Captain’s Choice Cajun Seafood

Decided to try this place based on the recommendation that it received online. Those recommendations must be based on the bags or boil that they serve. Sadly we were looking for fried catfish and some collard greens. This is definitely not the place for that. It also seemed like there were several people working but there was only one person working the dinning room area. Like I said this review is only based on the clam chowder and the catfish which was ok but far from the best I have had. The clam chowder tasted like it was from a can. So I definitely would not reccomend going here just for that like I said seemed like they were popular for the bag boil. I feel like the guy working the dinning room was trying but after a few tables came in after he was kinda overwhelmed. The food was mediocre especially after eating at multiple places over the last four days, the service was mediocre and the decor seemed a little old and dated.

This was our first time here and it was great. We got 2 #3’s (substituted the clams), fried oyster basket, gumbo, and the appetizer was fries ( All came out fresh and hot). Come here on an empty stomach because you will get full fast depending on your eating habits. But you will not be disappointed I promise. We will be back!!!

Service was good. The guy working there was very kind to us. Helpful. It was pretty dead. 5 people in there all day. We should have watched the Super Bowl there. The projector screen looks amazing! The food was good. Got the cajun sauce & an extra side. Sauce was delicious. Blue crabs were frozen, so it's not really worth buying. I would skip those next time. The crawfish was alright. Decent size. The shrimp was decent.

Ordered takeout and it was the freshest and hottest seafood in town my family and I have ever eaten! I definitely would recommend coming here for your seafood cravings.

I ordered Craw fish, broccoli & mushrooms with a side of garlic noodles. I received 12 crawfish, with many broccoli florets, and a few small slices of mushroom mixed into the crawfish "boil." The garlic noodles were more than I expected. The flavor was ok.. However, to pay $17 for 12 crawfish was a bit expensive. I took some photos to let you see my order. Maybe other dishes is better, but I do not recommend the crawfish.

I had a lobster tail special: a bowl of a lobster tail, crab legs, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. The food was delectable. It comes in a rich broth that you will want to soak the stuff in. Know your strengths - mild was already quite spicy. It was fingerlicking good. I'd say a special is a bit more than an average person can finish, so don't hesitate to share. The drinks menu has beer, shoju, and soft and hot drinks. The restaurant is very large. You won't have issues getting space for a group of 8+. The vibe is of a diner.

Super Cajun seafood ambiance. Gumbo was next level, huge portions, tons of juicy chicken chunks. Chowder was worth the visit. Will be returning to try more dishes. Fast friendly service. Go for the VI nostalgia, stay for the 30 foot video aquarium wall.

Delicious Cajun seafood boil place. I had the Dungeness special, extra spicy. It wasn’t spicy but it was delicious. The garlic noodles were tasty and made me homesick for San Francisco. The garlic bread was fantastic and the perfect tool to soak up all that sauce. The service was great but the poor guy seemed to be there alone. It’s a big room for one server.

We ordered to-go tonight: shrimp, potatoes, and corn seafood boil in Spicy (3x) Cajun sauce. Overall it was a lot better than all the seafood boils we've tried in this area. The sauce was flavorful, but a bit sweet. The potatoes have a very unusual taste even though they were in the same bag. My partner had the lobster roll with fries and it was delicious! Fries were amazing and lobster roll was full of flavor! The portions are really big as well! Definitely coming back to try the spiciest level!

If it's Cajun and Creole seafood you want in Northeast Portland, Captain's offers something for almost everyone. Between another Cajuny place my daughter mentioned, we settled on Captain's. Plus when they serve their spread, It's NOT in a bag like other 'boil-in-a-bag' places- which I liked. Similar to most seafood boil places, Captain's ceiling is also hooked up with fishing net and other thematic pieces. Our calamari starter- which were just rings, had a tasty dusting of seasoning. The fried oysters, had a heavy dredge and tasted off. Waste of money it was. Between our 5 main meals, flavors were on point. The fusion of old bay with garlic AND butter was a masterpiece of flavors when we came for a low-key dinner on a Saturday to celebrate my daughter's PSU graduation the following day. Like every other boil place, the food swims in all that good flavor and LOTS of it. I just wished there were more folks on hand except the one fella who was literally multitasking phone orders, providing leftovers baggies, taking orders and BRINGING out orders,

I am not sure why they call this place Cajun but there is nothing Cajun about it. I got the oyster po'boy with Cajun fries. The bread for the po'boy was pretty bad as was the coleslaw they put in there. The oysters were not quite right as well. Fries were fine but no Cajun seasoning. The ambiance was... well... interesting. There is a very odd show or something playing from their projectors on the wall. It makes no sense and I think it's supposed to simulate dropping acid or possibly it's the video explanation of scientology. The music was quiet, much quieter than their security system that says FRONT DOOR every time the front door opened. Most of their televisions are covered with rope chandelier things. One was frozen on a news program, one wasn't on and one was playing the weather, not that you could see them behind the chandelier things. All in all, a pretty bad experience. The service was fine but it didn't make up for everything else.

I knew I was in for a bad time when I walked in and was hit with an odd odor. The place had the atmosphere of an IHop crossed with a club lounge No hostess Ordered jambalaya and it was like soup. Very disappointed

Enjoyed the food and it's a clean a nice seafood spot in the Lloyd center district try it out and support the local businesses

I loved this place! We tried the lobster roll (not a classic roll, they take their own spin) and the fried fish and both were great! They both came with tornado potatoes. The interior is well decorated and had super cool visuals over the front wall. Honestly, I want to have a birthday party with karaoke here! Would definitely recommend this place.

I appreciated the decor of the place and the cleanliness of the seat and tables. When eating Cajun food, it is difficult to keep your hands and tables clean! There was a large screen TV playing Chinese videos that felt a little out of place. Service was very nice and patient with our group while we were discussing what to order. We ordered the fried calamari appetizer, catfish basket, clam chowder, Dungeness crab special with Cajun sauce, lobster tail special with garlic butter and soft drinks. The Coca Cola was extremely flat and tasted watered down. We thought it might have been a fluke due to the soda dispenser but our refill tasted the same. The fried calamari had a nice crisp texture and chew but lacked flavor, we had to dip it in the Cajun sauce to help alleviate that problem. The clam chowder and catfish basket was decent; however, consistency of the chowder felt off. The star was definitely the Dungeness crab special. The Cajun sauce had a nice flavor, although could have been spicier. We ordered medium and did not taste any heat. The garlic butter sauce was outshined by the cajun sauce. For the price, I felt like the quantity was justified due to the market price of seafood. The quality of the seafood ingredients was surprisingly good as well.

I have to say this is the best Cajun seafood I have EVER had and I have had some good ones. Had the seafood boil for party of 2. Shrimp, crab legs, clams, corn, sausage and potatoes. Hands down messy and worth diving in to! You definitely get what you pay for in quality, quantity and taste! Flavorful and fresh. I will for sure spread the word about this restaurant and I will be back. We loved it and the service is outstanding. Overall, best place I've eaten at in years!!!

Best place in Oregon. Sauce is perfect and it's always cooked well. Very Clean and fun environment ! service is always great and right on time.

Hmm... Very nice service & quiet, soothing ambiance. The crawfish was a little funky, the shrimp over cooked, and I got a funky oyster too. I think it must be mass imported frozen seafood. Amazing french fries though.

The food here was great, and what a superb atmosphere! I'm a fan of seafood, though I don't have a lot of experience with "Cajun" in particular. It seemed really authentic to me... and either way, it was damn tasty! (If a tiny bit pricey) The pirate statue was pretty cheesy tho.

Went To Captains Choice Cajun Seafood on Monday evening... the sauce was really good, seafood seemed fresh, the crab was a little over cooked. but they weren't busy at all. And every time I've driven by it or tried to go in, it's been really empty. My daughter and I had the combo #2 which came with 1 lb of snow crab, clams, and shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn. We got medium spice on the sauce. It was $88 after our drinks. It's too expensive and they need to have better options to choose from. I've been in NY and would get a crab boil with 1 lb of snow, clams, egg, sausage, potatoes, corn, and noodles, plus and appetizer and drink (not including alcohol) for $35-$40... I don't even eat shrimp; so Captains Choice pretty much forced me to get it. They should give more options to mix certain seafoods instead of making the choice for you, and at such an expensive rate. And then with just snow crab alone was still expensive. Sauce is good and I loved that they had onions in it, but to me, not worth the price. A family came in a little after we did, and all you could hear was them complaining about how expensive it was and they walked out. I was thinking of doing the same; but by that point we were starving and decided to stay. Place used to be the Village Inn.

I gotta say Captain Jacks is the real deal everything was on point especially the soft shell crab !

A lovely place. Used the be the old Applebees. Asian staff serving Cajun food. I had the lobster roll based on others recommended posts but I wouldn't get that again. I thing to get excited about. Now on the other hand. - the clam chowder was delicious. I'd get a bowl of that instead of a cup and call it good. Friends had the shrimp and the oysters. I'm not big into fried. Good but the Cajun fried were quite tasty. Would love to come back and try a boil. Had wanted dirty rice but actually their dirty rice is just friend rice. Friendly staff. Wine selection just sitter home small bottles and there's beer.

