08/31/08

Crustacean is a crusty dirty place.

by VettyFast

I read a bad review, and should have heeded the warning. We got there and the smell was horrible, seating poor, view poor, we got up and walked out. I eat out every night, and this place is bad. The health dept. needs to check it out. You have to be hard up to eat here.

• Pros: none
• Cons: dingy, smelly, poor seating, poor view, poor ambience

07/28/08

To be avoided by everyone - they falsely claim no MSG in their foods

by serrephim

his restaurant made me violently ill 4 nights ago, and the others in my party moderately ill. We all ate garlic noodles. We all at a bit of lobster roll. I was the only one who ate mussels. What caused the sickness? Don't know. But this is the first time I've been sitting at a restaurant and 2-hours into a leisurely meal had to run to the bathroom so as not to v*mit on the table. That night, I had a fever and chills. The following day I was still nauseuos, and my dining partners started to feel ill. I am finally better 96 hours later.

Food p*isoning? Maybe. But I suspect the amounts of MSG in their food. It is what makes the noodles so addictive to everybody. There are many types of reactions to MSG, ranging from those that seem like food p*isoning, to severe heartburn, to migraines and muscle/joint pain. It is the only explanation that explains all of our symptoms, as most food p*isoning comes with abdominal pain and cramping, v*miting, etc - but the heart burn and acid reflux are particular to MSG reactions, and that was one of the symptoms we shared.

Shame on Crustacean for saying they don't use MSG on their menu, and yet putting it in their signature dishes.

I will not be dining here again. I am seriously bummed, too, because I had been looking forward to the experience. The only saving grace is that my friend had a gift certificate, so we only had to pay for the tax and the tip but not the food that did us all in.

• Pros: good cocktails
• Cons: food laden with MSG despite menu claim

05/06/08

I won't eat dungeness crab anywhere else in SF, but CRUSTACEANS!!!

by Landshark3888

I first experienced Crusaceans and their Garlic Roasted Dungeness crab w/garlic Asian noodles while entertaining a Client from Hawaii. This being my first time at the restaurant, I was hesitant, but my associate so strongly recomended the dish, I knew it must be good. It was EXCELLENT! Accompanied with a bottle of Gwerstermeiner to cleanse your palate between bites, in combination of eating with your hands as you break the cracked crab, the experience is both satisfying and filling. Finish your meal with the Mango Cheesecake and an Espresso...well, I could die now, but then I would miss my next visit to my FAV restaurant. I no longer care to go to Fisherman's Wharf, or anywhere else in the Bay, as long as I can go to Crustaceans. I have since moved to Arizona, but I still fly to The City every year for my birthday, to entertain Clients, or to meet friends over a Garlic Roasted Crab and Garlic noodles. Is it time for another birthday yet??? Don't let the address/neighborhood keep you away. Valet parking is great and makes for an easy 'drop off the car and dine' experience. Are we there?

03/09/08

Good Seafood, Robust Flavors, Warm Setting

by damian_esq

I understand that Crustacean did the upscale Vietnamese seafood thing first, but I don't know if they're still doing it best. With places like PPQ, Ana Mandara, Le Cheval, Slanted Door, The House, and Straits Cafe offering similar dishes at lower prices, Crustacean is now just one of many. With all that having been said, I loved the food and thought the service was good. The wine was good and not too overpriced. Our appetizers were just okay, the fried starters were very ordinary, but the vietnamese seafood salad was really good. For entrees we had a crab, shaking beef and sea bass. All were delicious, fresh and interesting. The mango cheesecake was a great way to end our meal.

• Pros: Fresh, Tasty Seafood with Bold Flavors
• Cons: Pricey, Parking is a Headache, Kind of Noisy

01/06/08

Very satisfying!!!!

by waverly31

We ordered the roast crab and the garlic noodles and it was sooooo delicious. We also ordered the mango cheesecake and the fried bananas and it was very delicious as well. We also had a very excellent server named Steven M. who was very helpful and attentive. I totally recommend going to Crustaceans.

• Pros: food was excellent

11/17/07

It's all about the crab and garlic noodles

by naotake

I have been going here for more then 6 years now. I still remember I was in shock when I had the oven roasted crab and garlic noodles for the first time because it was SO GOOD! It is great to bring out-of-towners here because the performance of the dish is good, too. Seeing a whole dungenous crab excites many tourists, especially my Japanese friends and family. I actually noticed there are a lot of Japanese people dining here. ( I personally recommend pouring some of the oven roasted crab oil onto the garlic noodle. It is great!) The only problem is the location. It isn't at the best part of town, and out of the window, you see homeless people walking around. But still, for a SF dinner, it is a great place!

• Pros: Don't go home without eating the dungenous crab and garlic noodles
• Cons: Hard to find parking in this not-so-good neigbour

10/31/07

I would recommend it to all my fiends!

by lily707

We enjoyed every dish we ordered and the service was good. Yes, it is little too pricey to a degree, but the food is so wonderful and tasty. Also the interior of the restaurant is pretty well done, Crustacean is one of our favorite Asian restaurants for special occasions. In addition, the interior of the restaurant is pretty well done; I would recommend it to all my fiends!

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Pricey

09/10/07

"Unless you like being treated like trash... "

by gj330610

All thanks to our horrible Server we will not return to this restaurant (and we used to love this place). Our Server barely spoke to us when he arrived at the table. ...

07/13/07

Excellent food - don't be turned off by the location

by jbenenati

Very good! Server was well informed and knew the menu very well. The crab puffs were very very good and the carpaccio was excellent as well. If you order the crab - which as it appeared everyone but us did - i'd recommend a side of the noodles. They come with the tiger prawns - which are great - too - but the noddles are fantastic. The fried rice was extremely tasty. The Crab cake was great. Only negative on this restaurant is it's locaiton. It was tempting to just walk right by when we arrived.. It was worth the risk!

• Pros: crab and noodles +++ service
• Cons: location

06/06/07

Absolute Best Crab Ever

by srichter1

I have been to Crustacean numerous times over the last 10 yrs. It never fails to impress out of town guests and placate my "Roasted Garlic Crab and Garlic Noodle" fix. The service is impeccable and the prices are fair. The remodel a few years back did much to improve the ambience. The wine list is great and the servers excel in pairing appropriate wines with the garlic flavors.

When you look around the restaurant you will notice that nearly everyone, especially the locals, have ordered the garlic noodles and the roasted garlic crab. Follow their lead. These are two of the best dishes in San Francisco cuisine and the main, if not the only, reason foodies dine here. The rest of the menu, does leave a lot to be desired, lacks consistency and can fail to impress. I assure any new patrons considering Crustacean that anyone writing a mediocre review either doesn't like crab in general or missed one of these items.

The bottom line: If you like garlic and you like crab, you will love Crustacean! Guaranteed.