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First off and most importantly, i just gotta say order the Crab Sandwich...i give it a HUGE MMMMMMMMMMMM. Grilled crab on a roll???...are you kidding???...after the first bite, my friend and i just looked up at eachother and said....OH MY GOD!!! I think its one of the best tasting food i have ever put in my mouth. Absolutely insane..
Pretty crazy hole in the wall spot in "the O" that my friends and i used to frequent. its kinda ghetto there....where else do you sit down, order and pay.....then they bring your food out. All the patrons were old school black local folks, except for us, but it was cool because they still made us feel like family there.
I'm guessing this is my fault for not getting crab at a place called Art's Crab Shack, but still, you'd think a crab-CAKE would still be, um, edible?
The crabcakes were perfectly round obviously pre-made, frozen, & bought in bulk -- not unlike the calamari strips which were also totally uniform -- then deep-fried in some sort of nastiness that had me nauseated and burping for a day and a half.
If they were $5 crabcakes on a boardwalk, fine. But don't pretend like you're making us home-made stuff and charge us $20/plate for 2 prefab doughballs you throw into a deep fryer.
Next time someone else wants to pay, I'd still give the crab a try, just to see what the hype is about. But stay away from everything else.
Their crab maybe delicious, but everything else is horrible.
We ordered crab cakes - they were pre-made, processed patties that had been deep fried. You'd getting better crab cakes from Costco. The same goes for their shrimps. The stir-fry scallops were dime-sized and the entire dish was watery and bland.
Dinner for 2 with one beer came to $50. We left everything pratically un-eaten.
Art's Crab Shak, while it's location is a mesh between sketchy and quaint, it makes for an ok little hole in the wall restaurant .
First impressions may be a little misleading. While entering through the front door with an unusually high placed door handle (about 5ft from the bottom of the door) you'll get the feeling that you entered the wrong building. The kitschy bar that looks as if it's been the same since the 70's pops out at you, and you'd think you've entered a local sports bar. Then you'll spot the "Seat Yourself" sign and realize that you are in the right place. The seating in the dining area is really cozy, and has a homely appeal. Although it will feel a little cramped and unkempt (crumbs and little bits of food in the crevices of the seating), the tables and the utensils seem to be the opposite.
My fiance and I had the medium sized crab bucket, crab cake appetizers and chicken wings. The crab was prepared with black pepper, butter and squeezed lemon juice. It was cooked perfectly, the shells were not too hard and the meat was juicy and tender. The crab cakes were so-so as well as the chicken wings.
I've had better crab, but this is far from the worse that I've had.
The men's lavatory was a little tricky. There was a metal bathroom stall door right in front of the entrance door to the restroom which made it a little tricky to maneuver through to get to the sink and the toilets. The bathroom looked clean enough for it's dilapidated condition.
Overall this place exudes local business, which is great but I definitely did not like their policy in which you have to pay before you eat. It is the pay before you eat, the mediocre crab, and the beat up venue that I concluded to rate this place 2 stars.
I went here with a former co worker a few years ago. Judging by the latest reviews, I guess Art's still had that dull looking, outdated decor on the inside. However, the crab I ate was pretty good, albeit a bit pricey.
I didn't have the crab. Sorries. But I did have some fried okra and it was AWESOME. And I had some shrimp and they were MEDIOCRE. That's right, vehemently mediocre. Cause they were kinda great. But they made me feel kinda sick.
Now, I seriously doubt I would go back just for the okra. Because I don't live in Oakland. But if I ever get a craving for some seriously authentic Oakland - Art's will be my first stop after buying a firearm and going to a Raider's game.
I hella heart you Oakland. Don't kill me.
I have no clue how the crab is. I initially went there late on a Friday night with the intention of getting crab but after seeing how quaint my surroundings were, I decided to get appetizers instead.
I ordered the crab cakes, calamaris and a Bud lite. The crab cakes were over fried and tasted like they were "Frozen Food Super Market Section" like Mrs. Pauls. It wasn't restaurant quality at all. And the (gag) Calamaris tasted like they had been refried and sold to me because the last customer didn't like them and had them taken back to the kitchen. This place needs a make over Gordon Ramsey style! If they don't do something to improve; they're gonna be history. Oh by the way, I wouldn't go back there ever again those little crab flakes and Calamurder me's and beer cost me $23.00.
Be prepared for a wait-- when you walk in, and after placing your order. If you aren't in a hurry, you will really enjoy this place. It was way more lively than I expected based on other Yelp reviews; it's definitely a popular place.
Order the garlic crab and enjoy the well-stocked bar. Also recommended: fried mushrooms and the world's-best lemonade.
This would be one of my favorite local mom 'n pop places were it not so expensive.
It's a straight up hole-in-the-wall. No exaggeration, I'm serious.
It's an old place, and they apparently don't want you to forget that.
Did I care about any of this while devouring crab leg after crab leg? Nope.
I didn't even really give a damn that the service was so-so.
Crab in butter Butter in Crab butter crab crab butter.. *droooool*
OH! and they even have Newcastle. Hurrah!
First off: We didn't get any CRAB LEGS and we didn't get any ALCOHOL on our visit and they're definitely the TWO MAIN REASONS TO GO to Art's.
For $36 (w/ tip), we got a soda, cheeseburger, fries, crab sandwich, potatoes, and HUSH PUPPIES!!!
Good size portions, had plenty to take home. Not the best food, but no complaints either. The HUSH PUPPIES were AWESOME.
Don't let the external (or internal) decor keep you away - if you have a craving for some great crab legs then this is the place. Street parking is a mission in itself - and you're better off bringing your own beverage because here a small can of soda (poured into a skinny glass with extra ice, which means you only get half of the soda) is about $2.00 (there is a liquor store on the corner and a 7-11 across the street).
Since the fire occurred here a few years back the rates have went through the roof (literally) so for you cheapskates looking to spend $20.00 total after tip and tax, this is not the place.
Don't expect concierge/first class treatment from the staff, because that's not happening here.
The garlic crab is the only reason I keep coming back. The fried chicken, garlic bread, side salad, and other things on the menu are better elsewhere.
It's a freaking dive bar that serves kickass crab.
They had me at hello.
Lets get this out of the way: Art's is pricey. And it is also a dive. No one is going to kiss your ass, even if you are dropping $80 on dinner for two.
But somehow, all of that just adds to the charm.
The crab is served floating in peppery butter, with mushrooms, and half a lemon. If you can't see the beauty in that, then you are probably dead inside.
I love crab. I spent many years not eating it (I even told people I was allergic) and now I am making up for it.
The crab was great. The atmosphere, like a dive bar with food. Really dark and not much to see. It cracked me up that they have a policy to pay BEFORE your food arrives. I guess it's Oakland, right.
I am craving crab and want to go back soon.
I'm a vegetarian. Delicious Hush Puppies. Green salad was pretty good - not from a bag. Really strong drink - excellent! I enjoyed the atmosphere and decor. I didn't feel like the place was run down or intimidating. They also didn't ask us to pay until we were done.
I'd go again but probably just for drinks and hush puppies.
The decor is a little outdated and not in the best part of town. But if you go early enough in the day, it's safe. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive. Although a little pricey, the food and service is worth it.
3.5 rounded up for full bar.
yesterday, a buddy was in the mood for some crab, after few calls, we found arts crab shak. i parked. we walk to the front. he peaks in the front door, hey it looks like a bar.
score.
dont expect much in decor. its a bar that serves crab.
the waitress didnt know what hush puppies were (they are on the menu).
we got the hush puppies, fried okra, garlic noodles and two medium buckets of crab.
no wonder the hush puppies and fried okra was 6 bucks each, they give you enough to be a meal by itself. both were just fine.
the garlic noodle left MUCH to be desired. would not recommend at all.
now to the important part, the crab. the crab was pretty damn good. at first, i thought that the meat inside was a bit underseasoned. i thought maybe the cooking technique was a bit off... meh.... after a few more pieces, it was just fine. i really liked how they simmered a lemon with the sauce, it adds a nice tang to it. its different than your usual asiany garlic crab. i would call it roasted salt and pepper with mushrooms and lemon.
price wise, this is not a bad deal at all.
would i drive all the way out to oakland to get crabs here? probably not.
I came here to eat the crab.. it was a disappointment. I am a HUGE fan of crab and butter (MMM) and I am sad to say that the crab was only OK :-(. I also had the garlic noodles... THEY WERE BLAND.. EXTREMELY BLAND, but the tequila lime wings made up for the crab and noodles.. WOW those were DELICIOUS. They were the best fried chicken wings I have ever had in my life!!!! I'll eat 10 orders of those tequila lime wings anyday.
I don't recommend
The service was bad
The seafood didn't seem that fresh and its very outdated
The coconut shrimp was absolutely disgusting.
Locals with street cred know this place, "big ups" to Oakland for keeping this little jewel alive. You can get fresh crabs by the 1/2 or whole bucket, DUH!
It's worth the time and smartly priced....you will feel like the smartest fisherman warrior ever. be warned, this place is ghetto!
"I got crabs" at Art's and loved it!
Nope, I don't think so. The krab was tasty but after a few bites I felt like I was loaded with ascorbic acid, annato seed coloring, dehydrated seasonings and non-fat milk solids, sodium caseinate, onion, mono- and di-glycerides, garlic, dipotassium phosphate, silicon dioxide, ... well just plan o'l fat!!! Mi belly aint made of iron. Pleasurable somewhat intitially, but come on now.... after of few mouth-fulls of sucking on processes grease, you aint feeling so great.
I also have to give it an additional -.05. because of po' custumer service. A less than sober proprietor insisted one evening, on charging a friend and guest patron $14.00 for a screw driver which claimed to have a premium brand that the patron did not ask for. Unbeknownst to us, as it turns out we were the drivers being screwed that night. Wish I could rate this one higher.
This place is the epitome of Oakland. Go and you'll see what I mean. Went here at around 3:30PM on a Sunday and the bar was already crowded with guys drinking cognac outta sniffers.
Fried zuchini: Good peppery crispy crust and pretty much mush zuchini inside but really good nonetheless! Dip it in the ranch for a greasy overload. I don't know if they make it themselves or if it's from a giant Costco bag, but either way, me likes!
Crab: I got the bucket for 1. I think it was around $25.95 and man, worth every penny for that garlicy, lemony, peppery goodness. The crab was moist, salty, fresh and meaty! I'm Asian, I buy fresh live crab from Ranch 99 all the time so trust me, I know my crab and theirs was damn good! The butter was realllly peppery (which I love) and had a good lemony zest to it. The mushrooms were soaked in the butter and just as delicious as the crab itself! I definitely can't come here regularly unless I want to die cause I think I ended up drinking atleast a cup of butter while eating the crab. =P
Chicken wings: Eh. They were good. Tasted like China town fried chicken but nothing spectacular like the other reviews have raved about.
WARNING: Do NOT order their iced tea or lemonade. I dunno what they think lemonade or iced tea is supposed to taste like but what I ordered, was NASSSSSSSSSTY! The lemonade tasted like a squeeze of lemon juice (the kind you buy at the store in the fake plastic lemon, not even real lemon juice), added to a cup of water, and a ton of sugar. It was sugar water, with a hint of lemon. I actually asked for lemon slices and made my own lemonade at the table. Hahaa
The iced tea had a weird gingery aftertaste. GROSS.
Sidenote: I was the ONLY non-black person there (the bf's half Nigerian half Japanese so I guess there were 1.5 Asian people there? hahaa). Um... SCURRRY. Hahaa kidddddddddding. Oh and they were out of garlic fries. BOO!
I'm a native San Franciscan, so I know I can be a lil harsh on the seafood critiques..this place just plain sucks. Red Lobster does better than this...hell, Long John SIlver's does better than this...
The Coconut shrimp were just plain nasty...funky texture & funny aftertaste. The calamari was overcooked. I'm not even going to start on the overcooked, bootleg garlic noodles. The so-called garlic crab barely had any garlic powder, let alone butter...it tasted OLD, & how is it that a crab ISN'T salty unless it's just been overcooked?! THEN, you have the audacity to be expensive?!?! Lesson learned, stay on my side of the bridge for the seafood...
They saute the crab in butter, garlic, sauteed mushrooms, parsley and it comes with dipping bread. It's weird inside.. when you first walk in it's smelly. You get used to both the interior and the aroma. The crab is friggin' amazing.
