Surfing Crab offers a unique dining experience that combines Cajun seafood with traditional Asian dishes, including an unexpectedly delightful fried rice. It's a culinary blend that surprisingly works well, catering to a variety of tastes whether you're into savory seafood boils or spicy Cajun flavors, or even classic Asian cuisine. The restaurant’s theme is heavily focused on crabs, which might seem a bit much for some, but it adds a fun and distinctive charm to the place. This makes Surfing Crab a standout choice for those looking to enjoy a wide range of flavors in a lively, themed setting. Whether you're a seafood aficionado or a lover of bold Cajun and Asian flavors, this place is sure to offer something that tantalizes your taste buds.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Fried Rice, Lobster Tail
Ladi T
The service was great. I did like the food. However my sister crab was ice cold in the middle and one cluster of mine was as well. The corn was hard as well. The waitress fixed her order but I didn't send my back. I just don't like doing that. Overall I had a great time and enjoyed going here. I definitely like this location better than the other crab place in San Marcos. Surfing has way more flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Boil Trio Special, Escondido Surfing Special, Snow Crab Legs with Corn Potatoes & Sausage, Lobster Tail
Amanda Espina, MBA
Amazing wonderful delish and max bang for your buck!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Smith
Do not buy any breaded food.It's like bisquick pancake mix.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
John McCann
My family and I love this place. We probably eat here too often.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Catfish and Fries, House Special Fried Rice, Sausage
Gideon Stargrave
This place is so rad! If you are looking for a killer seafood boil in north county, here's your spot! Great specials, plenty of parking, cool decor and super friendly staff, and the food was delicious. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
debra williams
This place is more on the pricey side. Food is good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Fried Catfish and Fries, Side Sweet Potato Fries
Cheryl Brennan
Total fun place. One of the few restaurants of this kind that take reservations!
Food was great. Sauce is thin and pale but full of flavor. All the waiters were nice and kind, very attentive. The shrimp and mussels were delicious. The alcoholic drinks were balanced and strong. Decor was suped cute. Definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hanna Scott
I am so glad we tried this restaurant. We will definitely come back with others. The food was fresh and so delicious. I am a huge fan of seafood, they offer many options and different preparations. We had the Escondido special with crab, lobster, and shrimp. It came with corn, potatoes and sausage. They also have a good selection of drinks, and local beer. The prices are very reasonable.Kid-friendliness: Great place for the whole family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Escondido Surfing Special, Snow Crab Legs with Corn Potatoes & Sausage, Lobster Tail
We've been there several times now and have enjoyed the food and beverages every visit. The staff are friendly and competent, and it's always a fun (but messy) experience.Parking: Lots of parking. Never more than a two minute walk.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Boil Trio Special, Escondido Surfing Special, Snow Crab Legs with Corn Potatoes & Sausage
Sandy pulido
First time coming. The place is big and seats a lot of people. When we came in we were looking at the menu to know what to order. We ordered the sampler appetizer, chicken fried basket and the trio crab boil. When ordering we told are waitress we wanted it "MILD". First came in the appetizer. The calimari was a bit to chewy for me. The breaded shrimp was amazing. The hushpuppies had all the seasonings which I like. The spring rolls on the other hand were really empty and so small. After enjoying that the waitress lets us know that our crab boil was ready and if we wanted it now and we said yes. She brings it and after we are putting shrimp and what not we tell her if the other fried basket was coming. She kind of was confused and said if it wasn't out and we said no. So then she brings it. Back to the boil crab. Everything was good except it was super spicy for my liking. I felt that it wasn't mild as we requested. So our hands were getting dirty and notice our waitress passing by and ask her if we can get paper towels as our table didn't have any. So she brought it and we went through a lot since it gets messy and every bite was spicy.Once we received our bill I was flabbergasted that they add gratuity. First of all. I felt like we didn't even get the service we deserved. Our waitress didn't even put mild for our order. Our bill said "MEDIUM". Like no wonder it was spicy. And she also offer to bring crackers with our crab boil which she didn't. And we literally had to tell her the things we needed or she forgot.Don't get me wrong the food was amazing. But the service here was lacking. If this business is charging gratuity then you should train your staff to do better. Overall I recommend this place cause everything on the menu was good. Just make sure you come with 5 people or less so they don't charge gratuity. It seemed like they had a lot of staff but most of them were just talking among each otherKid-friendliness: They have kids menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: House Special, Seafood Boil Trio Special
Dylan W.
