The Original Sand Crab Tavern

The Original Sand Crab Tavern reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. H

   Harv VIP

   San Diego4 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on December 31, 2015

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Crab cakes were bland and the sauce was horrible. Sweet mayo? Should be hot sauce or Tarter for Crab Cakes. Not authentic cajun cakes. Service very slow. They need more help. Fish and chips $32.00. Every body else in San Diego has the Alaska Cod and Chips for about $22.00. MANY years going to the cafe and this was my last. I will go to Bud's which is authentic and priced write.
   

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2. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego3 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on December 23, 2015

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   We had enjoyed our first time at The Original Sand Crab Tavern a few weeks ago, but were very disappointed this time. They didn't have any crab! The excuse was their supplier didn't show up. The service was extremely slow because they only had one person waiting on tables. The food we had was okay but nothing exceptional.
   

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3. J

   Judy VIP

   San Diego12 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on November 29, 2015

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   I had been to this restaurant at least 5 other times. Because of lack of advertised live music the last time I was there, I called on Friday to make sure there would be live music (as advertised) for Sunday brunch. When we got there on Sunday they said there would be no live music. For the third time in a row they had just (at 11:30a) "run out of key lime pie." There has been a steady decline in food and enjoyment and this was my last visit, sorry to say.
   

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4. O

   Oceansidefoodie

   San Diego59 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on November 22, 2015

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Such a fun place with great seafood. One of our favorites. Can't wait to go back!
   

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5. l

   llho

   San Diego34 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on November 4, 2015

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   We've been here many times and almost always order the sampler. It's good as usual. Week nights are the best time to avoid the crowd.
   

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6. RL

   RodneyL

   San Diego6 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on November 1, 2015

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   I had tried them about a year ago and had a mediocre experience, but they did have an interesting entertainer and one larger table was celebrating which may have enticed me to come back and try again. This time was a total disaster. Something was wrong with literally everything we were served from the wilted greens on the seafood salad to the cardboard taste of the store bought key lime pie which was served on badly chipped plates. I asked for eggbeaters to be used for my omelet and to make sure that the omelet was undercooked. The waiter didn't seem to know what eggbeaters were and the omelet came out quite well done (somewhat brown). The crabcake benedict's eggs were also overcooked with only a trace of runny yolk and the crabcake itself masked the crab taste with too much breading. Both entrees were served with something that looked like O'brian potatoes which were barely warm and appeared as if they were originally cooked the night before. Overall, the food would have to have been absolutely excellent to justify the high prices. I think our server was the only one for the entire restaurant. After bringing our "starter" salad, the entree came out about 5 minutes later - before we were half finished with our salad. The rest of the service was minimal as we had to ask for hot sauce, additional water and finally the check as we wanted to exit ASAP. BTW - the advertised entertainment never surfaced. Maybe it was the overall experience or the bad food, but I did not feel well later that evening.
   

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7. BL

   BennieL1

   San Diego1 review

   4.0

   Dined on October 25, 2015

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Everything was great. After our meal our dishes never got cleared off the table before we left. We were the to see the Bill McGee blues band. They were very entertaining. We will go back again.
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego1 review

   3.0

   Dined on October 3, 2015

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Located in an industrial area. Surrounding streets dark but parking lot lighted. Atmosphere very casual, bar like, 8pm arrival. Not busy so not real loud. They serve til 9:30. Music good, audible but did not impede conversation. Lobster bisque B+. Fresh oysters on half shell cold, fresh, good. A+. Bread (finally) served cold C-. Alaska crab boil B-. Portion size $42 had lots of potatoes & sliced sausage, 2 crab legs. A bit pricey. Can be shared between 2. So maybe the server was tired? She was not friendly, not patient with an elders' questions (she herself was middle-aged), took forever to bring the cold bread that we had requested and we all 6 talked about her actually making faces, showing her impatience and to hurry us along! Were we putting her out? We felt unwelcome. We still left 15%(usually give 18%) - but we won't return. When service is subpar, it matters not if the food is good. If you decide to try this place, get the young server and the lobster bisque. It was very good although not as good as in New England if you're a foodie. The man (owner?) saying goodbye was friendly and thanked us.
   

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9. l

   llho

   San Diego34 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on September 30, 2015

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   We always come to Sand Crab when we crave for fresh seafood. We were not disappointed.
   

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10. LS

    LupeS VIP

    Tahoe41 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on September 17, 2015

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3

    Very pricey and servings small. The restaurant does not accept Amex and there is no signage to indicate this. Bummer
    

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