The Crab Shack

Someone from this business manages this listing.

440 reviews

#91 of 751 Restaurants in Charleston$$ - $$$, American, Bar, Seafood

+1 843-763-4494+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Mon

11:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Tue

11:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Wed

11:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Thu

11:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Fri

11:00 AM - 9:30 PM

Sat

11:00 AM - 9:30 PM

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

440 reviews

#91 of 751 Restaurants in Charleston

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

Learn More

CUISINES

American, Bar, Seafood

Special Diets

Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

features

Location and contact

1901 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, SC 29407

+1 843-763-4494

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Shacketizers

*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness. Pricing and availability for all items are subject to change.

Shacktacular Mussels

Parmesan scampi cream sauce

$10.99

Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

$9.99

Crab Balls

with remoulade

$13.99

Hushpuppy Basket

with honey butter

$5.99

Crispy Fried Calamari

$12.99

Shacks Chilled Blue Crab Dip

$10.99

Is this a seafood restaurant?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

About

Southern Living magazine named the Charleston Crab Shack "One of the ten best seafood spots in South Carolina." With overflowing buckets of fresh seafood, great BBQ, daily specials and a rockin' happy hour, it's a good old elbows-on-the-table family feast. Kids eat free on Sunday. Join their Local Loyalty program for all kinds of rewards. Three Crab Shacks locations: Folly Beach, West Ashley and Coosaw Creek. Served by locals, eaten by locals.

CUISINES

American, Bar, Seafood

Special Diets

Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.0

440 reviews

Excellent

248

Very good

104

Average

Poor

Terrible

EvanGuthrie

Charleston10964 contributions

West Ashley Crab Shack

Jan 2020 • couples

West Ashley Crab Shack is one of my favorite places to eat seafood and other southern dishes in Charleston. I like the entire relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant as you can enjoy your meal and feel comfortable enough to use the seafood bucket in the middle of the table. I like everything they have on the menu and everything has been consistently delicious throughout the years. The Crab Shack does everything right.

Written January 15, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

321westa

Thank you very much for your business and your review. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best Wishes, Steven Jones, Owner

Written January 23, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jeff C

Ohio45 contributions

Top notch seafood in a town known for good seafood!

Mar 2021 • family

I just couldn’t go to Charleston without having some seafood! If it’s from the sea, it’s for me! One of my favorite sayings. So I have lots of experience in seafood shops. That being said, the Captains platter at The Crab Shack ticked off almost every box for me! With 2 flounder fillets that were lightly breaded, flaky and delicious, plus oysters that were cooked to perfection it didn’t disappoint! There were plenty of clam strips that were tender and delicious. And, the local shrimp really held their own against some of the tenderest ones I’ve ever enjoyed. Large, moist and breaded to perfection! But the thing that really surprised me was the red rice and collards. I know they are local favorites, but man they hit the spot. You’d better be hungry to take on this platter! We started our meal with crab balls and hush puppies. The honey butter with the hush puppies really went well. And the crab balls were great on their own! They served a tasty sauce with them that my wife really liked, but I just enjoyed that delicious crab filling all on its own. If your ever in Charleston, this is a definite go to place for seafood! And very reasonably priced too!

Written March 21, 2021

hjr

Thank you for your business and your very kind words! Great sadvertising! We look forward to serving you again! Best Wishes, Steven Jones, Owner

Written March 22, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

OmniaSolus

Braga368 contributions

Great food!

May 2021 • friends

I brought a friend that was visiting from Illinois and kept bringing him to places that use fresh seafood like Crab Shack. We got the crab/avocado dip and mushroom balls for apps. I got the fried flounder and he got the seafood platter with shrimp, flounder and scallops. He ate everything and loved it. The waitress was very friendly and got all orders correct. Definitely recommend this location for great food.

Written May 6, 2021

hjr

Thank you very much for your business & your kind words. It is good to know that everyone was doing their job. I will share this wiht the Team. Best Wishes, Steven Jones, Owner

Written May 8, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sherri W

Griffin42 contributions

Don’t do it!

