SJ Crawfish
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
90 reviews
San Jose, CA
"Get ready to get messy but oh is it all worth it! Thanks to Carol L. for the recommendation of this place. I heard about it a couple of…" read more »
31 Reviews for SJ Crawfish
it was good. took home a pound of craw fish and shrimp.
but compared to cajan crab house, cajan crab house has more flavor.
I'm not sure why this place has such average reviews, because personally I love their crawfish/sausage here. Its the only place where its actually spicy (depending on cook) and flavorful. The prices are okay, and I wouldn't recommend eating in just because they do not give free water but when I buy food whats important is flavor and service. Since I never eat there, I can throw service out the window. Which leaves the rating for FLAVOR. I love the way they season and cook their crawfish. Its so yummy and does the job when we ask for extra spicy.
Tip 1: Grab lots of lemon + pepper! Their real friendly about this.
Tip 2: Gotta get those bibs!
Tip 3: Eat at HOME - where you have access to water/milk. (If you purchase spicy of course.
Tip 4: Add some sausages, their fucking awesome.
I heard about this place more than once before and finally got first hand experience.
The place looked pretty ordinary, but once you walk in the aroma certainly hits you. It's like a luring sweet smell just calling you in. There was an abundance of groups and even lone eaters.
The menus were short and straight forward. My family and I ordered 2 lbs of Medium crawfish, 2 lbs of Medium shrimp, 8 corn & 8 sausages. We got our drinks immediately and was served our food in about 10 minutes. The crawfish were bigger than expected, the sauce had a bold, spicy flavor that left my lips tingling- yet sweet enough to want more.
The sauce was unique to me and was far from bland. Kinda pricey, but I would definitely go back again.
This use to be Boiling Crab but I guess new management took over and it's now called "SJ Crawfish".
When you walk in SJ Crawfish, you can smell the aroma.
I ordered 1/2 pound med shrimp and 1 1/2 med crawfish. The recipe is a lot better from before. Very flavorful and fresh. From what I remembered, it use to be really oily, the crawfish was weird looking and hard to open. I'm guessing it's in season now because the crawfish are BIG!
It was really crowded for a Monday night and the music was loud for me.
The bathroom is dirty so be aware...
Service was poor, they did not check up on my table and I think because it was a FULL HOUSE.
2 Star taken out due to restroom and service.
Yelp Listing says "The Boiling Crawfish" but I think the sign outside the restaurant says "SJ Crawfish"... hmm? Oh.. well I'm sure its the right place that I'm reviewing because the location is right. This place is located in a strip next to the 24 hour Fitness.
Service was good, but it just doesn't compare to Crawdaddy. I shared a bag of spicy Crawfish.. and the sauce was just hot. My lips were burning up! I know, I should have stuck to mild.. but the hot at Crawdaddy was spicy but sweet and flavorful. Also, this place is cash only. I never carry cash, but they do have an ATM there - $2 charge. The bathroom was dirty.. it's so nasty - before I ate I went to wash my hand the the knob was soo dirty, the bathroom is dark with paper all over the floor, toilet unflushed.. just yuck! The place in general is pretty dark.. and the decor is just ugly.
There were a lot of people here though, so there must be something about this place that I'm missing. But oh well.. I definitely won't be missing this place - I'd rather go to Crawdaddy.
They don't serve you water and you have to pay for bottle water. They don't credit card. They are getting more and more stingy on the plastic bag. We ordered 3 pounds of crawfish, 2 pounds of shrimp, 4 corns and some suasages, they came out all in one huge plastic bag. I noticed the amount of seafood we get are getting lesser. I don't think we get what we actually paid for. Their corn on the cobb taste really starchy and stick to your teeth. Flavor of the seafood not bad, but I rather go somewhere else that serve water, take credit card, and where I don't have to literally dive into the plastic bag to find my food.
The crawfish was pretty good. But I'm positive that the four pounds of crawfish we ordered wasnt actually four pounds. More like maybe one two pounds and we were charged for four. So they are definatly a little shady on actually giving you the amount you order. Besides that the food is good but i kept getting crawfish with worms. It was kinda werid but eh. It wasnt that bad but i definatly would not eat here a second time. The "Crawfish Restarant " in Sanjose in my opionion had a much nicer atmospher and is definatly more bang for your buck,
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I love this place. My friends and I used to go there about once every other month. I wouldn't order so much of the crawfish, but do try their garlic, spicy shrimp. They used to make their food extremely spicy (upon request) but I guess too many people complained that it was too spicy so they actually took that option out of the picture. Try ordering the sausage and corn also! They throw it into the bag of seafood to cook so that when you're ready to eat it, you will have yourself some buttery, tasty corn/ sausage.
