Dan’s Got Crabs

My husband and I have been wanting to eat there for months. We finally were able to go and boy was it delish. I had king crab legs and my husband had shrimp and sausage at a number two spice. It was all very FRESH and every bite was savory. The shrimp was so sweet, I’m making myself hungry as I speak of it. Our only bad thing is we waited too long to dine there and missed out on that delish seafood. Eating on the table without utensils was fun. Don’t worry they have plenty of napkins and towelettes to wipe your hands. The owner was very nice. Going around and truly asking patrons how was their meal because he cared. We’ll be eating there more often that’s for sure. Thanks for catering seafood loving people.

Great staff! They were super kind and helpful, it was my first experience with a live lobster and our waitress sat down at the table to help me crack it open and get all the meat! Food was delicious and the prices were decent.

It is always a pleasure dining here at Dan’s, the ambience is simple yet family friendly, everyone is so nice and courteous, the food is simply delicious, price is just right…
The first time we ate here was with my family, and we met a wonderful woman, Sirrus was there to assist us and helped us out being first timers, she was really gracious and very very friendly, that made me come back, and this time we brought along a couple of our friends with us,…
Highly recommended,.!
We’ll be back again, this might become a regular for all of us,.!

This has got to be the best crab place I’ve ever been to! When we entered in, I could tell that it was going to be an amazing experience. We were seated, and they placed a roll of wax paper on our table. We ordered 1 LB of Shrimp, 1 lb of Muscles (In which, they put in bags to keep it clean) and Sweet Potato fries with «Meat Fries», which I didn’t like, but it’s okay. I demolished the entire bag of muscles, along with most of the shrimp. I gotta say, if it weren’t for the fact that it’s kind of far from where I live, and we went out for lunch I would definitely come more often.
Five stars for the best service and staff I’ve ever met!

Well I had a very bad experience at this place today. The owner was very rude. I guess he took offense because I asked why he didn’t have Old Bay seasoning at this place. He then proceeds to tell me that I can go buy it from the store. I said well I’m from the east coast and we are use to having old bay on our seafood. He says well this is CA and you can go back home if you want old bay seasoning. Then he continued with you can go home and cook your own food. Mind you all I ask was why don’t you have old bay. Then I got lashed with all the insults. I was very taken back and even the guests that were with me couldn’t believe his reaction and comments.
Thank goodness the wait staff Doesn’t resemble the owners attitude because this place would have been out of business. The waitstaff was very nice and pleasant.
Needless to say I will not be returning to a place where the owner is so rude to customers.

This restaurant is incredible if you want seafood fresh seafood. If you like it Cajun spicy hot or not you can pick your level of spice. Great atmosphere and friendly staff.

Amazing place! Food is great and service is outstanding! Owner Dan is very humble and friendly! He makes sure all his customers are satisfied and walks around to each table to meet and greet. Staff members are also friendly and caring. We came on opening day and will continue to support this place!

Just found out about this place!!! And omg I’m so glad I did :) best fresh yummy seafood with amazing seasonings with broil … This is now by far my favorite restaurant … Staff is always very helpful and friendly as well :)

Outstanding food. Great value. Most importantly it’s a fun place to go. There’s a server named Brittney there that’s on point. She genuinely cares that you have a good time. Call ahead and make sure she’s working when you go. It will be worth it.

Great customer service & smells amazing when you walk in. I was skeptical at first because I rarely see people here but man it was great! I got the Cajun fries and chicken tenders great flavor. Wish the chicken had a little more seasoning but other than that it was great.
My mom got the snow crab with corn & sausage with the Dan sauce 2* degrees very great chunks of meat in eat one. Will be coming back!
Update: 2÷11÷16 I lowered my review…
So I ordered shrimp to go. And when I got home… It was a full shrimp. Kind of grossed me out. No one wants to see eyes on their shrimp. Creepy! Lol but anyways I got passed the gross part and cut it off and peeled it. But I realized they never cleaned it. The veins and shit sac were still there!!! So pissed… It smelled amazing but it was wasted. Had to throw it all away… Smh

We had so much fun here last night, food was great, learned a lot, could use more practice. Much needed girl time. Happy Ending was my favorite part, hand dipped ice cream with nuts. WARNING, a little messy, but so worth it!

