Joe's Crab Shack

I grew up in Florida but have been living in the city of Richmond for the past 15 years. I was having a serious home-sick sea food craving like never before and after searching around I read the mixed reviews of this place and decided to give it a chance. The staff was very knowledgeable about celiacs and the manager even came to my table to go over my options (they do have a gf specific menu). The Steam Pots were pricey as people have stated but it's giant pots of seafood- as a reasonably minded consumer I understand the price of seafood is higher than that of a typical chain restaurant entre. The prices were not unreasonable for the quality and sheer amount of food you receive. Being a chain, Joe's Crab Shack's seafood is going to be from frozen supplies, even though they are located in touristy beach areas. Any diner should know this. Taking that into consideration, It was delicious and I had no reactions from the 4 steam pots my partner and I consumed between us. Although there are many locally owned seafood restaurants to enjoy in VA Beach my first stop was here because they had specific gf menu that I could view online before stepping foot into a location. I didn't want to risk cross contamination on the first day of my vacation. A lot of smaller establishments either don't have any gf reviews out yet or said they couldn't accommodate gf options when I called (or had no idea what gluten was). My personal experience was great and I will surely eat here in the future so long as they don't try to place a bib on me ever again.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Very helpful, answered all questions. Special menu

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Very delicious! Staff knowledgeable about gluten and dairy free options. We eat there every time we come to Brandon and I never have a reaction.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch

Been here in the past - GF menu isn’t very big but it has enough options. Food is delicious and servers are knowledgeable.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Had high hopes for this place, but it started off with the shrimp in my steam pot not being cleaned properly. Manager was nice and took money off the bill. I thought all precautions were taken because my steam pot came out in a different thing than my husbands. After getting back to our condo, I was up sick all night. So, some kind of cross contact did end up happening and I ended up sick. This hasn't happened to me in a long time. I really was hoping for a good experience here.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Food was honestly terrible. Extremely bland, they didn’t even have salt on it. I was very disappointed.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor