The Boujie Crab

After following their IG for over a year my husband finally decided to surprise me with lunch at boujie crab and we absolutely loved it! We dined out but had a chance to get a glance at the a inside and the decor is simply beautiful!The outside wasn't bad- there were flies but it's outside so it was expected. The customer service was great- it felt like our order was being taken by someone we knew, so the service was very personable.The food was on point! No complaints at all- we enjoyed our weekly lunch outing and we'll definitely be back!The Lobster Mac N' Cheese is a MUST! So bomb!

The Boujie Crab was selected to celebrate Galenstine's Day for a group of great gal friends. What better than to select a restaurant that reflected a name that matched our energy! bourgeois. You are never to old to learn and today I learned there are levels to being Boujie. And I questioned my bourgeois status. Before arriving I was aware of the location and the negative reviews. I enjoy supporting small businesses and was looking forward to an uneventful afternoon lunch. Our server Xavier, was initially pleasant. The service style was different in that we were seated, the water pitcher was removed, and he proceeded to bring 6 individual glasses filled with lukewarm/tap water to the table. He then brought one glass of crushed ice and instructed us to share the ice. The water pitcher was returned with the same lukewarm m/tap water, 2 lemon slices and a strawberry. He also brought us a stack of those tri-fold paper napkins found at gas stations, hospitals and industries not including restaurants. Especially upscale and Boujie restaurants. He took our orders and kindly separated our orders for individual bills. The food didn't take that long however, we weren't served at the same time. No common courtesies to those waiting to let us know the additional wait times. One friend requested more sauce 2x and while it was acknowledged by the server, legend is, she's still waiting. There was also a request for a knife, apparently, there were no more. The one at the table was shared . My food finally came and was pretty good. I ordered the shrimp and catfish nuggets. It was a little salty, however, to be transparent I don't use a lot of salt when cooking at home. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food. Sadly, the same food, at a better price point could have been ordered at similar establishments that make no claims to the food being Cajun. So, if everything was great or so it seems, why one star? The bill. All/most restaurants note that larger parties will pay a 18% gratuity. What that larger party count is varies by restaurants. A large party for the Boujie Crab is 5. The added gratuity is 25%. They add your group gratuity to your meal and tax it. What level of Boujie is this?! We attempted to discuss and educate Xavier. He immediately became defensive. From reading the reviews it's clear he's been down this road before. We acknowledged it wasn't his fault and to please have the person in charge to come out. He blurted out she would not be coming out! Several of us told him how this affects his tip. He made it clear he didn't care about a tip! Did he really say that!? Yes !! After a few moments of dialogue regarding the tax being charged on an inflated gratuity. He left I assume for directions from his boss. In comes Manny! Manny the friend/partner of the owner has watched us from a distance parading back and forth . Never once greeting us or asking how we were doing. Now, after an hour or more he asks are we ok? Manny turned out to be an ok public relations person. He claimed to understand our concern and had a willingness to fix it to have us as a repeat customer. That ship has sailed. He did blame the taxed gratuity on the programming of the register.My afternoon was lovely because I spent it with some wonderful women, we laughed and enjoyed our company! We wish this establishment the best. If the owner takes away anything from my review, the issue was not that we didn't want to pay a gratuity. We requested the gratuity to not be taxed!it takes nothing to be kind, but not being kind and attentive today has cost you 6 people that sincerely wanted to support your business! Be blessed!

Karma, for all your bad services. I hope you close for good and never reopen. Sorry people got hurt in the accident.

