The Boiling Crab

This is the place where I love to eat the best shrimp. I love there food. There wait time is horrible since its like 2 hours to be seen even though the food is awesome. Every time I come i was pick up my order instead of eating there because of the wait time. Plus the parking is horrible. The only thing that I eat with my wife and daughter is the shrimp, fries, corn on the cob, and chicken tenders. But besides that I highly recommend this place to eat shrimp. You won’t be disappointed. I guarantee it.

I’m in love with this place definitely worth the wait. Be prepared to wait 30 to 2 hours depending on the day or time. But I repeat it it’s WORTH the wait. Great tasting food great customer service I drive all the way from woodland hills just to come eat here. They even have a to go store next door and you can eat your order at a mini café next door all you have to do is buy a 2 drink minimum. No seafood place compares to boiling crab. I tried a imitation place called crabby crab and the place was disgusting. Boiling crab is the best!

Best shrimp I’ve ever had. Used to go to San Pedro but after discovering this place there is no more need. Get the whole shebang at whatever spice level you think you can handle. Sides are great too and generous. White rice to cool off your mouth a bit or how about some cajun fries. Usually tend to order a pound and share the sides.
Best Shrimp
Great Service
Inexpensive
Long Wait Times
No Reservations

My friends and I recently stopped by for dinner on a Thursday night and luckily avoided the crowds! We arrived around 5:30pm but once it got closer to 6pm, there were tons of people waiting outside. We only waited about 20 minutes which wasn’t too bad. This location is pretty big compared to the Alhambra locations so the turnaround time is a bit quicker! I ordered the same thing I always get — 1lb of medium whole Sha-​Bang shrimp + corn. Their sauce was pretty flavorful and tasted just like the original store. No wonder this location is so busy! We also shared a basket of cajun fries because they’re soooo good! What’s nice about this branch is that they offer lemon wedges and salt/​pepper containers right when you sit down. For the other locations I’ve been to, they’re given upon request and they’re often pretty stingy with the lemon wedges!
Parking can be a bit of a pain the ktown. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find street parking. You can also park in the lot downstairs for $ 4 (which is pretty pricey for ktown!).

Who doesn’t love seafood. I love this place. Must get the whole sha bang. I like to get mines non spicy because the heat levels of the the mild, medium and xxx are too uncomfortable for me. Plus I share with my 4 years old daughter.
There is always a wait so if you dont mind waiting it is worth it. If you dont have the patience to wait, order it to go, its still as good as eating there. I like to call my order in. Parking can be a hassle but there is a parking lot below the restaurant. If you order for to go, just let the parking attendant know any they will have you park to the side, no charge.
The one thing that I absolutely hate about this place is that there is one bathroom for men and one for women with one toilet each. The last time I was there my daughter had to wait almost 20 minutes to use the bathroom.

Boiling Crab is great, and a lot of people seem to think so too, so come early if you don’t want to wait a long time for food. I love of how they give you a bib and you can just dive into the food.
The food here is sold by pound, and my favorite thing to get is the shrimp medium spicy with the whole sha-​bang. It’s delicious. In addition, I like to dip my shrimp in the lime/​salt/​pepper sauce you can make.
The fries here are also delicious and I love to draw on the table with the ketchup, it gives me something to do while I wait for the food.
Other than that, just make sure to come early to get a spot to avoid long wait times.

The wait was long, the service was terrible, and the food was not worth it. I think my girl liked it though, so if she wanted to go back, I’d join her, but I would not expect anything different than my first experience.

