The SEA Crab House

If I could give The SEA in Astoria zero stars, I would. They have a location in Seaside and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they may provide a different experience there. We attempted to eat at the Astoria location 2 nights ago; more on that to come.

This morning I noticed that on their Facebook page they posted about their gluten free clam chowder with a photo of it IN A BREAD BOWL. That’s what reminded me to post a review here as it’s one of many reasons I’d caution diners to skip this place.

Back to our experience in Astoria… When we arrived, there were maybe 10 other parties in the restaurant. It being less than half full at 6:40 pm should have been a clue that we had chosen poorly. We were seated quickly and our server greeted us and took our drink (2 glasses of wine & 1 lemonade) and app orders (2 bowls of chowder & an order of raw oysters). We got our drinks fairly quickly but then we didn’t see our server again for 45 minutes. We saw her interact with some other tables, but not ours. We kept thinking the oysters and chowders would be out any minute since they required very little in the way of prep, but no. My husband finally got his oysters, 45 minutes after they were ordered, but we still had no chowder. The glaring issue with the oysters was that they were warm, the shells were chilled, and there was no liquid. Fresh oysters served in restaurants are typically left attached to the shell on one side as an affirmation that they’re fresh, and the juices aren’t drained. Either their shucker doesn’t know what they’re doing or those were canned oysters presented as fresh. Either way, that’s a major issue for a seafood restaurant.

After the inedible oysters followed by a basket of cold fries and paper cups of warm-ish chowder plopped down on our table all at once, we asked to speak to the manager. She was incredibly unprofessional, snarky, and did everything but take responsibility for the poor service and food quality. Her attitude was over the top and unnecessary. We were as polite as you can possibly be in this type of situation. Since no resolution was offered, we asked for the check for the food we’d been served (even though it wasn’t edible) cancelled the rest, and paid. We were in the process of leaving the booth when the manager felt the need to loudly say “I have to ask you to leave now!” as we were already on our way. Once again, unprofessional and unnecessary.

Service issues in a new-ish restaurant are to be expected. We’re also sympathetic to the fact that there’s currently a shortage of qualified labor. As others have said, they have kinks to work out, but I’ll add that they’re absolutely headed in the wrong direction and I wouldn’t waste time trying to dine with them.

If you’re in Astoria, book a reservation at the Silver Salmon. We walked into downtown from SEA and found this gem. We were so lucky to have been able to walk in and get a table. It was such a great dining experience! They understand GF, have excellent food and service, and even offer a GF dessert. It was a delicious vegan GF coconut cake the night we ate there. I highly recommend the Silver Salmon.

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

— Not at all

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?

— Poor

This place is AMAZING! Almost everything is already gluten free, clearly marked on the menu (except for bread). From what I could see, it also looked like the bread was in a separate area from the rest of the kitchen, making risk for cross contact very minimal. The servers seemed well aware of what Celiac is as well. The food is an incredible experience, getting to eat right off your table too!

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

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main 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

New location so still working out some kinks (no liquor license yet) but everything that’s not bread is GF, our server talked to the head chef… The chowder is amazing and you eat the food off the table. Fun environment and an awesome location overlooking the River from the end of pier 12.

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main 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 kids
• Good for lunch
• Good selection of healthy options