I'm knocking it down by one star because it's pricy. Also, I'm going to try and recreate the recipe today. Can't be that complicated.
update- bought a crab on sale for 3.39/lb pre-cooked. I cracked it up, tossed it in sauteed mushrooms, garlic, butter, lemon, pepper and parsley and it tasted like the stuff you get at Arts. Only, it' $40 cheaper. I'm removing a star because I can now make this at home.
I wrote this review for http://EatDrinkSF.com in 2007. Now I live around the corner from Art's. Coincidence? I think not.
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This is just about my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. No joke. I was introduced to it by friends two years ago, and since then, every other month or two I make a date to hit the Shak. And I'm never disappointed.
A Steakhouse until '92, Art's was then purchased. "Crab Shak" was added to the sign, but the mood of the was joint retained.
The Ambience:
Behind the windowless brick facade and the classic neon sign, Art's is one-third bar, one-third booth seating for the "crab feed," and one-third back room with fireplace, pool tables and darts. The bar has a huge kick ass fish tank, Raiders paraphranelia dating back to who-knows-when, TV's quietly playing the sports game of the moment, and all the locals. The folks at the bar are generally saucy and friendly, teasing each other and having a good laugh.
The restaurant side recently redid the vinyl booths. The walls are covered with Christmas cards sent to Art's over the years. Regardless of the season.
The Menu:
Crab in various size "buckets." Coleslaw, collared greens, garlic bread, fries...I think they have other thinks like catfish and fried cod and fried oysters...and stuff. I don't know. I can't see past the crab. The food isn't entirely cheap. The crab runs about $26-$60.
The Food:
The crab legs are served in a sauteed mushroom, garlic and lemon butter, so you better put your bib on. Any side order I've tried is perfecto, and it's safe to assume you can't go wrong with whatever you order.
The Service:
Usually on the ball, with occasional exceptions. One word of warning: cash only, and you settle the bill after you order, before you're served.
Reservations: No, and usually not a problem except on early Sunday evenings when the Church crowd fills the Shak to the brim.
Overall: A
Real. Awesome. Really awesome.
Having grown up in Berkeley / Oakland I have walked past Art's Crab Shak countless times without ever going in. I finally decided to check it out yesterday and man was I pleased. They have a full bar, fantastic music (R&B), and the crab was amazing. Served in a plate of melted, peppery butter, I'll be sure to go back.
The food rivals that of Crustaceans, but the ambiance of course doesn't match up, but this doesn't even matter. The crab here is great and the noodles are great. They also have great fish. The service here is so so, but again the food makes up for it. I don't like the fact that you have to pay for your food before you actually eat, but once that large buttery crab hits your table you will soon forget about that.
So if you want good grab and don't wanna dress up to go to Crustaceans, defiantly hit up Arts Crab Shak.
The food is about 60% breading. The staff is very friendly but not all that helpful when trying to decide what to order.
A definite DIVE, but gotta love the juke joint like ambiance.
Pay before you eat.....no really... pay before you eat! LMAO
You will get your feelings hurt if you can't handle that one.
I'm too cheap to order crab but my recommendation is the appetizer chicken wings, they are beyond incredible. You know you want an appetizer........
Word to Art's - please get some more desirable side dishes.
Service isn't terrible per se - you just need to speak up if you need something.
Love coming to Art's
Let me start by saying the food is phenomenal. Get ready to drown yourself in garlic though. I had the prawns and mushroom in garlic, it was to die for.
But the service was SO TERRIBLE that it brought 5 star food down to a 3 star overall experience. Because my waitress was an absolute PSYCHO!
When I asked if I could have a side salad for a side instead of the other choices (after all it was the same price) she looked at me like she wanted me to die and said "It aint on the menu. I'll do it but it aint on the menu." She continued to cut her eyes at me as she sunk back into the kitchen. I was scared. I mean she was just so rude and not even trying to hide the fact either.
When she came back it was to remind us that she had to run the bill first before we got our food which made me even more frightened but I was hungry and in a way running the bill first saves you time so I let it slide. Besides she had already failed at waiting on my friend and I so the tip was made clear.
I picked the vegetables out of my salad and hid them in a napkin. I mean I really did feel like this woman was going to stick a knife on me if she found out I picked at the salad I should have never had. When she cleared the salad plate, I put my fork on the plate. She shot her eyes up at me sternly and said, "No keep the fork." In a tone that said, "because there is no way in hell I'm bringing you another one."
