Shaw’s Crab House

A late review. I believe i went here around Jan with a customer for dinner. This restaurant is in Chicago in downtown so make sure you carpool! We arrived at the restaurant without a reservation but we were seated right away. Really there is nothing bad to say about this place besides the head of parking and the restaurant is always packed. We ordered: – King crab which they bring it whole, place it in the middle of the table and let us take a picture and they place back on their crate and start cutting out of the shell and structuring back to the crab shape. – Cold appetizer which came with fresh jumbo shrimps, oyster and lobster tail and crabs in a bucket of ice on the bottom to cool the freshness. – ISOSCELES (Paso Robles 2016) wine. MUST HAVE!!!! 5 stars – Fresh fish Alaskan smoked salmon will melt in your month. Best salmon I had in years. The flavor was just right and it was cooked to perfection. Their seafood, bread, entree’s to dessert is 10/10. I really don’t know what more can I say about this place.

I did the brunch at the Schaumburg location. I was very disappointed. We spent $55 each. There were 4 of us. I can’t imagine why they would think a small dish of eggs, 8 slices of bacon, one small dish of Mac and cheese, a small condiment cup of ceviche , 4 baby size mussels, 5 cold shrimp, and 6 half legs of crab legs were considered brunch. It felt like tapas. If you can’t do brunch properly, just don’t. Oh the only healthy portion size we got was the desert. Shameful. I wouldn’t do the co-vid brunch again. Just order from the menu. And to boot a waitress that wasn’t friendly.

We came in for our last meal before leaving chicago. This place was recommended by a local. Our food recommendations from our server Juan lead us to one of, if not the best meals in Chicago. We had the oyster sampler paired with a bottle of Sauv Blanc. Next we had a cup of both the clam chowder and lobster bisque. The chowder was our favorite but the lobster was amazing too. We finished with the Shaws Seafood platter. As a Maryland girl i am skeptical of crabcakes but this one was delicious. Overalll great food and great covid precautions. Ask for Juan for sure.

Came here based off recommendations along with the reviews- loved our food (seafood tower was absolutely delicious, as were the cocktails!) and our waiter was friendly. We came on a Saturday night and thought it’d be a bit more crowded though- was pretty quiet and not a lot of people there (typically I like places that are crowded/lots of people watching), so would recommend more for an intimate dinner.

Shaw’s Crab House (21 E Hubbard St Chicago, IL 60611) prides itself on being a “jazzy, sophisticated, seafood restaurant and a carefree, lively oyster bar” and I couldn’t agree more! Shaw’s Crab House is THE PLACE to get Florida stone crab claws (and other incredible seafood like Alaskan red king legs, Maryland blue crab, and whole Dungeness) while visiting Chicago, IL. My wife and I love making it over to Shaw’s Crab House when we find ourselves in Chicago, IL specifically to dine on the AMAZING Florida stone crab claws (when in season). It’s one of the few places in the Midwest where you can get Florida stone crab claws and with each and every bite of the claws we had from Shaw’s Crab House we are instantly transported back to Miami, FL (where we got married/were first introduced to and fell in love with Florida stone crab claws). Expert Tip: I you are seeking to dine on the Florida stone crab claws call ahead to ensure they are on the menu (seasonal item) and get an early reservation as they tend to run out quickly as the night goes on!

Food was mediocre at best. Definitely could use some fine tuning inside for an upscale restaurant… But that’s really the least of my concerns. Me and my darker skinned guest were treated kindly at the bar however when we decided to transition outdoors and wait our turn at the host stand, there was a line of unreserved guests in front. The couple asked to outdoor seating, they were seated expeditiously and graciously. We, on the other hand, were greeted suddenly by a middle aged woman… who nastily stayed she doesn’t even think that have outdoor seating left. And someone else butted I’m to mentioned there was. Her disgusting attitude and demeanor towards me and my guest were enough to guess why she may be treating us differently.

The service was wonderful, and the food was outstanding. I ordered a cup of the Lobster Bisque and it was out this world delicious. The bisque had all the flavor I will expect with a nice touch if carrots for texture, surprisingly the bisque was not heavy and was a perfect way to start my dinner. All of my orders including the Crab Cake, Calamari, Oyster, King Crab Leg, and Lobster, it’s really perfection! Everything was packed well for a takeout order.

We were excited to visit Shaw’s. From the billboards around the city to recommendations from locals we thought we were in for some amazing seafood. I wouldn’t classify it as not good but it didn’t quite meet the bar of good seafood either. Coming from Seattle maybe my seafood expectations are a bit on the high side. I’ll start with what’s really the stand out here. The service. The service is top notch. Our server was friendly, prompt, kept our water filled and made sure we always had what we needed. She made recommendations on what to drink and what she thought was good at the time. She even brought out a celebratory cake because we were celebrating a special occasion. The seafood appetizer we ordered was a “sampler” of sorts which included oysters rockefeller, “king crab” leg, mini crab cake, lobster and deep fried calamari. It was an embarrassingly lackluster in flavor and portion. The “king crab” leg was about the size of my pinky finger. It wasn’t anything to write home about. The mini crab cake was just barely larger than a quarter in diameter and I would say was the biggest loser on the plate. It lacked seasoning and almost tasted like plain crab bonded with bread and egg wash. The oyster rockefeller and fried calamari were good though. The calamari had a tasty batter that stuck to the meat and didn’t slip off after taking one bite. The lobster was about the size of a shrimp. We also ordered a Florida rock crab leg. It cost $20 leg didn’t yield $20 worth of crab meat – I’m guessing 2 ounces of crab. Our server and the kitchen were nice enough to split our scallop entree between two dishes. The pictures show a sparse dish but there would have been more if it was all plated together. The rice was bland, and the scallops were drenched in lemon and the sauce was also over lemons and not complimentary to the scallops. I will say the scallops were perfectly cooked. Overall with the rice, the sad sauce, and the poorly conceived and assembled appetizer we were disappointed. Overall it wasn’t worth what we paid and I don’t see us returning. But great job on service.

Amazing experience. Went to Shaw’s with a few close friends in mid-July for our first dining out experience with the restaurants reopening from Covid. They follow the rules and made my entire party feel safe and welcomed. We had our concerns but the place was “fully booked” that night with the order at 50% capacity. Tables empty in between our party and others with room to spare. Staff wore masks the entire meal, patrons required when not at the table like using the restroom or in lobby. Getting past the great covid measurements it was a blast back to normal times pre pandemic of enjoying great seafood with good company. Lobster, oysters, surf n turf, seafood platters, crab , and drinks were flowing. It was the escape from reality that we needed. I’m recommending to all of my friends who are toying around with going to restaurant again to go to any of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants. They are managed so well and attention to detail is always a priority for the group. You will be safe and taken care of you. Cheers to your organization! You have a customer for life!

Last night was packed with many first. It was my first time having grilled calamari as opposed to fried, first time at Shaws, and it was additionally my first time having sushi at a venue that wasn’t technically a sushi spot. I was a little on the skeptical side at first especially with the sushi from a spot that wasn’t technically a sushi spot, but it all worked out. The grilled calamari was delicious. I will admit however that if you’re not an individual that genuinely enjoys char’d flavor, you might find this appetizer unsettling. Good thing tho is that the sauce and veggies do a great job of balancing out the char’d flavor. The end result is pretty complex. Sushi and service wise the roles were amazing and the servers were attentive. Genuinely the ONLY reason I didn’t give the full 5 stars was because while the Manhattan that I ordered was perfect. The old fashion was a tad underwhelming, not terrible, but also not memorable. That would legit be my only point of feedback. Can’t wait to go back to try some other items on their menu!