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Name: Joe’s Crab Shack
Address: 567 San Jon Rd, Ventura, CA, 93001
Telephone: (805) 643-3725
Price range: Under $11
Rating: 2.57

Joe’s Crab Shack

567 San Jon Rd, Ventura, CA, 93001

(805) 643-3725
Store is closed

Joe’s Crab Shack Menu

Appetizers

Soup of the Day

Fried Cheese

Peel N Eat Shrimp

Crab Dip

Louisiana - Style Bayou Shrimp

Awesome Appetizer

Lobster Fondue

Great Balls of Fire

Crispy Calamari

Soup of the Day

Fried Cheese

Peel N Eat Shrimp

Crab Dip

Louisiana - Style Bayou Shrimp

Awesome Appetizer

Lobster Fondue

Great Balls of Fire

Crispy Calamari
Salads and Sandwiches

Crab Cake Sandwich

Joe's Chicken Club Sandwich

Joe's Traditional Cobb Salad

Bacon Cheeseburger

Joe's Caesar Classic

Crab Cake Sandwich

Joe's Chicken Club Sandwich

Joe's Traditional Cobb Salad

Bacon Cheeseburger

Joe's Caesar Classic
Crabs, Crabs, Crabs

Snow

Dungeness

King

Crab Daddy Feast

Joe's Crab Cakes

Snow

Dungeness

King

Crab Daddy Feast

Joe's Crab Cakes
Joe's Fish

Salmon

Tilapia

Mahi

Signature Toppings - Pontchartrain

Etouffee

Salmon

Tilapia

Mahi

Signature Toppings - Pontchartrain

Etouffee
Joe's Values

Fried Fish Fillets

Popcorn Shrimp

Fish and Chips

Fish and Shrimp

Joe's Fried Shrimp

Crawfish Etouffee

Joe's Fried Scallops

Southwest Chicken

Deckhand Platter

Fried Fish Fillets

Popcorn Shrimp

Fish and Chips

Fish and Shrimp

Joe's Fried Shrimp

Crawfish Etouffee

Joe's Fried Scallops

Southwest Chicken

Deckhand Platter
Joe's Specialties

Coconut Shrimp

Broiled Seafood Platter

Shrimp Scampi

Jumbo Bayou Shrimp

Shrimp and Lobster Pasta

Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Fisherman's Platter

Jumbo Parmesan Shrimp Pasta

Broiled Shrimp Rrio

BBQ Dungeness Crab

Jumbo Grilled Shrimp

Coconut Shrimp

Broiled Seafood Platter

Shrimp Scampi

Jumbo Bayou Shrimp

Shrimp and Lobster Pasta

Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Fisherman's Platter

Jumbo Parmesan Shrimp Pasta

Broiled Shrimp Rrio

BBQ Dungeness Crab

Jumbo Grilled Shrimp
Steak and More

Twin Flat Iron Steaks

Add a Dungeness Crab Cluster

Steak and Shrimp

Twin Flat Iron Steaks

Add a Dungeness Crab Cluster

Steak and Shrimp
Topsides

Cole Slaw

French Fries

Joe's Rice

Parsley Potatoes

Veggies

Corn - On - The - Cob

Cole Slaw

French Fries

Joe's Rice

Parsley Potatoes

Veggies

Corn - On - The - Cob

Healthy Meal suggestions for Joe’s Crab Shack

Appetizers

Soup of the Day [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fried Cheese [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Peel N Eat Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Dip [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Louisiana - Style Bayou Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Awesome Appetizer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Lobster Fondue [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Great Balls of Fire [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crispy Calamari [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Soup of the Day [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fried Cheese [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Peel N Eat Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Dip [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Louisiana - Style Bayou Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Awesome Appetizer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Lobster Fondue [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Great Balls of Fire [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crispy Calamari [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Salads and Sandwiches

Crab Cake Sandwich [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Chicken Club Sandwich [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Traditional Cobb Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Bacon Cheeseburger [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Caesar Classic [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Cake Sandwich [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Chicken Club Sandwich [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Traditional Cobb Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Bacon Cheeseburger [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Caesar Classic [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Crabs, Crabs, Crabs

Snow [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Dungeness [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

King [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Daddy Feast [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Crab Cakes [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Snow [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Dungeness [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

King [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Daddy Feast [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Crab Cakes [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Joe's Fish

Salmon [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tilapia [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Mahi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Signature Toppings - Pontchartrain [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Etouffee [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Salmon [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tilapia [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Mahi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Signature Toppings - Pontchartrain [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Etouffee [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Joe's Values

Fried Fish Fillets [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Popcorn Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fish and Chips [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fish and Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Fried Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crawfish Etouffee [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Fried Scallops [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Southwest Chicken [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Deckhand Platter [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fried Fish Fillets [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Popcorn Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fish and Chips [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fish and Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Fried Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crawfish Etouffee [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Fried Scallops [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Southwest Chicken [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Deckhand Platter [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Joe's Specialties

Coconut Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Broiled Seafood Platter [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Shrimp Scampi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Jumbo Bayou Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Shrimp and Lobster Pasta [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Stuffed Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fisherman's Platter [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Jumbo Parmesan Shrimp Pasta [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Broiled Shrimp Rrio [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

BBQ Dungeness Crab [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Jumbo Grilled Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Coconut Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Broiled Seafood Platter [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Shrimp Scampi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Jumbo Bayou Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Shrimp and Lobster Pasta [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crab Stuffed Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Fisherman's Platter [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Jumbo Parmesan Shrimp Pasta [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Broiled Shrimp Rrio [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

BBQ Dungeness Crab [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Jumbo Grilled Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Steak and More

Twin Flat Iron Steaks [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Add a Dungeness Crab Cluster [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Steak and Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Twin Flat Iron Steaks [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Add a Dungeness Crab Cluster [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Steak and Shrimp [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Topsides

Cole Slaw [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

French Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Rice [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Parsley Potatoes [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Veggies [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Corn - On - The - Cob [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Cole Slaw [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

French Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Joe's Rice [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Parsley Potatoes [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Veggies [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Corn - On - The - Cob [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Visit below restaurant in Ventura for healthy meals suggestion.

Auntie Anne’s ( 3301 E Main St )

Visit below restaurant in Ventura for healthy meals suggestion.

Auntie Anne’s ( 3301 E Main St )

Write An Anonymous Review

L F.

VERY disappointed in this Joe's. I LOVE Joe's! I've been to several besides this one (Portland, Sacramento, and this one a couple of years ago). We were seated immediately (maybe should have been a hint, tho we were early). There were plenty of ocean-view tables, however the sun was going down and not all had shades. That's where they seated us first. But it was def not going to work (HOT & hard to see). We changed tables to one even more exposed to the sun with the promise they'd pull down the shades. They did, but it was at least 15 minutes. I ordered Dungeness crab, my fav. But the waitress didn't understand or confirm I wanted ONLY crab, and not sausage or shrimp. So I got those things and not a lot of crab. My low stars tho are because the crab wasn't nearly as good as it had been. Parts appeared to have been frozen, and the drawn butter was AWFUL, completely separated, disgusting. My friends and I were very tired so just ate and paid our bill - but I won't be back, tho I come down to this area almost every year.
(2)
Helen W.

It is so hard for me to believe this place is still in business and that Ventura folk still support it! Although the staff is great (usually), the food is overpriced & not tasty at all. We'd rather cook food at home. If I could start a petition to get people to stop eating there so we can open a good restaurant to go along with the incredibly beautiful location I would. The food is not worth the trip, the floors are sticky, the drinks are sour and flat and what's up with the decor? What are they going for? It's a shame that the awesome location is wasted by this establishment. Take your money elsewhere...my 1 star is for the location/view and that is all...
(1)
Jordyn M.

After coming here since I was a child, it's easy to see this place just keeps declining. The price for the crab just keep going up while the crab portion sizes seem to keep going down. Our waiter seems annoyed with us that we said our crab seems a little light and one order was under the one pound amount they say they serve. The crab isn't nearly as good as it used to be. It's a shame and for this price I could definitely be eating better elsewhere.
(1)
Monica R.

Had a great time. If you like crab, you will like Joe's...Great ambiance too.
(5)
Evelyn N.

First, I'll start by saying we know better but some friends recommended Joe's so we thought we'd give it a try. Came on a Friday night. Nice location on a hill with a huge nice clean lot. The location and view are great. The service was ok. Nothing special but our server did his job. The worst part of our evening was the food. Food was not good. My husband ordered the Main Grill and I ordered the Shore grill. Both came with a mini variety of seafood. Not worth the details except everything was rubbery and too salty. Gave it a try but will not come back.
(2)
S B.

We are Joe's faithfuls (Sacramento/SF/Laughlin) and decided, after seeing the terrible reviews, to go anyhow. How could a Joe's be that bad?!?!? Boy, were we stupid (though, not as stupid as the hostess that couldn't figure out how to seat tables that were open for 50 minutes---and we waited 1hr 15 min to finally be seated.) she just was so confused! Server was nice, took our drink order (we all ordered only water to make it speedy) took 15 min for him to return with water and, at that point, take our order. 1 hour 5 min later, food arrived. Shorted on crab, hush puppies, received a bowl, not cup of soup...food was tasty---that is always a plus and why we love to go to Joes. Bathrooms stall broken, another wouldn't flush and trash overflowing. Yes, very busy with tons of people, and believe me, we tried to give the staff credit for it, but problems with this place far outweighed what excuses we tried to make for them. Sorry...we will NEVER go to Ventura Joes again!!!!
(1)
Lisa N.

Had the bacon wrapped Cajun shrimp, it was awesome! The location can't be beat, ocean view, fun atmosphere. The service was a bit slow but I'm gonna blame that on restaurant not staffing a Busser to help clear plates and refill drinks . Would defiantly go again!
(4)
S P.

Are you kidding me???? I was very disappointed with the food. Excellent views of the ocean if you sit outside. Service very friendly! But the food is a complete fail. Mahi tacos portions the size of your thumb, flour tortillas that were cold and stiff, That's all you get????? You guys have one of the best views in Ventura and you serve food like this???? I am shocked you have not closed down. You better improve your food quality and portions or it is only going to get worse. I will never go back. Have you noticed you average 2.5 stars on Yelp. Who is charge should fire the cook! Honestly!!!!! Truth hurts sometime!!!!! If your food could match the ocean views you would hit a home run!! Until your food improves I'm out!
(1)
Joy R.

Really it wasn't that bad. They should fire the two robotic hostesses that lack any form of emotion. No smile, not welcoming, no brain, no feelings. Whatever. Our waitress was sweet and the Ragin Cajun steam pot was yummy. I ordered the sharkbite cocktail which tastes like grape juice then creeps up on you. Service was a bit slow but I didn't mind because the weather and view was nice.
(3)
Heather P.

Wait was incredibly long for very poor service. We waited 45 minutes to get a table for 4, then sat at our table for a total of 2 hours before finally getting the check. Good was OK. The entire restaurant was out of catsup. For $21.99 for fish and chips, we found that to be ridiculous. The coffee was microwaved. The bathrooms were filthy and out of paper products. The waitstaff, which was small considering the crowd, we're all around 18. Although they appeared to be doing their best, they were simply inexperienced and slow. All in all: long, drawn out, mediocre food, exasperating process.
(1)
Babette M.

Great food! And amazing service from Amy! Very friendly and very personable. Will definitely go back. Got the steaming Cajun pot and the sampler.
(5)
Julia W.

First of all I really don't understand the gaudy decor and tie dye waiter uniforms. It's not translating as fun to me as I'm guessing they're shooting for, but cheap and trashy. My husband has been mentioning every time we pass it on the freeway that just one time we should try it, so we dropped past the Ventura location one evening and it was PACKED!! Very loud, seems like many families there. We were rudely informed that the wait for a table was over 30 minutes. As we stood there I was looking around and the ambiance was just strange to me for a weekend evening. The lights are kept at full strength so there was no evening mood at all, which considering the meal isn't cheap, is off to me. I convinced my husband that we leave and come back for lunch some time and sit outside because that seems nicer. We eventually came back for lunch on a Saturday. We ordered a pot to share and some sides. The food was cold and bland. Honestly we ate mostly in silence because I think we were both annoyed that we'd wasted our time, money, and Saturday lunch. Do yourself a favor: Google how to cook King Crab, a recipe with butter and garlic, and do it yourself for a fraction of the price!!!! As you can probably guess, less than a week later we cooked King Crab at home and it was 1000 times better than our experience at Chuck-E-Shack in Ventura. If you want a seafood restaurant alternative, go to Lure!!!
(1)
Sofia A.

Let me start off with the fact that I am NOT a sea food person in the least aside from my sea food allergies. Why come to Joe's then? Because it was my friend wanted to try this place for her birthday and me being the supportive dummy I am, tagged along. I had scoped out the menu earlier and saw there were a small handful of non sea food items for me. When we arrived yesterday it seemed pretty slow (a Tuesday around 530pm) - It took about 10 minutes to get us seated. The view was amazing. Joe's is right across from the ocean and pier so watching the waves is beautiful. Our server was nice. Took awhile to get drink order and drinks. Server was patient as I tried to find something non seafood and he gave me a recommendation. Chicken without the sea food sauce - it came with the sauce all over it. He apologized and took it back offering to have another order put it but I was already there awhile and had an appointment I could not be late to so I declined. The manager quickly came over to talk to me and she was very very nice. She brought me veggies with some potato patty so I wouldn't go hungry. Both were good. She got me another chicken order to go which was nice as well as comp me for my entre which was awesome. Overall the staff was nice but I think this is not the place for me :(
(2)
Roy J.

Came in about a week ago as I was passing thru town. Seating took about thirty minutes, no big just had a drink at the bar n the mean time, finally got sat and within a couple minutes I had this fire red hair waitress with the biggest welcoming smile Iv ever seen. (She clearly had her coffee that morning). I asked her faviort drink she said shark bite and she was right! Delicious!! Clam chowder was a bit salty but not the end of the world, about twenty five minutes later I had my queen crab with spicy boil flavoring, it was so good!!! Joe's I will deffinetly be back and to my waitress, 5 stars, great smile and great personality!
(5)
Rosemary R.

OMG I do not even know where to begin. I'm so disappointed and pd off at total experience. My hubby and I have been coming to this Joe's for the past 5yrs. and have recommended it to so many friends and family. We're DONE!! First off.... it took some convincing on my behalf to get my hubby to agree to drive 60 miles from SFV when he was so HUNGRY and gas prices are sky high again. This wouldn't even be an issue if Joe's was what it USED to be! We arrive and hostess (teeny bopper w BORED as HELL look) informs us that wait time will be 30-45 min. We give her our names and thank her..no response... no smile, just blank stare. I go into restroom to wash my hands. OMG! trash can overflowing, I could see TP all over stall floors and both soap dispensers empty. After 35 min we're seated at a table with the One and ONLY nice thing about our visit....awsome view. Our waiter (Omar) has no personality. Takes our drink and appetizer order. He returns 15mins later w drinks and I ask him about some of our favorite items(no longer on menu). His response, in an almost condescending manner: "We change our menu every 3 mos". HELLOOOO, we've been coming here for 5yrs. Okay ...change is good! BTW, my hubby's clam chowder has not arrived. 15mins later ...chowder time! My hubby, who by the way is now FAMISHED stares down at a bowl with a half a ladle full of very salty chowder. WTH is going on here? Hubby mentions that he doesn't recognize not one person on staff. As long and often (1-2xs mo) as we'd been coming here, we got to know some of kids that worked here. Again...Change is good. (?) My hubby is now in need of drink refill ...no Omar in sight! All of the sudden....... I spot him and attempt to wave him over. He looks my way and continues on his merry way. (Maybe he didn't see me) A waitress arrives with our food another 30 mins later ... Omar is still MIA. STOP ....HOLD the PHONE!!!! What is this in front of me?? Looks nothing like pic in menu!! I let waitress know that this is not what I ordered. (missing items)She rolls her eyes and says she'll go get our waiter. Omar appears with menu in hand and informs me (in same condescending tone)...that I ordered the East coast platter (Duh) so where's the fish and coleslaw? He apologizes n states that they are way too busy on Sundays (we've always come on Sun)but will make necessary correction. The whole time my hubby is eating his food which seemed to be right. (His face says different) stops long enough to ask for drink refill,bc Omar never took notice that glass was completely empty. My husband offers me a piece of fish ...very tasty...I wait. By now I'm no longer very hungy, so when plate is set before me I don't even realize that my coleslaw is still missing. I begin with fish, bc the piece my hubby gave me was pretty good. WHAT??? Why does this taste so different? Oh well it didn't taste spoiled or bad ...just different. Shrimp way overcooked! Crab cake very dark ,almost burned and was too salty. Fries looked old and skimpy even though I never finish them bc helping is very hefty (in past. )The onion strings were okay ,but again skimpy. Looked as though I got the crumbs and some small pieces. Omar rolls by and plops bill down without asking if we needed anything else. SERIOUSLY? Who hired this guy? Who hired these cooks, these inexperienced hostesses and where the heck was management, who never checked on restrooms? We pay...we leave very very dissapointed n with upset stomach. My husband, very kindly says to me.."fish was excellent ,everything else was mediocre,but didnt want to say...I didn't even mention that you never got your coleslaw only bc I know u feel terrible about talking me into driving all this way for dinner" ONE STAR for VIEW. FIVE STARS for MY HUBBY! ZERO STARS for JOES Change is definitely NOT always good, unless you change the name to 'Joe's CRAP shack'
(1)
Yasmin M F.

First time here, love this place ! Had a great outdoor spot, view and play set for my kids. It kept them busy while we ate!! Food amazing ! Waiter Jake cool, a little bit of a wait but worth it. Price reasonable.
(5)
Tony N.

Wish i would have taken the time to read the reviews. Note to self read the reviews before you go. The best part of the meal was ehen the waiter tried to take my unfinished pot of crab away thinking i was done. I guess they need the pots for others. So i will just say i wont be back
(2)
Richard B.

So this review is more or less about the service as opposed to the food. Food met the mark. Let's talk about the other things. Party of five on a Friday night. Took my brother and his wife to their first crab shack experience. So we get to seated in a secluded spot in the corner at the far end of the restaraunt. The lighting in our area was pretty dim and as it got darker, our spot never got brighter. The secluded spot kinda felt like we were out there on our own for a bit. Service was minimal at times, very slow to get any response from our server. We got our order in, appetizer came out on par, but the food took almost an hour to come out. Food came out and then off again to seclusion. I was hoping for a better dining experience, the service crushed that. Please add additional lighting in that area in the corner. When you walk into the restaurant, it is to the right and down the end.
(3)
Jeremy H.

Great service! Food was great. Had some misgivings before coming based on some of the other reviews, but Joe's did not disappoint.
(5)
Debra R.

Came here for my grandsons 24th birthday. Service was so bad, we had to ask bartender to refill our drink, food came but the butter for the crab didn't come to the table until the crab was cold. Won't be back, made reservations to watch the sunset but our table had a view of the playground no ocean in site
(1)
Dylan R.

The wait time for the food seemed way too long for what we ordered. Everything was either fried or steamed. Which usually means that the dishes come out in a timely manner. The sea food itself was flavorless smothered in salt/butter. The most concerning part about our experience is that the water in the bathrooms weren't hot/warm which raises a huge concern if you can't get warm water when you wash your hands... How do they properly sanitize dishes. It seemed very sticky and tacky.
(1)
Breanne P.

Short and sweet, save your time and money! The lobster was small and comparable to a rubber tire! Try Lure instead. Friends have said they always have a good experience there.
(2)
Tiffany M.

Awesome atmosphere, great views of the beach/ocean. Steampot for 2 is plenty of food for 2. Well worth it! Server just didn't know menu that well and another server had to step up to explain the different seasonings for the steam pots.
(4)
Kat A.

Got here about 9:15 on a Sunday night. Place is dead.. It's now 9:50 and we still haven't even gotten our appetizer yet. Just drove 2.5 hours and were excited to cross this off our bucket list... Our server Autumn was prompt and friendly. I blame this squarely on the kitchen staff. She tried to expedite several times. When our appetizer finally arrived and was ok. The dip was very hot (managed to burn the roof of my mouth and am still dealing with sensitivity issues nearly 5 days later.. My bad, I should have checked the temp.. I was just Sooo hungry) chips crisp, hush puppies good-but these lil doggies had a bite. I liked it. The calamari was mostly good, there were a few chewy bits but considering they give you tubes and tentacles, I'm ok. The arctic steam pot is where all heck went to poop. We got a leg and a claw of crab, these were cooked to perfection and were tasty morsels. The lobster? Over-cooked to the point of being rubber. I had troubles even cutting it. My claw was so chewy I couldn't eat it. He didn't even try his after he saw me try mine. The shrimp would have bounced off the floor they were dropped, the potatoes oddly enough where still a lil crunchy and the corn was just not quite done either. We got a sausage that was done well and was quite tasty. On the whole, for the cost and an rock hard lobster I was very sad. I'd heard such good things and had always wanted a steam pot type experience. The reason I'm giving 3 stars instead of one is because of what happened next. This was a true example of how to handle a problem with class and customer service in mind. I explained to Autumn how bad the lobster etc was. She went to fetch the manager who came over and sat down with us to discuss what had happened. She was very apologetic and said she'd had no idea how long it took to get out appetizer, and was sorry about the state of our steam pot. She offered to have another one made correctly for us, but by this time it was after 10pm and we needed to get some sleep due to an early start the next morning. She was quite distressed at how badly our meal had gone. She ended up comping our bill and giving us 2 coupons for free appetizers next time we are in town. That interaction was worth 2 stars to me. Thank you.
(3)
Lynne T.

We used to come here a lot because it was so good and so tasty. We went last week and it wasn't cheap! The service was terrible and this place wasn't even busy (which should have been an indicator to us). All the food was terrible and it took forever to get to our table. More than 40 minutes! When it finally did get to us, it was all cold. We ate it because we were starving but any other time, we would have sent it back. The waiter brought me another margarita when I didn't even order one. The Dr. Pepper we ordered tasted "weird" and the bathroom toilet in the women's room was leaking! The floor was sticky. I ordered a queen crab meal for $35 and there wasn't much to eat and it came with two little tiny chunks of potato. I am sorry, but that waiter did not receive any tip from us. We live 45 minutes away and drove all the way out there for JOES CRAP SHACK. Such a disappointment. Something else needs to go in there because it is an awesome location.
(1)
Leilani Spring F.