I have eaten here on plenty of occasions. I love everything about it except the wait. It can take a good hour and a half to get seated so don’t go if you are starving. I often get the king crab with the whole sha-​bang, medium or hot spice, with potatoes and carrots. I can’t resist the cajun french fries to share and snack on during the wait, and may add a pound of shrimp for leftovers to go. Though, looking at and peeling the heads off disgust me. Since I don’t eat it that often, I may get a cup of gumbo with no sausage or okra to go. But, my overall favorite thing is the large chunks of garlic that give the meat its flavor boost. They don’t put as much sauce and garlic in the bags as they used to and now charge for extra. Not to mention, their prices creep up every time I go. This is definitely not a spot to afford regulary.
There is a parking structure underneath the building. Dress comfortably. You don’t want to ‘splash’ sauces on your good clothes, either. Lol

Things to know about The Boiling Crab:
It’s first come, first serve. No reservations. Make sure your whole party’s present to be seated, because they won’t let you add people to your table after your party’s seated. If you don’t want to wait you can do To-​Go orders.
Ordering the shrimp if you want the most bang for your buck. Everything is sold by weight. Be sure to order The Whole Sha-​bang seasoning for the full experience!
They don’t itemize the receipts and it’s one receipt per table.

I’ve been to several different locations and not once have I been disappointed. Try coming at 11:30 am, 30 min before they open to line up. Once you miss that window, you could be waiting HOURS. Not kidding.
I always get; 1lb of shrimp, whole shabang, mild. 2 corns, same. 1 order of Cajun fries. Sometimes I alternate to Lobster. Either way it’s delicious. And they give you the WHOLE lobster.
Hubby gets; shrimp whole shabang medium, sausage XXX, corn, white rice and the gumbo and absolutely loves it.
We love bringing new people and showing them what they’ve been missing their entire life. We drive about 1 ½ every time we come. Because this K-​town location is the closest. But. I don’t mind. At all.
Oh. Also don’t act all «ohhh, there’s no silverware?!!, gross». Yes. You have to eat with your hands. It’s ok. They have bathrooms with sinks to wash up your guns after. Just eat here. You won’t be disappointed.

Amazing fflavor of the sauce !
Worth coming back for but having to eat with hands out of a bag is a little disgusting: p
Wait time at Friday afternoon was 2 hour :(b

There’s a lot of waiting but the food’s worth it. Our party of 4 arrived on a Saturday evening (probably not the best decision when looking for short lines). After 1.5hrs, our name was called, and we were in. For those who have never eaten a whole meal with their hands, this is the ultimate introduction complete with a bib.
Here’s the step-​by-​step:
1. order by the pound. For a table of four, consider sweet potato fries, 2 – 3 pounds of shrimp, 2 pounds of mussels, corn, and 1 pound of crab. Pick your seasoning. Trust me, medium spicy is quite spicy.
2. wash your hands (very important, or use their wipes)
3. get dressed in your lovely bibs, roll up those sleeves, and secure that hair (trust me, nobody’s going to help you when all hands are already on deck)
4. food arrives, take your pictures now, then dig in
Note: all members of your party must be present before being seated
Parking is available in the garage below the restaurant with the entrance on South Alexandria.

I haven’t been to boiling crab in 5 years when I was living up north. I’ve been living near ktown for almost 4 years and didn’t even realize they had one here. Oops!
My friend and I decided to go. She had been here a few times and knew the ropes. We decided to drive and didn’t even look for street parking bc it was crazy. Pulled in the lot. It’s $ 4 for valet at boiling crab but $ 2 if you go to the wine café next door. We put our names down at 7pm on a Wednesday and they said 30 minutes for 2 people. Not too bad. We went next door to kill time, got a glass of wine, played jenga and got parking validation! Apparently you can get boiling crab to go and even eat it there! They put down the paper on the table and just charge a small fee like $ 2.
We waited for the resturant and it took exactly 30 minutes. By the time we got seated we placed our order within 5 minutes. I got 1.5 lb of the whole shabang mild shrimp, 1 piece corn and Cajun fries. My friend did 1 lb king crab legs and 1lb crawfish. Next time I can do without the fries. they were good but I would prefer more corn!
All in all it was a great experience. Service was nice and quick. They checked in on us, refilled drinks, answered all my questions. I think the 1.5 lb was more than enough (although I managed to finish every lat piece).
I’ll definietly be back!

