Straight outta PDX on a rainy night after a wind storm this place turned an almost bummed out anniversary weekend around! Not only was the food AMAZING there was a live band that BUMPED! My husband cannot stop talking about how good his meal was. Will definitely be back!
(5)
Glenda J.
Steamed clams were OK but could be more fresh. Good lemon butter flavor. Halibut was on their specials list which was surprisingly good. Served on a risotto with creamy shrimp sauce and steamed asparagus. Sauce was flavorful although too much for the Halibut. If you're looking to still taste your fish then this dish is not for you. Service was excellent. They should stop serving their stale goldfish though.
(3)
Jason T.
After this restaurant moved from it's old location to the new (rather out-of-the-way) one, I decided to give it a try. I had no expectations except for that it served seafood. Ambiance: Upon entering, it looked like I stepped into 1992. The oak trim on nearly everything and multiple layers of seating areas made it feel a bit off. I also noticed that the average age was a bit more senior. The lighting in the place was also wildly uneven, giving it a rather sterile feel. Some placed got plenty of outdoor lighting and the inner seating areas were a bit dark. Food: There are eating establishments that believe that throwing obscene amounts of butter on food will make it delicious. Others, rightfully so, align themselves with the notion that other methods might work better, with butter used in select ways. This restaurant definitely fell in the first camp. The menu looked like it was from Red Lobster. It was uninspired and fitting a need for those who feel like a Saturday out at Olive Garden is "tres bien". It's heavy on pasta, traditional fish preparations and caesar salads. I ordered a cedar plank salmon with vegetables and some sort of pilaf. The salmon tasted like it was 50% butter, 50% fish. I normally like the flavor of fish without the heavy handedness of greasy sheen. The vegetables, as well, were spruced up with a little bit of buttery goodness. Imagine my utmost surprise when the pilaf tasted less like pilaf and more like the vegetables and fish. Prices: Seafood places are pricey, no matter where you go, and I accept that. Here, entrees were about $40-$50 each. I can imagine so many other restaurants I would want to go to, with better food and ambiance, for this type of bill. You can get a far superior meal at an relatively similar price, at the likes of Seastar. Would I go back? Hell no. For some people, it might be fine, but if you like a little more flavor/spice in what you eat and okay with not drowning everything in butter, try someplace else.
(2)
Hoc P.
Too expensive is my conclusion. A crab meal is like $50 here. It is no more than $25 or max of $30. I rather go with Crab Pot for better taste. If they have the special here, it's great. If not, their regular menu is terrible. Also don't order any fried fish. They are so oily and a bit burn. Not coming back!
(3)
Yana V.
Tried the hot tower which consists of Dungeness crab cakes , Calamari and Cajun prawns, for 35$. The Cajun prawns are delicious and come with a side of cheesy bread to dip in the sauce. The calamari and crab cakes were good but have definitely had better. I'd come back and order the Cajun prawns alone for sure. My friend had the stuffed prawns which come served on fettuccini Alfredo and the pasta was really well cooked but comes with only three prawns.
(3)
Pack C.
I had seafood cioppino. it's a little too tomatoey for my liking but lots of seafood and fresh. (all mussels & clams were open). so, that was good. It has an outdoor space which is perfect for a nice weather day
(3)
Smaly K.
First time here, and it was a good first impression. It was a nice looking place, and especially a great place to eat during nice, sunny weather. We ordered the fried calamari for appetizer, and it was nice and crispy on the outside and still chewy on the inside. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly. And the cajun pasta had a great amount of seafood, and they were all big and plump, unlike some places where they use tiny shrimp, scallops, and shellfish. Everything tasted of good quality.
(5)
Sabrina P.
Wanted to go for a cozy romantic dinner. Left feeling a little depressed. The new location is very spacious, but lacks decor. Our waitress was attentive and polite, though it felt like she was a puppet with some really short strings. I was torn between the Mixed Seafood Grill (Salmon, Scallops, Prawns, and risotto $29), and the Crab Fettuccine ($25). I really wanted the pasta but was hoping for some scallops also. When it came to ordering I asked, by the off-chance, if I could maybe add just a handful of scallops to my Crab Fettuccine for maybe $5-$10. The waitress looked shocked and told me that this would be an extra $30 or maybe more, but that she would go and check with "Todd". 5-10 minutes later she came back and told me it would cost $25 (cost of the meal) and $32 to add the small handful of scallops. Apparently they're pricey at the moment. I declined, OF COURSE. Duh! For that money I can buy the Crab Fettuccine and the Mixed Seafood Grill and get not only the extra small handful of scallops, but prawns, salmon, and risotto! This annoyed me, and made me feel rather stupid and ripped-off. The food was good! Service was good, but there was a sense of money-grabbing which ruined the whole experience.
(2)
Erica J.
We had gone to the old location once before, and I like the new location a lot better! We waited until the last minute to use our Groupon...our fault. It was super busy because others did the same. We made reservations, but the host asked if we would sit in the bar since they were so crowded. We did, although I would've liked a bigger table for all of our plates! Our server seemed a little frazzled (she forgot my soup and then blamed the kitchen...it came at the same time as our entrees). But she was VERY nice. The food was delicious and the portions are huge! We both took home at least half of our meals for tomorrow's dinner! I would go back here--the food was really good. And the service was friendly. But maybe next time I would go on a Thursday or any day except the day a Groupon is expiring.
Excellent all around- service and quality of food. Food is very rich and flavorful. It was not cheap but neither was the quality. Perfectly cooked meat and the pie was delicious. My partner and I had a lovely date on the patio and would visit again.
(5)
Pete S.
What a surprise! Walked past (or more accurately underneath) this restaurant every week for over a year with my only thought being that the place sounded like there would be a confederate flag over the bar. But tonight, as a change from our normal post movie dinner at Rikki Rikki we took the big step of trying something new. How did we miss this? Suffice it to say, the baked seafood special was probably the best seafood dish I've eaten in years. Sweet crab, massive mussels, moist clams and a to-die-for broth along with really well clarified butter ... which is more easily said than done. And my wife's crab cakes went down just as easily along with fresh and well cooked vegetables. Although the decor is early TGIF, the service was attentive and fast. Thank you James. Oh, and the New England chowder, an order that often disappoints was rich and as tasty as a great clam chowder should be. Sorry Anthony's, I've got a new seafood friend ... Todd
(5)
Ronnie R.
I am really surprised to see the negative reviews. If the restaurant did suffer some growing pains when it moved it clearly has resolved them. I dined alone and had the surf and surf. I know it is hard to screw up good crab but this was cooked to perfection. I almost never order risotto as I am usually disappointed everywhere I go. He mushroom risotto was to die for. Travis, my magnetic bartender is really what turned the experience from a 4 to a 5 star experience. It was $$$ seafood for $$. I would have paid more and will be back.
Went here for my birthday, on what seemed to be one of the hottest days of the year and their air conditioning was 'busted'. There was ONE fan in the entire place and we asked to sit by it, which was also by the thermostat which read 86 degrees. Service was slow and he must have been new, needless to say, it was BAD! The bartender was Mia and took almost 20 minutes to get our drinks, said they would comp our drinks, but didn't and everything took so long that we just wanted to get out of there so didn't argue about it. Definitely would not go back. Food was descent, expensive, but not worth what we went through to get it. Very disappointed!
(2)
Gloria L.
It's a first time visit for both my friend and me. The service was super slow. There were very few customers when I arrived but I was standing at the door for a while before someone greeted me. The waitress was horrible. Well, she wasn't mean or unfriendly. But often time I couldn't understand her. And when my friend showed up, she didn't even bother to ask him if he wanted anything to drink other than the water that was brought to the table when I first got there. Food was mediocre, but the portion was bigger than average. Neither of us will go back again. Disappointed is how I'd summarize my visit tonight.
(2)
Sara H.
My boyfriend and I frequent this establishment quite often and every time it's been great. Jade is a always a gem and it's always great to interact with Todd, the owner. Their happy hour can't be beat with delectable crab cakes and delicious drinks. You are missing out if you haven't been there.
(5)
Aprameya R.
A-Ok. The wife and I had dinner here on a random Wednesday night when for some reason every one of our regular places in Kirkland had people waiting and we were incredibly hungry. What I remember off this place: - The service was good. There was nothing to complain about. - The food tasted okay. I had the fish and chips and it is hard to screw that up. My wife had a shrimp dish and the shrimp were slightly overcooked. - The cocktails were strong but overpriced. All in all, it's an okay place. If you happen to step in you can be assured that you will get some meal. I wouldn't necessarily go here out of choice though.
(3)
Thomson Q.
My wife and I went there tonight and had a wonderful dinner. The king crab legs are beautifully cooked and the side dishes are also delicious. I also enjoyed my king salmon. It is a nice view on the patio.
(5)
Ja G.
Just finished having a dinner here with our family. We wished that the experience could have been better. Our waiter from the get go seemed put out with a few questions we had. The food was some good some bad. And our waiter was really angry with us that we had a groupon. Now maybe he had had a bad day, but when you are in food service you cannot bring this into the equation. We did not tip you well because of the above reasons. When we left you grumbled to us 'unbelievable'. And outside on our way to the car my husband said that he had said thank you to you and you responded with 'you're not welcome'. For the prices that you charge at this establishment - which are on par with Salty's and Cutters, the food should have been exceptional but it was not. Rice inedible, broccoli very salty, sauces for the calamari and crab cakes bland, steak was ok, crab legs were satisfactory. Wish it was great because the location is nice.i think the entire experience would have been about 3 stars had the waiter been gracious and kind with us. We could have overlooked the flaws in the part of the meal and focused on the good things. It made me totally realize how trapped you are when you sit down at a table to eat ....so at the mercy of that restaurants employees
(1)
Chad S.
Food was very good! (4 to 4.5 stars) Atmosphere disappointing. The Crab and artichoke Dip is a MUST. Absolutely worth the $16 price tag. Chandlers crab house is famous for theirs, and it's very good, but TCC has them beat! For dinner I had the Cajun Seafood Pasta and it was very good as well. Huge portion and very generous amounts of fish, shellfish and shrimp. I find most places will throw you a few pieces of seafood in a dish like this and it ends up mostly pasta. The Cajun sauce was fantastic and once again was applied generously. My wife got the crab cakes and a salad and their crab cakes were pretty disappointing. Not bad, just nowhere near as good as those served at top puget sound steakhouses for the same price. (ie John Howie, The Met, El Gaucho) The vibe was dead and the few people that were there (ourselves included) were all jammed into a small area where the music didn't really reach so it was like we could all hear each other. The music that was playing was Creedence, Thin Lizzy etc. which are great but not in this setting. It cheapened the experience for sure. If they made their seating areas a little more updated/cozy, spaced guests out more and expanded the range of their sound system throughout this place could really shine.
(3)
Suzette H.
The saving grace is service. If you order on the high $$ range of the menu you'll be disappointed with microwaved $50 crab legs. Really?!? I want to walk back to the kitchen and check how often they nuke their frozen food. Better options in the area.
(2)
Nick S.
Seafood in a quick fix and not much else really... Todd's Crab Cracker is an interesting little place. It is by no means a pirate shanty or casual fun time restaurant. Yet its not a fine dining, table clothes and what not place either. However it has elements of both. When all is said and done, Todd's Crab cracker isn't bad, its just not great its almost like they re still getting into the groove of things, figuring things out. They definitely have the basis and ideas to be successful if they tweaked and improved a few things. Like i said the decor and atmosphere just felt strange. However the food was more than fine I would say. Ordering the crab cakes and calamari. The crab cakes the best Iv'e had in recent memory. thin, flaky, crispy just how they should be. Don't let me forget not one but two sauces, the wasabi balsamic was a great contrast. Meanwhile the red pepper aioli although tasty should've been pureed or blended more. The calamari, while the aioli and cocktail sauce were pretty much on point the calamari were not The service wasn't bad, it was just wasn't very experienced. Th way win which she tried to joke and interact with our table was out of place and not right so to speak for one. Secondly when my mother was being served soup our waitress spilled the soup all over the the bowl and plate it was on. Although nothing spilled on anyone, the precaution that should come when serving soup was not taken. Ultimately Todd's Crab Cracker is just another local restaurant. However I believe they will cpnyine to serve delicious crab cakes to loyal customers for some tome
(3)
Karyn S.
My boyfriend and I were driving along the Kirkland waterfront and around the area and decided to check out the new restaurants in the area. We drove past where the old location of the Crab Cracker was and then saw a banner in the Park Place area of the Crab Cracker's new location and immediately turn in! Neither of us had been to the Crab Cracker before and were both excited to try it out! It was awesome! We arrived during Happy Hour and couldn't decided if we wanted dinner or Happy Hour appetizers. We ended up ordering a variety of the Happy Hour appetizers and drinks. The food, ambiance, music, and service was amazing. The Crab Bisque is a must have. The bowl is a very large serving, enough for a meal in itself, with large chucks of crab meat. The crab cakes are delicious, and don't leave without trying the fish tacos! I was having a hard time figuring out what to drink and the server recommended the Lemmon Drop and it was delicious! It was so fresh and made with real lemons, and is the best Lemmon Drop around! Scott, our server, was fun, had great recommendations, was prompt and really enjoyed him. We enjoyed our little date night with amazing food, great service, and fun jazz/blues music while we dined. We think this might just be out go-to Friday night hang out! We'll be back again soon!
(5)
Paul V.