Very cool scene- The crab and the drinks are fantastic! Shrimp was a little dry, but the butter made up for it. It was quite a long wait, it was definitely worth it. The service was fantastic. Definitely coming back!!
(4)
Greg P.

So today I wanted to try this spot that I always see passing by the freeway. The food was great and on point. Asia was a sweet waiter and very friendly and kindly took my order.
(3)
Alli W.

Went to Joe's last night to celebrate National Lobster Day and have my first real meal since Thursday's chemo treatment. We arrived around 4:35pm there were maybe 5 or 6 other tables. Our waiter (Omar) with NO personality came and took our drink order in a rushed manner. Was prompt to drop our drinks off and asked if he could take our order, but we were not ready. Said he'd be right back... 35 mins later after watching him watch the TV, talk to the kitchen guys, watch the TV some more, check on his other tables, finally he was watching TV again when my wife finally stood up, raised her hand and loudly said 'I think we are ready to order now.' Service after that was cold, figuratively and seriously, my drink was constantly empty and it still cost us $90. Total let down. At least the warm parts of our food tasted good. I guess.
(2)
ruth f.

Coconut Shrimp was great. You get about 10 big shrimps. Others had boiled crab pots and lobster pots. went to birthday dinner there. Birthday boy's lobster was rubbery.. he didn't eat it. Servers were great!! very good service. Manager came over. Brought some steamed crab legs and took the lobster off the bill. Good customer service. Gave servers a good tip even though food was off.. Very beautiful view from the dining area overlooking the ocean. For birthdays, they make the birthday boy/girl put on a cowboy hat and prance around the restaurant with a toy horse.. That was fun.
(3)
Marissa G.

The service sucks here especially on a holiday or holiday weekend. Ive waiting 2 1/2 hours to get seated. and i was just a party of 3. If it wasn't for the playground I would not come here. Food is hit and miss. sometimes its rushed and basically thrown in the basket and sometimes the fried food is burnt, or used with old oil and overcooked. I get coupons emailed to me. Dont let coupons fool you overpriced mediocore food.
(2)
Racheal J.

Sadly, I have to agree with all the other bad reviews. I wanted so badly to go in and have a better experience but no such luck. Tacky random decor (which I expected) and horrible music. It was cold and dark, the place was EMPTY, and we were told it would be a 10 min wait, and it was. The service was epicly slow even though there seemed to be a sufficient amount of staff (our waitress was great when she was there), there was another gal that I assume was a manager and she stepped up to help and was very nice, but the service was still unbearably slowwwwww. The food was fine, not great. I had the old bay pot, and I do like the seasoning. The hush puppies were really stale. The mozzarella sticks were hot and good, but cold by the time the side of marinara came out. I thought it was really odd that they had half of cocktails all day, but only like cheap well drinks even though they have a HUGE list of expensive specialty drinks, if your going to do a deal it should be on those. Over all I just was not impressed and for sure would not come back.
(2)
Jovana J.

....more like: CRAP SHACK It started as my wife and the rest of our party were seated on the patio. Delay was so long before a waitress came that I finally walked inside to the bar to start our drinks. Bartender would not serve me two drinks; insisted that the other drinker be present. WTH? If we weren't with several other families, that would have driven us out. I understand that position from a bartender when you have somebody in their 20s ordering a couple drinks......maybe. Trust me, I'm not 21. He clearly just wanted to be an ass. About 15 more minutes to get the drink order in, at least 15 to get them to us; another 15 before taking our order and then about 45 minutes before delivering the sea crap they put on the plate and charge for. Math? Over 1.5 hrs until we can start eating (not busy BTW). Son ordered the chicken fingers which were literally the size of his index finger (he's 7!). He was starving on the way home. No fish in the wife's fish tacos. I already spent too much time writing about disaster.
(1)
Michelle V.

This place has the potential of being fantastic but something seriously goes wrong with the seafood steam pots. My friend and I ordered the 2 most expensive boils they had containing lobster and "queen crab legs" (does that even exist?). The salt level OVERTOOK the taste of the seafood. It just tasted like salt with the texture of crab. Only the lobster tail tasted sweet like lobster. It kind of tasted like it was boiled once earlier them re-potted. Fish n chips: nothing special. Waitstaff was great and attentive. Atmosphere was good for group gatherings with good music. The overall is that if you are going to price a steam pot for over $30, it HAS to be done right. They do have a VERY extensive selection to choose from, but I think they can do way better with no additional effort.
(3)
Ardy K.

If I had to have a last meal before an execution and my only option was this place, I would probably have to die hungry. The Good: Nothing that comes to mind other than the fact that they have a patio that overlooks the ocean. But that's like saying a Turkish prison cell is nice because you have a room with a view that's facing the Mediterranean Sea. The Bad: See the list below. Food: Relatively small portions of crab. The shrimp tend to be on the smaller side. Their salads have wilted lettuce and too much dressing. Chicken appears to be frozen and then fried. Beverages: The mixed drinks are watered down and too sugary. I had to have two to numb the pain of the experience. Service: The "Devil-may-care" attitude of the servers is so irritating that when they do pick up on how terrible their service is and feel the need to say something, they are confused about how to apologize and end up sounding even more annoying. Important Tip: Go anywhere else! Seriously, you don't need to ruin a meal by subjecting yourself to this dump. Now for our story: More details about our experience at the Joe's Crab Shack from Hell.(Sorry but I need to vent) I hadn't been to a Joe's Crab Shack in about 12 years. The last time was in San Diego and it was OK. Gimmicky but not bad. Felt like a Hooters for seafood but overall, the food was pretty good and the portions were decent (overpriced but then again, you're paying for the ambiance and to say you went to this place). Flash forward 12 years. We're in Ventura. Labor Day weekend. My wife insisted that we should check this place out because it used to be a very nice restaurant before it turned into this joint. She remembers going there for her prom when she lived in Oxnard. First of all, we couldn't make a reservation. No biggie. Some places are so busy and tables turnover so quickly or just the food is THAT good that they don't take reservations. I once waited an hour just to buy a croissant. And I'd do it again. So my wife and I walk up to this Crab Shack that Joe owns and we put our names down. It's an hour and a half wait which wouldn't be so bad were it worth the wait. What was most frustrating was the abundance of open and available tables. There were at least 4 tables for four diners that were just sitting empty during this time. When we were finally seated, it took another 10 minutes for anyone to come over, bring us water and then another 5 minutes to to come by and take our orders. Overall, it was an inefficiently run operation. I can't blame the servers entirely although ours had a particularly cavalier attitude and apologized for the delays with the same nonchalant tone as someone who cuts in front of you in traffic and gives you a wave of the hand to say "I'm sorry but screw you anyway." When the food finally came they forgot to bring us utensils. They also didn't give us refills of water until we asked. And lastly, they didn't bring us anything to eat (bread, butter, anything) after we had been waiting for 1.5 hours. I'm not saying they needed to put out a whole spread but if you want loyal customers, give them a little something something to keep them happy. Our whole dining experience would have been infinitely better if someone had acknowledged the terrible service and had offered us a free soda (which probably costs them $0.50 per person. Not that I'd accept the soda but it's the gesture that counts. In this particular case, I will use this experience as the new measuring stick by which I will determine all other terrible dinning experiences. Shame on Joe and his Shack of Crabs!
(1)
Dave A.

Low expectations can make any situation seem so much better. If you read the yelp reviews on Joe's in Ventura, why even bother?!? We went to Joe's in Anaheim LONG ago and remembered an entertaining & festive atmosphere but "Eh, I've had better" eats. Why did we come back? The family was hoping for something lively for Valentine's Day in Ventura County rather than being numbed by TVs while eating and decided to give Joe's Crab Shack a second chance. First off, as we entered, gone is the "Party up in hur" vibe. Now, it's just pop music & a low-key ambiance. It was like we walked in to a bad joke being told. You could practically hear the crickets chirping! Does each Joe's have their own theme?!? Anaheim = Disneyland fun, Ventura = Beach laid back cool? There was no receptionist or people in the lobby, so we waited a few before someone realized we were there. When we finally sat down, we were in an isolated area that was on the chilly side, even for us locals. So chilly, the young squires looked like Jawas as they ate with their hoodies on! My guess is, they're keeping with the beach chill theme, LITERALLY. And, as luck would have it, we were placed right in front of TV screens as well. "Please let this be the worst it gets, PLEASE!" is all I could think of while looking as cheery as possible. We sampled a few items... *CALAMARI: This appetizer completely changed my outlook! Hallelujah! Perfectly cooked and great tasting combined with a cocktail sauce that was a perfect complement. *ARCTIC BAY STEAMPOT: Tasty stuff with a decent sized lobster cooked just right. Ample servings of everything else. A worthy Valentine's dish. *FISH & SHRIMP: Didn't like the beer-battered fish here. The resulting coating was soft and flimsy, no crunch to it at all. Deep-fried soggy stuff DOES NOT win any points with me. Decent size, though. Shrimp held its batter better than the fish and fries were an ample serving. *COCONUT SHRIMP: These were nicely plump AND crunchy, plentiful as well. Good stuff. *KID'S CHEESY MAC: Standard stuff. No complaints by the munchkin as the plate was cleaned up happily. *KID'S CAPTAIN'S CATCH: Nice variety of deep-fried grub. The fish had a different batter than mine, which resulted in a nice crunch. Mozzarella sticks were ooey gooey stretchy. And popcorn shrimp was tasty. Food came out hot, but GEEZ, was it cold while we ate! AARGHH! Shiver me timbers! Our food choices were, in general, on the yummy side, but quickly turned cold. Our waitress was Kayla and she was friendly and attentive throughout. She was awesome :) Interestingly, there is a kid's jungle gym in the back patio but no heat lamps to maintain access to it during a cool night. Although food quality has improved, Joe's has unfortunately "matured" from its fun-lovin' days to be just like every other big chain grub house now. Still, its a decent place for watching sports and/or hangin' out enjoying the beach view.
(3)
Ariana G.

I love this place! I will say the server Sean helping my boyfriend & I was awesome! I have no idea what was going on in the kitchen, my guess is it was extremely busy... Anyway the gave me a really jacked up lobster & forgot my sausage & didn't bring us our utensils or our butter! As soon as Sean came to check on us we told him what happened & he fixed everything making our experience WONDERFUL! I am a loyal customer & spend a good amount of money & im glad it ended good towards the night! Thank you!
(5)
Crystal B.

Had to sit outside with my kids because the whole place stunk like poop with a fishy smell! And the bathroom was worse! Defiantly a sewer problem going on there. My service was great. Our waiter was very polite and speedy. Food tastes good. Our jumbo coconut shrimp had a little of a fishy smell though, so that's disappointing. Now for the children's playground they provide outside...UNSAFE. For ALL AGES! They had a metal rope ladder that was broken on one side and a huge chuck of metal sticking out of the ground. The bridge on the playground was rusty and chipped, and sounded like it would collapse of two or more kids were running across it. They were empty for the lunch hour, which was nice because my kids could just run around outside. And they have a orange cat outside on the patio, NOT FRIENDLY. Looked dirty and gross. Poor baby. Needs a better home.
(2)
Meghan M.

Horrible customer service from the hostess station. We called ahead and were quoted a 30-40 minute wait for our party of 11, which included several small children. We get there and are repeatedly told that our table was being set up or that it was almost ready. After an hour we ask again what is going on bc the table was supposedly being 'set up' 20 minutes ago. They then told us they didn't have enough servers at the moment, but that they would seat us at our 'table'. In reality our 'table' was 2 picnic tables that they could not put together. Had we been told an hour earlier that this was going to be the arrangement, we wouldn't have wasted our time. The hostess then tried to make us feel bad bc we were going to leave so we could find a restaurant that would seat or party together. We will never come again, if I could give 0 stars I would.
(1)
Holly R.

Went for dinner after a friend recommend we try. If you want peel/shell your own crab and shrimp, this is the place to go. Hubby and I shared a steampot for two. Plenty of food. Plenty of mess. Thankfully they give you a bib and a roll of papertowels. Not the kind of place that I would go to on a regular basis, but it was a novelty and the food was tasty. Service was a little slow, but I've experienced slower.
(3)
William V.

I came today to drink a beer and have some crab legs. I also had the garlic mussels. The mussel were too salty and crab legs got cold quick. It would have been good if they left the cover on the pot to contain the warm steam, as i like to take my time in dissecting the crabmeat. The service I received from the waitress was very good. She was busy, quick and friendly. They don't have wifi and my tmobile signal was weak so I couldn't check-in to yelp in realtime. I have been here before and the food had tasted better. Maybe it depends who's working in the kitchen or there's inconsistencies. The birthday songs got a bit annoying after the third one. I started to feel like I was in chucke cheese. I added a 3rd star just for the excellent view of the beach.
(3)
Linda W.

We love this restaurant. It is in a great location where you can look out the window and see the Pacific ocean and the Ventura Pier. The price of the food is very reasonable. If you go to the bar there is usually some type of a drink special. The staff is very friendly and there is always a manager on hand to make sure everything is okay. Plenty of parking and if you feel like a walk on the beach, you can leave your car in the parking lot and walk down there in 5 to 10 minutes.
(5)
Elaine L.

I'm having a hard time understanding all the crappy reviews of this place. It's really not that bad for cry'n out loud. It's OK and probably better than OK but because of the service and ambiance I'll leave it at 3 stars. If you haven't been to a Joe's for a while, you'll be glad to know that all the junk hanging from the ceiling and walls is gone. It's now a much classier and uncluttered place to be. My BF and I went there after the 2011 Ventura County Fair. It was fairly late -- around 9:00 -- and tables seemed to be open but they made us wait anyway. We didn't really mind. We sat on the bench talking and laughing etc. During the wait I decided to visit the washroom to get the fair-dirt off my hands. I wasn't impressed with the tidiness of it. The trash can was full, paper stuff on the floor. Water all over the sink. The floor wasn't the world's cleanest. I think it could have used a steaming. Just a little nasty. I was up for something light and fresh so I ordered the Cobb salad with crab on it. It was just the thing to hit the spot. The salad was large but not so large that I felt guilty leaving a few leaves behind. It had a generous portion of snow crab meat over-top it. There was a good portion of avocado and the lettuce was crisp. Don't you hate it when restaurants give a micro-slice of avocado? My BF ordered the coconut fried shrimp. He said that he really enjoyed its sweet-savory goodness. I ordered two glasses of a pinot grigio. Sorry I can't remember the winery. It was acceptable nonetheless and the pour was generous. My BF ordered two of the "jar" margaritas. I tasted it and it was pretty good. Nobody's measure up to those that my son shakes up but I can't yelp him so there y'are. We noticed around us, people ordering the "steam pots". They looked and smelled really good. I did notice, however, that you have to use tools to get at the meat in the crab legs and claws, etc. If I were to order one, I'd probably go for the clams and mussels. I also noticed people gnawing on and enjoying roasted corn on the cob. But back to the steam pots. In my past experiences with Joe's so much was fried. I think this "invention" is a very good low-fat idea. Our waitress was OK. Nothing to write home about but she got our order in and on the table just fine. The front end was a little rough around the edges. The girl asked, "How many were in your party?" We answered, "Two, and there still are." Then, "What was the name?" "Elaine, and it still is." It was a little hard to hear her and understand her questions, couched in the past tense but we got over it. I think management should do a little role playing with their front-end and maybe even the wait staff, and I'm sure the kids will straighten out. Altogether we had a good time at Joes. The food was better than OK, we weren't rushed, we received cold things cold and hot things hot. When we were there, the manager stopped by our table to greet us. Maybe she's new and the place is straightening out. Hard to tell, but I won't mind going back to find out :-)
(3)
Suzykat D.

Don't understand the bad reviews at all! The food was great! The service was great! My server Sarah was wonderful and I love that they give back to the community. Today was my first time there and I only went for a fundraiser. 10% of my bill was donated to a great cause. I will be going there again for sure!!!!!
(5)
Steve L.

Long wait times with lots of empty tables around. I hate that !! I mean if you have empty tables, seat people !! I gave this place a shot again after having a pretty mediocre dinner a year ago. To my disappointment, not much has changed. Crappy crab and crappy service. Spend your money at a real Seafood place like Andreas in Ventura or Lure in Camarillo.
(2)
Sande M.

Prior to going here; a place one of our employees raves about, I read all the varying reviews about this place. Our experience was mixed. First of all the service we received was exceptional. I ordered the snow crab and lobster steam pot, my husband the King crab steam pot. The snow crab was extremely small. While I know this is a smaller crab, this has to be the smallest I've ever seen. It didn't seem fresh even for flash frozen. The lobster was over steamed and chewy. On the other hand, my husbands King crab looked fresh and tasted delicious. The drinks were mixed very well. All in all, we would return again. Just knowing what to order here prior to going is a plus. I wouldn't suggest the snow crab and would highly recommend the King crab.
(4)
Stacy V.

Uggggg! I will never go to Joe's Crab Shack again! The restaurant is old, dingy and simply outdated. The service was horrible! Our server did the best she could but just couldn't keep up with all her tables. We had to ask several time for silverware, drinks, etc. It took over and hour to get our food and when we did it was lukewarm and overcooked. The corn, crab and shrimp were flavorless and soggy. Very Disappointing!
(1)
Justin G.

This place sucks! First of all I spent 10 minutes trying to find the place for some reason they're not visible from the street, there sign was weathered, and hard to read on a foggy night. I went here on date, ended up paying over a $100 on my bill!! I ended up leaving the place still hungry, and not satisfied. Tiny portion sizes for what you pay. Over priced!! Not filling the crab was crap!! First time crap shack eater last time crap shack eater.. good luck on this place.
(1)
stephanie r.

We were on vacation in Oxnard and decided to try this place out since we were craving seafood. This place is really friendly and has great food. We got a big steampot filled with lobster, crab, shrimp, clams and sausage. We also had clam chowder and ceasar salad. The ceasar salad was good and came with alot of cheese :) The clam chowder was one of the best I ever had and absoulutely no sand at all. I look forward to returning and trying the cajun pot.
(4)
Kev- O.

Joe's can be Hit or Miss. I've had great crab and shrimp a few time but last time I was there is was just OK and that's not cool when your paying good money for seafood. Fish'N'Chips are lousy, way too greasy. They do serve tasty mixed drinks to go with your meal, their Mai Tia is the best I have ever had. The staff is friendly and the service is OK. The Ventura location has a beauityful veiw of the ocean, perfect for sunsets. I will give it another try.
(3)
Marie S.

The key here is to sit at the bar if you confronted with long lines for table spots. They told us it would be a 35-minute wait, but the bar was a barren expanse - and they serve the full menu! In fact, for just a few people, I daresay it's a better experience, too. Downsides here are that it's expensive. Moreso than other comparable places, possibly because their prices aren't tied to market costs. Also, other Joe's I've been to have been more... how do I put it? "Into" the cheesy decor and dancing and general corporate revelry. Here it was rather forced, even if the servers were nice. The bar guy was actually awesome, but the other folks seems a little jaded. Food itself was good and comes reasonably quickly given the volume of people in here. No major complaints, but make sure you don't wear anything too nice when you eat-in. You will smell like boiled shrimp for a solid day afterward.
(3)
Rick S.

I thought that I would treat my wife to a perfect ending of a perfect day for her Birthday, but NOOO!!!! Between one of the employee / management's two children running around and horse playing with our server, Joey, and the other employees. These two children were allowed to run rampant in and out of the kitchen where our food was being prepared, and even allowed to change into a football uniform in the kitchen. When you pay top dollar for a meal one should expect to dine in peace and not have to be disturbed by rambunctious hooligans employed or reared by employees of the establishment. I had to anchor my wife down as she wanted to leave when it all had started. Now about the food, Holy Crap is the best way I can sum it up. I ordered the "Bucket of King Crab" which you had to look down into the bucket to see your meal. It looked nothing like the pictures you see on the web site or on the menu. The crab seemed to be old, frozen left overs served with an old shriveled up Ear of Corn and two small New Potatoes. It is truly ashame as I have always wanted to dine here and this was my first time, but after this experience, not only is this my last time, I am also going to spread the word to prevent others from finding out the hard way. Am I disappointed? Hell Yes! Would I return? Hell No! Would I recommend this to others? Hell No! I should have bought crab legs at the store and cooked them at home. Joe's Crab Shack done went and pissed off Momma Bear and she is on the war path. Shame on you!
(1)
Karen D.

My husband and I came here yesterday for lunch (Sunday) around 12:45 there was plenty of seating. It has a beautiful view of the ocean, the staff is friendly. For appetizer we had some shrimp (came in ice & well seasoned). We ordered the bucket with 2 lobsters, shrimp & clams, 1/2 potato & 1 sausage. It was OKAY nothing extrodinary, just okay. But will try it again, hopefully we find a meal that makes us always want to go back to Joes Crab Shack...at the moment we didn't find that meal.
(3)
Deborah S.

It's a sad day when a fish & seafood restaurant in So. CA that sits right above the ocean offering a beautiful view can't get it right. Just went yesterday afternoon for a late lunch. We got there about 2:30, past the lunch rush, before the dinner rush. There were about 10 people waiting when we put our names in, were told it would be about 20 minutes. That's not too bad but there were seats open inside as well as on the patio. We headed to the bar. How can you show a "Mason Jar" margarita on your beverage menu and not have Mason Jars? Drink was okay, bartender was attentive but nothing special. Finally got seated out on the patio, amazing view and the weather was perfect. That was the best part of our afternoon. My husband ordered the Maine Steamer, mistake. Whatever the lobster was supposed to be was anything but. It looked like something a fishing boat would toss to the pelicans. I ordered a white fish that came with broccoli and "dirty" rice. Dirty rice as I know it is supposed to be just that and with some flavor. My original order arrived with another rice dish, my server brought out the dirty rice, it was-I don't know what. Anyway, save your money and the avoid the disappointment and aggravation. Head across the highway to the Pier and enjoy the same view with much better food at Eric Ericsson's.
(1)
Amaya C.

I came in to Joe's yesterday afternoon with my husband just wanting a little seafood. Instead I got dinner, great drinks (pineapple piÃ±a colada) a show of Joe's employees dancing and having fun as well as excellence service from my server Courtney. I definitely will be back and asking for her she was on point the whole never had to ask her for anything she always had. I would recommend everyone go eat at Joe's the food is delicious and that view is gorgeous.
(5)
Amanda K.

