Joe’s Crab Shack

Lousy food and obnoxious wait staff who stood around chit-​chatting about their personal drama. Even the manager got in on the act, sitting down and chatting with the unscheduled waitress who was eating dinner with her friends in the booth next to ours.
My wife got the crab cake salad. It’s a mystery to her where the corn, black beans and tomatoes were — somewhere hidden in the mound of lettuce and stale corn chips. «Crab» cake was an overstatement as it was more breading than anything else. I got the big catch platter. Every piece of seafood was over cooked.
Save your money and your stomach. Go somewhere else!

I have always been impressed with Joe’s crab shack but this experience was very disappointing in ordered the lobster and snow crab combo and clam strips for an appetizer the clam straps were pretty good the main entrée not so much the lobster meat was a bit of a yellow color and very very chewy probably overdone the snow crab was very salty not very much meat in the legs I suspect they were over done as well since the meat that was there tasted like it sat in water for hours the service was good but not exceptional I wouldn’t make a special trip back to this place especially since red lobster is down the block and a bit cheaper

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!
My family went out just a few weeks ago and we will NEVER return to this place!
Here are our complaints:
— For the cost per dinner, you would think you would receive bread or some sort of complimentary «appetizer.»
— Our waitress was very nice, but she was so inattentive.
*We had one pitcher of water for 14 people and she refilled it one time throughout dinner. To add, it was empty within the first 10 minutes of dinner.
*my brother had to go find her twice, once to order a drink and a second time to remind her that he ordered a drink because it was taking forever. Come to find out she forgot!
— The staff seemed more interested in chatting amongst each other than actually doing their jobs.
DO NOT GO HERE!

My husband and I are in town from San Diego visiting family and this was our first time eating here and was so disappointed in the food and the service. The bartender was also our waiter but was not familiar the brews on tap nor did he know if any of the brews were IPA’s. When he brought our food and lifted the lid on our crab pot, not one ounce of steam came out. The corn was cold, the shrimp was over boiled and luke warm and the crab was somewhat warm. Overall the food was pretty bad. We’ll reserve eating real seafood in California.

Pretty good meal, it’s consistently good food and good service when we come here. I particularly like the mixed drinks. Kinda expensive to bring the whole family (3 kids) but worth it, they have so much fun and the intimate setting is nice. (Date night tip: great lighting ladies!)

Arrived at 4:15, waited for drinks half hour, wait staff purposely avoid table. Best check over the bill, was charged double for the meals, 4 people at the table and charged for 6.

Visited on Friday 10÷9÷15. All the other restaurants in the area around gurnee were pretty packed bu this place had some open spots and it had been a while since had been there, so we poppeed in. There were about 6 – 7 waitpeople hanging around and plenty of tables open so we were seated right away.
We studied the menu and found we were going to be spending 25 – 30 dollars each unless we got the 40 dollar ‘pot’. Looked like a lot so we ordered. the waiter asked if we wanted an appetizer and we said no — mistake!!! about 35+ minutes later our pot shows up. Guess that was punishment for not ordering drinks or an appetizer.
The pot was full — to be sure. Can you say OVERDONE? ALL way overcooked. The corn was soggy, the shrimp, unpeeled (which was fine) was soggy, clams –pretty hard from over cooking. The 2 lobsters looked good and the top of the front part was cut open, but not the tail. But soggy.
These were rock lobsters and there was more meat in each of the claws than there was in the tail — which is the only reason for the 2^nd star, otw it would be one. But getting to the claw meat was like trying to get into a tank with a can opener. We got these plastic ‘openers’ for the lobster, but they broke. Couldn’t even crack open parts of the claws the shells were so thick. The service was ok. The guy checked on us fairly frequently, but there seemed to be too many of the waitpeople gathering and chatting vs service.
Probably pass on this next time.

Our experience started off very poor. The waitress was upset she got her drink order wrong, and when asked about whether or not the Maine lobster was frozen, I got an attitude like I should know all their fish are frozen. Well, when she came back with the correct drink order, the tide changed and her attitude reversed 180 degrees. She actually turned out to be a very good, respectful waitress and for that reason we left her 20% tip. Remember TIP actual led means (TO INSURE PROMPTNESS).
Anyway, let’s get to the grub. I got the king crab engaged in a garlic sauce of some kind (which were half the price… and size… than at a higher class establishment) and my kids got the popcorn shrimp, which they seemed to enjoy. My wife got the steamed king crab which were essentially tasteless.
Bottom line… next time we decide to get a frozen TV dinner, it won’t be at this place. There is a reason I haven’t been back to this place in years. 3 stars overall, but I was really leaning for 2!

have always enjoyed joe’s crab shack, and this is no exception! for being a chain restaurant they have it down great. awesome service, fun inviting atmosphere, and tasty food. I ordered the Bairdi crab, a new one on the menu and it’s my new favorite. I got 2 huge clusters, full of thick tasty meat. its as good as the king without the full king crab price.
my server was super nice, very efficient, and did her job very well. she made continuous trips to my table to make sure all was ok as a professional server does. I left Joes feeling very satisfied and fully assured that I got my money’s worth. will definitely be returning.

