I had to give Crab Catcher a 5 star going away review. Sadly, this restaurant is Permanently Closed. In its history, it had some of the best if not the best Alaskan Crab Legs around. You will be missed.
Tom P
It has been a while, and while not a San Diego native on business trips always made time to get to La Jolla to experience everything the Crab Catcher had to offer! Terrific food, great views, terrific service, you couldn't ask for a better spot for lunch or dinner.
Trung H.
Came here last week for lunch after my coworker mentioned about it during our conversation, but the restaurant was closed which my coworker did not even know until I told him... It took me more than 1.5 hours to get there thru heavy traffic, but turned out it was closed...I should have checked yelp before going...
Dianne Marilyn Youngblood
Very sad to see this wonderful place close permanently. Super views & nice atmosphere. Great happy hour!
Some Dude.
The food was decent, however the choice in music could have been better. The smells were everything but desirable my favorite scent was the smell of rotting fish really tied the place together. The restaurant is great for locals and has good food but the music and the smells take it down two stars. Will come again if there smells improve.
Susan B.
I was in La Jolla today (6-22-2020) and this place is empty and it looks like they've been selling all their furniture. A man who works in an office in the same building said its PERMANENTLY CLOSED and that they didn't want to have to leave So sad, this was one of my favorite Saturday lunch spots. Good food and beautiful views!!
Peter D.
If you are also going to have a decadent, pre-pandemic lunch with a Buddhist monk,* I highly recommend Crab Catcher. We went all out. Martinis, wine, oysters, grilled octopus, crab cakes, king crab ceviche tacos, swordfish, huge platters of shrimp, lobster, king crab legs, and all the dessert you can handle (key lime pie and paradise pie for sure). All of this excellent seafood served next to the most beautiful view of the La Jolla Cove you could ever ask for. I don't want to pick favorites, but at gunpoint, the tacos and the king crab legs (drowned in melted butter and lemon, obviously) are the standouts. I honestly don't know how much this feast cost, because the monk picked up the check (no, seriously), and I also highly recommend allowing someone else to do that for you. The only downside to this meal was the guy climbing the cliff down by the cove. He slipped at one point and I thought he might spoil my lobster lunch by plummeting to his death. Luckily for me, he caught himself. ____________ *I feel like this probably requires more explanation, but I'm just not going to do that.
Nellie C.
For a beautiful and classy restaurant with an ocean view, you must visit Crab Catcher Restaurant. However, let me warn you, there are some downsides. The food was okay...nothing special about it. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which comes on top of 2 crab cakes. I thought this would give me the most bang for my buck, and it did. But was it spectacular?? No. Everything was rather pricey as well, but it just didn't match the quality. Not worth eating there. On the other hand, the atmosphere was very bougie and felt like I was dining in a beautiful east coast spacious country home which was a nice change. Luckily our table was right in front of the window so we had a perfect view of the ocean, without a reservation either. I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation in advance and request to sit near the window or on the patio overlooking the ocean. Although I mentioned some pitfalls, I would still recommend this place, but only for drinks and appetizers because the view alone made it all worth it.
nelliechristine
For a beautiful and classy restaurant with an ocean view, you must visit Crab Catcher Restaurant. However, let me warn you, there are some downsides. The food was okay…nothing special about it. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which comes on top of 2 crab cakes. I thought this would give me the most bang for my buck, and it did. But was it spectacular?? No. Everything was rather pricey as well, but it just didn’t match the quality. Not worth eating there. On the other hand, the atmosphere was very bougie and felt like I was dining in a beautiful east coast spacious country home which was a nice change. Luckily our table was right in front of the window so we had a perfect view of the ocean, without a reservation either. I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation in advance and request to sit near the window or on the patio overlooking the ocean. Although I mentioned some pitfalls, I would still recommend this place, but only for drinks and appetizers because the view alone made it all worth it.
Brenda J.
We got married at Crab Catcher in 1990. They were so accommodating - closed the restaurant for the first couple hours for the ceremony and let us set up. Then served us a fantastic feast in a private room. Every time we go back, the food is as great a always. Never forgot the stuffed mushrooms and neither did our guests. They even gave us a free dinner on our first anniversary. Great memories of wonderful food, great service, and a beautiful view.
Great view across the bay to Scripps pear and with cormorants seating on the nearby pine trees. Lively environment with locals and visitors in balmy evening air. The food could be cheaper but we enjoyed the quality and good job of servers.
K. Treser
Oh my goodness! The view, the view, the view! The server we had (Jordan) did an outstanding job! The crab cake and the crab stuffed fish were perfect. Outstanding restaurant! A+.
Ayumi Kamitani
Beautiful view and good food. Crab bisque was so good with lot of crab meat. Pasta was also good. There is not many people at that time so we could get the window seat and enjoyed the view too. The stuff was kinda slow which could be improved
119elizabetho
Our waitress was superb, we ordered several small plates to share, they were all delicious, and the view was gorgeous! I would definitely recommend.
