Captain Jack’s Prime Rib & Seafood Restaurant

Unilocal challenge 2016 (²⁶⁄₁₀₀)
I’ve been coming here for a long time here for special occasions or whenever we’re in the area! It’s a nice seafood restaurant by the harbor, one of my favorites! For starters, I recommend the loaded SEAFOOD POTATO SKINS! It’s always a must have appetizer whenever we come here. The STEAMERS are also really good. Also, don’t forget the drinks! As for meals, definitely get the KING CRAB LEGS. They.are.huge! It’s definitely enough for two. I also like the LINGUINI AND CLAMS when I want to save some money. Other dishes I’ve tried are the tender FILET MIGNON/​LOBSTER TAIL surf and turf and the PRIME RIB. They are all delicious! Honestly! Each entrée comes with a salad and warm bread. I love the warm pumpernickel bread hehe. I always get full coming here and there are always tons of leftovers we take home! You won’t regret coming here!
Make a reservation since it gets pretty crowded! Service is always great!

We’ve only been to Captain Jacks once but it was memorable. From the time we walked through the door we were treated like Regulars. The Staff was so on point. We got a wonderful table facing the channel. And I envied all the people who lived so close. The Prime Rib was so good. Rivaling and maybe better than an establishment in Beverly hills. I can see how they’ve stayed in business for 50+ years. I will be back here for my birthday.

Always a favorite for many years. Everything is delicious on the menu. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. A great place to go for any occasion.

I have an issue with the sour cream but more on that later.
We’ve been coming here for several years for my birthday. Because it’s in December the old school grotto style seems a bit more magical due to the added holiday décor. Maybe the staff steps it up a bit during this time because we never experienced bad service. It’s done as a tag team so at least 4 people are doing something for you at all times. Most of the food offerings are the kind that you treat yourself to & though prices are on the high side it sure is a great place to celebrate a special event. We aren’t into crab legs but here they are delicious & the prime rib is excellent as well. The salad is rather plain but the dressing is good & the bread is warm. The plump steamed clams come in an antique style kettle and the brine is soooo good. I dip the bread into it (which is probably a mistake since the salty bread becomes a sponge in my stomach & I’m full before the entrée comes). You can get a large baked potato instead of the rice as an upgrade but for such a fancy-​priced place the sour cream doesn’t taste like sour cream. It’s more like a dairy substitute like IMO. If it’s real it’s not high grade & the lack of tang takes away from the baked potato experience. Hey, if I’m breaking my no-​carb diet this much it better be worth it! Otherwise, it’s fun to have a seaside icon like Captain Jack’s still around whether you’re rich enough to frequent on a regular basis or save for that special evening out.

Delicious food and impeccable service. As a native New Englander this restaurant makes me nostalgic for all the quaint seafood restaurants I grew up enjoying. I can see why this place is still an institution after so many decades.

This place was amazing! I had the prime rib and lobster, and the boyfriend had rack of lamb and alaskan lobster. The service was great and the Alaskan Lobster was to die for! I’d definitely come back!

This is old school all the way. Primarily a location for seafood of every kind. There are a few steak options for those who are not fans of their seafood selections. The service is excellent.
Wait staff are on top of it and are always willing to make adjustments when ordering. The food is top drawer. The pricing is a bit high, but worth it.
The inside of the restaurant is a little dark, but that can lend itself to romance. It really feels like an «adult» property and the bar is cozy and well staffed. There are some performers on the weekends which can be fun.
If you’ve never been… park valet and go in for a special evening… take it all in.

My friend and I went there last night for her birthday and we had a really great time which made me want to write my very first restaurant review.
First I though the place was a little overpriced because it doesn’t look like a fancy place from the outside but I strongly recommend that you come inside it’s worth every dime. The service was outstanding and the food was delicious. We ordered just drinks and appetizers and they were a pretty good size, They also surprised my friend with a cake when they founded out it was her birthday, that was really nice.
Overall, great place to visit if you’re in Sunset Beach area. Very well managed and they deserve 5 stars!

Three stars for the three ounces of crab! I did make a legitimate complaint and our waiter this Jan 14^th at 5:00 pm didnt seem to care one bit… he said ok sorry and walked off!!! That is not top notch service!
You may have 4 servers for your table but the head waiter should care! Overcooked also so sad and I am so disappointed

It was our first time at Captain Jacks. The valet was complimentary but we gave a healthy tip of course.
When we got there we had drinks in the lobby. The place is quaint, but nice and friendly. When we were called to be seated every server seemed to know our name and welcomed us to the restaurant. The customer service was spectacular!!!
Our server was Billy, he was attentive without being over the top. I ordered the prime rib and crab legs. Exquisite! My wife ordered about 10lbs (it seemed) worth of King Crab legs. She also had a Seal Beach ice tea and Raspberry Crush. Their cocktails are incredible. This is one of our new favorite places.

Wife and I love this place.
It reminds me of the older east coast steak and seafood houses who cater to known, high end clientele. Yet, it’s not stuffy.
While you wait for a table, you enjoy an old school bar or the cocktail lounge surrounded by salt water tanks. It’s dark. The drinks are strong. There is wood and nautical things adorning the walls. I can imagine old salts docking their boats and enjoying a drink or more.
The dining area has more light and windows, fish tanks are still plentiful. But here is where the food reigns. By far, Capt. Jack’s has the best prime rib on the West Coast. And, the portions are generous. When the waiters boast about the crab legs, they’re telling the truth. Their source delivers the sweetest crab I have ever had outside of Baltimore and Seattle. In fact, we have always had great seafood from their kitchen.
The method is old school… it’s about the protein. If protein is your focus, this is your place.

Been coming to Captain Jacks for 27 years. Always been amazing. Tonight was a different story. From the reservations I made 2 weeks go and then out in a terrible table where I had to sit at the end where a place setting was not meant to be. To the waiters no longer calling you by you’re name as you walk in and out. To the lack or none at all salt water fish in any of their 10 talks. Service was just not great. Good yes. But not great. Lobster and fish were excellent as usual. But this place has rally lost its luster of being special. Sadly I will not be back.
My best to you and thanks for the last 27 years before.
Thanks,
Leon Hill.

The place to be for a surf and turf experience. Alaskan king crab legs and some prime rib. These two items are great here at Captain Jack’s. Ordered the filet minon to try something different and it was sub par. The filet, while I ordered medium rare was a bit too charred on the outside so it was burnt and a little bitter. The inside was flavorful and good though. However, I don’t want to take the stars away from the crab legs and prime rib.
The appetizer ordered was seafood skins, Half sliced potatoes with skin, server with cheese, crab meat and shrimp. What a great combination.
Regarding service, we had a great experience, the host seated us earlier than our reservations because we arrived early. The serving team staff was attentive and nice. It wasn’t crowded, so maybe things are different when crowded.

I went to Captain Jacks restaurant last night with some friends, we were sitting at the bar. I had already had a lot to drink, so I ordered a water from the young bar tender, he told me if I was going to drink water I needed to sit somewhere else.
I can’t believe they would have such a disrespectful bar tender, That’s crappy customer service.

I cannot even begin to tell you how FANTASTIC Captain Jacks is! It truly is SPECTACULAR! We were on a hunt for Prime Rib and Captain Jacks popped up on our internet search! So on a whim we went. It was packed. From the start of service to the end, it was superb! And the meal… Out Of This World!!! We did a surf and turf with Prime Rib and King Crabs. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had!!!
If you’re thinking about trying Captain Jacks, run don’t walk to this place! You won’t be disappointed! But make a reservation, we arrived at 4:30 when it opened and there was a short wait. So we had a wonderful martini in the bar.
Thanks Captain Jack. We’re coming back this week!!!

This quaint stylish little restaurant in the harbor has the best lobster tail I’ve ever eaten. I love the big Australian lobster tail charbroiled. Their crab legs are another favorite. The service is wonderful, with 1,2 and sometimes even 3 different people serving your meal.
The décor of the restaurant is fun with an old rustic ship charm; lanterns, wooden ceilings, big wood menu. Don’t let the simpke exterior and old front door fool you. This place is one of those special little hideaways with great food

