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Auggie's House Of Crab - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Seafood Seafood [Edit]
1468 N Coast Hwy 101Leucadia, CA 92024
Neighborhood: Encinitas
(760) 634-2722
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
37 reviews for Auggie's House Of Crab
Review Highlights
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"Finished with a slice of key lime pie -- also delicious." In 8 reviews -
"We got the Big Feast for 2." In 6 reviews -
"Crawfish, excellent shellfish, Andouille sausage." In 5 reviews
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37 reviews in English
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Review from Joshua T.
San Rafael, CA
9/4/2009 1 photo
Talk about your perfect little crab shack! Your choices are crab, crab, and crab: every variety, cooked one way: deliciously. Small, intimate place, where the crab comes out and is ceremoniously piled on your butcher paper covered table. It's clear: here, you are all about the eating of crab.
Great service. Snow crab soooo good. Calamari tender and tasty. Dungeness excellent. Andouille really yummy. Leave room for key lime pie! -
Review from Richard T.
Carlsbad, CA
6/9/2009 5 photos
Sand crabs live in shallow water near the shore.
Hermit crabs live in empty seashells.
Krusty Krab is where SpongeBob works.
Auggie's House Of Crab is in Leucadia, CA...
Back when I was a single Club Kid hitting up the circuits in NY, LA, & SF, I was happy to say that I never partied and caught crabs. Now that I'm a married Beach Bum, I'm delighted that I can get crabs whenever I want, at Auggie's!
I've driven by Auggie's countless times on the way to go surfing and have always wondered about it. From the outside it was difficult for me to tell if it was a "casual" or a "chi-chi" kind of place to eat. This past Saturday we decided to give it a try. The minute we walked in the hostess/server said, "Welcome to Auggie's! Make yourself at home!" I looked at the tables, saw the rolls of paper towels, checkered plastic tablecloths, and metal buckets for beer and thought "Score! Seafood Party!"
One can eat economically here (with their lunch/sandwich/beer specials) or go for an "all out seafood partaaaaay". We opted for the latter! Their jambalaya is succulently savory with al dente rice and just right amount of kick in the seasoning. The fried oysters were piping hot, juicy, and freshly shucked! Calamari rings were slightly crunchy on the outside while absolutely tender on the inside and not overly salty. The house salad came in a large bowl with a superb balance of crisp lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and croutons.
As for the seafood, you can order it by the pound or choose their combination specials. Just put the bib they give you around your neck (you'll be thankful you did) and they place the feast on your table. We chose a pound each of stone crabs and snow crabs and were not disappointed. The drawn butter complimented the hearty meat of the stone crabs flawlessly! The snow crab legs came out with a delicate dusting of seasoning that left me constantly rubbing my lips together because it was so damn tasty! We ended with Auggie's refreshing key lime pie, which was creamy, tangy, and deliciously sweet!
The only thing I can fault about this place is that I didn't come here sooner to party with such tasty seafood! So come to Auggies, rub your hips, I mean lips together, and catch you some crabs! -
Review from Bill P.
8/17/2009 2 photos
So my Kiddos wanted wanted crabs !!! well when they get older I will tell them how lucky daddy was never to have gotten them : ) any how we were cruising down the coast after visiting that dog show last weekend and saw the sign. I said what the heck lets check it out.
The service was very friendly and only one gal, but she was quick and knew her game. The food was very good (see photo) and served the plane old way , just dumped on the table and we all dug in. I recommend coming her for a no frills just get your eat on type of day. very casual and reasonably priced. no complaints just good eats : ) -
Review from Jessica R.
Encinitas, CA
5/22/2009
There's really no other way to say this, so, I'm just going to go for it.
I really enjoy crab.
....and Auggie's serves real good crab too.
Last night the boy and I decided to try this joint for the first time. Since I was lazy and refused to change out of my comfy clothes and into decent public outerwear, we checked out their menu online and decided to place an order to go. We arrived to the restaurant and I noticed they kind of have an outside dining patio, but I wondered if anyone ever actually sits out there. Inside is where it's at. Small tables complete with a roll of paper towels, just for you and those buttery fingers you're about to say hello to. Oh, and they serve beer on tap. I like that. Then I thought, hmmm, maybe we should dine here in the future. But ah yes,a pound of crab legs in my living room where I'm nice and comfy.... that is what I was after. And really, is there anything else I could want? I wasso full and happy last night. Thank you Auggie! -
Review from Matt P.
