I'm from MD (a true crab eater) but have been living in Fredericksburg for quite a few years now. Â I was so excited when I read in the Free Lance Star that The Mad Crab was headed to Southpoint - 5 minutes from me. I'd put off going there for at least a year or so until today (6/25/13) when I had a real craving for some blue shells. Â The place appeared clean but had a old musty smell. Â The first indicator of poor business is an empty restaurant. Â NO ONE was dining there that day (I should have hauled ass when I saw how empty it was but decided to try them out anyway). Â There were 3 patrons having cocktails at the bar but no one was eating. A server and bartender immediately approached me in a friendly manner to take my order. The price of a dozen (#1) large was $40. That's about average so I didn't mind. Â I waited approx. 10 minutes for my order. Â When the server arrived from the back, the bag of crabs she held looked awfully small but I didn't say anything. Â When I got in the car I had to count the crabs because I was sure they only gave me 7 max - considering how small the bag was. Well, sure enough there were 12 crabs in the bag... SMALL crabs! WTF! I didn't go back to complain because I knew it would be my last time there. Â Also, with that type of product, they're not going to be in business much longer. Â Anyway, once I arrived home and really examined my purchase, it was really sad. They gave me 1 large crab, 3 mediums and the rest small or micro. Most had 1 or no claws attached. I will say that the majority of the crabs tasted pretty good, however, many were light on meat. And, to top it off, 3 of the tiny crabs were inedible with a pungent chlorine-like taste. Yuck! Overall, for $40, I was jipped. Â Oh well...I'll just write it off as a donation to them. Â I guess I'll have to take that 1 hour trip to MD to get quality crabs.
Review Source:TERRIBLE SERVICE BUT GOOD SEAFOOD. The slowest waitress service I've ever had. Waited well over 20 minutes to even see a waitress. My son went and got us a couple beers from the bar connecting restaurant to one side. We were just about to leave when to my amazement a waitress showed up and acted like she never saw us!
I won't go back to this location anytime soon. They'll close the doors I'm sure if they don't do something with the service because the last time I was there everybody(patrons) were all complaining.
I have been to this location quite a few times considering there is now a weekly poker game they hold every Tuesday. Â My poker experience with the bar has been great, however, my experience with the staff has been less than satisfactory. Â I had often heard the owner complain that people are spending money on dollar beers as though anyone is obligated to spend more. Â Bottom line, speaking in this way in front of customers screams bad business. Â Along side this and hearing how managment deals with their employees who aren't in their personal inner circle seems ridiculious to me. Â My girlfriend who I was with on a particular night was being stalked by a, as the owner called him a, "patron of the bar". Â I confronted both the stalker and the owner of the establishment that the man was being hostile toward me and making my girlfriend feel very uncomfortable. Â The owner did not seem to care because he knew the guy personally. Â I will never go back here. Â Do not give your business to this location. Â They are not out for the customers safety and best interest.
Review Source:As a business owner myself I truly appreciate how hard it is to always be on your game when serving demanding customers. That's why when I needed to arrange a special crab-feast event for some employees and business associates I had my event planner contact the Mad Crab several days beforehand to give management a heads-up and give them a chance to prepare for our group of 20+ VIP guests. I'd promised my guests a genuine hard shell crab picking experience and asked the restaurant to do their best for us. This restaurant failed the test.
Having never been to this restaurant I really didn't know what to expect, but I have eaten a lot of hard shell blue crabs in a lot of different restaurants over the years and I can say without hesitation that this was the worst experience of any of them. It doesn't take much to have a successful crab experience, typically you eat with your bare hands on a table covered with brown paper and have a pitcher of beer handy. The one thing that's critically important is to have fresh, meaty crabs that have just been steamed before being brought to the table.
With anticipation I ordered a dozen crabs to start with but when they arrived at the table eight of them had no legs, three had one leg and only one had both legs. The crabs were smallish and the meat inside some of them was mushy, which usually happens when the crabs are reheated. Long story short, I ended up leaving three of the crabs on the tray because they were so light (lacking meat) they weren't worth picking. The hush puppies were overcooked and almost inedible, so in the end I went home hungry.
Others ate Alaskan crab legs and I can't comment on those, but if you're looking for the real deal - meaty, freshly steamed blue crabs, you'll need to go somewhere other than the Mad Crab.
We are fans of good seafood this  beats the ride to Baltimore. We came out fat & happy would def go back again . We went around 3pm so not crowded at all. Jennifer was very attentive we got charged for some things we did'nt get they took them right off the bill....no harm done. I got the AYCE crab legs & shrimp not bad at all. Husband got 1 doz crabs & they were big & meaty.
UPDATE: what seafood place doesnt have the tiny forks to get the crab meat out of the shell ? Â The waitress informed me they "got thrown out" & they werent ordering anymore REALLY ... WTH ?
Excellent dinning experience! :) I took advantage of the all you can eat crab legs and steamed shrimp and it did not disappoint! It was worth every penny and then some! Really, the portions were heaping, fresh, & steaming! Far surpassed my expectations and defiantly the crab legs in town. Our waitress, Liz, was the sweetest and most attentive server. Ask for her for great service!
Review Source:Went to the Mad Crab back in December for dinner. I've heard awesome reviews from family and friends and since the new location is right beside my house I decided to give it a try. The service I must say is great. Our server and the staff were so friendly. The food was ehh. I got the crab cakes and my boyfriend got the catfish. In my opinion the crab cakes weren't big enough and the fries were alright. The hushpuppies did seem burnt though. Other than that everything else was great. Will have to come back to try something else.
Review Source:I was in town and saw an old friend of mine Jen (be sure to ask for her by name) is working in a seafood restaurant. Â When I set out for food i was most pleased to find this place is so centrally located.
An added plus is there are 2 parts to the restaurant. Â A bar area with stage and TV's and a nice dining area.
What do I think??? Â The Mad Crab serves great fresh seafood and a nice selection of beers.
I went in for the crab-cake, fries and a $.99 Nati Light. Â The crab cake was spot on with no filler and served with a spicy mayo.
The fries, though not fresh cut, were soft and pliable just the way I like them.
Finishing the meal was a $.99 Nati. Â I am not a big Nati drinker but it pairs well and cheaper than a Pepsi.
For $10 - this is A Definite Do!
I don't write many bad reviews, but I always write an honest one. Â This place is the pits! Â
There is lots of dirt and dust on the ceiling that I'm sure had been there since the location was Sullys. Â Geez, you think they would have AT LEAST cleaned up and gave it a fresh coat of paint before moving in. Â The rest of the decor and atmosphere left a lot to be desired as well. Â
Now let's talk about the food...
There were 4 of us for lunch. Â I had the crab cake platter. Â Crab cake was greasy and mushy inside. Â Fries were soft and yukky. Â Hushpuppies were burnt.
The server forgot our onion ring appitizer, but gave us a comp order of onion rings late in the meal to make up for the oversight. Â Let me just say... Some things are better left forgotten.
None of the 4 of us were satisfied with our meal, but we don't complain, we just go to Yelp and tell it like it is. Â
I would not recommend this place. Â Skip it.
And if the Mgmt of Mad Crab should happen upon this review... Â
I make no apologies... Â You earned it!