30 Restaurants in 30 Days: Crawfish Shack Seafood
My prediction?
In six months, Crawfish Shack Seafood will have gobbled up the empty retail space next door in its mini-mall, expanded it table seating five-fold and turned its small fresh seafood case into a full-service market.
This small Buford Highway restaurant, which has been quietly chugging along for over a year, is just about ready to break out of its shell.
Customers come early for lunch and dinner, line up patiently, and wait in prey for one of the four (count ‘em) tables inside and two outside. Carryout is an option, but with the fried and boiled seafood comes fresh from the kitchen, you want must eat it right away.
Owner Hieu Pham keeps things simple. The menu is that of a classic old-fashioned fish shack: a few common varieties of finfish and shellfish, plucked from an ice-filled display case and served raw to take home and cook yourself, or fried or steamed to go or to eat in house. Everyone, of course, wants fried fish to eat in house. This is basic human nature.
We order a wholly snarfable combination platter ($6.99) that includes four of the jumbo fried shrimp above with two farm-raised Mississippi catfish fillets, hush puppies and a side of potato salad, butter-drenched corn on the cob (from frozen corn), fries or red-skinned potatoes.
We also order these six jumbo shrimp (left) boiled (1/3 of a pound at $8.99) per pound. They’re fantastic — cooked to a juicy snap and swimming about in a spicy Cajun marinade. A side bowl for shells with a damp towel to clean your hands provides a nice touch.
When I ask about the namesake crawfish, Pham gives us a couple to try. Firm, spicy and hard-shelled, they really remind me of Louisiana.
Other choices include oysters, grouper and tilapia. Pham says he will start serving fried crawfish tails, soft shell crabs and po’ boys (!!!) by the end of the month. He seems to be a freak for freshness, which is an admirable thing.
Pham, who is part Vietnamese, serves eggrolls and cha gio (Vietnamese spring rolls), which I didn’t try. He also has nuoc mia — fresh sugarcane juice served with a slice of orange, and just the ticket for a little non-alcohol to wash down this great fish.
I can’t help but ask. Is he looking at the space next door.
“Yes,” Pham says. “Though nothing has been been settled. I have to tell you I almost closed so many times in the first six months, but now I think I’m ready to expand.”
If he keeps offering this quality at this price, Pham should have no problem filling every seat.
Are there any other great little fish joints in Atlanta?
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27 comments Add your comment
Darin
November 15th, 2009
12:22 pm
I fee silly — I work near here and had no idea this place existed. Can’t wait to try it for lunch.
So many of the little, independent places I’ve enjoyed going to for fried seafood (especially Louisiana-style) have closed. I’m eager to find out if anyone knows of other spots.
Bears
November 15th, 2009
4:09 pm
This place has good food. Very friendly staff as well. Get there early or be prepared to eat in your car.
N-GA
November 15th, 2009
4:14 pm
John, I know that Jasper is a little drive from Atlanta, but The Last Catch restaurant is terrific. You would have to be surprised to find such fresh, well-prepared seafood in the foothills of the mountains, but here it is!
Fried oysters and flounder are outstanding along with shrimp, scallops, etc. You are served a free cup of clam “spread” that has more crab in it than any other ingredient.
If you’re up this way, stop in at 61 Main. It’s wonderful and specializes in seasonal, sustainable, locally sourced ingredients (and a small but representative wine list).
Atlanta Native - the original here
November 15th, 2009
4:17 pm
I cannot wait to try this out! Thanks JK!
Sarah
November 15th, 2009
5:44 pm
The Last Catch in Jasper, GA is fantastic! The husband-wife team that run the restaurant are fully committed to serving fresh and delicious seafood. Jim’s blackened salmon is the best, and the crab spread is such an unusual but tasty appetizer. The food is simply prepared, but always piping hot and served quickly. The people are great and the food is awesome–Jasper is definitely worth the drive for such fresh, affordable seafood!
Jim
November 15th, 2009
5:45 pm
This restaurant is really good. You are correct about the food and the menu. Get there early.
P:
November 15th, 2009
11:38 pm
Yet some more spam above……..driving traffic to pay the bills lol
crabcake.ca is yet another thinly veiled ad site….
Love it!
November 16th, 2009
9:02 am
Thanks JK…we live right around the corner and have never been there…shame on us! I want some of that lovely boiled shrimp, YUM!
John Kessler
November 16th, 2009
10:11 am
Thanks P: I’ll pull the lavatory cord on it…
Common Sense
November 16th, 2009
10:16 am
The Crawfish Shack is great. Great food; nice people. In my opinion, best seafood restaurant in the city of Atlanta. That includes the pricy ones in Buckhead.
Jake
November 16th, 2009
11:17 am
Best kept secret when it comes to seafood.
captsteve
November 16th, 2009
2:36 pm
Have not tried Crawfish, but us in Gainesville are lucky to have something VERY similar. Atl Hwy Seafood and Deli in Gainesville is owned by a vietnamese couple who take the same pride in thier servings. Small location that is always packed for lunch. GREAT crawfish with that La spicey taste. Fresh seaford brought from La weekly. This couple knows what they are doing
cgatlanta
November 16th, 2009
3:01 pm
Oyster King in Kennesaw. Fried shrimp is awesome. (The restaurant in the article seems alot like the original Oyster King of yesteryear)
Pat
November 16th, 2009
4:03 pm
Is there an address?