I don’t know why there’s so many bad reviews. I went there for the first time yesterday, and I liked it for the most part.
The host that took us to the table wasn’t friendly tho, she looked like she hated her job. Our waitress was really friendly. The food was ok, typical seafood, nothing too fancy, but it was satisfying. My dad got a lobster that was bad tho, it was all mushy like mash potato, but they had no problem replacing it, and were really nice about it. The manager was also super friendly and came to check on us. I really liked the friendly atmosphere, except the host, but aside from seating us, we didn’t have to interact with her. Everything is super pricey, so probably won’t come here everyday, but for special occasions I would definitely come here again.

Flies allover. I had been there a couple of years ago. Today the flies took over the place. Even though the waitress was very hospitable the food was bland and cold. And again flies allover the place. The bucket where you’re supposed to put the shells was still dirty with remains from the last diner. Not going back at this particular restaurant.

Showed up for a Thursday half off drinks and this Joes Crab Shack was out of alcoholic to make many of there drinks. Because of the drink issue, I waited around 20 minutes before I saw my first drink. Waiter was almost none existent. Water was gone had to walk over to find someone to get more drinks. Was at this exact crab shack a year ago. This place seems less organized this time around and not well managed.
Had really good crab and the food was good. Just seemed poorly managed acrossed the board. Was watching other waiters getting frustrated with other waiters, not our waiter either. This was our waiters first day, so I did feel bad for him having to deal with all the other b.s. issues.

The food here is, well, food… I didn’t have anything that was really good. Our server was really friendly & that’s why I’m going 3 stars. On food alone this would be a 2 star review. Everything was overly breaded and tasted the same. If I was blindfolded the only way I could tell what I was eating would be the texture… It was my first time here & most likely my last.

This was without a doubt one of the worst, if not the worst, dining experiences my family and I have EVER had! This place belongs on «Restaurant Impossible» or «Hell’s Kitchen». It is the holy trinity of bad dining… horrible food, service, and prices.
I’ll preface this section by stating that the other two restaurants we have tried for seafood boil were Pappadeaux and the Angry Crab. They are both pretty good at worst. I don’t think it is unreasonable to use them as a measuring stick for my Joe’s experience.
The food was tremendously disappointing. As a group we opted for an appetizer of cheesy crab dip with onion chips. The dip itself was mediocre, making it by far the best dish of the evening, while the chips were very stale. For an entrée I ordered two pounds of shrimp with potatoes, corn, sausage, coleslaw, mac & cheese, and hush puppies on the side (these were all very uninspiring and the hush puppies were particularly disappointing for their very dry texture). I know two pounds of shrimp when I see it, and this was not anywhere near two pounds of shrimp, although when we questioned the server she begged to differ. Lucky for her I forgot my digital culinary scale at home. Regarding taste, it was very sparingly seasoned with Old Bay. I don’t know whether they were afraid they would break the bank using too much, or their chefs were simply that inept, but it tasted like plain olé boiled shrimp. My wife ordered crawfish, specifying spicy, and needless to say it was not. Even worse was the fact that she pulled multiple old dead black crawfish from the bunch. Given the seemingly fresh market prices, it is particularly disappointing to be served something obviously frozen.
Regarding the service, it was an amateur circus act. When we arrived they seemed perplexed that a group of nine people could possibly have had no objections to dining at their establishment. The task of joining together three tables nearly overwhelmed them (despite the place being half empty), but after upwards of five minutes they managed to complete the assembly. Our main server (I guess you could call her that) was passive aggressive rude and completely useless when questioned regarding any of the menu items. Perhaps she felt that providing Captain Obvious answers was appropriate given the restaurant’s nautical theme? She was very slow to bring our drinks. When that was finally done the revolving door of her fellow servers seemed to take over the financial gang rape for the evening. She did make a brief obligatory appearance toward the end to ask way after the fact if we were doing «alright». The disaster of a meal was far beyond any sort of redemption, not that I believe she would have made any effort to rectify things even if it wasn’t.
The bottom line is that this place is run just like the water park adjacent to it, a tourist trap with an all-​around high priced extremely dissatisfying experience.