The BEST seafood can be found here. I’ve been going here off and on for 20 years and if you like lobster, their Australian Rock lobster is best lobster I’ve eaten the world over.
DECOR: Not much changes here — it’s dark and gives off a relaxed vibe. Lots of fish tanks (with few fish) and lots and lots of nautical decorations. If Blackbeard himself clubbed me from behind and I woke-​up at sea, I wouldn’t be surprised. I think you get the picture. Speaking of decorations, the same guy has been playing and singing in the lounge for as long as I can remember. He plays a bit loud so casual conversation is tough if that’s what you’re looking to do.
SERVICE: I’ve watched the level of stellar service dwindle over the years. Once seated, It took 10 minutes for someone to «read» the menu to us — it’s a tradition here. 95% of the items are at Market Price. With 2 entrees, you’re going to drop at least $ 100.00. Once we finally were able to place our orders, its as if we were almost forgotten. I had to wait and wait for someone to come back and take my drink order, and I had to ask two different people twice for the check. However, there was a guy absolutely obsessed with clearing our salad plates and he came around 3 or 4 times. If they let him take drink orders, he’d double their income…
FOOD: The lobster is 5 Star. Period. Words just can’t articulate it. My friend had the Halibut. It was HUGE. However, it was a bit dry and had no flavor at all. At «Market Price», I was surprised. This being her first time here, I had built this place-​up to her. A little disappointing.
THE SALAD: If you asked a 6 year old to make you a salad, this is what you would get. It really is laughable. Put some lettuce in a bowl, put 2 or 3 slices of mushrooms on it, a third cup of shredded carrots/​cabbage, and top it with a single cherry tomato. Ta da!!!
With the amount people are paying for the entrees, can’t you at least throw us a bone and class-​up the salad a bit? Put some LOVE into it people!!!
For the prices, I expect great service and great tasting food. Sadly, it continues to falter. Overall, it felt tired and monotonous. Someone needs to tweak a few things and get some LIFE back into this place. I WANT to give you 5 Stars again!!!

What a great couples night with good food!! This is my hubby and his co-​workers favorite spot to get together for drinks, steak, and crab. The place is very outdated and very small including the one person restroom. Ironically everything else is BIG, from the menus to the food. Crab legs are fresh and delicious!!! If your not a steak or seafood person they have a chicken dish as an option. Reservations are a must because wait can be long, and if you have a large party as we did it is kind of hard for them to accommodate because as I said before the place is rather small. Parking is non-​existent so be prepared.

This is my boyfriends absolute FAVORITE spot to eat at! Why? Because you get to have prime rib & king crab legs all on the same plate. He claims that captain jacks prime rib is better than lawrys! O. o such harsh words which I will never know is true or not since I don’t eat meat, but it wouldn’t hurt to give this place a try if you’re from LA.
Their king crab legs are MASSIVE! I think that’s why this place is so popular. They give you melted butter and already have these huge things cracked for you. That’s always a plus in my book; no one wants to do extra work while enjoying a nice meal. The dish also comes with rice, but the waiter said we could sub the rice with a baked potato instead. Woot!
Since Im a vegetarian, I had to settle for their linguini pasta with vegetables. The portions are humongous, I think it could have fed 4 of me. The veggies included mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus and onions with a butter garlic sauce. I’m not a fan of zucchini or bell peppers so I asked them to take those veggies out of my dish. The pasta itself turned out to be really bland, there was no salt to it at all so I had to add some myself. It was also super buttery/​oily that I couldn’t even pick it up with a fork, it would fall right thru it. The veggies had more seasoning than the noodles that’s forsure. I don’t like how they put the whole buttoned mushrooms in the dish; it made it look improper, dishes look better when mushrooms are sliced. If they had Alfredo sauce with this dish, it would have test TEN TIMES better.
Bread– BOMB! Love how soft, fresh and warm it was when it first came out.
Salad– UHHH… No bueno. It was like the salad you get at the market. They drenched the salad with the vinaigrette dressing so everything tasted super sour, oily and soggy before I even finished it.
Service– Great! Everyone is super nice, patient and always attentive. They checked up on us a few times and never forgot about us.
Bathrooms– Made me claustrophobic as hell. Super small, made me dizzy, only one stall, and looked super old fashion.
Ambience– Forsure it felt like we were on a boat. It was super dark in there so it was harder for me to take pretty food pictures :(
Will be back because my boyfriend is always dreaming about their juicy prime rib and humungo buttery king crab legs.

KING CRAB LEGS. They were easy to open (comes pre-​cracked) and SOOOOO MUCH FLAVOR. I got the fisherman sampler (with scallops, shrimp, and king crab legs) and I feel that it’s absolutely the way to go to get a full idea of what’s offered here. Escargot was also my favorite and oyster shots were awesome. It’s a bit extra to add vodka to the shots, but well worth it.
Captains cosmo was delicious and light. I tried the pama-​tini and I’ll pass on that next time. For seafood — or, crab legs in particular I would come back here in a heart beat. SOOOO GOODD! I love love love this place.
Oh, and the mud pie? COFFEE ICECREAM with a cookie crust and hints of caramel throughout the mudpie. Caramel or fudge… I wasn’t particularly sure which one it was but it was sweet without being too cloyingly sweet. Definitely hit the spot to end the meal.
Complimentary bread was served a tad later than our apps, but who doesn’t love complimentary bread?