So happy to have found this place. My cousin and i went in tonight and we were impressed. Service was great since the minute we walked in. Our servers were very informative and nice.
We had shrimp and crab legs and it was all delicious.
The owner was walking around talking to everyone and he came by to say hi and check on us. We ended up closing the place down and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Clean… family oriented. .best seafood in town for sure… cant tell you enough good things about this place… if you havent tried it… you gotta! The staff is great! Friendly… inviting…welcoming…always greet you with a smile. Forget about driving far for delicious seafood… murrieta has it right here!

I was pleasantly surprised when I came in here. The décor reminded me of Nantucket or somewhere in Maine next to the beach outside. It was perfect for the type of food they serve. The colors are blue and white with picnic tables set up and ready to be covered by a huge plastic sheet for the mess to com. There are a couple of flat screen TV’s on the wall, and a nice variety of music playing in the background
The first thing our waiter gave us was a much needed bib. The service was great from the start. All the waiter’s and even the owner take the time to come to your table and check on you. I started with the clam chowder. It was not creamy or buttery enough for me. We then got an order of crab legs and shrimp in Dan’s sauce with just a hint of spice. The sauce was great. It had tons of garlic, lemon, and butter flavors. I enjoyed soaking it up in pieces of the rolls the most. A pound each was enough to share for two and we were not full after.
I’m looking forward to coming back and trying some other options.

Do yourself a favor and come here with some sweatpants and an appetite. The food is amazing and the waitress is super nice and walks you through the whole eating experience. Definitely coming back.

First time here. It’s really messy so don’t wear your Sunday best clothes. We had crawfish, shrimp, sausage and corn cobettes. Everything was great…

Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. YUM. YUM!!!
So, we had a work meeting here. Not gonna lie, it wasn’t a very productive work meeting until after we were done destroying the freshest, most delicious shellfish that have ever graced my taste buds, but seriously, it doesn’t even matter. I will be having all meetings here for the foreseeable future. It doesn’t matter. Dan’s sauce on work documents just adds character to regular filing. :P
Really though, this place is fantastic. We got a pound of the crawfish, two of shrimp, and a pound of snow crap with corn coblets. My work buddies and I started with the level 3 Dan’s sauce and then bumped it up to the level 4 for our second round of boiled shelly goodness. The level 4 is tricky… you really just have to keep eating until your sinuses are clear. I bet you the level 4 Dan’s sauce will clear up any and all ailments that ever afflict you. It just boils you from the inside out until whatever toxins your body has been trying to hold in are forced out. I’m not a doctor, but I’d put money on it. :P I’d also highly recommend getting some hot wings while you’re here ESPECIALLY if you get Dan’s sauce level 4 or higher (One because they are delicious. Two because you can use them to give your mouths a temporary break… like drinking milk or eating a packet of sugar… if you’re getting anything incredibly spicy. :P)
My sister and I decided that this place will be our new family retreat. And I would highly recommend bringing all of your future dates here. I mean seriously, what is a relationship if you can’t be a laughy disaster while trying to wipe your nose with a paper towel without smearing Dan’s sauce on your face? It’s messy and delicious challenge that all couples should face together. They actually provide each guest with a bib and each table with an entire roll of paper towels and you will definitely use them.
I could rave about this place for a million years. You should go.
Now I want to go again.