Decor is decorative although the place itself is small. However, its a nice family or friend gathering place.
I planned on taking my friend to Crawdaddy's for her birthday. Unfortunately, Crawdaddy's was closed because they ran out of fresh crawfish. I was so heartbroken and also deathly scared because I did not want to disappoint the bday gal. However, it also makes me glad to know Crawdaddy's doesn't use frozen crawfish.
So I had to take her here, to the Boiling Crawfish. The plaza was kind of scary. There were cops outside the karaoke joint a few doors down.
But anyway, on to the food.
The crawfish here ad definitely much bigger than Crawdaddy's. However, the flavor isn't as wonderful. ALSO!! A lot of the crawfish in our bag had EGGS!! Gross..4 pounds of crawfish, 2 crabs, and 1 pound of shrimp later, we weren't full. We tried to go to Popeye's afterwards but it was closed.
Susy effing C was sad and not completely full. It's okay, my main goal was to make the birthday girl happy and I think I achieved it... until I found out she had tons of little cuts on her fingers and mouth from those lil prickly delicious fuckers.
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I went with my girlfriends on a Thursday night and the place was busy, It's a cool place to kick it with your friends, get your drank on. The venue is decorated cheesy but cute, service was attentive, it's also expensive. I am used to having shrimp & crawfish prepared in exceptional manner so there is not much I can say about the boiled ass mf shellfish, frozen corn & sausage in some butter & garlic.
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I was here during their grand opening week. During this time, it was one of the first crawfish restaurants in the bay area. I was super excited they finally have a crawfish joint so I don't have to plan my next itinerary to SoCal.
What do you know, this girl's dream was shattered into pieces and then some. It is nothing compare to the crawfish joints in SoCal. Normally, I would give restaurants 2 stars even the food isn't that great but this place needs major damage control.
Food: The crawfish didn't have enough flavor. Their sauce is way too bland.
Service: Our waitress was a joke. She only gave us a pinch of salt and pepper in the small container so we asked her to give us more. Then she reasoned with us saying that what she gave us was enough and we don't even need lime to eat the crawfish. Oh c'mon lady, it's just salt and pepper. i didn't ask to have your first born child. The waitress also didn't come around to check up on us either. And might I remind you that this is during their grand opening. shouldn't they welcome and cater to customer's needs during this period of time?
I don't care for the decoration of the restaurant if the food and service are good. Although the place could use some essences.
apparently, under achieving is the new biz motto.
I'm glad there are plenty of craw fish restaurants in the bay area so I never have to go to this place for my fix of crawfish.
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Okay....went for the first time because I have heard great things. The menu is small...crawfish, crab, sausage, corn and choice of cajun, garlic butter etc.
I do not think I will go back because I rather go to Cajun Crab House because it is clean but a lot pricier. This place gets 2 stars because the CRAWFISH boils were good. (Cajun Mild Extra Garlic Butter). We got it with corn and they threw the corn in too early because it was overcooked. The CRAB we ordered was big but did not come out in a plastic bag like the crawfish boils. Also, it took 20 minutes for our crawfish once we ordered and we were of 2 tables on a Sat. afternoon and then another 20 minutes for our 1 crab. Oh...but hey..I got my Negro Modelo beer in no time ;) Waitress was nice but never checks on you after your food comes.
After indulging in all the food, I went to wash my hands. (I do not recommend using their facilities). A restaurant that does not focus on the cleanliness of the bathroom deeply concerns me! (remodel please!)
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This is the first experience at one of these restaurants. When my friend told me to come to the "boiling crab" i was thinking.... southern Louisiana crab boil... but it was way different.. Vietnamese owned crab boil... quite different. The menu is very simple, with just shrimp, crawfish, crab(but they didn't have crab.. why call it the boiling crab if you don't have crab in in stock), clam.. and on the side you can order Louisiana sausages, and corn.. etc..).. the food came out pretty came... but it was way to simple... your food come in a plastic bags...but the seafood has pretty good flavor.
All in all.. it's pretty average... the prices are reasonable... the price for seafood is a lot cheaper then most restaurants.. and the beers are cheap. This is more of a hangout after you eat dinner... because this place will not fill you up.
ooo yeah CASH ONLY!
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This place was originally my favorite crawfish joint until I came back after several months hiatus and their garlic butter flavor got all sweet! I don't like how small the menu is.
