The Boiler Shrimp & Crawfish

The food was delicious. We (2 of us) had 2 lbs of shrimp, 1 of mussels, 1 blue crab, 1 crawfish and 4 pieces of corn. Although we ordered the «medium» heat because xxx with habanero sounded too strong, it wasn’t very hot. I question if that’s what we got. The sauce also was a little sweet, reminiscent of cinnamon sugar?
We actually would have ordered more except our server absolutely sucked. We were seated for 15 min before he took our order. We weren’t looking at the menu. He admitted that «oops sorry I forgot that I didn’t take your order». He was too busy watching tv. I know because I saw him.
He took our order and after we ordered sausage (that he offered in the menu walkthrough) he let us know they were out.
Interestingly, the table next to us got the menu walkthrough and he offered sausage again. Clearly it’s engrained in his memory so badly that he can’t adjust course when they’re out of something. Or he’s just a dumbass.
Refills on soda are free. If he comes by. My husband had an empty cup for 30 minutes and this jackhammer (name also started with J as luck would have it) was AWOL for quite a while.
Oh, I should also mention– my doofus, a girl server, and a runner/​expediter were on shift. There were no more than 6 occupied tables at any time we were there. So this isn’t a matter of being busy.
We finished our food. We wanted to order more. But sitting there with no eating and no bonehead for 20 minutes made me change my mind.
«Can I get you anything else? «
“I don’t think we have that kind of time.»
So if you don’t get this nitwit during a NCAA basketball game, you’ll probably be fine. But I’ll stick with my love of the Boiling Crab — it’s a treat since I can only get it when I travel, but it’s also accompanied by attentive staff. For a $ 100 tab and being in a restaurant for 1.5 hours, I expect more than what we received.

Although I feel like these «cajun seafood in a bag» joints can only reach a certain level of excellence that can’t exceed 4 stars, The Boiler was an excellent experience.
When Angry Crab moved in last year, it received all the hype and people stood in lines to get in. But instead of waiting in line, they should have traveled 15 minutes into the burbs to get a seat at somewhere BETTER than Angry Crab. I don’t remember having anything at Angry Crab that was better than The Boiler. While the price is comparable, the sauce is not. Angry Crab’s sauce tastes like it’s made up of the 3 different sauces/​ingredients while The Boiler blends it all into one buttery, spicy, tangy sauce that goes so well with the seafood and rice.
If you’re looking for fish in a plastic bag, the burbs are the way to go.

This is a favorite for me. I know there are other restaurants in Chicago doing the same kind of foods, but these guys have the Flavor figured out. I also like that the bags are individual so I hat each dish is cooked correctly. I love the mess I make while I eat and the servers don’t care. Go for the flavor. Delicious every time.

Looking for authentic cajun crawfish? How about some spicy mariscos-​style shrimp? Crabs?! Got em! Any they are the best in town.
The only negative aspect of the greasy, garlicy, drippy sauces are how much you’ll be taking home in your beard. Don’t bother getting any sides. Plan on ordering a few pounds of food to share with you crew. and brag about it the next day.
They have a hand washing station near the bathroom, but not inside. Great idea!
They serve beer, that’s cool. We were very surprised it was not crowded when we went there on a Tuesday night at 7:30pm.
I have NO DESIRE to wait in line at Angry Crab after going to this place. if Angry Crab is better please tell me why. «cause this place is hard to beat.

Absolutely loved everything about this place: the atmosphere, the menu, the staff – and the food. Dropped in with a friend of mine after weeks of drooling over Facebook photos. We were not disappointed.
You literally eat off the tables, out of a bag. It’s messy, but amazing. I ordered 1lb of shrimp in the trifecta sauce (mix of garlic, mild, and Cajun). I added some corn on the cob to satisfy my 3-​day craving. Good decision. Though the meal was really tasty – the garlic was slightly too overpowering for my preference. Even so, it was delicious, and I could taste the freshness in the shrimp. I also ordered Cajun fries – needless to say, they were great, especially paired with ranch (I can eat ranch with almost anything). I wish I had taken a picture – but it just looked too good to delay diving in.
What makes this place so special is the vibe. West Coast style with a Midwestern twist. Love the chalkboards, the wood panels on the walls covered with customers’ writing, and the use of vibrant colors.
Place is super clean – something I noticed immediately. Most important for me is always the customer service, and I was really appreciative of how kind and helpful the staff was. Zaki was our server and by the time we left, it felt as though we were friends. We will be back!

I really wanted to like this place. The garlic sauce was just not as tasty and the shrimps were not as big and juicy as other restaurants I’ve been to. The service was good though. There were three servers and only one other table there when we went.