Well… that was an interesting experience. I learned that I don’t know the first thing about getting crab out of its shell (legs or whatever)!
I’ve never been so exhausted from trying to eat something! That being said, I had a lot of fun trying. The food here is so good! I wasn’t feeling the messiness of the whole thing initially, but once I got into it, I had a blast, and would definitely return.
Our waitress was so nice and cool. My receipt says her name is «Big Tiff»…not sure about that, but I really liked her. She was great with recommendations, and very positive, upbeat, patient, and accommodating.
Messy, challenging (for me at least), but so fun, and so good!
⁰⁵⁷⁄₁₀₀

If I had reviewed BC when it first came to Rowland Heights so many years ago, I probably would have given it at least 4 stars, since eating a bag of tasty shrimp was new to me then, when I was a dumb high school student.
Alas, it’s 2016, and the novelty of BC is dead. Here’s why:
We came on a Tuesday night, and of course had to wait 45 minutes for 2 people. We ordered 2 lbs of mild, whole shabang shrimp and a side of sweet potato fries. Fries came out first, and I’ll say, as an opponent of all things sweet potato, these weren’t too bad. Not too sweet, and a little on the thin and crispy side if you’re into that. The shrimp came about 20 min or so later, and took us about another 20 min to eat. If you had asked me years ago when eating shrimp from a bag was new to me, I would have said this was so exciting and delicious! However, the shrimp experience felt more like a process that I could not wait to end. When we did reach the finish line, I felt unsatisfied, both in terms of taste and space in my stomach.
2 hours and $ 45 later, I must say, I had more fun eating California donuts afterwards than eating shrimp at BC. It’s definitely not worth the 45 min wait or $ 45 tab. Do yourself a favor and buy a ton of shrimp at 99 ranch, make your own bomb ass sauce, and save yourself the hassle of «experiencing» Boiling Crab.

I opted to bypass the opportunity to try out cajun back home thinking that this experience will be better due to it being closer to «home». Well, cajun is definitely closer to LA than it is here in Canada. LOL
There were high highs and low lows for sure. The experience here is uniquely fun and definitely one most would enjoy. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy devouring mountains of seafood with their bare hands without hesitation or remorse? Without a care of table manners or cleanliness; very few indeed. But with that it certainly comes at a cost and this place is not necessarily expensive but it’s not cheap either. However, keep in mind that this is a seafood eat-​off and it is generally accepted as expensive.
We went with the whole shebang and it was a great sauce! Salty, spicy, sweet with a huge squeeze of lemon juice — this is a sensory overload! That sauce burns long after the meal is over and your night is done.
On to the goods. I know good seafood when I taste it. Having had the opportunity to taste some of the freshest in Asia, Europe and right home off the dock in Nova Scotia, I can say I like my seafood fresh! Which leads me to the conclusion that the seafood here is far from fresh. I wouldn’t say it has gone bad/​stale but it isn’t fresh — it’s.frozen fresh! Fresh shrimps shouldn’t stick to their shells like oatmeal to a pan. Fresh king crab legs are not so stringy and chewy like faux crab meat. To compound the matter, those king crab legs were overcooked beyond comprehension. So cooked in fact their shells became a rubber-​like texture that you can’t possible crack. I had to shred and tear the shells off which isn’t how it should be. That corn though… If only I can order a bag of that!
But in the grand scheme of things, the sauce is so overpowering and such a sensory overload you may not recognize the seafood shortcomings I have pointed out. So go ahead, get messy.

Yummy shrimp, corn, and sausage with Cajun fries. Go at off hours to avoid ridiculous wait times. Or just go to their Boiling Crab To-​Go store right next door if you don’t want to wait. Valet is $ 4 with validation. Street park if you can.

Visiting La from it of town for 2 weeks, and I’ve already been here twice! So yeah, I like it.
We were 2 hungry girls and we had 1lb of crawfish (for our first time, it’s a bit scary but tastes okay), 1lb of shrimp and ½ pound of pork sausages in the whole sha bang seasoning medium spicyness.
We left nothing behind, although we weren’t super full, we could have had 1 more side. But we were satisfied!
Everything was delicious, our server was super helpful! She even taught us how to crack open the crawfish since it was our first time having them.
The spicyness level was just right. It was spicy yet still edible.
(Had it again today and added potatoes and corn on the cob to the mix! Good idea!)

If you love seafood this is the place to come. I love spicy anything so I will be back soon. Yummy my palette loves this place.

Awesome place with great food but just a little messy but that’s what you sign up for!
Their crab, shrimp and corn were all great especially with the Cajun flavor.
The Cajun fries are definitely the best in town!
I highly recommend!

Despite the wait, the experience and fresh seafood were totally worth it. I got the shrimp, crawfish and sausage (all in the whole shebang sauce and med spiciness) and definitely enjoyed it. The crawfish was good but I was still a little hungry as there isn’t much meat to eat from it. They had run out of the blue crab already and I was a bit disappointed I didn’t get to try it. Other than that, definitely a must try!

WTF just happened!!! Biggest disappointment EVER!!!
I’m here literally EVERY week usually on Thursday night. That’s how much I loved boiling crab. I sometimes would even come twice a week. Order the same thing every time. Shrimp, corn, rice and oysters. February came, menu changed, prices went up the roof and food quality so low I couldn’t believe it. I never pass on my oysters but this time they really had to go. They were tiny AF. Smaller shrimp. Those lil pieces of corn in the pics 1.25 Each like really??? Every single thing in the menu went up significantly.
Check came and although we had no oysters we ended up paying the same amount we usually do.
This was seriously my favorite place to eat and I never though it would come to this but this is really the last time I’m coming here.
I even live next to Drucken Crab where there’s no 2 – 3 hour wait and they have some bomb ass micheladas and I would still pick boiling crab over them. Guess no more!!!
Good Old Boiling Crab you will be missed.

Been to several Boiling Crab. This place is not as crowded and the wait is not that long compared to the other BC that I’ve been to.
We ordered one pound of King Crab Legs (Whole She-​Bang), one pound of Shrimp (Lemon Pepper, Medium Spicy), Cajun Fries (Spicy), Corn on the Cob, ½ pound Sausages, and Potatoes.
The seafood quality was good. Spices were the usual. Service was pretty fast. Asked for a lime for my beer to a couple of waitresses but they both forgot and never brought my lime/​lemon. They also forgot our order of potatoes.
Place is good. Would definitely come back of I’m in the area again.

The closest thing to Louisiana since I’ve left. I haven’t tried very many crawfish or boiled seafood places since cali because the ones I have tried were bland. We first tried the fried shrimp from a long beach/​OC boiling crab and found it to be pretty good. But since moving to LA, we’ve graduated to the boiled shrimp which is great and I even think the fried shrimp taste better. It’s like one of my favorite places now… reminds me of home. I will have to try a few more menu items but I really love the place. And of course some of the best places in New Orleans, ie: acme, the old coffee pot and port of calls all have long lines! I wouldn’t expect anything less for great Cajun food.

So this is located in Koreatown on Wilshire and Alexandria. The parking situation is they have a parking lot, where you pay $ 4 for valet or you can go look for parking on Wilshire. It is normally hard to find Street parking, Luckily I found parking on Wilshire so I didn’t have to pay.
The wait is gonna be really long, I waited 2 hours. You have to put your name down. Then wait I don’t know why but this place is always packed, you are going to have a one hour wait at least. I had a 2 hour wait because it was Sunday for dinner and a party of 7.
Now getting to the food, we ordered crab legs, shrimp and Crawfish. We got it with the whole schabang (all sauces mixed up) at medium spicy. The shrimp was good and tasty. The crawfish is just hard to eat and the crab legs require a lot of work to get the crab. The service was good, not really much service just refilling drinks that’s about it. But the staff was nice and friendly.
Overall this was a great experience this was my first time. Was it worth a 2 hour wait? Definitely not, I probably will come back, but only once a year.