What can I say? This place is just OK. It’s always dead and I think that can be highly attributed to the lack of any special draw. There’s nothing here that really stands out. We went on Tuesday, April 28^th when we were at a last minute «what should we have for dinner» standoff. Tired of the norm, we decided to go to Joe’s. We’d been there a time or two in the past and I’ve always left feeling very underwhelmed for the amount of money we spent.
Their signature «Steampots» are quite appealing when reading the menu, but when they come out, they’re lacking any real substance or appeal. This particular visit, I thought I’d try just the crab leg bucket rather than the steampot which I’d had in the past.
Our waitress, Cassi, who was kind, attentive, courteous and very helpful (if the review was strictly on her service, she’d get 5 stars) misheard us when we ordered Queen Crab and so we were served King Crab. Not a big deal and quite honestly, we didn’t even realize that was what we’d eaten until the bill came. I’ve only had Snow, Dungeness and King in my life so I didn’t know what «Queen» looked or tasted like. I just ate it and all along thought to myself, «my this looks and tastes just like King Crab!» Cassi was quick to adjust our bill even though we’d eaten what was served to us. She apologized profusely even though it was really no big deal.
At any rate, for a $ 30 meal, the amount of crab you get is really kind of pathetic. The corn on the cob was sweet, but not crisp. The potatoes are nothing special, just boiled and salted from what I can tell. We each added a side salad to our meal for $ 3 and even in the dim-​lit atmosphere, it was obvious that some of the lettuce was brown/​wilted. In my opinion and past experiences, often times, the quality of the salad is a good indication as to what the quality of the entrée will be. Such is the case here!
Our bill for two entrees, 2 side salads and one beverage was almost $ 80 after tip. It’s just not worth it and I doubt that we’ll be back again anytime soon.
In conclusion, I guess I just really feel like you can do better at home! Portions, quality and price are all a little out of whack at Joe’s.

My family has been wanting to eat here for a few years and finally stopped while on a trip to Gurnee Mills.
We called ahead to ask about reservations and were told to call one hour before coming in… we did and when we walked in one hour later we were seated immediately.
My guy and daughter ordered the «$ 40» double crab boil which is the Classic Joe’s Steampot (Queens crab, snow crab, shrimp, sausage, corn on cob, red potatoes, French fries and hush puppies.
All pretty standard and nothing stood out.
We ordered salads with «homemade» ranch dressing which was unimpressive and he had blue cheese which he enjoyed.
Our server was very pleasant, friendly and attentive. She even assisted with cracking the crab legs open and making sure not to miss any of nuggets of crab meat. In the claws.
I don’t eat shellfish and didn’t see any fish on the menu that appealed to me so it was a toss up between the burger, chicken sandwich or chicken fingers.
I decided on the bacon cheese burger sans bacon.
It wasn’t good and the onion strings were even less impressive (I wish they had a little bit more crunch and flavor) the burger was kind of dry and lacked over all flavor.
My experience has always been if you go to a seafood restaurant order seafood or if you go to a steak restaurant order steak and definitely in this case I should have stuck to my rule of thumb.
Rather they ruin my families evening with my pickiness I just ate my burger… they really enjoyed their experience and I loved watching them enjoy it…
Go if you must but don’t go with high expectations…

Here again! I read the other reviews and its so crazy bc we get excellent service and fast friendly hostess/​waiters/​mgr! We were checked on several times and the mgr came by as well! Jess was our server today and she was wonderful! My fries/​hushpuppies didn’t come out with the food but once mentioned they were brought out right away!

Great place. Waiters are super nice. Ask for Matt. The food was awesome but beware, the food may be a little too spicy… like the corn had seasoning on it. But everything was great. If you’re willing to spend about… $ 40, get the sampler and a steampot. You won’t regret it. Unless you’re allergic to seafood :(

Whenever we drive by it feels like no one is here.
When we chose to come for dinner we were one of the only people there.
It was kind of sad. But I was optimistic that we’d have stellar service and amazing food.
Sadly…we did not have either.
Service was slow and the girl felt rushed for some reason.
On the plus side, everything came out pretty quick.
Their kids menu was great and had some creative items.
I feel like Joe’s came about at the height of gimmick restaurants (like Rainforest Café or Bubba Gump Shrimp) and it’s stuck there. It’d be great to see it innovate itself otherwise the parking lot and quality will remain empty.

Walked in around 9 on a Saturday night. Got greeted and said there was a wait of about 15−20mins when there were empty tables in the restaurant. Ok, so we stepped out. 10 seconds later the teen hostess comes out and said sorry she got the time mixed up. She thought we wanted to be seated outdoors when she never asked in the first place… Ok…
Anyway, ordered the joes steam pot for two and calamari as appetizers. Calamari was good. Not drenched in oil. Very crispy. I would recommend that.
The crabs at Joes wasn’t as fresh as I thought it would be. They have waaay too much seasoning /​salt and butter in that steam pot, it took away the natural flavors of the crabs itself. And it was kinda too salty for me…
Our waitress never refilled our drinks and checked up on us twice.
Honestly, if you want to spend money on good seafood, I recommend going to Bob Chinns. Super fresh! You will not be disappointed!
Joes is run by teenie boppers which makes me feel like the environment is too childish, loud and unprofessional.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be returning. The seafood wasn’t fresh enough for the $$$.