Oysters, shrimp with potatoes and corn, and king crab legs.
That is what I keep on getting every time I come here, and I know that is exactly what I will get for my future visits. Trust me, I will definitely be back soon. This place gets all of the 5 stars from me because they are definitely worth it. To start of– their staff is extremely hospitable, knowledgeable, and they just exuded this welcoming feeling as if they were genuinely excited to be working there and excite to have me there. That paired with the upbeat music playing in the background definitely made the start to my dining experience fun.
Taking our orders and explaining everything on the menu was a breeze. The entire menu is a tiny card and the rest is on their giant chalk board. It is ridiculously easy to order and with their help, it becomes a lot easier. And within a few minutes, we had our food in front of us in bags. Eating here is messy, which makes the whole experience a lot more fun! They do such an amazing job infusing all that Cajun flavor into everything including the corn and potatoes that are steamed along with the seafood.
Basically, to summarize: the bib that they hand you as you sit down, definitely will get used! And before coming here, make sure you come with an appetite.

Stopped in last night. Tried shrimp three different ways and clams in the Cajun sauce. It’s a fun atmosphere. Messy and eat off the table. We picked a good day because there was no wait.
My wife loved the trifecta sauce. The kids thought it was fun and ate shrimp like they were popcorn.
I liked it too but please change the background music. Way too loud and if I wanted to listen to Techno Remix DJ House Dance Club music I would go to a club. Is that even a genre? You get the point.
Play some fun Cajun music or even the Forrest Gump movie soundtrack for Christ sake.
We’ll be back for the food but I’m bringing ear plugs.

Looked forward to tonight after having attended a private event and ended up having the perfect meal.
My husband and I finished off everything on the table tonight! I ordered my crab legs with the trifecta sauce with medium spiciness and had some XXX powder where I added some lime juice and dipped the crabmeat and it was the perfect combination! My husband likes the shrimp in garlic sauce with medium spiciness.
The sides are always good and I always love corn in my bag. The hush puppies and gumbo are delicious.

I cannot get enough of this place as well. We came originally for an Elite event. My husband spread word about it with his family, and they wanted to check it out as well. We came for a pre-​rehearsal dinner feast. His mother was able to call ahead to get a reservation for our large group. Our server was attentive from the moment we came. She was able to give good recommendations and guide everyone through the menu. She also explained what the kids in our group would like as well.
There were some small hiccups (such as not having a full pound of clams), but they were very generous to say the least. Everyone at our table was having a blast and loved the food. The seafood was fresh and good quality. The trifecta sauce is also addicting. It was a hit at our table. The owner recognized my (now) husband and I immediately and warmly welcomed us back. We will definitely be coming back here for all sorts of occasions.