Jan 2021 • couples

Never again. Ordered Hot crab and artichoke dip and the hush puppies as our appetizers. The dip was 95% cream cheese; we tasted no crab or artichoke. The hush puppies were way over cooked but tasted okay. I ordered the fried flounder (not bad but not great) and shrimp (pretty good) platter with grits (no salt or other seasoning AT ALL) and salad with Thousand Island (too tangy). My husband ordered the Calabash Seafood Basket with fried flounder, shrimp, and clam strips with slaw (good) and fries (battered and good). His experience was the same with the flounder and shrimp. Expensive lesson learned. ☹️

Written January 18, 2021

hjr

I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your visit. We want all of our guest leaving with the desire to come back. We failed with you. I will be using this review as a tool to teach our Team what we can do better, especially follow recipes & not sending out over coooked food. Please call me at the restaurant 843-763-4494 or my cell 843-566-2191 I would be happy to listen and try and make things right. I hope you give us another chance. Happy New Year, Steven Jones, Owner

Written January 20, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Janice G

209 contributions

Mediocre at Best

Feb 2020 • couples

Calamari heavily breaded and chewy. Crab stuffed Flounder was tiny stuffed mostly with bread. Scallops were sandy and chewy. Fries were fine🤪Food all rated a 1, service was a 3. That's why a poor instead of terrible. One beer and one water, and dinner with tip came to $90. We could have fine dined downtown for the same price.

Written February 21, 2020

321westa

Very sorry for your experience. We want all of our guest leaving happy and want ing to come back. I would very much like to speak with you about you visit. Please contact me 843-763-4494 or 843-566-2191. I look forward to hearing from you. Best Wishes, Steven Jones, Owner

Written March 7, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mark W

1 contribution

Worst Customer Service

May 2022 • family

I had a group of six adults and two kids. We arrived at the Crab House on Market Street in Charleston, SC around 6:30 PM and the hostess took our reservations for a party of eight and said the wait time was about 45 minutes before a table will be available. When I checked back with hostess she told me that the party at the table we were going to be seated at was eating desert and it would be another 30 minutes. I checked back in with the hostess again and she said that the IPAD had cancelled my reservation I then asked to speak to the manager and she said the table they were going to seat my party at the people had finished their meal and paid the check but was having conversation. The manager told me that the party had been there over two hours and they were waiting on the party to leave before I could be seated because they only had two tables that could seat a party of eight and could not asked the party to leave. If the hostess would have told me it would be two hours before my party could be seated, I would have went to another restaurant. I wasted two hours of my guest and family time. Stay away from this restaurant if you have a large party.

Written June 1, 2022

Ashlee B

Alliance21 contributions

Ate here

Feb 2020 • family

Recently ate here after visiting Middleton Plantation. Frequent visiter to the Charleston area. Thought the food was very good and service was excellent. My husband and I shared the Charleston steam pot and crab balls. My parents also enjoyed their meals. Would eat here again. It was nice to eat someplace different then the Mt pleasant and downtown Charleston restaurants we ate at all week. Restaurant seemed more cozy!

Written February 13, 2020

321westa

Thank you for the kind words & the great rating. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best Wishes, Steven Jones,Owners

Written March 7, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Safari206281

Hendersonville1 contribution

Terrible

Feb 2024 • family

The restaurant did not look or smell clean and I had my doubts walking in. The manager took us to a dirty table and then sent us back to the front while cleaning. I ordered an unsweetened tea and the waitress asked me 3 times if I wanted sweeteners as if I was taking my tea wrong. My daughter ordered a chicken taco from the kids menu and the waitress said that item was no longer on her handheld order machine so she could have it. We ordered the chicken salad off the kids menu and asked for the chicken on the side and she said she couldn’t do that. For her side she asked for mashed potatoes and the waitress denied that her meal came with a side although if clearly said so on the kids menu. Her salad came out hot with very heavily peppered chicken on top. So my daughter ate none of her meal. We ordered crab dip and hush puppies. The flavor was not good and there was hair in the dip. I ordered She-crab soup and it was thick and oily and tasted terrible. No dinner for me either. We informed the waitress and manager of the hair but just asked for the check to leave. We declined boxes from the waitress and she proceeded to push us about asking if we were sure. Lady we were sure we didn’t eat it the first time, not going to eat it a second time. As we were the leaving the manager said don’t let this keep you from coming back. We will never be back…

Written February 3, 2024

OmniaSolus

Braga368 contributions

Great lunch!