Good service, good food, nice atmosphere. Flavors on the food were amazing loved every bite, got crawfish, crab legs and shrimp. And the whole flavor bag with medium spice. Great stuff!!
Karyn Yu Paxton
First time here after hearing it replaced Macaroni Grill. We went here to celebrate my husband's birthday for lunch.Their menu has a variety of alternatives to choose from that makes it easy for if you're eating with company that does not do spicy or Cajun flavors. Chinese inspired entrees with rice mostly.We ordered the Escondido Surfing Special and fried calamari app to share amongst ourselves.Fried calamari was crispy, piping hot and came with cocktail sauce for dipping. The calamari itself was just a tad chewy but good.Escondido Surfing Special came with 1/2 shrimp, 1/2 snow crab and 1 lobster tail. All their specials also come with corn, sausage and potatoes.Decent amount of seafood for the price. We ordered all of the above surfing special sauce in medium spice. Spice was 7/10 spicy.Lobster served in it shell - did not easily pull from shell which indicated to me that lobster was overcooked.Shrimp came deveined with head off and she'll still attached. Easy to pull and eat.Snow crab was underwhelming in size and came whole in a set of pincher with 3 legs approximately.Our waitress was amazing and checked in on us periodically to ensure we had everything we needed.We also ordered a house special fried rice to go for our little one. Family loved it, they filled our container to the brim. Our new go-to for fried rice.I also asked if they do anything for birthdays and they were nice enough to serve us cheesecake with a candle.All in all, delightful new boil place for us North County folks.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: House Special Fried Rice, Escondido Surfing Special
M B.
We went for dinner the other night while on a business trip and was so disappointed with the oysters. Doesn't matter how you want it cooked- raw, steamed, breaded, it was HUMONGOUS. Unless you love to eat huge ones (3 inches long) then this is for you. We ordered steamed one and had to have it returned to steam it some more but no go, cut a piece and almost threw up. Had to return it and was credited for it. We've eaten different kinds of oysters everywhere but this was just terrible. The rest of our order was pretty good except for this. And portioning was big.
Surfing Crab offers a unique dining experience that combines Cajun seafood with traditional Asian dishes, including an unexpectedly delightful fried rice. It's a culinary blend that surprisingly works well, catering to a variety of tastes whether you're into savory seafood boils or spicy Cajun flavors, or even classic Asian cuisine. The restaurant’s theme is heavily focused on crabs, which might seem a bit much for some, but it adds a fun and distinctive charm to the place. This makes Surfing Crab a standout choice for those looking to enjoy a wide range of flavors in a lively, themed setting. Whether you're a seafood aficionado or a lover of bold Cajun and Asian flavors, this place is sure to offer something that tantalizes your taste buds.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Fried Rice, Lobster Tail
The service was great. I did like the food. However my sister crab was ice cold in the middle and one cluster of mine was as well. The corn was hard as well. The waitress fixed her order but I didn't send my back. I just don't like doing that. Overall I had a great time and enjoyed going here. I definitely like this location better than the other crab place in San Marcos. Surfing has way more flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Boil Trio Special, Escondido Surfing Special, Snow Crab Legs with Corn Potatoes & Sausage, Lobster Tail
Amazing wonderful delish and max bang for your buck!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Do not buy any breaded food.It's like bisquick pancake mix.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
My family and I love this place. We probably eat here too often.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Catfish and Fries, House Special Fried Rice, Sausage
This place is so rad! If you are looking for a killer seafood boil in north county, here's your spot! Great specials, plenty of parking, cool decor and super friendly staff, and the food was delicious. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is more on the pricey side. Food is good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Fried Catfish and Fries, Side Sweet Potato Fries
Total fun place. One of the few restaurants of this kind that take reservations!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Boil Trio Special, Edamame
Food was great. Sauce is thin and pale but full of flavor. All the waiters were nice and kind, very attentive. The shrimp and mussels were delicious. The alcoholic drinks were balanced and strong. Decor was suped cute. Definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I am so glad we tried this restaurant. We will definitely come back with others. The food was fresh and so delicious. I am a huge fan of seafood, they offer many options and different preparations. We had the Escondido special with crab, lobster, and shrimp. It came with corn, potatoes and sausage. They also have a good selection of drinks, and local beer. The prices are very reasonable.Kid-friendliness: Great place for the whole family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Escondido Surfing Special, Snow Crab Legs with Corn Potatoes & Sausage, Lobster Tail