Encore! Encore! I might as well drop the mic right now — that’s how spanking epic The Boiler Shrimp & Crawfish is. It’s been a little less than a week since attending a private Unilocal event at this amazing gem and I’m still speechless about the food! It’s rare that I’m speechless, but this seafood sure did shut me up, literally, because I didn’t have time to talk when I was getting down and dirty with the shrimp, the crabs, crawfish and oysters. I was extremely lucky to have attended this event and be able to indulge in not just one, two, or three but four of their delicious items on their menu. If I hadn’t been able to try all of these at once I don’t know what I would have chosen if I were to come here on any regular occasion. Let’s start off with what I probably wouldn’t order again (because it’s easier that way) which would be the crawfish only because there didn’t seem to be all that much meat inside of it. Now believe me, the crawfish had extremely good flavor in the juice and meat that did exist in this teeny, tiny creature but it was my least favorite of the bunch. What’s neat, however, is that The Boiler Shrimp & Crawfish get all of their crawfish and shrimp from the Golf on a daily basis… so not only do you know it’s fresh, but it’s also authentic.
Speaking of shrimp, I ain’t no shrimp myself, but I sure loved these that were served up to us in the classic plastic bag — a nice touch, in my opinion. I personally love the fact that all of the food comes in plastic bags because it creates the feeling that you just went to the bay or marina and picked up some seafood for you and the family. Granted, the bags can cause a heck of a mess because you have to stick your entire arm in there to get at the food, but napkins exist for a reason. Anyways, let me get back to the shrimp that I was just about to rave over. We were served both the garlic shrimp and the Trifecta shrimp, both of which were absolutely scrumptious beyond belief. The garlic shrimp was of course a little sweeter and the Trifecta shrimp had a bit of a tang to it and although it had my nose dripping from the heat, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The Trifecta powder is a creation of theirs which really brings to life the Cajun and Creole feel of this restaurant. Besides the Trifecta seasoning being delicious in all of the right ways, the shrimp — just as is — is awesome! It’s big shrimp with the skins on them (and yes, its okay to eat them) so you could order a pound of these and be sitting pretty… or sitting slouchy depending on how full you are.
Oh my gosh — I didn’t even get to the crab legs yet! The shrimp were my favorite, but a very, very close second was the King crab legs which they receive from New England, also on a daily basis. These crab legs, although about $ 24/​lb, were totally worth the cost. There was so much meat on the inside and the meat was extremely juicy. Like the owners told us, though, these are some of the lowest prices you’ll find for such high-​quality seafood items in the area. You won’t get a better deal many other places in the Chicago area. Besides the seafood (which was obviously to die-​for) their Cajun fries, hush puppies and calamari are also worth dining in for. One of my other favorite items we had was the Gumbo! It was a jumbo gumbo!!! The gumbo alone is enough to fill you to the brim.
Aside from the food you have to go here for the service which is top notch. Although we received specialized attention because it was a Unilocal event, I guarantee you that they have a wonderful wait staff here, but the owners are also extremely friendly and engaged with their customers. The owners, Occi and Chris, were happy to talk to each of us throughout our dining experience and while speaking about the creation of this restaurant it was clear that they are very passionate about the work they’re doing. It’s an extremely well-​run business that’s just getting off the ground (but has done fantastic thus far) and they will surely be around for a long time. If you want to be assured that this business is well-​run and that the food is good you should know that one of the owners also owns Kabul House — an equally popular restaurant.
Here at The Boiler Shrimp & Crawfish you can order any of the seafood options in 1, 2 or 3 lbs but remember that the cost listed on the board is per pound. If you get more than one pound the price can definitely go up, but this is specialty high-​quality food that you don’t have to travel several hours away for. Most of the options are around $ 12 per pound (unless of course you’re getting the crab legs) so it’s actually quite affordable for what you’re getting. Oh, and also make sure you bring your own alcohol — it’s a BYOB! However, they are working on getting their liquor license!
You’re going to love this place so get your butt in there. They deserve your business!

When I pulled up to the strip mall, I wasn’t sure what to expect of this event. And as I waited outside, shivering, as I looked inside and seeing how quaint the restaurant was, I was thinking I sure hope this is going to be good. I was not disappointed at all, in fact it exceeded my expectations. Not only was the food delicious and flavor rich, it was very fresh. It was a definite delite. I left more than full and satisfied, thank you Unilocal and Angela for another wonderful Unilocal event.
Upon entering the restaurant, we each received our own bib. And was greeted by servers shortly after sitting down, and asked what kind of beverage would we like. The choices were, water, sweet tea, beer, or soda. After enjoying our beverage and warming up for a few minutes, the owners gave us some information on how the restaurant idea came about and the restaurant style. Then let the eating begin, they started with oysters in a shell, which I have never had up until this moment. I have to say it was very fresh and I’m glad this place was where I tried it for the first time.
Then we were given an awesome assortment of crawfish, shrimp, crab legs, calamari, fries and hush puppies. And as ender one of my personal favorites, gumbo!!! Every last dish was fresh l, as if it was caught, prepped and cooked right then especially for us. And the flavors were delicious, although I would request a little bit less garlic. I am looking forward to coming here and bringing friends in the very near future. I can taste the food now, mmmmmmm.

The service here is beyond excellent. Very friendly and informative.
A friend and I started with fried calamari. Then split a pound of snow crab legs with mild garlic. .melted in your mouth, sofresh. Love it with the salt and pepper. We also split a fried shrimp basket with fries…
The owner then brought us out boiled shrimp with the mild trifecta to try. m so good.
The food and the service here are both spectacular, I will be sure to spread the word and return very soon!

Hands down! If you love seafood and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, try this place! Hella good and it’s worth your money! BYOB! 5% discount if you bring cash!
(Read this part if you have been to Boiling Crab in Cali) — This has same concept as boiling crab in Cali. Same type of food (Cajun seafood) and place setting. The only difference is mainly their sauce and that Boiler does byob. If I have to compare, I will choose this restaurant over boiling crab cuz of its sauce. Less salty than bc and there is also sweet taste in it.
I also compare this to Angry crab, which is also open here in Chicago. I would go to the Boiler over Angry Crab because of its good sauce and service. Also, when they say the sauce is mild, it’s MILD. In angry crab, mild is still SPICY, even for my hubby who can tolerate spicy more than I can.
Service wise– Not just one waiter who is in charge of your table, ALL waiters are very nice and attentive to u. They make sure you are satisfied with everything. Owners taught them well. My waiter Jonathan was super nice and also a hard worker. He waited at least four tables, including my table, tonight, and he still was attentive to me and my hub. Even one of the owners, Chris came out and talked to us. He was very sweet. He is very open-​minded cuz he wants your feedback about the food.
Overall, the service and food are so good here. I will bring ALL my pharmacy school friends over, even the ones who are from Cali so they will know how good this place is comparing to boiling crab. Thanks for great food and service, Boiler! See you again!

