Joe’s Crab Shack

My parents always served fresh seafood when we were growing up. Either from the fish monger or live caught. So it i very hard for me to eat previously frozen seafood. I tried to like this place, I really did, the servers were great, but either my standards are too high or general standards are too low. Both or crab and our lobster was mushy, as in very very not fresh.

Just a heads up. On Sat. Sept. 26 2015 I went for a Pacific Beach bike ride. This PB Joes Crab Shack is now official Closed. Wow! Seems like it’s been there for over 35 years! Obama’s economic recovery sure is booming! sarc/

Came here for the first time and thought it was an awesome experience. We were able to be seated next to the window with a great view if the board walk and the ocean. I love people watching so this was perfect. We sent on a Sunday afternoon, it was not very busy and we were seated right away. The service was great and friendly. I ordered the raging cajun which was awesome although very messy haha but what I came for! I would of course come back again!

This place just doesn’t do a good job. Worse crab sandwich I ever had. Burnt, hard bun just no look appeal at all. Tasted like frozen vegetable, not so fresh rice. Get a new chef or get a chef.
I guess when youre on the boardwalk you don’t have to have good food.

This place used to be good, but the quality has really gone down hill. My boyfriend had their «steak» and it was literally the worst thing we’ve ever eaten in our lives. It tasted like someone put it in a shoe to marinade before overlooking it. The «crab» was overly salted, mushy, and very poor quality. $ 100 for 3 people is best spent somewhere else. Save your money.

Up until a year or so ago I was in San Diego quite a bit. Whenever I find myself in Pacific Beach, sometimes I grab a bite at Joe’s, and while there’s a few throughout, this one has always had consistently good and very friendly service.
Considering that the main points of differentiation in different locations in a corporate owned chain are 1. Speed/​friendliness/​effectiveness of service, 2. Location/​ambiance, 3. Cleanliness/​quality of food, I think this Joe’s hits all three. Like I’ve noted above, the service was always quick and friendly every time I’ve been, the location (right on the beach, great on a sunset) is prime, and I’ve never had any complaints about the food. Get yourself a bucket, a bib, and try the Shark Bite, and enjoy next time you’re in the area.

Friendly service overall. It was a bit warm in there and the presentation of food wasn’t anything like the photos; however it was good food. I was pleased overall but wasn’t «wowed»… ½ off drinks on Thursdays were wonderful as well…

I’ll admit it. I’m a fan of Joe’s! Of course it’s not «fine dining». Take a look around! But their food meets my seafood needs when the mood strikes.
I went twice during my recent 5 day stay @ PB. I sat outside on the small deck at the tall tables by the windows with the amazing view of the ocean. You can’t get much closer! My waitress — had the same gal both nights — was very polite and friendly. Both nights I got the crab cake sandwich. First night I had cole slaw as a side. Fresh and delicious. The second night I had the Crab Dirty Rice, which was basically just brown rice. I didn’t get the «crab» part of it. But the sandwich was delicious! It was a good-​sized crab cake on a fresh bun, served with their aoli sauce. I left feeling satisfied and not overly full. Perfect.
Thursday’s are ½ price cocktail days. I had a Mason Jar Margarita for $ 4.25. A bargain for a good cocktail.
Would I go again? In a heartbeat! The location can’t be beat! The food was good and I liked the outdoor balcony seating. My one negative comment would be about getting the tables bussed in a timely manner. I don’t care to see other people’s leftovers sitting around getting old for the duration of my meal.

Only good part is location. Went in for a drink with my wife and we did get served relatively quickly. Wife used the restroom and it was dirty. Bar was filthy. There was a margarita at the end of the bar, in front of nobody and it stayed there the entire time we were there (30 minutes). Cut pineapple in a ¹⁄₃^rd pan out on the counter the whole time. Frozen peaches bag on the back bar the whole time. If you may have a bug problem a clear sign are the cone cups on the bottles. Bar top was wet the entire time we were there as well.
Not clean and being in this business we know how important that is.
Paid and left quickly. Health code nightmare.

