Shannon B.
Yelp
Yep, I said it. Five stars. I've been eating crawfish all over this town for 30 years now after growing up in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas (which is basically Southwest Louisiana). I keep coming back to Crawfish Shack because they never disappoint when it comes to freshly boiled Viet-Cajun crawfish during crawfish season (roughly Jan - May). The seasoning & spice are just right, service is great, and the mudbugs are well-sorted and clean. This is why you'll see lines out the door every weekend during the season.
I was really impressed on my most recent visit when the server delivered a 3 lb tray to the table and noticed there was a head missing the tail. He made a point to check to see if the tail was just pulled off during the transfer from pot to tray and then, unasked, went back to the kitchen and brought 4 more crawfish to the table to make up for the issue. Further, I have never encountered any mushy or straight-tailed crawfish (indicating dead before the boil) in years of visits. This attention to quality & detail is rare these days and something that makes me want to keep giving my business to Crawfish Shack.
For the 2020 live crawfish season, the going price is $10.99/lb, which seems a bit steep compared to what you might find in Beaumont, but we're not there, we're in Austin. After the season, they'll usually offer previously frozen crawfish for around $8.49/lb and they are still quite enjoyable. We usually throw in a pound of snow crab legs for fun and those are going for $19.99/lb at this point. For crawfish, you are typically ordering 2-4 lbs per person (as you can expect only 15% of that weight to be edible tail meat). All that is to say this is not an inexpensive meal but for a special treat with a group of friends who love the seafood boil experience, it's a treasured way to get together and worth the splurge.
The staff will bring gloves and bibs on request - do request it - and sharp kitchen shears for crabs. The table is covered in thick waxed paper and this is where you'll pile your shells in the center of the table.
Sadly, the BYOB days of 2019 have gone and you can once again order from a selection of domestic beers for around $4/each.
According to Texas A & M (a respected food science authority), "Crawfish are an excellent source of high-quality protein and are low in calories, fat and saturated fat. They're also a good source of vitamin B12, niacin, iron, copper and selenium." If that didn't convince you to give it a try, go for the shrimp or crab boil instead. The rest of the menu of typical Gulf Coast fried seafood and Cajun options is okay, but it's the high quality seafood boil that keeps Crawfish Shack packed.
Decor is what you'd expect from a "shack" - nothing fancy, just a little "hole in the wall" kind of place in a suburban strip center, entirely appropriate crawfish boil atmosphere. Come in your t-shirt, flops, and jeans and get ready to have a messy, delicious time.