Holy Crab - Arcadia

3 stars because we did not actually eat the food, so I am trying to be fair. My kids and I are gluten free due to celiac. my mom wanted to try this place for her birthday and her love of crab. my partner called the night before and asked for a manager to discuss gluten issues. She was told that while they cannot assure freedom from cross contact (of course), they did not feel the seafood would be an issue. Then they went so far as to say they could open the new fryer for us so we could get dedicated gf fries. We did not expect that, but we 're happy to hear it. We offered to call when we were coming so they could prepare and they agreed. The next day my mom was worried so called on her own to ask about gluten and was told that the seafood and butter as well as rice and corn would be safe. That evening, a rainy Sunday, we went to the restaurant as a group to enjoy my moms birthday. It is a small space, maybe 20 30 tables tops. There was only one 4 top enjoying food and the place was otherwise empty at 7:15pm. We sat and a server came and told us to scan the QR code and place our own order. I called her back to clarify which items we could order safely and see if she understood gluten, etc. She denied there being a new fryer or extra fryer and stated the seafood corn and rice were safe. Then she said, if want to order it 'll be a long wait for food. We asked how long, as my mom tires quickly and my kids were hungry, she stated there are like 12 orders in front of you . I replied that I do not know how to quantify that as I don 't work in their kitchen, could she guess. She said maybe 45 minutes or an hour, maybe more before the food would be served. I appreciate being told before ordering, but still it 's odd. So we left. They sell seafood boiled in a pot and served with sauces (I think) at market price, by the pound. That night shrimp was $15 a pound and crab was more. They also had some pasta and such, I didn 't really look since it has gluten. The inside was clean but felt oddly empty and sparse. The table that was eating had bibs on and paper spread on table for them. It looked fun, but also felt odd without much decoration and not much sense of there being a vibe for the place. We won 't be returning.

The place is great and not as busy as boiling crab and a lot less greasy we arrived late like 20 mins before kitchen closed and they were really welcoming and food has great flavor . Only thing I would've liked salt and pepper not just lemon.

We experienced shorter wait times compared to Boiling Crab—we walked right in! The quality of the food was even better than at Boiling Crab. I truly loved this place!

We originally went to boiling crab and it was a two hour wait. Looked up near by restaurants with a similar style and found holy crab. Holy moly it was good! I honestly think it is better quality shrimp and crab than boiling crab. The shrimp are bigger and the staff is friendly. They give you crab scissors which is a game changer. Definitely will come back!

The shrimp, squid, and lobster were all incredibly fresh, which is the most important aspect for me. Although there was only one server handling everything on Sunday night, it turned out fine; she ensured we had everything we needed, though we did have to wait a little. We tried various seasonings: lemon pepper, mild Cajun, mild Thai, and garlic butter on different dishes. None of the flavors were overpowering or too salty; they all complemented each other quite nicely.