Joe's is a typical seafood restaurant chain that tries very hard to make itself into some "we're-world-famous" outfit when they really are nothing more than a festive looking Red Lobster. I used to love this place, but over the last few years, it has gone down hill in a really bad way. As another reviewer noted - at least half of Joe's dishes are the same thing except with little tweaks to them. First of all, the prices are just way too high. I will state that right out of the gate. For what you're getting, they're just ridiculous. When I was there, the place was dead empty on a Saturday evening. I thought we would have a line. Much to my surprise, the place was maybe 30% full? That should have been my first indication to turn right around and go back to the car. We are seated near the bar area, and there's another party sitting two booths down from us. The waitress walked by our booth with not so much as silverware laid on the table for almost 10 minutes before she finally walked up and said "have you been helped?" There's no way, no human way possible she did not know that we had not been helped. Without laboring the point here, the food was mediocre at best. The crab was overcooked to the point of not cracking. The shrimp were small and tough. The service was lacking. I constantly had to ask for more tea after sitting on an empty glass for 5 minutes, only to receive a glass of warm tea. I guess I should have been more specific to ask "can you bring me another glass of tea with ice in it?" It's stuff like that that drives me crazy. If they were hopping busy, I would understand the delay. But this waitress only had two tables to wait on. Ours and the party two booths down from us. If Joe's keeps this up, they're going to be history in short order. Positives? Their southern spiked sweet tea is very good, but again, vastly overpriced and mostly ice. I don't care if they give me a mason jar or not. Give me the option - if you want the mason jar, it's $8. If you just take it in a glass, $5. I don't know what it is about certain restaurants that think that if it has alcohol in it and it's a house specialty drink that they can just rake people over the coals on the cost of the drink. Not impressed. Not going back. I'll stick to the real mom & pop seafood dives that know how to cook crab legs and give you excellent tasting seafood.
(2)
Alex L.
It was my first time dining at joe's and it was pretty good. When we came in the hostess made us aware the kitchen was a little backed up but we had time and decided to stay figuring we could have drinks while waiting. The food was really not that slow to arrive. The nachos were on point. I had two Cat 5 hurricane mixed drinks and they were both awesome, no skimming on the alcohol here. I got the Cajun bucket, and it was the first time I've had seafood served like that, it was great! Really loved getting dirty. The only reason I'm not giving the fifth star is because of the service. While it was busy when we first arrived, it had definitely thinned out after an hour but our waitress was no where to be seen the second half of our stay. Overall we had a fun experience, everything was cooked to perfection, and I would call it a successful impromptu date.
(4)
William C.
Would I return - Maybe I preface this by stating I am not a huge seafood fan. I found the meals to be a tad pricey for the amount and quality of food served. The restaurant was less than half full and the service was just okay. I thought the lobster came out a bit greasy but I did like the grits that came with it. I find this to better than Red Lobster but not my favorite place.
(3)
Joan F.
My husband and I went here for our anniversary. We had not been back in several years because the first time we went here is was very noisy. We decided to sit outside because inside smelled strange. I had the Boston Steam Pot. The lobster tasted good but is was a little tough so, clams were small and the corn was tough. I can say the food was mediocre. My husband ordered the chicken club which was not really what we both thought it would be. It was a grilled piece of chicken on a bun. Not really a club.The fries were very greasy and tasted like they were fried on old grease. The waitress was slow and kept forgetting things. When she came back and asked how the food was my husband told her the chicken was not that great. She offered to get him something else but he declined. It took her awhile to bring the check and she did take the chicken off of the bill which we did not ask for so that was a good thing. It seems like this place is just barely making it and they have done no upgrades to this place in a long time. The place needs a serious make over , get rid of the old smelly carpet and up date the menu.
(2)
Allison M.
Joe's Crab Shack can be a lot of fun, if you're not expecting too much. The two times I've been here have been with a big group of people, and they're pretty accommodating to large parties. That might be because they're usually half empty, but there you have it. They have a (rather expensive) drink with a little shot of liquid that comes in a sharks mouth, which is kinda cute. They also have a huge rubber shark that you can pose with. If you make the mistake of mentioning that it's someones birthday, they make you get up and sing a dance about how you have crabs (Crab Shack - Get it?) I'm not a huge crab fan, but those at the table who were enjoyed their pots. I liked the seasoned corn a lot, and the popcorn shrimp because I am, apparently, a child.
(3)
roaches F.