I have never rated an establishment (1) star, but in this case it is clearly warranted. My cousin invited my mother, my friend, and I to meet them at this establishment called, Boujie Crab. Mcousin called to make a reservation, and was prompted to provide her credit card information? None of the 5-star rated restaurants request this practice, or operate under these guidelines, UNLESS it is for a special event! We went along with the alleged protocol and when we arrived, we were seated outdoors beneath an awning. As we were seated, I immediately took notice that there were no place settings, proper dining napkins, or the usual basic table settings you see at any restaurant. The menus were handed to us and the server (Xavier) who was very pleasant by the way, was ready to take our order. As I opened the menu, I noticed the price points were a little inflated for the type of cuisine and establishment that Boujie Crab presents itself as. We were alerted that a service charge of 25% (that's right, read it again) would be assessed for parties of (5) or more. (Meanwhile, the percentage of gratuity is not noted on the menu, but the server was emphatic about "What the owner said!"I interrupted him abruptly, and educated him on how gratuities are paid. At this point, I unveiled my knowledge about the restaurant industry and how there were clear and identifiable inconsistencies throughout the experience. I advised the server that it would be our discretion what we left, if we chose to in any case. He stated, "Well you have to leave the 25%!" I continued to tell him there is no authority that would hold any patron accountable to pay a forced/added on gratuity. The price of the meal(s) yes, but gratuity is discretionary, and it did not matter what the restaurant or owner's policy dictates.I ordered the jumbo Cajun shrimp with french fries for my mother and I, one cousin ordered Cajun catfish platter, and the other Cajun shrimp tossed with pasta, and my friend, Cajun wings with a side of Cajun french fries. When the orders arrived, they came in pieces, the catfish first, the (2) jumbo shrimp orders second, the pasta third, and the wings took approximately 15 minutes longer. My friend was told his wings were ready, but the Cajun fries were not. So he instructed the server to bring the wings, since everyone else had already been served their food. I asked about the Gumbo offering on the menu, and he stated it was unavailable.The portions were underwhelming and honestly, very disappointing. My cousin received (2) pieces of catfish that were literally the size of my index finger, and looked like (2) pieces of shriveled up chicken fingers. The portion of french fries across the board were scarce! My shrimp plate had a (what looked like had been previously used) tartar sauce (see photo below). When I asked for a new tartar sauce, he stated they gave me what they had, and later returned with the to go packets featured below.We asked for the check and noticed the price point change from the menu for the jumbo Cajun shrimp, from $22.00 to $25.00 on the final check? When asked, the server seemed perplexed and said he would talk to the owner (who by the way, after asking for her to visit our table, outright refused to visit us). When he returned, I told him we were not going to pay the 25% gratuity fee and asked for it to be removed. He was adamant about what "the owner said" and stated that according to her, "It was mandatory!" I politely reminded him that gratuity is discretionary and patrons are not mandated to leave one, if he/she service was subpar. There was a yMy mother, an elderly woman asked to use the public restroom and was met with resistance by the owner, and was told that "our table chased other potential patrons away with all of our "negativity." (I will follow up with the American Disabilities Association coalition in California, as well as the California Restaurant Association, so they can both pay this poorly managed, and to a large extent dishonest establishment and educate the owner on honest business practices. Meanwhile, my mother was denied the use of the public restroom!My mother was told by the server that the owner was calling the Long Beach Police on us because we chose not to honor the 25% gratuity policy. I know for certain, from my corporate restaurant days, and as an educated consumer, there is nothing the law enforcement team can do about refusal to pay gratuity. Refusal the pay the check balance or walking out, YES, but for the refusal to honor a gratuity policy, NO!It is a pity, since we were excited about supporting a Black-owned restaurant, and to be treated like second class citizens, turning a deaf ear to our legitimate concerns. Take a look at the reviews! The only thing Boujie about this place, is the arrogance of its owner!

DO WASTE YOUR TIME ARE MONEY!! BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ... I was excited to to bring my cousin to this restaurant when she came to visit from Houston Tx. We love to support black-owned restaurant especially one that serves seafood as it is our favorite. This place has been on my list for over a year. Upon entering the restaurant, we loved the layout and decor. We were greeted by our waiter Xavier who was very welcoming as we were the only customers in the restaurant. We took a look at the menu and decided to order the seafood bowls adding a side of salmon. We had no problem with the pricing of the items on the menu as they seemed reasonable. The food arrived to our table lukewarm, which was very disappointing. As I stated above we were the only customers in the restaurant and it took about 30 minutes for us to receive our food so we were expecting it to be piping hot.Upon arrival of our food side table, we noticed that there were no eggs in her bowl and brought that to the tension of Xavier. He then replied that they were out of eggs for the day. why would you not mention that upon taking our order as we ordered extra eggs on the side? He apologized and said that that would be deducted from our bill. The cost of salmon was somewhere around $35-$40 and as previously stated we had no problem with the additional cost however when our bowls arrived to the table we looked around for the salmon and noticed that it was stuffed at the bottom of the bowl and the piece was so small we were completely disappointed and felt like we were being robbed for what we paid... smh When are order was taken we were asked what flavor of sauce we wanted and we picked Cajun however when the food arrived it was season with lemon pepper. Which we didn't understand how there could be a mixup again we were the only customers and the entire restaurant. We decided not to complain and just go with the flow. The food was not as tasty as expected, and didn't really have a creole taste. This was something we could have made at home. THE BILL: (2 PEOPLE) The bill was brought out to our table by a young lady who may have been the owner upon our arrival we were told by Xavier that he was the only person in the restaurant, so we were very surprised that the bill was being delivered by someone els. And didn't understand if he had help in the back. Why did it take 30 minutes for our food to be prepared?The bill came up-to $220 which included a LARGE PARTY fee of an additional 25% on top of the bill which was also taxed HOW ARE WE BEING CHARGED A LARGE PARTY FEE WHEN IT WAS ONLY 2 PEOPLE. We were also charged for the eggs we didn't get. The young lady who bring the bill out notice that we were looking over the bill, trying to understand the different charges. She had a very nasty attitude and asked us if we had a problem with the bill I replied yes I don't understand why we are being charged a large party fee. She went on to explain that that is how their system bills and it is automatic, and they have no way of removing this charge. I replied are you serious an extra 25% I think somewhere around $50 for two people is simply ridiculous!!! RIDICULOUSBEWARE!! THIS PLACE IT IS A WASTE OF YOUR TIME AND MONEY!! The owner has no business since and it explains why the place was completely EMPLY. I expected way more, especially from a place that calls itself the bougie Crab. PLEASE NOTE THE OWNER OF THIS BUSINESS HAS NOT RESPONDED TO ANY OF THE REVIEWS!