Importing – successfully – the culinary stylings of Louisian Creole Cuisine to Chicagoland, Boiler, a family and friend owned restaurant, offers a very Chicago-​unique experience. And I truly mean «experience.»
After they empty the bags and buckets of oysters, crabs, shrimp, cooked to your non-​spice or purgatory pleasures, you roll up your sleeves, throw the entres on the table top, and start cracking and shelling with your bare hands. It’s a fun, lively place, catering to every occasion save first dates; it’s messy as hell.
All this, while being WELL priced below value.

I was one of the fortunate ones to have attended a Unilocal Elite Event at the Boiler Crab last night. While I can (and I will) go on and on about the delectable feast that were served to us, what really impressed me was the generous and sincere hospitality of the owners who take such pride on bringing quality seafood dining experience to their hometown of Skokie.
Our starters included huge BluePoint Oysters, cajun fries, hush puppies and calamari. The hush puppies alone will keep me going back to this place and you could really taste the difference in their calamari which is apparently never made with previously-​frozen squid rings.
Then, hefty bags of crab legs, shrimp and crawfish were brought to our table with a variety of spices and an option to spice it up even more with a side of their special extra hot spices. The underdog star of the meal for me was the hearty gumbo with huge chunks of crawfish which in my opinion, the best way to enjoy those little suckers!
As if all of this was not enough, we were also sent home with a cute «goody bag» filled with their homemade spices and all the tools we need for our own seafood fest. Don’t know if I need to bring these tools with me next time cause I will certainly be back… over and over again!
Thanks, Boiler Crab and Unilocal North Shore team!

Southern Hospitality with a Midwestern Twist
I’ve been a patron for my birthday, double date, as well as an private event and I can safely say that this place is phenomenal with respect to service, food and quality (all three occasions).
The concept is from CA and the food is flown in weekly from the south (and oysters from New England) to ensure quality and distinct local characteristics. I’ll quickly go thru each reason why I am rating The Boiler with 5 very bright stars.
1) FOOD
–Fresh Seafood (very important)
–Low Prices
–Different sauces (from garlic/​butter to ghost pepper)
–Amazing Hushpuppies (fried dough balls) and Calamari
–Their oysters are flown in from Boston and the portions are pretty large
–Their gumbo, crawfish and crab legs are also very yummy.
–Make sure to try their sweet tea!
2) SERVICE
–Very hospitable– my drinks were never empty and the waiters know what they are talking about and what they recommend.
–Everyone is actually really friendly and the waitress I had on my birthday even gave me an appetizer to sample!
3) LOCATION/​AMBIENCE
–Plenty of parking
–Plenty of napkins
–Separate sink where you can just wash your hands
–Cool wall where you leave your mark (find meee!)
The Boiler is really fun place because you can really get your hands dirty with the food that you eat. I love bringing new people here because it’s fun to see how your friends approach eating seafood out of a bag! Great prices and really cool staff.
The only thing critical I can say about it is that it gets pretty packed fast! I haven’t had to wait as long as the other reviewers have said (maybe I’ve gotten lucky), but there is a wait and reservations are definitely recommended!