What a difference a few years make. Been a long time - decide to go back after 3 yrs for a nice crab pot. Other than 2 other tables inside, and 3 tables outside, place is totally empty @ 6:30pm - and it's hot - both outside, and now inside - and eeww, what's that strange smell? Long-haired, unwashed, gap-toothed, "dude, where's my car"-guy walks up: "what's up, boss-man?" Really? That's so wrong on so many levels. What do you say to a totally-clueless waitperson who will be "serving" you tonight? Bite your tongue, smile, and ask for something to drink. Drinks delivered, then our food arrives about 20 minutes later. Did we mention the absolute dearth of other diners competing with us for the kitchen's food preparation? "Anything else?" Not realizing this will be the last time we even see our 'dude' for the next hour, we innocently respond "not right now", and settle in to cracking on some yummy King Crab legs. Err, rather, we start slitting the crab legs with the handy picking tool, as the crab has been so overcooked each leg section bends in half intact, with nary a crack possible. But at least we can effortlessly slide out long, luscious, sweet pieces of King Crab from each leg section - uh, no, not even close - this crab has been frozen, thawed, re-frozen, re-thawed, then hard-boiled such that any semblance of firmly-textured meat has been completely and irretrievably lost. No taste. No texture. Not even remotely resembling King Crab. No solid pieces larger than wet, used and discarded matchsticks - just shrunken, shredded residue of what must have once been crabmeat, stuck to the inside of each leg segment such that we are only able to scrape out the residue after we pry the leg sections open with the slitting tool and then scrape the sections with our fingers. Why did they deliver melted butter, if all we are served is grossly-overcooked, indistinguishable, minuscule shredded portions of what they are passing off as $30 King Crab. Yuk. Now we're feeling somewhat trapped, w/no options: to request a replacement, or a do-over, or even make a comment about our "bad luck" to have gotten a bad batch of crab, or anything, as our 'dude' server has been AWOL for almost an hour. But him missing seems to be the norm, as there are no servers anywhere in the entire restaurant. Guess there's a company party going on out back - wish we had been notified prior to sitting down, so we could've opted out of stopping by an empty restaurant with no hired help. Finally, our 'dude' shows back up. Inasmuch as 'dude' did not ask how our meal was, and did not bother to inquire about why both of our crab pots were still half-full of unopened and un-eaten $30 King Crab legs - we ask for our bill. "No problem". We both agree - it is so good for us to hear that it is no problem for our 'dude' to DO HIS JOB and bring us our bill. Love it. Well, apparently it is a problem, as it now takes another 15 minutes in a still- empty restaurant for our 'dude' to generate and then bring us our bill. No surprise. Everything has gone so swimmingly thus far, why would something as simple as allowing us to pay for such a crappy meal be easy? Pay up, suckers. Good luck with that, Joe's. Never again.
(1)
Rob D.
Coconut shrimp over cooked ..burned. Overpriced for quality. Poor service. Indifferent wait staff. Awful
(1)
Mrs S.
Found a fly baked into my stuffed crab. Most disgusting thing ever....
(1)
Keith H.
Walking in Joe's instantly reminds me of bubba gump's, but it doesn't have their quality. We walk in and we're rather hungry, so we can't wait to sit and order. The host was a young guy, cap on sideways and pants hanging off his a**. Ugh! He walks us to our table, we decline his offer to hear the specials and he proceeds to try and remember our server's name. After a long minute he decides to just tell us to enjoy our meal. Not a great start. Looking over the menu they seem to have a lot of options but you quickly realize its the same thing over and over, just plus or minus an item. Looking at the price you are a little sticker shocked. For the type of place it is, you don't expect those prices. Additionally, its not on the water, which is where you expect to pay a little more for seafood. The mixed drinks were nice. Fairly creative combinations and you even get the mason jars they come in for free. Cool, I guess. I do have to give them some love for their appetizers that look like hush puppies but they are jalapeno and crab filled. I ordered the crab cakes as I am always in search for the best crab cakes. Like usual in central florida, mostly filler and bland to the taste. The sides were typical, nothing amazing. Later, the music comes on at various times and the staff is dancing. Kids jump up and the place is rocking. Its a little too loud for my taste, but the kids loved it. It does tend to interrupt your dinner if you plan on having any kind of conversation with those at your table. My girlfriend ordered a bucket of different types of crab legs. They seemed good but how they are served, if you don't eat fast the last half of your meal is cold by the time you reach it. I had to ask for a claw "cracker" and that seemed problematic to find. I wanted to like this place, seeing how its only 15 mins from the house, but I can't see myself visiting much. sorry.
(2)
Bruce C.
Food was expensive and nothing exciting. Some of the fried fish had a funky taste (possibly old oil) and the overall quality was pretty poor on the supposedly "Fresh" seafood. Crabs and Clams in the Steampot were tasteless and rubbery, which is surprising for a restaurant with "Crab" in the name. Truly disappointing. Service was a little over the top and not in the good way (obnoxious and put off in having to do their presentation). Atmosphere is childish / touristy. Best thing was the Margarita's.. anything to dull (all) the senses at this place is a good thing.
(1)
Kelly L.
We like this place. It's a chain and it is a little pricey, but my son and I usually order something to share and he gets to play on the playground which is a BIG SELL for him.
(3)
Patti M.
This place is a tad pricey but nonetheless good and offered a nice array of steam pots flavored a variety of ways (I chose mine steamed--no seasoning). They also had a pretty nice mixed drink selection. The Titantic Tea was a nice way to get a boozy sugar high. The coconut shrimp were tasty and not greasy and the peel and eat shrimp were rather small but tasted fresh. Our server Gaby was a doll and kept on top on everything. I don't get the foolish dancing required of the waitstaff and could have done without it. There was plenty of seating including nice outside seating. I will likely visit again at some point. If you don't expect much you will enjoy yourself. it's chain restaurant a la Red Lobster. Nothing special but nothing terrible either.
(3)
Peggy J.
Brought my family in to celebrate my sons 18th birthday. Immediately upon entry we noticed how hot it felt inside. Then the weird fish smell hit us. I realize it's a seafood restaurant but the heat draws the smell. Even though the restaurant was unusually slow for 8pm on a Friday evening, we waited longer than need be for attention or to be seated. Once greeted, we were asked if we preferred a table or booth. We were sat at a booth directly in front of the bar where a trio of loud and obnoxious drunks were celebrating the fact that they could get that drunk and openly promiscuous before 9pm. They were loud, sometimes actually screaming in delight of how strong their cocktails were while completely ignoring the fact that a family with children were right there. Finally after continuously being ignored, I got up and asked to move. I had to get up and ask because for the most part, we were ignored the entire evening. The waitress who now was not only our waitress but also the bartender ignored us most of the the time and eventually we started being half served by anyone that worked there and walked by. We ordered a huge meal and paid WAY too much for mediocre food and terrible service. I will NOT be returning! Way to ruin a birthday.
(1)
Theresa M.
The manager was very pleasant he even gave me some $10 off coupons the waitress was pleasant, the seafood is amazing, I'm from Maine and for me to like the seafood it is good.