If there's one word to describe Todd's Crab Cracker, it's "potential", because this place has a lot of it. The main detracting factors for me were the location and ambiance. It moved from it's old spot to the second level of the Park Place Center. It can be a little difficult to find right away since the location on Google maps hasn't been updated and even when you're driving around the mall, it's not easy to see. It's directly above the movie theater, FYI. The ambiance is a bit underwhelming. It looks like a dingy seafood restaurant from the 1980s. It's fairly dark on the inside and the flooring, ceiling, and decoration need some serious overhaul. If you're going to charge prices comparable to Anthony's/Ivar's, I would expect the inside to be a little nicer. I'm also fairly certain that the napkins we got were simply dish towels. That being said, the food is decent and the service was great. We ordered the Glazed King Salmon and the Grilled Garlic Prawns. I thoroughly enjoyed the teriyaki/soy sauce glaze. Both orders came with a creamy herbed risotto and a healthy serving of asparagus. We both left very full. We ordered a pint of Manny's and a glass of chardonnay. Unfortunately, both were room temperature when they came out. They had a couple tasty looking cocktails on the menu, but they were all around $12. That's decidedly too pricey for this place. I loved our waitress though. She was a very sweet older lady who was attentive and friendly as you could hope for. This might have been a function of the fact that the restaurant was relatively unpopulated on a Wednesday evening, but I'm not one to argue with a good thing. She was fantastic. It was a bit odd that they bring a basket of bread to your table, give you the number of rolls you want, set down the butter, and walk away with the basket. I suppose this makes it easier to save room for your entree and avoid loading up on bread, but it did make me raise an eyebrow. Why not just leave the basket? Is bread really that expensive? All in all, not the worst seafood restaurant I've ever been to. They're trying, and I hope they figure it out. The truly unfortunate thing is that they have to compete with all the other seafood restaurants in and around the Seattle area. If I'm going to pay $25 for a 4 oz filet of salmon, I would most likely take my business somewhere that has a nicer interior and a view of the water.
(3)
Todd C.
I have to say the staff here (lunch) is awesome. The hostess/waitress and other gal who keeps ya taken care of are both super sweet and attentive. The ambiance was fine? Nice and clean, all a-okay, but what bummed me out... Where's the crab?! Yes, they have crab cakes, and we had crab bisque (very good), but it just seemed like at "Todd's Crab Cracker" we would have had more crab options including crab legs... Maybe it was due to lunchtime? I would go back, I did like it, just disappointed there wasn't more crab available.
(3)
Ilse B.
We used a groupon, and definitely enjoyed our food. Ordered the Wine Plate for an appetizer, which was super good, and then the seafood grill for an entree. The risotto that came with it was just okay, but the fish/seafood was great, and the wait staff was very helpful and friendly. We will definitely go back!
(4)
Jarred S.
My girlfriend took me here for my birthday a couple nights ago and we had a blast! From the second we walked in the owner Todd was smiling and friendly. We sat outside next to the fire, which was a pretty cool spot to hang out and enjoy the fresh air. It was nearing the time for them to close, but Jade was amazing and took care of us without even a hint of trying to rush us through. She's top notch, and I would highly recommend asking for her by name. My friend had the New York strip and was cooked to a perfect medium, and my girlfriend and I shared the 1 1/2 lb king crab with drawn butter. I couldn't get enough! The shortcake for dessert topped it all off. We washed it down with some 23 oz. craft beers, and Todd even comped my Jamison for my birthday. All in all, a great dining experience with great food. Thanks Jade and Todd for making it a memorable birthday!
(5)
Sri Divya B.
It was our first visit and we chose this place to celebrate our wedding anniversary.. The thing I liked the most about this place is, the happy hour menu was really good! The ambience was good and the service was reasonably fast.. The staff are friendly too! We ordered Cajun prawns, Parmesan crusted chicken and peppercorn steak.. But Cajun prawns will be our favorite.. It was so good that we finished it in minutes! I love chicken and Parmesan crusted chicken was the right choice for me.. It comes with cooked vegetables and rice so it's perfect for dinner! I loved it! My husband loves steak so we ordered peppercorn steak.. He says that it would have been better. We ordered it medium rare.. The sauce was too much for the steak. It comes with cooked vegetables too.. They also have three beers on their tap and a good choice of various wines.. Good for wine lovers! Seafood lovers would love to visit the place often!
(5)
Sam S.
Good food, bad beer. I took my girlfriend here and we both got ID'd two times. The bartender wasn't sure about our IDs the first time and went to the kitchen area, we then heard her talking to someone about it. She then came back and check it again. That was an awkward situation. After that, we ordered our food and my plate came to the table wrong. I didn't want the food to go to waste so I told her it was fine but I didn't want to pay 10 extra dollars for this plate. She then told me she would send me a coupon via email later that week for the mistake, that never happened. This night was completely empty in the restaurant. We should of been taken care of.
(2)
Chad W.
I would recommend Red Lobster over this place any day... So much happened to my wife and I on this Friday night that it is hard to keep this review to one page. Maybe it was just a bad night for the waitress and the cooking staff but man did it leave a sour taste in our mouth. Let's start with the disappointing atmosphere. The old location was at least bright and well decorated. The new location reeks of TGIF from 20 years ago. Dark and very dated. It's an understatement to say that Chef Irvine (from the Food Network) would have a field day here! We were promptly seated by the host and we immediately asked for a high chair. After waiting for ten minutes for the waitress to show up but no high chair, we asked our waitress for a high chair. It took no less than another fifteen minutes before she brought one by. My wife and I both ordered some cocktails to start with and some oysters. After ten minutes, the waitress returned to tell us that the bar was still working on our drinks. Five minutes later, she came by again to tell us that they don't have one of the ingredients to make one of the drinks. Meanwhile, she still hasn't brought over the other drink we ordered. I asked for a menu to look over the drink selection again. The waitress was so busy and flustered that she literally ran over with a menu, practically tossed it in my lap and sprinted (and I do mean sprinted... not walked) across the restaurant towards the kitchen. I didn't even have time to ask her a question. Both drinks eventually came out after about ten more minutes along with an order of oysters. As the waitress goes to pour my wife's martini, she spills some on the table. Hello, this is a $13 drink and nothing was done about it other than her wiping it up. My wife and I typically get oysters and we were happy to see that the three varieties they have are local, seasonal, and some of our favorites. Well, this place's cooks need some lessons in shucking oysters. Almost every oyster had shell chips. It was such a disappointment. I definitely let the waitress know and she told me that she would talk to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I didn't hear anything back from her until I asked when she brought out the bill and told me that they waived the charge for the oysters. I ordered as a main meal, a New York strip (medium rare ) and prawns. The steak was rare, almost to the point of cold in the center and completely under seasoned. I didn't have the heart to send it back. I was already so turned off by the service and the food that I just stopped eating after a quarter of the plate. Also, the waitress asked if I wanted steak sauce and I took her up on her offer (which I wouldn't have to if the steak was well seasoned). Nonetheless, it took me asking her a second time and ten minutes into the meal before I received it. As we were eating, I watched as the waitress walked by with a bowl of soup and spilled some on herself and the floor. Her response was "it's just not my night" and I can believe it. I'm ok with spilling some but would you believe that no one came by to clean it up the remaining 40 minutes that we were there. That's right, I watched as people kept stepping in spilled soup. Disgusting! Finally, the waitress came by and asked if I was done and wanted a box. I said that I was done but I definitely didn't want to take it home. You would think she would ask us how the meal was in general. Nope! She just picked up my plate and waked away. My wife and I were stunned. She didn't even ask us if we wanted dessert. Eventually, she did come back and asked if we wanted dessert which we promptly declined. We were so ready to get out of that place. The thing that ticked me off the most is that not once did the restaurant manager come by. Granted, they waived the oysters and one of the drinks (not because of the spillage but because of the delay in telling me that they couldn't make one of them). Nonetheless, with all that said, the food was underwhelming and that night, our service was atrocious. It just felt like we were eating in a place stuck in the 90s. Everything about it was outdated. I want to believe the waitress was having a terrible day but that doesn't excuse everything else that was out of her control.
(1)
Jessi W.
We had a great experience! Wonderful service and delicious food. My boyfriend and I ordered the crab and artichoke dip to start with some Mac&Jacks and enjoyed it very much! Definitely one of the best crab dips we have eaten at a restaurant. We also went for the stuffed prawns which also impressed us. Great food and Jade was a wonderful server!! :) We will be back for sure
(5)
Eric G.
This place is just a block from where I work, so I thought I'd try it out for a lunch spot. Was pretty impressed overall. Service was good, I got the New England clam chowder, and the Alaskan cod & chips. Chowder was good, had a good body and flavor to it. Cod & chips were good too. Even the cole slaw was good! (Yeah, I know most people don't like cole slaw, so I guess don't eat it then.) Bonus points: Warm rolls brought to table while you're waiting. You can see the lunch and dinner menus at their website. Nice atmosphere. Malt vinegar brought as well. (I had fish and chips at a restaurant once that didn't even have malt vinegar. Really?) If I had to complain about something (and don't we all?) I prefer the thick "plank" style chips as opposed to fries, but the fries were seasoned and good. Personal prefernce thing. I can't really complain about the prices...it's seafood. It costs more than burgers or pizza. Will add this place to my regular lunch places list!
(4)
Stacie E.
We went for a late dinner on the fourth of July I had crab cakes which was great!! It came with steamed veggies and some potatoes as well the wasabi sauce for the cakes could've been a bit hotter but the best part was sitting on the deck and watching not only Kirkland's fireworks show but we could also see the fireworks happening at gas works park too!! It was a great evening good food and the other diners that night were also very pleasant
(5)
Eneri S.
We both ordered the lobster roll, it had good lobster flavor, but could have used more lobster. The dinner rolls were awesome, service was good. We used a groupon, which cost $10 for $24 credit. This new location is in the Kirkland Park Place just above Rikki Rikki.
(4)
Elizabeth L.
AC is broken and the thermostat says it's 86 degrees inside the restaurant next to the window. It's so hot today to eat here. By the time food arrive I was sweating and was not in the mood to eat anymore. The waiter guy Ryan was not friendly and didn't want to waive the kids meal today because I used a Groupon. I had to ask to speak to manager and then he waived one kid meal. Manager never even came to table! Probably doesn't care. It says Monday kids eat free in front of the sign. He didn't offer any complimentary lemonade drinks to us so we can at least cool off and only when I asked. I don't want to ever back again because of bad experience.
(1)
KT T.
We visited the new crab cracker for the first time and sat at the bar for happy hour The bartenders Joe and Payton are very friendly and talkative We tried the calamari ,fish tacos and steamers at the bar. Also glass or two of pyramid Ale and my wife had a Cosmo. It was great.. We will be back!!
(4)
Jeff C.
In an area of the country known for fresh seafood, this place is kind of a joke. It's pretty pathetic when a restaurant calls itself the CRAB Cracker but doesn't serve steamed Dungeness Crab. Oh, there's some apps and a sandwich with Dungeness Crab meat but no whole steamed, only steamed King Crab. No lobster either. It's not all bad though. The deck is a nice place to hangout and the place draws a crowd when they have live music. But otherwise empty on a weekend night says it all. Interior is dark, cold and cavernous. Food isn't terrible, just very mediocre and overpriced. The raw oysters were the worst I ever had. Service was friendly but uneven. I'd like to see some rejuvinating businesses opening up in Park Place but this ain't it. I wouldn't say it's terrible. Depends on your definition of good fresh seafood. I believe there are halfway decent items to be had on the menju, just may take some time to find them. So I'd say give it a try and see what you can find. Who knows, with low expectations, maybe you'll be surprised or at least not terribly disappointed. But for this outing considering what I consider good fresh seafood cooked properly, 2 stars (meh.) The deck outside in the Summer isn't a bad spot for a drink if you are trying to kill sometime before/after a movie in Park Place or something.
(2)
Suzanne E.
Mediocre food and not good service. Won't be back.. I really miss the old location and the great service they had there
(1)
Sarah M.
I gave this resturant two chances because I bought a Living Social deal and both times there it was a huge fail. The first time my husband and I hoped to make a date night of it, instead we were served oysters that were less than fresh and in fact had turned bad! You could smell them the minute the waitress set them on the table and all but two had a white, cloudy film on them. Not normal as we are huge lovers of raw oysters and get them every chance we can! Severe health hazard. We decided to cut our losses and finish our drinks and head somewhere safe. The second time I went, I went for lunch in hopes of using my voucher and having a better experience. Again disappointment. My son ordered the seafood sword and the waitress described it basically as a skewer. Instead it was two over cooked shrimp and a piece of dried out salmon with soggy fries just dumped on the plate. I ordered the fish tacos thinking they would be safe-it's not easy to screw up-but sadly they fell Super Short! All you could taste was the canned pineapple! The fish was tasteless as was the slaw. The worst part of the whole experience-the fish there is farmed and frozen!!!!! (As stated by the waitress) How can you compete as a resturant in the Pacific NorthWest if you can't even supply fresh fish that is native to the area! To top it off, if you compare the prices to that of high end seafood restaurants in the area, they are the same price or only $1-3 less. If major changes aren't made I suspect this restaurant won't be in business another year. Both times the establishment was virtually empty with only one other table of customers and a few people at the bar. I'm not sure if this is an ownership/management issue or a fundamental problem with the restaurant. I honestly can't see how this gets an average of a three star rating. No chance that is a true representation.
(1)
Sonja L.
Had dinner there last night. Everything was grand. We had the cheesecake for dessert, and our party of 5 all agreed it was the best cheesecake we had ever had.
(4)
Todd F.