For seafood it is ok. I've enjoyed a few meals here, but I have to say the service has been horrible every time I have gone! I have not gotten out of there in less than 2 hrs and that's not because the wait to be seated. The only saving grace is the manager with red hair(forgot her name) but the past 2 times I have been there I had the worst servers she came over told her what are service was like and she took care of my table taking things off the bill and free coupons. She is the only reason I went back to this restaurant. You can tell she has pride in her job, just wish I could say that for the other people that work there that I've encountered!
(2)
Tara K.

This place is hurting.
(1)
Andrew M.

Love this place. Always tempted to try a different seafood bucket but cant stay away from the Cajun Style. Atmosphere is great, can be pretty busy on Friday's but definitely worth the wait.
(5)
T F.

This is the worst service ever.. I got there with my family, they ask to wait for 45 minutes.. But we waited more than an hour just to be seated.. Once we order they took another hour.. I was so upset and hungry.. The waiter kept apologizing for the delay...... I think they should hire more personnel for the kitchen. The place was nice... But I not coming back..
(1)
Warren S.

After reading all the negative reviews, we were hesitant in going but we were with a large group (50+) who already made reservations. The bartenders were very accommodating and the wait staff were entertaining. Very kid friendly - the kids loved the play structure and the bay windows allowed us to watch them from our tables. The kids' desserts were really creative. One was a marshmallow treat shaped as a crab which the kids decorated with sauces and mini candies. Everyone in the group enjoyed the the food. The crab cakes were delicious and the food wasn't greasy. Several families ordered the steamed pot and said it was delicious.
(5)
B M.

I have been to several Joes and had good food and good service. We were a 7 person party and they automatically added tip. They usually do this for parties of 8 or more. I guess they knew this was the only tip they would get. Very poor service. I would have complained to the manager but could not find them. Never will go here again. Too bad because we stay at the pierpont every year. I should have checked Yelp before going. I told others at the Pierpont to not send people over, hopefully Joes feels the loss of business and makes changes.
(1)
Benny E.

I am partly giving Joe's 5 stars out of spite for the over the top bad reviews here, and mostly because I like Joe's. Why do I like Joe's? Because I like Crab!!!! Notice how most of the bad reviews do not mention anything about Crab. They got a burger, or fried shrimp or nachos, etc. I agree those items should be better. But if you want bar food go to Chili's, they do it much better. But if you want CRAB you can do no better. I get the Dungeness Crab with the spicy boil. AWESOMENESS! Crack the shell and dip the other white meat into hot butter with lemon and you are good, wash it all down with a Corona, and that is Joe's!!! If you go to Joe's and get a burger its a waste of a trip. GO to Joes for Crab and nothing else and you will be happy!!!! Plus my kid loves crab as well.
(5)
Vanessa B.

Great for a family night out! I come here at LEAST once a month. The staff is great, the food is great and the atmosphere is fun! LOVE
(5)
Clara C.

I haven't been here and I don't plan to EVER! A crappy "seafood" chain restaurant where the Charthouse used to stand? Blech... On the plus side, Aloha Steakhouse got much of the old Charthouse interior and some of their menu items are similar so ALL is not lost.
(1)
Angelica P.

We decided to come here on a real whim. When we walked in the place was empty. that was a red flag. On the commercials the food looks SOOOO good. Service was GREAT!! We were really disappointed with the food afterwards.
(2)
Raylynn M.

Where do I start with this crappy place??? Seriously what is going on with restaurants these days the quality of restaurants is seriously declining and Joe's is sadly following in the footsteps. To star when we got there they made us wait for 20 minutes and the place was empty!! The service started off ok but once we gave our order it was all down hill from there. We gave our order (it was only 2 of us) and waited 45 minutes! The sad part is were sitting just outside so I was able to see everything and I saw our food go up under the heater and just sit there. Our waitress walked in the kitchen 6 different times and never once grabbed our food she even sang happy birthday to another table! We finally got our food and of course it was dry and disgusting because it had been sitting there for a while by this time it was already almost 9 pm and we were starving and didn't want to wait any longer since we had already been there 2 hours! It should never take a party of 2 almost 3 hours to eat dinner (unless it's a first fat MAYBE in this case it wasn't) I watched people that came after us eat their meals and dessert and leave before we ever got our food. We couldn't even stop our waitress long enough to complain let alone get a manager. On top of all of this the bill was over a hundred bucks!!! For 2 people! If the food was good it would be a different story but I seriously could have gotten a better meal at Denny's with better service and cheaper!! I am so sad this place was so bad I was really looking forward to going and had been bragging about to my boyfriend for a long time! Thanks for making me look stupid for highly recommending this place. It is safe to say we will never go back! And that makes me sad :(
(1)
Heather A.

Went there for Fathers Day and i was not impressed. Food is over priced and the service sucks. Thank goodness my son was entertained with all the things to look at and the out door play area, or he would have gone banannas.......for how long we had to wait.
(2)
Arthur S.

5 stars is for the dank ass crab. props to the kitchen. service sucked, sat outside and there was tons of tables but seemed like they were short on servers. long wait time to get a seat too, but its standard that this location always has long waits.
(5)
Scully T.

I love Joes, whether here or in San Fran which is closer to home for me, the food I shared with my dad the crab pot for 2 was great and my son ate his pizza so fast it was obviously good, the only downside for us was my moms food came out cold and they did replace it, but our server could've been more attentive, since it took a lot of time for him to do things and sometimes we had to ask 2-3 times. Dancing was awesome, service was poor, food was good... Can't be all perfect I guess.
(4)
Annemarie S.

Don't believe everything you read. One persons perception isn't everything you should go by. Yes, I do believe some of what was wrote about, but I have been in that location for 10 years and we do have the best view in Ventura. Our food is good too. Service that I give is amazing and our GM really cares about her store and making you have a truly cravable crab experience. We hope you can not believe everything you read and judge for yourself. It is a fun place to dine!
(5)
Steven L.

I might be slightly biased, because I had been craving seafood for the last few months and this was my first fix. First impression- colorful walls, no customers. Second impression- dirty tables, dirty (sticky) menus. I split an appetizer (crab nachos) with a friend. $10- huge. It was served warm, but cooled pretty fast. Better warm. The hook-up- plate of (fried) fish, (fried) shrimp, and fries. ($20) Perhaps I was just not attentive enough, but I didn't think everything on my plate would be fried. Generous portion size, but there could have been a little more seafood on my plate. I think I'll go with the crab next time. 2.5 stars.
(3)
Yvette B.

This is a great place to go for some good seafood and breathtaking views of the ocean. If you time it right, you could even see the sunset! It's a beautiful, relaxing experience. =0) The food is delicious with a menu extensive enough to satisfy any palette. The atmosphere is upbeat and fun! ;0) The wait staff dance during the afternoon shifts and the "car Wash" song and dance can be quite entertaining. The only gripe I have is--- the wine selection is limited, so it's not a good wine sipping place. Otherwise, it's a fun place to meet. =0) Yvette L. Brownstone from Ventura, California
(3)
Ogie L.

Ooh, it's been awhile since I ate at a restaurant with nothing left to take home. It only means that the serving size is about right, the food taste good, and we' re hungry. In fact they were. Enjoyed the crabs, mussels, crab legs, sausage, and the corn. My wife got the spicier version that while she was consuming the food, she kept mumbling "this is good". In the end, she summed it up "I enjoyed it.". I tried her crawfish, a bit bland but dip it in melted butter and it is yummy. Definitely will return to try the other items on their menu.
(4)
Korey K.

Had a great time with the Sunset view of the Ocean. Can not beat the lovely vibe going on inside....Joe's Classic Steampot was just the perfect amount of Crab, and shrimp...
(4)
Amber M.

I had written this place off a while back, never because of the food but because the service had been horrible every visit. I tried it again on a sat night (which is a busy night) and had amazing service. Hopefully it will be like that from here on out because the price is great for the food and it's usually a fun atmosphere!
(4)
Mark B.

Having been to other Joe's Crab Shacks in other parts of the country, I was excited when one was moving into the old Chart House location. The view is amazing, over looking the pacific ocean. Unfortunately that's the only thing amazing about this restaurant. Having been to this location a couple of times and I keep hoping it could live up to the ones I tried in Texas and Louisiana. Even though the service is up to par, the food has always been below par. It's the same menu as in other locations, but the food is always disappointing. Nice kids play area. Great view--so so food. Come for the view--don't stay for the food.
(2)
Maggie D.

Oh my god. Am I at Disneyland on acid? And even worse, on a really bad trip?
(1)
Amy R.

Okay, so it looks like I'm the only one here with a good experience! I had my wedding rehearsal dinner at Joe's Crab Shack and I thought it was very well-organized. I booked my dinner about 3 weeks out on a Friday night for approximately 30 guests, and although it was only set up for 25 when we arrived, they quickly accommodated us to make sure everyone had a seat. I booked through events manager Sheri who was super helpful and organized throughout the entire process. They have a special events menu which was great and we had advised Sheri of everyone's menu choice ahead of time so everything was prepped ahead of time which made the ordering process effortless. I love Joe's normally, so the food was good as usual. The staff was great as well. The ONLY issue we had was with the bartender who was pouring Jim Beam instead of Jack Daniels until somebody in our group called him out on it...that was a little disappointing, but other than that, we had a great overall experience!
(4)
Barbara M.

Service SuCKS! We left the table before the server even came because it was so bad just walkig in the door. No point in wasting our hard earned money on a plate $25-30 per person!! They didnt even follow the lost of names to be seated and we had to wait because the staff was DaNCING???! Again, this place is just terrible.
(1)
Kim S.

We enjoyed Joe's Crab Shack so very much! The service was excellent and the food was even more superb. Amy, our server, brought so much life to our table and made the whole experience so enjoyable. We encourage everyone (reguardless of negitive reviews) to go out a try it. We were certainly impressed! See if you don't find this "Disneyland of resturaunts" delightful =) This is truly the best place to have crab and other delectable seafood.
(5)
Helene T.

After reading all the other reviews and seeing that some people loved Joe's and some hated it we went into dinner with decided reservations. It was our Granddaughters B-Day and she picked the place so we had no input. Was it as bad as some of the reviews said? Well not quite but it sure wasn't the best either. I likened it to going to a really expensive Red Lobster. Which is to say neither one is really a fish place. I was grateful for the reviewer that mentioned the excessive seasoned salt, so I had them hold that. Good thing, cuz hubby ordered the shrimp bucket before dinner and they were drowing in the stuff. We won't go here again, but then we won't go to Red Lobster either. The place does need a good steam cleaning as mentioned by another reviewer.
(2)
Thomas M.

Went here because I was given a gift card as a Christmas gift. Even though I am a born and raised seafood loving Californian this was my first time to a Joe's. I typically prefer smaller ma and pa places to satisfy my acute hipster foodie snobbery, but the gift card was the draw. Cheesy corporate gimmicks and atmosphere aside, I had a really good experience here. The view was great, service was polite and friendly, the seafood was delicious! Hey, maybe all these crappy reviews below actually accomplished something! After all, aren't we here to help and not hinder ;)
(4)
Jeffrey S.

Bring back the chart house!!! made a nice building look goofy... overpriced for what it is...
(1)
Tamara M.

Our 1st table was really dirty so we told the hostess but then she never came back to clean it so we moved ourselves. We unfortunately had the bartender for our server then. Nice enough guy but really BAD service. We had to actually walk up and ask for refills every time. The music was so loud that we all developed a headache almost immediately. Loved the play ground for the kids and luckily they had it because it took almost a hour food to come. The food was pretty good actually but expensive and it took so long to get it that I felt irritated and had a hard time enjoying it. Probably wont go back for quite a while or at least until I forget again.:) Wish they would read their reviews and do some revamping.
(2)
Katie L.

I have never had good food here. The last time I went there they made me the wrong thing then let me wait 15minutes before they came to tell me the new thing I ordered they were out of and then brought me the original thing they made in the first place that was now 25 minutes old and still charged me full price. Never again
(1)
Justin L.

Fun atmosphere and a great view of the ocean if you get the right seat. Compared to other seafood restaurants the food is only average to good. Definitely tastes good, but nothing to write home about.
(3)
Ty H.

Very disappointed. We visited this Joe's on Friday, 3-25-11, around 8:00 pm. Our wait wasn't bad, roughly 30 min, so we sat at the bar and ordered a few drinks. The bartenders were excellent- great drinks and very accommodating. We were called to our table soon enough and waited for our server- Nice guy, his name was Doug I think, but his service was absolutely terrible. Granted he had a party next to us, so we gave him that. But even after his party got up and the restaurant quickly emptied out, he was still MIA. Took over an hour for our appetizer to come out (not exaggerating) After quickly eating the yummy mussels, we got our food but still had to wait another 5-10 minutes for 2 of our guests food. We were constantly out of drinks. He never came by once after dropping our food off except to give us our checks. This was especially frustrating to me because I'm a server myself and I know how easy it is just to stop by your tables to make sure things are ok. We ended up getting home around 2 am. I love this place, but I will certainly not be making that long drive to eat there again, especially with all of the other bad service reviews!!!
(1)
Dennis D.

Good location, good food, our waiter Ryan was amazing came for the food will be back for the service.
(5)
Daniel J.

The food is horrible. First of all it's corporate. When asking the waitress "What's good on the menu?" she responded with "The Bacon Burger!" Now, this is suppose to be Joe's Crab Shack, not Joe's Burgers and Boobs. Shouldn't one of the best dishes be of the seafood category? I don't even want to tell you what I ordered. But please know this, millions of years of evolution has not prepared your stomach for what awaits you after dining here.
(1)
Josh R.

Went there last Saturday night for a friends B-day celebration. The service was good, although slow. We ordered drinks, waited 10 minutes, then noticed our waitress disco dancing with all the servers because it's what they do periodically. Anyways...the food here is very bad. We had a party of 8 and everyone had something different. My dish the fish & chips, was the worst I've ever tasted. Overbattered, over fried, and not very flavorful. It's not very appetizing when you have to bite through a thick layer of greasy batter. The fries that came with it were soggy and bland. My friends had some various steam pots with crab legs and mussels. Very small portion for the price you pay. They all complained the legs were hard to crack because the outershell was too soft. The potatoes and corn on the bottom of the pot were all soggy and bland. The mussels were too few for the price of the entree. One of my friends had the burger and mentioned the meat was not flavorful due to lack of seasoning and the condiments (lettuce, etc.) didnt taste very fresh. She did give a thumbs up to her fries though. The atmosphere was hip and fun, the drinks were good. If they can get the food right then I will be sure to come back.
(1)
Mon S.

We have been here quite a few times and it was great.....looks like they have gone downhill though. So first off upon walking in they had a charity out front pressuring you to buy raffle tickets and donate money for a chance to win an appetizer and then making you feel bad if you did not donate. When we went in things started off great. We were seated immediately. They allowed us to pick our own table on the patio. Our server came over and ordered our drinks. those came quick. Then we ordered our food and things went downhill from there. It was a warm day and usually that means thirsty people. My husband finished his drink and never got a refill after his first fill. They brought me water with my drink and said they would be back with a straw which never happened. When our food finally came 30 minutes later, some person who was not our waitress just dropped it off and ran not asking us if we had everything we needed. So we sat there with our food getting cold until we could flag down another server who again was not our own and ask her for some condiments. Then later our server came and asked if everything was ok......my husband said no and told her we had been waiting a while for condiments. We finally got our condiments, but still no drink refill for him. The service was so bad one server went up to some people at a table behind us and asked us if they had been helped, the couple's response was they had not and they were just about to walk out. To top everything off, all we wanted to do was enjoy our lunch looking at the beach, but nope, they allowed the charity organization to go from table to table trying to get $10 from you for a raffle and when you decline they would still linger and wait for you to change your mind. I donate to charities every time I go shopping. I think they should have gonna about having this group there a bit more tactfully. It was just a very uncomfortable trip and we probably won't be back.....too bad cause they have a great view and good food, but service and atmosphere is just so important to me.
(2)
Valentino M.

This place sucks. The mgr was cool about comping our food after I was served raw crawfish and cold seafood pot. The only thing good was crab nachos. Been here 5 times and i won't go back to this one ever. BTW our server was non-chalant and unapologetic. Redondo Beach here I come.
(1)
Michael K.

This place sucks! Service was terrible (we had to get up and get our own refills), the food is not worth the price and the atmosphere is like being at Circus Circus during a nightmare. Not to mention that when we were there the air outside smelled like rotten fish! If you visit JCS after reading through yelp and seeing the overall ratings, you're unbelievable! If only I had read the reviews before I wasted my time! :(
(1)
Shakesha W.

The view is awesome. A bit pricey, and service is slow. But the food is great, I would go again.
(3)
emily h.

okay they get very busy, anywhere from a 25-55 min wait on weekends. first time we went here the service was spot on, second time we went here the service was a bit slower but still good service. this is my personal favorite chain for seafood (yes i understand its a chain or franchise so its not some one of a kind magic going on in the kitchen but its good portions and good flavors for reasonable prices *end long side note*) i had the original steam pot each time and its full of crab, shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn. my dinner partner had the salmon both times and as a fish man, he thought it was delicious both times. the atmosphere is relaxed and fun and noisy so its perfect for families or large groups.
(4)
James D.

It's nice that the seafood place has good alternatives for those who don't like it. Jen the waitress was awesome and made the experience awesome for my whole family...sassy, knowledgable and fun. and it was sad that the manager sent her home due to lack of business but replaced her with a host. Great views. Wish it was more dressed up instead of dressed for all age families
(4)
Stefanie N.

This was my first visit to any Joe's, i was seriously craving some crab. So i ordered the couldrin of snow crab. It definitely hit the spot. the crab was perfect. The decor is interesting, its a fun atmosphere to eat at. What i thought was really cool is that they have a childrens play ground on their patio! so parents can eat dinner while the kids play and aren't bored stiff. Very cool. the service was very slow, took forever to get anything. but it appeared they were understaffed, so that doesn't affect my opinion of them. the desert menu looked amazing, although i didn't have room for any after finishing off my monstrous amounts of crab. overall, i'd go back for my next crab craving.
(4)
Ken S.

Always fun and good food.
(4)
Alicia C.

It was "just alright." I wasn't terribly impressed with the dungeness and the lobster. The sampler plate was decent. Great Key Lime Pie! Items were a bit overpriced considering you're getting sub-par quality of the seafood - IMHO. You had an option to get drinks in mason jars. The hostess got a bit bitchy when we informed her that we forgot our jars and our table had already been bussed. She had to give us new ones and you could tell from the expression on her face that she wasn't happy about it. Our server was ok, though. Here's to saying, "been there, done that, and will not do it again."
(2)
Sorago A.

Almost didn't go after reading the bad reviews, but I've heard of many good things in other locations. Since we were in Ventura already we said lets try it. It was Friday night, dinner we ordered was the Steam Crabs combination for two. f food portion was good, we didn't even finish it. Manager Erika came around the tables 2-3 times to see how we were doing and our waiter Justeen was very friendly, helpful and awesome server! He asked us if it was our first time dining there and explained how things worked, especially the bucket that sank in the middle of the table was for trash,lol. Service A+, Atmosphere A+ very lively, Ocean Views and waiters doing a lil dance to entertain customers! Outdoor patio and jungle gym for the kiddies, very clever if you bring lil ones. Food A+, definately will come back again. Price is reasonable for sea food,bar drinks and ocean views $68.00 for two,plus tips. Try it for yourself, I think they definately have improved their service!
(5)
Karen S.

My husband took me to dinner for my birthday. First we got seated at a booth, next to 2 loud, rude nasty kids of one of the employees. These kids were running around and in and out of the kitchen. They were also nasty and rude to the other employees. I was ready to leave at that point. We are here to have a nice romantic birthday dinner and I'm pissed by the atmosphere and that management, Shari, was present during this and allowing it to happen. My husband talked me into staying, so we stayed and ordered. Then they bring our food. My husband ordered the king crab bucket, which included 4 crab legs, which tasted old and tough. The corn was old and shriveled up, way over cooked and then 2 little new potatoes. It was not worth the price at all. I ordered Joe's Classic bucket, which included 2 types of crab, which were disgusting. 5 pieces of shrimp, summer sausage, old shriveled up corn and 2 small new potatoes. The food is over priced and disgusting. Overcooked and old. Not at all worth the price. The atmosphere sucks and I will not ever eat there again. I will inform all my friends, neighbors and coworkers not to eat there. It is by far the worst restaurant I have ever been to. The only positive thing to say is the view is beautiful. But dont eat there for the view. You'll only end up sick!!!
(1)
Glen K.

My first review. Yay! OK, Settle down now. Relax, I can do this. Breathe In and Out. Whew! OK, here we go. Most of you want to know a few certain aspects and could care less about the filler that most people write. Honestly, if you wanted to read a bunch of rambling, you'd read what your Mom writes in her will. If you are too good for chain food, then stop reading now. It doesn't matter what is written below, you know you cannot succumb to eating food from the big bad corporation for whatever reason. You can't get past the feeling for poor Charlie Manotown and his local family seafood restaurant that serves only the "freshest" fish. Besides, he needs the money to fix his his kid's Escalade (under the table) after they got zooted out and crashed it on the way home from her big DGFS party, right? You have 2 restaurants that serve crab legs here in Ventura. I went with Joe's because I know Joe's and what they offer. I just got an "Eh, OK" from the 3 locals I asked about the other "non-chain" place. I love seafood, especially crab. Some men are leg men, but I prefer crab. Joe's, no matter where you go, offers crab legs via their crab-pots. They have around 20 different mix and matches. Usually, like all crab meat, its good, depending on what type crab you get. Plus, they can add a little flavor to it if you like. I ordered the Big Daddy crab pot (mix of Dungeness, Snow, and King) this time . It was very good. Next time though, I'll just order the King crab-pot. King crab meat is always the best, and I don't know why I even messed around. You will not be disappointed if you order the King crab pot. The view of the coast is very nice. The background music is upbeat. We were seated right away. They had an outdoor playground for the kids. The food came quickly. It was prepared properly. It was reasonably priced. The only thing I could see that needs improvement is the canned conversation from hostess/wait staff and timing/overuse of the "Is everything OK" question. The manager needs to train their people to be people. Drop the "Hi, I'm your new friend. How's your day?" questioning and comments. A little scary. Go to Joe's in Ventura. Enjoy a getaway from the bums in downtown and on the walkway. Even though the conversation may be worthwhile, they probably don't have the crabs you are looking for.
(4)
Shaunie L.