(5)
Manny C.
Great place. Good atmosphere. Even has a playground for the kids! The food was awesome however our waitress was terrible. It took 15 minutes for her to notice us after we were sat down and another 15 for her to take a drink order. Even after we asked her questions about items on the menu the most she could tell us was that she was new and she didn't know. I got my lobster broil pot which was great. I asked twice for a side of butter. Never got it. While I might come Back I will be sure to be vocal about the crappy service.
(3)
Becky F.
Alright I've been here for over an hour and ordered boiled shrimp and still not received anything. This isn't a busy place right now. Oh well. I left with nothing in my belly. I was served small shrimp after another half an hour.
(1)
Cristina S.
My first time at this location.We went at the perfect time between lunch and dinner rush. We had 2 appetizers the mozzarella sticks and a sampler appetizer with 3 choices in it.Everything was hot and fresh. The kids had chicken fingers and french fries and mac and cheese.We had the artic pot and a crab daddy feast, both were very good with corn and potatoes. The waiter was attentive refilling drinks often and checking on us.Great experience!
(5)
Marvin C.
It was good. I especially like the dancing. :)
(4)
Judy G.
I was really surprised by my last visit to Joe's Crab shack. I ordered the snow crab pot instead of the king crab. It was excelling and had lots of crab meat! I didn't think it was overpriced for the amount of crab that I received. The waitress was great and kept the drinks refilled. I think these places can be a hit or miss, but I will def order the snow crab pot again in the future!
(5)
Jenna C.
After driving by a gazillion restaurants in the area, this one caught my eye. It is pretty ridiculous looking from the outside...tin roof, netting, lots of neon...you know the drill. But I was feeling a little crazy and in the mood for that type of tacky atmosphere. Fish hang from the ceiling, a shark snarled at me from the corner, and they even sold t-shirts that read, "I got crabs from Joe." Despite the cornucopia of tackiness that is Joe's Crab Shack, the food was really really good. My boy got a burger loaded with fried shrimp and onions bathed in some amazing sauce. I was jealous, until I tried my fried fish wrap with black bean salsa, lettuce and ranch dressing. Whoa. AND they were cool with giving me veggies on the side instead of fries. AND they didn't douse them in butter (canceling out why you'd get veggies in the first place). Love this place. Going back immediately, if not sooner.
(4)
Leslie L.
Really good crab. Some of the best.
(5)
Nancy L.
Service took a very long time and wait staff was hard to track down. I had to send my salad back twice. Requested only veggies, and it came with bacon and croutons. Second time, it was just lettuce, no other veggies I saw in the first one. I orderded fish sandwich without the bun....It came out on a very oversized plate with only the piece of fish in the middle. Looked really out of proportion and silly. My husband ordered a crab cake sandwich which was average. Asked for no tomatos, came with tomato on the plate. The sandwich was dry (it was supposed to come with spicy ruemelade sauce) and it took two requests and my husband tracking down a server to even get some tarter sauce. There was an abundance of activity at the hostess station. 5 employees chatting for most of the time we were there. Manager came by to ask how our meal was, and we told him the service was poor. He said they were short handed. I mentioned most of his staff was busy at the hostess station yapping, but he said they were all host staff. He had the typical response of someone who hasn't got a clue of how to handle a complaint.....he shrugged and walked away.
(2)
C R.
Joe's is a chain at it's worst. The fun ambiance for kids with a playground is all that is has going for it. The seafood is subpar and not fresh. Being in Florida, so close to the beach, you'd think they could get their hands on some better seafood.
(2)
Margaret N.
It's a fun afternoon if you are not in a hurry. We had the slowest service ever and appetizers came with meal. Staff was courteous and food was tasty but not necessarily equal to price.
(3)
Bruce K.
It was close to the hotel, the lights were on and I really didn't feel like driving another hundred yards. So I popped into this very chain restaurant for dinner. I don't know why I did it - I don't really care for crabs or lobster or any other kind of shellfish. But you can't go to a seafood place and have a steak, can you? My waitress eventually came around to my table and took my drink order (no mid-week beer specials) and by the time she arrived with my Red Stripe, I had settled (really, I settled) on the grilled shore platter, which is a mahi mahi filet, some bacon-wrapped shrimp, a pot of mashed potatoes with cheese on top and an ear of grilled corn. The fish was decent, the shrimp were bacony, the potatoes were volcanic hot and the corn was excellent. Service was kind of meh, as she seemed to be busy taking care of some friends at a table on the patio. She seemed disappointed that I didn't want to drink more beers. It was a chain. It was okay. I've had better.
(2)
J D.
No wonder the parking lot was so empty. The service was good but the food was bland and not hot. We won't stop here again unless Alzheimers has kicked in.
(2)
Albert P.
I haven't been in this place in over 10 years.... Unfortunately, this place is going down the hill. The food is salty and the service is terrible. No, no, no, just NO to this place.
(2)
Kamila L.
This new location has some new dishes on the menu. Even grandma ate everything on her little plate and others at my table were dancing and eating : A symptom that Joe's Crab produce to eaters! I'm thinking on going back tomorrow as I am writing this review...yum,yum, yum :-) Update: I went back and waitress hardly stopped at the table. I got the bill and left 20%tip at the credit card voucher at the table and left after 10 minutes. I was parked infront of the restaurant with 2 guest and as I was walking on the sidewalk, our server "Sylvia" yelled at me from the outdoor area full of patrons: " Wait!!! Did you sign the receipt???" What an idiot! She did not even check first her table but she yelled at me like a fat cow! I dropped from 5 to 2 stars until they hire some educated waitress, but I will never find out: This location is out of my list, I have 3,000 more restaurants in Orlando Metro Area to choose from!
(2)
Joseph W.