Not worth full menu price, but if you've got a Groupon or other substantial discount stop by. I had a Groupon so I swung by recently on a day I hadn't eaten lunch and wandered through their dinner menu. The service was outstanding and the staff were all pleasant and attentive. They brought me a basket with two types of dinner rolls; the white were soggy almost to the point of being goo and the brown were stale. Not a great start. The New England clam chowder had marvelous flavor but the potatoes were a bit crispy and one spoonful was nothing but a big glob of roux. The crab cakes were amazing. Crispy on the outside but tender on the inside with a great flavor, and the aioli was also spot on. The mixed grill was a mixed bag of quality as well. The salmon, scallops and vegetables were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The prawns were tough and a bit less than fresh, and the risotto was undercooked and not very creamy. For such a limited and unambitious menu the lack of consistency is a bit surprising. None of it was bad enough that I would avoid the place, but had I paid full price I would have felt overcharged.
(3)
Kathy S.
My BF remembered The Crab Cracker from its heyday. Thought we'd try it -- wish we hadn't. Discovered new Park Place location. A little dark, a little smoky smelling but based upon past knowledge we continued. Started with two specialty martinis, Summer Bourbon something and Jalapeno/Cilantro margarita. The bourbon drink tasted like water, looked like greywater. At $14, that's expensive water. The margarita was a mix with some cilantro stirred in--jalapeno/heat nowhere. We mentioned this to server and they were whisked away. Unfortunately, we continued. I ordered scallops and he ordered fish and chips. Everything had an oily shine, including the coleslaw. You reviewers who ate that coleslaw.....who ARE you? That stuff was foul! The fish batter was even shiny. The 1st scallop I ate had the unmistakable taste of ammonia. I tried a second scallop-same thing. I have an iron gut not a death-wish. The spinach on the plate was the only edible thing but even the spinach had an unhealthy oily gleam. We stopped eating and informed our server why. She returned to tell us that the cook insisted the scallops were fresh and perhaps it was the wasabi I was tasting. I now understood what the unappetizing looking, pale-green drizzle on the plate had been. I hadn't tasted any wasabi. I know what wasabi tastes like and it is not ammonia. At $28 I should not be tasting ammonia--the unmistakable taste of scallops gone bad. Service was good but if I tell you the scallops are bad, don't argue with me. Take it off the bill (she did) and apologize. I appreciate that this place was once an institution but things have, apparently, changed.
(1)
Lonely R.
Great restaurant if you want to start a date badly. Avoid. Service is completely horrid. Don't waste your time. Went here on a date night with the wife. Took 15 minutes just to get seated at a table in the bar that was long vacant. Took just as long to get menus. We ordered a light supper fairly quickly and then waited. And waited. Well it finally got close to show time at the nearby KPC and we still had no food despite being in the restaurant for an hour. We cancelled our order after only have bread and water for supper. This place is a waste of time. Go elsewhere.
(1)
Paola F.
ordered the cajun shrimp for appetizer, for entres: Crab stuffed shrimp fettucini and the cioppino. Everything was delicious! The cajun shrimp is one of the best appetizers I have had! The Cioppino was fresh very generous big sized ingredients. Everything was fresh and portions were pretty good. One of the biggest sized shrimps I have had. I consider myself very strict when comes to rating food and go out to eat at least 3 times a week and I'm definitely coming back.
(4)
Geoff F.
First time to any Crab Cracker, old, new or Todd. Had a lovely evening. We sat outside, which I think was essential. The evening was perfect, beautiful sunset, the service was great and the food was pretty darn good. Yea, the inside looked and smelled like an old TGI Friday's. And we got lots of rolls folks so they must be listening. Botom line if it's a nice night and you sit outside, I bet you'll do alright.
(4)
Minh L.
After reading all the negative reviews I felt unsure about trying this place but since I had a living social that needed to be used I went for it. Surprisingly the place is not as bad a some say. It doesn't deserve a 1 star. The servers were attentive and the prices have something for everyone. They have sandwiches for $10-15 and you can get surf and turf for $55 with plenty of choices in between. I ended up getting the seared sea scallops and spinach which were fine. The portion was pretty small so I suggest getting an appetizer if u get that. My friend got the beef sliders and I liked them. The patty was thicker than most and the bacon jam was different in a good way. I had a decent experience so if I'm in the neighborhood I'd prob drop by again. Even without a Living Social deal.
(4)
Bill W.
We had to check out this new edition of an old classic from across the street. Consider this a mixed review. Service was attentive and friendly. It seems like they are really trying to make this work. The decor is largely left over from the TGIFriday's. But they've made more of an effort to improve it than the previous establishment, bringing over a few nautical baubles from the old Crab Cracker and brightening up the paint a little. We started out with cocktails. My Manhattan was spot on. Her house Margarita was pretty lame. Bread, as noted elsewhere, was offered one roll at a time. The pumpernickel was good and added some pizzazz to otherwise pedestrian clam chowder. Her Hearts of Romain salad was fresh and crispy. I ordered the "Signature" Mixed Grill. I thought the scallops were almost underdone (probably by comparison, since most restaurants overcook them). But they were fine. The shrimp and salmon were excellent. The bed of risotto and veggies on the side were okay. She had the Crab Cakes, which were declared very nice indeed, although there was confusion about what sauce(s) came with the meal. We also thought the potatoes wedges were dried out. But when we mentioned that to someone (Todd?) inquiring about the food, we were informed that they were supposed to be crisp, "like a french fry." We disagree, but whatever. The new Crab Cracker is a bit better than the old Crab Cracker, though still not as good as the "classic" Crab Cracker we remember from over a decade ago. The menu has been streamlined and prices have gone up a bit. We were glad to have a coupon and the bill still stung. There are better seafood joints in the area for these kind of prices. And the TGIFriday's location is still looking a bit forlorn in it's little corner of Park Place mall.
(3)
Lisa P.
TWICE now our meals left us happy as "clams"! We thoroughly enjoy our meals so much that we demand more marketing so EVERYONE can enjoy this amazing food!!! Very friendly and welcoming staff from the beginning to the end! Lots of cozy seating in a "Seaworthy" theme. Crab cakes.... ways a great start for seafood. Lots of fresh crab and light batter with a perfect crispness to it! Cajun Seafood Pasta...mouth watering but you want to eat slowly to enjoy the generous seafood portions! Shout Out to their Light, fluffy, dreamy Coconut Torte....not exaggerating!! I would give it a 10 out of 10 so please make your tummies dance with delight and visit this restaurant! And NO, I do not know the owner, I just know a Good thing when I Taste it!!
(5)
Rick B.
We were walking by the CC last evening and decided to try the happy hour. As we approached the entrance we were greeted by loud, tinny teeny-bopper music from their outdoor speakers near their deck seating area. We were not about to subject ourselves to that sort of atmosphere, so we did not even bother going in. It seems many restaurants think that blasting lame noise will attract customers. No, it doesn't. Good service, good food, cleanliness, lighting, comfort and decor are key ingredients to success.
(1)
Amber M.
Food tasted fairly good. We ordered two king salmon, two kids beef slider plates, warm seafood salad and some dish with loads of muscles and clams. The salmon was ok, I've had better but also much worse! I love salty so I liked the glaze, but it's quite salty. The kids loved the sliders but said the fries were too salty, and they were heavily salted. Everything else was pretty good. Service was very lacking and unresponsive. My drink was flat, twice, I don't think it was refunded after I said the second one was flat she didn't offer a different drink or say anything other than she would tell the kitchen. The interior is... Ok, strip mall chic although even with reservation the put us right by the toilets. Go for the food but be very patient with the service.
(3)
Tanya B.
I really enjoyed it- we went for happy hour- totally worth it and love the new location!!! Crab cakes are the bomb!
(4)
Ross H.
Like some others, I wanted this place to be good. We would do happy hour occasionally at the old location. Never expected much, but it was convenient and adequate. They've brought the food to a new level... A lower level, but then raised the prices. Twelve bucks for four prawns at happy hour? The cocktail sauce was literally catsup only, without even a hint of horseradish. The clams must have been boiled for hours. Michelin or Firestone might be interested in that recipe. And what's with renaming it to "Todd's" Crab Cracker? Here's a hint... If your name is something cool and foody sounding like Mario or Bobby Flay maybe it's okay. When it's pedestrian like "Todd" you come off as egocentric with a mediocre restaurant. Either way, they aren't going to last long. The food is just too crappy.
(1)
Blair A.
It was excellent. Try the artichoke crab dip!!! Service was great. Other reviews seem very old and outdated, potentially from old location. Used the Groupon with no problems, and very glad that I did. The King Crab was awesome, and we received excellent service from Jennifer. I thought it was so good, I emailed the owner to let them know and he even took the time to personally respond. It is very clear that he cares about his restaurant. Everyone around us seemed to be enjoying the food immensely.
(5)
Kelli H.
For those of you that don't know, The Crab Cracker use to be across the street, and they re-opened in the old TGIF restaurant in Park Place. It's now called Todd's Crab Cracker. Todd bought out his partner, apparently. Since this was a favorite local restaurant that's been in Kirkland for many decades we were happy to see they reopened. Sad to say things have definitely changed. I first got that sinking feeling as soon as I noticed the name change. It's been my experience that it's usually a bad thing when there's a name change Like others have mentioned the place needs some updating. The old place had a fun, funky nautical vibe. The new place is super dark, all original TGIF decor from the 80's. It's pretty inconvenient to get to because the parking lot is full from movie patrons and gym rats. The plus is there's an outdoor patio. Unfortunately that's the only plus I could see. The food wasn't that great. We use to hit the happy hour quite often, and the happy hour menu is a lot more brief then it use to be. The pan fried oysters were very over breaded. Steamed clams was enough for two of us to have like six clams each. I liked the Tiger prawns, but there was only four of them for $12! Just got the feeling they're cutting corners to save money. The worst part: NO MORE LOBSTER! They have some "surf and turf" and you get a filet and 6oz lobster for $60, no more picking out a big, fresh 18oz lobster.
(1)
Ryan B.
Food is great, happy hour is excellent, and our waitress Jade was awesome. We will be back here again and again.
(5)
Amerina G.
Came here with a groupon for 50$ of food for 30$ awesome deal!!! I had a lemon drop and my boyfriend had a whiskey summer and both drinks were amazing!! Jade our amazing server was polite helpful outgoing and wonderful. I had such a delicious dish it was stuffed bacon wrapped prawns over fettuccine and YUM YUM YUM ! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone and everyone there is amazing food drinks and service! If you want a great server ask if Jade is there!!
(5)
Kathy S.
We were not expecting much, but pleasantly surprised. Crab cakes we good as well as the Manhattan Clam Chowder. Fresh carrots and green beans were delicious. Service was excellent. We dined early on a Friday night, but it was busy. Acoustics are not great, rather noisy.
(4)
Brian L.
Is there anything less than one star I could choose? Terrible doesn't even begin to describe the train wreck we experienced. Seriously. Small black curly hair in our food. Is that enough to keep you from going to this place? If not there is way way way way more to the story. Not worth my time to go into it. Bad food, worse service, terrible cocktails. I feel very sorry for the owner of this place. It won't be open long.
(1)
Jimmy B.
New location in Park Place, across the street from the old location. Great food, great service, glad they're back!
(4)
Daniele W.
Love it! The bartender Jade makes some supreme Lemon Drops! The Crab Bisque is to die for! All round great place to play.
(5)
Troy C.
I wanted so much to like the new crab cracker. Wow it was awful. Even worse we were one of two tables in the place (its a big dining room). 1. Service - it was excellent, our waitress was a delight and tried hard to make the evening pleasant. 2. Atmosphere - pleasant but very old school NW seafood house w dark dark wood. 3. Location - blah on thr 2nd flr of park place. Almost no signage and hard to find if you dont know where to go. Park place mgmt needs to put up better directional siganage and the restaurant needs its old signage BADLY. 4. FOOD - I think since business is slow that things are not as fresh as they coulf be. - lobster bisque, bland, gloppy, way to thick and ver unappealing mouth feel. - crab monte cristo, mushy, bland and lacking textures to breakup the mush. The coleslaw was tasty i must say. - bread, i liked the bread and soft butter. 5. Price - out of control expensive. $15 for a prawn cocktail w only 6 prawns is over price. Everything is overpriced. They need to revamp the menu and lower the prices substantially. Can i recommend this place? Sadly No.
(1)
Kristin K.
Marginal food. You don't get a bread basket, they serve you individual roll and fumble with pats of butter. Im allergic to onions, requested no onions and two of my foods full of onions. Service ok, won't go back. Food very speedy and rice pilaf with everything.
(2)
Jon T.
"Meh" is a near-perfect summary of my recent experience at this place. Another yelper said that they would take red lobster over this place any day. I have to agree. I don't remember much about my visit (a testament to how unexciting it was), even though it was only about two weeks ago. Here's what I do remember - my seafood salad was overpriced (like most of the things on the menu) and borderline bland, and the spinach appeared to be far from fresh, as did the salmon; the butter for the rolls was hard as a rock, making it almost impossible to actually use it on the rolls. The new location isn't that great, either. Do yourself a favor and either go to Purple wine bar (across the parking lot) or to Acropolis pizza (across the street). I can almost guarantee I will not be going back to Crab Cracker.
(2)
William M.
Very very difficult to find. Not easily accessible for those with disabilities. Noise level high. Food was good, not great. Service was great. A/C was out and it was hot inside. I won't go back. Not a good value.
(2)
Jeff P.
Best clam chowder I've ever had, the place is abit expensive, but really good food
(4)
Howard I.
Had a groupon to this so decided to drop by. Atmosphere was very nice for a date. My date and I got a bottle of wine, two platters and a dozen oysters. The platters were great!!! Lots of food and very tasty. However, the prices would have been fairly high for my taste of not for the groupon. Service was very good in my book.
(4)
Jamie W.