Clam chowder was great and chicken wings were good as well. The Cajun shrimp was just ok. I guess I got used to the garlic butter flavor! Not bad at all for the price.

Although I could eat fish n chips all day , they serve a great bowl of soup. The food is honest, and tasty.

Great seafood, great service, and great atmosphere! We had wanted to try out Bag o' Crab on the east side of town but with our large party and their limited space, we opted for Captain's Choice and it was a wonderful choice. From the seafood, to the sides, and to the delightful service, everything really hit the spot. I'd recommend to give this new business a try if you're craving Cajun seafood!

Consistently amazing and fresh tasting seafood! I got the lobster basket and I was actually very surprised with how big my lobster tail was great deal for the price!! The Cajun fry sauce is delicious!!!! I love how their fries are shaped different! The first time I ordered I got the Party of Two and it was outstanding. Definitely recommend for the seafood lover!

This is one of the best Cajun style crab boil restaurants in Portland. Much better than the ones on 82nd. Staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is cool too. Very clean as well. Definitely worth the money. All of the seafood is fresh and you can tell. The combination boils are more than enough seafood for the price. The clam chowder is very good. Service is friendly and accommodating. Definitely check this spot out you won't be disappointed.

The services was great. However, the oysters was not fresh and the oil, that the oyster were cooked in used oil.

This was a surprise when a friend recommended it to me. This is my second visit and I am trying a Crab boil. Last time I tried the Lobster roll and chips and the portions were large and the chips (fries) had Cajun seasoning. It was Delicious!

We had been surprised how wonderful this restaurant happened to be! Coming from Chicago to Portland we picked one based on reviews but not seeing much people inside felt lost a bit... "to be on not to be" - should we still go inside??? Menu was looking not too appetizing, more like a taverna's? We took a risk:)) and chose the seafood special. OMG- happen to be excellent choice ! Yes! Pick this place- it's a new one but we hope it stays open!

PHENOM!!! This is the place for crab boils. Heat and flavor. Reasonable prices, fresh ingredients. Attentive service.

Ordered a spicy garlic butter seafood boil. There was neither the taste of garlic nor butter. Not spicy at all either. Overall, very oily and no flavor. It was easy to tell the seafood was definitely frozen so it wasn't that fresh. The only star is for service. I'm sorry to say, this is the worst seafood boil I've ever eaten in my entire life LOL (I've tried at least 10+ restaurants across the US)

This place is Amazing. Every time I order from them I'm blown away. This was the Shrimp Po Boy, side of remoulade sauce not pictured. These cajun fries are the BEST and the po boy was excellent. I've also had several of their boils... omg so good! Especially the Dungeness Crab Special - highly recommend. Also recommend the Ap Fried Calamari - best calamari I've ever eaten. Long live Captain's Choice!

We were stopping by Portland on our roadtrip and tried Captain's Choice Cajun Seafood. We ordered take out and ordered the lobster tail special, clams, clam chowder, and coleslaw. Everything was delicious, seasoned well, flavorful, and a perfect hot temperature (except the coleslaw of course, which was nice and refreshing). They are also generous with their serving size. We loved it so much we wanted to order from them again on our drive back, but unfortunately the timing didn't work out. I would absolutely visit this restaurant again the next time I am in Portland.

Overpriced and the seafood was bland. I've had better fish and chips at ihop. The crab special isn't very special. Tiny tiny crab I ordered an egg on the side. It was $3 that's insane Do order the fried shrimp if you go. That was good. My opinion could change, my food was to go

I really wanted to like it. I've been craving Cajun food for a while. First off, service was great, super nice, and the place was very clean. I had already looked at the menu online and knew I wanted the Crawfish Etouffe (haven't had it in years since I moved from GA). However, their in-person menu doesn't offer this as a dinner entre, just a lunch special (differs from online). But they spoke to the cook and agreed that I could order it when I said I could just come back another day during lunch. Crawfish Etouffe is usually a thick sauce with big pieces of crawfish and a tiny bit of vegetables served over rice. Google Crawfish Etouffe images to see what I mean. What was served to me was a big bowl of soup with a big spoonful of rice added. Lot's of vegetables with tiny pieces of crawfish. Biggest taste was celery. Oh, and two pieces of garlic bread that were just thrown in the soup and getting soggy quickly. And the crawfish didn't taste fresh (maybe it's a west coast limitation, idk). So many restaurants I want to try and my budget is limited, so I will not be returning.