We had the redfish. It was good the sauce was good but the lobster in the sauce was like rubber. The service was very poor. Waited atleast 15 mins plus to get the check. No one is working together to take care of the customers. The door greeter needs to learn how to welcome people to the restaurant and be alittle more pleasant. We not go back.
(1)
Barbara C.
No, no, no, just NO to this place. A friend and I had been here a year ago for lunch and it was just terrible. We figured we had just ordered the wrong thing (the crab bisque tasted like the cheap cheese you find in those vending machine cheese crackers.) This past July on a Sunday we were craving crab so we decided to give it another shot. First of all, they put this big metal bucket in front of you. It was quite annoying so we moved it so we could see each other to talk. The server kept moving it back to the middle of the table blocking our view of each other. Didn't care for that. We both ordered the Bucket of Snow Crab. Comes with potatoes and corn on the cob. It was SO SALTY. If you could die from an overdose of salt this would do it for sure. The amount of salt was so unbelievable we couldn't even finish half of it. That's a shame, those crab buckets aren't cheap. We made sure to put the crab cracker and the other silverware on the outside of the bucket so they wouldn't accidentally throw it out but we got yelled at for putting it in the bucket. Uh, huh? Then the server proceeded to talk way too long about how people always put the crackers in the bucket and they get thrown out and as a result they are short on crackers and silverware. OK- We thought of that beforehand, that's why we made sure to put them where they could be easily seen. She also told us that the "Secret Shoppers" were coming soon and they didn't have enough silverware. We ordered two drinks, the Rum Barrel LIT and the Red Raspberry Palmer. Both come in glasses that you can keep. The Rum Barrel in the Tiki glass was good, the Palmer was meh. My friend didn't like that one at all. The strength of the drinks was ok, not too strong, not too weak. The place could also have been a bit cleaner. The service was quite slow even though there were not many customers. One customer was dining without a shirt on, which surprised us. Little too casual if you ask me. Very expensive for such disappointing food and service. This place, the food and the service deserve NO stars.
(1)
Danny T.
I dunno why I expected some great dining experience at Joe's. Nice service and a fun atmosphere can't really trump bad food. Ordered the appetizer sampler to start, and it just looks cheap. The chips are really half-assed and can barely tolerate the dip they are supposed to be used in. Speaking of dips, the ramekins for the coconut shrimp and great balls of fire were like the self serve ketchup cups you get at Wendy's. Curb appeal applies to plate presentation too ya know. It's amazing how chintzy these paper cups made the rest of the dish look. Anyways, the wife ordered a Crab Daddy Feast and I got Fish and Shrimp. OK, my Fish and Shrimp weren't bad. It's hard to muck up a dish that is entirely deep fried though. Her crab was a different story. The crackers we were offered? Useless. The integrity of the shells were wrecked. Basically, one could fold the legs in half...like a boomerang...and they still wouldn't snap. The only way to get to the meat was using a fork's prong like a letter opener. So, while we DID manage to get in on all that was served, it took so long the food was cold by the time it was eaten. Looking back, she probably woulda been better off just throwing in the towel as she was dealt a BRUTAL hand of gut rot about 5 minutes after we left the building. The drive back to Altamonte Springs from Sanford was sketchy, needless to say. We made it home and looked at the bill again ($80 bucks after tip for two dinners 4 beers and a free appetizer?!?!). Welcome to the blacklist, Joseph.
(2)
Phillip P.
I don't do crabs . But thought I could get a nice fish dinner while my family did the crabs. Well I couldn't eat anything fish way over cooked . And everything else was a greasy mess. Everyone else loved there crab pots . But our waiter never came around until almost everyone was done and then asked " is everything alright"? NO it wasn't but I did say I can't eat this. So she asked if I needed a box? Really I can't believe this place my advice crab pots only! And don't need a drink or a server.
(2)
Erin W.
Decent food and the restaurant is similar to any of the other Joe's, however this restaurant has service that is less than desirable. They are very slow to bring orders and we had to wait on a family member that ordered something they forgot about. They totally forgot about an order for one of our family members. I would not go back to this particular restaurant.
(2)
Clinton H.
My family and I are sensitive to smell, the inside of the restaurant smelled like old mops and dirty water. Staff seemed friendly enough. Ordered the lobster bisque and while edible tasted "canned" or not made fresh. The playground was water logged and looked unkempt. To be fair it is Florida and has been raining a lot lately. Even so, better planning of the playground would allow for better drainage. I didn't feel comfortable letting the kids play there.
(1)
Shattered T.
Keep your kids away from the playground!! There's a big jagged hole on one of the platforms. If someone steps in that, they'll end up in the emergency room! The manager was notified when a coworkers daughter cut her foot on it. She comped our dinners, but didn't stop other children from playing on UNSAFE playground equipment. I guess they want to be sued and I'm sure it will happen if they don't make some repairs very soon. The food and the service are hit and miss depending on who's working that day. We've had so-so service and terrible service. Same with the food. Last night the shrimp was like rubber. Pretty much inedible. And if you get the wrong waitress, good luck getting any service at all.
(1)
Ali H.
I'm not even going to preface this review by giving the usual warnings about chain restaurants. Been there, done that. We stopped in on a Saturday night and there was no wait. Our waitress, Lexi, was polite and attentive. I ordered one of the new spring cocktails which is served in a take-home mason jar. It was southern and refreshing and peaches and Jack Daniels honey. Delicious! Not to mention only $8. The big shrimp platter was, well, big! Crab stuffed shrimp, coconut shrimp and fried shrimp with crispy fries and coleslaw. I was impressed with how large the shrimp were! For under $16, it was well worth it. We were too full for dessert. Overall, they offer a creative cocktail menu and happy hour pricing on weekdays. Everything came out hot and fresh, and condiments were plentiful. We'll be back when craving some reasonably priced seafood.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Brunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No 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 : No
Justin S.
Joe's is a typical seafood restaurant chain that tries very hard to make itself into some "we're-world-famous" outfit when they really are nothing more than a festive looking Red Lobster. I used to love this place, but over the last few years, it has gone down hill in a really bad way. As another reviewer noted - at least half of Joe's dishes are the same thing except with little tweaks to them. First of all, the prices are just way too high. I will state that right out of the gate. For what you're getting, they're just ridiculous. When I was there, the place was dead empty on a Saturday evening. I thought we would have a line. Much to my surprise, the place was maybe 30% full? That should have been my first indication to turn right around and go back to the car. We are seated near the bar area, and there's another party sitting two booths down from us. The waitress walked by our booth with not so much as silverware laid on the table for almost 10 minutes before she finally walked up and said "have you been helped?" There's no way, no human way possible she did not know that we had not been helped. Without laboring the point here, the food was mediocre at best. The crab was overcooked to the point of not cracking. The shrimp were small and tough. The service was lacking. I constantly had to ask for more tea after sitting on an empty glass for 5 minutes, only to receive a glass of warm tea. I guess I should have been more specific to ask "can you bring me another glass of tea with ice in it?" It's stuff like that that drives me crazy. If they were hopping busy, I would understand the delay. But this waitress only had two tables to wait on. Ours and the party two booths down from us. If Joe's keeps this up, they're going to be history in short order. Positives? Their southern spiked sweet tea is very good, but again, vastly overpriced and mostly ice. I don't care if they give me a mason jar or not. Give me the option - if you want the mason jar, it's $8. If you just take it in a glass, $5. I don't know what it is about certain restaurants that think that if it has alcohol in it and it's a house specialty drink that they can just rake people over the coals on the cost of the drink. Not impressed. Not going back. I'll stick to the real mom & pop seafood dives that know how to cook crab legs and give you excellent tasting seafood.
(2)Alex L.
It was my first time dining at joe's and it was pretty good. When we came in the hostess made us aware the kitchen was a little backed up but we had time and decided to stay figuring we could have drinks while waiting. The food was really not that slow to arrive. The nachos were on point. I had two Cat 5 hurricane mixed drinks and they were both awesome, no skimming on the alcohol here. I got the Cajun bucket, and it was the first time I've had seafood served like that, it was great! Really loved getting dirty. The only reason I'm not giving the fifth star is because of the service. While it was busy when we first arrived, it had definitely thinned out after an hour but our waitress was no where to be seen the second half of our stay. Overall we had a fun experience, everything was cooked to perfection, and I would call it a successful impromptu date.
(4)William C.
Would I return - Maybe I preface this by stating I am not a huge seafood fan. I found the meals to be a tad pricey for the amount and quality of food served. The restaurant was less than half full and the service was just okay. I thought the lobster came out a bit greasy but I did like the grits that came with it. I find this to better than Red Lobster but not my favorite place.
(3)Joan F.
My husband and I went here for our anniversary. We had not been back in several years because the first time we went here is was very noisy. We decided to sit outside because inside smelled strange. I had the Boston Steam Pot. The lobster tasted good but is was a little tough so, clams were small and the corn was tough. I can say the food was mediocre. My husband ordered the chicken club which was not really what we both thought it would be. It was a grilled piece of chicken on a bun. Not really a club.The fries were very greasy and tasted like they were fried on old grease. The waitress was slow and kept forgetting things. When she came back and asked how the food was my husband told her the chicken was not that great. She offered to get him something else but he declined. It took her awhile to bring the check and she did take the chicken off of the bill which we did not ask for so that was a good thing. It seems like this place is just barely making it and they have done no upgrades to this place in a long time. The place needs a serious make over , get rid of the old smelly carpet and up date the menu.
(2)Allison M.
Joe's Crab Shack can be a lot of fun, if you're not expecting too much. The two times I've been here have been with a big group of people, and they're pretty accommodating to large parties. That might be because they're usually half empty, but there you have it. They have a (rather expensive) drink with a little shot of liquid that comes in a sharks mouth, which is kinda cute. They also have a huge rubber shark that you can pose with. If you make the mistake of mentioning that it's someones birthday, they make you get up and sing a dance about how you have crabs (Crab Shack - Get it?) I'm not a huge crab fan, but those at the table who were enjoyed their pots. I liked the seasoned corn a lot, and the popcorn shrimp because I am, apparently, a child.
(3)roaches F.