We called ahead with a group of 12 on a Monday evening, understanding we would need to wait to seat our group size. We arrived at 7pm, the restaurant was busy but not crowded (many open tables) and no other families waiting. We were seated at 7:25. We did not receive our food until 8:40pm. We had to flag down other servers to get assistance and never had our water or drinks voluntarily refilled; we had to find someone or catch our server to request refills. Not sure if the kitchen was backed up, there were no explanations, but our food took over 45 minutes to be served. The food portions were much smaller than described. (The fish & chips was mostly batter.) Our dirty dishes were not cleared, we had to request that our table be bussed. We ordered dessert, hoping it would be quicker than our dinner, it was not. We did not leave the restaurant until 10pm - because it took that long to get our check. Because we were a "large party" gratuity was automatically included. Not wanting to take anymore time in the venue, we paid the bill and left. We will not go back again. There are too many other places to eat, with better food and service. Definitely overrated and over priced.
(2)
Kerry N.

Every time I've been here I swear I won't come back...it's time for me to stick to that because I have never once left happy. We arrived just after 6 pm with a party of 6 and waited over an hour to be seated...despite the fact that we saw a clean, empty table already set up for 6 which just sat there clean and empty the entire time we waited. 30 minutes later our order was finally taken and 30 minutes after that the food finally arrived. It was good, but it's hugely over priced and no melted butter was brought to the table until we asked. Seriously? Who doesn't give the melted butter automatically when people order crab legs? Our table was sticky and the server told us "Sorry, it needs to be resurfaced. Just put paper towels over it because if I wipe it down it will just get more sticky." Again, seriously? When you pay that much for food, you at least expect good ambiance and service. The location of this Joe's is beautiful, but everyone I know longs for the day when it used to be a Chart House steak and seafood restaurant. It was a great place back then to go for a special occasion...birthdays, anniversaries, proms, etc. How this Joe's stays in business I don't know, because you should have seen my friend's reactions when I checked in there on Facebook. Even if you've been to other Joe's Crab Shacks and enjoyed them, stay away from this one...trust me.
(1)
Kent C.

My wife said it best... Joes Crab shack has been raped by an efficiency expert. The bananas foster was clearly an afterthought, the salad uninspired. It takes almost exactly the same resources to create a great salad as it does a mediocre one - why not do it right? The crab was ok.
(2)
Tim K.

We made the mistake of going here when it first opened. Great view, I will give them that. But the menu? Deep fried this and deep fried that. Dancing staff, thrift store toys covering all surfaces. No thanks. The only cool thing about it was the T shirt for sale. "I got crabs at Joe's Crab Shack" Not that I would have bought it but I thought it ironic they would want that on their shirts. That was a few years ago and I can't say I've seen any being worn around here. Anyone else spotted one?
(1)
Jon Y.

Not sure why the reviews are so bad. The over-the-top decor didn't bother me, nor did the dancing waiters. The food was good (I thought) and the place had a good vibe. Yeah I supposed there's a lot of deep fried stuff. But there are a lot of things to choose from.
(3)
Kristie S.

I've eaten here twice and I have no clue why this place is so popular. I can't believe there's a whole CHAIN of these places. I guess the wonderful view of the ocean draws people to the Ventura restaurant. Very sad that the Charthouse was replaced by this. Everything on the menu is battered and fried :( and the portion sizes aren't great. I had a caesar salad and it was awful, which is saying a lot because I LOVE caesar salad. The singing that the servers do is down-right embarassing. They need to put a stop to that!
(1)
Keri M.

Went here Sat night and had a blast. Yeah, its kinda tacky, but its a chain restaurant...kind of expected right? I LOVED the funny slogan crab tees the staff wore. The drinks were stronger than at most chain restaurants that charge that much for those big sweet yummy girl drinks. Pretty good service and the crab was great! Even the corn in the big bucket was good (really spicy)...would def go back!
(4)
CoconutBlue I.

I've been coming here at least once a year for several years, and boy, this place is going downhill. They have a major sewage system problem that originates from the restrooms, fills up the waiting area and seeps into the dining room areas. It's disgusting and you can literally taste it! The cooks have gotten lazy and the dishes aren't the same as they used to be, not tasty and sometimes are missing items that are advertised in the menu, so you must speak up.The staff is generally nice, they are excited to see you, probably because they don't get many customers anymore. So sad, because this is a great location, but I will not be coming back. The one in Redondo Beach is well worth the trek, clean, great location, and the food is wonderful.
(2)
Tracy R.

I'm not a huge fan of franchises but stopped by a few weeks back for lunch. It was pretty darn good. I went back a few weeks later at 8:30. The service was good for lunch, and exceptional at night. The view is stunning during the day. Great Balls of Fire are so good... There are lots of choices, and the platters are enough to split for 2.
(4)
Stacy J.

I was not going to say anything about my experience but for what it is worth I am going to. June 17th of this year my best friend and I decided to try Joes Crab Shack for the very first time. The commercials were inticing and looked so good we had to go. Honestly I do not feel that the $100 we spent was worth what we got. The service was good but the food SUCKED!!!!! The crab and lobster bucket we got was suppoed to be good so we were told by the waitress. The lobster was extremely RUBBERY and very overcooked, the crab legs had very little to no meat in the legs and we had to work WAY TOO hard for our food and it was not tasty at all. It was messy to eat and for being close to the ocean their sea food was not that great. We went to Red Lobster a few weeks after that and I will have to say that their lobster and crab plater was 1/2 the price and melted in your mouth. The crab you could just snap in half and pull a giant piece out without a fight. I don't recommend Joes Crab Shack at all as you are paying for a name and not the food.
(1)
zack h.

The worst dining experience in my life. Worst service possible. We ordered two different steamed crab pots. They taste like the top came off the seasoning and it all went on the crab. Along with being so overcooked and tough. we called for the manager after 90 minutes and no food. manager offered a few $ off the tab. Almost 3 hours of torture. If i could give zero stars i would.
(1)
Christina E.

So I am a regular at Joe's Crab Shack, but this was my first time at this particular one. My boyfriend and I were on our way back from a mini vacation in Solvang. We thought it would be great to end our trip at Joe's before continuing our trip home. So we go, hard to find parking which was understandable. We go inside, there was an hour wait time (which was expected, I mean it was valentine's day). Went to the bar, had a beer, relaxed. An hour and a half later they finally called us to be seated. We didnt mind that it took a half in hour longer than we were told, I mean it was Valentine's day. So we were seated, we ordered our appetizer and another beer and waited........ we noticed that it was taking a little long, but ok............ finally got our appetizer....... waited another hour and a 45 minutes to get out food. We didn't even see our waitress for that whole hour and 45 minutes. It wasn't even busy, it had totally died down. There were 4 empty tables where we were seated, there were empty tables everywhere around us. There was a couple who was seated behind us about an hour after we were seated and they got their food, ate and left before we had gotten everything that we had ordered. After we finally got our food we asked for a roll of paper towels...... that took 15 minutes to get, this was also after we had politely asked about what was going on with our food. So after getting the food, I was extremely frustrated and annoyed that the food was extremely salty, I could NOT believe it. DID I MENTION WHEN WE FIRST SAT AT OUR TABLE IT WAS FILTHY AND HAD SHRIMP TAILS. We didn't let that bother us because the manager eventually cleaned it and apologized. While we were waiting for our food we asked to speak to the manager........ it took over 30 minutes..... so I picked up my cell phone to call the manager on the phone to get his attention.... the chick at the front desk placed me on hold, went up to the manager who was 5 feet away from us, who wasn't paying attention to us, told him that there was a customer on the phone who wanted to speak to the GM, he said "tell them I'm busy", what was he busy doing? He was busy talking to his friends about some sexual harassment case that he was dealing with, an employee who was suing the company, while she was at work she was she was purposefully breaking dishes, and another old dude they fired and he was suing them for wrongful termination ( because he was old). YEAH I KNOW RIGHT!!!!!!!! Anyway, I can go on and on and on....... we were there for almost 4 hours, still had an hour drive home ( we left there a little before 10 pm...... we got there a little before 6 pm). I LOVE Joe's Crab Shack, but this was the worst experience ever.............. I wouldn't recommend visiting this location and if you do..... make sure NOT to have CATHY as a server. I work in the customer care field (medical) I know how customer service is suppose to be, the lack of consideration and CUSTOMER SERVICE was disgusting! This place needs to fire and rehire a lot of the staff and definitely management!
(1)
Dave A.

over hyped and over priced!! The taco shack on the pier is much better and way cheaper~~~
(2)
A. D.

Horrible, horrible, horrible. From the food to the service, do not eat at this restaurant. When my husband and I visit my in-laws down in Ventura we have occasionally gone to Joe's for dinner. Our previous visits were fine but last night changed it for us. We will never eat at Joe's again. I visited Joe's Crab Shack last night and made the mistake of not making reservations (it was a holiday weekend and the NFL playoffs were on in the bar). My party of 5 was quoted a wait-time of 30 minutes, not too bad. An HOUR later we were seated near the window in a section full of empty tables. It took over 10 minutes before we were even greeted by our server Emily. She was not at all friendly, no smile, no "how are you tonight?"- just "what can I get you to drink?". We gave Emily our drink and appetizer order but still wanted time to decide on our entrees. Fifteen minutes later our appetizers arrive but we still don't even have our drinks (one beer, 2 waters and 2 diet-cokes- it's not like they were a bunch of frou-frou drinks from the bar). Finally Emily arrives with our drinks and takes our order (this girl has absolutely no personality). When it's time for refills Emily is nowhere to be found. To be perfectly fair- I believe that we were seated outside of Emily's section which makes it difficult to be attentive. A group was seated at the table next to us about 15 minutes after we arrived and they ended up getting their entire meal before my father-in-law received his dinner house salad or we got refills. Our food took an entire hour before it came out. I'm a restaurant server myself and I know that people tend to exaggerate about wait times when they're hungry but it was actually over an hour before our food arrived. I think maybe our server forgot to put our order in. Emily stood at the server station chatting with another server while all of the drinks on the table were empty. I wanted to shake my empty glass at her but I know how much I personally hate that so I refrained. Finally she came over and got us refills but instead of a diet-coke I got a warm watered-down Dr. Pepper. I understand that it was busy and we were not seated in our server's section- but it should never take 10+ minutes to greet a table, 10-15 more minutes to get drinks to them, 45 minutes for a house salad to arrive and an hour for entrees to come out. Emily definitely didn't deserve the 17% tip we left her- but we didn't want to wait 20 minutes for her to get us change.
(1)
Joshua H.

As true critic's we deem this an acceptable restaurant! Our server Mitzi was good. The crabs were nice not as fresh as we've had but good. The service was fast and the beer cold. I will come back... Oh sadly they do make there employees dance to silly songs, I feel bad for the employees. And Mitzi saved my boy from losing his sun glasses. Thanks girl you rock....
(5)
Maggie Y.

Oh my dear Lord, this place is awful. The view is the ONLY reason why it deserves a star. My boyfriend and I came in on a Sunday evening and were seated at a booth right next to the kitchen/soda dispenser so we were surprized at how long it took for a server to come to our table. Easily over five minutes, maybe it was a shift change over situation, I'm not sure. Eventually a woman named Teresa came by, asked us what we wanted to drink, and then wrote her name on a paper napkin that she put on the table. I ordered a mojito and my boyfriend ordered a rootbeer and our meals...after the first twelve minutes of me trying to make eye contact with a staff member and even saying "Excuse me" to a couple servers as they walked by without even looking at us, I finally interupted two servers chatting right near us and asked if we could at least get some water or something. One of the girls turned and said "I"m sorry, did you need something?" I just mumbled "Nevermind". Because I'm a server myself, I just couldn't even believe that no one else had even noticed that we didn't have any drinks or anything on our table for such a long time when we were RIGHT NEXT to the server station. Anyway, so I heard one of them say "who has table **??" Then our aggravated server piped up that she was waiting for our drinks...which she then brought over almost immediately. My boyfriend, who is a bartender, pointed out the condensation on the glasses to me saying these have obviously been sitting for quite awhile. Time from ordering drinks to physically getting them: an unbelievable 17 minutes!!! I'm seriously not even joking, we were watching the time because we had to go to a movie later on. Our food came out almost 25 minutes AFTER we got our drinks, so I know that she had just completely forgot to put our order in all together because it wouldn't have taken 42 minutes after we ordered our food to cook a burger and the over greasy crab cake sandwich. Of course when we were ready for the check, there was no delay in processing that at all. I also want to point out that the place was NOT busy. Most of the tables were empty, and the servers spent a lot more time leaning against the walls chatting with eachother than running drinks/food/etc. The only reason we didn't leave right away is because it was like coming onto a bad traffic accident, we kept wondering how much worse it was going to get. This is possibly the WORST food establishment I have ever been to. I'm convinced that not a single server that works there has ever had any previous experience, because there's no way you could pay someone with any amount of dignity enough money to ever want to be associated with a dump like this. Don't go. Just don't. That would be at least an hour of your precious life time that you will never be able to get back.
(1)
Donna B.

This is the worst Joe's crabshack I've ever been to. If you're lucky enough to get there when the right cooks cooking then everything will be fine, but majority of the time it's crappy cooks cooking crappy food that you pay way too much money for.
(1)
Chris D.

I would rate the food but we never got seated. We were told a 40 minute wait. After 45 minutes I checked and we were behind 3 others. Normally I would wait just a couple of minutes. People were leaving but for some reason the restaurant wanted to keep half the tables empty and leave people waiting outside. We decided to give up and go eat somewhere else. Glad I don't own any Joe's stock if they don't want to sell any drinks and food.
(1)
Karen M.

Worst food ever! Great location, poor service and awful food. It appears this place takes the cheap route in both personnel and food quality. Ordered two featured dishes that included shrimp, crab and fried fish. The shrimp n rice dish swam in a tasteless sauce and the shrimp smelled and tasted bad. Fish n chips, crab cake and stuffed shrimp were horrible. Piled a mile high with fried onion "things" and fries. Maybe an attempt to hide the bad fish???? Both dishes were over $20 each (on lunch menu!). Very old, stale bad taste in all the fish. Save yourself heartburn and money...don't go there! Too bad they took their only good dish, crawfish Ã©touffÃ©e off the menu.
(1)
Christina S.

Love the view. I liked how there was a mini play area for kids. The food was alright, the crab legs weren't as juicy as I expected.
(3)
Caitlin I.

my husband and i went to this place for the first time and we were thoroughly impressed from the moment we walked in the door to our server byron! Byron was very attentive and had a great attitude and which made the night enjoyable. My husband loves crab and lobster and he went to town with his arctic bucket. I had fish tacos which surprisingly were very good not dry at all!! all in all we had a very enjoyable night thank you byron for making our night pleasant!!
(5)
Nikki M.

Food was delicious as were the drinks. Shared the lobster feast b/c it's soooo huge. Got it spicy a flavored and it was yummy!
(5)
Mike T.

The service is kind of slow but the food is spectacular. I ordered a plate that included one whole lobster, shrimp, crab legs and a sausage and it was so delicious. But I would recommend that you order the food plain with the spices on the side because they tend to go overboard a little.
(4)
David R.

My review may be a little biased as Joes Crab Shack in Ventura holds a special place in my heart. But overall id say Joes Crab Shack gets my vote. The sampler: The sampler is a good introduction to what Joes Crab Shack has to offer. Balls of Fire: Cheesy Jalapeno goodness, dip it into the ranch and its a delicious explosion of food. I love these little things. Calamari: Calamari is actually pretty food, not chewy or stringy like some places and the dip which is like some simulation of thousand island was delicious. The crab dip like addictive to say the least, it's cheese, creamy and full of flavorful crab. It has a slight spice to it which is also good. On this visit we had a steam pot, the name escapes me but it had lobster and crab, shrimp and potatoes and corn. The steam pot was plentiful with the amount of "meat" included. The half lobster still came with both claws which was nice, and the crab legs were full of meat. Overall it was delicious and I still patronize this location after all the years. Even though its a 40 mile one way drive for me, it's a place where I bring family since it holds a nostalgic notion for us.
(4)
Sarine G.

So lets begin with what was good: Calamari and some mayo-e sauce they give you. Fries Cole Slaw Our waitress was good, but you can tell she was a bit tired (we got there around 9) so I get it! Now with this place being about seafood, the shrimps were very tiny. As for taste my boyfriend and I expected better. I guess no one really can come close to neptunes nest!
(3)
Jennifer M.

Stumbled upon Jack's Crab Shack by accident and almost left within 15 minutes. Labor Day weekend and they were jammed with a 45 minute wait. So naturally we sat in he bar. The women behind the bar were tired looking and had that 'I could care less'' glaze over.their eyes. (You know the attitude..) We asked if we could order an appetizer while we waited for our table and were told we couldn't order unless we were actually sitting at the bar (vs at a table in the bar area). Wonder how many $$s they lost in appetizer orders? What's with the Margarita mix? Do bars really still use this stuff? A Shack on the beach should be able to make me a decent Margarita and serve it in an an actual Margarita glass!! Sometimes if you inform the manager, Chris that you can't order food from the bar, you get seated right away! Beautiful Kayla, our waitress with red/pink hair saved the day. Her smile was infectious and she completely turned our visit around. She deserves a raise! :-) We shared a Steamer Pot, with lobster, crab legs, shrimp and corn. Thanks to Kayla, we accidentally got extra fries and potatoes. We will be back and ask for Kayla.
(4)
Nicole M.

It's not fine dining, but if you know what to order, it's good. Avoid anything that's not simply prepared - broiled or boiled lobster and crab was super sweet. Two people can split most of the boiler pots. Service was a bit slow, and on a slow night, but everyone is very nice. It's not fancy, and it's a birthday kind of place. And the kids' desserts, which are simple but pleasers, are less than two bucks! The shirts makes great souvenirs. Who doesn't want a shirt that says you got crabs??
(3)
Matt A.

It's visible from the freeway but you're going to need some help from your sat nav to get there since there's no immediate exit I'm aware of. Its in a great location overlooking the beach and has a great view. I saw the reviews and a lot of people gave it low ratings for the service. I went in optimistic but was immediately hit with service issues. Coming in on Saturday for lunch, the girl working the front (no name tag) couldn't display her wanting to be anywhere but there any more than she did. Literally she was resting on the stand, lack of energy or greeting and just completely disinterested and inconvenienced that a customer showed up. It gave me an immediate "wtf", is this going to be the tone for the visit? There hardly anyone there and she said it would take 5 to 10 mins to get seated (why? no one is there?!)... She asked if I wanted a booth or table? Inside or outside? I told her. Two minutes later, "did you want a booth or a table"? OMFG, should I just find a seat myself and sit down? If she doesn't want to be there so bad I don't know why she's there? Once I finally got to the table the waitress started good but then service fell off from there. After taking our order she checked up on us a couple times but there were no drink refills and after the food dropped she would run by quickly but didn't see if we needed anything and when I tried to get her attention she was off doing other things and so were the other staff. I noticed the other tables had a similar problem, great start and then good luck getting any other service. I believe part of the problem was that they need a better method for assigning tables to their servers. For starters, my table and the tables on each side of me had different waiters (3 different staff for 3 tables right next to each other, that makes no sense). Then, the staff have tables assigned outside where they spent 80% of their time refilling drinks and running in and out to the kitchen/outside area. They should have had one person handling the inside area we were in, I believe this would have addressed our service issue or at least given it a better shot at success. Now for the food. I guess I messed up, I ended up ordering the "Malibu Shrimp" instead of the pots of sea food that they seem to be known for. It wasn't terrible but it just felt like a whatever item on their menu. It was just some sloppily cut and deveined shrimp grilled a bit too long (dry/chewy) and the "Malibu" part was just some tomato type salsa on some brown rice and half a plate of broccoli. I wasn't very impressed. Still...if you going to have it on the menu it should be a proper dish, the dish itself needs work and lacked flavor, it was about as exciting as the hostess was to have customers. For $16, I think it should have had less broccoli, a sauce of some sort, like a coconut variety or something... I read in some other reviews that some people got a coupon for a free $7 appetizer due to service issues...I don't know if they're running a special and just give those out to everyone in the local area or if they have such regular service issues they're giving those out by the fist full but both tables next to me had them..?
(2)
Nic R.

We went in a couple of weeks ago and I'm now just getting a chance to write about it. (Sorry) Our server was Jacob and he was incredible. Very friendly and down to earth and explained how the menu and everything worked. It was my boyfriends first time there and Jacob let him know how the steam pots worked and what would be good to share. Jacob was genuinely interested in what brought us into the restaurant and if we were celebrating anything special. We made a joke that we were celebrating living though the Ventura County Fair and he laughed. The food was hot and delicious our drinks were very yummy and when we asked for a manager to compliment Jacob, Britney talked to us and was so happy to hear good feed back and walked us to the door and asked us if there was anything else they can do for us. Thank you Jacob and Britney for making our dinner incredible and making sure we left with smiles and happy bellies.
(5)
Anne R.

***CLOSED*** permanently, with no warning, on Monday 9/14/15. vcstar.com/business/joesâ€¦ One of the worst dining experiences we ever had. No surprise it shut down.
(1)
Sleepy R.

Today I will be going back to Joe's Crab Shack in Ventura. The thing that I like about this particular Joe's is the view. The one down side is, that if you sit by a window to enjoy said view, you might be uncomfortable with all the flies. This was annoying. Last time I was there, I had a Spicy Citrus Boil. This was great! Unfortunately, they don't offer it anymore, but have a few other spicy combinations that I like, so I'm good. The drinks weren't as strong as I would like, but if you're drinking for taste, you're good. Some can be watered down, so choose wisely if you want a good buzz. The best desert on the menu is the Crabby Apple Crumble. Its like a small Dutch Apple Pie with just enough flavor to get the job done. The ice cream combined with this desert is perfect. Make sure you get two scoops though... Trust me on this. Its kid friendly and fairly priced for the amount of food you get. Once again, choose wisely. We have made friends with Amy. Amy was an outstanding server and as I said before in other reviews, that I like a place where I don't have to wait for refills on my drinks. She kept our glasses full and that's a big plus to me. So there you go folks. Enjoy the day!
(3)
Jessica R.