Nov 2020 • family

My mom and I stopped for lunch around 1130 on a Saturday. It was jot busy at all and we were seated immediately. Our servers were prompt and attentive the whole visit. We got the crab balls appetizer and as always they are fantastic! Especially with the dip they come up. We each got the flounder basket meal, mine with fries and hers with mashed potatoes and gravy. We both ate everything. No complaints at all. The flounder was fresh and well prepared. My fries were seasoned and tasted great as well. I always recommend The Crab Shak here or on Folly. Great food!

Written November 8, 2020

321westa

Thank you for your business and your kind words. We look forward to serving you again soon. Best Wishes, Steven Jones, Owner

Written November 19, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MICHAEL P

Dunedin238 contributions

We loved it!

Sep 2022 • none

Its around the corner from Rt 17 and the 526 exit. It's great seafood at a reasonable price. She had flounder stuffed with crabmeat and I had the shimp and scallop pot pie. Both came with red rice and collards. Tasty! very authentic collards and the server was attentive and informative as to items on the menu. Lots of locals here, a good sign of consisten food. We'd had dinners in Charlestone for three times as much but not as good as here. Would loved to have another meal there but we only had 3 days. Definite winner!

Written September 21, 2022

Shannon F

1 contribution

My horrible experience

Apr 2023 • couples

Never been to the area and wanted seafood… needless to say we were there for 15 minutes and saw a bug crawling on the wall two table down from us then within another 30 minutes there was a roach on the seat right where we were smh… on top of that they left the shrimp off my order at first then when all my food finally came I tasted it and it was very fishy tasting and seafood should always taste fresh. I was born and raised on the beach so to come to this restaurant expecting great and delicious food was a let down. They never offered to discount the meal or let it be free instead the waitress just swat at the roach with her bare hands!! I will never recommend this restaurant and will be contacting the health inspector!

Written April 30, 2023

Suzanna W

1 contribution

Thanks to the wonderful service of Kenny we went twice in one week.

Oct 2022 • none

We went our first day of vacation to West Ashley Crab Shack and had an amazing server Kenny who answered every question and make great suggestions. Loved it so much we decided t go back 2 nights later and was thrilled to have Kenny as our server again. The bucket is wonderful, the Buffalo Shrimp yummy, and you have to try the Pain Killer frozen drink. We left with a in-house made slice of Key Lime Pie. It was great. Next time we come to the area we’ll be back to The Crab Shack.

Written October 27, 2022

JimmyLaw77

Hilton Head111 contributions

Great seafood lunch at West Ashley's Crab Shack

Aug 2022 • none

West Ashley Crab Shack was a great place to eat seafood and other southern dishes just outside of downtown Charleston. Great relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant. You can make use the seafood bucket in the middle of the table. Easy parking right out front. Excellent service for the whole meal.

Written August 24, 2022

uufrisbee7

148 contributions

Not worth it

May 2023 • family

The vibe was an outdated “beach” feel. Hokey, but the kids enjoyed it. The food prices seemed reasonable compared to most of the other seafood options around town, but with mixed reviews, I went in unsure of what to expect. The portions were pretty average, and the food was just ok. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be. My kids were still hungry after their meals and we had to order more food. Our waitress was friendly and did a good job, but the overall experience was a disappointment. It’s a shame too, because it’s out last night in Charleston and I wish we’d gone somewhere else.

Written May 2, 2023

Rebecca Lynn Co... A

1 contribution

Customer

Dec 2020 • couples

We had the steam oysters for our appetizer and they were cooked to perfection! Our entrees were just as good. The Charleston steam bucket had a lot of seafood that I had to take half of it home with me. My husband loves their fried oysters dinner! Service was impeccable!! Great place to eat!! We love it there!! Danielle was our server. She was wonderful!!

Written December 5, 2020

hjr

Thank you for your business and your kind words. We look forward to serving you again soon. Best Wishes, Steven Jones, Owner

Written December 8, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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