San Diego, CA
11/10/2009
Printed off a http://restaurant.com certificate and came here last night with my girlfriend and a couple friends. After reading all these yelp reviews I had high expectations. At the risk of falling into the "I come from ________ so I know good _____" mold.......I grew up by the Chesapeake and do in fact, know good seafood. That being said, I'll start with the bad...the very, veryyy bad.
The fresh oysters, were so-so fresh, and had a metallic taste. Very sub-par. The snow crab legs were definitely over cooked and had a very stringy texture. Not so good. The black mussels were also overcooked and reminiscent of a bad chinese buffet. The crab cakes Auggie's offers as an appetizer were BY FAR the absolute worst crab cakes I have ever had, seen,or could have possibly thought of. They were thin patties of bread, with crab flavoring and flakes inter dispersed throughout, burnt to blackness. An abomination. Honestly, they shouldn't even sell these because it casts a horrible light on the rest of the restaurant..and that's a shame. Auggie, if you read this, I have a legit maryland style crab cake recipe that's been passed down...get at me.
Now..on to the good. Everything else was fantastic. The King crab legs were absolutely perfect. The shrimp were pretty good. The green lip mussels were phenomenal. I was glad to see I could get crawfish here. I haven't had these since I was in New Orleans, and Auggie's does em right. Andouille was good, but obviously not what I came here for. The seafood "Feasts" are very good. I have the feeling that they cook everything at the same time, which they obviously shouldnt because the smaller items (snow crab legs, small black mussels, and to a degree the shrimp) get overcooked and tough.
Will I be back? Yes. I will be back to Auggies. The prices are very fair, and what they do good, they do very good. Just know what they do bad, and stay away from that. I'm torn between a 3 and 4....I'm going to go with a 3 but will leave the window open to bumping that up to a 4 after my next visit. -
Review from john p.
Phoenix, AZ
10/3/2008
This is the kind of place that is the reason I continue to be enthusiastic about Yelp.
Firstly there's a private lot on the left side of the place which took me a couple of attempts to park before I realized it. It's a small place that maybe holds twenty people. The decor is like a high end children's room , that's not derogatory it's really well done, and trust me it helps to have a bit of child within you for what's about to break loose.
We took our toddler there for his third birthday. ( way better than a mouse with a cheese fixation) Ok that's a total fabrication it happened to be his third birthday and this was participatory theater for him. Shrimp heads are nature's finger puppets after all.
Nice welcome, well paced service and while I know this is Auggie's restaurant it may just as well have been Alice's because we were furnished with crackers, hammers and other implements of destruction. I'm getting ahead of myself. The jambalaya was pretty good , in a Styrofoam cup and throws into context just how bad the attempts at this dish is in Phoenix are. Not the best I've had ( didn't make it myself;)) but above the taste/ texture floor of any chain I'm aware of.
Do not wear your best clothes.
We had the Auggie's Feast for two ,head on shrimp, snow crab , andouille,corn on the cob and red potatoes. The table is the plate, a first for me, and this is all tipped onto the table. Our son was impressed by this adoption of his chosen method of distributing food but was a little put out that we weren't chastising chef for an act that we'd be remonstrating with him over.
There's no secret. It's fresh everything with no extra frippery. If you're not used to dealing with head on shrimp read up on it before going , then again same issue could be applied to crab legs for the beginner. The rest , easy , really really easy:)
This place is a no brainer for a return visit the next time we go to San Diego. -
Review from Lacie L.
San Diego, CA
4/9/2008 1 photo
I have been here twice and I am finally getting around to writing a review!! (shame on me)
First of all I can't say enough about the service! We were treated so well! Imagine riding over 40 miles on a bike and coming in completely famished then having the red carpet rolled out for you. No, don't get me wrong, it's not about atmosphere. It's about service. I'll be honest, the first time we rolled by, we weren't sure if we should stop. Hunger won.
