Jeff’s Got Crabs & Seafood

Is Jeff’s Got Crabs and Seafood the best kept secret of East York, PA? My husband, daughter and I ate at Jeff’s for dinner last night for the first time. Tucked in a small, unassuming shopping strip mall is this cozy, intimate restaurant serving delicious, fair-​priced fare. Our waitress, Sarah, started us off with beverages and a warm round of bread. I had a NY strip steak, cooked exactly as I ordered, with fried shrimp with the perfect amount of crunch to them. Fluffy, garlic mashed potatoes and crisp-​tender asparagus with shredded Brussels sprouts were my chosen sides. My husband treated himself to 6 Chincoteague oysters on the half-​shells as an appetizer. He was very pleased with the taste as well as the beautiful presentation. His entrée was Rockfish Stuffed with Imperial crab. He declared the fish light and flaky and the full-​flavored crab a good complement to the fish. His sides were the same as mine. My daughter, who is not a seafoodie, ordered a hamburger and fries. She said the burger was one of the best she’s ever had and she couldn’t believe that she ate the whole generous helping of fries. To top off the meal we ordered the raspberry cheesecake. If it’s on the menu, cheesecake is our go-​to at all restaurants we visit. This cheesecake was very creamy and the chef had incorporated bits of raspberry in the actual cake. Then a raspberry pureed gel topped the cake along with a couple fresh raspberries. It was lovely. Our waitress was attentive and fun. So – I always like to give credit where credit is due. Our dinner at Jeff’s was very enjoyable. Many thanks to all the staff.

Wife and I tried this place. Sat ourselves as instructed by the sign at the door and began our wait. 15 minutes passed. No one even came to ask did we want a menu. No one asked what we wanted to drink. As a matter of fact, no employee even spoke to us during our 15 minutes there.
We left… hungry.
I forgot to add, they were slammed as there were THREE OTHER CUSTOMERS THERE!

Very very good crab cakes and fresh vegetables. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The best seafood restaurant in York.

Second time I’ve been to Jeff’s Got Crabs & Seafood. I ordered the Extra Large Blue Claw Crabs and enjoyed ½ a dozen there along with taking another ½ dozen home to enjoy with my daughter. They were AWESOME! I also ordered the crab cake dinner for my wife, she enjoyed it as well. Service was great and so was the food. I even like the atmosphere of the place as well. Life is good!

It is entirely possible that the restaurant simply wasn’t prepared for a group of ten people to stumble in on a Sunday night, but since there was only one other couple in the restaurant proper, I’m not sure that’s reasonable. There were several people who came in for takeout, but after the reviews, I’m still rather disappointed.
Tables were rearranged to accommodate the group and orders placed… with some difficulties arising from the fact that apparently Jeff –doesn’t– have crabs, or not on that night. The orders placed and the orders received also didn’t match up, necessarily, which is frustrating, though things were mended and no one’s checks displayed anything not ordered. The server herself seemed exhausted and anxious, though we did our best to be unfailingly polite customers.
The fresh bread was exceedingly crusty and fluffy on the inside, much enjoyed by the diners, and the food overall was pretty good for inland seafood, as it were. My french onion soup was excellent, in particular, and the side salads were impressively large and tasty for something that is often neglected. The crabcakes were indeed mostly crab, and impressively solid, but the plating –despite the available photos to the contrary from previous reviewers– was positively sad, which probably didn’t help our already disappointed would-​be crab-​eater enjoy his chicken [he didn’t].
The desserts are all quite tasty in a sort of grocery-​store freezer case fashion, pumpkin roll, apple pie, and so forth, and the coffee was pretty reliable, though not refilled very often [read once].

I was excited to try this place after reading other reviews but unfortunately I was very disappointed. The service was slow and the prices are higher than I expected. I wanted crabs but didn’t see them on the menu. Crab cakes were on the menu as well as many other seafood, fish and steak platters. The waitress offered no help, not even offering to tell us the specials. Later i saw another table receive 4 platters of crabs. Apparently you have to know a secret code. The food we ordered tasted fine but we won’t be coming back.

Don’t let the exterior fool you — I had great oysters and maryland crab soup — try it, you will like it for sure.

Driving through the area on Sunday evening a quick check on Unilocal lead us here. We drove past the place the first time, and then were nervous about going in when the parking lot was empty at the peak of dinner time. We swallowed our concerns and headed inside. We were quickly seated, given menus and brought drinks. Service was great.
I ordered the French Onion soup and the husband Cream of Crab. Mine was delicious and not salty (often a problem with French onion) and according to him this was either the top or second choice in his cream of crab soup list. We were also served bread which tasted very fresh and was still warm. A perfect sop. For dinner I had the salmon with brussel sprouts and mash potatoes. It was filling and delicious. I loved the brussel sprouts in particular. The husband had the broiled plate of everything with corn and mac & cheese. The broiled plate was delicious, a good size crab cake. He said the corn was lacking seasoning but a taste of his mac & cheese I was jealous that I ordered the potatoes.
A large group came in while we were eating and the waitress was able to manage both tables with ease.
We also realized that this place does a lot of call in and pick up orders, which explained the lack of cars in the lot when we arrived.
Definitely out of our way, but when we are in the area this will be our go to.

I was feeling like seafood, and due to the reviews figured we’d try this place. Boy were we happy we did! The waitress couldn’t be nicer and quickly answered any questions we had about the menu. We started with the bacon wrapped scallops, which were cooked perfectly. They were delicious. Next our entrees came. My wife had the crab stuffed ravioli which was delicious and I had the citrus glazed salmon with crab imperial on top. The salmon was awesome. I had some garlic mashed potatoes with it that weren’t the greatest. They weren’t bad, just no gravy or sauce and nothing special. Of course we didn’t come for the mashed potatoes, so it wasn’t a big deal. We will definitely come back again. Multiple times hopefully!
We wanted the strawberry short cake that was on the picture, but they didn’t have it. They said they get asked for it a lot and they will have it again soon. I will definitely get a piece when they do!

Fantastic! I hope this place lasts. Don’t let the hard to find location, or dated strip mall steer you away from this fantastic find. Food was great, service was great! We got the crab balls crab cakes crab soup and citrus glazed salmon. All were 5 star worthy.

First of all, the owner/​chef is super nice, so this place wins right there. I placed a bit of a complicated order and he was able to take care of it with ease. While I wasn’t blown away with the bacon wrapped scallops (sounded better than it was since the bacon was just ok…), the crab bites and the salmon salad was great. I made the mistake of thinking the shrimp salad was salad with shrimp on top instead of salad with SHRIMP SALAD on top, which was disappointing, but no one’s fault but my own. I should have read more carefully. This spot might be a bit of a hole in the wall, but it’s everything you need to tear up some crabs in the middle of the day (which I saw someone doing for lunch alone with a very determined expression on his face while I was there) or grab an order to go and be the hero of your household for the evening! Thank me later!

To start my review I was very surprised by the outside of the building. It was a very little shop in a «strip mall».
We walked into a very small dinning area. We were greeted by staff member named Sarah. Sarah was a bundle of happiness. She seemed very welcoming even though we did not have reservations. Sarah took our drink order within mins of seating us. We placed our order… 2 dozen large crabs an order of oysters on the half shell and cream of crab… We were told it would be about 30 mins for our crabs…
After about 50 min wait our crabs arrived. Still no oysters… Into about our 2 crab the raw oysters arrived! To my surprise I must say they were the best oysters I have ever had! The crabs were steamed to perfection. Just the right amount of special seasonings!
Very pleased with this visit!
Every table in the place was used and the takeout orders never stopped!