Everything tased the same. The service was great. The fried halibut tasted the same as the cod. It was pretty flavorless.

Totally random experience that exceeded our expectations. True cajun family so we have high expectations! Wow wow wow. Fastest service we've ever had, food was outstanding with huge crawfish. Better than the bayou! Was messy and pricey but worth it! We had make your own boil with medium spice which was way hotter than expected. Don't let the looks fool you. This place was great!

Nice place, clean, fast friendly service, large portions, good prices. Nothing to complain about here the crawfish etouffee was awesome just the right kind of spicy lots of crawfish. I'll be back.

Came here and had the best seafood in the PDX area the boiled shrimp is pretty good a nice flavor sauce with some spice behind.

The restaurant is very family oriented and very inviting it has a variety of selection of Cajun foods and features homestyle Cajun cooking from the south

Food was great! Service was super friendly! Would totally recommend for a date. Combination Boils

I went in for lunch and it was ehhhh. The restaurant itself was very clean, the ambience had a lot going on, kinda cheesy but like in a really fun way. My server was nice and did really well. Now, the food on the other hand was not it. The presentation was great, but the taste missed the mark. I got the friend calamari appetizer and it was cooked great, but could use for more seasoning. I then got the lunch special of crawfish étouffée... this was atrocious. The trinity was not cooked at all, basically raw, and worst part is it tasted like I licked the inside of a fish tank. I get it, it's seafood, BUT étouffée does not taste like that. I had two bites and couldn't even finish it. The Texas toast that came with it though was good. Total cost came to $27 which for the price definitely should have delivered better on flavors and overall cooking.

Had a great experience here - the Dungeness Special (Cajun - with mussels and sausage added) was awesome. Also had the fried oysters with fries, delicious. Service was quick and attentive, very personable. The space is enjoyably hokey and comfortable. We will be back and would wager it's worth a stop for you!

I ordered lunch today to begin checking this place out. it is just down the street, so is very convenient; it replaces an old family pancake restaurant. I was happy i placed the order. We ordered the lobster roll po boy sandwich. it was good; the lobster was not over cooked and it had just enough sauce to enhance the meat, but not over shadow it. There was enough meat to enjoy without over loading it so that half the sandwich falls out when you pick it up. We also ordered the fried shrimp basket. Rebecca needs to be careful with fried foods and this was just right. The batter has good flavor, the oil was fresh and the batter was not too thick on the shrimp. It felt like they took off the tail, which is nice when the shrimp is friend. Both orders came with fries; again, the oil was fresh and the potato was not over cooked. Nor was it over salted. It could have used a bit more cajun seasoning. The fries come in an interesting shape, more like a wave, curly, but wide. Try them and you will see. I suspect we will drop by again. It was a good start.

I've been driving past this place since it opened and have always been curious. Went randomly one night and got the Dungeness crab special (crab, shrimp, potatoes, and corn) with the Cajun seasoning at a medium heat level. We were pleasantly surprised with the portion and the tastiness of everything! I will say, the heat level was just right (and we like pretty spicy things), so be prepared for legit spice levels. Service was attentive and helpful!

Food is awful and it smells in there. Nothing was fresh. Had a stomach ache right after.

We had the worst meal there. Fish and chips, catfish and chips, and oysters and chips, all were over fried. Very over fried. we ordered to glasses of wine and the wine was small bottles of cheap wine. service was not great considering we were one of two tables that were occupied. I will not be going back.

The food isn't fresh. The waitress I had was nice and the restaurant was clean. The could improve the quality of food.

The food was tasty and wonderfully messy Went for the catfish for my husband. My son and I share a boil of shrimp and clams with the usual fixings. Husband really liked the catfish and the fries are unique. Very good. Service was welcoming and friendly. Would go back again

Spur of the moment decision to eat dinner here last night. Decision based on "Best of" posts. The dining area is very casual. There are trendy fish type décor hanging everywhere. There is a HUGE screen playing soothing ocean scenes. This can also be considered a family friendly restaurant. The casual feel was a surprise. But consider what you are getting here.... Cajun Boil! Always messy! So it makes sense. I would not want to wear anything too nice to a Cajun boil. And the surroundings need to accommodate easy and quick clean up. The staff appeared to be the family owners. They were attentive, friendly and fun! They answered our questions with knowledge and friendly advice. We were impressed! We made our selections based on their comments. The food was delivered in large metal bowls. We were given a metal bucket for the detritus. We were given bibs and gloves. We used the bibs but ignored the gloves. The food was amazing! The pictures posted here are accurate. The sauces were delicious. The spices well balanced. We took leftovers home. Washing up afterward (remember we ignored the gloves) in the restrooms showed attention there as well. It was very, very clean and well stocked. We will be back! We will bring friends and family!

