Mad Crabber Restaurant

Great food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Absolutely the best seafood hands down. Reasonable prices. Spectacular service as well. We loved it so much we ate there all 3 nights of our stay. Highly recommend, you will not be disappointed.

Parking: Gravel parking lots with ample spaces

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Steamed Shrimp, Clams, Crab Cakes, Seafood Boil

The food there is fast food quality at best. Menu states jumbo soft shell crabs and what I received was two crabs about 2. 1/2 inches in size and paper thin. My friend ordered fish bites that looked like a frozen dinner from Walmart. Service was excellent but the food was a disappointment.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

11/10 seafood cooked to perfection. We got tacos, the sample platter, and flounder all excellent! Our server was knowledgeable and helped us learn how to crack crab. Also the cole slaw was better than any ive had in a restaurant

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: French Fries

Stopped by for a late takeout..fried shrimp with bake potato and slaw... Because they said they do not serve any hush puppies with a meal that cost over $28.. I purchased 6 hush puppies..they were almost perfect, except they cooked them until they were almost to hard to eat..the flavor was good..the shrimp were delicious, the bake potatoe seemed to has sat for hours when I opened it.. disappointing..it was ok, shrimp was the highlight but I wouldn't spend that amount which ended up being $34 plus I gave 4bucks tip ..even though it was a takeout..may would eat again I'd like to try a steamer.. have to let the sticker shock wear off 1st.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 3

This is in response to NaTashas review listed above. Jenn is a great human and a strong member of our tiny community!! They have a policy of not splitting checks. End of story. If your a manager you should understand this better than anyone. Pro tip if you want the easiest way to split checks, stop at an atm and get cash!!! I highly doubt you would enjoy someone telling you how to do your job. Enjoy your vacation.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Dont waste your $$$ Dining area was clean. Reason for 1 star review is the rude waitress named Jennifer. Food was just ok. We were a party of 3 different families, when Jennifer seated us she did not make us aware they would only do 2 checks. At the end of dinner she handed us 1 bill. I asked if we could split it between the families and she said no just 2 tickets were allowed. I asked that they please do 3 and she said no. She handed it back to me and told me to figure out how we want to split it. I gave it back stating I would just tell her who got what so she can enter it and she with a rude attitude stated no she wasn't going to do it and that If I wanted to split it then I had to mark it down. Umm, are you not the waitress?? If you took the orders and know who got what, you should know. She was very rude, disrespectful with her tone, words and body language. She needs to find a different job, that's not how you treat your customers. I am a manager in retail and would be ashamed to treat my customers the way she did. We will not be going back, and I will not be recommending this place to any of my family and friends that visit OBX frequently. Now to the food. The Hot Crab Dip was nothing but sour cream and cheese, you could not taste the crab. The Fish Tacos had barely any fish. The crab cakes were overpriced for what they were. Everything was bland with no flavor or seasonings. The kids chicken tenders were so dark brown because the oil was old and needed to be changed. Don't waste your money.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

stopped in for dinner and couldn’t be more pleased with our choice!!!! amazing service, delicious apps and entrees, and cute place. dosent get much better than this place! will definitely be returning whenever we’re in town 🙂

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious! Spicy steamed shrimp was amazing! Between the two of us we thoroughly enjoyed the crab dip, sea bass, crab / shrimp plate, peanut butter pie, local beer and key lime margarita! Our server was super friendly and helpful! Would definitely go back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Hot Crab Dip, Mad Crabber Spicy Shrimp

First the good part. The restaurant was clean, spacious picnic style tables, and the wait staff was helpful and kept everyone topped off. The service was also quick, drinks received, apps came quickly, and refills good. No complaints there.

Then we ate the food. The crab dip is 99% cheese and cream with the smallest amount of crab. The crabbers catch (a steamer sampler of crab legs, mussels, clams, shrimp, and oysters) was honestly terrible. Most of the shellfish were extremely overcooked to dry and rubbery. There was literally hardly a spec of seasoning on the entire plate, not even salt. Everything was bland and overcooked. The only reasonable tasting item were the sides which were also just given with 0 seasoning/attention. It's clear this place just throws everything in the steamer with nothing in there and dumps it onto a tray for you.

It's also extremely expensive. I'd strongly recommend avoiding the steamed food. Perhaps the other items are given more attention/actually cooked by the chef with seasoning.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

Whatever you do, don't go for the crab! We've looked forward to a crab dinner at the Mad Crabber every single year when we come down to The Banks - but tonight was a complete disappointment. First, we were told they were no longer carrying the king crab. So we got the snow crab - and it was the worst we've ever been served anywhere. The quality of the crab was clearly sub-par. To make matters worse, it was way over cooked - and yet it was still cold. i still haven't figured out how they achieved that feat. The melted butter was likewise cold. Absolutely no sides are included with the steamed crab, so they come at an extra charge. Our bill was nearly $125 for the two of us before tip - and we tip generously for decent service - which we did in fact receive. The quality of the meal wasn't the fault of the wait staff. There are too many restaurants here to choose from which serve great food - so we will never be back.

What a quaint little restaurant! The food, staff, and atmosphere are spot on for a couple or a group

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fried Scallops, Fried Shrimp, Corn on the Cob, Steamed Shrimp, French Fries, Crab Cakes

Probably the best meal we have ever had in all the years we have been coming down here. Chef’s Kiss. A hidden gem for sure.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp, Fish Bites, Hushpuppies

My wife and I arrived at 8:14pm while the sign and Google stated 9pm closing time. We saw at least 6 full tables eating and ordering drinks. We were denied a table and service. They said they weren't seating anymore. We just arrived to kick off our vacation this evening and it was our first stop after a long drive. We come down twice a year and will never attempt to eat here again. The Froggy Dog sat us right away. All we wanted was a quick bite.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The collard greens were probably the best I've ever had. It's worth the trip just to get the collards. The crab bisque was good as well. My shrimp and snow crab were overcooked, but all in all, it was still a good meal.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5