It’s been long while since I posted about comfort food. Since I moved to Miami, I have tried to go on a diet (which I failed hugely), so I can streamline a little to fit into the south beach crowd. I have the swim suits but not the south beach body. And I don’t have the will power when there is so much comfort food around me. Eating healthy could have been possible with all the sushi and vegetarian food but I couldn’t just pass all that fried and creamy cajun food in Miami from CJ’s Crab Shack.
CJ’s Crab Shack Promises You to Deliver a Shack Style Comfort Food
Well, it didn’t take that long to start eating some yummy comfort food. I recently found a place called CJ’s Crab Shack. CJ’s Crab Shack Miami’s main menu is a cajun seafood restaurant. They serve a wide range of food from baked oysters to seafood pasta. It is like Joe’s Stone Crab but more substantial. If you don’t know what Joe’s Stone Crab is, you should look it up. Joe’s Stone Crab is probably the most famous crab restaurant in Miami. They are known for their stone crabs and it is pretty good and pretty expensive. But if you can drop some money, try it.
INTERIOR
Back to CJ’s Crab Shack. The interior is literally a shack-like restaurant. All the tables and chairs are cheap looking and the floor is uneven. It is not a well kept restaurant just like a shack that you would see when traveling down the Florida keys. Don’t be put off by the decor, because you can sit outside and take in the vibe and breeze of ocean drive. There’s nothing like the vibe of ocean drive and the watching people. It is always a good laugh watching people on the street (especially ocean drive). Possibilities are endless – funky outfits, skanky skimpy bikinis, wasted boys and girls, a clown and more.
Disclaimer. If you are going on a date, I would not recommend as it doesn’t have the best decor or the wine list. If you want to stay on ocean drive, I would recommend Betsy LT Steak and Seafood Restaurant. Or if you have a tight budget I would recommend Havana 1957.
LOCATION
CJ’s Crab Shack Miami is at the far end of ocean drive in Miami Beach. There are a lot of tables outside and even bigger inside but the inside is dark and depressing. The staff are very friendly and polite keen and like other joints on ocean drive, they persuade you to join them for lunch or dinner.
MENU & PRICE
Because it is seafood, they don’t do cheap offers like the rest of ocean drive, South Beach.
The menu at CJ’s Crab Shack is wide ranging and lots of choice for everyone. But if you decide to go to CJ’s Crab Shack in Miami beach, forget about going through the menu. Go for the cajun crab & shrimp combo which includes crab, baked oysters, Alfredo pasta, crab cake and shrimp. All were very good but the crab and the crab cake were the stars of the show. They serve crab cake in the actual crab and it is not heavily breaded but heavily filled with crab meat. The top is baked and it gives you the crunchiness. The crab is tender and sweet. However, as the crab is still in the shell, it’s hard to eat.. BUT! it’s worth the battle to get to the meat. So be ready to get down and diirrtty (It’s also fun to watch all the customers struggling through the shells in great anticipation of what’s inside).
Cajun Crab & Shrimp Combo Is a Bang for the Buck
The pasta is what you call a comfort food. It’s rich on sauce and heavy on taste. The baked oyster is baked with cheese and it is interesting. I thought it was tasty but Mark thought it wasn’t as good, as they use cheap cheese. The side dish fills you up so leave that until you have eaten all the good seafood. In fact two people could share this dish as its large and plenty for two The waiter told us all the seafood is local or from the keys. Nothing’s is frozen or imported .
Fish and Chips Are a Good to Go as the British Approves
We also had fish and chips. Mark can never pass this by on any menu as his favorite food is fish and chips – his British roots!!! The fish was very good crisp outside soft and white fluffy inside. He really enjoyed it and would have it again. As always fish and chips needs malt vinegar which CJs didn’t have, as it would have enhanced the taste of fish and the chips (especially the chips).
Not Many Choices for Wine, but Good Choices for Frozen Drinks
The drinks range from the beers to frozen drinks which are great on a hot day. They do not have a wine list and not many choice. If you are looking for wine, this is not the place to go. However, they have different types of frozen drinks. I have not tried it because we were going to go to Wet Willies afterwards, but please let us know if you have! Please share your thoughts.
OVERALL
Overall the food is good and the choice is wide ranging. The price is a little expensive for ocean drive, but overall I think it’s a good value for the portion. Please share with us if you have tried other dishes 