I wondered if my food was poisoned, but I ate it anyway. I was really hungry, and WOW it was just so so good.
On the way out the gum ball machine ate my quarter. As you can probably guess I was far too scared to ask the waitress from hell for another one. So I just left. Next time I'll tell her what I really think!
Art's Crab Shack, since 1963. You can tell they haven't remodel since they first opened. It may look like a Shack outside but the food inside is well worth the visit.
Beside the great tasting food, my favorite has to be the OG's that sit along the bar. Pull up a stool and have a drink with them. They will tell you some very interesting stories.
I ordered the combo plate (fried red snapper & fried scallops) with a side of french fries. I must say, the fried red snapper was seasoned very well. I practically swallowed the fish instead of chewing.
The service was good. The waitress who helped us had a lot of patience with us since we couldn't decide what to order.
The only thing I found odd was when the bill came and my friend paid with his ATM card and the waitress requested for his id.
Overall, my experience at Art's Crab Shack was great. I'm definitely coming back.
if you're coming to art's to get first class, fresh crab...you my friend have made a mistake. get out of oakland and go up the coast to bodega where they pluck the little shit eaters from the bottom of the sea every fifteen minutes.
come to art's because it is an oakland institution and the place needs to be here in 50 years. the ambiance: inflatable race cars, raiders emblems & vinyl booths with soul glo protectors.
the place is not cheap and buckets can be upwards of $100. the crab come soaked in butter and herbs and you have to pre-pay so that you don't dine and ditch. it is a classic place and out -o-towners should feel a little oakland pride.
i literally felt sick to my stomach after eating here. i really wanted to like this place since i absolutely LOVE crab but I would never go back here again. I am usually a big fan of butter and garlic but it was way too much for me. it's one thing to marinade your crab in garlic and butter but its another thing to have it completely SOAKED in butter and garlic. granted i wasn't expecting high quality crab but i expected something more than the trash we were served. we also had the fried zucchini, which was not bad but nothing to brag about. i will stick with crustaceans or dragon rouge when i want some quality garlic crab!
After driving by so many times we finally wanted to kill our curiosity for this place. We ordered crab and this is the first restaurant we have been to where you have to pay in advance for your food.
The crab had a lot of mushrooms on it, not something we think is a great combination. We also ordered garlic noodles and some chicken nuggets for our son.
If you like heaps of butter and garlic, and more butter and garlic, this might be the place for you, but we were not at all impressed with the kitchen here. We usually go to the Dead Fish in Crockett to eat crab. Art's Crab Shak might be around the corner for us, but we rather take the drive to Crockett to experience real good crab.
So As I Write This Review, My Mouth Is Watering Just Thinking About The Oozing Butter And The Delightful Drinks
So First Let Me Start Off By Saying: This Is The BEST Place In the Bay Area To Get Some Dogg Gone Garlic Crab. Forget Bubba Gumps and Joe's Crab Shack.
The First Time I Went Here, I Died and Went TO Crustacean Heaven. The Crab Is Dripping In Butter and The Mushrooms Are TO Die For. Now Let Me Tell You That Their Chicken Wings Are THE Best. Now You Might Have To Wait Awhile; But Hey; They're Cooked To Order and Anything Worth It Is Worth The Wait. When The Owner Tried To Transform The Hayward Fishery Into Arts, I Though I Would Be Ecstatic...But I Wasn't, The Atmosphere Just Wasn't The Same and Perhaps Neither Were The Cooks. Not Necessarily Terrible; Just Not The Same. I Would Say That The Only Downfall Would Be The Service. Being That I Am A Server, I Would Agree With Alot Of My Fellow Yelpers In Saying That The Service Is Very Mediocre. But Hell, Have A Couple Of Drinks Or Three (lol) And Enjoy The Company You Are With And The Great Food
I
Crashed into the Shak right before the kitchen closed. Shady looking on the outside but pretty entertaining once inside. There is a full bar & music to nod your head to while waiting for your food to come.
The menu has plenty of options; CRAB every which way but loose. The couple next to us was up to their eyeballs in crab. Not terribly hungry I choose the crab sandwich which was right on point. Huge chunks of crab with all the fixings. The side dish of garlic noodles looked like something from hamburger helper - bleh.