Then the set up began, (mind you they have to get you prepared for dumping the food right smack dab in the middle of your table) Needless to say my friend had a little too much fun with the little wooden hammer they give you to beat your crab open. and yes, we were having a blast even before the food came. They give you every tool you can imagine to engage in the carnage.
Then the food came, there was SILENCE! all you could hear was eating. YUMTHEFRICKYYYYYYYYYY! that is the only word I can use to describe the food. We were completely satisfied both times! There were many locals stopping by to pick up to-go orders. To me, that's always a good sign.
All and all, if you like adventure and seafood...this is your place!!!!
A+ -
Review from Matthew R.
Las Vegas, NV
1/22/2009
Found Auggies with the help of Yelp after a weekend excursion to Legoland. I was in dire need of some seafood and and it looked like Auggies may fit the bill.
Well Yelp came through again...it was a fantastic choice. When I first walked in, I wasn't sure what to think. The place was empty and next to a weird Bates like motel but it definately had this really cool Louisiana roadhouse vibe.
Our server was friendly and immediately brought out some chips and salsa. I got a cold beer and my party began reviewing the menu. Essentially, you have your choice of a feast or a bigger feast which throws in Snowcrab and some other things as well. Of course there are other things on the menu, and you can order anything a la carte, but people come here for the feasts.
The feasts include crab, mussels, clams, shrimp (with the heads still on, I love it!) Andouille sausage, corn on the cob and potatoes. Everything is steamed and doused with cajun spices giving it that good kick. I love that they bring out all the hardware for you to crack open the crab. I don't feel as fat after the meal because I used so many calories trying to get the crab out of the shell.
They dump everything on the table and you just pig out. The more people you have, the bigger the pile of seafood you get. Prices are about $25 dollars a person if you get the bigger feast. I'd say it was well worth it.
As a nice touch, our waitress took a photo of my party with all the food and printed it out and gave it to us as a momento of our time at Auggies House of Crab. Oh and remember how I said it was empty when I walked in? Well, by the time we left, there wasn't a seat available in the place.
Fun spot on the California coast...I will definately find myself at Auggies again soon! -
Review from Jeff D.
Carlsbad, CA
11/17/2008
Auggie's is a terrific find in Leucadia, and for great seafood at great prices this is it. We were there for lunch for the seafood quesadillas - wonderful, and an amazing price. Just back a few nights ago for one of Auggie's Big Feast for Two. What an amazing spread on the table for two - terrific flavors, great service. They start you off right away with warm chips and salsa - outstanding.
It a fun, funky, very casual place and absolutely worth a visit. Auggie is a great guy, good host and terrific seafood chef. They have a great deal going on now until the end of the year 2008 to celebrate 1 year in the business - great Happy Hour prices all day long.
UPDATE 3/7/10 - I'm sad to hear Auggie's is closed but understand there will be something new from Auggie soon. Can't wait. -
Review from Andy C.
Carlsbad, CA
4/27/2008
This place was totally awesome!!!! drop dead serious!!!! Hidden away on the 101 right next to a hotel, this restaurant is amazing.I came here tonight and got such a wonderful meal serviced by a super nice waitress.
When being served and seated, we were greeted with chips and salsa and the drinks that we ordered. Then came our calamari and seafood gumbo. this soups got shrimp and onions, and so much deliciousness to the wonderful bowl that they served it in. their gumbo was flavorful and just so amazing.
for our party of four, we ordered the big fest for two which came with sausages, corn on the cob, clams, mussels, potatos, shrimp with heads on, snow crab, crawfish, and king crab. the clams and mussels were cooked to prefection, sausages and corn on the cobs were full of spice and flavors, the potatos were nice and soft.
When you get all the food, they give you all the little tools that you need to crack open, smack open, and dig through the crab that you need to clean the crab out!!
the inside is beautiful and clean. I loved the paintings on the wall and it just totally made me feel like I was under the water feasting on a delicious meal.
totally awesome and lovely!!!!!!! COME HERE NOW!!!!!! Oh yea....if you order 5 beers, you get the 6th beer for free!!!!!!!! oh yea, plus, you will be carded!!! even if you have an oxygen tank to your side!!!!Listed in: Yummy In My Tummy, North County Locals
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Review from April B.