On my last night as a resident of the Northwest, I wantedto have my last meal be the quintessential seafood feast. And there was only one place I wanted to enjoy it, The Crab Cracker in Kirkland. Having recently taken over the defunct TGIF's location, the re-opened restaurant has a wonderfully warm and cozy setting with a variety of initiate to group seating options. Both the food and service were exactly what I hoped for. Our waitress, Katherine took excellent care of us and made sure our meal and experience was the memory I wanted to remember the Northwest by. If you're looking for a charming setting to enjoy some of the best seafood the world has offer, excellently prepared and professionally served by a great staff, you would do well to make Todd's Crab Cracker your gastronomic destination.
(4)
Joseph W.
Terrific Happy Hour. You can get full on a drink and an appie for under $12. Large outside area overlooking Kirkland. Spacious new location. The menu is largely unchanged from the former location, with classic Kirkland fare. Lacquered salmon is delish. Soups and salads are very good as well. I love the cod 'n hand-cut fries.
(5)
Vangie C.
Really good clam chowder. We had beef sliders which were tasty and grilled fished tacos.
(3)
April 9.
I REALLY wanted the Crab Cracker to do well. I REALLY wanted to like it. Sadly, it is just as bad as it was in the old location. They really did a bad job at their last location, but we wanted to give it a try again, in hopes they had upped their service. Here's a list of our dinner experience: Pros: - The server was very nice and capable. - The wine list was fairly diverse, with several WA wines. - The location is large and open, with tons of free parking. Cons: - The decor is bland, boring and dark. Dark brown walls & ceiling, dark blue table cloths, etc.. (Someone came in a hot-glued some starfish to the wall and they consider it to be seafood decor). It is literally the gutted out Friday's restaurant that has all the old C.C. furniture moved over - which they didn't even bother to clean, by the way. I agree with someone else's description that is looks VERY sad and 1980's and needs a serious decor overhaul. - The Caesar Salad was completely over-dressed with a dressing so heavy with anchovy that it was nauseating. One of the worst Caesar's I've ever had. - My husband ordered the Cedar plank Salmon, which said nothing about a sauce on the menu description. Yet, it came to the table covered in a bubbling, butter/cheese like sauce. - The tartar sauce had been under the broiler so long that it was hot and bubbly. Gross. - I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken, (as I've never been happy with seafood dishes there) which was okay. Odd that it was the best dish of the table.... given we were at a seafood restaurant. - A rusted out gate to the patio was swinging wide open and blocking the front door. We sat next to the window and watched every person who came in, move it to get past it. It's the little 'attention to detail' type things that should be an easy fix. As I said, we had really hoped they had stepped up their game - but unfortunately have not. They are in a large, spacious location and it really does have potential, but I just don't know if they are capable of making it happen. Duke's Chowder House would have done really well in that location. It is a mystery to me how they stayed in business for so long as a seafood restaurant, when the seafood they serve is so bad. We won't be coming back.
(1)
Pamela W.
Last week 4 of us had dinner here....service and food were excellent, even better than the old Crab Cracker across the street. Prices are super reasonable for what you get - we had Prawn Fettucine, Cioppino, and Au Gratin Crab - all got rave reviews, and the Calamari appetizer was said to be the best any of us had in years. The Au Gratin crab was heavenly, and enough to take home for a sandwich the next day. The decor is dated, but don't let that keep you away if you want a great meal at a great price. We paid full price for everything,no coupons, and were extremely happy....We hope they will be here for many years.
(5)
Jay O.
Whomever made the Risotto around mid day on 12-18-14 has it completely wrong. Clumpy, dry and the wine should be cooked off at the very least. Oh, and cook the carrots a little more. They were cold and raw in the middle. $35 for that dish?! Wow! Diners go elsewhere. They should take the risotto off the menu and stick to something easier.
(1)
Jan K.
Came here for Mother's Day dinner with the family. Seafood and crab was good quality. However service was extremely slow and the place was not packed. Ceasar salad was Ok but I expected better.
(3)
Faye L.
Went there for Happy Hour...have loved the lobster bisque when we have gone before. This time the soup was lukewarm, the parmesan truffle fries were overcooked and the rolls were dried out. The salmon bites were on the dry side. The service was OK! I would like to see this place be very successful, however someone needs to pay attention to the details,
We have been long time Crab Cracker customers, but had been more reluctant to go to the old location the last few years. We had some disappointing experiences the last few times we went to the old place. Recently, we found out our favorite bartender, Dave, had started tending bar here, so we decided to check out the new location. We liked the new interior. I know all the wood was left over from TGIF, but with the decor brought over from the old place it made me think of the inside of a newly refurbished wood sailboat. We ordered the Seattle Cioppino and the glazed king salmon, and the food was PERFECT. The risotto was rich and delicious, the asparagus and seafood was cooked perfectly -- a huge improvement over the old place. The Crab Cracker is BACK, baby!
(5)
Rick O.
We found the food to be good but the price was rather stiff for what we received. $44 for a plate without a salad (another $7-10) was rather steep. The Salmon was delicious, but the steak was not well cooked and only average. The cheesecake was very poor (I've had better at Costco) and that was very disappointing. A good restaurant with decent food but not worth the price.
(3)
Sam T.
Best restaurant in town! I love it! Service and food are phenomenal. The bartenders are awesome. Definitely give this place a try!
(5)
jack s.
Good food, but not so good service. We'll eat there again in another month and see what has transpired. To be fair, when we ate there, they'd been open less than three weeks in the the new location. And apparently, they aren't really the old Crab Cracker, but some entity named "Epicurean Associates I". First, the bad: we went with open minds. We knew it wouldn't be the same as before, but along with the complete change in atmosphere (as we expected) was a complete change in staff. Complete. And clearly, they are working things out. There was a lot of hurry among the wait staff, including running to and fro. Our table service was polite, but rushed and not cordial. We were asked to order everything all at once, and even though we were expected to be fast in our ordering, we got our food kind of late, and they mixed our entrees with the sides in the kitchen. Next, the good: we went with open minds. We knew it wouldn't be the same as before, and sure enough, the menu was different, and shorter. However, our favorites were still there, albeit under different names. But even our favorites had changed, but for the better! The asparagus was perfect, and the french fries were excellent. As before, our salmon was cooked just the way we like. The upshot is that we will go back in a month or so and see how they've gone through their teething problems. Based on the track records of some other new local restaurants, they will take customer reviews to heart and make the appropriate changes. I say you should go in a few weeks and see how they've improved.
(3)
Bri C.
My husband and I enjoy coming here. Food is good Service is good The ambience is nice
(4)
Brenda L.
We ate in the bar and really enjoyed the ambiance and warmth. Dave, the bartender, was very friendly and made us feel right at home. He smiled a lot and gave us the impression that he enjoyed his job and enjoyed being with people. We had a very good meal, enjoyed our wine, etc., and enjoyed our evening. Dave brought our drinks right away and the food came quickly, as well. There is a great happy hour there. Look for Dave in the bar. He is very accommodating and nice. Brenda and Greg
(5)
Carol M.
Poor dining, service was not good, never had water glasses refilled, One of the guests food didn't arrive until after everyone else was done with dinner. Food very mediocre nothing to rave about. Problem with the computer, asked to wait while they resolved and promised a free dessert, never happened, next we knew the computer was fixed and we were 'free to go. Bathrooms flooded, AC was not turned on. Total of three tables including ours between 5.30 and 8.30. Service was slow and non-existent for refills of any kind. Sad to say when Mom of the CC passed away so did the restaurant. Will never return. If you want to compete with Anthony's and Big Fish you need to make some radical changes.
(1)
amiga D.
Last night, my sweetie and I went to celebrate another special day since we've met. We decided to try Todd's Crab Cracker. Being in the restaurant business in the past... As Chef Gordon Ramsay would say... "Damn... that's too bad..." were also my comments for some of their dishes. There was the Good, the Bad, and the Evil. Starting with the Good: White Clam Chowder was delicious as I always remembered from their old location. So was their Fish & Chips (Cod fish, nicely done coleslaw, and homemade fries (could have been crispier, but my guy said he liked them like that!). The Steamer Bucket with manila clams, Penn cove mussels, white wine, garlic butter was okay, served on a watery pool of clam juice and no salt. The Bad: For $35, you get a Hot tower appetizer: a trio combo of 2 crab cakes (tasty yet too much breading, too little crab), Fried Calamari... (looked like a pale ghost, but tasted crispy... oil was probably too new), and Cajun Prawns (the worst tasteless overcooked pieces of prawns I've ever tasted, one little bite and didn't go further). At least the owner came by to say hello and asked how is everything? I couldn't help to mentioned nicely that their Cajun prawns was our least favorite, bland, no taste at all and overcooked (and that was the second try as we had to sent back the bland overcooked first dish). He offered to send it back and talk to the cooks, but I semi-graciously declined. The Evil: As we walked to the second floor, the first thing we noticed was how dirty their windows were, then dusty tables and chairs as the sun was out and showing their true colors, and lastly the fruit flies started to join us during our meal (not a good sign...). I give it a 2.5 stars for trying and hoping they will somehow improve their dishes and cleanliness. Perhaps if I am really hungry for fish & chips or clam chowder soup and I am out of a Progresso can of soup and too tired to drive to Ivars, I may do a take out from this place... Yet, I doubt that they will see me again unless there are big changes in the future. I wanted so much to like this local place, give it a good rating, and connect this business with charity in mind. Damn... that's too bad...
(3)
K R.
We were very excited to try this "new" restaurant. Front desk was nice and seated us right away. We then sat for 1/2 hour before our server asked us what we would like to drink. Another 15 minutes before we got our drinks. Food was also super slow. Waiter was slooooooow. He brought us the wrong app. and said he would exchange it but by that time we were just wanting to eat and go. We kept the wrong app. and he never took it off our bill. Super hard to get another drink while waiting forever for our dinner. The food was mediocre at best. The restaurant was not that busy to be so backed up. Very disappointed and will not go back.
(1)
Jaimi T.
Speechless. I don't even know where to begin. How about with the oysters. The ones that hadn't turned bad were loaded with pulverized shell and shredded. Like someone chewed them and spit them back into the shell. We ordered the truffle fries. No truffle. Not even the barest hint. And they were soggy and sad to boot. Also ordered the crab cocktail. It's canned. $15 for half a can of crab on a bed of shredded lettuce with bottled cocktail sauce. Heinz, unless I am mistaken. 2 drinks were mediocre, but the highlight of the whole sad escapade. Too bad my waiter ruined the thought of those by saying, "I tasted yours. It's really good!" Total? $68. Thank God we had a Groupon deal, tho I still feel robbed. Save yourself the money and a day hovering near your bathroom. Avoid setting foot in this place.
(1)
Violeta H.
I used to go to the "old" Crab Cracker at their previous location, but eventually I just ran out of things that I liked on their menu. Once they moved I wanted to check them out and I am glad I did. The menu has been refreshed and there is something for every taste on it (although the crab cocktail could use bigger chunks of crab... hint hint) ;-). My favorite bartenders from the old location transferred to the new one. The space is much better now. Plus a great patio for outdoor seating.
(5)
Brandon K.
Awsome!
(5)
Alida W.
Terrible! Small portions, overpriced, poor quality. They really lost their quality with the move. I will never go back!
(1)
Joe T.
Great happy hour! Super friendly staff.
(5)
Matt H.
I have always loved the Crab Cracker and now that it has moved to it's new location I love it even more. Great atmosphere, good selection of beers on tap, great food, and great servers. Say hi to Travis in the bar and she'll put a smile on your face. A couple nice screens to watch the game, but definitely not a sports bar, so perfect for mixed company.
(5)
forrest h.
The great Crab and Seafood is as good as it's always been. New location and a great bar are a real plus. Best place to eat before movie...
(5)
Lillian L.
The new Crab Cracker and its fabulous food! A passionate and inspired new manager breathes new life back into this lovely venue. Divine Salmon Teriyaki starter and a very delicate Crab Fettuccine entree - inhaled! Fantastic Happy Hour, by the way. 5 stars. Great bar service too.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Accepts Bitcoin : No 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 : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Dominique L.
Straight outta PDX on a rainy night after a wind storm this place turned an almost bummed out anniversary weekend around! Not only was the food AMAZING there was a live band that BUMPED! My husband cannot stop talking about how good his meal was. Will definitely be back!
(5)Glenda J.
Steamed clams were OK but could be more fresh. Good lemon butter flavor. Halibut was on their specials list which was surprisingly good. Served on a risotto with creamy shrimp sauce and steamed asparagus. Sauce was flavorful although too much for the Halibut. If you're looking to still taste your fish then this dish is not for you. Service was excellent. They should stop serving their stale goldfish though.
(3)Jason T.
After this restaurant moved from it's old location to the new (rather out-of-the-way) one, I decided to give it a try. I had no expectations except for that it served seafood. Ambiance: Upon entering, it looked like I stepped into 1992. The oak trim on nearly everything and multiple layers of seating areas made it feel a bit off. I also noticed that the average age was a bit more senior. The lighting in the place was also wildly uneven, giving it a rather sterile feel. Some placed got plenty of outdoor lighting and the inner seating areas were a bit dark. Food: There are eating establishments that believe that throwing obscene amounts of butter on food will make it delicious. Others, rightfully so, align themselves with the notion that other methods might work better, with butter used in select ways. This restaurant definitely fell in the first camp. The menu looked like it was from Red Lobster. It was uninspired and fitting a need for those who feel like a Saturday out at Olive Garden is "tres bien". It's heavy on pasta, traditional fish preparations and caesar salads. I ordered a cedar plank salmon with vegetables and some sort of pilaf. The salmon tasted like it was 50% butter, 50% fish. I normally like the flavor of fish without the heavy handedness of greasy sheen. The vegetables, as well, were spruced up with a little bit of buttery goodness. Imagine my utmost surprise when the pilaf tasted less like pilaf and more like the vegetables and fish. Prices: Seafood places are pricey, no matter where you go, and I accept that. Here, entrees were about $40-$50 each. I can imagine so many other restaurants I would want to go to, with better food and ambiance, for this type of bill. You can get a far superior meal at an relatively similar price, at the likes of Seastar. Would I go back? Hell no. For some people, it might be fine, but if you like a little more flavor/spice in what you eat and okay with not drowning everything in butter, try someplace else.