They get two stars because the food was delicious. BUT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS A BIG NO. 1) Let's start off with those ridiculous prices in a back yard boogie type atmosphere. 2) Our waitress had on see-through clothes and looked totally out of it. 3) Waited 20 minutes for waters to be bought to our table. 4) the atmosphere felt "off". it was a Sunday afternoon and the club music full of profanity was LOUD. Legit- everybody on my party just started praying and speaking in tongues bc something felt off. 5) our waitress disappeared for 45 min. We we got up to leave she popped up out of no where and told us the food was ready. 6.) we scarfed down our food because we had waited for an hour and fifteen minutes to get it.

The friendly service was excellent. The main pitfall was that I ordered my food by phone at 2:00 for pick up. I was told my order would be ready in 25-30 minutes. My food was not ready until 2:55. I was hangry at that point. The catfish po boy was excellent. Fresh bread, well cooked, nice sized fish filet on a well dressed sandwich. The fries that accompanied were room temperature, at best. I also ordered the shrimp bowl. Plenty of shrimp, potato and sizable piece of sausage. The sauce was excellent. $30 was a bit steep for take out that spilled in the bag before I took possession of the bag. Beautiful interior but the patio dining area could use some love.

This place has amazing food. Amazing service and the owner is so sweet. My friend and I ate here today and everything is amazing. Her berry lemonade , lobster Mac and cheese and the shrimp Cajun bowl with an egg was amazing. This is a must visit yummy place

Horrible food, horrible service. The food was salty and overpriced and small portion. No shade but I'm honestly glad that that bus had the accident by the building to shut them down it was not worth it. It was not worth the attitude from the owner. They put food in the microwave right in front of you. They barely had customers and it was just overall a bad experience. I would never go back this is definitely not bougie its the opposite of bougie if you get where I'm coming from, and yeah certain people shouldn't open up restaurants if they don't really know how to cook and I honestly think they don't really know how to cook probably just something to do because it was nothing else to do people get LLC and decide they want to be a chef, and I don't feel that that's fair to the real foodies who actually likes, seafood, and good quality food to be honest, I don't even think this lady has the credentials to open the restaurant as far as being a chef and as far as taking culinary school as far as having the safe services certificate I didn't see none of that posted and yeah I just feel like this was a waste of space a waste of time, a waste of gas, and a waste of money and on top of that I ran across her Instagram and she's posting a lot of money and a lot of stuff as if she do some type of fraud/PPP get rich scheme type of stuff, so this lady has no knowledge of running the business and knowing the quality of good seafood so just by seeing that, I would never go back if they ever decide to go back into business this is just a quick, good money scheme , and some kind of fraud that she has going on. I said what I said.

I see the restaurant was recently in the news because of an accident so this review is getting views again. The review still stands. I also left the same review on Google (a year ago) and the owner's response to me was just as rude as her staff that night and she lied about speaking to me to make the situation right. This sounds like what another reviewer said, that good ol, what goes around, comes back around.