Redondo Beach Crab House
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
34 reviews
Neighborhood: Culver City
"This past Friday I was very fortunate to have dinner at Gyenari, the new Korean BBQ with a California twist. I felt so special, because that…" read more »
11 Reviews for Redondo Beach Crab House
I took my parents here years ago & now, each & every time we got visitors to LA area, my folks always take them here.
This a Korean family own restaurant. Therefore they serve Kimchi with all their food which i so perfect for seafood. All their crabs, shrimps & lobsters are FRESH & LIVE here. They sell by the pound, so you got to choose what size you want & how you would like to cook them.
The lobster, they can cook for you in 3 different styles: sashimi, steam or slightly stir-fired with butter & garlic. Trust me, in anyway, they are all GOOD!
Beside the wonderful & simple seafood dishes, they have a breathtaking view of the pier & the ocean... Who would have thought this kind of casual restaurant would have this kind of view!!!
This is such a great place to end up your day after walking around the pier, playing games at the arcade down stair & shopping for souvenirs. Your guests will enjoy it ;-)
NOTE: Best time to come is around sunset.... You will surely have a perfect view of the sun going down in the water, literally.
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i love this place so much i come here atleast twice a month.
i get the large steamed crabs, the grilled shrimp, steamed lobster and the sashimi. I've also tried the clam chowder and the fish n chips...
It is probably the most freshest seafood you can ever try in Los Angeles. Does it mean it is the cheapest? No. If you want to save money or looking for a cheap seafood place I do not recommend you this place..
I love to use the hammer and break every shells I see.. I end up with shells on my clothes, hair, face and other people's face.. haha
The grilled shrimp is soo good. (spicy) However I think lately they changed their recipe on this... As I walk around the whole Pier I see a lot of cheap places selling this same menu and I feel like theirs are better.. maybe if I come to the Pier I will try the grilled shrimp at the stands..
The sashimi price is pretty cheap but there are no side dishes coming out with it and no maeoontang. (hot seafood soup) so I think it's fair.
The clam chowder soup is served in a foam cup and in a bread bowl. I used to order it in the bread bowl but the last time I came here the bread was stale now I want to order it in the foam cup.
This place gets packed really fast during dinner time so it would be best to make an appt. It felt great today when I passed over 30 people and sat right away next to the beach view window.
Things that this place needs to fix before I can rate them higher.
Round mallets- Roll off the table too easy
AC- Waaaay to stuffy to enjoy pounding crabs
Shades- At sunset, depending on where your sitting... the sun is blinding
Other then that the food is great and the Sashimi was surprisingly good. Came with my family (Party of 4) for a belated mothers day dinner and after seeing the wait at the Pacific Crab Rest. we came here.
There was no wait and the food came out blazing fast. The crab was better then expected... other smaller dishes were good. But it was waaay too hot in here to really enjoy the food... maybe their ac broke..
I would give them 5 stars, but it gets really pricey too. 3 crabs, small sashimi plate and fried shrimp plate was $200.
But you don't come here everyday and the memory of furiously pounding crab legs for that tiny sliver of crab meat makes the bill seem justified. Your hands smell like crab for about 3 days... and your shirt will have crap all over it... but still all in good fun.
Note* I think they changed ownership from the pics on the profile, but the service was really good and the place was clean.
YUMMY! This Korean seafood restaurant is located right next to the beach. Try to sit next to the window where you can eat and enjoy the scenery at the same time. :)
The food was very fresh--we ordered sashimi (for two), oysters, and Korean Fish stew. The sashimi for two is not listed on the menu, so be sure to ask for it. It's more than enough for a group of four that want to have a tasting of sashimi along with their other dishes. I think the price of it was in the low thirty somethings.
The stew was very very flavorful and hearty. We couldn't finish it all, so the lady there packed it up very nicely to go,and we had a fantastic meal of fish stew the next day at home!
To conclude: Compared to the other korean seafood restaurant down the street/boardwalk, I think this place gives off a cleaner vibe, less crowd, and better fish stew. I would definitely come back here again. MMM!
*Pictures posted*
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Love this place. I've gone there for the past decade without fail. For kids who aren't into seafood, you can order any of the "ordinary" food. (That would be my sister.) My family members always order every sea creature imaginable, live or cooked, and I usually just kind of sit there and pick at it because I'm not brave enough to try them. Despite being seafood snobs from Seattle, they totally ravish it, which must mean they are top quality. Plus they get to enjoy the restaurant's Korean tinges, like the chili paste, kimchi, soju, and rice.