Carlsbad, CA
11/10/2008
I've drove by this place about 10 dozen times so figured it was time to stop in. First off if you're looking for a fancy place this isn't it ... it's comfy and has a bit of a down home feeling to it, so no high heals needed!
I have to give it 8 stars on experience as I laughed so much as I ripped heads off of shrimp (tip, don't were your best attire) it was so much fun! I felt like I was down in New Orleans!
Only gave it 4 stars because I thought it could use cornbread on the menu but other than that no complaints! -
Review from KC D.
9/25/2009
An old school crab shack, this is one of my favorites. Its made simply by the paper they put on the table, then you can have your choice of crab (king, dungeness, princess, and stone), complete with a full crab boil if you like.
My favorite here is easy - give me the dungeness crab, complete with the corn on the cob, little red bliss potatoes, andouille sausage, some shrimp and a beer, and you've got a healthy tasty bayou concoction. Even better they give you pounders, crushers, and pokers and crackers, and you can go wild. They even tie the cute little lobster bib around your neck. I mean, who can beat that?
My only stay away advice is the stone crab - good in miami, but not so good from the pacific - a little small, and a little dry.
for 30 bucks here, you can throw down like you are on the Chesapeake. Hoorah! -
Review from Seung L.
San Diego, CA
10/19/2009
I've been craving crabs so I read about this place and decided to give it a try. I'm used to some good crab houses from the DC area so I have high expectations. I've been disappointed with every single seafood / crab house place in San Diego thus far. They are either fancy schmancy but not very good or just plain too expensive for what you get. There's no serious seafood place that's reasonably priced and really good. I've tried them all in Pt. Loma, Downtown, PB, etc.
Auggie's was pretty good but I still haven't found the seafood place of my dreams yet in San Diego. I thought the seafood was prepared well. I had the Big Seafood Combo for $23. I'm an average sized guy and I didn't think there was all that much food. Just barely enough to be not hungry. The seafood was tasty and prepared well, just not enough for me. The potatoes were also a little undercooked and hard. With my beer and 2 oysters during happy hour, and tip and tax, the total was $35. I felt like I should be full and satisfied for $35 but I wasn't and the ambiance didn't justify me spending $35 for unsatisfyingly unfull stomach.
It's small inside and a little run down but it's cute in its charm and sea themed paint job. As long as you know what to expect, it's fine. I wouldn't take any dates there but friends and serious seafood buffs are ok. The next one I'm going to try is the Crab Hut on Convoy.
The happy hour is good if you are in the area between 2-6. Beer was $2.50 and oysters were only $1 each. Also the free thing of nachos and salsa were very good. The nachos were fresh and not greasy. The salsa was very fresh and very tasty. I wish they gave a little more than they did though. -
Review from Armando G.
Oceanside, CA
6/19/2009
Let's to Auggies, Lets go Auggies is what my mind was chanting as we walked in. We were greated by a very nice woman. She sat us and brought us chips and salsa right off the bat. She took our drink order and came back with our 2.50 stone pale ale. We got to order the apps (appetizers) half dozen oysters and a dozen crab stuffed jalopinoes.
Now I don't care for jalapenos but man these were great, spicy and good. The oysters were so fresh I ended up ordering another half dozen befor our feast came out. Since it was happy hour time the oysters and jalapenos were a dollar a piece.
The crab was awesome as usual. The feast for two was packed with king crab ,snow crab,shrimp,musels,clams,potatoes and corn on the cob. Every thing was eaten off of the table. Crab is not always cooked correctly and can suck. Do yourself a favor and come to an expert (Auggie).
Our guest are not seafood fanatics like my wife and I are but they left happy. The food and the service was the best and Auggie is such a nice guy. How could you not stop by and crack open some crab. -
Review from Felicia G.
San Marcos, CA
Updated - 6/19/2009
This place is still #1 in my book, I've been craving the taste of Auggie's since the last time I had it weeks ago and my god Auggie's crabs are delish!!
Finger lickin' good! I actually tried tonight for the first time, Oyster's from the shell and oh yeah they were grrrrrreat (as tony the tiger would say!).
