Cracked Crab

I thought this was gong to be another typical themey tourist trap. But was willing to try. No reservations, so with 5 people we went right at 5pm on a Monday. Walked right in and seated immediately, though practically every table was full. Our waiter was awesome, the wine list was impressive and I was thrilled to see Honig, my fav Sauvignon blanc in the menu. Started with the chowder, it was creamy but not gluey, flavorful but not fishy. Tasty!!! The basket of fresh sourdough rolls and butter was really fresh. We decided to get the bucket, choosing clams, shrimp and a $ 17 upgrade for the Alaskan king crab. SO worth it. You can’t believe the crazy amount of food they dump on your table – we had trouble finishing it, but we did. I think my favorite may have been the sausage and the mustard. Too full for dessert. This place is a must for fresh seafood. Quite possibly the highlight of our vacation, LOL!

Great crab place!
Got the following:
Crab bisque: eh, 3 stars. Creamy and spicy, but not super «crabby» flavor, which it needed
Bucket for 2: got snow crab, king crab, and Dungeness crab. Good portion sizes (we left stuffed) and very fresh and flavorful.
Gotta love eating with your hands and rocking a bib!!!
Will be back!

Wife and I ate here last night to celebrate our anniversary and her birthday. We shared a Dungeness crab dinner and house salad & clam chowder. The salad was good and they even topped it with a little crab meat. Chowder was just ok– a little watery and the chunks of potato were slightly under cooked. However the crab was the highlight of the meal. Delicious sweet crab piled on top of rice and vegetables along with butter, cocktail sauce, and a zesty mustard mix on the side. We also had the berry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. It was really good but beware it comes out piping hot. Had to eat the ice cream quickly before it melted.
Service was great as well. We were greeted by a friendly host. Was told the wait would be 20 – 40 minutes. It really only took 15 tops. When we were seated our server took very good care of us. Got our drinks fast and explained the menu very well. Although we’re not wine drinkers he seemed very knowledgable as we overheard him talking wine with a neighboring table. One last cool thing is we later learned our server was born in the same area my wife and I grew up and he still has family in the town we currently reside.

Nothings better then crab bisque and buttered rolls … i get so drunk on the food there all warm and happy. me and my friends love it thanks

Weeknight in June. Great service. Rather confusing menu choices with the buckets, but our server helped us thru it.
We shared a bucket for one with two choices, dungeness and clams. The potatoes were outstanding, sausage not so much.
SKIP the chocolate torte… like a brownie really… not worth the calories!
Busy place with lots of smiles… high priced but good nonetheless.

Bland bucket for two. Clams were way too sandy to be edible. Maybe I will try other options next time.

I went on vacation there from LA.
The place is comparable to a boiling crab, but a little on the classier side.
Con:
The wait is so long! We tried for 2 days to go and finally the 2^nd day it happened.
If you don’t want to wait a few hours, go and reserve a spot. They’ll take your number and call you. Our wait was 3 hours but thankfully our hotel was blocks away. My a family went over and put out name down, and came back to the room for 3 hours.
The manager was nice, staff great and pintail. I loved the boat style décor.
THE CLAMS ARE THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD!

Really 3.5 stars.
Wanted to like this place more. Staff was very cool and knowledgable about the menu. Prices were above average but it’s for crab right? So actually expected a lot more crab. Not the case.
DISCLAIMER: bad /​late crab season.
Should have thought twice about that.
Started with crab dip — great portion size– loved the grill bread served with it. But lack in flavor and crab.
Friend got the abalone, very small portion. However, waiter offered to clean and wrap beautiful shell. Gave to my son. Nice touch 5 stars.
Crab bisque– disappointing — not cheap. Had some down in Cambria night before– blew doors off.
Went for King Crab Po-​boy. I mean when do you see that on a menu. $ 17. Disappointing.
Anywho, not putting this all on restaurant. Their crab boil buckets looked awesome, and I am sure that is what they do best. Too much to undertake at lunch, so maybe next time. Worth checking out yourself — just passing through.