(2)Hoc P.
Too expensive is my conclusion. A crab meal is like $50 here. It is no more than $25 or max of $30. I rather go with Crab Pot for better taste. If they have the special here, it's great. If not, their regular menu is terrible. Also don't order any fried fish. They are so oily and a bit burn. Not coming back!
(3)Yana V.
Tried the hot tower which consists of Dungeness crab cakes , Calamari and Cajun prawns, for 35$. The Cajun prawns are delicious and come with a side of cheesy bread to dip in the sauce. The calamari and crab cakes were good but have definitely had better. I'd come back and order the Cajun prawns alone for sure. My friend had the stuffed prawns which come served on fettuccini Alfredo and the pasta was really well cooked but comes with only three prawns.
(3)Pack C.
I had seafood cioppino. it's a little too tomatoey for my liking but lots of seafood and fresh. (all mussels & clams were open). so, that was good. It has an outdoor space which is perfect for a nice weather day
(3)Smaly K.
First time here, and it was a good first impression. It was a nice looking place, and especially a great place to eat during nice, sunny weather. We ordered the fried calamari for appetizer, and it was nice and crispy on the outside and still chewy on the inside. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly. And the cajun pasta had a great amount of seafood, and they were all big and plump, unlike some places where they use tiny shrimp, scallops, and shellfish. Everything tasted of good quality.
(5)Sabrina P.
Wanted to go for a cozy romantic dinner. Left feeling a little depressed. The new location is very spacious, but lacks decor. Our waitress was attentive and polite, though it felt like she was a puppet with some really short strings. I was torn between the Mixed Seafood Grill (Salmon, Scallops, Prawns, and risotto $29), and the Crab Fettuccine ($25). I really wanted the pasta but was hoping for some scallops also. When it came to ordering I asked, by the off-chance, if I could maybe add just a handful of scallops to my Crab Fettuccine for maybe $5-$10. The waitress looked shocked and told me that this would be an extra $30 or maybe more, but that she would go and check with "Todd". 5-10 minutes later she came back and told me it would cost $25 (cost of the meal) and $32 to add the small handful of scallops. Apparently they're pricey at the moment. I declined, OF COURSE. Duh! For that money I can buy the Crab Fettuccine and the Mixed Seafood Grill and get not only the extra small handful of scallops, but prawns, salmon, and risotto! This annoyed me, and made me feel rather stupid and ripped-off. The food was good! Service was good, but there was a sense of money-grabbing which ruined the whole experience.
(2)Erica J.
We had gone to the old location once before, and I like the new location a lot better! We waited until the last minute to use our Groupon...our fault. It was super busy because others did the same. We made reservations, but the host asked if we would sit in the bar since they were so crowded. We did, although I would've liked a bigger table for all of our plates! Our server seemed a little frazzled (she forgot my soup and then blamed the kitchen...it came at the same time as our entrees). But she was VERY nice. The food was delicious and the portions are huge! We both took home at least half of our meals for tomorrow's dinner! I would go back here--the food was really good. And the service was friendly. But maybe next time I would go on a Thursday or any day except the day a Groupon is expiring.
(4)Karan P.
We got a groupon and decided to try this place out. We ordered an appetizer and 2 entrees. This place looks pricey (not sure why its 2 star) but everything is midrange around $25 to $30 an entrée if not more. Given that I would have expected simple things like cutlery to be spotless or how they have the gold fish in open containers (who knows how many people have put their hands in there to get them) and even our plate (which was clean) had some black marks on it. The hostess was really nice. Our food came out but it was all really blank. Their seafood is really fresh, but the food lacks the flavors that I was hoping for when you are paying this much.
(3)Sara M.
Dined here last night for the hubby's bday. He REALLY wanted Chioppino and this place was close to the comedy club we were heading to after so I thought, how perfect. I thought wrong. Silly me for not reading the reviews beforehand. Had I done so, I could have saved a lot of cash. The service was great so no complaint there but considering it was close to empty at 7:30 on a Saturday, I expected nothing less. The decor reminded me of a spiffed up Skippers from the 80's but waaaaay too dark. We're in our 30s and struggled to read our menus. The hubby enjoyed his Caesar salad & Chioppino but I ordered the grilled prawns with 'seasonal' veggies & risotto which were um... Nasty beyond belief. Between the flavors, textures & lack of heat it was just really, really bad. Our server noticed I hardly touched my meal and after I politely explained how horrible it was, she was kind to offer me a free dessert & a $15 off coupon for next time. I wish the manager would have just removed my meal seeing as I will never return but I suppose it's the gesture that counts. I should mention that the coupon expires on 12/1/2014. It's good for dine in only, after 4pm AND with purchase of entrée. Not much of a deal afterall. I'll save you time and money and tell you to skip this place. Just about ANYWHERE else would be a better option.
(1)Dave's T.
Excellent all around- service and quality of food. Food is very rich and flavorful. It was not cheap but neither was the quality. Perfectly cooked meat and the pie was delicious. My partner and I had a lovely date on the patio and would visit again.
(5)Pete S.
What a surprise! Walked past (or more accurately underneath) this restaurant every week for over a year with my only thought being that the place sounded like there would be a confederate flag over the bar. But tonight, as a change from our normal post movie dinner at Rikki Rikki we took the big step of trying something new. How did we miss this? Suffice it to say, the baked seafood special was probably the best seafood dish I've eaten in years. Sweet crab, massive mussels, moist clams and a to-die-for broth along with really well clarified butter ... which is more easily said than done. And my wife's crab cakes went down just as easily along with fresh and well cooked vegetables. Although the decor is early TGIF, the service was attentive and fast. Thank you James. Oh, and the New England chowder, an order that often disappoints was rich and as tasty as a great clam chowder should be. Sorry Anthony's, I've got a new seafood friend ... Todd
(5)Ronnie R.
I am really surprised to see the negative reviews. If the restaurant did suffer some growing pains when it moved it clearly has resolved them. I dined alone and had the surf and surf. I know it is hard to screw up good crab but this was cooked to perfection. I almost never order risotto as I am usually disappointed everywhere I go. He mushroom risotto was to die for. Travis, my magnetic bartender is really what turned the experience from a 4 to a 5 star experience. It was $$$ seafood for $$. I would have paid more and will be back.
(5)C P.
Nice upstairs restaurant with outdoor seating, and a view of the western Kirkland cityscape horizon. A great place to go after the show! I met a lovely couple from Juanita Beach at the bar, and the two female Bar staff were FUN, FRIENDLY and helpful when selecting a drink, entrée and dessert! I enjoyed my first 'Lemondrop' last night... slightly sour, but poured over a a sugar-dipped, rimmed glass. The cup of Chowder was flavorful and filling; the freshly-baked, Bavarian roll had excellent texture and taste. We were too full for dessert, but the plate of baked goodies Jade offered was VERY tempting. Someone at the #CrabCracker must be a Pastry Chef because the Cheesecake, White Chocolate pie, and Coconut Cake looked like something off the Biltmore menu, and smelled equally delightful. Definitely, a selection waiting my next visit... let's go! ;)
(4)Lisa A.
Went here for my birthday, on what seemed to be one of the hottest days of the year and their air conditioning was 'busted'. There was ONE fan in the entire place and we asked to sit by it, which was also by the thermostat which read 86 degrees. Service was slow and he must have been new, needless to say, it was BAD! The bartender was Mia and took almost 20 minutes to get our drinks, said they would comp our drinks, but didn't and everything took so long that we just wanted to get out of there so didn't argue about it. Definitely would not go back. Food was descent, expensive, but not worth what we went through to get it. Very disappointed!
(2)Gloria L.
It's a first time visit for both my friend and me. The service was super slow. There were very few customers when I arrived but I was standing at the door for a while before someone greeted me. The waitress was horrible. Well, she wasn't mean or unfriendly. But often time I couldn't understand her. And when my friend showed up, she didn't even bother to ask him if he wanted anything to drink other than the water that was brought to the table when I first got there. Food was mediocre, but the portion was bigger than average. Neither of us will go back again. Disappointed is how I'd summarize my visit tonight.
(2)Sara H.
My boyfriend and I frequent this establishment quite often and every time it's been great. Jade is a always a gem and it's always great to interact with Todd, the owner. Their happy hour can't be beat with delectable crab cakes and delicious drinks. You are missing out if you haven't been there.
(5)Aprameya R.
A-Ok. The wife and I had dinner here on a random Wednesday night when for some reason every one of our regular places in Kirkland had people waiting and we were incredibly hungry. What I remember off this place: - The service was good. There was nothing to complain about. - The food tasted okay. I had the fish and chips and it is hard to screw that up. My wife had a shrimp dish and the shrimp were slightly overcooked. - The cocktails were strong but overpriced. All in all, it's an okay place. If you happen to step in you can be assured that you will get some meal. I wouldn't necessarily go here out of choice though.
(3)Thomson Q.
My wife and I went there tonight and had a wonderful dinner. The king crab legs are beautifully cooked and the side dishes are also delicious. I also enjoyed my king salmon. It is a nice view on the patio.
(5)Ja G.
Just finished having a dinner here with our family. We wished that the experience could have been better. Our waiter from the get go seemed put out with a few questions we had. The food was some good some bad. And our waiter was really angry with us that we had a groupon. Now maybe he had had a bad day, but when you are in food service you cannot bring this into the equation. We did not tip you well because of the above reasons. When we left you grumbled to us 'unbelievable'. And outside on our way to the car my husband said that he had said thank you to you and you responded with 'you're not welcome'. For the prices that you charge at this establishment - which are on par with Salty's and Cutters, the food should have been exceptional but it was not. Rice inedible, broccoli very salty, sauces for the calamari and crab cakes bland, steak was ok, crab legs were satisfactory. Wish it was great because the location is nice.i think the entire experience would have been about 3 stars had the waiter been gracious and kind with us. We could have overlooked the flaws in the part of the meal and focused on the good things. It made me totally realize how trapped you are when you sit down at a table to eat ....so at the mercy of that restaurants employees
(1)Chad S.
Food was very good! (4 to 4.5 stars) Atmosphere disappointing. The Crab and artichoke Dip is a MUST. Absolutely worth the $16 price tag. Chandlers crab house is famous for theirs, and it's very good, but TCC has them beat! For dinner I had the Cajun Seafood Pasta and it was very good as well. Huge portion and very generous amounts of fish, shellfish and shrimp. I find most places will throw you a few pieces of seafood in a dish like this and it ends up mostly pasta. The Cajun sauce was fantastic and once again was applied generously. My wife got the crab cakes and a salad and their crab cakes were pretty disappointing. Not bad, just nowhere near as good as those served at top puget sound steakhouses for the same price. (ie John Howie, The Met, El Gaucho) The vibe was dead and the few people that were there (ourselves included) were all jammed into a small area where the music didn't really reach so it was like we could all hear each other. The music that was playing was Creedence, Thin Lizzy etc. which are great but not in this setting. It cheapened the experience for sure. If they made their seating areas a little more updated/cozy, spaced guests out more and expanded the range of their sound system throughout this place could really shine.
(3)Suzette H.
The saving grace is service. If you order on the high $$ range of the menu you'll be disappointed with microwaved $50 crab legs. Really?!? I want to walk back to the kitchen and check how often they nuke their frozen food. Better options in the area.
(2)Nick S.
Seafood in a quick fix and not much else really... Todd's Crab Cracker is an interesting little place. It is by no means a pirate shanty or casual fun time restaurant. Yet its not a fine dining, table clothes and what not place either. However it has elements of both. When all is said and done, Todd's Crab cracker isn't bad, its just not great its almost like they re still getting into the groove of things, figuring things out. They definitely have the basis and ideas to be successful if they tweaked and improved a few things. Like i said the decor and atmosphere just felt strange. However the food was more than fine I would say. Ordering the crab cakes and calamari. The crab cakes the best Iv'e had in recent memory. thin, flaky, crispy just how they should be. Don't let me forget not one but two sauces, the wasabi balsamic was a great contrast. Meanwhile the red pepper aioli although tasty should've been pureed or blended more. The calamari, while the aioli and cocktail sauce were pretty much on point the calamari were not The service wasn't bad, it was just wasn't very experienced. Th way win which she tried to joke and interact with our table was out of place and not right so to speak for one. Secondly when my mother was being served soup our waitress spilled the soup all over the the bowl and plate it was on. Although nothing spilled on anyone, the precaution that should come when serving soup was not taken. Ultimately Todd's Crab Cracker is just another local restaurant. However I believe they will cpnyine to serve delicious crab cakes to loyal customers for some tome
(3)Karyn S.