Restaurantji Recommends
We've been there several times now and have enjoyed the food and beverages every visit. The staff are friendly and competent, and it's always a fun (but messy) experience.Parking: Lots of parking. Never more than a two minute walk.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Boil Trio Special, Escondido Surfing Special, Snow Crab Legs with Corn Potatoes & Sausage
First time coming. The place is big and seats a lot of people. When we came in we were looking at the menu to know what to order. We ordered the sampler appetizer, chicken fried basket and the trio crab boil. When ordering we told are waitress we wanted it "MILD". First came in the appetizer. The calimari was a bit to chewy for me. The breaded shrimp was amazing. The hushpuppies had all the seasonings which I like. The spring rolls on the other hand were really empty and so small. After enjoying that the waitress lets us know that our crab boil was ready and if we wanted it now and we said yes. She brings it and after we are putting shrimp and what not we tell her if the other fried basket was coming. She kind of was confused and said if it wasn't out and we said no. So then she brings it. Back to the boil crab. Everything was good except it was super spicy for my liking. I felt that it wasn't mild as we requested. So our hands were getting dirty and notice our waitress passing by and ask her if we can get paper towels as our table didn't have any. So she brought it and we went through a lot since it gets messy and every bite was spicy.Once we received our bill I was flabbergasted that they add gratuity. First of all. I felt like we didn't even get the service we deserved. Our waitress didn't even put mild for our order. Our bill said "MEDIUM". Like no wonder it was spicy. And she also offer to bring crackers with our crab boil which she didn't. And we literally had to tell her the things we needed or she forgot.Don't get me wrong the food was amazing. But the service here was lacking. If this business is charging gratuity then you should train your staff to do better. Overall I recommend this place cause everything on the menu was good. Just make sure you come with 5 people or less so they don't charge gratuity. It seemed like they had a lot of staff but most of them were just talking among each otherKid-friendliness: They have kids menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: House Special, Seafood Boil Trio Special
Good service, good food, nice atmosphere. Flavors on the food were amazing loved every bite, got crawfish, crab legs and shrimp. And the whole flavor bag with medium spice. Great stuff!!
First time here after hearing it replaced Macaroni Grill. We went here to celebrate my husband's birthday for lunch.Their menu has a variety of alternatives to choose from that makes it easy for if you're eating with company that does not do spicy or Cajun flavors. Chinese inspired entrees with rice mostly.We ordered the Escondido Surfing Special and fried calamari app to share amongst ourselves.Fried calamari was crispy, piping hot and came with cocktail sauce for dipping. The calamari itself was just a tad chewy but good.Escondido Surfing Special came with 1/2 shrimp, 1/2 snow crab and 1 lobster tail. All their specials also come with corn, sausage and potatoes.Decent amount of seafood for the price. We ordered all of the above surfing special sauce in medium spice. Spice was 7/10 spicy.Lobster served in it shell - did not easily pull from shell which indicated to me that lobster was overcooked.Shrimp came deveined with head off and she'll still attached. Easy to pull and eat.Snow crab was underwhelming in size and came whole in a set of pincher with 3 legs approximately.Our waitress was amazing and checked in on us periodically to ensure we had everything we needed.We also ordered a house special fried rice to go for our little one. Family loved it, they filled our container to the brim. Our new go-to for fried rice.I also asked if they do anything for birthdays and they were nice enough to serve us cheesecake with a candle.All in all, delightful new boil place for us North County folks.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: House Special Fried Rice, Escondido Surfing Special
We went for dinner the other night while on a business trip and was so disappointed with the oysters. Doesn't matter how you want it cooked- raw, steamed, breaded, it was HUMONGOUS. Unless you love to eat huge ones (3 inches long) then this is for you. We ordered steamed one and had to have it returned to steam it some more but no go, cut a piece and almost threw up. Had to return it and was credited for it. We've eaten different kinds of oysters everywhere but this was just terrible. The rest of our order was pretty good except for this. And portioning was big.