider including the garlic bread with some of the meals.
The king crab legs were served not just split, but actually in split halves. In other words, instead of most places that cut a slit into the shell and the customer has to crack the shell like a pistachio nut to get the meat out, these king crab legs were served like an open oyster, with the meat completely exposed and the half the shell underneath. We liked this.
That said, I’ll cut them some slack for two reasons — one, they are a new business trying to get established, and two, from the looks of things, they’ve never run a restaurant before (at least, not a successful one). The waitress said they were open to suggestions, so here are nine of mine:
1) Get a web-​site!
2) Get a bar and be a seafood/​sports club with the Karaōke and live bands or, get an aquarium and Cajun-​related wall hangings and dump the stage and the music.
3) Clarify what each item is on the menu and what is included with it.
4) Offer salads.
5) Make your marketing clear you are a Cajun-​influenced restaurant to properly set customer expectations.
6) Put some words on the doors of the entrance. It seriously took us a little while to figure out where the entrance was from the glass walls, all tinted with the same tint and no writing on anything to indicate there was a restaurant behind the glass. The tint is so dark, that in bright daylight, we could not determine if they were open until we were almost on top of the camouflaged doors.
7) Make sure everything is fresh. I couldn’t tell if my shrimp was fresh or frozen. I suppose that’s a good thing. The shrimp was butterflied, and I prefer my fried shrimp to be nothing more than a lightly battered and fried cocktail shrimp. The breading was similar in texture and flavor as the frozen butterflied shrimp I can get and cook myself from any grocery store, but it tasted *slightly* better. Still, hiding behind Cajun seasoning as your only seasoning seems like, without it, everything was pretty bland to me.
8) If things are fresh, it should be written all over the place (menus, windows, walls), but if things are frozen, well, I can make a similar meal at home for much less buying frozen myself.
9) Replace your Pepsi products with Coke products (I am not affiliated with Coke in any way. I just think Pepsi’s slogan should be «Pepsi — it’s what you drink when they don’t have Coke.»)
Hope this helps the owners pick a theme and let them know what an unbiased patron has to honestly say about his first visit to a new place. I see the potential, but currently it seems like they can’t decide if they want to be a sports bar without a bar or a seafood-​themed place or a Cajun-​themed restaurant. If I walked in the doors of that restaurant to hear people singing karaōke with no bar, I’d turn around and walk right back out!