We actually got to meet Auggie tonight and hes a great guy, we found out he doesn't live to far from us here in O'side and it makes me feel better to know that I'm supporting this local family owned eatery!! If you haven't tried Auggies you have to and won't be disappointed! Make sure you go on line and print the coupons and also go for Happy Hour between 3-6pm you get $2.50 Stone Pale Ales and $3 Arrogant Bastard's its so worth it also the Oyster's and stuffed jalapenos are a $1. Its a must try!
So So pleased with this Crab House!!Listed in: Support your local eateries!!, I dont feel like making dinner…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/20/2009
A hidden but not so hidden treasure!
I don't know how many times we have passed this awesome little… Read more »
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Review from LALALolita d.
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA
9/10/2009
My boyfriend gave me crabs (+ corn and potatoes and shrimp and sausage) - in a bucket and I couldn't have been happier. By suggestion of yelpers --(I'm so proud of him!) he chose this place and damn Joe's doesn't have sh*t on Auggie. This is a REAL crab SHACK -literally a shack, I love that you don't have to get fancy to enjoy great seafood, I was at home in a wet bathing suit & old vans.
Eating here is an experience -they suit you up with a bib dump your feast on the table and you grab for your food viking style. The remains go on the floor in a bucket. Great date place but not a first date unless you can crack a crab without getting it all over your face/hands/ shirt --(impossible feat) -
Review from JC P.
Encinitas, CA
7/29/2009
My girlfriend and I went here the other night. I had read about it on Yelp many times and we decided to take the plunge. I called for reservations beforehand, but someone on the phone told me they didn't take them but we should be fine for 7:30 on a Wednesday. (After the whole experience there, I think it was Auggie on the phone. I said I'd been reading on Yelp and he says he cringes every time Yelp alerts him to a new review... at least until he reads it!)
We got there and sat down. The place was 80% full and there was only really one waitress. She was nice, but she needed help. It took forever to get waters and beers for 2. That really sucked.
HOWEVER, the food totally made up for it. We got the large bucket for 2 (which i recommend), and ate so much food! They put down butcher paper on the table and just dump the feast on the table. So much fun. The King Crab was awesome, and the rest of it tasted so good. We also got the fried clams and they were so-so. Next time I want to try the crawfish. And there will be a next time!
The only thing (besides the slow service) that was disappointing was the plastic forks and whatnot. Kinda tacky!
We look forward to going again. It's small and cozy, but very very Leucadian. Fun place for freidns. -
Review from Lianna S.
10/23/2009
http://Restaurant.com finally enticed us into trying this place. We live right across the way and realized we have been missing out, definitely will be back soon!
We splurged a little and got a lb of king crab, a lb of dungeness, a lb of shrimp, and added on the 6.95 sides of sausage, corn and potatoes which you definitely will want. We are pretty big eaters and the two of us ate it ALL.
Be forewarned that they bring the food out to you in a bucket and dump it on the paper-lined table, complete with a roll of paper towels and plastic silverware, and your own plastic bib. We totally expected this since we've been to a similar place called the Sandcrab Cafe before. It's up to you to pound out the crab and yank the creepy little heads (eyeballs included) off the shrimp. But it's all part of the experience and it makes it fun! The mess is worth it, the seafood is very fresh and yummy.
The only thing my boyfriend wanted was sports on the flat screens instead of the fish tank scene but I kinda liked it.
Oh yeah, and we met Auggie, he was very nice and wanted to know how we liked it. We told him better than the Sandcrab Cafe in Escondido, definitely the truth! (Plus they use real butter, not margarine, trust me it's a big deal). And best of all, we can walk to Auggie's! -
Review from Rae N.
Oceanside, CA
4/8/2009
I read the reviews on Yelp and was excited to finally get my seafood fix here. First off, location is not so great for parking. There are only about 5 stalls in the back lot, then it's find your own street parking on Coast Highway, challenging at times.
Cute atmosphere, nothing fancy, typical crab shack. My friend ordered up from the menu and so I have no idea of the combinations. But we had an assortment of crab, shrimp, potatoes and beer. The beer was great, as they serve it in the 40 oz size. The food was just okay. I was expecting something to jazz up the crab with. Just came with side of butter. At Sand Crab Cafe, they have this wonderful seasoning that totally gives it more flavor.
It's not that bad, but I'd rather stick to Sand Crab Cafe next time we crave peel up and eat up crab. -
Review from David G.
Novato, CA
10/31/2009 1 photo
As we drove past, we were compelled to stop by the place's name. How could "Auggie's House of Crab" be anything but awesome? To check my intuition I fired up Yelp on my iPhone and the news was good!
We had the "Feast for Two" and thoroughly enjoyed the crab, shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob. Finished with a slice of key lime pie -- also delicious.
We'll be back. -
Review from E T.
Solana Beach, CA
10/31/2009
I wanted to like Auggie's. I really did. I think we were the first people in the door, before they did any advertising, and I liked them personally, they were all friendly and the beer was good...but if you like crab, if you love seafood...this is not the place to go.
Sadly, I have nowhere to direct you in North County, as I have yet to find a real seafood joint. People here apparently do not really like seafood, heck...you have to ADVANCE ORDER a Dungeness in season at Bristol Farms! That means NO ONE buys crab!
So, back to Auggies...frozen, stick-to-the-shell crab.
Maybe I will try it again? Maybe we went there too early and they had a bad night and had no fresh crab? Maybe? I have to say, I would not have served the freezer burn frozen crab they served us...to anyone. -
Review from Roberta M.
Carlsbad, CA
Updated - 2/1/2011
Still waiting for Augie's House of Crabs to reappear in Encintas or its surrounds. Miss its downhome charm and the opportunity it provided to take out aggressions on dead crustaceans.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/2/2009
This place is a stand-alone! Don't know where else we could go in ratty jeans and have such a yummy… Read more »
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Review from Ronald D.
Encinitas, CA
10/31/2008
Pursuing my career goals I sometimes find it hard to focus on myself. My needs as a human sometimes go to the wayside. I care deeply for myself, so this can be very troubling. The time comes in every man's life when he must choose what is most important. Career? Family? or a bucket full of King Crab legs, steamed clams, and sausage. It is obvious who the winner is, and it is you Auggie! Auggie is a simple man and so am I. We share a common dream, a dream of seafood in a bucket. Our favorite piece of clothing, a lobster apron. Our favorite type of Beer, all of them. Are favorite thing in life, each other. I raise my glass to you sweet Auggie. You are a true treasure.
Listed in: Leucadia Restaurant Guide, My Neighborhood
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Review from Toaster Y.
San Marcos, CA
4/5/2009
Went to Auggie's from reviews on the Yelp website, and I agree with everyone else, the food's great! Don't be fooled by the atmosphere, it's definitely casual looking when you walk in, but the food is top notch. It's a very small place, so get there early, or be prepared to wait outside.
We started off with the calamari appetizer and the stuffed jalapenos. Both were very satisfying and tasty. The chicken wings were also good, but seemed pretty small with only 6 wings/drumsticks per order.
The main dish of the "feast for 2" (we had a big party of 9 people and ordered 3 orders of them) was brought out and dumped right onto the table. It seemed very east coast style where they cook all of the crab legs, clams, shrimp, sausage, and potatoes in the same kettle. Everything was piping hot and sooo good. The crab legs and the shrimp was the freshest I've tasted in all of southern California. They leave the heads on the shrimp which was a plus for us, since those of us who can bear to see shrimp heads know that's one of the best parts of the shrimp! Everything had a nice spicy New Orleans like flavor to it, which made it a bit on the spicy hot side after several minutes of face stuffing, but nothing the cold beer couldn't relieve instantly. After awhile it kinda felt like we were stranding on a deserted island with a really good cook, because everyone really got into it and just ate with their hands grabbing at the pile of seafood in the middle and cracking shells all over the place.
The service was good also and very polite. When we got there early (around 6ish) service and food was very prompt, but as the night went on our third and fourth orders of crab legs came slower and slower as the rest of the tables filled up around 8pm (on a Sunday night).
The place is very reasonably priced considering buying frozen crab legs at the grocery stores runs about the same price (if not, just a tad less), but this was definitely better than having frozen crab legs. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seafood. Note, they don't have any fish but they do have cheese pizza for those who don't like seafood. There was much more on the menu we didn't try including some specials for the day, so I guess we'll just have to go back again ... and again. -
Review from Me D.