What a difference a few years make. Been a long time - decide to go back after 3 yrs for a nice crab pot. Other than 2 other tables inside, and 3 tables outside, place is totally empty @ 6:30pm - and it's hot - both outside, and now inside - and eeww, what's that strange smell? Long-haired, unwashed, gap-toothed, "dude, where's my car"-guy walks up: "what's up, boss-man?" Really? That's so wrong on so many levels. What do you say to a totally-clueless waitperson who will be "serving" you tonight? Bite your tongue, smile, and ask for something to drink. Drinks delivered, then our food arrives about 20 minutes later. Did we mention the absolute dearth of other diners competing with us for the kitchen's food preparation? "Anything else?" Not realizing this will be the last time we even see our 'dude' for the next hour, we innocently respond "not right now", and settle in to cracking on some yummy King Crab legs. Err, rather, we start slitting the crab legs with the handy picking tool, as the crab has been so overcooked each leg section bends in half intact, with nary a crack possible. But at least we can effortlessly slide out long, luscious, sweet pieces of King Crab from each leg section - uh, no, not even close - this crab has been frozen, thawed, re-frozen, re-thawed, then hard-boiled such that any semblance of firmly-textured meat has been completely and irretrievably lost. No taste. No texture. Not even remotely resembling King Crab. No solid pieces larger than wet, used and discarded matchsticks - just shrunken, shredded residue of what must have once been crabmeat, stuck to the inside of each leg segment such that we are only able to scrape out the residue after we pry the leg sections open with the slitting tool and then scrape the sections with our fingers. Why did they deliver melted butter, if all we are served is grossly-overcooked, indistinguishable, minuscule shredded portions of what they are passing off as $30 King Crab. Yuk. Now we're feeling somewhat trapped, w/no options: to request a replacement, or a do-over, or even make a comment about our "bad luck" to have gotten a bad batch of crab, or anything, as our 'dude' server has been AWOL for almost an hour. But him missing seems to be the norm, as there are no servers anywhere in the entire restaurant. Guess there's a company party going on out back - wish we had been notified prior to sitting down, so we could've opted out of stopping by an empty restaurant with no hired help. Finally, our 'dude' shows back up. Inasmuch as 'dude' did not ask how our meal was, and did not bother to inquire about why both of our crab pots were still half-full of unopened and un-eaten $30 King Crab legs - we ask for our bill. "No problem". We both agree - it is so good for us to hear that it is no problem for our 'dude' to DO HIS JOB and bring us our bill. Love it. Well, apparently it is a problem, as it now takes another 15 minutes in a still- empty restaurant for our 'dude' to generate and then bring us our bill. No surprise. Everything has gone so swimmingly thus far, why would something as simple as allowing us to pay for such a crappy meal be easy? Pay up, suckers. Good luck with that, Joe's. Never again.
(1)Rob D.
Coconut shrimp over cooked ..burned. Overpriced for quality. Poor service. Indifferent wait staff. Awful
(1)Mrs S.
Found a fly baked into my stuffed crab. Most disgusting thing ever....
(1)Keith H.
Walking in Joe's instantly reminds me of bubba gump's, but it doesn't have their quality. We walk in and we're rather hungry, so we can't wait to sit and order. The host was a young guy, cap on sideways and pants hanging off his a**. Ugh! He walks us to our table, we decline his offer to hear the specials and he proceeds to try and remember our server's name. After a long minute he decides to just tell us to enjoy our meal. Not a great start. Looking over the menu they seem to have a lot of options but you quickly realize its the same thing over and over, just plus or minus an item. Looking at the price you are a little sticker shocked. For the type of place it is, you don't expect those prices. Additionally, its not on the water, which is where you expect to pay a little more for seafood. The mixed drinks were nice. Fairly creative combinations and you even get the mason jars they come in for free. Cool, I guess. I do have to give them some love for their appetizers that look like hush puppies but they are jalapeno and crab filled. I ordered the crab cakes as I am always in search for the best crab cakes. Like usual in central florida, mostly filler and bland to the taste. The sides were typical, nothing amazing. Later, the music comes on at various times and the staff is dancing. Kids jump up and the place is rocking. Its a little too loud for my taste, but the kids loved it. It does tend to interrupt your dinner if you plan on having any kind of conversation with those at your table. My girlfriend ordered a bucket of different types of crab legs. They seemed good but how they are served, if you don't eat fast the last half of your meal is cold by the time you reach it. I had to ask for a claw "cracker" and that seemed problematic to find. I wanted to like this place, seeing how its only 15 mins from the house, but I can't see myself visiting much. sorry.
(2)Bruce C.
Food was expensive and nothing exciting. Some of the fried fish had a funky taste (possibly old oil) and the overall quality was pretty poor on the supposedly "Fresh" seafood. Crabs and Clams in the Steampot were tasteless and rubbery, which is surprising for a restaurant with "Crab" in the name. Truly disappointing. Service was a little over the top and not in the good way (obnoxious and put off in having to do their presentation). Atmosphere is childish / touristy. Best thing was the Margarita's.. anything to dull (all) the senses at this place is a good thing.
(1)Kelly L.
We like this place. It's a chain and it is a little pricey, but my son and I usually order something to share and he gets to play on the playground which is a BIG SELL for him.
(3)Patti M.
This place is a tad pricey but nonetheless good and offered a nice array of steam pots flavored a variety of ways (I chose mine steamed--no seasoning). They also had a pretty nice mixed drink selection. The Titantic Tea was a nice way to get a boozy sugar high. The coconut shrimp were tasty and not greasy and the peel and eat shrimp were rather small but tasted fresh. Our server Gaby was a doll and kept on top on everything. I don't get the foolish dancing required of the waitstaff and could have done without it. There was plenty of seating including nice outside seating. I will likely visit again at some point. If you don't expect much you will enjoy yourself. it's chain restaurant a la Red Lobster. Nothing special but nothing terrible either.
(3)Peggy J.
Brought my family in to celebrate my sons 18th birthday. Immediately upon entry we noticed how hot it felt inside. Then the weird fish smell hit us. I realize it's a seafood restaurant but the heat draws the smell. Even though the restaurant was unusually slow for 8pm on a Friday evening, we waited longer than need be for attention or to be seated. Once greeted, we were asked if we preferred a table or booth. We were sat at a booth directly in front of the bar where a trio of loud and obnoxious drunks were celebrating the fact that they could get that drunk and openly promiscuous before 9pm. They were loud, sometimes actually screaming in delight of how strong their cocktails were while completely ignoring the fact that a family with children were right there. Finally after continuously being ignored, I got up and asked to move. I had to get up and ask because for the most part, we were ignored the entire evening. The waitress who now was not only our waitress but also the bartender ignored us most of the the time and eventually we started being half served by anyone that worked there and walked by. We ordered a huge meal and paid WAY too much for mediocre food and terrible service. I will NOT be returning! Way to ruin a birthday.
(1)Theresa M.
The manager was very pleasant he even gave me some $10 off coupons the waitress was pleasant, the seafood is amazing, I'm from Maine and for me to like the seafood it is good.