My time comes when the crab comes. It's magical, especially dipped in tabasco and butter. And the crabs aren't salty and puny like they are at American crab shacks. We like to mix rice into the juices in the main body shell of the crab...sounds gross but it's pretty good. Proceed with the spicy seafood soup (Mae Oon Tang) to follow, and it's magical, I tell ya. But your clothes and hands will smell fishy all day....
Ask for coffee or soft serve swirled ice cream at the end! When we come in big groups they usually give it to us. Then we take a walk around and enjoy the pier, ice cream in hand.
p.s. My dad has had the longest crush on the lady manager! She's super sweet....My mom thinks this is hilarious.
i love it here probably cause im korean :) got to love everything korean. they have FRESH seafood, FRESH shrimp, FRESH clams, FRESH HUGE lobsters, FRESH oysters (even though i never ate oysters before) everythings fresh. they dont just have seafood they have korean dishes too like stew and of course kimchi...whats korean food without kimchi esp. whats lobster without kimchi on the side. they have soju and other korean drinks too plus a few seats with beautiful ocean views...whats there not to love except maybe the crowds so get here early. oh yeah forgot...their prices are pretty ridiculous too so bring lots of cash and you have to try to the lobster...its HUGE and the LIVE shrimp only wish they gave more for one order and for almost $40 an order they should give more than just a handful but guess thats what you pay/get for fresh seafood.
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Your standard korean seafood fare: crab, shrimp, oysters, abalone, sea squirt, mae woon tang (seafood soup), etc etc.
We wanted to try the live shrimp, and when they say live, they mean LIVE. At $32.99/lb (?!?!?!?!), you get about 5-6 humongous shrimp, served head-on with the tails peeled. And the suckers are still moving. Definitely not for the faint of heart or for the jumpy people out there. Served with soy sauce & wasabi, and cho gojuchang (spicy red pepper paste and vinegar), the shrimp meat is EXCELLENT. It's firm and delicate all at the same time. The best part is that they deep fry the shrimp heads for you!
Have some ice cold beer or soju and have yourself a fabulous time :)
The prices are pretty crazy here, but it's definitely worth if for the entire experience. Lobsters were $23.99/lb and the dungeness were $16.99/lb. Fried clams $8.99/lb and $7.99 for 6 oysters.
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This is a seafood restaurant located on the Redondo Beach pier, like many of the seafood restaurants there, this one is Korean as well. I haven't been to other restaurants on the pier so can't really compare. However, I think Oceanside Seafood has a bit more of a "Korean" touch. Included in the meals are the usual Korean side dishes you get when you go to a traditional Korean restaurant. They offer stuff like steamed octopus, and sea cucumber, squid, several types of fish, and the mandatory live crab, shrimp and lobster.
We ordered the seafood soup, it was a bit spicy, but nothing we couldn't handle. Got also a plate of steamed baby baby octopus, which turned out to be 1 whole pound of baby octopus. That's a lot. We also got 1 live dungeness crab. It was good, steamed just right. For the crab, they give you a small wood hammer to crack it open and bibs to help you protect yourself from the impending mess of eating a crustacean.
Overall, I'd say this restaurant is not bad, they have a good view of the beach/pier and the atmostphere is what you'd expect from a restaurant in the area. Nothing upscale or fancy, but at least clean and with a nice environment. Prices are decent, except for the live seafood. If you compare to what they actually cost at the supermarket to what they charge there, it's actually quite a markup, but hey, you are at a seafood restaurant by the pier. Service is decent and the waitresses there are all friendly and polite.
This Korean/Seafood restaurant is located at the upper level of the Redondo Beach pier where they have Lobster Sashimi, Octopus & Noodles, Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell, Grilled Shrimp, Fried Clams, Sauted Fresh Squid, Fresh, Clam or Mussel Soup....and so much more. The Fresh seafood and large variety of choicescomes with a super ocean view.
My favorite is this delicious seafood soup. It has vegetables, clams, shrimp, and fish, and is simmered in this thick, spicy, red broth. At a reasonable price of $15, this dish serves two with the traditional side dishes you see at Korean restaurant . Mmmm,,, yummy.
One time we were there, the waitress brought out a one-and-a-half foot long lobster to the table next to us. It was prepared as a sashimi, with the entire body still entact, and the tail was the sashimi.
As our neighbor were eating the lobster sashimi, I kid you not, this lobster lifted itself up with its claws, and I thought was going to walk off the plate! Well, it didn't, but it's little legs were moving while it was being eaten. Ummm,,, not so yummy. While I was eating my oysters on a half shell, I had a sudden realization that maybe my oysters were still alive, and it too could feel me eating it. Well, it's not like I could see it moving, and it's not like it's trying to escape, so maybe it's okay?
