On our recent trip to Pensacola Beach, we stopped by Crabs on the Beach. This beachside restaurant was too tempting to resist after a nice morning on the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. Here is my Crabs on Pensacola Beach Review.
Background on Crabs On Pensacola Beach
Crabs on the Beach is located on the main strip on Pensacola Beach. It has breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico and is within walking distance of the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. If you take I110 to reach the island you will have to pay a toll, which is $1.
In addition to a full service restaurant, Crabs has a gift shop as well. The floor of the shop is covered in sand, bringing those immaculate beach vibes indoors.
Atmosphere and Decor
As expected from a beachside restaurant, the atmosphere screams beach life. The building is two stories and has both indoor and outdoor seating. While you can’t beat the sea breeze while enjoying a lovely lunch or dinner, the views from the inside are equally stunning and offer the benefit of air conditioning.
The decor is all ocean themed, with replica sharks hanging from the ceiling. An eclectic collection of art adorns the walls, especially around the sushi bar. Overall, it was a very fun environment perfect for a vacation meal.
Menu and Food Review
Crabs on Pensacola Beach offers an extensive menu that sure to have something for everyone. On top of the obvious seafood selections there is also a sushi menu. They also offer a Sunday brunch and have a large selection of drink specials, including bottomless champagne.
In place of bread rolls, Crabs starts you off with what they call Honey Buns. These beignet like donuts were coated in cinnamon suger and came with honey for dipping. They were amazing. If you’ve ever had the little sugar coated donuts at a Chinese restaurant, these were like the upgraded version of that. One of the best pre-meal breads I’ve had at a restaurant.
We started our order with the Bacon Wrapped Scallops appetizer. They were served with a sweet mustard butter sauce and a bit of spring mix salad. I love scallops, and this appetizer didnt’ miss! My wife had never tried them, and she thoroughly enjoyed them as well. The sauce was delightful and pair really well. I highly recommend this app.
For entrees, my wife and kids got the steamed snow crab platter. The dish came with two crab clusters, corn, Conecuh sausage, potatoes, and seasoned butter. The crabs were well cooked, the corn and potatoes had plenty of seasoning, and the Conecuh sausage was delicious as always. We’ve had steamed and boiled seafood at several beach area restaruants at this point, and Crabs take was right there with the best of them.
I ordered a shrimp poboy to try as well. The shrimp were plump, the breading was well seasoned, and the sandwich was fully dressed. It was served with seasoned French fries and a side of cocktail sauce. The sandwich was top notch, and the cocktail sauce was well made. The fries were good, but nothing special.
Crabs on Pensacola Beach Prices
When you eat by the water, you are almost always going to pay a premium price. The steamed platter that we shared cost approximately $44. This is inline with what other restaurants across the Gulf Coast charge. I actually expected it to be higher given the premium location on Pensacola beach.
The bacon-wrapped scallop appretizer cost $14.99, and the Shrimp poboy was $16.99. These prices are also inline with what we usually pay in Gulf Shores. Given that I expected higher prices in Pensacola, this was a pleasant surprise.
Service
Crabs on Pensacola Beach really stood out in service. We were sat right away, a perk of going to lunch early. Our waiter was super friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. He was able to crack jokes with the kids while offering great recommendations at the same time. You couldn’t ask for better service.
A pro tip is to always try and go to a restaurant outside of the busy hours. Service is always going to suffer during a rush. By avoiding the busy times you will usually get the best service the establishement can offer. We plan our days and trips around this as much as possible.
Final Verdict on Crabs on Pensacola Beach
Our entire trip to Pensacola Beach was thought up and put together relatively quickly at the last minute. We chose Crabs on a whim, and boy am I glad we did! The atmosphere, service and food were all high quality. We really enjoyed the beach and plan to go back, and Crabs is definitely a stop we’ll be making while there.
I highly recommend Crabs on Pensacola Beach. If you are in the area, give it a try.