The service was really friendly. It's comedy they want the bill paid before your food arrives, but I was prepared for that thanks to you yelpers.
They take carryout orders until about 11:30 which is good to know...
Next time I'm going to get down and dirty with that bucket of crab. The prices weren't cheap but I'll save my opinion on that once I try the actual whole crab.
Art's is quite the spot once you get past the unwelcoming exterior!
For years I had been tempted to go here for crab. On Sunday, my boyfriend and I finally did it. There are no windows on the outside, and the inside wasn't what I was expecting. I don't know what I expected, actually, but I don't think I had pictured a semi-dark bar sports bar area with a small dining area of vinyl booths and corkboard on the walls. I did expect kitsch though, and that was in the holiday cards that adorned the corkboard in between framed painting of old ships (I guess making the "sea" theme) for the crab.
We ordered two dinner salads (iceberg lettuce and Kraft Italian dressing) which left something to desire. His Sierra Nevada was $4; my soda was $2 with one free refill. We ordered a side of parsley potatoes, but I didn't see any parsley when they arrived. Paying first was a little weird, but I expect there have been quite a few "dine and dash"ers that have visited this place.
Service was okay. It wasn't crowded so maybe that made a difference. Once the crab came though, there was a good 20 minutes before my boyfriend and I even spoke again. The crab was lemony, buttery, mushroomy goodness. Definitely not for anyone watching their cholesterol. Again, the menu said garlic crab, but I didn't really see any garlic on the crab. No matter, it was delicious. It reminded me of the crab steaming my family would do with blue crab on the East Coast. Yum!
Overall, a good one-time event because it was pretty pricey. I would consider stopping in again before 5 pm for a crab cake or sandwich; lunch prices extend until then.
First off, any place that deliberately misspells a word in their name immediately raises suspicions in me....
Beyond that, my friends and I decided we were going to try out Art's one night because we had heard it was really tasty. We walked into the restaurant, and, remember the scene from Animal House when all the white kids walk into the wrong bar....the music basically stopped while everyone stared. But, we powered through the initial awkwardness and sat at one of their fantastic vinyl booths.
The service wasn't overly nice, she insisted that you had to go get your drinks from the bar and she couldn't bring them to you at your table, which was a little odd I thought, but we got the job done ourselves. The best part is that they actually make you pay for the food before you eat it. Apparently they used to have a problem with people eating the food and then running out on the check, which seems pretty probable at a place like this.
The food was actually really good, we were all really pleasantly surprised. We had the crab cake sandwiches and a huge amount of steamed crab. The sandwiches were greasy, but really tasty and the crab was perfectly done. Unfortunately, the whole meal was about $160 for four of us, which is pretty pricey considering that 3 of us had crab sandwiches and we only had 1 drink apiece. I have no idea why it cost so much.... I think they charge about $6 for a Corona, so that could be part of the problem.
Overall, the food was really good, the experience was fun and the service was passable. The only drawback was the price and the cafeteria-like atmosphere, if the service was better, it would warrant 4 stars.
Sometimes a place gives me an urge to write a long-ass review, and I have a feeling this is going to be one of those times. If you're looking for a quick read on the prices and food quality, scroll along please, because this one's going to be verbose.
About a month and a half ago, my love and I were grabbing some breakfrast in a window seat at Mama Royals, and gazing a little wistfully at the sign across the street. Art's Crab Shak did NOT skimp on their sign -- it's a tacky graphic masterpiece, in my ever-so-humble opinion (I collect resin refrigerator magnets, just so you know where I'm at, here). Neon lights and bubble letters and a very cute little pink (?) crab - impressive.
"Let's go there sometime," one of us said, probably because the crab was slowly hypnotizing us. (There's little chance that I could be soberly convinced to dine at a restaurant with "Shack" in its name, let alone Art's cutesy mispelled version of the word.) We randomly picked a date in December, which seemed to be far enough in the future that one of us might die or get drafted into Iraq.
But December came around, just like it always manages to do. We were both too proud to bail on the idea, so ambled into the Shak on a rainy Tuesday night, taking wary note of a litany of hand-printed warnings ("Payment must be received before meal is served," "Credit Cards with ID ONLY"). Okay, then.
