Joe's Crab Shack

I've been here a couple of times, only because my friends forced me...and it hasn't been good so far. The place feels over crowded and loud. The service is not personal at all and overall it feels like ur eating in a big cafeteria. The seafood is deep fried for the most part and it doesn't taste quite right. The shrimp for example has a 'fishy' not-so-fresh taste about it. more

Roughly a month ago we visited one of thr Joes Crab Shacks in Orlando. It was awesome. Today we visited this particular Joes - TERRIBLE. The staff was pleasant. They gave us our appetizer for free after it wasn't given to us initially. I ordered the Boston Bake. The sausage, corn, and potatoes were all cold. The lobsters were actually dry. The manage had the corn, sausage, and potatoes replaced - we got everything at the end of the meal. We drove 77 miles for this - spent $120 there, but got $6.99 knocked off. Terribly disappointed. more

I ate here last night and was so disappointed!!! The food is super expensive but does not taste good. I had the paella which was $18 and was supposed to be "loaded" seafood. It had one scallop, three shrimp, a few mussels and two rings of calamari on top. It looked like it came out of the microwave. The calamari was rubber and not edible and the plate was mostly rice. This place is just barley a step up from Red Lobster. If you want good seafood go to Rustic Inn more

My friend brought me here while visiting for Miami carnival. The ambiance and the staff are so much fun. They were friendly, they knew the menu, and I loved the entertaining dancing. I ordered the snapper and a side of crab legs. I fell in love with crab legs when I visited Maryland where stopped at a little shack to indulge in the most phenomenal crab legs I've ever had. The snapper at Joe's was bland and the crab legs were barely edible. I was so upset that I couldn't even finish my plate, I ended up having to grab a burger after. more

Every time we come here you take great care of my kids. I know kids and a restaurant is not always a great mix but you guys are awesome. more

1st time we ate there it was like seafood crack I could not wait to get back there for more. Really enjoyed the Bean-town Bake and the Joe's Regular Steam Pot. Not sure what happened but 2 months had gone past and we returned for a dose of exactly the same things. We even gave up 2 free admissions to the Improve in the Grove worth $70 that were comped to us by a comedian himself to go here and what a Joke that turned out to be. \r I know you have heard of 1 bad apple spoils the whole bunch well 1 bad crab spoils everything steamed within the same pot and its clear the strong ammonia smell of it, mushiness of the meat within the shell and the bad after-taste of some of the other items steamed in the same 2 pots really ruined it for everything in them. We were not sure and quite hungry so we kept eating from them hoping it was just our own taste buds since it was hard to imagine the last time was so enjoyable that this time around would be anything but. \r \r Manager came over and schooled us on bad crab but failed to deliver on service and facts that I already knew what I was eating was not right. Was given a replacement of 4 shrimp we had left in one of the pots and a discount of $7.99 marked off the bill as an appetizer when the steam pots gone bad due to spoiled crab were $20 and up! When I saw I was not being compensated for the bad food I deliberately kept eating it "why not I was paying for it anyway" receipt in hand because I was ready to go to the hospital if need be and then send them a bill of my own!\r \r Sad this place seemed like a great one. I have some images of the day we were happy to be there 7/26/11 but of course we were to consumed with eating spoiled shellfish that we had no time to think of taking any pictures the day we came to compare the lack of consistency in the quantity given and unfortunately did not have the same experience as our prior visit. \r \r Service this time around was not good at all and there were only 2 other tables besides our 2 top so no reason for anyone to make excuses of her being to busy to offer melted butter, proper tools to get through the shells and everything else we got on our 1st visit without having asked for them.\r \r I felt guilty as if we were making this girl work harder but she clearly did not care how our experience was. When I tried discreetly asking her to smell our crab because I was finally sure I had a piece that was bad she just stood back, said she is sure it is and then said let me get a manager. Hubby went downstairs to use the restroom and overheard her mocking us and being rude that we were bothering to further complain. This is why we don't like to complain but if everything was as it should have been we would not have had to. \r \r Also being served 2 FEMALE lobsters was off putting to my partner. I don't mind the Lobster Caviar but thought it was not at all okay since I thought in Florida we have a law of throwing back the females so more of them can reproduce??? For my partner who did not like to see that dark chunky red stuff all throughout the lobster it was horrible and of course they also had that same off putting after taste as the crab which means the water/steamer they were steaming the stuff in was tainted if not the lobster as well as the crab I was for certain by now was indeed no good.\r \r I am allot like Daryl Hanna in the movie Splash when it comes to lobster and would usually eat the whole body, legs and all but after struggling through my tail and not enjoying the flavors I felt done out of the rest of it completely. All in all we wont be returning and will be telling our friends to stay clear of this place as its certainly not worth the trip from anywhere. more

Not over priced at all! We had the bean town bake- $49.99 for 2 whole Maine lobsters, 1lb clams, shrimp, sausage potato and corn on the cob! Lobster anywhere else is market price! Steam pots average $25, huge portions and taste great! Great food and our waiter was super attentive and friendly! We will be back! more

I ate here today - it was horrible!\r \r I have been to two other Joe's Crab Shack restaurants and both had fantastic food, they were fun, the waitresses were cute, and they were packed with folks having a good time.\r \r This place was entirely different - it lacked the brightly colored decor, the good lighting, the cute friendly (groomed) staff, the good quality food, and the good tasting food. I don't know if it was a complete lack of culinary wherewithal or what, but this was absolutely one of the most flavorless meals of my life. After trying to catch my server's attention for ten minutes I finally got up and got my own tabasco sauce giving the shrimp and crawfish some flavor... more

I don't think it was overpriced at all. It was good food. It's a seafood place that's not fancy so you don't have worry about making a mess. more

The food is good , but it is overpriced. You end up paying for the atmosphere, which by the way is not worth it. I don't understand why they force the employees to dance. You can tell by the look on their face they don't want to be doing that. Not to mention, they do it every 45 minutes. You can give it try if you want to. more

This was a nice place to cure a seafood craving. Kid friendly atmosphere (and staff) and lots of stuff to play ispy with (great for my toddlers). The Shark Attack cocktail was nice and came with a little shark suvenier (another kid plus). My nubby and I will come back with the kids. :) more

We liked the menu. Our food was ICE COLD, all the different shrimps & fries. Never had food served that cold in a restaurant & can't figure out how they did that??? We took most the food home and reheated it. It was VERY GOOD at home. We enjoyed the fun of the place. Their t-shirt shop is a riot. The lump crab cake was to die for (& hot temp.). Portions were a good size. Not sure if we would return. If we did I'd make a point of asking for HOT food! Pros: Lump Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, Service Cons: , Price more