Gut, aber hat seinen Preis. Sieht von außen nicht besonders einladend aus. Drinnen etwas hektisch und laut. Service ist sehr gut!

We shared a bucket for 2 and it was plenty for a family of 4. My kids love to come here and make a mess on the table. The servers do a great job of cleaning up the table after we have made the most disastrous mess! Thank you for always giving us great memories!

A table full of crab.
I had the single bucket which the entire contents gets dumped on to your table. The bucket then sits on the floor near you so you can toss any empty pieces of shell into.
Also couldn’t resist the homemade fries which were delicious too!
If you like shellfish you won’t be disappointed.
It wasn’t a cheap lunch and it took me by surprise how much it all cost. There was a lot of crab meat being eaten so if I was hungry and in the mood to spend the money I would probably go back.
Tips
Parking on the main road is free for three hours but spaces are limited.
We left our car there and walked down to the town and then onto the pier.
Prepare to get messy. Cracking and eating shellfish can get you in all messed up. Use their bibs!
I found pealing and scraping out all of the meat from my shellfish first, before I came to eat any of it to be the most efficient. You can then clean up and get eatin!

Hmmmmm, well, I’m not sure why the great reviews. It was average. The staff was nice but the food? I’ve had much better. It seemed a bit over rated and overpriced. I actually had to salt, yes… salt, my fish tacos. I know, right? My boyfriend had to hot sauce his meal to get some flavor as well.
I suppose if you’ve never had the steamed seafood in a bucket poured over newspaper on top of your table experience, this place would be fun. All that said, I was not impressed. I wish I had gone down the street at a local place known for their clam chowder. Perhaps next time.

Don’t come here if you want Clam Chowder or Crab Bisque, my guess is it is out of a can (very running). We also had Shrimp Ceviche which was delicious but not for $ 14. Don’t think we will come back here again.

Haven’t been here before until today it was so delicious and filling got the bucket for 2 with shrimp, clams, and Alaskan king crab Alitalia extra price with the Alaskan kind crab but so worth it and so delicious also got a side of oysters. Will be coming back soon!

What is the hype about this place??? The 2 stars is for our wonderful waiter. The food is 1 star!
Clam chowder — definitely have had better! It was heavy and just wasn’t that tasty.
Crab cake and crab melt, very much the same as you see the photo below… It was filled with fillers — bread crumbs, what a disappointment for 2 tiny patties at $ 15! And it was bland, we had to salt it to be pallet able.
My son ordered a plain kids pasta, I asked if he could have some clam broth instead of cheese since he was having a tummy ache. They said no clam broth, which is quiet surprising considering they serve, clams, mussels etc. The waiter came back later and said we found a «can» of clam broth, we stove top and heat it up for you!!! OMG! A can?
Not impressed for a $ 100 dinner (before tips) for 2 adults and 2 kids!

We eat at the Cracked Crab at least twice yearly; each time we’re staying in our passing through Pismo Beach. Last night was the first time our dinner was not exceptional. We usually order a steamer bucket for two, with some variety of crab.
Last night, we had some pretty profound issues with our bucket. The first thing we noticed was that the mussels were not bearded. At all. Several of them were knotted together in a huge, unappetizing tangle. The peel and eat shrimp were either haphazardly deveined, or not deveined at all. The sausage was overcooked to the point of chewiness, and the corn was undercooked.
I hope this was a fluke, but we were completely disappointed in what is usually a special dinner for us. We’ve had better at Joe’s Crab Shack for much less money. Well give cc another chance, but if we get a meal like last night’s again, we’ll decline it, leave, and not come back.

I ate here with my husband. It was pretty good. The service was good.

Don’t make the same mistake I made by getting the crab melt. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really good but get what this place known for – the bug bucket for two or a one pound crab menu (the back of the menu). Friggin delicious! Fresh crab. Butter. Pepper. Great veggies… damn. I ate my eating partner’s entire meal (she ordered the right thing). And I didn’t even like crab before today!