I also do not like how you have to buy water here..
If only Gumbo Jumbo gave more crawfish.. then they'd be the best crawfish restaurant I've tried to date.
Money can go by really quickly here as you go through bags and bags of crawdad. If you are patient and love crawdads then its what you should order. But if you like shrimp better order the shrimp, it'll actually fill you up a lot faster. Ok place to eat but there's just a handful of these places in the southbay so you gotta take what you can get.
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My friend and I were craving crawfish and called up my brother and asked him where to go he recommended this place.
First off, I think I didn't come during the "season" but all I know is that I walked away still hungry after eating 5lbs of crawfish, 2 lbs of shrimp (which was good btw) and 1lbs of oyster between 4 people. Beside the point that it wasn't all that filling, all my friend's stomach started hurting and I got hives! I believe they didn't clean their products very well.
Only reason I gave 3 stars is that their shrimp was really good reminded me of shrimp trucks in Hawaii.
Ok, first I have to say I've never been to a place like this before. It was an enjoyable experience. Getting dirty and eating with your hands is fun - just don't wear white clothes or you'll have to sport a bib. Haha.
It is a lil restaurant hidden in the strip of shops beside Mervyn's and 24 Hour Fitness. My boyfriend and I ordered 1lb of shrimp, a crab and 2 corn. We tried to get some sausages but they were out. The food was good enough. It seemed to be expensive but then, I wouldn't know so well. The crab was 11.99 lb, the shrimp was 8.99 lb and the corn .50 each. After only 1 crab, 1lb of shrimp, 2 corns and 2 cokes, our bill was 37.00... that seems kinda high.
The outside isn't nice but the inside is clean and cute. We were surprised to see that the place was filled with Vietnamese peeps. I enjoyed the 'scenery' as my boyfriend is Vietnamese too. Haha. I think my boyfriend liked the Asian girlies too. ;)
I think they could offer some sides other than corn. How about some asparagus sticks or something else that's easy to eat with your hands too? LoL
It would've been a 4 star but there are a lot of other places that are the same price that I enjoy a lot more.
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This place is a favorite to my boyfriend's sister and her friend, Anny and Debi. FYI- ORDER CRAWFISH! The spicy sauce is great, although do not go there if you have a canker sore. The sausages are pretty good but overall it's a lot of work for such little amount of meat from the crawfish. I also wish there were more options for beverages because they only have soda.
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Took my wife here for dinner. We got a table right away. About 15 minutes later, the dinner crowd rushes in and a line was formed all the way out to the door. Thank God we didn't have to wait. We ordered 1lb of shrimp, 1lb of crawfish, 1 crab, some corn and sausages. Ok we were hungry. We waited for our food, about 20 minutes later, the waitress brought out 3 plastic bags containing our food, steaming hot. We got down and dirty and attacked the food right away with our fingers. It was actually really good. We really liked the shrimp. The crab was just OK, kinda small and dry. The crawfish was small too. Overall we liked the food, kinda pricey though. We left smelling like crawfish and still a bit hungry.
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for the price this place isnt bad at all. if youre coming here for dinner then forget about it. you will not get full. this place is more of a hang out spot for the seafood cravers and wants to snack and just hang out.
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I had came here to eat with a friend of mines, and had ordered about 4lbs of crawfish. Before they had really good crawfish, but lately that I've came back it's been really not that great. But I mean, it could be just one of those days. Our crawfish wasn't even a full complete one. We found tons of heads with no bodies connected, so technically we only got only 2lbs of full crawfish.
THE TASTE WAS SO BLAND. It wasn't even good.. The waitresses there seem bored, and act like they don't wanna serve us. Bad environment. Their restaurant looks dirty, their bathrooms are unsanitary. I think they changed the owner or something, it's nasty place now. I'm planning to never go there ever again.
First off, this place should be called, "The Boiling Water" because they NEVER HAVE CRABS. The first time I went here was a Friday night; there were barely any customers and yet they were OUT OF CRABS. The second time was a Sunday afternoon, no customers, again OUT OF CRABS. Third time was a Thursday night - surprise, surprise, OUT OF CRABS!
I only stayed the first time to try the other items on the menu. Everything is overpriced and boiled & served in a plastic bag. Crawfish was ok, shrimp was below avg, corn (3") and sausage (1/3 of a hotlink) was boiled in the same bag as the shrimp. Their "cajun style" sauce consists of oil and cajun seasoning from your local market (try Zataran's, its much better).