Mediocre at best. The server didn't know what seltzer water was. The stuff on the walls was bizarre.

The boils here are great!! I highly recommend getting a boil from here, but I'm not as high on some of the other individual items. It's like it's not seasoned well or seasoned right. The fried shrimp is great. The dirty rice wasn't flavorful. It was full of pepper; so it was spicy but wasn't flavorful. The fried fish breading wasn't flavored well either. If they would just add some seasoning to items like that, this place could be very good across the board.

They lie about their food. They don't know about crawfish, nor gumbo. Ask them what the purpose of file is. There is nothing Louisiana about them.

The ambiance is cute and fun , kids and your inner child would appreciate it . Our server was by her self and she was still attentive and kind so I appreciate that . Food . . Was .. amazing !!! I grabbed lobster tails crawfish and shrimp with Cajun seasoning sauce . Oh myyyy and sauce was soo good . You could definitely tell sauce had been stewing and brewing . Just so good !!

The shrimp boil and the crawfish boil were fantastic!!! Our service by Stacy was delightful. I definitely would go back and recommend it.

Seafood is not a meal to look for cheap. You should expect it to cost for good products and a very clean atmosphere. I tried the jambalaya this time and it had great flavor. I am looking forward to the next time. I hope your experience is a great as mine was.

BLACK FOLKS BEWARE: I visited this restaurant twice and me and my family WILL NOT be back. Unfortunately, this is another East Asian owned business without a care of how they treat Black consumers and ONLY concerned with their bottom line. Seriously... Who goes to a restaurant where the staff tell you they have expenses to pay, all while you are letting them know that you didn't receive the food you ordered? That's what happened here, read on... In my experience here this past weekend, the restaurant got busy and had few staff (more on this later). All the staff we saw and talked with were of East Asian descent. When we arrived, there was no communication about wait times and the fact that they were short staffed. We were seated at a booth and no one came to take our drink or meal order after 20 minutes. We flagged down a worker. The ordering process was abysmal. They stated being out of things and then only being able to fry things that they were out off (weird), not being able to make a bowl without sausage as everything comes "in a pack" (not sure what that meant). Half of us never received our food. Other tables, that arrived to the restaurant after us, started receiving their food. We flagged down a waitress and let her know that 4 of our people had not received their food and that other tables were getting theirs. She stated it must be because someone else took our order (not sure what that meant). We ended up asking for the check so we could leave and go elsewhere to feed the rest of our party. At the checkout counter, we waited about 10 minutes to get a printout. The waitress handed me the check with all our items on it, no apology for why we were leaving and half our table having not gotten their food. I communicated that the items on the receipt were not received and should be taken off. She told me this is what we ordered. I asked that she remove the items that never made it to the table and with hesitant attitude, she said "okay" and took the receipt from me while working on the computer. She proceeded to state that we didn't get the clam chowder because they were out, at which point we communicated to her that we were never told they were out of chowder. I expressed that communication of these things would have been best practice so we could adjust our orders. The waitress gave me a new total and asked me to pay it. I stated I was trying to make sure the amount she was requested now matched with what we received to the table and I was just finishing the calculations. She proceeded to tell me the amount of money I owed and the we had eaten the food and needed to pay the amount for it. At which point, I asked to speak with a manager. She went a got a guy from the back who came out and said that we needed to pay for the food we ate, they were busy, food is expensive, and they have expenses to pay. And then he repeated we needed to pay for what we ate. Since he was just coming to the counter, I relayed to him our experience and why I had asked for a manager. I then requested a discount on the food we did receive due to how we were being treated. I told him we were not going to pay full price for the type of treatment we received and that I was about to walk out of the establishment all together. He agreed to a 10% discount. We paid the amount and he said "I am doing the best I can" to which I said, "So are we. Communication is key". This comment made me even more upset with the establishment. It was social gaslighting. The issues with this experience can not be explained away with being a newer restaurant or having low staff. Communication is key. The restaurant should have let us know what to expect and given wait times and this would have resolved the issue. There is a pattern and history in Portland Metro, and other urban areas across the U.S., where East Asian businesses build around the desires/needs of Black communities (ex: hair stores; clothing stores; Cajun food restaurants, etc.). These businesses receive money from the Black community while treating the Black community with disdain. I refuse to continue patronizing such businesses.