Hai Cang Harbor

"Any restaurant with tables blanketed in a thick layer of plastic secured by a giant lazy susan means business. Hai Cang Harbor Seafood Restaurant, a Vietnamese-Chinese seafood restaurant in Chinatown, is one of those places. Those lazy susans fill with platters piled high with wok-fried lobster tails thickly coated in dry spices and garlic, and mounds of fried rice crowned with entire fire-red Dungeness crab speckled with glistening roe. The restaurant is built for groups, celebrations, and anyone hosting their own informal seafood eating contest." - gianni greene, chelsea thomas

"Since 2013, this Asiatown establishment has been cooking up its take on Chinese and Vietnamese seafood, with dishes like the peppercorn Dungeness crab, which is as visually appealing as it is flavorful. The black pepper lobster, crab fried rice, king crab, and walnut shrimp are more than enough to satisfy a seafood lover, but if looking for a different form of protein, try the Beijing duck with a side of glistening snow peas." - Minh Truong, Mai Pham, Eater Staff

"Hai Cang, a Vietnamese-Chinese seafood restaurant in Chinatown, loads you up with spicy and tangy seafood by the truckload. The massive crab, lobster, and noodles platters are perfect for a big group dinner or perhaps an informal seafood-eating contest. Get particularly wild with pounds of lobster wok-fried in savory dry spices and a fire-red Dungeness crab carcass for fried rice, soft scrambled eggs, and juicy shrimp. Roll as deep as possible to Hai Cang and give the table’s lazy susan an extra spin for good luck." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene

"Choosing Hai Cang in Chinatown for a birthday celebration let’s people know two very important things about you. One, you really, really like to eat (a lot of) seafood. Two, you probably have, like, a lot of friends. Hai Cang’s massive menu, lazy-susan ready tables, and wall of fresh seafood tanks are there to crush you with incredible food. Get pounds of Dungeness crab dressed in sticky tamarind sauce, dry-fried lobster, and platters of noodles and rice. Bring at least 10 people—you will need their stomachs—and revel in knowing that on your birthday, you are both full of great food and also very popular." - gianni greene, chelsea thomas

"Hai Cang, a Vietnamese-Chinese seafood restaurant, will load you up with spicy and tangy seafood by the truckload. The massive platters of crab, lobster, and noodles are perfect for a big group dinner or perhaps an informal seafood eating contest. Get wild with pounds of lobster wok-fried in savory dry spices and a fire-red Dungeness crab carcass for fried rice, and soft scrambled eggs and juicy shrimp. Roll as deep as possible to Hai Cang, and give the table’s lazy susan an extra spin for good luck." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene