Evan W.
Yelp
20+ years ago, Killer Shrimp was a mini chain with several intimate locations dishing out a small menu of items, mostly variations of fresh shrimp in their signature broth, a rich, savory and slightly spicy brew you could spend hours lapping up with French bread. For whatever reasons, the multiple locations closed and the business consolidated into a larger space in Marina Del Rey. With a bigger kitchen, the menu expanded and is now quite varied. Yes, their original shrimp in broth remains the centerpiece, and what many people come specifically to order; but they've got plenty of appetizers, salads and entrees to satisfy just about anyone, plus a full bar and a good selection of liquor at very reasonable prices.
Our most recent visit was on New Year's Eve, prior to attending a special event in their new, upstairs speakeasy, Killer Yacht Club (separate review). My wife ordered the Original Shrimp, which is just as it always was: tasty, spicy and addictive. The shrimp were fresh and good-sized, and the portion was ample. In days gone by, each of us would have put away a whole order, but our older bellies don't have quite as much room, and there was a good deal left over, which would have been brought home if we were not going to the other event.
Since I knew I'd be able to horn in on some of my wife's shrimp in broth, I ordered the Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp: 3 nice-sized shrimp, each topped with a dollop of their house crab cake mix and baked. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the crab cake stuffing was very tasty. These were served with drawn butter, but that didn't add much to the already well-seasoned shrimp, so I opted for a touch of their house-branded hot sauce, and that was the perfect topper.
In addition to the stuffed shrimp, I ordered the Wedge Salad, which is a very creative take on the steakhouse staple. The Killer Shrimp version comes with half a head of iceberg lettuce topped by grilled green onion, baby tomato, roasted garlic, crispy prosciutto, generously sized pieces of bleu cheese and a creamy bleu cheese dressing. It was a large salad built with very fresh ingredients, but the surprise star was the roasted whole cloves of garlic, which really added great depth of flavor.
The one drawback to the experience was the service. Yes, this was New Year's Eve, but this was not a special event crowd. It was busy, but not packed as I've seen the place many times before... yet the service was harried and inattentive. Our cocktail order was pretty standard, but both of our drinks were made incorrectly and had to be sent back. The real issue was the men's room, which was a shambles -- like really sopping wet, and without toilet paper in the stall. Since this was still at the beginning of the evening, one has to wonder why the restrooms weren't serviced properly before the dinner crowd arrived. Again, despite being New Year's Eve, the restaurant was not overwhelmed with guests.
The service aside, the food was top quality and very enjoyable, so we'll be coming back for sure.