Had dinner with a party of 60 for a family reunion. I ordered the one of the crab steam pots which was good except for the potatoes. Trying not to overindulge in a zillion calories I got the steamed potatoes as the side. The tasted very undercooked and bordered on raw. I couldn't eat them. Everything else was good though. The staff were overall attentive to me but my husband had to keep getting up and going to the bar himself to order more beer. But the water they kept refilling. The views are nice during sunset overlooks the beach. Casual atmosphere and better than I expected for a seafood chain.
(3)
Lene N.

*Hi, stop by and READ ME. Came here for dinner last night. The drive up to the restaurant is pretty nice, steep but nice. The drive way is lined with lights and Palm trees, a slight feel like your driving to a Hawaiian Luau (-psssh I wish!) The parking lot was surprisingly packed, well lit and safe. We were greeted with a gentleman who held the door for us. The hostesses gave us the option to sit either inside or out on the patio, being that the weather was nice we chose to sit outside. The restaurant is lined with windows facing out to the pacific so any table along the window side has a great view. The outdoor patio is lined up with picnic style tables. After a while the fiancÃ© said his butt started hurting, yes the benches are uncomfortable. We wanted to view so it was time to suck it up. Here is the ULTIMATE down fall about the patio.... (Dear Corporate,) the windows are dirty AND full of spider webs! With a view like that you would think they would take care of the windows. CLEAN THE WINDOWS, please and thank you. Now, onto the food. Ordering the crab nachos ($10.49) is an absolute MUST. The combination of flavors, sweet, spicy with crunch is on point. It's pretty rich aka heavy/fattening but worth every bite. Along with crab nachos we shared the King Crab with garlic herb butter sauce. You get about 6 crab legs with 2 SMALL sides. The sides are 3 corn bread balls (hush pups) and an heir of corn. The crab tasted funny to me, the word that comes to mind is rubbery. The fiancÃ© just said it was "over cooked." Either way, the crab was pretty meaty. Our overall experience was truly a 3 star rate. The crab was overcooked, the dirty windows I just can't let that go.....and wait service was just OKAY. Will we return, you ask? Maybe.
(3)
Carmen C.

What can I say! I thought this evening was going to go off without a hitch,boy was I wrong. I made a reservation for a party of 4 and we were seated. We ordered and 42 minutes later our dinner arrived. I believe they went fishing for our dinner. My mom asked for a lemon and Rachel our waitresses went to the nearest lemon tree outside. I also mentioned when I arrived that it was my daughters 16 birthday, omg they gave her a blindfold, bib and plate with whip cream told her "put your face in & get the cherry" really. I guess embarrassing is up your alley as well! I need to get this bad taste out of my mouth that your restaurant left! My tip for you train your work staff!
(1)
Juliet K.

Cute ambiance here. Very corporate. But sometimes you just want that kind of vibe. A lot of tie die and disco themed objects. The Ragin Cajun steampots are what I order here most of the time. Sometimes they can be overly salty, but they have a pretty robust flavor profile and the corn is usually nice and sweet. Queen crab( when in season) is a great alternative to the dungenous crabs. Pretty decent beer selection. Apple crumble dessert is not bad - in a stick to your ribs kind of way. Comes a la mode and sweet :) def fulfills a sweet tooth craving! Note: This place has a gorgeous view of the ocean. This location used to be the Chart House back in the day so the ocean view is super nice. There's also a playground area for kids next to their outdoor seating area. It's right by the ocean so bring a sweater! It can get chilly at night.
(3)
Jonathan M.

I was excited to have Joe's Crab Shack with other members of my Navy command celebrating a reenlistment. We walked in and were rudely told to leave because they didn't officially open for 5 minutes, however doors were open. After finally getting our food, I was disappointed to find a long black hair in my onion rings. i let the server know, and simply removed the onion rings rather than sending the entire dish back. A few minutes later, the manager came and gave me a coupon for a "free appatizer" as a gesture. However, after finally looking at it after eating, it was limited to "$7 appetizer" and only "with purchase of an entree". This was the best they can do for hair in your meal? Disappointing visit.
(1)
Lauren B.

You have to ask for jake hes the funniest nicest waiter here. Plus he makes excellent suggestions. Eat at joes!!!!!!
(5)
Carolyn L.

I have had many great experiences at other Joe's Crab Shack restaurants. However, twice at the Ventura location, the crab has been old. The Key Lime pie on this visit was soggy and sour. The service was probably the worst I have ever experienced, we sat on the patio and got ignored. I do not write bad reviews often, but the meal was $87.00 and the experience dreadful. We got sick after! Try another place in Ventura, there are other great places to eat. This location is GROSS.
(1)
Morales F.

Bucket of crab, is more like bucket of potatoes... Flavor less potatoes. Although, I did love the outdoor playground... The kids menu is very dull, my children where very disappointed. I asked for a selection of seafood pasta & was looked at like if I was crazy, I guess they didn't have any. Help was very busy, literally had 2 flag them down. Difficult to get seating. Also they did not allow my Yorki 2 sit in the out door area, I offered 2 put him in his doggy bag but they said no. Would not return.
(1)
. ..

I am a fan of the Bean Town Bake which comes with 2 Maine Lobsters. It's the only thing I order. They season the hell out of the dish with Cajun spice. It does get a bit messy when cracking shells, but it's worth it.
(4)
Kevin M.

I consider My self a Expert of Joes Crab Shack. I only order Crab Side dishes I never order the meal filled with Potatoes and Corn. We stick to Beer only, none of the Over priced and Over Hyped Gimmicky Tourist drinks. We are Here To get our Crab on and down a few beers, This is the ONLY place for that. Stay away from The King. Do dungeness with Barbque, or mix it up with some old bay.
(4)
Marlena B.

Sometimes we should listen to what others tell us. 45 minute wait and the food was cold(literally) they put it in the "oven" yet my food was heated in the microwave and the king crab was smaller than the Dungeness crab. The shrimp pasta was sour and I do have to say that the popcorn shrimp was barely that, with a waiter that could hardly seem to get anything right. The "fresh" seemed more like frozen and the seating was crowded. Unless you desperately want crab I urge you to go elsewhere.
(1)
Erika M.

We go to Joes quite often because we have 4 kids - Sadly one bad experience has made all of us not was to go back. This is my first negative review and I really wish I didn't have to write it. Service was non existent - our seats were at a wobbly table in the back corner, the server didn't even know we were there because his section was the opposite side of the restaurant. The drinks were half off and trust me, they put in half the effort into making them. No one was willing to help us no matter how much we stared or raised our hands and the crab / lobster was cold. The waiter put the wrong initials on the kids cups before he walked to get them refills and when he came back we had no clue as to who's cup belonged to who? The hostess could only say "good thing it isn't my fault!" Sad service, sad food - never going back.
(1)
Ila H.

A group of us (10) ate here tonight, Friday, 6 Feb 15. I will rate our experience in several categories, on a scale of 1-5, 1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest rating. 1. Atmosphere: The restaurant is large enough that customers were spread out. We could chat without having to yell. This might be different when the restaurant is at full or nearly full capacity, but was fine tonight. Servers graced the customers with a dance routine. The ladies at the check-in counter were very nice. They sat us before our entire party was there, as some restaurants will not. Rating: 5. 2. Ordering: Our waiter was quick to get the appetizer and beverage orders taken and out to us quickly. We did have to wait quite a bit after we finished appetizers for the main dishes. Rating: 3.5. 3. Quality of Food: We were not impressed with the appetizer plate, the Classic Sampler. Waste of money. The Clam Chowder Soup was not great but was good. Nachos were okay. Will mention a couple of main dishes ordered: Shrimp Pasta Alfredo (two people ordered, was okay, nothing special stood out); Popcorn Shrimp (shrimp with onion rings and cole slaw: shrimp was good & not greasy, onion rings were good and not loaded with tons of batter, & cole saw was ok (had better & have had worse). Others said their food was okay, had better. Rating: 2.75. 4. Beverage Service: They really slacked off in this category, after our first round of drinks. We had to ask for our first refill of iced teas, soft drinks and water (no one ordered any alcoholic beverages). We were never offered anymore to drink. They do brew the tea so it is fresh. Rating: 2. 5. Paying the bill: They did prepare separate checks, which we really appreciated! There is a recommended gratuity for parties our size, but unlike some restaurants, they did not automatically add this to the bill. Rating: 5. 6. Bathrooms: Some people used them but I did not. No critique or rating. 7. Facility Cleanliness: My pet peeve is dirty tables and chairs. Some places will wipe down tables and not the chairs, unless it is really noticeable. Our tables and at least my chair was clean. No one else made comments so I presume their areas were fine. The surrounding areas were clean. Rating: 5. Overall, we had an okay experience. We have had much better seafood/food and service elsewhere, and we will probably not return to this restaurant. Overall rating is a 3.
(3)
Liz I.

We had Sierra as our waitress and she went above and beyond! I am a waitress myself and know how important it is to give great service! It was my first time and I will definitely go back and ask for her!
(5)
Nadine G.

I've been to Joe's in SF and it was fun. Here is pretty chill. Not very lively. I like that they have a playground for the kids. But it took along time to get our food. We only ordered appetizers. The manager did apologize before we might have complained. Which I appreciated Food was ok and the view was nice of the beach but I probably won't come again to this one.
(3)
Charles C.

3 strikes your out Joe. 3 different locations, LA, Laughlin and now Ventura. I will follow Eric behind grandma driver and leave my blinker on all the way back to GA. NEVER AGAIN JOE!!!!
(1)
Art A.

I have gone here for dinner at least 5 times, sometimes in a large group for a family party. While the food is great, the service has always been bad at best and nonexistent at worse. I usually have to go to the bar to get a second drink, had part of the order forgotten; then canceled that item and still found it on the bill. Then I had to wait an extra 20 minutes for them to remove it from the bill. Recently, I was told that there would be one and half hour wait for a table. I didn't believe it, so I waited. We were seated in less than half that time and they never filled all their tables while we waited. After we were seated they gave us menus and said "Someone will come right away to take your order." After 30 minutes we left because nobody ever came. I grew up in the restaurant business and would never take it out on the staff. It's a shame. This is a nice place with good atmosphere and hard working staff but they are clueless about how to manage service workers. I'm sure it is costing them lots of money to be so poorly organized.
(1)
Jeremy R.

My wife and I visited this place last month on our way down south for a conference. We had never been to a Joe's before and had often seen this restaurant from highway 101 so we decided to stop in. It was a little before 5pm in the afternoon and we were a bit surprised that there was absolutely NO ONE in the restaurant. I had to look around to even find a hostess, waiter, or bartender as the place was literally empty! I thought that maybe they had just opened up, but in the far right corner of the restaurant I finally found someone who was able to seat us. This should have been our first warning, but we decided o take the chance. We had some appetizers of jalapeno poppers, and calamari and it literally tasted as if it had come from a frozen bag that had been popped into the microwave. We then shared a dish with sausage, crab, corn, and shrimp. The best thing about the whole meal was the sausage, which my wife and I ate primarily because we were so hungry and we had been in the car for about 4 hours. The staff was friendly, and inviting and the waiter did take his time to ensure that we were taken care of, but again we were the only ones in the restaurant! At any rate this is not a place that we will be visiting again any time soon.
(2)
Khristine D.

I would say 2 stars are fair. We were a party of 6, and when I walked up to the hostess stand the young man was so busy bent over the book writing notes that he didn't look up for a minute! Weird! I was literally touching the hostess stand! Then he tried sitting us at a table for 5 and when we asked for another chair he said my sweet 85 year old aunt would be in the aisle; so we can't sit there! Seriously, where was this young mans mind?! Excited to eat seafood! I had a simple order peel and eat shrimp over ice, no bay seasoning. They didn't get that right either. And when I said something they acted like I was too picky and whisked it away. They were quick about bringing me the right thing. Too bad I found a long blonde hair stuck to one of the shrimp. Good was good though! Our server was Amy. She was fine. Our table had rings from previous glasses on it, so I questioned the cleanliness of the establishment and especially the kitchen.
(2)
Jess Z.

I read a lot of bad reviews about this restaurant before going there for a birthday celebration for my cousin. I was a bit hesitant but I had such great experiences at other locations I had to give it a chance. A lot of people complain about the long wait. This is normal at all the Joe's so this doesn't sway me. Our wait was short. In fact we waited longer for our party to arrive than it took to be seated. All the food was comparable to the other sites. I got to try the crab nachos on recommendations and they were excellent. This was a Saturday night about 6 to 8pm and we didn't feel any bad service whatsoever. Only thing I would comment negatively is if you don't know how to arrive the sign at the entrance is not lighted. We used our Garmin GPS and had no problems. Overall a great experience. I would definitely come back
(4)
Lindsey D.

Came early on a Friday night and was seated right away, our server was spunky and sweet and very efficient! The prices are a bit high (we spent over $70 and there's only 3 of us in our family, and that was with no drinks or appetizers). My hubby absolutely loved the crab and lobster ( he ordered the big daddy bucket). I got the carribean feast and it was very tasty but very salty! I wasn't a huge fan. My son loved the popcorn shimp though! Probably won't be a family weekend favorite but we will probably be back on a special occasion sometime.
(3)
Kat C.

I had been to Joe's Crab Shack here in Ventura before, many times, but this was the last. I took the folks there when they came to visit a few months ago, and the experience was horrible. Terribly long wait, and the place was not full. Service was interminably slow, for no apparent reason, the food was served cold, and wasn't very good. Of course, it was quite pricey too. The only saving grace was that our waitress was fairly pleasant, but not enough to save this horrible dining experience. Never again.
(1)
Trent B.

The food was pretty good but the service was slow. I would come back but allow for plenty of time.
(3)
Anna D.

My husband and I went here to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. Our server was very friendly, energetic, and on-the-ball, there is a great view of the beach from almost anywhere in the restaurant, and, for the most part, the restaurant looks pretty clean. Basically, our two entrees and our appetizer averaged out to make for a so-so meal overall. My husband had the coconut shrimp which were really hot, crispy, and tasty and the pineapple plum sauce that comes with them is delicious. We ordered the crab-stuffed mushrooms as our appetizer and they left quite a bit to be desired. For $9 per about 5 or 6 mushrooms, I expected to have drool dripping down my chin. Not the case. I wasn't a fan of the weird, sort of fishy-tasting little bready dumplings that made up about half the dish. The 5-6 mushrooms were intermingled with the dumplings and as we were eating the mushrooms, we had to spit out several chunks/splinters of crab cartilage. Now, I'm not a regular crab-eater, so I'm not sure if that's typical; all I know is that I didn't enjoy running into cartilage splinters in my crab-stuffed mushrooms. I had the salmon orleans as my entree and it, too, was so-so. The salmon was slightly overdone or it would have had a pretty good taste I think. The little shrimp that were in the cajun sauce on top of the fish were not entirely deveined, so I thought that was a bit gross. On top of this, probably about 2/3 of the plate is covered with the rice pilaf that accompanies the dish (which is also not great). I think that's a bit much, since what I'm paying almost $20 for is really the salmon itself. If it was not for the really high prices, I would probably give another star because when you pay less, the quality expectation is lower. However, the food here, from what I can tell, is generally not worth the money you shell out when there are so many quality seafood restaurants in the Ventura area. I'm actually surprised it's able to stay in business with all the excellent competition.
(2)
Tiffany A.

Family and I had dinner here. Waitress was good, but it took SUPER long to get our food. Good thing the food was good but I'll be back again
(3)
Rodney O.

This place is pretty damn great! Decent seafood with awesome service as well! The margaritas are equally as amazing ! I would recommend this place to go if you're trying have a nice family meal!
(5)
Judi x.

Crab was so rubbery and salty not worth the price. Service ok.. no bread for the table waitress said corp changed the procedure now you have to pay not a problem but came dry and burnt. Asked what kind of fresh fish wss available and was told none everything is frozen. Can get fresh fish even at red lobster. Never again 75 for 2 no drinks and more salt then one should have in a year
(1)
Kimberly Cameron V.

Kim Cameron, Valencia, CA This place is one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world!! I'm soooo surprised everyone has given it such a low rating! The view is spectacular, the food is delicious, and it's such a fun event! I always get the Crazy-Good Crab Dip and the Rajin Cajun Steam pot. It's a ton of food, so I recommend sharing. The bibs with sayings written on them are fun (if you end up with a creative server, you'll get some silly sayings; One time mine said, "I went out and alls I ended up with was crabs!!" haha!). Also, when you are cracking the crab open, often times it ends up in your neighbors hair, so be careful!! LOL! I always have sooo much fun when I go. It's an event, like I said, so plan to spend a couple hours. The only downside: It's expensive!
(5)
Debbie E.

just spent over 3 5 hours here.....stay the hell away at all costs. corp needs to get this place under control.
(1)
Kris B.

I come here with my wife every time We have the chance and let me tell you, the experience gets better and better!!! I cannot get enough of Joes Crab shak, the food and drinks are great I love the crab pots I just wish they were just a bit warmer but overall the experience was awesome!
(4)
Amy B.

Great view & the atmosphere is a little noisy but a fun kind noisy (if that makes sense.) The appetizers aren't as good quality as the actual entrees but their drinks are pretty tasty. All their steampots are delicious & my husband LOVED their surf n turf burger. I gave it 3 stars as opposed to 5 because the service is a little slow & our server was very awkward & never refilled our drinks but hey the food was good!
(3)
John K.

kind of disappointing...rice was cold...asked for two different desserts and was told they were out of them...
(2)
Fleriza A.

Finally tried this place. Awesome view of the ocean. Food was good. Service is a little slow though. Wait time said 15 mins, but we ended up waiting for 45 mins, and it wasnt even packed.
(3)
R S.

went for dinner, services was okay, had to ask for things several times. We had some happy hour apps, they were good but no condiments were proved and when asked was told "over by the bar" and over by the bar was empty. The food is okay but pricey, there are other places to eat seafood for cheaper and better.
(2)
Gabe F.

Server was great. Efficient service. Delicious food. Will go back again. Also it was cool that every 45 min. the employees would dance to a song.
(4)
Melissa O.

I should have read the reviews before making reservations for my mom's 65th birthday at Joe's, not that they were necessary. The place was not busy and the staff did not acknowledge it was her birthday until I reminded them. Savannah our waitress seemed put off, and didn't give us a chance for us to answer when she basically told us we weren't having dessert and didn't offer us a menu. They gave her a dirty Joe's Crab Shack Mason Jar to take home -I would have ordered and paid for a slice of something for her but our waitress Savannah was missing in action and magically so was the manager. My mom liked the music and enjoyed her mixed drink, she said I think she was sparing my feelings as I spent a lot of money on the group and it was the first time in my life I actually considered not tipping, but I of course I did. Never going back- food and staff is terrible. The roof of my mouth still hurts from the coconut shrimp batter and the lobster was funky: they cut through the gallbladder so it turned the meat green
(1)
Tammy C.

Horrible service - cold food on more than one occasion - drinks are all sugar. Sometimes fun atmosphere - but bad food and bad service make it not worth going back. I can't believe this is what replaced the Chart House. I have been here many times and it just gets worse - worst of it's chain. One time the power went out for 30 minutes, they brought us cold half cooked food - did not offer an alternative, and charged us even though we did not want or eat it. The happy hour is cheap drinks, but they taste like watered down cheap drinks - better to pay full price somewhere else. Of all the fun places in Ventura, this is a let down for years - such a shame, as a great location and the opportunity to be great - they just don't care. So i don't care to ever spend my money there - and makes me not want to try there other locations.
(1)
Bonnie L.

Weak drinks, 2 of us had steaks, which both were dry, and were horrible at $20 each...what else is there to say? There are only 2 things going for the place: location and their cheesy potatoes... The service wasn't horrible...
(1)
John B.

Yes, it's expensive and yes the inside looks a bit like a clown car but the food was pretty good and our waitress, Amy, was fun. The play area for kids was cool. The patio area looked like fun. And after printing four separate checks for our table Amy was willing to apply a coupon to the table and re-print all the checks. Thanks Darlin' you saved all of us a chunk o' change. An extra star just for you!
(4)
Jennifer R.

Thanks for the food poisoning! I went to Joe's for a birthday party. The setting was nice, with a nice view. I got the Crabcake Sandwich. I can't even write that without feeling queasy. I got very sick! Doc said food poisoning. I will never return to Joe's CrabYACK!
(1)
Sunny R.

Peace, Love and Crabs! I think it was the multi-colored lights and Macarena dancing that made me feel like I was at a party and not a restaurant. We went on a Sunday for lunch and there wasn't a wait at all. They gave us a nice booth with an ocean view for just the two of us. We started with the Crab Dip - delish! And a couple of draft beers too. I opted for Land Shark Lager (there was a seafood theme gonna on for me) and :( it was kind of warm and flat. I added salt to give it some bubbles but there's not much you can do about beer at room temp. Unless I was a Brit. Which I'm not. So I had to take away a star. Honey went for a Flat Tire draft. It wasn't on the menu but they had a fluorescent light blinking "Fat Tire" so he presumed they had it. They did. His was chillier and had bubbles. My second beer was a Fat Tire as well. Sorry Land Shark. For my entree I chose the Shrimp Platter with shrimp done 3 ways. Yummy but not something I'll crave. The Parmesan-encrusted Shrimp served with marinara is only available on this platter and is pretty tasty. But the Coconut Shrimp with a mango salsa was my fav. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what Honey ordered cause I was too busy living my seafood fantasy and watching the waves. Loved the music and the atmosphere. Our server was M.I.A. for a little bit but another server stopped by to check on us in her absence. No biggie. We were chillin' with the beach vibe and not in any hurry. We'll be back but not anytime too soon. It was a bit pricey and there are plenty of other places that serve good food and make you feel like you're celebrating. But, you should at least go visit Joe once, even if it's in the bar for an appetizer and a brew ;)
(4)
Amanda H.

In all fairness, our waitress seemed pretty new but.....she was still terrible. Serving us food without silverware for about 10-15 min...really. We even went when there wasn't a wait so I was very confused. We got to sit outside which is a gorgeous view. But i was not thrilled with their service. Especially since the manager was making rounds instead of maybe rolling up his sleeves and helping our new girl out....very disappointing.
(2)
Lorreine D.

I believe our server's name was Ryan. He had great service skills. He was funny, he connected with all of us, and he made the effort to make sure we all were taken cared of. It wasn't too busy and there was a group of us for a friend's birthday. We did call ahead to let them know that we were a big group so they were ready for us. The food wasn't anything too special. I had one of the crab buckets and it was decent. My stars are for the service Ryan gave us. I'll never forget what he said when he gave us our bib and utensils for our food, "GOTTA GIVE YOU PROTECTION BEFORE YOU GET YOUR CRABS!" LMAO.....
(4)
Bui S.

