Crab Shack on the James

4.5 stars, 5 stars for the service. The only reason I took 1/2 star is because the crab cake was not at Virginia standards especially at a place called Crab Shack. However, Fried Calamari are at high end Italian level 100%, Oysters 10/10 and blackened Tuna bites as well. It is always refreshing to hear that a restaurant is out of a menu item, it tells me that it is fresh. Second time here and it is becoming a usual. Ambiance is unbeatable and I live 6 minutes away. Cocktails are on the strong side.

"A rising tide lifts all boats." I would like to think--as every individual does-- that I am the center of the Universe, and that what I think or say will fall like thunderbolts to modify the rough edges I discover. Crab Shack on the James is a tough nut even for thunderbolts--it has been around for a long time now, and has been getting away with what it has been getting away with for years, accumulating 2,060 reviews on Google Maps alone.

I think it has earned the 3.9 points that these reviews have averaged, and not quite the 4.0 points that I award here. Who is settling for marginal mediocrity? Few would argue, I think, that the location is not ideal for a seafood restaurant, although the view is not the Mighty Rolling Atlantic Ocean, but the somewhat more modest Historic Mother of the Jamestown Colony--still, there is a miles-broad expanse of the James River to contemplate while you await your cocktails and your seafood dinner. What has happened here, I am afraid, is that the Crab Shack on the James is content to stick at 3.9 for the next eternity--perhaps even to slide on down to 3.0 over time.

You can dine here without dying unless you are allergic to seafood. You might get drunk here without really enjoying your beverage of choice. I do not know whether Crab Shack actually has a Chef--or a Bartender, for that matter--at present: and if it is content to scuttle its claws across ancient seas interminably, we may anticipate no aspiration, no modification, no challenges to the palate.

What we have is lots o' food, fried or broiled; decent salads, decent french fries, decent service, ordinary prices for what we get. Launched on the Twenty-First Century waters, perhaps the discoveries are over at Crab Shack on the James. I would like to feel it would shoot for a 5.

But something deep will have to change.

Amanda was a great server, the food was delicious (crab legs and tuna sandwich), the banana margarita was awesome, and got the carrot cake to go! Love the views at the Crab Shack on the James... just wish I could have ordered the clams casino, which they don't have on the menu anymore, but everything else was good.

Wanted to try something different , went around 3pm on a Friday, with my daughter and uncle, definitely recommend , crab shack has something for all age groups! Definitely recommend the hush puppies and enjoyed the crabcake sandwich with slaw! Anna was our waitress, she's very attentive and nice!