I called before driving down yesterday from Mechanicsburg to inquire about the specials. She told me the normal specials but said that Jeff might add more, and did I want her to call me back with the list? That was enough to convince me to make the drive. Anyone taking the extra step to ensure I was happy is worth my business in my book. So we arrive. We’re a party of 5…2 adults and 3 kids. We are greeted immediately and sat. Our server comes right to us, and patiently explained the menu and what their restaurant was about. She opened our bottle of wine and brought it out to us along with the kid’s drinks. She was superb, as was the other server who helped us. They work as a team to make sure guests are happy. I was really hoping the food was outstanding, because I was already in love with this place just based on the service alone.
So, the food. We started with a hot loaf of bread, crusty on the outside and so tender on the inside. The butter was soft as not to tear the bread. Hubby had lobster bisque, I had cream of crab. Both were rich and delicious. I chose a side salad with my meal, it was beautiful and fresh. For our entrees, I had crab cakes that were all lump crab, no filler. They were terrific. The sauce (that I requested) was a bit on the salty side, but I like salt and it wasn’t overpowering. The onion rings had a terrific crunch and were oh-​so-​sweet. My hubby had a fried seafood platter. He put his fork into the fish filet and I heard it crunch. That’s impressive. He loved it! Our daughter had ribs. You could smell the smokiness from across the table. They completely fell off the bone and she loved them. I don’t care for ribs, but I had to have a bite. I think these ribs made me a convert. They’re THAT good. Of the two boys, one had grilled cheese and the other a cheeseburger. The burger looked great, and had fresh toppings. The fries served with both are delicious and hand cut.
We are interested in coming for the all you can eat crabs. When we told our server that we didn’t know how to eat them, she said «that’s ok! We’ll teach you!» Nice. Count us in.
If I had a complaint, it would be about the Unilocal check-​in coupon. It doesn’t let you know it’s only good on Sundays until after you check in. But we will most certainly be back. Great food and great service always warrants a drive down in my book.

Based on existing Unilocal reviews, I decided to divert a couple of miles off of 30 for a late Saturday lunch.
I have to rave about the sliced brisket. They served the best brisket I have ever eaten. The smoke permeated the meat, deep and pronounced. The meat was moist and easy to chew. The crust was dark, nicely seasoned, with just the right amount of fat.
We also enjoyed their Maryland crab soup. The crab balls appetizer was six miniature crab cakes, just enough filler to tie them together, not breaded. The plate included a nice mustard sauce.
My new york strip was cooked a perfect medium, nicely seasoned with peppercorns.
Everything we ordered we were very happy with. Fresh food, prepared and presented with care.
Our waitress Sarah was very warm and made us feel welcome.

I absolutely LOVED my night at Jeff’s Got Crabs! I did not expect to find such great seafood so far from NYC, food mecca. I was HAPPILY surprised! Totally unassuming from the outside, in a small strip mall, we were SO happy we found them through Unilocal!
When my friends and I first showed up, the place was empty. I joked about «finding us a table» and she said «Don’t worry– in 30 minutes, these tables will all be full», and she was exactly right!
The whole place got «slammed» (if I remember my own waitering days 20 years ago) and our service was
Better than impeccable. My water was filled before I had to lift it up to ask. MUCH better service than I ever gave back then. Patiently shared information about menu items, suggestions, and a sense of humor to boot. I am only sad I don’t live closer or I’d be a regular and keep this place running.
Two ordered the clam chowder. DAMN good– obviously fresh, properly cooked (not rubbery) clams and just yum yummy. One person ordered Lobster bisque and emptied the bowl.
Three people shared two orders of the fresh, raw oysters, which were fresh, and raw! Yum!
The soft shell crab was ordered by two people at the table. Both loved it. One said it was a bit salty, but both loved it.
One person, landlubber, ordered a pit beef sandwich and cleaned his plate!
I ordered off of the specials menu, a salmon crusted in almond and mustard. DAMN. Wow. Yum. Loved every bite!
NO plates went back with food left, and we were happy and full as we left.

My review is for the Maryland Crab Soup.
I had been recovering from the flu and wanted my version of Chicken Noodle Soup… Maryland Crab Soup (MCS)! MCS is my staple to get better because it has spices, protein, veggies and is gluten free PLUS and it fills my tummy better Chicken Noodle. I came to Jeff’s Got Crabs based on the reviews from Unilocal and was not disappointed. Lovely tomato broth, chunks of crab, and spicy. It fit the bill that I needed and now that I know that they sell it in larger, I will be back for more!

Homey sort of place but a very good diner. Started with crabs (from Louisiana), then a 1\2 rack of baby back ribs with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. Only tasted the spuds — saved room for fruit — well it was key lime pie (excellent). They don’t have a liquor license but in Pennsylvania you can bring your own. My server was kind enough to give me a refresher on how to crack the crab and away I went. It was a delightful evening.