Service sucked, she forgot all that was asked, then presented a pot of cold seafood - WTF! - the potatoes where raw,... Then they forced a 15% tip on my bill,... The only reason I did not tell them to F them selfs, was because it was my grandsons birthday party - dont waste your money there unless you like bad food and service - Bui :)
(1)
Madeline T.

Maybe we just got lucky 'cause we were the only customers on a Wednesday. Halloween Wednesday, to be exact. We drove up to the hill where JCS stands and the lot was nearly empty at 8 pm. Hey, it's better than having to wait around with a bunch of people - we walked in, they gave us the lot to choose from, and we took a nice seat by the window. It felt slightly romantic - after all, it was just us, the waitstaff, and probably three other tables. Since I am the ultimate penny-pincher (Extreme couponing, anyone?), I signed up for Joe's Crab Shack newsletter on my phone and received a free appetizer (up to 9.39) coupon instantly. Showed it to the waiter and we got an order of Great Balls of Fire on the house! Those were yummy -- kind of like cream-cheese jalapenos with crab meat inside them. Only disappointment was that we got a tiny plate of those and the other half was fries. Meh! The boyf and I decided to start off with the Ragin' Cajun steampot. Yum! It came by pretty fast and was a steampot of goodness. There were more crab than shrimp (a plus for me), a hunkin' piece of corn, and potatoes. Each was coated in a spicy Cajun-y seasoning that was almost perfect (a little on the salty side when you got to the bottom of the pot). Needless to say, we were extremely satisfied. But still hungry (the inner-fat kids in us apparently can't read the pricey menu). So we ordered another pot -- I think it was called the KG? My boyfriend picked it because he wanted some scallops. Oops. To our surprise, there were literally TWO pieces of scallop in there. Major disappointment. It was nice to have more crab (and lots of mussels) but the seasoning was just okay... kinda like butter and lemon but that's it. No pizzazz. Whatevz, cause by the time we were done with our meal, we were stuffed to the brim. I wouldn't come here often if we feasted like this all the time considering we spent ~$30 a person (a no-no in my book of chain-restaurant eating), but the food was delicious, fast, and the service was friendly. The manager even came by and asked us how our meal was. Totally caught me off guard, considering all the terrible reviews on here. But then again... we were there on a Wednesday. Halloween Wednesday. The fear of bad service won't keep me away when I'm craving some crabbys!
(4)
Leslie D.

It's got a great view! There aren't many restaurants in Ventura that have such a nice view. The food was very disappointing. We ordered one of the steam pots of mixed seafood. It was so spicy that my lips were on fire. We had to go out for yogurt to cool our mouths off.
(2)
Jess L.

Horrible, I wanted to treat my parents to dinner one night and when we were seated they offered us a booth where the sun blinded my mom! So I asked if we could sit somewhere else the little bitch with the brown hair that was seating us rolled her eyes at me!!! Then moved us to a different chair! -waitress was nice I ordered crab stuffed shrimp with rice and "fresh" veggies my rice was hard and dry an my broccoli was brown and looked horrible!! On our way out I looked into the kitchen and saw a big bag of the crab stuffing, which led me to believe its not as fresh as they said it was!!! I will never return!
(1)
Ariel B.

I know it's a seafood restaurant but I love coming here for the drinks! Joey the bartender always makes them best. I'm more of a beer and wine girl but the cocktails are just delicious.
(4)
Jason S.

If we could give this place a negative 5 stars, trust me we would! This is quite possibly the all time worst "restaurant" we have EVER been too! My wife and I went to Joe's Crap Shack in Ventura hoping for a good crab meal. The service was fine but the food was absolutely awful. Everything was waaaaaay overcooked and bland. It is surprising that a place that you would expect to be super cool could be so dreadful. There is no way in hell that the people that work there actually taste their food. That would be enough to improve the place. The owner of this restaurant must not live in town or something because addressing the bad issues wouldn't be that difficult. Trust me, and the other reviewers here. Don't wast your time or money.
(1)
K.C. N.

I have read many of the negative reviews here, and I must say that I did not have a bad time at Joe's Crab Shack. It was not a remarkable experience, but it was also not one I would avoid in the future. We came in at a little past 1pm on a Saturday. There was no waiting, and we were seated immediately. A waiter sat down with us to explain the way the restaurant worked (paper towels, and the bucket in the middle of the table,) and we ordered our drinks. The waiter was nice and friendly, and he answered our questions about the crab types in a friendly manner. We ordered two buckets of crab varieties, and they arrived quicker than expected. We dug in. As it is a crab place, and bibs are needed, it's a hands-on experience. The food tasted good, but it was messy. The corn was not the best I had ever had, but it was serviceable and it certainly tasted like corn. The servers then broke out into dance and song, doing the Macarena. It wasn't very busy, so it was an odd feeling watching this when a more raucous crowd would have made this display more fun, but it was an interesting bit of entertainment. As a mid-day lunch, it was rather pricey, but the service was quick and friendly, and the view couldn't be beat. Since it was not very busy, keep that in mind when choosing your time to go. Of course, I cannot speak to their quality at nights or busy periods, but I would check them out if I was in the neighborhood,.
(3)
Jon G.

yes its a chain and the food could be better, but the staff was great there was an area for the kids to play and the experience was great
(4)
Joshua A.

Food was pretty good.
(3)
Samantha J.

Had dinner here tonight and it was perfect! The food was delicious. I love the atmosphere at Joe's Crab Shack! Out waitress Sierra made our experience unforgettable. Will defiantly be back soon.
(5)
Blaine S.

This place has a great view of the ocean but doesn't stack up to other Joe's restaurants. This place smells of mildew and seems somewhat dirty. The food is ok.
(3)
Carrie M.

Maybe the bad reviews were during crazy busy times, but we came at 5:30 Monday night. The food was excellent and so was the service! We had the calamari, crab dip and great balls of fire. Everything was served fresh, fast and hot! It was all so good it made me want seconds of all of it, but the portions were so generous that I only had room for a repeat of crab dip.
(4)
Star K.

I'd actually give this 3.5 stars, 3 for food and extra half for good service. The commercials for Joe's Crab Shack looked soo enticing, but the yelp reviews were scary. My friend and I had been talking about going here for months but were literally scared by the reviews. Finally, we did go there today because at this point we just HAD to have the experience.... And we were pleasantly surprised. We were seated immediately outside (nice view of the ocean), got our Coronas in good time, and our apps in another 10 or 15. Not too bad. Our food showed up about 15 minutes later. So about half an hr for a steamed pot from the time we placed the order?--maybe not super fast, but we were done with the whole meal in about an hr from the time we seated. Our server was friendly and efficient--zero complaints about the service. She clearly knew the menu. She tied on our bibs ;) which was kinda funny. The food itself was ok and the crabs were cooked just fine. We got the Coastal something pot (it was a special with corona in the mix --it was for one person but we split it). I think what happens with the pots is that most of the seasoning sinks so you have to kinda dip into it. The apps (Great Balls of Fire) were tasty but fattening for sure. We split it all, were completely stuffed, and the bill came to $27 pp including tax and tip. Maybe a little overpriced but not horribly so. I kinda feel like people have just jumped on the bandwagon and are picking on this place to be mean. Boo on haters! I will admit the decor is pretty bad and needs serious updating, and the servers uniforms are strange (a hodge podge of sport outfits). The corporate headquarters should think about redoing the image of Joe's. I'd go back if the mood were to strike again. Don't be afraid of the all the scary reviews and check it out for yourself :)
(4)
Bea M.

Not too pleased with our visit on 3/18/2012. Got seated fairly quickly & drink orders were fast but our server (erika) didn't seem too pleased that we weren't ready to order right away. My boyfriend's mom ordered some tender fish that came with rice but she substituted it with onion rings. My boyfriend & i decided to share the orleans steampot. We ordered the sampler as an appetizer & it came out in a few minutes.. Our entrees came half an hour later. She delivered my bf's mom's food first. Then our steampot a minute later & when she dropped it off she asked if everything was all good -- 1: why would you ask that when we just got our food & we got it almost 45 minutes after we ordered it? 2: why did you look away after you asked & not even bother to listen to our answer? Pretty pissed about the steampot. Our andouille sausages were missing. They overloaded on the seasoning. And yes, we noticed that you put more crawfish claws in it to make it reach a pound. I believe we got the 12 shrimp & corn but why promise a pound of crawfish when half of it is claws & legs? Bullshit. Ordered a slice of cheesecake for dessert. The presentation was horrible. They put strawberry syrup on HALF of the large plate, a little squirt of whipped cream on the side, & then the slice in the middle. We hardly touched the strawberry syrup -- we just ordered a slice so we would've been fine with a small zig zag drizzle. My bf's mom's food seemed fine but my boyfriend & i left just as hungry as we were when we got there. I will most likely never go back unless it's to order that crab dip & chips .. to go.
(1)
Eric N.

WORST SERVICE EVER. I spend a great amount of my life eating out. When I say this was the worst service ever, I really mean it. I love Joe's Crab Shack. I go to the one in Sacramento when I am visiting family and when I lived in Utah there were two Joe's that I frequented. When I moved to Ventura I was excited because I realized that there was a Joe's here in town. We decided to visit them on a Friday night to celebrate a new job. They are on a hill with an AMAZING view...even living by the beach I still am amazed at that view. While waiting for our table I checked in to Yelp and realized this location only had 2 stars with like 20 reviews. Wow. I thought...naw...I am sure it was a fluke. Our server was nice...its not like he was rude. We should have realized how it was going to be when it took him 10 minutes to come over and greet us at our table and ask about drinks. We seriously almost left and went to Wood Ranch but he came over right before we actually got up to leave. We honestly saw our server maybe 4 times in a hour and a half. He spent lots of time helping tables around us but kept forgetting to refill my soda like he had promised and only brought Jamie a crab cracker three fourths of the way through our meal. The only nice thing was the food was awesome like usual. Here's the kicker... The bill was like 58 bucks. We paid with a $100 bill. Now at every single restaurant I know they would bring you maybe a twenty, a ten, a five and five ones for change so you could leave a tip. He brought us a twenty and two tens. WHAT?! Are you expecting us to leave you a 10 dollar tip for the worst service ever? HAHAHAHA. Wow...thats the best joke I have ever heard. My girl was completely upset and thought he was incredibly rude. If it was me I wouldn't have left him a tip at all but she is nice and left him like 4 bucks. Seriously stay away from this place like they have the plague. I will be writing a letter to corporate after I write this review. This location really gives the Joe's Crab Shack company a bad name. Joe's...maybe spend a little less time dancing to cheesy music for the tourists and spend a little more time on your service.
(1)
Robert V.

Trash. No other way to describe this run-down dank place. I live in the Valley and have nothing like this nearby, so when i saw one on the way to pick up my sis at UCSB i jumped at the chance. What a huge disappointment. First, the place is a bit hard to find and when you do it is located on an old run down parking lot. The front of the building looks old and dingy, and the inside is not much better. I ordered the Boston steam pot and i was not impressed. Nothing was fresh and you could tell it was just unfrozen. They give you old nasty plastic utensils to to use on the crab, its not very appealing. I would give this place one star if it wasnt for the view of the ocean. The view is the only redeemable thing about this crap hole. Do not come here.
(1)
David G.

If you were there during daylight and were actually asked if you wanted to sit outside I am sure the view is probably amazing. The service was friendly but slow and forgetful. My shrimp was brought out approximately 15 minutes before my brothers steak which was way undercooked. My water never got refilled and she forgot several times to bring things asked for, salt, a straw, napkins etc. You can rarely expect much from a chain and this may be par for the course, I dont know. If the food had been amazing all of the issues could be overlooked as she was friendly, but the food was just ok.
(2)
Jill S.

Too too bad Joe's. I can definitely see why you are guys HAVE to be close to shutting down. Took forever to have a waiter come over to the table, when he did he said he was the bartender. OK. Well he took our order, took our drink order and we never really saw him again. Had to flag down two different people to get another drink and get some additional condiments. When the "bartender" did come back to the table didn't ask how anything was, if we needed anything, was somewhere else. Food was so so gross. NON de-veined shrimp, calamari that was stale. Their happy hour was awful. Yah. Total bummer. It's too bad because they view is spectacular, which my guess is, that is how they get people to come in, however, I seriously doubt anyone returns for a second visit. Hope you guys figure it out before its too late!
(1)
David H.

Great Seafood
(4)
Jules W.

Ordered the Cajun steam pot. The entire dish was cold, especially the corn and sausage. The sausage tastes like a grocery store bought hilshire farm breakfast sausage. They do not cook to order which is understandable, but there needs to be better quality control. Not worth $30 for cold food. Will not return.
(2)
RamÃ³n O.

Horrible service, they took long and never apologized for it. No one tried to remedy the fact that they took way too long to take our order, we left without even being served water.
(1)
Mindy L.

Upset by the service! My friends reserved for 20 people in advance for her birthday and they had us late by almost an hour to our table. Then our food was late (even drinks). We were there a total of 3 hours and mostly waiting around. Then we were charged like 18% gratuity and because they gave us only 4 tabs for everyone I ended up footing a big chunk of that gratuity on mine because they made it look like gratuity was included in the total amount. The receipt read as: "Amount:_____" and "+ Included gratuity______", so I assumed "Amount" meant total and included the gratuity!. I would have otherwise disputed me footing half the bill for a tab of 6 people (only 1 of which I was additionally paying for) had I realized that this happened. Furthermore, they promised us all free appetizers for our wait but ended up only doing this for he birthday girl's tab. In terms of the food, the only good part was the crab and lobster. The popcorn shrimp wasn't good and don't even bother to order a burger because I hear they are flavorless.
(2)
Rey E.

Great view of the beach and the ventura pier. Food was good, but pricey. I got the Bean town bake (steampot) for $40 and was still able to finish it. It included 2 bake lobsters, 1 pound of clams, shrimp, sausage, a cob of corn and 3 small red potatoes. The food was delicious, but wasn't big enough....especially for a starving college student who can't break bank much. Service was good as the server we had refilled in a reasonable time. She also let us feel welcome when we came in. All in all, the view was good, service was good, view was awesome. The only thing naggin is the price. I would come here next time when my wallet is swoll (a lil bigger).
(3)
Michael B.

Place was not clean and food was not very good. Good view.
(1)
Howard R.

We used to look forward to the long drive up to Ventura to eat at Joe's. We enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and ocean view. However, the food over last 3 visits has been very substandard. You may be asking if the food was so bad, why did we keep going back? A few reasons. One, we hoped is was just an isolated incident and we believe in 2nd chances. After the second bad visit, I complained to corporate and received phone calls from corporate in Texas as well as the Ventura Joe's manager. Both begged us to comeback and try Joe's again as we wouldn't be disappointed. We ate there last Tuesday for lunch. The appetizer dips were cold and tasteless and we thought could have been heated in a microwave. I told the server that the last time we were in the lobster was bad (very tough and chewy). Here answer (twice I might add) was "Joe's is a crab shack." If that's the case, why are lobster dishes even on the menu. My wife ordered the queen crab pot. Besides not being served hot, she said the the only thing that had any flavor in the pot was the corn on the cob. Pretty pathetic! My dish was the stuffed sole. The crab tasted like it was made in a blender and the overall flavor wasn't very good. We also heard the people at the table next to us complain about the food to the manager. I emailed my concerns last week to the corporate person in Texas, but as of now, have not received any response. The only way we'd consider going back is if we find out that all of the management at this location have been replaced. Otherwise, even if they offered us free meals we'll never go there again!!
(2)
Amanda R.

Joe's is my boyfriend and I's welcome to Ventura dinner every time we head to the beach house. It is within walking distance, which is good when you enjoy their bloody mary's as much as we do! Service at this particular location has been hit or miss, but generally good. our most recent visit was horrible and if that had been my only experience at this place I would not go back-ever. Apparently they were short handed, so the bartender was also our server......I needed her making my drinks, not bringing me my food. Also the tweens at the next table over were oogling their waiter the whole night (one of the might have been his girlfriend or something, since they all left together-who knows). Generally we share the peel and eat shrimp and get a crab pot with the Chesapeake seasoning. It is spicy and delicious. The tab adds up fast and while their cheesecake was surprisingly good, I should have passed on it and had another drink instead! I am sure we will give them another chance on our next trip, but if the service is still poor we may have to head south to the one in Oceanside when we get the urge for crab. The service there was very good and the food was of high quality as well. Go for the crab, stay for the drinks!
(3)
Robert A.

Not a good food place for the price. Also, had to basically sit ourselves as other groups who came after us where seated before us...terrible service all around. Only redeeming value is the location. Great views of the ocean. Won't go back unless a friend has a dinner that I'm obligated to go to...also, the dancing and nonsense for birthdays and such is annoying and bothersome, just let the patrons eat.
(2)
Bobby C.

As for as corporate chains go, this one's alright--It's in the league of the Outback... You get a lot of fish for not a lot of money. The bucket we got included crag legs, lobster claws, clams, sausage and potato. This plus fried oyster appetizer (so so) ran use about 50 bones with 2 drinks and desert. In all honesty, the clams were the best part about it all. The lobster was a bit rubbery. In the future I'd stick to the crab and clams. Fun atmosphere, great wait staff--they even let me sneak my puppy in the back. But technically they have to be on the other side of the fence. They have a play ground for the tikes if you roll with muchkins (I don't yet). Unfortunately, one of them thought they were a natural on the recorder. I would have rather listened to a vevulzela! Oh well. I'll be back--wish the had one in LA! Someone get on that.
(3)
Kahee W.

Alright, I love crab! This place definitely hits the spot.
(4)
Plora S.

Great view from practically every seat! Great food. Great crab and seasonings. Very lively environment where waiters will dance. Watch out if it is your birthday, they require you to dance or run around the store as if you were a chicken! Other dishes also very good. Great balls of fire appetizer is good. If you like crab, this is the place to come.
(4)
Meg D.

Our first dine in here and so far our experience is fine as expected.We sat outside and the view is beautiful. They have a playground which was perfect for our active toddler. The service was quick and they actually have a good crowd of customers. We ordered the garlicky mussels for starters and it tasted fresh and delish. Our main entree was ok nothing extra ordinary although there kids mac n cheese was a hit. Food prices are reasonable basing on its location. Only downside is that they don't have to go cups! Really no cups at all? What a bummer! But overall its all good. Would come back.
(4)
Lizzy And Matthew M.

This place is over rated. Very LOUD, very crowded(not sure why? ) food is pricey and not that great. Mediocre at best. Lobster was very rubbery, over cooked, the shrimp had sooo much seasoning that you couldn't taste the shrimp. Will not go back. Waiter was super nice & friendly. Should go work for another restaurant.
(2)
Jill J.

Yummy food, and a great view, but don't go if you are hungry (or tat least ake snacks). We arrived at 1:40 on a Sunday , and were seated immediately, as the restaurant was empty. Our server suggested appetizers "if we were hungry." But, it was late and we just ordered lunch. Well, our server was right. Our food didn't arrive for almost another hour!
(2)
william S.

Wow, what a great experience we just had at Joe's Crab shack in Ventura!! We were part of a 60-person reunion, all staying at a hotel just up the street, and we were looking for a place to meet and greet each other as we arrived on Friday evening, and it had to also be a place that served good food at a reasonable price - it is hard to please 60+ people who all just drove 5+ hours! The restaurant manager was super to work with - she let us make a reservation for 60 people and did NOT require a deposit! The service was really super, each of our servers was gracious and polite, but most importantly, they were super attentive. Whether it was a beer for an adult or a class of milk for a child, they were always right there. We had about 25 children in our group, all around 8-10 years old. Right outside the door was a giant play area, so the kids ordered and then played, ate and then played, and so on. And we could see them the whole time through the beautiful floor to ceiling glass windows. That allowed all of the adults to easily mingle and say hello to each other, have a drink before dinner and relax without having to worry about the children too much. There is no possible way we could have had a better set-up for 25 young kids in a restaurant. And last but not least, there was the food. We had suggested Joe's to the group because we had previously eaten at one in Sacramento before and had a good experience. However, virtually no one else in our group had ever been to a Joe's. At the end our dinner though, every one of them commented how great the food was, and how great the service was (all kids meals came out together, then all adult meals came out just behind that). Just a great experience all around, and if you see a group like ours in Joe's in Ventura sometime, that's us - because we are definitely going back to Joe's Crab Shack in Ventura!
(5)
Gofu K. Yoself W.

AWFUL. I was gonna take my mom to dinner around christmas. We waited 5 minutes before being approached by a hostess only to be told we would be seated after the wait staff got through dancing. Dancing? Yep. Dancing to the F@cking Macarena. This place is retarded and juvenile as it gets. I walked out never to return. the manager seriously needs to be let go if this is how they run things.
(1)
Gary J.

The worst service I've ever had. The server was nice but when waiting thirty minutes for our drinks I asked where are the drinks and she said the bartender was serving tables and we had to wait!!! WTF? Then the food came and was over cooked and not as good as it used to be. Won't go back and went at least once a month and the last both times did me in.
(1)
Emmy M.

This place really isn't that bad. I ordered a salmon filet with mango salsa. Not too sure what the specific name is but it was up to par. The only down fall to my visit was that awesome looking great white drink they have. It really looks great, I just didn't taste any alcohol. Perhaps I'll just have to make it a double next time.
(3)
Richard M.

Best beach/sunset view of any restaurant I've been to between Malibu and Santa Barbara. Generous portions, friendly, attentive service, fair prices, plus that world-class view! I'll be back.
(4)
Jackie C.

Giving the location 4 out of 5 because our wait was twice as long as we were told it would be, but once we sat down our service was great. Kaytlyn was a fantastic server and did a great job interacting with our 2 year old daughter. The food was delicious, although our dessert took quite awhile to come out.
(4)
Ashley Marie G.

"DECENT" is the keyword here. I actually enjoyed my dessert more than my entree. Servers were "alright". Expected more out of my dinner experience.
(3)
Tina C.

This place could be fantastic... if you could bring your own food or order in from somewhere else. It's a shame because the patio is a wonderful family area with one of the best views in Ventura. You know the food is bad when an eight year old complains that his burger is "way overcooked". You know the food is bad when the manager gives you a free coupon to come back and the thought of ever coming back is not even entertained. Don't get me started on the neon, ode to consumerism that is the indoor dining room. Ventura deserves better from one of our most scenic locations.
(1)
Wanda S.