4.5 stars. Rounded it up to a 5 just for my overall experience!
Got here right when it opened so no wait whatsoever. The lady explained to us the menu, which they printed and updated everyday depending on what they had (fish of the day, etc.) Everything on their menu is fresh!
We ordered the bucket for two where you were able to choose (3) options, but were able to substitute any of the ones they offered for any of the premium items, but for an extra charge of course. We got the Alaskan crab, snow crab, and were gonna get the mussels, but our waitress recommended we try the steamed mussels instead that were drowned in a wine cream sauce because they were more flavorful. The mussels that were normally in the bucket for two were just steamed. And it was $ 9 cheaper to do it this way! Woohoo!
She placed our sauces on the table. The butter was melted by a candle underneath, which also ensured it stayed warm during our whole meal. There was a special mustard sauce and marinara as well. The complimentary bread was warm and crisp. She provided us with crayons too so if we wanted to feel like kids again, we could scribble all over the table! Haha.
She put on our bibs for us. I definitely needed it because I’m messy as hell. She provided us with a variety of weapons to open up the crabs like chopsticks, mini fork (to scoop up the meat), hammer (LOL), forks, and other things. Once we got our food, she offered to demonstrate her way of opening crabs. She made it look SO easy! She wore gloves while she did this to avoid touching our food. I suck at opening crab. but I learned today that I’ve been doing it wrong all this time!
The food was really good! They just dumped it all over your table. The mussels tasted AMAZING in the wine cream sauce. Thank you to our waiter for the awesome recommendation!!! I actually haven’t had mussels since I was middle school. The crab was good as well, but I do prefer to eat it in some Cajun sauce like at Kickin Crab/​Boiling Crab. Our meal came with corn, sausages, and potatoes, all of which would’ve tasted better if they had some cajun sauce… mmm.
The customer service was fantastic, which is why I gave this place such a good rating! Our total came up to be $ 75 (not including tip.)

Was really feeling seafood because of all the beach setting. Looked on Unilocal for that king crab legs and this spot popped up. We got here at 11am on the dot when it opened and was immediately greeted at the door and seated. We took a few mins to browse through the menu and ended with the bucket for 2. The lady servicing us was very enthusiastic and helpful, which she offered a substitution from regular mussels to steam mussels with white cream/​wine. We also ordered Alaskan crab legs and snow crab in addition to the bucket. Came with potatoes, sausages, corn and bread. Several different seafood utensils were provided, along with butter, cocktail sauce and mustard was also provided.
I want to say the seafood here are fresh. The crabs and mussels were so on point. Everything dipped into the mussel wine sauce and butter went very well. The lady even took time to demonstrate the easiest way to eat the crab with the provided utensils. The total came out to be a total of $ 75 pre tip but it’s pretty much expected when it comes to this kind and quality of seafood.
I want to say the crabs could have a better initial taste but maybe it’s because they were trying to keep the fresh seafood style of serving it.
Overall, I want to say the experience here was very pleasant. From the great customer service, to the fresh seafood, free spacious parking outside was even a plus. Great job, maybe next time I’ll try the crab sandwiches for a change. Crackin’

Strolling the streets and beach of Pismo is one of my favorite things to do in this fun little town. Now I have found so so only crab house here.
At first, it looked like a hole in the wall from the outside, but hey so does the Boiling Crab.
We came in, ordered our first course, Champagne and un beer. Followed by oysters on the half shell, then the tiny bucket comes out poured over our table; A bucket of Alaskan, dungeoness, snow crab legs for two, not really-​we had to order another bucket and it was all just for me. I know I’m thin, but seriously, please step up to your name «big» bucket. If you’re in Pismo Beach and are a crab lover and craving crab, wait until you get back home to save yourself the disappointment.
WHY THE TWO STARS? REALLY HORRIBLE MANAGEMENT/​OWNER! HAVING TO ORDER TWO «BIG» BUCKETS SINCE THE PORTIONS WAS BARBIE SIZE.