Joe's Crab Shack

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101 SE Columbia Way
Vancouver, WA 98661

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(360) 693-9211
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Food & Dining

Reviews
( 6 )
( 4 )
( 3 )
( 4 )
( 22 )

Best

Get the steaming hot pots, for pete's sake, people. It's just fresh seafood steamed, so they can't mess it up. AMAZING staff-totally on the ball even though the sprawling complex ...

Worst

Very loud. Very expensive. Terrible food and poor service. Took my children there for Mothers Day. After an hour wait (expected), we got the seat by the door. Poor atmosphere...

Ptooie.... Yuck.... Wretch.... Gag!!!! 12/13/2007

Come on!!! Who can actually say they could give this place a recommendation as a place to eat? Even the best morsels served were ho-hum - the rest was either over cooked, tastelessly prepared, bore the flavor of a salt lick. I had the crab cakes. Expected to taste something resembling crab... No such luck - What I got were two small (fortunately very small) doughy things that might have contained some crab meat or something flavored to taste like crab meat. These over salted pucks of dough were nestled in a horrid (saltier) chipotle sauce that overpowered whatever flavor the crab cakes might have had. Pros: Nice river view - fun gift shop Cons: Poorly prepared food - too heavily salted - bad flavor combinations more
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I am not convinced 10/30/2007

I have been there twice......not the cleanest, food was average but the servers were nice. I might give it one more chance but not likely. I would have told a manager but whenever I asked they forgot and I am not one for asking again and again. Pros: location of restaurant is prime, love the inside and decor Cons: food quality more
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Rude service, lousy food, over priced 9/5/2007

Food is crappy, service is terrible---go to Beaches for better service and crab! There is a server in the bar area that is consistently rude and has no clue how to do his job. The managers do nothing to accomodate customer complaints and obviously do nothing to correct this servers rude manner. I won't be going back to a place that allows for such shabby service while over charging for such mundane selections. Pros: Deck seating if you can get it Cons: Rude service, over priced food, bad tasting food more
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Worst customer service EVER!!!!! 8/22/2007

We were seated immediately & then waited 30 minutes to get some water. When our order was finally taken, we again waited for an extremely LONG TIME before the food was served, MISSING parts of the meal, coleslaw, salads and my dinner completely. They didn't even notice, we had to tell them. A waiter looked at me & asked if he could get me something, I said-yes, my meal (what a moron). The food was totally nothing to write home about and the service was horrible until...she realized ALL the mistakes that were made BECAUSE they tack on on 18-20% TIP!!! $25 to get that...NO, NEVER AGAIN at JOE'S, ALL 8 OF US AND WE ARE TELLING EVERYONE WE KNOW. Joe, why don't you take a lesson from Starbuck's...SERVICE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME...not the VIEW of the RIVER...SORRY PAL!!! more
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Swab Those Decks Matey ! 7/11/2007

We've been in the area for two years now and have had many great dining experiences. Joe's Crab Shack was NOT one of them. Most notible was that the decks and bulkheads were visibly dirty. The crew hadn't swabbed their way around for quite some time. The menu was varied, but the choices pretty much come down to fresh King Crab legs or something fried. It's not that the food was bad, but that it was not much different than what's available in the frozen food section of a good supermarket. The service was friendly and relatively quick, but we'll not be back to Joe's again, some cleanup would save the ambiance, but the food is just too ""canned' to suit. With places like Salty's and Jake's around I amazed that anybody shows up here. Pros: Interesting concept, enthusiastic young waitstaff, great location. Cons: It was pretty dirty, and everything was fried and apparently previously frozen. more
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Crabs aren't even good 7/5/2007

We waited a long time and when we were finally served, the crab was disappointing. It appears it had been frozen awhile and not fresh. I'm not convinced that Joe's even gets their crab from the N.W. They use a lot of spicy sauces to cover up their seafood. That should be something to be concerned about. more
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Expensive, dreadful 6/5/2007

My Dad has a rule about dining: If there are random items screwed into the walls in ?nutty clusters?, do not go past the front desk. I went against my Dad?s advice on this one and actually waited a good 35 minutes to dine amongst plastic lobsters, faux masterpieces and fish netting. This was by far the most disappointing dining experience I?ve had in a long time. Pros: Gorgeous Columbia River view. Cons: The fact that this atrocity is taking up space on gorgeous Columbia Riverfront property more
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no customer service 1/24/2007

We went to joes crab shack celibrating 3 birthdays for the first time. The server was great but the food for 8 out 10 of the cold including mine. the manager came over to ask how our meal was and we told her the problem. Nothing was done to compinsate or fix the problem, plus the food was not that tasty. Also most restaurants do some for the birthday people but nothing was offered. I would not recomend this place to any one more
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what a mess. 12/14/2006

This place is not for mature adults. Cons: Absolutely Awful more
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Fun for kids 5/31/2006