After several times of hyperventilating in anticipation.
Moments of dismay at I realized their specific hours of operation didn’t work out with my schedule.
Finally.
Finally, my moment has come. To test the waters of the Boiler. I’ve dined a couple times at their competitor, the AC, and my foodie Spider-​senses were tingling with anticipation of the feast that was to come.
The interior has the reclaimed wood feel, with posting/​tagging available to your heart’s pleasure. However, the remainder of the interior has a cool vibe. The dining area in itsself isn’t very large, housing probably no more than 50 dining guests.
Food:
Pros:
Best Snow crab i’ve seen in the chicagoland area. These babies were so impressive, they’re giving King Crab legs a run for their money. You may need the metal heavy-​duty crackers for these… you can’t easily use the red splicer to commit surgery. The shell has ridges and spikes, even on the legs. What that means is, it’s HUGE! offering a ton of that sweet meat on the inside. Usually snow crabs are much smaller, and their leg shells are flat and smooth. Great indicator. As promised, the meat was sweet. Even within the body, the meat fell right off. It was fresh, requiring little work to dig. Pull away, and you’ve easily got more chunks of crabby goodness. So fresh, so good. If I want snow crab, here’s where I’m going. I dipped these babies in both the butter, as well as the lime/​salt/​pepper combo. Delicious! For $ 19/​lb, you are ABSOLUTELY getting your money’s worth.
Largest bluepoint oysters in Chicagoland area: Served with that teeny tiny tabasco mini, these oysters are completely plump and meaty. Good luck slurping! these fat juicies are a bit more than a mouthful.
Cons:
The rice was dry. Overcooked, on its way out, and dry.
The trifecta sauce didn’t impress me, with its lumpy, garlic, relish-​textured ways. The spice was more concentrated, and I couldn’t help but think that it was the love child of mixing cajun seasoning, garlic, lemon, and sand together. There was a sour aftertaste that kept confusing my tastebuds, and I wasn’t enticed to perform oral all over my shrimp shells. We ordered this medium. It wasn’t spicy in terms of heat, but more concentrated in all that gooey lump stuff. The shrimp in itsself were decent size, and also not the freshest, having shells that stuck to them requiring a bit of work to pull clean.

Must have: corn fritters, hush puppies, king crab legs, shrimp. And body and head gloves! It is messy. You will spray seafood juice all over!
Tip: unless you bring a hired shrimp peeler and crab leg cracker, cut your nails short because you’ll have to get in it to get your meat (crab, shrimp, crawfish) and you don’t want to smell your seafood dinner until next week. Trust me.
This place doesn’t take reservations BUT you can kind of reserve a spot by giving them your number and they will text you once seating becomes available.
I liked the food here, the shrimp and King crab legs were meaty but I ended up using salt in both. No biggie. The hush puppies and corn fritters were literally amazeballs so good!!! The crawfish was totally not worth it to me. Too much work for such little meat. Pass! The snow crab legs were just ok, they could’ve been a bit over cooked because some of the meat were sticking to the shell. Pass on that one too.
Service: non existent. After our orders were taken, service stopped. No tools were given to crack the legs, no refills on our drinks, no attention given when we wanted to order more food, no butter for the crab legs… We had to ask for everything I mentioned above and still wait after we asked because it seemed they forgot. I’ll still come back because I like they’re food. I’m just a professional complainer and an emotional eater, I value great service!

This West Coast trend on seafood is taking over Chicago. First Saigon Bistro followed by Angry Crab, I feel like this style of cooking seafood is everywhere. Almost every month there is a new spot opening, but what makes this place different from the rest? Their raw oysters!
Time: 7:30 pm on a Thursday night
A couple of my friends and I decided to give this place a shot because getting a table at Angry Crab is like finding free parking in Downtown Chicago. Rare. Plus we figured why not try something new with good company and watch the NBA finals!
From the outside the place looked spacious, but when we entered, we were greeted by our server who sat us between two occupied tables of 4. Why he thought that was a good idea, I don’t know, but now there is 4 more people between two tables of 4. At this point there was absolutely no room to move. The tables were set too close to each other that the seats barely pulled out from under the table. We were already having issues before the meal, if you can only imagine what it was like after the meal…
Although we had a seating mishap, that did not stop us from ordering a boatload of food, which came out super fast, We ordered a variety:
Cajun fries — Crispy and not covered in cajun spice, which was perfect. Not too salty and pretty good!
½ order Raw oysters — On point! Probably the best dish of the night. Very sweet!
3 lbs of Shrimp — Sizes of the shrimp was gradually getting smaller. Same quality as other places.
1 lb of Clams — Didn’t really taste fresh. Not worth it. The shells are bigger than the meat, so all you are really paying for was not edible. More shells than meat too.
4 lbs of Crawfish — Tasted different. Wasn’t as sweet as other places and the size of the crawfish varied as well. The head of the crawfish was bigger than anything else.
Corn & Sausage — Would not have ordered these if I had known how oily the sauce was going to be because it soaked up all the sauce.
Sauces: If I had to go back, I would get the lemon pepper medium or XXX because the Trifecta had WAY too much garlic and VERY oily. Picture this… on the bottom was the seafood, in the middle was the garlic, and hoovering above everything… OIL! About ²⁄₃ of the bag was oil. Lastly what I noticed was the seafood did not really soak up the sauce that well, not sure if they cook the seafood with the sauce or cook it separately and just pour it in.
Overall, the atmosphere is like all the other places. Pretty chill. Couple things that stood out, fast service, awesome oysters, and easy parking due to their lot was a plus!