I got crabs....but it wasn't at the nudie bar!
Written: Dec 12 '04 (Updated Aug 27 '05)
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Pros: Great atmosphere, good food, fun people
Cons: A little tricky to find (maybe that should be listed as a 'Pro')
The Bottom Line: -
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| carnut2k4's Full Review: The Crab Pot |
Tiki bars are the best bars ever. I think they're even better than nudie bars. There's just something about a bar outdoors on the water that makes me happy. So what do you get when you take a tiki bar, sitting on some of the most valuable waterfront real estate on the planet, and add great food and live reggae music?
ans - THE CRAB POT
I absolutely love this place. It's old, beat up, run down and just awesome. It sits on the Intracoastal Waterway under the Singer Island Bridge in Riviera Beach, Florida. It faces the south end of Singer Island and is just north of Palm Beach Island. Not a bad view.
It's a little tricky to find - seeing as how it predates the bridge which towers over it. You have to meander through unmarked side roads which take you down and under the bridge on your voyage to the restaurant. I like that - makes me feel like I'm part of a secret club when I go here. You can park under the bridge (literally) or park in the restaurant's lot which means letting the valet handle that duty for you. The valet is new this year as they've been attracting a larger and larger clientele. I'd just assume park my own car and when I go here on the Harley I just blast past the valet - they don't give you a hard time about that if you're on a bike.
Approaching the building, you'll find it mostly hidden behind lush tropical foliage. Maybe you hear some steel drum music caressing the air. The thatch roof tiki bar is in front of you and beyond it you can clearly see the water and the countless million-dollar yachts. The parking lot is sand and gravel and what you can see of the building are brightly painted wood walls. Tropical blues and greens and pinks and yellows. The tiki is outside and accessible from the street but if you're planning on dining you'll need to enter through the glass front door to the building and see the hostess. The first thing you notice is a wheelchair ramp for the small step inside the place. The place is completely accessible. The walls inside are painted just like the outside. Fishing nets and plastic fish adorn the interior. The floor is red brick - which is out of place in Florida. The dining room can accommodate over a hundred people on 'comfortable enough' wood tables and chairs. I've never eaten inside - I don't see any reason to. Outside on the dock is seating for another hundred people. This isn't faux dock dining. Look down through the slats and you're over the water. Boaters are welcome to tie up dockside and come in for a meal. A plastic and canvas roof keeps you shielded from sun and light rain and heavy clear plastic walls can be rolled down if need be. All outdoor seating is large picnic benchish type of seating. A couple of the booths are those cool rockers that go back and forth on the diners' foot power. They stay level - just swinging forward and back. All these benches are varying pinks and blues, etc. Ceilings fans are always moving at that movie-perfect slow speed which does nothing but add tropical effect. From the outdoor dining area you can see the tiki and the band area. Thursday thru Sunday nights they have music which is typically a guy with a guitar and maybe a drummer sometimes. Nothing too intense. 'Sundays at The Crab Pot' is a tradition for lots of folks who go to hear the live reggae music. It's great. Next to the bar are a few more benches for diners. Being outdoors and near the bar area somehow allows The Crab Pot to designate that area as a smoker's dining area. Not a lot of those left in Florida so the benefit to owner and smokers alike is great.
The atmosphere is predictably relaxed. Drinks are always flowing and conversations get loud. I typically wear shorts and a tee shirt and if you decide to show up in anything fancier than jeans the rest of us will point at you and mock you relentlessly. The bar is great fun with bikers, millionaires and beach bums sitting side by side doing shots of tequila or drinking Pina Coladas. Wine doesn't get fancier than 'house' wine and beer is limited to domestics - and of course Red Stripe.
The Eats
Hope you're in the mood for seafood! Their website (listed below) has a full menu so I'll just touch on my favorites. The website also has a couple pictures of the place if ya want to check out my favorite tiki bar.
Some Appetizers
Escargot - vile slimy things! But I'm a little biased. My Wife actually likes snails and tells me that these are pretty good. $6.99
Fried Green Tomatoes - this is the only place I've ever seen them on a menu (I'm from NY) and I had to try 'em. Pretty good - but not worthy of an entire movie. $4.95
Stuffed Mushrooms - rock! $6.99
Quesadillas - love 'em. $7.99
Spinach & Artichoke Dip - good, but I've had better. $5.99
Soup or Salad?
Gazpacho - love, love, love their Gazpacho! $3.29
NE Clam Chowda - good, but get the Gazpacho. $3.29
Caesar Salad - decent. $6.99
Sandwiches and Such
Fried Oyster Basket - half dozen yum. $9.99
Crunchy Chicken Sandwich - bacon, cheese and cilantro dressing, oh yeah! $7.99
Wraps (chicken or shrimp) - cool, refreshing, delicious. $6.99
Fish and Chips Basket - my favorite. Unbelievably good fish (I think Cod). $8.99
There is an entire selection of 'entrees' that I have never had here. I'm sure they're good but it's not an 'entree' kind of place. It's a 'Fish-n-Chips-n-way-too-much-beer' kind of place.
The place is very laid back and it shows in a lot of ways. The bathrooms are clean enough for guys but some ladies may take issue. Service can be slow - but this is the tropics. The waitresses are wearing T-shirts that say "I got crabs" - and then on the back it says "at the Crab Pot". Once I had a tuna melt here and it was really good. The next time I went I noticed it had been removed from the menu. I asked the waitress why and she explained that the chef kept burning the cheese. My conclusion is that the decision to remedy the cheese-burning by printing new menus was probably made between bong hits. If that doesn't bother you, I look forward to sharing a drink with you sometime out at the tiki bar. I'll be the guy eating fish-n-chips..
Update 8/27/05 - A condo tower has been built immediately next to The Crab Pot. It seems they needed more room for parking. The Condo Nazis paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Alas, there is no more Crab Pot. Sellouts. I'm leaving the review up to memorialize 'the good old days'...
The Crab Pot
386 East Blue Heron Blvd
Riviera Beach, FL 33409
561.844.2722
561.842.9544 fax
www.the-crab-pot.com
Reservations.............never required
Vegetarians..............limited, but adequate selection for you
Bathrooms................could be cleaner
Kid Friendly.............sure - just keep 'em away from my tiki bar!
Hours.......................lunch and dinner / seven days
Dress Code..............beach bum chic
Parking.....................ample / valet / boat dockage available
Wheelchair Access...yes
Credit Cards..............visa, mastercard, american express
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Try the fish-n-chips
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
carnut2k4
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Jason
Location: in the wind
Reviews written: 99
Trusted by: 59 members
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Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers
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