To quiet honest, my experience here wasn’t that great! We waiting a very long time to get seated (close to 2hours) which I did not mind.
Once seated our waiter was great, very friendly. All of a sudden he screams loudly out of nowhere while we where placing out order which scared me to death. (Of course he apologized and explained that it was some kind of sporting event on TV). It put me in a very bad mood and everything else went down the drain from there on.
He kept messing up on our order. Did not come back to refill our drinks or nothing until there was a shift change.
Aside from the bad customer service, the food was not that good. Not a lot of flavor. I personally like hot and juices food better and of course the line is a lot shorter.
Most defiantly will not be coming back here.

Now I understand why all my friends rave about this place! Cajun-​seasoned seafood AND you don’t have be all prim and proper to eat it?! Yes please!
The menu is straightforward: select your seafood, select your seasonings, select your spice level, and select any add-​ons.
I got crawfish and lobster seasoned with the «whole sha-​bang» (all 3 seasonings) and no spiciness. My friend got shrimp and lobster with the same seasoning but mildly spicy. Omg thethe seasoning is on point!!! You taste all the flavors: cajun seasoning, lemon, garlic… and it works! They really bring something to the seafood.
If you don’t like working for your food then maybe this isn’t the place for you. You will make a mess peeling and cracking open shells but that’s part of the fun. And there is no shame is licking the seasoning right off of your fingers.
It is pretty pricey (our total came to about $ 160) but we knew that going into it — it’s fresh seafood for goodness sake! And boy was it worth every penny…
The only downer is the wait. It’s at least 45 minutes and they don’t allow reservations nor do they have a texting system so we couldn’t go explore the rest of the plaza or chill at a café while we waited. You’re kind of just stuck there. Please find a way to make the wait easier!

Big bags of spicy seafood on the table. Eating with your hands and getting a work out. Crab juice flying everywhere. Your hands never truly getting clean again. It was an awesome eating experience. Minus 1 star because the bathrooms there’s only 2 bathrooms and they were filthy.

Every time I’m in LA I HAVE to come to The Boiling Crab !! The crab legs and shrimp are the besttttt! The seasoning is perfect

Best shrimp ever in town love it so much
Make sure you get there early long lines when they open
Avoid weekend super long wait up to 3 hours

This is truly a hidden gem in Korea Town! And, especially, on New Years day when no other restaurants are opened, this was the place to be.
My colleagues and I were looking for a place to eat and we came across this place based on several recommendations from several locals. We met the host who was busy managing the wait-​list which was running around 2:45hrs for the next available table. I truly wanted a decent meal and was not about to go across the street to Carl’s Jr. to have a burger. The host advised us of several options, either wait for a table or take-​out (which is directly opposite from the main restaurant). The host also mentioned that we could have a cocktail /​beer /​wine at this local bar beside the take-​out spot. We opted for take-​out!!! The wait time was ridiculously long, but people were truly waiting for the next available table. This indicated to us that the food must be worth the wait.
We placed our to-​go order. This too was s very busy operation and we waited for 35 minutes for our order to be ready. I ordered a side order of seafood gumbo with rice, ½lb of sausage (mild sauce) and 1lb of crawfish (hot). I gotten say the manager on duty was running a tight ship. The phone was ringing literally off the hook. There was an order-​taker who was stationed at the phone and he didn’t put the phone down once while we were there waiting.
The host from the main restaurant told us that we can have our take-​out dinner at the bar adjacent to the take-​our spot on the basis of a one drink minimum while we dine. This bar –I truly am trying to rack my brain to remember the name of this spot– was like an overflow seating area.
I must admit, it’s my first time having gumbo and it was truly delicious. Big succulent shrimp, flavourful broth, fluffy rice, crunch veggies. The Cajun sausage was grilled perfectly and smothered in cajun sauce. The crawfish was tremendously juicy and spicy. And a tall slender stein of Blue Moon was only able cool the flames from my tongue.
Come prepared to get down and dirty. Draw up your sleeves, put your bib on and invest in Bounty paper towels stocks!