Wasn’t that great. The food was your average seafood-​Red Lobster-​type of deal.
I enjoyed the view though. If you sit on the patio, you get an amazing view of the ocean&&people watch! Lol.
I would rather go to Boiling Crab.

I had the amazing queen crab!!! Everything my family had was delicious! Beautiful views and very nice service!

This Joe’s was good. I find it hard to review franchise type restaurants unless they do something amazing. I have been to a few others and they rarely stand out and make me have to go back. I do love the Great Balls of Fire and our meal was correct, quick, and tasty. Only complaint was that it was freezing in this place. It was a gorgeous day but inside they had the A/​C cranked way too high.
I would return if I was in the area, but I would not battle PB parking to go to this specific location.

Delicious food, we come over once a month, my wife’s favorite seafood restaurant, garlic mussel and calamari is my first choice here. by the way Brian is a cool guy who really care about our service.

Seriously.
Delicious.
I was super sketchy about eating at Joe’s. I mean, it’s like the McDonald’s of seafood, right ?
So. Wrong. It was so ignorant for me to feel that way.
I started with a strawberry mint margarita. Perfect amount of sweetness. Barely tasted the tequila. MY kind of drink.
Started off with a dozen oysters, fresh flown in from Oregon. They were huge! Fresh, delicious, barely needed any toppings… but how can I not add fresh lemon juice, cocktail sauce, horseradish, and tobasco? My mouth is ‘re watering just while I’m writing this.
We went to order a second dozen, and they were sold out! *sad face*
I ordered the mahi tacos, with fries instead of chips. My guy ordered the southern stuffed shrimp.
Both were beyond delicious. The fish and shrimp were cooked so perfectly. We were both in awe. Not to mention, you’re right on the beach. Talk about a view !

I love this place! The best view of PB!!! :)
The crabs and the big starter are delicious!

Great place for seafood lovers just beside the beautiful Pacific beach … their platters are great… love it! Also the waitress named Gail treated us very well… overall good service…

We came here on a Wednesday night at around 8:30. The place was not very full and were sat right away.
Waitress was Sam. She was very nice and did an excellent job!
Buket of Dungeonus crab w/​garlic butter and Ragin Cajun mixed sauce — 4 stars — this was very good! I was stuffed by the time I finished this.
Patio punch — 4 stars — I enjoyed this drink. It was a tad bit too sweet for me and I like sweet!
I would definitely come here again!
Tips —
There are window seats that have great views of the water.

Hostesses — 5 Stars!
Food; Bean Town Bake, Lobster Daddy Feast, Fire Island Samplers — 5 Stars!
Sunset Views — 5 Stars!
Annie our server — 5 Stars!

Beautiful view of the boardwalk.
Im going to talk about the service first since that seems to be everyone’s concern. The service was nothing short of fantastic. We called to make sure there wasnt a wait and the hostess told us she would seat us as soon as we got there. The server was extremely friendly and attentive without being overbearing.
The drinks… we had magaritas and a coronita rita. Both were decent. a bit sweet for my taste but not bad.
Food.we started with the clam stuffers… ended up ordering a second plate because they were so good. We got two different steam pots which were both delicious. My only gripe is that the crab lacked meat.

The hubby wanted to eat here this past Saturday during our mini Father’s Day wknd getaway to SD. Hubby wanted me to give this 1 star but I think it’s a little rough, considering our service was good. Therefore, they earned 1 extra star.
The food was not up to par at all. Hubby ordered the Joes Classic Steampot and I had the Lobster Daddy Feast Bucket. Both were barely warm when it was served. The flavors were not on spot. It seemed like they just sprinkled Cajun seasoning on top of my husband’s steampot and garlic herb in my bucket right before they served it to us. The flavors didn’t penetrate to the meat and thus was lacking. I ordered a pizza for my son and that tasted terrible too. He barely touched it, and that’s rare because my son LOVES pizza.
Like I said, the service was great. Our waiter was very attentive and courteous. Other than that, we will probably never return here or any Joe’s Crab Shack for that matter. There are way too many other better tasting seafood joints out there, eg. Boiling Crab, Seafood Shack, Kickin’ Crab, etc…