I live almost two hours away from this place and still make the drive several times a year for their lunch. I get a fantastic view of the beach, ocean and pier and see dolphins often. The staff is personable and hard working and the atmosphere is fresh yet calm. The inside of the restaurant is funky in a good way and my whole family has a good time. As for food the fish and chips is fresh and crisp and the coconut shrimp is sweet and served with a wonderful plum sauce. We always start with crab nachos and the medley of crab dip, lettuce, corn, tomatoes, beans and cheese is gone in an instant. The dip itself is good enough to eat by the spoonful with chunks of crab in a firm yet creamy mixture. Other popular meals at our table include the Classic Steam Pot, Crab-Stuffed Shrimp, and Red Snapper. Our drinks are always topped off and the staff has a dance hour that is very fun to watch. I will continue making the trip to Ventura's Joe's Crab Shack for as long as I'm able. It kicks off a day of fun in the sun for my family.
(5)
Todd L.

Growing up in the Midwest, where the best option was often Red Lobster, Joe's was always a nice treat. Fun environment, good food and not terribly expensive. Since living in LA, I've always skipped over Joe's in favor of the many local seafood options. Today, we caved in because we wanted a fun place to take the our two little girls. We showed up at 5pm on a Saturday (hoping to beat the heavy traffic). To our surprise, there was a very large line outside the door. Once through the door, I realized there was a lot of waitresses standing around and 4 greeters at the front door. They told us the wait would be at least 1 hour...seriously? There were no less than 25 open tables/booths in the place. I asked why so many open tables, she said "we have several big groups coming." Really, and they are all going to sit at separate booths throughout the place? Aside from the incompetent greeters, I found this to be one of the dirtiest and least "fun" Joe's I've ever been to. I've probably eaten at 6-7 different Joe's around the country and this was BY FAR the worst one I've seen (despite the beautiful location and great view of the ocean). We decided to leave after about 10 min of waiting. Probably a blessing in disguise. Would hate for my love of Joe's to be tainted any further....
(1)
Andrea B.

My name is Andrea and I took my family of 8 to this restaurant for the seafood but also saw that the online menu presented Rib Eye Steak. The only positive part about our dining experience is that we were seated before our time quoted. After that, it was all down hill from there. We all sat down and the table was dry but STICKY what seems to be years of dirt and food not properly cleaned off. Then Wendi, or server, greeted us shortly after. She brought the drinks and after taking our appetizer order had disappeared, no where to be seen for a good 15 minutes. When she finally came back, she took our orders and awhile later, the appetizer arrived. We ordered a rib eye steak cooked well done in addition to our seafood orders. After she took the order, Wendi came back after 30 minutes to tell us it was coming out shortly. Ten minutes later, she was no where to be found, so I walked up to the host stand and told a Host that our food was taking forever and I could not find our server. I went back to my seat, the food finally came which literally took 50 minutes. Some of us were sitting there for an entire hour and had decided not to eat the appetizer to save our appetites for our entrees. All of our entrees were cold: the Steampot, Seafood platter, the Ribeye, and the side of broccoli. I had specifically asked for the broccoli to be extra soft for my Toddler. It arrived wilted and cooked medium like it was nuked in the microwave. The steak was served Medium Rare, the Steam pot was not steaming. I asked to substitute my crab stuffed shrimp for deep fried shrimp but that was not done when my seafood platter arrived. You can imagine that after waiting an hour for my food and then it not arriving correctly, how disappointed and aggravated I felt along with the rest of my family. My husband ordered well done steak that was bleeding all over the plate after he ate 2 bites. The crab tasted good but it was cold and not steaming. For goodness sakes, your specialty is steaming crab, you can't stream broccoli to? It's ridiculous that your restaurant has to microwave vegetables like a fast food joint. After dining here, I looked at your rating on Yelp and saw that we were not the only ones disappointed. Your rating is 3 stars or of 5. I rate only 1 star. The service was not good. Had Wendi continually informed us through the duration of or waiting that it was going to take longer our that the chef over cooked the first steak and had to make another steak, maybe I would not be writing this. The food was delivered cold. And the food was over priced relative to my dining experience. I will not ever eat there again and will advise ask my friends and family not to dine there as well.
(1)
Kim m.

Service was by far the worst ever! The place had a handful of people so three was no excuse for it! I had a bowl of clam chowder if you can call it a bowl and it was Luke warm! Keep driving and head to Pismo.
(2)
Jacquelyn N.

I had great service here! The only problem is the $$ its a chain restaurant but the prices are blah. I feel like nothing on the menu is a deal. It really bummed me out in fact. i remember that they used to have unlimited shrimp, but that seemed to disappear on their menu. Also the sauces seemed similar on everything... a distinct hint o mayonnaise, blech! I didn't feel good after eating there. The only upside is the VIEW! I mean I don't know many places in Ventura that have such a view! Not a good place to eat but some cocktails during sunset would be an option in the future!
(3)
Leslie N.

Foods really good but it's very very pricey! To be honest I was disappointed with their selections of seafood! No shrimps by the pound. I ordered a dungeness crab which was $30 with only 3 legs n two tiny potatoes. The staff was really awesome. I work in a restaurant as well and I like how their staff is with the customers.
(2)
Scott O.

I have no idea who might have viewed Joe's as anything but 5 star, but setting previous reviews aside, we found the entire experience as sensational. I had a bucket of snow crabs and a lobster for $32 and my girl had a bucket of crabs for $27 and better crustaceans could not be found at a better price. Came with cob corn and great fries. I'm a minute we'll have s'mores and chocolate turtle something with coffee, and reluctantly head back to LA. Want to move to Ventura so we can be fat little pigs.
(5)
Jarrod O.

This was my second time here with my family first time was kind of slow but the food made up for it. Last night was my second and last time, 27 minutes until my wife asked a server if we could get drinks, the manager gave us a free app which did not matter the food is really good the service is horrible
(2)
Cole G.

I actually drive from Los Angeles to Ventura to visit this location because I like it so much. It's close to the pier and old town Ventura. We just went again on Saturday for lunch and it was a grand slam. Arrived to our reservation at 1:30 and we were seated in 2 minutes. I had the Boston Steamer that consisted of 2 medium lobsters, shrimp, clams, a sausage. N.E. potato's, corn on the cob and it was only $44! The drinks are pretty good too. Wendy was serving us and on our way out I asked to talk to the manager Sherri but I did not tell them why. When she came out I just told her I know people only take the time to complain and never complement so I let her know my wife and I really enjoyed ourselves. The food was awesome, the view stellar and the Hurricanes spot on. It's very kid friendly too but we did not have any with us. I really have to laugh at anyone that would try to compare this place to something like Lure. This place is half the price and more of a down to earth setting then the West Lake Village or B.H types that are too into themselves for my taste. As for being crowded guess what people, if you anywhere during the lunch or dinner rush hour what do you expect? You can also do something called a "reservation" and get seated right away! Oh no I said the "R" word! I have been here 6 times in 8 months and I have not had any problems but then again the world does not revolve around me and I don't freak out if a sun is too bright or my ice too cold. Is the place perfect? heck no but for the price and the setting it does the trick! Maybe I get better service because I am having fun or because I am respectful and polite back to the servers?
(4)
Flee B.

Service very slow. Food just ok. People are nice. They depend on Old Bay spice to give food flavour and they use a bucket full too. Very very expensive for what u get. Plan on $25 per person average and can go a lot higher and this is without drinks
(3)
Michael D.

30+min wait for table,bar only seats 13 or less took 15 min to order $28 Arctic barrier Steam pot had 2 crab legs (lame) Potatoes were hard Clams,muscles were dope Dr pepper refills were norm We got seated in the very end corner of the building like outcasts in the corner View is dope if your seated by the windows,freeway then Ventura ocean Kool wall & table art Waiters and waitresses are 18-30 that dance I had a fun with the family But its Over priced sea food,you must strategize.,there's more then the steam pots & other baskets Meh
(2)
Brittany C.

Avoid this place. Absolutely rude employees on numerous occasions. The food tastes like plastic, much like the interior decor. Smelt alcohol reeking off our server. Completely over priced, loud and obnoxious. The manager is a complete A-HOLE and was rude to our group of 8 and told us we could just leave. Not worth the time or money spent here.
(1)
Venicia B.

This was actually my first time at a Joe's Crab Shack location & I rather enjoyed it. There weren't too many people at the time that we went, so we had a pretty fantastic view of venture beach. Our servers name was Wendi & she was so friendly & quite entertaining of I do say so myself. We started off the meal with a sampler platter that included the worlds best ever crab dip with chips, fried calamari, & their great balls of fire ( which are deep fried balls of crab, cream cheese, & jalapeÃ±os). The fried calamari was huge pieces & cooked to perfection. I absolutely hate when you order calamari & it has that rubbery texture; so not the case here. It couldn't have been cooked any better or any fresher. The crab dip was to die for. It was this cheesy crab goodness. I could seriously eat that dip all day. It was my first time eating crab dip & all I can say is where have you been all my life?!?!?! The great balls of fire were so good. It was like a jalapeÃ±o popper but with crab instead of bacon & then deep fried. Downside.... It only comes with 3. Found myself wishing for more when they were gone. All & all I must say I really enjoyed the sample platter & will definitely be ordering that again. Next we ordered the seaside platter & it came with beer battered fish & chips, jumbo crunchy breaded shrimp and breaded scallops, with coleslaw. The whole meal was delicious. My favorite though was the shrimp. They were huge & full of flavor. Might possibly be some of the best fried shrimp I've ever had. The only dislike I really had was the coleslaw. I wasn't a fan. But the shrimp more than made up for it. My friend ordered one of the steampots & he loved it. He raved about how great it was. I did try a mussel from the pot & I will say it was really great. Made me think twice about not ordering one of the steampots. Although it forces me to come back. Not like I needed any extra reasons. Take a day & spend it at the beach & stop here for a good meal... & don't forget to order a shark bite. U won't be disappointed.
(3)
Stephanie O.

Got here at 3:10 took 15 min. To be seated on the patio, our server didn't come to our table to greet us till 3:52 (27min!) and that was after I flagged down a host and spoke to a manager. Thank god for the play area or the 3 kids we brought with us would have been going crazy! Service wasn't great after she finally got to the table, seems like they would all just rather not be there, manager was not friendly and an ability to empathize with guests is not something that would be on her resume! 2 stars because the steam pots are always good! Mahi tacos, not so much! If you do go here don't expect much from the service and get there before your actually hungry by the time you get your food you will be!
(2)
DesireeNjunior L.

So we came out here to Joes for our first time, also this was my first time ever to eat any kinda seafood. I was nervous and didn't know how it was going to turn out to be, but thanks to my love, she was like just try it, you'll like it . I'm glad I did, I loved it . We was helped by Douglas, he was so good and helpful, took his time to explain it all to us. We had a lil of everything. Now I can say I have had seafood and glad my first time was at JCS. Now I can wait to go back and try other things.
(5)
Ryan W.

Kind, friendly staff and great service. couldnt make up our minds on which type of seasoning so we had them surprise us. we were brought crab with the firegrilled seasoning and it was fantastic. I gave it 4 stars because we spent nearly $80 and werent really completely full, that math doesnt quite add up to me. will definetly go back when i feel like spending that much on a date night again tho because as i mentioned, the food and service was superb and the happy hour beers were only $3.00 for a decent brew (not that light watered down beer some places are proud to offer a happy hour deal on) I cant remember what else was on the tap there but in my eyes $3.00 for an 805 was a deal. Definitely could meet the guys here for happy hour beers and apps and get out the door for less than $20
(4)
Rudy R.

This is place is overrated!! Too much salt in the fries and the coconut shrimp was pure batter .. Sent that shit right back to the kitchen! Nice manager tho he was kind enough to take off bill.. I will never come back to this place...ever!!
(1)
Carlos R.

Got the Joe's Steam Pot. It was good, but I liked it a lot better when it had Dungeness crab.
(3)
Janet G.

Joe's crab shack has been our favorite treat whenever we visit Ventura...I am sad to say, tonight will be our last visit. Arrived and were told 45 minutes by the teenager hostess running the front of the restaurant (why oh why do most eating establishments make this awful mistake?). OK so we start walking towards the playground outside and notice 6 empty tables. Why would your inexperienced, not even out of highschool hostess sit guests here to alleviate the massive crowds waiting patiently to eat? You tell me. Time goes on and the tables continue to remain empty or new ones become empty with no rush to fill them. When my husband counts seven empty tables, he says something. They say they are held for reservations. Another excuse I overhear when many angry customers ask are: I'm so sorry I just don't have any tables! Um, NOT TRUE. Then when they go to seat the people right before us, they are asked if they want a table or booth. Whaaaaaaaaaaaa? I thought there were no tables? FINALLY get seated 1 hour after arriving. Food was good, waitress was good. But not good enough to keep me coming back and having to wait the hour it takes to get seated because of poor management. Managers, PLEASE be managers. That's what you're hired for. To MANAGE. So make a little effort to manage the front of the house and help the juvenile hostesses out, because it's clear they don't have a clue what they're doing. I saw the manager in the back the whole time, never once coming out to check on things. Not acceptable.
(1)
Julie W.

Something is wrong with their water or plumbing, the entire restaurant smelled like a sewer. Food is mediocre at best. The service is good, and the view is great- unfortunately that doesn't make up for the food and smell.
(1)
Courtney K.

Came here for lunch today with my fiance. The hostess was sweet, however she did seat us all the way at the end of the restaurant, probably the furthest I have sat inside the restaurant. When I made a comment, on it, she asked 'oh is this too far away?' My honey said, 'No, its kinda romantic!'. And I agreed, at the time, however it worked to a disadvantage. I can see why there was no one there during what should be a time for lunch rush. Our server 'Joey', was nice and at least introduced himself at the very beginning of his service, after that it was all downhill. We ordered the sampler appetizer which was good, in fact the crab dip was amazing! I just wanted the endless soup and salad. The caesar salad was chopped into really small pieces and it was mostly the core and yellow leaves, so I really had to stab it to get a substantial bite. The soup was a Lobster bisque, it was made with a red pepper/tomato base, so it was okay, but not as creamy as I think a bisque to be. It tasted more like tomato soup with little shredded chunks of lobster in it. My fiance ordered just the classic steam pot for $23.99. The dungeoness (sp?) crab was great, and sweet. However the Snow crab tasted like it had been cooked previously frozen, and then steamed-cooked again. So the meat was stringy and mealy. Rather disappointing for sure! He also ordered the endless salad and soup lunch combo. Now for me I find the purpose of ordering something to be endless, as something that you order and as soon as your dish is empty, you are brought another one... I could be wrong, but at least that is how my french fries are at Red Robin!!! I digress... Joey came to our table a total of 4 times, and two of those times were to clear plates. I ordered hot tea, he never asked if I wanted a refill of hot water, and that mug sat close to empty 2 of the times he came to the table, he even looked down at it, but never offered to refill, it wasn't until his 3rd trip to remove plates that I asked for a refill. He never asked if I wanted another salad or another soup, NEVER, not once. How frustrating!!! When I asked for a to-go container finally, 'Joey' our server rolled his eyes. As if we were inconveniencing him. He never asked if B wanted a refill on his soda, nor did he ask us how the food was, he did ask if we needed anything else? one time. I glanced into the kitchen on our way out, and the fryers were filthy and covered in batter, the floor had food all over it, it was a pig sty. Worst of all, there was a TV in the kitchen. Why in the hell would the cooks, expeditor, and waiters/waitresses need a TV in the kitchen. The kitchen is usually the one place where there should be no distractions from serving food!!! Needless to say we will not be returning to this Joe's in a very long time, if at all. I would say they would have to under go new management, or new owners or something pretty drastic to return here and pay the outrageous prices they charge for food, since the service was so crappy! The tip was a direct reflection of the service received and I do not feel bad about my decision to tip as low as I did!
(1)
Mario C.

WTF Happened to this place last time I was here was about a yr ago. We were rudely seated outside we sat down for about 20 min nobody came. Me and my gf looked at each other and said let's get outta this dump. So sad such a nice view and location for a great restaurant but this place has gone down hill.
(1)
Christina H.

went here for my 22 bday a little early(May, last year(2014)). i did my research and knew what i wanted. i ended up with something else... went here with my folks and my friend. we sat outside and enjoyed the sea air. was expecting a better meal, good waitressing, and better ambiance. i gave them 3 stars because of the view. wow! beautiful! it wasnt that busy, and found a table, sat down, nothing. the wait staff was inside taking amongst themselves. I see our waitress come out and she heads toward us. with our drinks. we order, and i ordered a new menu item; forgot what it was called, but it wasn't anything special. the muscles were rubbery, dry, and the half of lobster(i asked for a whole lobster(i love seafood/shellfish) and a different seasoning) i had got had the brown bowels of the crustacean i so adore...sadly ate it. i really had my heart set on something else. needless to say, i was very disappointed in this. my friend and i went home and we all felt sick. like not to the extreme, just a little like we ate something wrong, but not throw up-y. i am NEVER going back. i think that its the best choice. the manager did come out, apologize, and she gave us a free order of the lobster nachos(although i think they charged us for them...). they were okay, but too much cream on the lobster, making it really rich and some of the chips were dried out too much/stale...combined with cheddar cheese. my meal was okay, but could've been better. didn't want such little lobster. i wanted the whole lobster...not the half...i kept telling her, too. she looked at me like i was speaking gibberish. -_-
(3)
Brianne N.

This location has ridiculously slow service. I've been there twice with my family, the first time it wasn't even half full; the second time we were the only people there. I guess because it was so empty, the servers were mostly socializing instead of paying much attention to our table. The slow service trumps the food. Won't come back.
(2)
fran k.

Aside from all the reviews!!! We (DaHUbBy, myself, D, MeS) really enjoyed this place! The service wasn't bad, friendly waiters, great food(as u can see in the pics I've posted.... FintÃ²!!!!! Lol.... Really fun causal seating outside overlooking the beach!! Cool visitss!!!!
(4)
Brenda F.

I was so bummed with the service/ experience. usually the service is great, the steam pots are filled with food. This time it sucked BAD, my steam pot was empty & the waitress forgot about us 3 times, all the waiters where gathered up joking around & we couldn't get their attention. finally Brenda the manager there apologized but kept messing up the orders & to top it off they where completely empty. our dinner total was 156$
(1)
David L.

We walked in at 12:30, they weren't busy at all by anyone's definition. Had to wait 5 minutes to get seated. Once seated we waited 10 minutes but no service or acknowledgement we were there so we walked out. Menu is very limited if your not a fish eater. I understand it is primarily a seafood restaurant but expected more options than chicken fingers and a steak dinner.
(1)
Jen S.

My fiancÃ© and I had a very nice "happy hour" style meal at the bar at Joe's tonight after work! They offer $2 Fat Tuesday specials: $2 hurricanes, beer, fried pickles, fried crawfish and popcorn shrimp. We're suckers for a good deal. Between my honey and I we tried all of the specials: $2 Hurricanes (they grow on you) $2 Miller or Bud Light $2 Fried Pickles (surprisingly great) $2 Fried Crawfish $2 Popcorn Shrimp Antonio was a great bartender! We had a nice evening chatting with him about sports. I would highly recommend Tuesdays at Joe's and look forward to coming back soon! P.S. Gorgeous views and a nice option for families with children because of their enclosed jungle-gym.
(4)
Mel P.

Great service, relaxing atmosphere with a view of the ocean. The food tasted great and definitely filled us up. I had a strawberry margarita that was perfect. I had the East Coast platter which had a crabcake, fish, coleslaw (I didnt want fries), crab stuffed shrimp and onion rings. I would recommend this restaurant.
(5)
Travis K.

I was not very impressed with the food here this time. The snapper and what was supposed to be cray fish what burnt and what tasted like pre frozen stuff. The calamari was good my ladies crab bucket looked good too, but overall this was a disappointment.
(2)
J R.

As bad as can possibly be. Zero stars if possible. Our meal took THREE HOURS, and half of our table didn't even get what they ordered because we were alerted at the last minute that they were out. Our waiter was a bumbling moron who didn't check on us at all or let us know what was going on. While a single situation like this may not make a restaurant incompetent, repetition does. A last-chance follow-up meal was extremely disappointing and shows that this place is but a shadow of its former self.
(1)
Ron F.

I frequently rely on Yelp reviews, especially for those places that I have never been to and based on the reviews of this place, I will NEVER be going. Readers take heed to the "honest" postings, life is too short to ever experience a dump....
(1)
J. S.

Great location and friendly staff. The food was really bad... my husband and I got pretty sick after eating here. Maybe we shouldn't have ordered lobster and crab? As a random side note - about every 30 minutes the wait staff dance. The ironic part was that they wait staff were SO not into dancing... they were doing the moves with lackluster effort... it really seemed like a complete waste of time. AND they insult hollywood stars in their dance. Hey, it was funny.... and was probably the most entertaining thing of the whole evening! ......but I highly doubt that Joe's Crab Shack is OK with their dance moves making fun of celebrities. Isn't that a lawsuit waiting to happen? Just sayin....
(1)
Jamie C.

Party of two on Saturday afternoon, they quoted us a 30-mintue wait and meant every minute of it. My hunny and I soaked up the wait time at the bar. We both opted for a couple cold glasses of Blue Moon (pitcher to be exact!) yelp.com/biz_photos/joesâ€¦ with fat orange slices and a basket of calamari. Calamari was just ok, there weren't many crunchy battered rings and no lemon wedge, it was mainly battered tentacles. The bar needs a little love and attention- from the set up & seating down to the alcohol selection. There are 7 bar stools with room for at least 10 persons seating capacity. The drink menu boosts colorful drinks, but not much you can do in the mixology department as far as customizing for those premium pours. If you're into a good mojito, they advertise a good looking Pineapple mojito, just know they don't muddle the mint leaves. One thing they do have is beer, about 8 taps. The menu is straight forward. Steam pots are the way to go, yelp.com/biz_photos/joesâ€¦ choose your seafood combo & flavor section, most buckets are served with sausage; all buckets have red potatoes and corn on the cob. You can substitute your sides for something else, I do the creamy potatoes with bacon and onion stings. Carrot Cake was moist and yummy! I liked that the cake was topped with toasted coconut, added a nice crunch! yelp.com/biz_photos/joesâ€¦ The food and beautiful ocean views was really all I like about Joes Ventura. Customer service is one thing that was always shaky in the past. However, this last visit customer service was very different. Our server was awesome, attentive, had a great sense of humor; prompt to fix order when the wrong sides were served. The manager checked up on us a few times, something I have never seen here. Seems like Joe's Ventura is working hard to make some needed changes. kudos!
(3)
Cecily B.