My boyfriend and I had been talking about this place for quite some time after I found it on Unilocal.We finally made it here after a huge discussion about how good the baked king crab legs were at a sushi restaurant we visited in Balboa /​Newport the night prior.
We walk in and were immediately greeted by an extremely friendly, nice girl with pigtails (this past Saturday night at 8pm). We explained we had never been there and she explained it all and we sat down.
Our beers came out immediately and the food was quick to follow. The atmosphere is very sanitary and plain but in a cool way. Out comes our king crab legs and shrimps. …we ordered 2lbs of king crab and one pound of the shrimps along with corns. She warned us about the heat levels and we were very satisfied with her recommendation of level three, it was perfect. Prices were fair, service and food were excellent and I really liked that the manager or owner came over to ask about our food and experience.
We will definitely be back.
Ps…this place is great for two people as well as a group of ten. They have TVs too :)

Ok that was just wonderful! Let me start with the fact that I have been wanting to try this place for a couple months and we finally had the chance tonight, with friends.
Yes I gave it a 5 star but I am still going to tell you want we would do different next time.
We ordered the King Crab and shrimp with cajun fries. My husband loves HOT so he ordered the «killer #3» level of spice. Totally regretted that ! The King crab is cut in half so you literally peal it out of the shell with your hands and eat it! Its unbelievable; cooked perfect and SOOOOOO meaty!!! (Like going to the high end buffet in the Vegas casino’s). Here’s the different part… I ordered the «just the hint» sauce and I wished I would have ordered the «boring»…yes «boring» is a level of ordering… The crab was so perfectly cooked and huge that I would have rather had it plain and dipped it in butter like one would normally do. Other wise it comes in a bag soaked in the special Dans sauce with different levels of heat… (maybe get Dan’s sauce on the side)
The cajun fries were also too spicy for me and honestly I do like hot food to a certain extent. I just brushed off the spice though and they were fine. Its probably good that was too much of a pain to brush off the seasoning… so I ate less, I think! :O)
The shrimp comes whole (with head and all!) but they will teach you how to eat it if your uncomfortable or have never done that before. It was also really good but I would go boring on that too next time.
and Oh for gosh sakes… there will definitely be a next time!
Be prepared for it to take awhile… They make it fresh and too order for goodness sakes (I saw some comments about it taking awhile) Head over to Red Lobster or Burger King if your looking for quicker, not made to order, dinner.
What comfortable, short sleeved OLD clothing that you don’t care what happens to it because you will be eating everything right on the butcher paper and making a mess like the days when you used to finger paint as a child! Its just as fun except this taste a heck of a lot better than that paint!

Recommend: Yes!
Will we return? I sure hope so!
This was our first experience with a «seafood boil» type of cuisine and restaurant. It was thoroughly enjoyable!
The staff is so friendly! They put butcher paper on our table, then ties bibs into us! I should have known then that we were in for a very different meal! When the food was brought (it all came at the same time), they used gloves and demonstrated (taught us) how to get the crawfish tails out as well as the easiest way to get the crab out :)
The servers checked on us regularly and brought us wet wipes when we were done. Trust me, you will just want to go wash your hands by the end!
Food:
We used a «deal» and ordered a pound of snow crab legs with Dan’s sauce #2, a pound of mussels, a half pound of crawfish with Dan’s sauce #1, AND… The beet fries!
Everything was so very fresh and flavorful. The beet fries come with a not-​spicy Cajun mayo which is an excellent compliment to the lightly battered beet sticks.
The crab was fresh and sweet, but the sauce (#2) was the top of the spice limit for me! I would say that this qualifies as a hotter medium spice level than most places.
The crawfish was so very tasty. I liked the #1 sauce best, not only because the spicy level was better, but also because you could taste the lemon in it, too.
The mussels were small but delicious. Our only misunderstanding on the menu was thinking these did not come in a sauce. So we did not specify a sauce, and they did not ask. So these wound up being put in with the #2 sauce. I would recommend trying a different sauce for the mussels — either the #1 or the garlic butter for the traditionalist out there.
My number one tip for anyone who has NOT tried this kind of restaurant before is this:
DO NOT WEAR any rings or bracelets (or take them off and put them in your pocket or purse if you just have to wear them or you forget)
DO NOT DRESS fancy! Be sure you can roll up your sleeves!
Atmosphere:
There are several large TVs mounted (most with sports) BUT the volume is down and excellent reggae music was playing.