My boyfriend and I were driving along the Kirkland waterfront and around the area and decided to check out the new restaurants in the area. We drove past where the old location of the Crab Cracker was and then saw a banner in the Park Place area of the Crab Cracker's new location and immediately turn in! Neither of us had been to the Crab Cracker before and were both excited to try it out! It was awesome! We arrived during Happy Hour and couldn't decided if we wanted dinner or Happy Hour appetizers. We ended up ordering a variety of the Happy Hour appetizers and drinks. The food, ambiance, music, and service was amazing. The Crab Bisque is a must have. The bowl is a very large serving, enough for a meal in itself, with large chucks of crab meat. The crab cakes are delicious, and don't leave without trying the fish tacos! I was having a hard time figuring out what to drink and the server recommended the Lemmon Drop and it was delicious! It was so fresh and made with real lemons, and is the best Lemmon Drop around! Scott, our server, was fun, had great recommendations, was prompt and really enjoyed him. We enjoyed our little date night with amazing food, great service, and fun jazz/blues music while we dined. We think this might just be out go-to Friday night hang out! We'll be back again soon!
(5)Paul V.
If there's one word to describe Todd's Crab Cracker, it's "potential", because this place has a lot of it. The main detracting factors for me were the location and ambiance. It moved from it's old spot to the second level of the Park Place Center. It can be a little difficult to find right away since the location on Google maps hasn't been updated and even when you're driving around the mall, it's not easy to see. It's directly above the movie theater, FYI. The ambiance is a bit underwhelming. It looks like a dingy seafood restaurant from the 1980s. It's fairly dark on the inside and the flooring, ceiling, and decoration need some serious overhaul. If you're going to charge prices comparable to Anthony's/Ivar's, I would expect the inside to be a little nicer. I'm also fairly certain that the napkins we got were simply dish towels. That being said, the food is decent and the service was great. We ordered the Glazed King Salmon and the Grilled Garlic Prawns. I thoroughly enjoyed the teriyaki/soy sauce glaze. Both orders came with a creamy herbed risotto and a healthy serving of asparagus. We both left very full. We ordered a pint of Manny's and a glass of chardonnay. Unfortunately, both were room temperature when they came out. They had a couple tasty looking cocktails on the menu, but they were all around $12. That's decidedly too pricey for this place. I loved our waitress though. She was a very sweet older lady who was attentive and friendly as you could hope for. This might have been a function of the fact that the restaurant was relatively unpopulated on a Wednesday evening, but I'm not one to argue with a good thing. She was fantastic. It was a bit odd that they bring a basket of bread to your table, give you the number of rolls you want, set down the butter, and walk away with the basket. I suppose this makes it easier to save room for your entree and avoid loading up on bread, but it did make me raise an eyebrow. Why not just leave the basket? Is bread really that expensive? All in all, not the worst seafood restaurant I've ever been to. They're trying, and I hope they figure it out. The truly unfortunate thing is that they have to compete with all the other seafood restaurants in and around the Seattle area. If I'm going to pay $25 for a 4 oz filet of salmon, I would most likely take my business somewhere that has a nicer interior and a view of the water.
(3)Todd C.
I have to say the staff here (lunch) is awesome. The hostess/waitress and other gal who keeps ya taken care of are both super sweet and attentive. The ambiance was fine? Nice and clean, all a-okay, but what bummed me out... Where's the crab?! Yes, they have crab cakes, and we had crab bisque (very good), but it just seemed like at "Todd's Crab Cracker" we would have had more crab options including crab legs... Maybe it was due to lunchtime? I would go back, I did like it, just disappointed there wasn't more crab available.
(3)Ilse B.
We used a groupon, and definitely enjoyed our food. Ordered the Wine Plate for an appetizer, which was super good, and then the seafood grill for an entree. The risotto that came with it was just okay, but the fish/seafood was great, and the wait staff was very helpful and friendly. We will definitely go back!
(4)Jarred S.
My girlfriend took me here for my birthday a couple nights ago and we had a blast! From the second we walked in the owner Todd was smiling and friendly. We sat outside next to the fire, which was a pretty cool spot to hang out and enjoy the fresh air. It was nearing the time for them to close, but Jade was amazing and took care of us without even a hint of trying to rush us through. She's top notch, and I would highly recommend asking for her by name. My friend had the New York strip and was cooked to a perfect medium, and my girlfriend and I shared the 1 1/2 lb king crab with drawn butter. I couldn't get enough! The shortcake for dessert topped it all off. We washed it down with some 23 oz. craft beers, and Todd even comped my Jamison for my birthday. All in all, a great dining experience with great food. Thanks Jade and Todd for making it a memorable birthday!
(5)Sri Divya B.
It was our first visit and we chose this place to celebrate our wedding anniversary.. The thing I liked the most about this place is, the happy hour menu was really good! The ambience was good and the service was reasonably fast.. The staff are friendly too! We ordered Cajun prawns, Parmesan crusted chicken and peppercorn steak.. But Cajun prawns will be our favorite.. It was so good that we finished it in minutes! I love chicken and Parmesan crusted chicken was the right choice for me.. It comes with cooked vegetables and rice so it's perfect for dinner! I loved it! My husband loves steak so we ordered peppercorn steak.. He says that it would have been better. We ordered it medium rare.. The sauce was too much for the steak. It comes with cooked vegetables too.. They also have three beers on their tap and a good choice of various wines.. Good for wine lovers! Seafood lovers would love to visit the place often!
(5)Sam S.
Good food, bad beer. I took my girlfriend here and we both got ID'd two times. The bartender wasn't sure about our IDs the first time and went to the kitchen area, we then heard her talking to someone about it. She then came back and check it again. That was an awkward situation. After that, we ordered our food and my plate came to the table wrong. I didn't want the food to go to waste so I told her it was fine but I didn't want to pay 10 extra dollars for this plate. She then told me she would send me a coupon via email later that week for the mistake, that never happened. This night was completely empty in the restaurant. We should of been taken care of.
(2)Chad W.
I would recommend Red Lobster over this place any day... So much happened to my wife and I on this Friday night that it is hard to keep this review to one page. Maybe it was just a bad night for the waitress and the cooking staff but man did it leave a sour taste in our mouth. Let's start with the disappointing atmosphere. The old location was at least bright and well decorated. The new location reeks of TGIF from 20 years ago. Dark and very dated. It's an understatement to say that Chef Irvine (from the Food Network) would have a field day here! We were promptly seated by the host and we immediately asked for a high chair. After waiting for ten minutes for the waitress to show up but no high chair, we asked our waitress for a high chair. It took no less than another fifteen minutes before she brought one by. My wife and I both ordered some cocktails to start with and some oysters. After ten minutes, the waitress returned to tell us that the bar was still working on our drinks. Five minutes later, she came by again to tell us that they don't have one of the ingredients to make one of the drinks. Meanwhile, she still hasn't brought over the other drink we ordered. I asked for a menu to look over the drink selection again. The waitress was so busy and flustered that she literally ran over with a menu, practically tossed it in my lap and sprinted (and I do mean sprinted... not walked) across the restaurant towards the kitchen. I didn't even have time to ask her a question. Both drinks eventually came out after about ten more minutes along with an order of oysters. As the waitress goes to pour my wife's martini, she spills some on the table. Hello, this is a $13 drink and nothing was done about it other than her wiping it up. My wife and I typically get oysters and we were happy to see that the three varieties they have are local, seasonal, and some of our favorites. Well, this place's cooks need some lessons in shucking oysters. Almost every oyster had shell chips. It was such a disappointment. I definitely let the waitress know and she told me that she would talk to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I didn't hear anything back from her until I asked when she brought out the bill and told me that they waived the charge for the oysters. I ordered as a main meal, a New York strip (medium rare ) and prawns. The steak was rare, almost to the point of cold in the center and completely under seasoned. I didn't have the heart to send it back. I was already so turned off by the service and the food that I just stopped eating after a quarter of the plate. Also, the waitress asked if I wanted steak sauce and I took her up on her offer (which I wouldn't have to if the steak was well seasoned). Nonetheless, it took me asking her a second time and ten minutes into the meal before I received it. As we were eating, I watched as the waitress walked by with a bowl of soup and spilled some on herself and the floor. Her response was "it's just not my night" and I can believe it. I'm ok with spilling some but would you believe that no one came by to clean it up the remaining 40 minutes that we were there. That's right, I watched as people kept stepping in spilled soup. Disgusting! Finally, the waitress came by and asked if I was done and wanted a box. I said that I was done but I definitely didn't want to take it home. You would think she would ask us how the meal was in general. Nope! She just picked up my plate and waked away. My wife and I were stunned. She didn't even ask us if we wanted dessert. Eventually, she did come back and asked if we wanted dessert which we promptly declined. We were so ready to get out of that place. The thing that ticked me off the most is that not once did the restaurant manager come by. Granted, they waived the oysters and one of the drinks (not because of the spillage but because of the delay in telling me that they couldn't make one of them). Nonetheless, with all that said, the food was underwhelming and that night, our service was atrocious. It just felt like we were eating in a place stuck in the 90s. Everything about it was outdated. I want to believe the waitress was having a terrible day but that doesn't excuse everything else that was out of her control.
(1)Jessi W.
We had a great experience! Wonderful service and delicious food. My boyfriend and I ordered the crab and artichoke dip to start with some Mac&Jacks and enjoyed it very much! Definitely one of the best crab dips we have eaten at a restaurant. We also went for the stuffed prawns which also impressed us. Great food and Jade was a wonderful server!! :) We will be back for sure
(5)Eric G.
This place is just a block from where I work, so I thought I'd try it out for a lunch spot. Was pretty impressed overall. Service was good, I got the New England clam chowder, and the Alaskan cod & chips. Chowder was good, had a good body and flavor to it. Cod & chips were good too. Even the cole slaw was good! (Yeah, I know most people don't like cole slaw, so I guess don't eat it then.) Bonus points: Warm rolls brought to table while you're waiting. You can see the lunch and dinner menus at their website. Nice atmosphere. Malt vinegar brought as well. (I had fish and chips at a restaurant once that didn't even have malt vinegar. Really?) If I had to complain about something (and don't we all?) I prefer the thick "plank" style chips as opposed to fries, but the fries were seasoned and good. Personal prefernce thing. I can't really complain about the prices...it's seafood. It costs more than burgers or pizza. Will add this place to my regular lunch places list!
(4)Stacie E.
We went for a late dinner on the fourth of July I had crab cakes which was great!! It came with steamed veggies and some potatoes as well the wasabi sauce for the cakes could've been a bit hotter but the best part was sitting on the deck and watching not only Kirkland's fireworks show but we could also see the fireworks happening at gas works park too!! It was a great evening good food and the other diners that night were also very pleasant
(5)Eneri S.
We both ordered the lobster roll, it had good lobster flavor, but could have used more lobster. The dinner rolls were awesome, service was good. We used a groupon, which cost $10 for $24 credit. This new location is in the Kirkland Park Place just above Rikki Rikki.
(4)Elizabeth L.
AC is broken and the thermostat says it's 86 degrees inside the restaurant next to the window. It's so hot today to eat here. By the time food arrive I was sweating and was not in the mood to eat anymore. The waiter guy Ryan was not friendly and didn't want to waive the kids meal today because I used a Groupon. I had to ask to speak to manager and then he waived one kid meal. Manager never even came to table! Probably doesn't care. It says Monday kids eat free in front of the sign. He didn't offer any complimentary lemonade drinks to us so we can at least cool off and only when I asked. I don't want to ever back again because of bad experience.
(1)KT T.
We visited the new crab cracker for the first time and sat at the bar for happy hour The bartenders Joe and Payton are very friendly and talkative We tried the calamari ,fish tacos and steamers at the bar. Also glass or two of pyramid Ale and my wife had a Cosmo. It was great.. We will be back!!
(4)Jeff C.
In an area of the country known for fresh seafood, this place is kind of a joke. It's pretty pathetic when a restaurant calls itself the CRAB Cracker but doesn't serve steamed Dungeness Crab. Oh, there's some apps and a sandwich with Dungeness Crab meat but no whole steamed, only steamed King Crab. No lobster either. It's not all bad though. The deck is a nice place to hangout and the place draws a crowd when they have live music. But otherwise empty on a weekend night says it all. Interior is dark, cold and cavernous. Food isn't terrible, just very mediocre and overpriced. The raw oysters were the worst I ever had. Service was friendly but uneven. I'd like to see some rejuvinating businesses opening up in Park Place but this ain't it. I wouldn't say it's terrible. Depends on your definition of good fresh seafood. I believe there are halfway decent items to be had on the menju, just may take some time to find them. So I'd say give it a try and see what you can find. Who knows, with low expectations, maybe you'll be surprised or at least not terribly disappointed. But for this outing considering what I consider good fresh seafood cooked properly, 2 stars (meh.) The deck outside in the Summer isn't a bad spot for a drink if you are trying to kill sometime before/after a movie in Park Place or something.
(2)Suzanne E.
Mediocre food and not good service. Won't be back.. I really miss the old location and the great service they had there
(1)Sarah M.
I gave this resturant two chances because I bought a Living Social deal and both times there it was a huge fail. The first time my husband and I hoped to make a date night of it, instead we were served oysters that were less than fresh and in fact had turned bad! You could smell them the minute the waitress set them on the table and all but two had a white, cloudy film on them. Not normal as we are huge lovers of raw oysters and get them every chance we can! Severe health hazard. We decided to cut our losses and finish our drinks and head somewhere safe. The second time I went, I went for lunch in hopes of using my voucher and having a better experience. Again disappointment. My son ordered the seafood sword and the waitress described it basically as a skewer. Instead it was two over cooked shrimp and a piece of dried out salmon with soggy fries just dumped on the plate. I ordered the fish tacos thinking they would be safe-it's not easy to screw up-but sadly they fell Super Short! All you could taste was the canned pineapple! The fish was tasteless as was the slaw. The worst part of the whole experience-the fish there is farmed and frozen!!!!! (As stated by the waitress) How can you compete as a resturant in the Pacific NorthWest if you can't even supply fresh fish that is native to the area! To top it off, if you compare the prices to that of high end seafood restaurants in the area, they are the same price or only $1-3 less. If major changes aren't made I suspect this restaurant won't be in business another year. Both times the establishment was virtually empty with only one other table of customers and a few people at the bar. I'm not sure if this is an ownership/management issue or a fundamental problem with the restaurant. I honestly can't see how this gets an average of a three star rating. No chance that is a true representation.