(5)Manny C.
Great place. Good atmosphere. Even has a playground for the kids! The food was awesome however our waitress was terrible. It took 15 minutes for her to notice us after we were sat down and another 15 for her to take a drink order. Even after we asked her questions about items on the menu the most she could tell us was that she was new and she didn't know. I got my lobster broil pot which was great. I asked twice for a side of butter. Never got it. While I might come Back I will be sure to be vocal about the crappy service.
(3)Becky F.
Alright I've been here for over an hour and ordered boiled shrimp and still not received anything. This isn't a busy place right now. Oh well. I left with nothing in my belly. I was served small shrimp after another half an hour.
(1)Cristina S.
My first time at this location.We went at the perfect time between lunch and dinner rush. We had 2 appetizers the mozzarella sticks and a sampler appetizer with 3 choices in it.Everything was hot and fresh. The kids had chicken fingers and french fries and mac and cheese.We had the artic pot and a crab daddy feast, both were very good with corn and potatoes. The waiter was attentive refilling drinks often and checking on us.Great experience!
(5)Marvin C.
It was good. I especially like the dancing. :)
(4)Judy G.
I was really surprised by my last visit to Joe's Crab shack. I ordered the snow crab pot instead of the king crab. It was excelling and had lots of crab meat! I didn't think it was overpriced for the amount of crab that I received. The waitress was great and kept the drinks refilled. I think these places can be a hit or miss, but I will def order the snow crab pot again in the future!
(5)Jenna C.
After driving by a gazillion restaurants in the area, this one caught my eye. It is pretty ridiculous looking from the outside...tin roof, netting, lots of neon...you know the drill. But I was feeling a little crazy and in the mood for that type of tacky atmosphere. Fish hang from the ceiling, a shark snarled at me from the corner, and they even sold t-shirts that read, "I got crabs from Joe." Despite the cornucopia of tackiness that is Joe's Crab Shack, the food was really really good. My boy got a burger loaded with fried shrimp and onions bathed in some amazing sauce. I was jealous, until I tried my fried fish wrap with black bean salsa, lettuce and ranch dressing. Whoa. AND they were cool with giving me veggies on the side instead of fries. AND they didn't douse them in butter (canceling out why you'd get veggies in the first place). Love this place. Going back immediately, if not sooner.
(4)Leslie L.
Really good crab. Some of the best.
(5)Nancy L.
Service took a very long time and wait staff was hard to track down. I had to send my salad back twice. Requested only veggies, and it came with bacon and croutons. Second time, it was just lettuce, no other veggies I saw in the first one. I orderded fish sandwich without the bun....It came out on a very oversized plate with only the piece of fish in the middle. Looked really out of proportion and silly. My husband ordered a crab cake sandwich which was average. Asked for no tomatos, came with tomato on the plate. The sandwich was dry (it was supposed to come with spicy ruemelade sauce) and it took two requests and my husband tracking down a server to even get some tarter sauce. There was an abundance of activity at the hostess station. 5 employees chatting for most of the time we were there. Manager came by to ask how our meal was, and we told him the service was poor. He said they were short handed. I mentioned most of his staff was busy at the hostess station yapping, but he said they were all host staff. He had the typical response of someone who hasn't got a clue of how to handle a complaint.....he shrugged and walked away.
(2)C R.
Joe's is a chain at it's worst. The fun ambiance for kids with a playground is all that is has going for it. The seafood is subpar and not fresh. Being in Florida, so close to the beach, you'd think they could get their hands on some better seafood.
(2)Margaret N.
It's a fun afternoon if you are not in a hurry. We had the slowest service ever and appetizers came with meal. Staff was courteous and food was tasty but not necessarily equal to price.
(3)Bruce K.
It was close to the hotel, the lights were on and I really didn't feel like driving another hundred yards. So I popped into this very chain restaurant for dinner. I don't know why I did it - I don't really care for crabs or lobster or any other kind of shellfish. But you can't go to a seafood place and have a steak, can you? My waitress eventually came around to my table and took my drink order (no mid-week beer specials) and by the time she arrived with my Red Stripe, I had settled (really, I settled) on the grilled shore platter, which is a mahi mahi filet, some bacon-wrapped shrimp, a pot of mashed potatoes with cheese on top and an ear of grilled corn. The fish was decent, the shrimp were bacony, the potatoes were volcanic hot and the corn was excellent. Service was kind of meh, as she seemed to be busy taking care of some friends at a table on the patio. She seemed disappointed that I didn't want to drink more beers. It was a chain. It was okay. I've had better.
(2)J D.
No wonder the parking lot was so empty. The service was good but the food was bland and not hot. We won't stop here again unless Alzheimers has kicked in.
(2)Albert P.
I haven't been in this place in over 10 years.... Unfortunately, this place is going down the hill. The food is salty and the service is terrible. No, no, no, just NO to this place.
(2)Kamila L.
This new location has some new dishes on the menu. Even grandma ate everything on her little plate and others at my table were dancing and eating : A symptom that Joe's Crab produce to eaters! I'm thinking on going back tomorrow as I am writing this review...yum,yum, yum :-) Update: I went back and waitress hardly stopped at the table. I got the bill and left 20%tip at the credit card voucher at the table and left after 10 minutes. I was parked infront of the restaurant with 2 guest and as I was walking on the sidewalk, our server "Sylvia" yelled at me from the outdoor area full of patrons: " Wait!!! Did you sign the receipt???" What an idiot! She did not even check first her table but she yelled at me like a fat cow! I dropped from 5 to 2 stars until they hire some educated waitress, but I will never find out: This location is out of my list, I have 3,000 more restaurants in Orlando Metro Area to choose from!
(2)Joseph W.