Based on the signage and their web presence, you would not expect much from a place called «Jeff’s Got Crabs». So what, the place has a cheesy name and their location on the quiet side of town in a declining strip mall isn’t the best but OH. MY. GOODNESS, the food here is fantastic.
My husband and I were looking for seafood in York but I was skeptical. We walked through the door into a charming dining room that should have been waaaaay more full than it was.
The combination server and hostess seated us and had our beverages out within seemingly seconds. She never let our cups get more than half empty before refilling them. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and just the right amount of friendly.
My husband had their lobster bisque and it was among the best I’ve ever tasted. It was obvious that it wasn’t thickened with flour and had good sized chunks of lobster in it. I had a bowl of steamed littleneck clams which were completely grit free and fresh tasting.
For our entrees we wanted to sample a variety of what Jeff’s offered so I had the fried seafood platter and my husband had the broiled. I was full of attitude and boasted that I would clear my plate. I didn’t. Everything was really good, even the filet of fish, which I normally don’t like.
We each ordered a dessert that we couldn’t finish. My husband had the key lime pie, and it was good, but not as tart as I like it. I had turtle cheesecake with not a single complaint about it.
We will definitely be going back for more. This place needs to be busier on a Friday night.

Another great dining experience at Jeff’s! Cream of Crab and the Soft Shell Crab were outstanding! Do yourself a favor, stop in and tell them someone from Vegas said this is the place!
Can’t wait for this summer’s visit!
Hey Jeff, get those tee shirts!!!

I want to thank the Unilocal Army for leading me to Jeff’s Got Crabs & Seafood. The overwhelmingly positive reviews of this restaurant are spot on and I enjoyed a night I hope to remember for a long time.
I was looking for somewhere to take someone that I just started dating. I wanted someplace that had really outstanding food, yet was unpretentious and Jeff’s Got Crabs really fit the bill.
The place is set in an odd little, lifeless strip mall but you don’t really feel like you’re in a strip mall restaurant inside, except for the stereotypical glass double doors. They’ve painted the place a nice shade of green and have minimal, yet effective, decorations. The place is sparkling clean everywhere, top to bottom, including the kitchen — and the rest room, which (if you’ve read my reviews) you know is important to me. If I could give 4.5 stars, I might knock off a half just for the difficulty getting into and out of the place and the fact that they have only one unisex rest room, but the positives of this place far outweigh these mere nuisances.
The service was top tier. Our server took the very best of care of us. She anticipated our needs and brought everything out before we even wanted it. She was quick to refill the water glass, she offered to bring me a mug for my beer (Jeff’s is BYOB, folks — if you want beer with your crabs, bring some along), she was personable but not over friendly, and she took the time to help us decide what to order.
The thing that impressed me the most — and the reason I chose this restaurant for my date — is that you can have a very nice sit-​down experience or a fun, messy crab boil. I already knew my date to be adventurous and willing to try new things, and I was excited when we agreed to order crabs — clean shirts be damned.
Crabs are a great getting-​to-​know-​you activity. They take a while to eat, you can have a conversation while you’re yanking apart crabs, there are natural pauses allowing both parties to talk, and you have a good excuse for not making eye contact. We sat there chatting and enjoying each other’s company for an hour an a half, unhurried and in a laid-​back atmosphere.
I knew that I was in for a gastronomical treat when the party behind us was served their food shortly after we arrived. The smells that came out of the kitchen and filled the air were pure bliss. Something on their order was deep fried, and I could hear it still sizzling on the plate as it arrived at the table. When our own crabs were served, I was treated to that same elation of all those senses again, but with the added bonus of burning my fingers on the steaming crabs — too hot to touch, but too good not to eat. I love when a meal is more like an EXPERIENCE and involves more than just taste.
Though the crabs alone were plenty to eat, we did order a few sides — all of which were very good. The corn on the cob (in season right now) was obviously locally-​sourced and fresh (though perhaps off the stalk for a day or more) and the cream of crab soub was outrageously good. I only dipped my spoon in the top to taste it, yet pulled out a big chunk of crab meat so tender and delicious it nearly distracted me from the beauty of the thick, creamy soup base. It was, without a doubt, cooked there in that shop from scratch — and recently. Everything was so fresh, I have no doubt that my crabs were still in the Chesapeake the day before. Makes me sorry I didn’t order the black-​tip shark (my favorite fish ever), which was on special that day.
Jeff’s Got Crabs & Seafood is definitely one of the best casual restaurants I’ve been to in a long time. I know I’m gushing over this place more that I normally would — and I swear that I’m not THAT Jeff — but you guys really have to try this place.
Thanks again, Unilocalers, for the awesome lead. You really came through for me!