We had a much better 2nd experience. We took our little kids to lunch on Memorial Day for lunch. We had the place to ourselves. We had a fantastic view of the river. Our service was fabulous both visitis. The food was much better when the chef was cookin' for just us. I had the hamburger and I was not sorry, it was sooo good. My only complaint this time was the kids food was pretty spendy for what you get. I paid 6 buck for kids meals. I think 4.50 including a drink would be better. It cost 50 bucks for lunch for 4 people and one beer. Spendy place Pros: service, decorations, cups that light up Cons: food, price more
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Fun at the Funky Little Shack 5/19/2006

My parents, husband and I went to Joe's for our 1 year wedding anniversary -- and what a time we had. Although my parents had been before, my husband and I were newbies and soon felt the groove of this funky shack. The decor is entertaining, as is the staff -- if not both distracting at times. This is not the place to be if you need to discuss something serious....The crab was to die for, although they were all out of their ""famous"" cornbread. It was a lot of fun, but you do not want to go here on your birthday -- unless you enjoy public humilliation. Pros: Environment, Crab, Overall Atmosphere Cons: Parking, No Reservations, Wait time more
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Don't Shake the Shack! 5/19/2006

My wife and I go to the Crab Shack about once every few months since it opened and we couldn't love it more! Even the wait is enjoyable as we sip drinks in the bar and watch the waitstaff entertaining the guests. The food has always been excellent. I highly reccomend the Crab Daddy Feast. The crab is cooked to perfection and with aid of the butter sauce, melts in your mouth. However - if you are stodgy, uptight and lack a personality, this probably isn't the place for you. Now go get crabs! (the right way...) Pros: Atmosphere, Entertainment, Food Cons: parking more
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AArrrgggh! 11/27/2005

Unless you are 12 years old or under stay away from this place! The noise is overwhelming and the food is underwhelming. Their idea of a crab louis is chicanery at its worst. The only possible way to endure this seafood fiasco is to go on a sunny day and sit outside on the deck as close to the river and as far away from the dining area as you can. That way the jet aircraft arriving and departing PDX will sporadically overcome the noise from the canned music and the juvenile wait staff. Seriously.....this joint is truly terrible! more
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You get what you See. 4/27/2005

Myself and my wife went to visit family in Portland. The took us to Joes Crab Shack. When is saw the placed i was impressed with the amount of items hanging from the ceiling(toy's, inflatable sharks ect). So if you want a crazy loud place to sit down a have a good time i Highly recommend it. I enjoyed every minute of it. The food and drinks where Great. The even had a Caricature artist their. And a guy blooing up ballons for the kids. Pros: Great Atmosphere, Fun for the kids Cons: Crowded , Not enough parking more
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Not worth your birthday 1/4/2005

I finally went to Joe's for my birthday. Won't do that again. First, the wait was 45 minutes long at 3:45 on a Saturday. The restaurant was not full, they just wouldn't seat people. I figure this must be to create hunger, which compensates for marginal food. If you are hungry enough, you will eat anything. Second, the waitresses were terrible. Slow and unattentive. Also, ""The Macarena"" comes on and they drop everything and dance for the WHOLE song (all 5 minutes?!). This only slows everything down. Third, the group of 70 (thats right!) got all the attention while we waited 90 minutes for our food. My wifes fish and chips came cold. In all, I dropped about $120 for 4 people and was not happy. Not going back to this lunacy. Crab legs were good, but not worth $30. Portions small. Pros: klitchy atmosphere, cheap drinks, location Cons: , service poor, bad business model more
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Not worth the wait 4/6/2004

My wife and I had put off trying Joe's for some time due to the incredibly long lines visible from the road. We finally decided to endure the wait and were both disappointed. We were seated at a table situated right in front of a wait station.(the wait staff had to scooch behind my chair and I'm a small man). The food was good but the portions were terribly small considering the price we paid per plate. A good place to go for happy hour(if you can get in) but not for dinner. Pros: good food Cons: , over priced more
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Definitely a YES! 2/9/2004

I've read two reviews on the Crab Shack and I was surprised to see the negative comments. My wife and I went there for the first time recently and enjoyed ourselves immensely! Yes, the wait staff dancing and singing was different, but I think it is something this area needs. A fresh, new, fun place to go to. I felt the food was great and reasonably priced. Would recommend it anytime! Pros: Good food, Good atomosphere, Reasonably priced more
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Love It 11/19/2003

I come to the Crab Shack every two weeks and i'm never disappointed excluding the long 70 minutes wait on fridays saturdays and sunday. Even though the review hates the steam pot, I love it, it's juicy and flavorful minus the potatoes. Try the catfish, yummy. Overall the Crab shack is one of my favorites minus the cheezy waiters Pros: Good Times, Cool Customers, Yummy Food Cons: waiters are ugly, no rhythm waiters, LONG azz lines more
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Menu for Joe's Crab Shack


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Admittedly kitschy, unavoidably noisy, this Red Lobster for rug rats is like an oversized seaside shanty awash in oceanic memorabilia--fishing nets, souvenir trinkets, plastic...

  • 11/15/2007 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon. - Thu., Sun. 11am - 10pm;Fri. - Sat. 11am - 11pm
  • Payments: Master Card, Discover, Visa, American Express
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