We had the redfish. It was good the sauce was good but the lobster in the sauce was like rubber. The service was very poor. Waited atleast 15 mins plus to get the check. No one is working together to take care of the customers. The door greeter needs to learn how to welcome people to the restaurant and be alittle more pleasant. We not go back.
(1)Barbara C.
No, no, no, just NO to this place. A friend and I had been here a year ago for lunch and it was just terrible. We figured we had just ordered the wrong thing (the crab bisque tasted like the cheap cheese you find in those vending machine cheese crackers.) This past July on a Sunday we were craving crab so we decided to give it another shot. First of all, they put this big metal bucket in front of you. It was quite annoying so we moved it so we could see each other to talk. The server kept moving it back to the middle of the table blocking our view of each other. Didn't care for that. We both ordered the Bucket of Snow Crab. Comes with potatoes and corn on the cob. It was SO SALTY. If you could die from an overdose of salt this would do it for sure. The amount of salt was so unbelievable we couldn't even finish half of it. That's a shame, those crab buckets aren't cheap. We made sure to put the crab cracker and the other silverware on the outside of the bucket so they wouldn't accidentally throw it out but we got yelled at for putting it in the bucket. Uh, huh? Then the server proceeded to talk way too long about how people always put the crackers in the bucket and they get thrown out and as a result they are short on crackers and silverware. OK- We thought of that beforehand, that's why we made sure to put them where they could be easily seen. She also told us that the "Secret Shoppers" were coming soon and they didn't have enough silverware. We ordered two drinks, the Rum Barrel LIT and the Red Raspberry Palmer. Both come in glasses that you can keep. The Rum Barrel in the Tiki glass was good, the Palmer was meh. My friend didn't like that one at all. The strength of the drinks was ok, not too strong, not too weak. The place could also have been a bit cleaner. The service was quite slow even though there were not many customers. One customer was dining without a shirt on, which surprised us. Little too casual if you ask me. Very expensive for such disappointing food and service. This place, the food and the service deserve NO stars.
(1)Danny T.
I dunno why I expected some great dining experience at Joe's. Nice service and a fun atmosphere can't really trump bad food. Ordered the appetizer sampler to start, and it just looks cheap. The chips are really half-assed and can barely tolerate the dip they are supposed to be used in. Speaking of dips, the ramekins for the coconut shrimp and great balls of fire were like the self serve ketchup cups you get at Wendy's. Curb appeal applies to plate presentation too ya know. It's amazing how chintzy these paper cups made the rest of the dish look. Anyways, the wife ordered a Crab Daddy Feast and I got Fish and Shrimp. OK, my Fish and Shrimp weren't bad. It's hard to muck up a dish that is entirely deep fried though. Her crab was a different story. The crackers we were offered? Useless. The integrity of the shells were wrecked. Basically, one could fold the legs in half...like a boomerang...and they still wouldn't snap. The only way to get to the meat was using a fork's prong like a letter opener. So, while we DID manage to get in on all that was served, it took so long the food was cold by the time it was eaten. Looking back, she probably woulda been better off just throwing in the towel as she was dealt a BRUTAL hand of gut rot about 5 minutes after we left the building. The drive back to Altamonte Springs from Sanford was sketchy, needless to say. We made it home and looked at the bill again ($80 bucks after tip for two dinners 4 beers and a free appetizer?!?!). Welcome to the blacklist, Joseph.
(2)Phillip P.
I don't do crabs . But thought I could get a nice fish dinner while my family did the crabs. Well I couldn't eat anything fish way over cooked . And everything else was a greasy mess. Everyone else loved there crab pots . But our waiter never came around until almost everyone was done and then asked " is everything alright"? NO it wasn't but I did say I can't eat this. So she asked if I needed a box? Really I can't believe this place my advice crab pots only! And don't need a drink or a server.
(2)Erin W.
Decent food and the restaurant is similar to any of the other Joe's, however this restaurant has service that is less than desirable. They are very slow to bring orders and we had to wait on a family member that ordered something they forgot about. They totally forgot about an order for one of our family members. I would not go back to this particular restaurant.
(2)Clinton H.
My family and I are sensitive to smell, the inside of the restaurant smelled like old mops and dirty water. Staff seemed friendly enough. Ordered the lobster bisque and while edible tasted "canned" or not made fresh. The playground was water logged and looked unkempt. To be fair it is Florida and has been raining a lot lately. Even so, better planning of the playground would allow for better drainage. I didn't feel comfortable letting the kids play there.
(1)Shattered T.
Keep your kids away from the playground!! There's a big jagged hole on one of the platforms. If someone steps in that, they'll end up in the emergency room! The manager was notified when a coworkers daughter cut her foot on it. She comped our dinners, but didn't stop other children from playing on UNSAFE playground equipment. I guess they want to be sued and I'm sure it will happen if they don't make some repairs very soon. The food and the service are hit and miss depending on who's working that day. We've had so-so service and terrible service. Same with the food. Last night the shrimp was like rubber. Pretty much inedible. And if you get the wrong waitress, good luck getting any service at all.
(1)Ali H.
I'm not even going to preface this review by giving the usual warnings about chain restaurants. Been there, done that. We stopped in on a Saturday night and there was no wait. Our waitress, Lexi, was polite and attentive. I ordered one of the new spring cocktails which is served in a take-home mason jar. It was southern and refreshing and peaches and Jack Daniels honey. Delicious! Not to mention only $8. The big shrimp platter was, well, big! Crab stuffed shrimp, coconut shrimp and fried shrimp with crispy fries and coleslaw. I was impressed with how large the shrimp were! For under $16, it was well worth it. We were too full for dessert. Overall, they offer a creative cocktail menu and happy hour pricing on weekdays. Everything came out hot and fresh, and condiments were plentiful. We'll be back when craving some reasonably priced seafood.
(4)