San Diego, CA
6/27/2009
Craving crab that is cooked right that I could get my hands dirty in...and I found it thanks to yelpers. I LOVE this place. My fiance and I don't get out of central coastal enough so driving up to Encinitas for date night was great. I thought Auggie's would be "good..." and was very happy to find that it was "awesome." The crab (we did king and snow, 1lbs each) was amazing. Served on the table with butter and cocktail sauce. Got corn and andullie (sp?) too...so good. But that crab...wow. We had the stuffed jalapenos in the beginning that torched my mouth (I'm a wimp), but man were they good. Topped it all off with a couple of beers each and ended with the key lime pie...didn't expect the pie to be that good but wow! Even the pie was awesome!
SO happy with our experience there. Even got to chat with the man himself. We'll be back soon.
SO glad getting out of our comfort zone meant going to Auggies. SO awesome.
For parking, park in the motel next door's lot. There's a sign that says Auggie customers can park there too! -
Review from Tess D.
New York, NY
1/24/2010
Food is well over priced for what they offer. The crab was bland and lacked any flavor. You're better off either going to Captain Keno's on a Saturday night for their King Crab special for $17.99/person or buying crab from your local supermarket and marinating it as you please. I give them props for providing a great assortment of equipment to cut your crab as if you stepped into a physician's operating room.
Probably will not return unless we buy a discounted coupon (pay $20 and get a $50 off dinner coupon). -
Review from John B.
Boulder, CO
3/6/2008
Used to be Jimmy Mac's. Isn't anymore. It's this. Sigh. But I must remain objective.
Auggie's House of Crab is a crab house. Crab is already good. Hard to screw it up. And they don't. It is good, as crab is anyway.
Their signature dish is the shrimp burger. I couldn't resist trying is as I've never had a shrimp burger before. I've had salmon burgers, turkey burgers, falafel burgers and kobe beef burgers, but never shrimp. I like shrimp. Shrimp is good. The burger, too, was good, expectedly so, as it is made of shrimp, which, as I've mentioned, is already good.
So, in short, Auggie's House of Crab is good. Expectedly good, but not much better.
The service was very friendly. The people seem genuinely invested (perhaps literally) in the business and want to impress you. So your experience will no doubt be good.
It is a relatively new place and so it is still growing into the space. And, as Jimmy has said, Leucadia is a tough nut. I wish them luck. -
Review from Julie B.
San Diego, CA
4/24/2008
Just had a really good East-coast style crab/shrimp/clam/sausage bucket! Everything was totally tasty and the waitress really nice! It's a little place on the side of 101 but definately deserves a try!
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Review from Gary R.
San Diego, CA
9/28/2009
Small place but Truly heaven - They have a Stone happy hour ... Crawfish, excellent shellfish, Andouille sausage... and paper-covered table tops... 'cause it's gonna get messy :) Excellent Key Lime pie (bakery a few doors down) is a great finish.
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Review from Carina L.
San Diego, CA
11/22/2009
This place is the real deal. If you love deliciously cooked seafood being dumped onto your table ready for you to devour.... this is the place.
We ordered Auggie's Big Feast for Two and it was so good. Even had room for a key lime pie and a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
Drool.
If you love seafood and care about how the food tastes over linen napkins, then what are you waiting for?? -
Review from Lisa Z.
1/18/2010
I liked it. Not the best crab place I've been to, but some of it was quite good. Very very tiny hole in the wall type place. Squished in waiting for the table with about 10 other people. Fortunately we were a small party and got seated right away. Stone Pale Ale and Arrogant Bastard on tap, that's nice! We got the Big Feast for 2. Here you eat with a plastic bib, on papered tables with a shell bucket, and you get a mallet and a plastic zipper tool to help you crack your crustaceans. The chips and salsa here (free) are surprisingly, VERY good. The shrimp, clams, mussels, and Snow Crab were really good. Snow Crab was nice and sweet. King Crab, not so much, stringy and flaked like it had been frozen too long. The andouille and corn, potatoes were good, too. I liked the seasoning which was more like a rub, and not the sauced cajun bags I'm used to in Orange County. They have key lime pie and key lime cheesecake, but we were already full, and no room for dessert. Service was fast and friendly. I'd definitely come back if we were in the area and I wanted some seafood!