Experience the fun and taste of a backyard seafood fest at The Boiling Crab with Lobster, shrimp, crawfish, corn on the cob, sausage, fries, gumbo and more. The whole shabang, and it’s all SO GOOD! Be prepared to reek of super potent garlic, but it all tastes so good going down. And sure, there are similar establishments but the quality of fresh seafood and flavors are far superior here to their weakling competitors. The lobster claws and tail on the bad boy we got was so plump and juicy, would highly recommend ordering it here.
Lines are long, arrive early around opening time (3pm) to get a quicker seat.

HOW TO AVOID WAITING FOR A TABLE: I went to the restaurant and was told there was an hour wait. Instead of waiting to be seated in the restaurant, my friends and I got their take out instead. The dessert/​bubble tea restaurant adjacent to the Boiling Crab was kind enough to allow us to eat our food in their restaurant on the condition we purchased a drink. We saved over 40 minutes this way and got to enjoy our food in a nicely heated restaurant instead of waiting outside in the cold.
The seafood is really fresh, you need to try this if you haven’t already!

Ummmm yessss! My aunt and cousins took me here on one of my LA visits. The experience was pretty amazing. You will get down and dirty, so proudly where the bib.
I’ve been to hot and juicy and this doesn’t even compare, boiling crab is where it’s at. The flavors inside your bag of whatever you order is downright beautiful. I ordered a lb of shrimp and I ate all of it, well after I peeled them. With that said, you will work for your food– peel and eat!
There was so much food. You will never go home hungry. Hec you may not be hungry the next day.
So the spices are so pungent here, my hands smelled like my meal for hours and I had to bag my clothes, since I was traveling.
Don’t even worry about the 45 min wait. It’s worth it! Just bring extra clothes: D

Feeling crabby? Go to the Boiling Crab for some super delicious Cajun-​spice seafood in a bag! Don’t forget to throw on the bib and roll up your sleeves because things are about to get really messy! We ordered the shrimp, clams, snow-​crab legs, Dungeness crab, and corn with the Whole Shebang flavor, which is lemon pepper, rajun cajun, and garlic sauce mixed together. It got a little too spicy for me, but I couldn’t stop eating. It was that good! I especially loved the snow-​crab legs and corn. I would totally wait two hours for this, but we opted for take-​out instead.
No reservations. We went on a Sunday night and the wait for a table is two hours. Fortunately, Café Home allows customers to bring in Boiling Crab take-​out and eat there as long as each person orders a drink! My group did that so we didn’t get the full Boiling Crab experience, but it’s ok because the food was delicious.
Sorry, no food pics! Too busy eating!

SO WORTH THE HYPEEEEE
Knew I had to stop here on my trip to LA and it did not disappoint! Went for dinner time on a weekday and the wait ended up being 1.5 hours :(Long but worth it
I got the shrimp and crawfish with whole sha-​bang, medium spicy. Make sure to add a corn to your batch cause it soaks up all the juices in the bag which makes it superrr yummy! But oh my god, it was soooo good! Honestly I hate getting seafood when I go out to eat cause I am too lazy to either peel the shrimp or break apart the seafood but this was the one time I didnt mind! I definitely preferred the shrimp over the crawfish. The crawfish was soo much more effort to eat with a lot less meat than the shrimp. Also got the cajun fries which were a good compliment to the meal as it helped tone down the spiciness of the shrimp and crawfish.
The staff was really nice and friendly and the meal ended up not being that expensive considering its seafood! I think i spent less than $ 20 and I was extremely full! Definitely be back if I return to LA ^_^