John Kessler
November 16th, 2009
4:32 pm
Pat: Click on the name and it will take you to an information page.
ESA
November 16th, 2009
5:46 pm
Three things I wouldn’t consider doing on a dare if you paid me:
1) Driving to Jasper to eat fried fish.
2) Driving to Kennewsaw to eat fried shrimp.
3) Driving to Gainesville to eat crawfish.
I’m glad people in those places are happy with a local restaurant but one above average local restaurant does not make a destination.
Mark
November 17th, 2009
6:53 am
ESA – you sound like quite the snob, believe it or not there is great food outside-the-perimeter. I am sure your elitist attitude would guarantee you the poor service you deserve.
I highly recommend Henry’s Louisiana Kitchen in downtown Acworth to everyone else. ESA is welcome to stay inside the perimeter.
dannyd
November 18th, 2009
2:00 am
ESA, I agree completely, only the other way around. The only way I’m going inside 285 is if someone drags me. JOHN, there are tens of thousands of us out here in the boonies with lots of little locales that probably deserve a mention.
It may not work for the 30 in 30 thing, but maybe you could consider a day trip or two…solicit local suggestions, then go for it!
I can attest to the quality of the Gainesville place, and woul suggest you consider visiting the Ridge in Cumming…it’s probably 75 percent of what bones is for about 20 percent of the price-nothing fancy, but a good place for the 99.9 percent of the time when Bones isn’t in the budget. The lobster bisque rocks!
Oh, and if you’re really interested in a burger joint (chain style) try out a Five Guys!
John Kessler
November 18th, 2009
7:58 am
DannyD – I am definitely going outside the Perimeter during this project, though probably not as much as you would like. Still, stay tuned for the next project. I think you’ll be very happy with it.
Love it!
November 18th, 2009
8:53 am
JK thanks for heads up…shame on me I live around the corner and hadnt gone in….i changed that yesterday and WOW was I impressed! After spending many summer on the Carolina coast, I am huge white shrimp fan …but trying The Shacks Gulf of Mexico shrimp…OMG-heaven. And he has OYSTERS!
He said Fridays are a ‘mad house’ but I am craving some more of that shrimp and oysters…do you think it would be OK if we brought our own table & chairs for the sidewalk? :>)
thanks!
Darin
November 18th, 2009
3:15 pm
Thanks for the tip — just had lunch here for the first time today. I got the catfish/shrimp platter in the corn meal batter with potatoes and hush puppies as my sides. All of it was good and I’ll definitely be back.
The guy at the register, who I assume to be the owner, said that this blog post has brought in a lot of new business for him. They were very busy and doing a lot of take-out orders. I scored a seat at a small table and gladly shared it with two other guys who came in and wanted to eat in-house.
Steven A.
November 18th, 2009
4:06 pm
John: As you consider OTP options, I would love to get your take on Gumbeaux’s in Douglasville, my gold standard for cajun/creole in Atlanta (and yes, I consider it worth the drive from Decatur).
VDog
November 19th, 2009
11:53 am
ESA, It is a shame your limited view will deprive you of some really great treats OTP. With ATl being a transportation hub, fresh is available everywhere, and 99% of the local suppliers are OTP. When was the last time you had corn on the cob picked just an hour or two before, or home grown tomatoes delivered from a neighbor down the road? Or how about a true prime rib-eye cooked to perfection, equal to any at Bones or Chops for half the price because the owners didn’t have to pay ATL taxes & rent? Don’t get me wrong, I love going ITP also, for great food & fun. But then again, I remember my buddy & I hopping in the car from Sandy Springs and driving to St. Simons on a wild hair just to get a fix for She Crab Soup at the Crab Trap! Now that’s really OTP!
Jerry Mucklow
November 21st, 2009
9:27 am
OMG…Are there really still people who play the OTP card in regards to ATL. I have been hearing that ABRV for way too long. We have the ITP 40 somethings to thank who first coined the phrase in an attempt to make ITP seem to be something more than what it was and still is..a major metropolitan with NO personality of its own. If you are a newbie ITP and using that phrase…please be aware…it brands you as shallow and dated. Seriously people…if Atlanta had half to offer what a city like Chicago did, the ITP generation would have never developed OTP phobia.
ITP AKA…”because I live inside of a man made circle of concrete, I am much cooler than I already think I am”
Big Tom
November 25th, 2009
10:23 pm
SouthSide Seafood just south of Hartsfield is probably the best kept seafood shack secret ever. My family has been eating there for two generations. They serve an excellent Low Country Boil on Fridays.
The Huffster
December 11th, 2009
1:07 pm
ESA, you’re asking for it when you say you wouldn’t go to these places if you got paid!
John Kessler gets paid to discover these great places for us – and then the rest of us go check them out before we weigh in.
Those of us who consider fried seafood the #1 food group have tried The Crawfish Shack on Buford Highway and the Oyster King in Kennesaw, and can say if you set them both down on a Florida beach they’d beat the local competition there, too.
For those who can’t find it, it’s not visible from the street. It’s in the First Buford Square Center, 4337 Buford Highway north of Dresden and south of the Jim Hearn Golf Center, directly across the street from a Latino used car dealership that I think is called Amigos.
almh
January 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
I just came from The Crawfish Shack and there’s a hole in the wall to expand. I’m not sure when it will be finished.