Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar

Been a customer for a while. Discovered Hook and Reel during my wife's last pregnancy and we fell in love with the atmosphere and more importantly the food. We took friends and family to eat there and recommend them at every opportunity. That all being said last night's meal was a disaster. Spent $350+ dollars on a belated mother's day meal to get rubbery shrimp in the boils/bakes, catfish baskets that would have been outperformed by filet-o-fish from McDonald's (both in size and taste). The absolute tiniest crab clusters I have EVER seen come out of their kitchen and the oyster baskets were lacking in quantity of oysters and quality of cooking. Everything fried tasted as if it had been cooked in old oil from the oysters to the fish to the french fries. The only shining moment of the meal was the scallops. Sadly my family and I will no longer be recommending nor returning to hook and reel and will let those we know that the prices no longer reflect the value or quality that we once enjoyed from this establishment.

So we're down here for our son's hospital visit we have to do . We came for lunch and we walked in and the place was empty . We all ordered first we got our sweet teas and they tasted like the tea pitcher had not been clean in a long time . So we switched the drinks to soda for all 3 of us . We order, I got lemon peppered chicken wings were cooked super hard and had a weird smell to them so I didn't eat them my husband got the black muscles and they were not cooked correctly and super chewy. My son ordered chicken strips and they were hard and he had ketchup with them which was on the table he said mom tasted funny and it was spoiled with a vinger taste . We went to the bathroom and when we returned to the table I looked down and saw a tiny black and brown bug crawl across my food . I showed my husband and so we paid and left Not recommended at all . I didn't talk to the manager nor did I see one .

First time here for my husband and I. Nice atmosphere. Everyone that worked there spoke. The waitress, Nikki, was friendly and funny. Hubby and I enjoyed joking with her. We started off with soup. Husband ordered clam chowder. I had lobster bisque. Both were served hot and delicious. For entrees, I had the shrimp basket with crab meat fries. Husband, oyster basket with crab meat fries. Nikki suggested those type of fries. The food came out fast, was hot, and tasty. The crab meat accented the fries very nicely. We were happy with our choices. The bar looked fully stocked. Several TVs that showed different programs. Nice decor. We'll definitely be going back.

The manager was very nonchalant and did not care that I was out of over $100. My order was somehow sent here through ordering from chow now and this restaurant is over an hour away!! I’m sure someone is enjoying food I paid for for free. He said he was part owner. If this is how owners conduct business and treat customers then it’s sad. He has NO people skills. Even him pretending to be empathetic or caring would have made it better.

Worst service in the world. Came to sit down and eat and it took 30 mins to get a drink to the table. The place wasn’t even full to receive such slow service. No one spoke when we walked in should’ve been the first red flag. Too many people in here working for the service to be so slow I counted 8 employees and only 5 tables out of like 50. Just order online. The food is always good but just don’t dine in take it to go.

My family has come to Hook & Reel three times! My husband loves the boils. The kids and I get chicken (strips, wings and po’ boy). We have always received great service and great food. Albert, our server on two occasions, is EXCELLENT!I’ve bought gift cards for H&R because of this location. We will definitely be back!

This place served the Tiniest crabs in boil bag I've ever seen and is the same price as competitors with larger snow crabs with way more shrimp and potatoes. Steamed oysters barely has anything in it. We felt cheated dining here. The only positive thing is our server Nina was extremely nice, quick and accommodating. Kudos to her but unfortunately overall it was a waste of money and I won’t return and can’t recommend.

Very fun place to eat. I've never had to wait. If you have a taste for a low country boil, they got them. Complete with Bib and Gloves and the tools for your crab and nice big wipes to clean up. It is still messy, but part of the overall fun experience and tastes good too!

My shrimp were not cleaned properly. However manager was nice so I couldn't be too mad...he comped my whole families meal. Food was bland...but worth the anniversary special price. Good portion. Because of the customer service I think I would go again, not really sure. My waitress was a dense. 2 seconds from cussing her out...the manager saved her

My first visit. I ordered the anniversary crab bag for $20. To say the least it was great! Our waitress was extremely nice. She checked on us ongoing and kept our tea topped off. BTW they have the best tea ever!

This place is as advertised, a fish boil with a good atmosphere and fine drinks. We had great service from Destiny. She was on top of everything! The food beat my expectations -- well cooked and great flavor. Crab bites were tasty, my shrimp/crab boil with potatoes, sausage and corn was pretty darn good. We went on a Thursday night so it was a slow night, but this place deserves a bigger crowd. Clean, tasty, comfortable and fun for families. What more could you ask for?

I rate this #1 seafood in Durham. The food was very good. Service was great too, friendly.

They were short handed, so service was slow. I don’t fault them for that, but the seafood was over cooked (rubbery shrimp, crabs legs with shrunken meat that was tough to get out) and the “sauce” was so greasy and spiced, it completely overwhelmed the flavor of the seafood. Too pricey for not-so-good food.

To expensive for what I received on my very FIRST visit. Something like $50 or more for 1 person. The cashier was amazing. She started explaining how the menu worked for a takeout order then her manager or supervisor interrupted her moment by talking over her as if to take over. She understood my order and had repeated it back correctly and started ringing me up but after the manager interrupted somehow when I got home my order was incorrect. That was not only rude of him, It cost me a loss of some of my order that I indeed still paid for. I was left disappointed. But to be completely honest I could have used that money to purchase my own food from the grocery store and done a better job at home myself. Thanks to your Manager Guy I won't be back with family nor recommend this place to others. EDIT: It's been almost 2weeks since this visit. The receipt went in the trash since I hadn't planned on returning or pursuing a correction. Just cut my loss. The experience was a complete turn off. Besides, I miss TGI Fridays at that location anyway. It was way better. Sorry

Great hospitality and food! Highly recommend!