Inside was dark and lounge-y, as one might have expected, given the dearth of windows and tiny door. The layout: a long room of booths, a comfy-looking, mostly empty bar (with no beer handles), and a game room in back, where smoking appeared to be permitted if not encouraged.
We took up a nice, roomy booth ("Seat Yourself," proclaimed another hand-printed sign), and prepared ourselves for some crab cracking.
But first, the garlic bread we ordered as an appetizer deserves a paragraph of its very own. I've never encountered, nor imagined I would ever encounter, a restaurant that could mess up garlic bread so badly. Think large-ish hot dog rolls, buttered, then sprinkled with garlic salt, toasted uncovered oven on a 5-minute timer. It was so laughably terrible that they probably evened out their stars for the entertainment factor alone.
Then came the shrimp salad, which fared much better on my food-meter, with 6 or 7 big ol' prawns AND a mound of little shrimps, plus lots of greens and colorful stuff, for around $9. Not bad.
But I can't say as much for the crab, which would have drowned in the mushroom butter if it hadn't already been dead. Crab is SO flavorful on its own; there's no need to outdo it with all sorts of fatty-fatness, right? The sauce probably would've been a nice addition on the side, but by the end of the meal it was all I could taste. Still, crab is a rare treat for me and I sucked down my half of the $25 plate without leaving a trace of meat on the shell.
(Yeah, that was long-winded, but I felt obligated to thoroughly unravel the mystery of the Art's Crab Shak for other curious yelpers. And I did warn you at the beginning, so if you've made this far, it's your own fault.)
The Good
This place has great old school atmosphere and local Oakland flavor. I really liked it for the no-nonsense atmosphere which seemed authentic and not put on and manufactured like so many chains.
I got the feeling that our waitress was trying (but had too much to keep track of). When she came to our table, she mostly did a good job and was attentive in the right way. She took care of things without pretending like she was our pal (which I hate the false friendliness some places).
The food was good, but not stand-out. You could probably get fare of this quality and taste many places in the Bay Area and for cheaper.
The Bad
The pricing structure is overall screwed up and high to begin with. The menu was put together by someone who can't do math--the crab for 2 is $55 or so while that for 4 is $115. From what our waitress described, they are basically the same amount per person (2 crabs for $55, 4 for $115) so why the extra $5 for 4 crabs?
My main problem with the restaurant is that the same money spent most other places would've gotten me a meal that is just as tasty (or more). This hypothetical meal might have more variety, and might have actually gotten me full. I ended up paying about $45 after splitting evenly with 5 other people (including tax/tip). The $45 got me a coke, a crab, a piece of bread, a couple of mushroom slices, 1/6 portion of two small deep-fried appetizers (which were also OK, but not great).
These prices were about the same (or more) than those of high-rent tourist districts with ocean views (and this is certainly not as much of a high rent district). I got half a crab along with a drink, pasta and vegetables for around $20 in Monterey, for example. I could've ordered two of these meals for less price than the one at Art's and actually gotten something besides only bread with my crab. The quality wasn't really much different than what you can get most places. The crab is probably better than half the places out there--which means it's just about average, for higher-than-average prices and without much else included in the meal. Maybe at one point in their heyday they were better, but I get the feeling that old timers come here out of habit not because it's outstanding.
They make you pay for your meal as soon as you order, which I found weird. Tip was already included in the bill, but paying the tip before eating seems to defeat the purpose of having a tip (that is supposed to vary at least a little based on the quality of service).
Our waitress took my credit card and then didn't bring it back for 20 minutes or longer which made me tense through half of my meal. I had to flag her down to ask for it back. I assume she had just forgotten or something, but you'd better believe I'll be watching my account just in case it was lying around for anyone to look at. Someone could've gone shopping with it for the amount of time she had it!
The Verdict
I didn't dislike this place, except for the high prices and lack of value with the crab meals. I wouldn't bother going here to get crab ever again, though. I might consider a sandwich or something that was priced more reasonably if I want to go just for the atmosphere or friends want to go again.
Neighborhood: Oakland Chinatown
Category: Seafood Markets
Neighborhood: East Oakland
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: West Oakland
Category: Seafood
Hayward, CA
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Jack London Square
Category: Seafood
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