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Everybody should come here at least once and experience pounding away with their wooden mallet opening up yummy crab! Also, the fish stew, a pungent spicy stew brimming with various fish and sea creatures is surprisingly very tasty and finishes off the crab nicely, that is, if you are a fan of spicy hot food. You know the seafood is fresh and you can see it before it goes into the boiling pots.
Before I start, there are 2 crabshacks(both korean) along this part of the pier. This one is way better.
When you walk in, you'll notice that it's clean and that it doesn't look like a crabshack, but more like a korean restaurant. There are many tables all over the place, but i like to sit at the tables along the far wall, because you can see the beach/shore. Beautiful.
There are quite a lot of stuff on the menu from fried shrimp, steamed shrimp, oysters on the half shall, fried clams, fish n chips, crabs, lobsters, sashimi, and the list goes on. Since there are so many things on the item, i'm just going to tell you what our group had:
Fried shrimp: pretty basic appetizer served with cocktail sauce and lemons.
Sashimi: Judging by the color and texture of the fish, I would say that it was pretty damn fresh. Salmon, tuna, yellowtail, just your normal sashimi plate(i think some abalone as well if i remember correctly?)
Live Shrimp: Okay these are not your average shrimps. They're freaking huge and they're orange and transparent. Most of you should know what i'm talking about. It was served alive and raw baby. The head and tail were intact, but the tail was peeled. So yes, these shrimps were moving around on the plate....You grab their head, pull their tail off, dip it in some soy sauce w/ wasabi, and enjoy your shrimp sashimi. Some people couldn't take it due to the texture of it, but that's fine. More for me. woo! Then what they do is, they take the heads back to the kitchen and deep fry them and bring them back out. You grab a head and you put it in your mouth and stop where the eyeballs are and bite down. Yes, you read correctly, you eat the head(only up to the eyes though). The shell is easy to chew because it's been fried and it tastes soo good....Crispy shell on the outside, juicy shrimp-insides on the inside. haha. Believe me, that's how you're supposed to eat it.
Lobster Sashimi: I read the other review and i wonder if we were the table that she was looking at. Okay so the lobster is brought out on a huge platter with the upper body still intact(still moving around). The tail is sashimi'd and that small little fin-looking thing at the tip of the tail is also placed on the plate to give the dish a sense of "completeness". hehe. Lobster sashimi is delicious. I want to say it's tender, but it's also got that cooked-lobster-tail-chewiness to it(a good thing). I guess you could describe it's texture as a sort of tender-chewiness. The first time, it'll probably be interesting, but you'll really like it. EVERYONE at the table really enjoyed it compared to the raw shrimp tails. It was definitely a change from the traditional steamed lobster tail that all of us usually eat. When the tail is finished, they took the upper body/head back to the kitchen and, again, deep fried it. The fried lobster was again bloody great! Meat was very juicy, perfectly cooked with a slight taste of the oil that it was cooked in. Very good! And of course the butter sauces.
Crabs: The crabs here are served with the top shells off(but still on the plate) because of this: Most traditional koreans believe that the top shell has the most delicate part of the crab. So here, there will be spoons placed inside the top shell. Just scrape all the insides of the shell. Try it out. It's actually pretty good. The crabs didn't taste fishy at all either.
Meh-Oon Tahng: After the crabs were devoured, they brought out this korean spicy seafood soup called Meh-Oon Tahng(literally translated into "spicy soup"). It is served with rice and, if i remember correctly, a few korean side dishes. This soup is sooooooo refreshing. Trust me, it'll warm you up real good. Big chunks of fish in the soup along with some shrimp, clams, korean radishes, and other veggies. If you ask any korean, they'll know what a Meh-Oon Tahng is, and this place has one of the best that I've ever tried. I highly recommend that you get it after all that crab and lobster.
Alcohol is also served here. Some korean beers, japanese beer(asahi), domestic beers, and the last time i went they even had some negra modelos. They also have soft drinks if that's what you prefer.
At the very end, they do have some ice cream. I believe the ice cream is free. It's one small scoop served in a styrofoam(sp chk?) cup.
*Also....if seafood is not your thing, they also have a hot dog/hamburger stand that's a part of the restaurant. Just walk outside, turn right, walk like 10 steps and you should see it. My friends have told me their hamburgers are pretty darn good.
***Customer Service is great here. Most, if not all, the waitresses here are korean. Very friendly. Great place to bring family.
The price is VERY REASONABLE. Remember that the crabs and lobsters are all based on market price, so keep that in mind. If you go on a friday, saturday, sunday night, it's bloody packed. Either go earlier in the week, or earlier in the day.
Put on your aprons and hammer away!
-baro(bryan)
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