(1)Sonja L.
Had dinner there last night. Everything was grand. We had the cheesecake for dessert, and our party of 5 all agreed it was the best cheesecake we had ever had.
(4)Todd F.
Not worth full menu price, but if you've got a Groupon or other substantial discount stop by. I had a Groupon so I swung by recently on a day I hadn't eaten lunch and wandered through their dinner menu. The service was outstanding and the staff were all pleasant and attentive. They brought me a basket with two types of dinner rolls; the white were soggy almost to the point of being goo and the brown were stale. Not a great start. The New England clam chowder had marvelous flavor but the potatoes were a bit crispy and one spoonful was nothing but a big glob of roux. The crab cakes were amazing. Crispy on the outside but tender on the inside with a great flavor, and the aioli was also spot on. The mixed grill was a mixed bag of quality as well. The salmon, scallops and vegetables were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The prawns were tough and a bit less than fresh, and the risotto was undercooked and not very creamy. For such a limited and unambitious menu the lack of consistency is a bit surprising. None of it was bad enough that I would avoid the place, but had I paid full price I would have felt overcharged.
(3)Kathy S.
My BF remembered The Crab Cracker from its heyday. Thought we'd try it -- wish we hadn't. Discovered new Park Place location. A little dark, a little smoky smelling but based upon past knowledge we continued. Started with two specialty martinis, Summer Bourbon something and Jalapeno/Cilantro margarita. The bourbon drink tasted like water, looked like greywater. At $14, that's expensive water. The margarita was a mix with some cilantro stirred in--jalapeno/heat nowhere. We mentioned this to server and they were whisked away. Unfortunately, we continued. I ordered scallops and he ordered fish and chips. Everything had an oily shine, including the coleslaw. You reviewers who ate that coleslaw.....who ARE you? That stuff was foul! The fish batter was even shiny. The 1st scallop I ate had the unmistakable taste of ammonia. I tried a second scallop-same thing. I have an iron gut not a death-wish. The spinach on the plate was the only edible thing but even the spinach had an unhealthy oily gleam. We stopped eating and informed our server why. She returned to tell us that the cook insisted the scallops were fresh and perhaps it was the wasabi I was tasting. I now understood what the unappetizing looking, pale-green drizzle on the plate had been. I hadn't tasted any wasabi. I know what wasabi tastes like and it is not ammonia. At $28 I should not be tasting ammonia--the unmistakable taste of scallops gone bad. Service was good but if I tell you the scallops are bad, don't argue with me. Take it off the bill (she did) and apologize. I appreciate that this place was once an institution but things have, apparently, changed.
(1)Lonely R.
Great restaurant if you want to start a date badly. Avoid. Service is completely horrid. Don't waste your time. Went here on a date night with the wife. Took 15 minutes just to get seated at a table in the bar that was long vacant. Took just as long to get menus. We ordered a light supper fairly quickly and then waited. And waited. Well it finally got close to show time at the nearby KPC and we still had no food despite being in the restaurant for an hour. We cancelled our order after only have bread and water for supper. This place is a waste of time. Go elsewhere.
(1)Paola F.
ordered the cajun shrimp for appetizer, for entres: Crab stuffed shrimp fettucini and the cioppino. Everything was delicious! The cajun shrimp is one of the best appetizers I have had! The Cioppino was fresh very generous big sized ingredients. Everything was fresh and portions were pretty good. One of the biggest sized shrimps I have had. I consider myself very strict when comes to rating food and go out to eat at least 3 times a week and I'm definitely coming back.
(4)Geoff F.
First time to any Crab Cracker, old, new or Todd. Had a lovely evening. We sat outside, which I think was essential. The evening was perfect, beautiful sunset, the service was great and the food was pretty darn good. Yea, the inside looked and smelled like an old TGI Friday's. And we got lots of rolls folks so they must be listening. Botom line if it's a nice night and you sit outside, I bet you'll do alright.
(4)Minh L.
After reading all the negative reviews I felt unsure about trying this place but since I had a living social that needed to be used I went for it. Surprisingly the place is not as bad a some say. It doesn't deserve a 1 star. The servers were attentive and the prices have something for everyone. They have sandwiches for $10-15 and you can get surf and turf for $55 with plenty of choices in between. I ended up getting the seared sea scallops and spinach which were fine. The portion was pretty small so I suggest getting an appetizer if u get that. My friend got the beef sliders and I liked them. The patty was thicker than most and the bacon jam was different in a good way. I had a decent experience so if I'm in the neighborhood I'd prob drop by again. Even without a Living Social deal.
(4)Bill W.
We had to check out this new edition of an old classic from across the street. Consider this a mixed review. Service was attentive and friendly. It seems like they are really trying to make this work. The decor is largely left over from the TGIFriday's. But they've made more of an effort to improve it than the previous establishment, bringing over a few nautical baubles from the old Crab Cracker and brightening up the paint a little. We started out with cocktails. My Manhattan was spot on. Her house Margarita was pretty lame. Bread, as noted elsewhere, was offered one roll at a time. The pumpernickel was good and added some pizzazz to otherwise pedestrian clam chowder. Her Hearts of Romain salad was fresh and crispy. I ordered the "Signature" Mixed Grill. I thought the scallops were almost underdone (probably by comparison, since most restaurants overcook them). But they were fine. The shrimp and salmon were excellent. The bed of risotto and veggies on the side were okay. She had the Crab Cakes, which were declared very nice indeed, although there was confusion about what sauce(s) came with the meal. We also thought the potatoes wedges were dried out. But when we mentioned that to someone (Todd?) inquiring about the food, we were informed that they were supposed to be crisp, "like a french fry." We disagree, but whatever. The new Crab Cracker is a bit better than the old Crab Cracker, though still not as good as the "classic" Crab Cracker we remember from over a decade ago. The menu has been streamlined and prices have gone up a bit. We were glad to have a coupon and the bill still stung. There are better seafood joints in the area for these kind of prices. And the TGIFriday's location is still looking a bit forlorn in it's little corner of Park Place mall.
(3)Lisa P.
TWICE now our meals left us happy as "clams"! We thoroughly enjoy our meals so much that we demand more marketing so EVERYONE can enjoy this amazing food!!! Very friendly and welcoming staff from the beginning to the end! Lots of cozy seating in a "Seaworthy" theme. Crab cakes.... ways a great start for seafood. Lots of fresh crab and light batter with a perfect crispness to it! Cajun Seafood Pasta...mouth watering but you want to eat slowly to enjoy the generous seafood portions! Shout Out to their Light, fluffy, dreamy Coconut Torte....not exaggerating!! I would give it a 10 out of 10 so please make your tummies dance with delight and visit this restaurant! And NO, I do not know the owner, I just know a Good thing when I Taste it!!
(5)Rick B.
We were walking by the CC last evening and decided to try the happy hour. As we approached the entrance we were greeted by loud, tinny teeny-bopper music from their outdoor speakers near their deck seating area. We were not about to subject ourselves to that sort of atmosphere, so we did not even bother going in. It seems many restaurants think that blasting lame noise will attract customers. No, it doesn't. Good service, good food, cleanliness, lighting, comfort and decor are key ingredients to success.
(1)Amber M.
Food tasted fairly good. We ordered two king salmon, two kids beef slider plates, warm seafood salad and some dish with loads of muscles and clams. The salmon was ok, I've had better but also much worse! I love salty so I liked the glaze, but it's quite salty. The kids loved the sliders but said the fries were too salty, and they were heavily salted. Everything else was pretty good. Service was very lacking and unresponsive. My drink was flat, twice, I don't think it was refunded after I said the second one was flat she didn't offer a different drink or say anything other than she would tell the kitchen. The interior is... Ok, strip mall chic although even with reservation the put us right by the toilets. Go for the food but be very patient with the service.
(3)Tanya B.
I really enjoyed it- we went for happy hour- totally worth it and love the new location!!! Crab cakes are the bomb!
(4)Ross H.
Like some others, I wanted this place to be good. We would do happy hour occasionally at the old location. Never expected much, but it was convenient and adequate. They've brought the food to a new level... A lower level, but then raised the prices. Twelve bucks for four prawns at happy hour? The cocktail sauce was literally catsup only, without even a hint of horseradish. The clams must have been boiled for hours. Michelin or Firestone might be interested in that recipe. And what's with renaming it to "Todd's" Crab Cracker? Here's a hint... If your name is something cool and foody sounding like Mario or Bobby Flay maybe it's okay. When it's pedestrian like "Todd" you come off as egocentric with a mediocre restaurant. Either way, they aren't going to last long. The food is just too crappy.
(1)Blair A.
It was excellent. Try the artichoke crab dip!!! Service was great. Other reviews seem very old and outdated, potentially from old location. Used the Groupon with no problems, and very glad that I did. The King Crab was awesome, and we received excellent service from Jennifer. I thought it was so good, I emailed the owner to let them know and he even took the time to personally respond. It is very clear that he cares about his restaurant. Everyone around us seemed to be enjoying the food immensely.
(5)Kelli H.
For those of you that don't know, The Crab Cracker use to be across the street, and they re-opened in the old TGIF restaurant in Park Place. It's now called Todd's Crab Cracker. Todd bought out his partner, apparently. Since this was a favorite local restaurant that's been in Kirkland for many decades we were happy to see they reopened. Sad to say things have definitely changed. I first got that sinking feeling as soon as I noticed the name change. It's been my experience that it's usually a bad thing when there's a name change Like others have mentioned the place needs some updating. The old place had a fun, funky nautical vibe. The new place is super dark, all original TGIF decor from the 80's. It's pretty inconvenient to get to because the parking lot is full from movie patrons and gym rats. The plus is there's an outdoor patio. Unfortunately that's the only plus I could see. The food wasn't that great. We use to hit the happy hour quite often, and the happy hour menu is a lot more brief then it use to be. The pan fried oysters were very over breaded. Steamed clams was enough for two of us to have like six clams each. I liked the Tiger prawns, but there was only four of them for $12! Just got the feeling they're cutting corners to save money. The worst part: NO MORE LOBSTER! They have some "surf and turf" and you get a filet and 6oz lobster for $60, no more picking out a big, fresh 18oz lobster.
(1)Ryan B.
Food is great, happy hour is excellent, and our waitress Jade was awesome. We will be back here again and again.
(5)Amerina G.
Came here with a groupon for 50$ of food for 30$ awesome deal!!! I had a lemon drop and my boyfriend had a whiskey summer and both drinks were amazing!! Jade our amazing server was polite helpful outgoing and wonderful. I had such a delicious dish it was stuffed bacon wrapped prawns over fettuccine and YUM YUM YUM ! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone and everyone there is amazing food drinks and service! If you want a great server ask if Jade is there!!
(5)Kathy S.
We were not expecting much, but pleasantly surprised. Crab cakes we good as well as the Manhattan Clam Chowder. Fresh carrots and green beans were delicious. Service was excellent. We dined early on a Friday night, but it was busy. Acoustics are not great, rather noisy.
(4)Brian L.
Is there anything less than one star I could choose? Terrible doesn't even begin to describe the train wreck we experienced. Seriously. Small black curly hair in our food. Is that enough to keep you from going to this place? If not there is way way way way more to the story. Not worth my time to go into it. Bad food, worse service, terrible cocktails. I feel very sorry for the owner of this place. It won't be open long.
(1)Jimmy B.
New location in Park Place, across the street from the old location. Great food, great service, glad they're back!
(4)Daniele W.
Love it! The bartender Jade makes some supreme Lemon Drops! The Crab Bisque is to die for! All round great place to play.
(5)Troy C.
I wanted so much to like the new crab cracker. Wow it was awful. Even worse we were one of two tables in the place (its a big dining room). 1. Service - it was excellent, our waitress was a delight and tried hard to make the evening pleasant. 2. Atmosphere - pleasant but very old school NW seafood house w dark dark wood. 3. Location - blah on thr 2nd flr of park place. Almost no signage and hard to find if you dont know where to go. Park place mgmt needs to put up better directional siganage and the restaurant needs its old signage BADLY. 4. FOOD - I think since business is slow that things are not as fresh as they coulf be. - lobster bisque, bland, gloppy, way to thick and ver unappealing mouth feel. - crab monte cristo, mushy, bland and lacking textures to breakup the mush. The coleslaw was tasty i must say. - bread, i liked the bread and soft butter. 5. Price - out of control expensive. $15 for a prawn cocktail w only 6 prawns is over price. Everything is overpriced. They need to revamp the menu and lower the prices substantially. Can i recommend this place? Sadly No.
(1)Kristin K.
Marginal food. You don't get a bread basket, they serve you individual roll and fumble with pats of butter. Im allergic to onions, requested no onions and two of my foods full of onions. Service ok, won't go back. Food very speedy and rice pilaf with everything.
(2)Jon T.
"Meh" is a near-perfect summary of my recent experience at this place. Another yelper said that they would take red lobster over this place any day. I have to agree. I don't remember much about my visit (a testament to how unexciting it was), even though it was only about two weeks ago. Here's what I do remember - my seafood salad was overpriced (like most of the things on the menu) and borderline bland, and the spinach appeared to be far from fresh, as did the salmon; the butter for the rolls was hard as a rock, making it almost impossible to actually use it on the rolls. The new location isn't that great, either. Do yourself a favor and either go to Purple wine bar (across the parking lot) or to Acropolis pizza (across the street). I can almost guarantee I will not be going back to Crab Cracker.
(2)William M.
Very very difficult to find. Not easily accessible for those with disabilities. Noise level high. Food was good, not great. Service was great. A/C was out and it was hot inside. I won't go back. Not a good value.
(2)Jeff P.
Best clam chowder I've ever had, the place is abit expensive, but really good food
(4)Howard I.
Had a groupon to this so decided to drop by. Atmosphere was very nice for a date. My date and I got a bottle of wine, two platters and a dozen oysters. The platters were great!!! Lots of food and very tasty. However, the prices would have been fairly high for my taste of not for the groupon. Service was very good in my book.
(4)Jamie W.
On my last night as a resident of the Northwest, I wantedto have my last meal be the quintessential seafood feast. And there was only one place I wanted to enjoy it, The Crab Cracker in Kirkland. Having recently taken over the defunct TGIF's location, the re-opened restaurant has a wonderfully warm and cozy setting with a variety of initiate to group seating options. Both the food and service were exactly what I hoped for. Our waitress, Katherine took excellent care of us and made sure our meal and experience was the memory I wanted to remember the Northwest by. If you're looking for a charming setting to enjoy some of the best seafood the world has offer, excellently prepared and professionally served by a great staff, you would do well to make Todd's Crab Cracker your gastronomic destination.
(4)Joseph W.
Terrific Happy Hour. You can get full on a drink and an appie for under $12. Large outside area overlooking Kirkland. Spacious new location. The menu is largely unchanged from the former location, with classic Kirkland fare. Lacquered salmon is delish. Soups and salads are very good as well. I love the cod 'n hand-cut fries.
(5)Vangie C.
Really good clam chowder. We had beef sliders which were tasty and grilled fished tacos.
(3)April 9.
I REALLY wanted the Crab Cracker to do well. I REALLY wanted to like it. Sadly, it is just as bad as it was in the old location. They really did a bad job at their last location, but we wanted to give it a try again, in hopes they had upped their service. Here's a list of our dinner experience: Pros: - The server was very nice and capable. - The wine list was fairly diverse, with several WA wines. - The location is large and open, with tons of free parking. Cons: - The decor is bland, boring and dark. Dark brown walls & ceiling, dark blue table cloths, etc.. (Someone came in a hot-glued some starfish to the wall and they consider it to be seafood decor). It is literally the gutted out Friday's restaurant that has all the old C.C. furniture moved over - which they didn't even bother to clean, by the way. I agree with someone else's description that is looks VERY sad and 1980's and needs a serious decor overhaul. - The Caesar Salad was completely over-dressed with a dressing so heavy with anchovy that it was nauseating. One of the worst Caesar's I've ever had. - My husband ordered the Cedar plank Salmon, which said nothing about a sauce on the menu description. Yet, it came to the table covered in a bubbling, butter/cheese like sauce. - The tartar sauce had been under the broiler so long that it was hot and bubbly. Gross. - I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken, (as I've never been happy with seafood dishes there) which was okay. Odd that it was the best dish of the table.... given we were at a seafood restaurant. - A rusted out gate to the patio was swinging wide open and blocking the front door. We sat next to the window and watched every person who came in, move it to get past it. It's the little 'attention to detail' type things that should be an easy fix. As I said, we had really hoped they had stepped up their game - but unfortunately have not. They are in a large, spacious location and it really does have potential, but I just don't know if they are capable of making it happen. Duke's Chowder House would have done really well in that location. It is a mystery to me how they stayed in business for so long as a seafood restaurant, when the seafood they serve is so bad. We won't be coming back.
(1)Pamela W.
Last week 4 of us had dinner here....service and food were excellent, even better than the old Crab Cracker across the street. Prices are super reasonable for what you get - we had Prawn Fettucine, Cioppino, and Au Gratin Crab - all got rave reviews, and the Calamari appetizer was said to be the best any of us had in years. The Au Gratin crab was heavenly, and enough to take home for a sandwich the next day. The decor is dated, but don't let that keep you away if you want a great meal at a great price. We paid full price for everything,no coupons, and were extremely happy....We hope they will be here for many years.
(5)Jay O.
Whomever made the Risotto around mid day on 12-18-14 has it completely wrong. Clumpy, dry and the wine should be cooked off at the very least. Oh, and cook the carrots a little more. They were cold and raw in the middle. $35 for that dish?! Wow! Diners go elsewhere. They should take the risotto off the menu and stick to something easier.
(1)Jan K.
Came here for Mother's Day dinner with the family. Seafood and crab was good quality. However service was extremely slow and the place was not packed. Ceasar salad was Ok but I expected better.
(3)Faye L.
Went there for Happy Hour...have loved the lobster bisque when we have gone before. This time the soup was lukewarm, the parmesan truffle fries were overcooked and the rolls were dried out. The salmon bites were on the dry side. The service was OK! I would like to see this place be very successful, however someone needs to pay attention to the details,
(2)Amanda W.
We went to dinner here and we were super excited but ended up horribly disappointed. The waitress took a long time to get our order and that was the only time we saw her on the floor. She had no other tables but apparently did not have the time to wait on ours. Our entrées came out well before our appetizer was finished and were lukewarm. The food was mediocre at best. We had to catch a passing server to get more water. We wanted to order a desert and a drink but no one checked on us the entire meal. The restaurant was not busy at all but had plenty of staff on the floor. After we finished eating, we sat for 15 minutes before I finally got up to tell the hostess (who could clearly see us) that we would like our checks. The hostess apologized but offered no compensation or any incentive to ever return again. The waitress literally dropped our check on the table mumbling "howiseverything?" then scurried away again before we could say anything. It is the only time I have not left a tip. Also, the lady Bartender was so loud, trashy, and course that it ruined the otherwise calm atmosphere of the place. She had one person at the bar, there was no reason for her to be telling obscenities as if she had a room full of customers. We will not be going there again. Sad to see it has gone downhill so much.
(1)Jules A.
We have been long time Crab Cracker customers, but had been more reluctant to go to the old location the last few years. We had some disappointing experiences the last few times we went to the old place. Recently, we found out our favorite bartender, Dave, had started tending bar here, so we decided to check out the new location. We liked the new interior. I know all the wood was left over from TGIF, but with the decor brought over from the old place it made me think of the inside of a newly refurbished wood sailboat. We ordered the Seattle Cioppino and the glazed king salmon, and the food was PERFECT. The risotto was rich and delicious, the asparagus and seafood was cooked perfectly -- a huge improvement over the old place. The Crab Cracker is BACK, baby!
(5)Rick O.
We found the food to be good but the price was rather stiff for what we received. $44 for a plate without a salad (another $7-10) was rather steep. The Salmon was delicious, but the steak was not well cooked and only average. The cheesecake was very poor (I've had better at Costco) and that was very disappointing. A good restaurant with decent food but not worth the price.
(3)Sam T.
Best restaurant in town! I love it! Service and food are phenomenal. The bartenders are awesome. Definitely give this place a try!
(5)jack s.
Good food, but not so good service. We'll eat there again in another month and see what has transpired. To be fair, when we ate there, they'd been open less than three weeks in the the new location. And apparently, they aren't really the old Crab Cracker, but some entity named "Epicurean Associates I". First, the bad: we went with open minds. We knew it wouldn't be the same as before, but along with the complete change in atmosphere (as we expected) was a complete change in staff. Complete. And clearly, they are working things out. There was a lot of hurry among the wait staff, including running to and fro. Our table service was polite, but rushed and not cordial. We were asked to order everything all at once, and even though we were expected to be fast in our ordering, we got our food kind of late, and they mixed our entrees with the sides in the kitchen. Next, the good: we went with open minds. We knew it wouldn't be the same as before, and sure enough, the menu was different, and shorter. However, our favorites were still there, albeit under different names. But even our favorites had changed, but for the better! The asparagus was perfect, and the french fries were excellent. As before, our salmon was cooked just the way we like. The upshot is that we will go back in a month or so and see how they've gone through their teething problems. Based on the track records of some other new local restaurants, they will take customer reviews to heart and make the appropriate changes. I say you should go in a few weeks and see how they've improved.
(3)Bri C.
My husband and I enjoy coming here. Food is good Service is good The ambience is nice
(4)Brenda L.
We ate in the bar and really enjoyed the ambiance and warmth. Dave, the bartender, was very friendly and made us feel right at home. He smiled a lot and gave us the impression that he enjoyed his job and enjoyed being with people. We had a very good meal, enjoyed our wine, etc., and enjoyed our evening. Dave brought our drinks right away and the food came quickly, as well. There is a great happy hour there. Look for Dave in the bar. He is very accommodating and nice. Brenda and Greg
(5)Carol M.
Poor dining, service was not good, never had water glasses refilled, One of the guests food didn't arrive until after everyone else was done with dinner. Food very mediocre nothing to rave about. Problem with the computer, asked to wait while they resolved and promised a free dessert, never happened, next we knew the computer was fixed and we were 'free to go. Bathrooms flooded, AC was not turned on. Total of three tables including ours between 5.30 and 8.30. Service was slow and non-existent for refills of any kind. Sad to say when Mom of the CC passed away so did the restaurant. Will never return. If you want to compete with Anthony's and Big Fish you need to make some radical changes.
(1)amiga D.
Last night, my sweetie and I went to celebrate another special day since we've met. We decided to try Todd's Crab Cracker. Being in the restaurant business in the past... As Chef Gordon Ramsay would say... "Damn... that's too bad..." were also my comments for some of their dishes. There was the Good, the Bad, and the Evil. Starting with the Good: White Clam Chowder was delicious as I always remembered from their old location. So was their Fish & Chips (Cod fish, nicely done coleslaw, and homemade fries (could have been crispier, but my guy said he liked them like that!). The Steamer Bucket with manila clams, Penn cove mussels, white wine, garlic butter was okay, served on a watery pool of clam juice and no salt. The Bad: For $35, you get a Hot tower appetizer: a trio combo of 2 crab cakes (tasty yet too much breading, too little crab), Fried Calamari... (looked like a pale ghost, but tasted crispy... oil was probably too new), and Cajun Prawns (the worst tasteless overcooked pieces of prawns I've ever tasted, one little bite and didn't go further). At least the owner came by to say hello and asked how is everything? I couldn't help to mentioned nicely that their Cajun prawns was our least favorite, bland, no taste at all and overcooked (and that was the second try as we had to sent back the bland overcooked first dish). He offered to send it back and talk to the cooks, but I semi-graciously declined. The Evil: As we walked to the second floor, the first thing we noticed was how dirty their windows were, then dusty tables and chairs as the sun was out and showing their true colors, and lastly the fruit flies started to join us during our meal (not a good sign...). I give it a 2.5 stars for trying and hoping they will somehow improve their dishes and cleanliness. Perhaps if I am really hungry for fish & chips or clam chowder soup and I am out of a Progresso can of soup and too tired to drive to Ivars, I may do a take out from this place... Yet, I doubt that they will see me again unless there are big changes in the future. I wanted so much to like this local place, give it a good rating, and connect this business with charity in mind. Damn... that's too bad...
(3)K R.
We were very excited to try this "new" restaurant. Front desk was nice and seated us right away. We then sat for 1/2 hour before our server asked us what we would like to drink. Another 15 minutes before we got our drinks. Food was also super slow. Waiter was slooooooow. He brought us the wrong app. and said he would exchange it but by that time we were just wanting to eat and go. We kept the wrong app. and he never took it off our bill. Super hard to get another drink while waiting forever for our dinner. The food was mediocre at best. The restaurant was not that busy to be so backed up. Very disappointed and will not go back.
(1)Jaimi T.
Speechless. I don't even know where to begin. How about with the oysters. The ones that hadn't turned bad were loaded with pulverized shell and shredded. Like someone chewed them and spit them back into the shell. We ordered the truffle fries. No truffle. Not even the barest hint. And they were soggy and sad to boot. Also ordered the crab cocktail. It's canned. $15 for half a can of crab on a bed of shredded lettuce with bottled cocktail sauce. Heinz, unless I am mistaken. 2 drinks were mediocre, but the highlight of the whole sad escapade. Too bad my waiter ruined the thought of those by saying, "I tasted yours. It's really good!" Total? $68. Thank God we had a Groupon deal, tho I still feel robbed. Save yourself the money and a day hovering near your bathroom. Avoid setting foot in this place.
(1)Violeta H.
I used to go to the "old" Crab Cracker at their previous location, but eventually I just ran out of things that I liked on their menu. Once they moved I wanted to check them out and I am glad I did. The menu has been refreshed and there is something for every taste on it (although the crab cocktail could use bigger chunks of crab... hint hint) ;-). My favorite bartenders from the old location transferred to the new one. The space is much better now. Plus a great patio for outdoor seating.
(5)Brandon K.
Awsome!
(5)Alida W.
Terrible! Small portions, overpriced, poor quality. They really lost their quality with the move. I will never go back!
(1)Joe T.
Great happy hour! Super friendly staff.
(5)Matt H.
I have always loved the Crab Cracker and now that it has moved to it's new location I love it even more. Great atmosphere, good selection of beers on tap, great food, and great servers. Say hi to Travis in the bar and she'll put a smile on your face. A couple nice screens to watch the game, but definitely not a sports bar, so perfect for mixed company.
(5)forrest h.
The great Crab and Seafood is as good as it's always been. New location and a great bar are a real plus. Best place to eat before movie...
(5)Lillian L.
The new Crab Cracker and its fabulous food! A passionate and inspired new manager breathes new life back into this lovely venue. Divine Salmon Teriyaki starter and a very delicate Crab Fettuccine entree - inhaled! Fantastic Happy Hour, by the way. 5 stars. Great bar service too.
(5)