This horrible experience was due to my stupidity. I kept coming back because I thought they serve crabs, but they don't.
This place has been open for a few months. I believe they're planning to close at any moment because they don't believe in keeping any crabs in-stock. They like to turn away customers before having any business. You might think they were out of crabs because they sold out, but in reality, they're just too cheap to keep any in-stock.
I rated them 1 star because I had to (yelp doesn't let you rate 0 stars).
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The food wasn't bad! Its not everywhere you can find crawfish boil outside of Luisiana! Prepare to dig in with your hands and roll up your sleeves! But..couldn't understand why they didn't have crab last night though :(
We came here since the concept, which has become pretty popular in southern cali, was pretty new/unique to the south bay area. I came with a group of 8, including Kenny W. whose review pretty much summed it up. This place is run by Vietnamese. I would have to add that its quite a bit of work eating here for the amount of food that actually ends up in your stomach. Utensils are not required as everything can (and probably will be) eaten with just your hands. Paper plates, butcher paper covered tables, and plastic bibs provide most of the decor.
I asked one of the staff, and she claimed that this place is not associated with the popular Boiling Crab in LA which has better reviews: http://www.yelp.com/bi... . I also asked about how the seafood is cooked: steamed in pots with seasonings - not in those plastic bags they give you the food in.
Summary - there's really nothing special about this place... you can probably do the same at home for cheaper.
Prices as of 8/8/2006:
- $0.50 for sausage or corn
- $10/lb for crab
- $8/lb for crawfish
- ... i have the menu at home... will be back to update the rest of the prices
I would recommend Crawdaddy (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) instead.
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Crawfish was not good at all! The first bag of crawfish was ordered mild - it had absolutely no flavor whatsoever. Ok, maybe that's my bad for getting it mild in the first place. So I got another bag spicy this time, but it still wasnt flavorful or spicy. Disappointed, I ordered some sides to fill me up thinking that they can't possibly mess that up too - WRONG. Corn was soggy and sausages were tough to chew.
On top of that, I kinda got a bad vibe from the place - like I was out of place or something. Right when I walked in, it didnt feel like a restuarant. Nothing but an asian crowd, trance music pulsed loudly thru the speakers and most of the guys in there had white wifebeater tanks on and drinking heinekens and girls wore $100+ jeans with high heals. It was a bit much for me.
This place is pretty good, except it was better when it was opened. I go here about once or twice a month. Have friends who eat it 2x a week and complain they are getting fat, well, what do you expect, the sauce is mostly butter and spice. I don't know why ppl say this place is bad or have bad service, but its better than crawdaddy or other crawfish restaurants around here. I heard jumbo gumbo has really great crawfish as well. The only thing about boiling crab is that sometimes the waiter does not understand what you are ordering. we had to repeat "sausage" 10x to 1 waiter who spoke more spanish...
I thought I would eat at least 3 times before I yelp... But, what the heck, for 2 stars and with only 3 items on the menu, I don't think sooo....
The menu was simple, too simple: Boiled crab, shrimps or crayfish served in a clear plastic bag, with chili sauce or without. You may add corn on the cob and lousiana sausage into the bag.
The place was drabby. Few flat screen TVs, no wall deco, except for a few paper crabs and lobsters here and there, white neon lights... looks as though you've traveled into a third world country's home-based diner. This is the type of food you go for the atmosphere and ambience. None found here. Stay home. How hard is it to boil plastic bags?
I noticed waiters/waitresses pushing the huge trash can to clean up and NONE bothered to wash their hands afterward!! Ewww.. :oP
It is more of an appetizer than a meal. You will definately need to go elsewhere afterward to fill up your stomach.
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I like the corn drenched in garlic butter sauce...as for the crawfish its good. I like the shrimp better.
damn some yelpers can be a little harsh when it comes to rating places. this place is good to eat if you are willing to get down to the nitty gritty and have yo hands reak of crawfish, shrimp, crab, and etc. just trust that no matter how much you scrub and wash yo hands it still smells like crawfish at the end of the day. overall it was a fun experience hence i wish the crawfish were bigger. i heard the la location was better because the crawfish is bigger.
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crawfish cajun style. i believe their crawfish is freshwater so its just not the same. there was nothing spectacular about the shrimp. it was spicy stuff but nothing beyond that, not quite cajun. $10/lbs for the crab is pretty bad value. quality of the seafood is subpar for the price. we ended up forking over $20 each but in the end, we were still hungry and had to hit the wienerschnizel next door.
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