I've been to another Joe's before and had a great time. This location.... Idk..... I just . It took us over an hour to get our food. Then we get our food after people that came in after us. Our waiter never came to check on us until she dropped off our food and was sure we were paying or leaving a tip. The food wasn't good here. The only great part of this meal was my beer. I'm so sad because I had such a great experience at the other one. I will not be coming back to this one. I'm sorry Joe.
(1)
Jackie J.

We used to go here when it was a Charthouse Restaurant and we were very sorry to see it go. However, the replacement is not too shabby! We've only been a couple of times, but I think it's our new go-to place after we've enjoyed a full day of Ventura Scottish Festival and Games! What's not to love??? Bangers and mash for lunch, seafood for dinner before the trek home! Being a displaced east coast person who misses fresh seafood a LOT, I enjoy Joe's steampots. Lots of seafood, sometimes sausage, different combos, corn and potatoes... just yummy! It's not quite the same as getting it on the east coast, but it's still pretty good! Being a creature of habit, I'll probably stick with the steampots because they just hit the spot right for me... all I have to do is decide what mood I'm in and that will determine which steampot I go for! Bonus is it sits just off the ocean, so you can eat outside on the deck, in the sun, with a breeze and a beautiful view. Or, there is plenty of inside dining as well. We've not tried that, and probably won't unless it's particularly chilly out. We really like the outdoor seating. Just writing this makes me want to go there now... seafood... want it. *g* Give it a try!
(4)
Amber T.

I used to love the crab shack... But today not so much. Food was cold, had to flag down our waiter for drinks. Ordered a drink that comes in a souvenir cup. When we got our bill he said I could dump out the ice in our bucket/trash can on the table lol! Maybe I'm spoiled from going to bubba gump shrimp in Santa Monica if you order a drink in a souvenir cup they wash it and package it for you.. Little strange I loved crab shack now not so much. Cold food and not to mention rude service. Probably not going back that sucks cuz I used to really love it
(1)
Kay L.

Came with my husband to Joe's because we had a gift card. We both had steampots- I forget what mine was called but it had mussels, clams, shrimp, and King Crab. The mussels & clams were good, shrimp was OK, crab was COLD, potatoes undercooked, corn was yummy. With the amount of food in this dish, I feel like no matter what, you have to eat something cold, because there's no way to eat it all fast enough to keep it warm. Pretty disappointed because cold crab is just not good. My husband got the Cajun steampot and he said it was very hot (he was warned!) and although he wouldn't get it again, he seemed satisfied. The place doesn't feel clean enough to me, especially with a baby in tow (high chairs, ick!) Service was good, friendly server. No complaints. Overall our experience was "OK". Nothing great. I don't see us returning unless we have another gift card or something.
(2)
Tyler S.

What can I say.. Waited 45+ minutes for a terribly overpriced dinner that was pretty gross.. Didn't finish my $24 plate.. Left one star cuz the waitress was nice..
(1)
Eric L.

Things I would rather do before eating at Joe's again: Drive across the country behind an old lady with her turn signal on the entire way; Read War and Peace without punctuation; Have a stranger set my alarm clock for random times every night for a month; Eat a package of Oreos with the filling licked out; Sweat to the Oldies; Have someone change the channel five minutes before the end of every TV show I ever watch; Run out of toilet paper during a bout with the stomach flu; Follow Nickelback on tour; Go to Red Lobster. Jesus H. Christ this place is dreadful. I don't even care that they got my order wrong. It happens. But getting a waiter to fix it was like trying to find a girlfriend in a gay bar. After wandering around the floor for five minutes, I literally had to walk into the greasy bowels of the kitchen to get my own fork and Tabasco sauce. The manager saw me and just shrugged, and still nobody followed up. The fish and chips (that I didn't order but ate anyway) tasted like soggy ass dredged in Old Bay. Even so, it looked better that the tiny over-fried sampler platter my poor neighbors got - which appeared nothing like the pretty picture on the menu. And the goddamn computer froze when I tried to pay, leaving me stuck like Chuck for another ten awful minutes. For about the same price, you can go to Lure or Brophy Brothers or Andrea's or Rhumb Line and get good, fresh seafood. Or you can come here and get frozen processed crap and a souvenir mason jar and a t-shirt that says "I Got Crabs at Joes." I'm sorry... I'd write more, but I have to go gargle the bad taste out of my mouth.
(1)
Tim M.

Great food , great Service:) our hostess Rachel and our waitress Meghan were the best
(5)
Chris G.

Went there for lunch today. I was looking forward to the coconut shrimp. Had not had it in over a year so I had forgotten that it wasn't all that great last time. The view is amazing, and that is the only thing that deserves a "star" in this review. I sat on the patio totally by myself. Not one other person in sight. Doesn't matter that it was the middle of the afternoon - might not be the busiest time of day, but SOMEONE ELSE should have been there. Most decent restaurants have customers throughout the day. Right before I left, some other customers finally appeared. Anyway, I ordered the coconut shrimp. After waiting about 15 minutes, I was brought a plate of two pieces of fish that appeared to be cod, but it was really pollock. I informed the server that this was not what I ordered and she apologized and said I could keep it if I wanted to eat some of it while waiting for my coconut shrimp. That was nice of her. She might have been the manager - I'm not sure. Anyway, I did not care for the flavor - they should have used cod. And it was greasy, so I didn't eat more than a bite. The coleslaw was about 1-1/2 tablespoons in one of those tiny little paper cups that you pull apart and they become flat. Really? Not even a little dish with a larger portion? Coleslaw is super cheap and any restaurant can afford to be generous with it. When the coconut shrimp arrived, they were huge and golden and looked wonderful. But I soon realized that they were about 75% breading with a very small shrimp inside. And the batter wasn't even fully cooked. Quite frankly, it was disgusting. I advised my server that I just could not eat that. I don't know who they're trying to fool into thinking that those are huge shrimp when in reality, it's mostly breading. I was asked if I wanted to order something else, but by then, I was pretty much done with Joe's and I had lost my appetite. I'm afraid this is not the place to come for quality seafood and that's a shame because the location is great and so was the staff, but I'm mostly paying for a good meal, and I did not get that. I drove 60 miles from the San Fernando Valley just for this meal. I won't make that mistake again. So disappointing.
(1)
Nina M.

Food was good but service terrible! We've been here several times but not in the last year. They've definitely lost sight of customer service.
(2)
Daniel L.

Had a big family gathering of 12 and got seated quickly. Although it wasn't a busy night, had a waitress come to the table quickly. However, it's took a little over 30 minutes for the food to come out. This was a problem because I was in more of a hurry. However, the food was great! Got the steampot to try out all sorts of things. Came with crab, potatoes, shrimp, and corn on the cob. The setting was nice, right by the beach and had that seafood style decor. Overall good experience and would go again. Obviously don't go if you're in a rush, it is a sit down place.
(4)
Jocelyn R.

Our table ended up waiting 30 minutes before we got our order taken and another 45 minutes for our food. The place had no one in it so what took so long? Basically our waitress was non existent. All of our alcoholic blended drinks had no alcohol in them, and when we finally got our food it was barely warm. Service was terrible. And then we had to listen to another waitress tell her table about her family's child abuse.
(1)
Samantha H.

Had dinner here with friends after over 5 years away since the last experience was so terrible. Apparently nothing has changed. Even though we called ahead for a table for 6, we waited almost half an hour to sit. We kept being told just 5 more minutes by the incredibly inept teenagers at the front. The lobby area was so crowded we waited outside... they knew we were there because we kept coming back in to check if the table was ready, but no one came out to tell us when it finally was. The ambiance in here is as cheesy as ever. And INCREDIBLY LOUD. I could not hear the person next to me, I had to read lips. I know the servers usually dance here on weekends. While we were waiting, a 'dance' song came on and one lonely server danced over by our table. It was kind of silly and since it was in front of the bar, other servers kept having to dodge her with their trays full of drinks. I think it's all just to distract you from how bad the food is? But I digress.... I ordered a strawberry margarita that tasted like it had no alcohol in it at all. I usually get a little buzzed after one drink and this did nothing for me. My friend ordered a patron margarita and said the same thing. Our server was very friendly and took our orders quickly. We then waited OVER AN HOUR to get our food. And then it arrived cold. I had some platter thing with fried fish, clam strips and fries. The fish was ok, the clam strips were very bready, there were more chunks of breading than clams. The best thing on the plate was the coleslaw... their coleslaw is yummy. Others in our group had the Garlic Hotpot and not only was there NO garlic flavor to speak of, the lobster was chewy and inedible, and the crab legs were skinny. All of it was cold. It's served in a pot with a lid!! How do you manage to serve that cold??? The manager came over and was very apologetic... he ended up taking 50% off our bill but considering how ridiculous the prices are here I still feel like we overpaid. Our server was kind and I feel bad that he has to be the person on the front lines between customers and the crap this restaurant is serving. The reviews here on yelp do not lie... save your money and have REALLY good Ventura County fish at HK Seafood in the Channel Islands Harbor. Leave this place to tourists who don't know any better.
(1)
Sara R.

I am so in love with this place. It's right on the beach and you can smell the Beach air!! It even has a playground outside of the restaurant for the youngsters!! I have never had a problem with the service here. The food is always amazing here! I always get the steam pot with the crab legs Cajun style. It is perfectly seasoned. It usually comes with sausage, shrimp, and butter sauce. They even give you a bib to wear when you eat it!! They also have a drink with a toy shark in it that pours out red liquid so it looks like blood..alcoholic of course:))) Can't go wrong with this place but be warned...fri and sat huge wait lines. I've waited over an hour before!!
(4)
Shane F.

What a waste of $60 bucks. Food was small portions and fried to the max. Once you get passed the batter to see how tiny the shrimp is. Service took forever. I ordered another beer and 15 minutes later they brought me the other one, but by that time my buzz already was gone.
(2)
Aaron L.

We've had many Joe's Crab Shack experiences over the last decade or so, and this is going to be the last. It seems like each time we visit, the price goes up and the portions get smaller. This was no exception. On our way home from LA, we wanted a place with a great view and some good seafood. You definitely can't beat the location and it was just about time for dinner. With fond memories of previous visits we pulled in to the nearly empty parking lot. It was all down hill from there. As we approached, we could see the trash bins completely overflowing with garbage right beside the restaurant. After making our way inside, there was nobody there to be seen. We waited for a few mins and just as we were about to go in search of help, someone came to seat us. P knew exactly where she wanted to sit, and really it was the whole reason we came. We took a spot outside so we could enjoy the sunset with our meal. I was concerned that sitting outside we would be forgotten about, but the service turned out to be very good. We were shocked at how expensive the menu has become, but lucked out that it was happy hour and all the apps were 1/2 off. They also had some pretty good drink deals. We ordered the "bucket of shrimp" and "double dip" appetizers which came out quickly and hot. Thumbs up for the apps! After some debate, we chose the King Crab "bucket" and figured we'd share since we had apps and would probably have some dessert. Not to mention, it was over $30, it had to be a fair amount of food, right? When it arrived it was indeed a pretty good size bucket, but the amount of food in said bucket was pretty dismal. There were 3 crab legs, 2 red potatoes and 1 ear of corn. $10 per leg? Seriously?! The crab wasn't even that good, it was dry and literally flaked apart. To top off the whole experience, the bathrooms were disgusting, and that is coming from a dude. There was crumpled up paper all over the floor and some weird bucket in one of the stalls that E and I couldn't figure out the purpose of. Plus the stall that E tried to use didn't lock. P said the women's room was worse and one of the stalls had no TP at all. Considering how slow it was, it was surprising the bathrooms were so ignored. In the end, the waitress was great and our food came out quickly. We never had an empty glass and loved watching the sunset over the ocean. But next time, we'll stop a little further up the coast.
(2)
Tony L.

I honestly don't get the negative reviews. The basic steamed bucket for two was pretty good. The kids steam bucket was well worth the $10 for my daughter, and the playground just made this my kids favorite restraurant. Amazing view and the server Jeremy was helpful, friendly, and just about the best server we've ever had at a restraurant.
(5)
Bulent L.

We just left there. We came on Tuesday. It wasn't crowded . Amy was serving us. We got seated fast and food arrived promptly. food was excellent and service was great. The price is fair. Amy was sweet and friendly . we were all satisfied. Bathroom was clean, only thing negative it's noise outside dinning. Well freeway is there, but you get see good view of beach and ocean.
(5)
Modern H.

I've had some horrible dining experiences in my life, but Joe's may top them all. First of all, Eric L's review is hilarious and I share his thoughts, exactly. I recommend reading that, as well. Reasons why Joes's is ok: 1. The view (which I didn't see, where I was sitting) Reasons why Joe's sucks: 1. Decor / interior - dingy, contrived themey-ness 2. Service - guy seemed friendly, but then disappeared for long periods of time. Also, it took well over an hour from the time we sat to finally getting our food. I can't remember worse service. 3. Food (smell and taste) - I love seafood and food in general. I also have a pretty good understanding about cooking and ingredients. Everything that came to our table was extremely over cooked and aggressively salted and lost all subtlety and nuance in the flavor department. Really awful, I can still taste it in my mouth, nearly a day later. An extra bonus - May never be able to have anything with old bay seasoning again. I've never had worse shrimp in my life, tasted like cat food (not that I've had any, mind you). 4. Price - This place isn't exactly a value, but I expected that, given the market price of crab. But there are so many better places for the money and cheaper too. I recently went to Go's Mart Sushi (one of the best sushi places in America, IMO btw), which is very expensive. But to think that I could have had a few bites there for the amount I paid at Joe's, is blasphemy. Or to think I could have eaten most places in town, for that price, is disturbing. Go to Stephen's on main, that's an undiscovered gem. No seafood, but incredible food for insane prices. 5. The feeling (and horrible after taste) of part of your soul leaving your body, after you realized that you just wasted 3 hours and $40 on a terrible experience, that you can never have back. DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER, EAT HERE OR EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE!!
(1)
Brian W.

3 Strikes your out! Substandard food with anything worth a darn served in meager portions. Service was good. We've been to this locations probably 4 times since 2011. Every time I order a steam pot. The first time I came here was actually good. Large portions of crab with huge claws, the first time I came here was everything I hoped for and more. I must say every time we have gone back it gets progressively worse. I'll save some time and sum up our last and final time. (We actually swore we were never coming here again but decided to give it one last try) First off, outside before you even walk in the place it smells like a sewer. Like straight out of the sewer. I'm not sure what the smell is, but that enough should warm people to turn around and run the other direction. We came late in the evening and there was no wait. Staff was pleasant and our waitress was nice. No complaints on service. Appetizer was pretty standard (sampler). It wasn't bad but it wasn't good. That's ok since the actual dinner is where you do the eating. Here's the kicker, I ordered a crab steam pot. When your looking at the menu these things are overflowing with crab and food, and I understand that most places don't look exactly like the menu but they at least give it the old "college try". When they bring the stream pot its covered and they open it in front of you. This should be one of those 'Viola' moments but instead went over like a bad joke (in fact the server delivered it with a bad joke. Something about "this crab was so mad, he's steamed". He then ran off. ) I couldn't believe my eyes when the crab pot had 3 measly crab legs. And I mean measly. Definitely not large, not medium, but MEASLY. I was pissed and insulted. My $30 steam pot had probably about $7 worth of food in it. I immediately let the waitress know that this was not acceptable and I didn't want it. She ran off (I'm sure I scared her with the flames coming out of my face) and said I'll get the manager. The manager took one look and let me know that they were steaming more crab for me and it would be right up. This is the ONLY reason this place got 2 starts instead of 1. She returned with 4 more decent size legs and it soothed the Savage beast. Now I have been ranting about the crab, but only since I feel this is the most important food item at Joe's CRAB shack. But let me tell you about the other items in the pot. The mussels were gross, they smelled bad and tasted just as horrible. Did they scrape these off the pier pilings a month ago? The clams were not as bad but tainted by the taste of the mussels. My gf ordered a shrimp dish which was equally gross. Undercooked rice and about 6-7 small shrimp that looked like they came out of a grocery store frozen shrimp section. Don't eat here! For what we spent you can get FRESH quality seafood somewhere else, where the "cleaned" tables aren't gross and sticky, and they don't try to serve you lackluster quality frozen seafood you can buy at Von's for $25!
(2)
Paul M.

I didn't realize this place existed, or rather, how to get to it for the longest time. I've been here a handful of times now with family. Great Cadillac margarita, but the food has always been a bit disappointing. I've had mediocre crab three times, and a mediocre burger once. On the plus side the help is quick and their dancing is kinda entertaining. Also, there is a playground to keep the kids entertained.
(3)
Matthew B.

What happened to this place? The one near San Diego is always fun and full of life. This place is just so unorganized, it's sad. We drove 100 miles round trip 'cause there's not a decent crab/lobster place anywhere (that I know of) in the SFV, so we drove. Got there early to avoid the long wait... 35 minutes.... Go to the bar to grab a beer. I timed it this time... 12 minutes to get a beer!!! On the way back, I count. but... 12 empty tables. 35 minutes later and they've seated someone else at our table. Okay, at least the kids are seated and we can order. We wait... and wait... and wait... and Kristen is snotty. Great. Order the food and its pretty disgusting. The lobster still had the "poo" in it and green goo all over it (we couldn't eat it), there were (we counted) FIVE shrimp in the jumbo bucket for two (unlike San Diego where they give you too much) No music, no dancing, ho happy atmosphere. Karen the manager at least took off the appetizer and desert, so its two stars instead of one. They've lost a customer for life I'm afraid.
(2)
Johnny T.

This is a fish out of water. How can a nice structure in a nice place serve such garbage whenever they get around to it? Service was beyond horrible. Food was late and cold. Manager doesn't have a clue how to run a restaurant. Stay away until a new owner who knows how to tcb comes in and cleans house.
(1)
Marty S.

Absolutely amazing food and wonderful service. Our server Kass was awesome! I'd recommend this place to anyone and for sure will be coming back!!!
(5)
Chuck M.

After 5 years on the banned list, we decided to give them another try... It's waaay better! their food is no longer all fried and greasy. The service was great. The blackened mahi tacos were great, grilled, with a tasty avocado lime green sauce. The lobster stuffed mushroom appetizer was very good, rivaling Red Lobster's version. The Maui Mahi was grilled / glazed, and served with a mango pico de gallo. The calamari were so so. The peel and eat shrimp appetizer was a hit.. We had the hot version. The boys loved the popcorn shrimp and the chicken strips. My 4 year old girl, loved the mac and cheese. However, she was flabbergasted that they didn't edamame to go with the mac and cheese, Like they do at CPK! You should have seen the look on her face when the waitress said "I'm sorry we done't have edamame." My daughter said " You have to get some!" We will be going back... Due to the previous poor ratings, there is very little waiting for a table right now. Give them another chance!
(4)
John C.

Food was good,service wasn't bad , drinks were great ! The lobster and crabs weren't bad ! Totally enjoyed it
(5)
Melinda P.

I went to Joe's with low expectations. Many friends had told me that the food was so-so and expensive for what it is. In a nutshell, that's true. It is totally corporate food, down to the menu that lists a zillion combinations of the same items, each of them overpiced with the tell-tale attempt to disguise that fact -- the ".99" or ".89" or ".59" price ending... It is also a touristy kind of feel. Luckily we went on a quiet night and did not have to endure any of the reputed singing that occurs. The service was adequate. What compensates for the "meh" food and sort of cheesy ambiance, however, are two things: the view and, if you're a parent, the awesome playground in the back. You can take in both the ocean and your children frolicking while you drink a pretty good margarita, and for that we will certainly be back. Seriously, it is a NICE playground, and if your kids are at least three, you can feel safe sitting outside or even inside at a window seat, watching from afar, drinking a cocktail, and chatting with other parent friends. Honestly, the value of this is hard to overstate, as anyone with young kids will understand. Certainly Padaro in Carp. has better food, view, etc.,and a play area, but if you live in Ventura, Joe's is right here, and it has inside seating when it's windy or cool... Go with low expectations and a small appetite, but bring the kids and have a couple of drinks and it is worth it!
(3)
Tammi L.

Don't waste your money or your time. The food is bad and the service was worse.
(1)
Don M.

The only reason I ate there twice is that my kids love the toy decor. It has a great view and there is a playground outside for the kids. They really have done a good job with the theme, but... the food... well - it was better when it was a Charthouse. K.L. said it right - if it's battered and fried, you can eat it here. I don't recommend venturing away from the fryer here. Unfortunately, I ordered a crab cake sandwich and my wife grilled fish. Both were very big let downs. The food is overly greasy, salty and sugared - tastes like it all comes out of some pre-mixed bag in the freezer.
(1)
sue l.

food was ok..but they had these layered drinks. like a slurpee with all different flavors. each layer a different color a different alcoholic thing..boy you get wasted on them . they were great. the food was ok..nothing to write home about.. the dancing staff was unusual. would go back for the layered drinks..and bring a designated driver..
(3)
K. L.

What can I say, if it came from the sea, was battered and fried, it's here. That and every toy ever made by matel. This place is good if you want to say your eating seafood and being "healthy" but really want a triple bypass. The decore is maddening, old toys from a thrift store hanging EVERYWHERE. They get two stars because every table has a built in bucket for crab legs in the center of the table with a paper towel roll.
(2)
Dirk S.

Straight out O' the freezer Matee....
(1)

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Address : 567 San Jon Rd
Ventura, CA, 93001
Phone (805) 643-3725
Website https://www.joescrabshack.com/
Click To Get Directions

Opening Hours

Mon :11:00 am - 11

Specialities

Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes

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Joe’s Crab Shack

567 San Jon Rd, Ventura, CA, 93001

Joe’s Crab Shack Menu

Appetizers

Salads and Sandwiches

Crabs, Crabs, Crabs

Joe's Fish

Joe's Values

Joe's Specialties

Steak and More

Topsides

Healthy Meal suggestions for Joe’s Crab Shack

Appetizers

Salads and Sandwiches

Crabs, Crabs, Crabs

Joe's Fish

Joe's Values

Joe's Specialties

Steak and More

Topsides

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