Crafty Crab - Brandon

Best breaded shrimp (and boiled shrimp in a bag) around!!! And their onion rings are to die for!!! We love visiting Crafty Crab whenever we're in town!

Came here on a Sunday after the idea to visit came up on a Friday evening. Had been craving seafood for literally months! Parking wasn't too bad and the back lot under the trees provided great shade. We walked in and were greeted and sat rather quickly. Dani was our server and was so sweet and patient as this was our first time. She let us know what was included and what the best bang for our buck was. The food was AMAZING! So flavorful, hot and the portion sizes were great. Thanks to Dani for her service and the staff in the back that deserve recognition as well!

Have had a great experience every time whether dining in or taking out. Similar to most places, very pricey, but I guess that's what it takes to have seafood. Hemos tenido una gran experiencia cada vez, sea cenando adentro o llevando a casa. Similar a la mayoría de los lugares, es muy caro, pero supongo que eso es lo que se necesita para comer langosta, cangrejo, camarones, etc.

Great food ALWAYS!!!! Perfect place to take children too! Kids eat free on Tuesdays! It's a wonderful place for large families too. Service is good and our young server went about and beyond for us!!

Crafty Crab was the very first seafood boil restaurant to open in Brandon. I've tried all the other restaurants with the same concept in this area. Yep, there are three other places. So, why not save the first one that opened in Brandon for last? That makes no sense at all, but I'm glad that I did.There were only a few patrons dining the whole time I was there between noon and 1pm. Fortunately, I had my choice of seating. The restaurant is clean, cool, and comfortable. The menu varies in price range from just under $10 for a half pound of your choice of seafood to a little over $70 for a pound of king crab legs. There are four sauces that you can get at different heat levels. The last of the four is a combination of Cajun, garlic butter, and lemon pepper, and it's called "The Boom" sauce. Sounds familiar, right? I decided to go with what I love. I usually get a half dozen steamed oysters as an appetizer along with a half pound of green mussels in the combo sauce. What I think is unique is that you can also add ramen noodles to your boil bag for an additional charge. In fact, this is the only restaurant of its type in the area that does this. It seriously is the best way to soak up that yummy sauce (besides a side of steamed rice). I wish all the seafood boil restaurants had ramen as an add on. Anyway, all was good with the exception of the sauce. The Boom sauce was extremely salty in the bag. I didn't notice it being that way on the steamed oysters, so I'm not sure why it tasted so salty in the bag. I do want to go back and try the garlic butter next time just to compare the two sauces. I think that was the only issue I had. The mussels were a good size and tasty. The potatoes were a generous size as well. The service was fantastic! Charli made sure I had everything that I needed, and she checked in on me often to make sure I was happy. She was super sweet & helpful, and I hope I get her again next time.There will be more lunch time visits. Especially since they offer ramen noodles.

Food is great and ambiance is fun. No complaint. Will try it again for sure. Just wish they had more fish options.

Way too seasoned and spicy for the level that I requested. I feel like the Ramen should be cooked with out any seasoning before adding to the boil. I ended up throwing the Ramen out.

We started with a dozen oysters, and ended up wishing we hadn't. They were fine, size was good and they were clean. But my boyfriend and I prefer briney oysters, and these were pretty flavorless. To me, for raw seafood, no saltiness is a little off putting. The second part of our meal did not disappoint. We both agreed the boom sauce was the way to go.Kevin's comments on scallops & headless shrimp: properly cooked, delicious in the sauce.I would have to agree on my side of the order (crawfish and head on shrimp)French fries were crispy, fluffy inside, flavorful, 10/10Side note regarding alcohol- Jameson shots were way too expensive lol. $10 per shot is extreme Final verdict looking forward to coming back just for the seafood boil

I have visited in the past to crafty on Brandon and had a good experience, but this time was not good at all.When food came out:* steamed oysters were cold and slimy. * crab bag had no flavor (I requested the boom medium, which I have got many times)*the gentleman waitor working never checked on us after delivering food, not once. Usually they ask is everything ok, do you need anything he never stop and said anything.We had to stop him while he went to other tables just to ask for check and more drink. I was unable to eat and left very frustrated. For all the money spent this should have been a better experience.

This is a great place, and is part of our Tampa tradition. The boils are a ridiculous amount of food and are TASTY. Johnny our waiter was fantastic.