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Review from Nancy L.
Carlsbad, CA
5/4/2009
Hostage Gastronome never noticed this place despite passing by almost everyday. As the perennial passenger, I spotted the green paint job and remarked on the name (Agi is a common Hungarian nickname), but thought it looked too sketch to try. Stumbling upon the enthusiastic Yelp reviews, I scrambled to get to the "diamond in the rough" upon the first opportunity. Well, it presented itself very conveniently yesterday when we wanted to reciprocate for the Seafood Island dinner for which HG's parents had recently treated. I tip my hand to say we've made this mistake before - taking connoisseurs of "tasty" to an untested establishment. I didn't pick up on any east/Gulf/west coast ambience at all unless you count the Coast Hwy. noise roaring by. The interior was on par or nicer than the taco shops in that area, and the waitress was incredibly eager to please. If she would just stop to think a little first, she might have saved herself a lot of steps - she let us keep the happy hour beer when it turned out to be the wrong draft. The chips and salsa were out of keeping with the cuisine, but the most outstanding part. We had to ask for more salsa, and were never offered more chips... probably because we had ordered appetizers, and of course the main course needed to be poured onto the middle of the table. Simply put, the Jambalaya was mushy, gumbo tasted only of butter, and the Big Feast was bland. We added a half pound of green lip mussels to it, and everything was cooked (steamed?) perfectly, but I think there needed to be sauce to counteract the resulting dryness. I kind of suspected that might be the case from the Yelp photo. We didn't need the plastic bibs at all. Also, it may appear to be a mound of food, but once you try to share, you see the pieces are precisely counted out, and there was only one piece of Alaskan King crab. The small tables began to fill as we left, so I never asked the waitress if her slight accent was Hungarian, but then I didn't want to confuse her by throwing in a personal question. It's an unusual social dining experience, but don't expect to eat big or well.
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Review from Liz A.
Encinitas, CA
1/30/2009
After hiking through the San Elijo lagoon on a sunny and warm Sunday morning what would you want to do? Go and have a bucket of amazingly tasty food, two beers, and watch a NFL playoff game. I have to say this is one of the best Sunday afternoons I've had in a long time. And that was the best bucket of spicy seafood, potatos, and sausage I have EVER had! This place has a menu but you have to stop on the first page and order off their "By the pound" list, and the more you get the tastier the meal is! The atitude in the joint is laid back and comfortable, with butcher paper laid on the tables and a roll of paper towels on dowels for the sticky finger clean up. That is if you don't suck it all off first! The stone crab was the best, large and easy to get at with all the utinsils Auggie's provides. The shrimp where large and juicy, the Andouille sausage was spicy. With everything dusted and smeared with a great spicy cajun mix. If you want a mix of seafood and a great environment then Auggie's is it.
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Review from Carolyn B.
Phoenix, AZ
8/10/2009
Hit this place the other night in search of some Maryland blue crabs. While they had some as a special we didn't get them since the waitress said they were small. This place is super casual as this type or restaurant should be. We got the 2 different combos for two - the big combo and the regular size one. When they serve it, they just dump it on the table and you sort of eat viking style - fending off the person next to you from the good pieces :). Over all it was a very good seafood experience however, some items were excellent and others were terrible. The lobster tail which we added on for $10 because we got the combo were awful - dry and flavorless - as bad as bad lobster gets. The snow crab legs were pretty good - sort of on the small side and a little too salty. The "excellent list" included king crab, shrimp and andouille sausage. Our combos came with corn and potatoes which were both good. If I go back, I would order a la carte, king crab, corn, shrimp and maybe some other side. Two thumbs up for the king crab.
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Review from B T.
Carlsbad, CA
12/17/2009
Cool idea, good food and local. Fun for kids. It does get a little rich in the seafood area
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Review from Christine D.
Oceanside, CA
7/5/2009
Had a big seafood fan from east coast visiting us and she loved the big feast!
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Review from yi j.
San Diego, CA
1/21/2010
The price is decent with delicious crab and friendly service. If you don't mind getting your hands a bit dirty while eating yummy seafood and not paying up the butt, this is a pretty good place to go. Personally, I found the place a little...ghetto looking haha but I have no other complaints. I hope to go back again soon.