344alison
We ate indoors at a window table at lunchtime - worth the bill just for the view. Service was good and friendly, didn't bat an eye at the 4 of us just having tap water to drink. The bread for the table was warm. 2 people had fish and chips (fat ones!) which was very enjoyable and 2 people had the crabmeat burger (skinny fries) which was delicious - not too expensive, about $25 including tax and service each
I had to give Crab Catcher a 5 star going away review. Sadly, this restaurant is Permanently Closed. In its history, it had some of the best if not the best Alaskan Crab Legs around. You will be missed.
It has been a while, and while not a San Diego native on business trips always made time to get to La Jolla to experience everything the Crab Catcher had to offer! Terrific food, great views, terrific service, you couldn't ask for a better spot for lunch or dinner.
Came here last week for lunch after my coworker mentioned about it during our conversation, but the restaurant was closed which my coworker did not even know until I told him... It took me more than 1.5 hours to get there thru heavy traffic, but turned out it was closed...I should have checked yelp before going...
Very sad to see this wonderful place close permanently. Super views & nice atmosphere. Great happy hour!
The food was decent, however the choice in music could have been better. The smells were everything but desirable my favorite scent was the smell of rotting fish really tied the place together. The restaurant is great for locals and has good food but the music and the smells take it down two stars. Will come again if there smells improve.
I was in La Jolla today (6-22-2020) and this place is empty and it looks like they've been selling all their furniture. A man who works in an office in the same building said its PERMANENTLY CLOSED and that they didn't want to have to leave So sad, this was one of my favorite Saturday lunch spots. Good food and beautiful views!!
If you are also going to have a decadent, pre-pandemic lunch with a Buddhist monk,* I highly recommend Crab Catcher. We went all out. Martinis, wine, oysters, grilled octopus, crab cakes, king crab ceviche tacos, swordfish, huge platters of shrimp, lobster, king crab legs, and all the dessert you can handle (key lime pie and paradise pie for sure). All of this excellent seafood served next to the most beautiful view of the La Jolla Cove you could ever ask for. I don't want to pick favorites, but at gunpoint, the tacos and the king crab legs (drowned in melted butter and lemon, obviously) are the standouts. I honestly don't know how much this feast cost, because the monk picked up the check (no, seriously), and I also highly recommend allowing someone else to do that for you. The only downside to this meal was the guy climbing the cliff down by the cove. He slipped at one point and I thought he might spoil my lobster lunch by plummeting to his death. Luckily for me, he caught himself. ____________ *I feel like this probably requires more explanation, but I'm just not going to do that.
For a beautiful and classy restaurant with an ocean view, you must visit Crab Catcher Restaurant. However, let me warn you, there are some downsides. The food was okay...nothing special about it. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which comes on top of 2 crab cakes. I thought this would give me the most bang for my buck, and it did. But was it spectacular?? No. Everything was rather pricey as well, but it just didn't match the quality. Not worth eating there. On the other hand, the atmosphere was very bougie and felt like I was dining in a beautiful east coast spacious country home which was a nice change. Luckily our table was right in front of the window so we had a perfect view of the ocean, without a reservation either. I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation in advance and request to sit near the window or on the patio overlooking the ocean. Although I mentioned some pitfalls, I would still recommend this place, but only for drinks and appetizers because the view alone made it all worth it.
For a beautiful and classy restaurant with an ocean view, you must visit Crab Catcher Restaurant. However, let me warn you, there are some downsides. The food was okay…nothing special about it. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which comes on top of 2 crab cakes. I thought this would give me the most bang for my buck, and it did. But was it spectacular?? No. Everything was rather pricey as well, but it just didn’t match the quality. Not worth eating there. On the other hand, the atmosphere was very bougie and felt like I was dining in a beautiful east coast spacious country home which was a nice change. Luckily our table was right in front of the window so we had a perfect view of the ocean, without a reservation either. I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation in advance and request to sit near the window or on the patio overlooking the ocean. Although I mentioned some pitfalls, I would still recommend this place, but only for drinks and appetizers because the view alone made it all worth it.
We got married at Crab Catcher in 1990. They were so accommodating - closed the restaurant for the first couple hours for the ceremony and let us set up. Then served us a fantastic feast in a private room. Every time we go back, the food is as great a always. Never forgot the stuffed mushrooms and neither did our guests. They even gave us a free dinner on our first anniversary. Great memories of wonderful food, great service, and a beautiful view.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great view across the bay to Scripps pear and with cormorants seating on the nearby pine trees. Lively environment with locals and visitors in balmy evening air. The food could be cheaper but we enjoyed the quality and good job of servers.
Oh my goodness! The view, the view, the view! The server we had (Jordan) did an outstanding job! The crab cake and the crab stuffed fish were perfect. Outstanding restaurant! A+.
Beautiful view and good food. Crab bisque was so good with lot of crab meat. Pasta was also good. There is not many people at that time so we could get the window seat and enjoyed the view too. The stuff was kinda slow which could be improved
Our waitress was superb, we ordered several small plates to share, they were all delicious, and the view was gorgeous! I would definitely recommend.
We ate indoors at a window table at lunchtime - worth the bill just for the view. Service was good and friendly, didn't bat an eye at the 4 of us just having tap water to drink. The bread for the table was warm. 2 people had fish and chips (fat ones!) which was very enjoyable and 2 people had the crabmeat burger (skinny fries) which was delicious - not too expensive, about $25 including tax and service each