Shaw's Crab House

Quality Crab, Premium Seafood & Prime Steak

(815) 407-7314

21 E Hubbard St (North State Street)
Chicago, IL 60611 41.890078 -87.627466

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Neighborhoods: Near North Side, Central

Shawcrabhouse.com

Hours:

Main Dining: M-Th: 11:30am-10pm

F: 11:30am-11pm

Sa: 5pm-11pm

Sun: Brunch: 10:00am-1:30pm, 5pm-10pm

Oyster Bar: M-Th: 11:30am-10pm

F-Sa: 11:30am-11pm

Sun: 12pm-10pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 5.12.12

Category:

Crab House, Food & Dining, Restaurants, Party Planners, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Cash, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Private Rooms, Business Dining, Online Reservations, Date Spot, Group Dining, Food Delivery, Notable Wine List, Bar Scene

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Seafood, Italian

Smoking Permitted:

At the bar

Editor's Tips

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What People Are Saying About Shaw's Crab House

The Owner

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Clubby ambience and a reputation for excellent food and service draws suits and special-occasion celebrants to this classic Chicago spot. The bar fills with after-work types waiting for a table; some opt for the more casual scene of the adjacent oyster bar. In the banquet-sized dining room, handsome red-leather booths and dark-wood paneling create an upscale scene. There's a hubbub about the place that borders on chaos; no-nonsense servers remain unfazed. – – The Food – Crab dishes get top billing on Shaw's extensive seafood menu, and deservedly so: Crab…

Editor's Tips

Save Money:
Monday through Friday, 4pm-6:30pm is "oyster hour," with all oysters at half-price in Shaw's Oyster Bar. At lunch, choose from mini-desserts like Key lime pie, vanilla cookies and chocolate pot de creme for a buck each.
The Extras:
Shaw's offers translated versions of its menu in both Japanese and Braille.
Know Before You Go:
For delivery, call CEO Deliveries at (312) 733-5019.
ambiance
93.75% positive
  1. “While I liked the atmosphere, the food and service were both below par.”
  2. “Fresh oysters in the fun Blue Crab Lounge were a great start.”
  3. “With good ambience and great service, what more could you want?”
  4. “don't recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a romantic dinner.”
  5. “Overall the atmosphere is relaxed and the bartenders are very friendly and know their stuff.”
  6. “The food is always prepared right, with great service, and the dining room is comfortable, where you can relax and enjoy your meal.”
  7. “Very good atmosphere and attentive, excellent service.”
  8. “Has a really cool old school ambience without coming off as stuffy, and the thickest hand towels of all time in the bathroom.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “Here was our dinner/all worthy selections: Start with their hand-shucked dozen assortment of oysters (Chicago Magazine just voted "the best" oysters), then their famous jumbo lump crabmeat crabcake (North Shore magazine voted "best crabcake"), then their ”
  2. “My sister ordered the peach and bluberry cobbler and they brought it to her on a plate that had "Happy Birthday" written on it in chocolate.”
  3. “The crab cake was very good, but everything else was just average, and the service was definitely below average for fine dining.”
  4. “And the homemade raspberry pie with vanilla ice cream was excellent!”
drinks
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “also like an oyster bar that gives a baker's dozen; this one does not.”
  2. “After great drinks service we ordered chowders to start and lobster for our main meal.”
  3. “Great oysters and great bar”
  4. “Great raw bar with chalkboard specials for fish in season.”
  5. “The service is professional, knowledgeable, and can always recommend something delicious to eat or drink.”
  6. “Food was great, the jazz combo was great, the cocktails would have made my mother proud, but the service was lousy.”
  7. “The food was great, the drinks were great (although better Australian wines could be chosen) and the service was fantastic.”
  8. “Nothing better, in my opinion, on a cold winter late afternoon than a bottle of white wine, a dozen oysters and a bowl of lobster bisque.”
food quality
86.16999626159668% positive
  1. “While I liked the atmosphere, the food and service were both below par.”
  2. “highly recommend Shaw's Crab House for its fresh food and excellent service.”
  3. “Their signature rice tasted mushy and as though they used stale curry for seasoning.”
  4. “Incredible service with incredible food”
  5. “Soft shell crabs were great but not worth the $13 per very small, skinny crab.”
  6. “This is the only place I'll eat oysters in Chicago, and their fish is the best.”
  7. “We really enoyed the dinner and would definitely recommend it for great seafood.”
  8. “particularly enjoyed the blue crab that was stuffed in a lobster.”
  9. “My girlfriend and I went to Shaw's because i have heard from others that they have the best crab legs in town.”
  10. “The clam chowder was full of flavor and very good.”
  11. “have been to Shaw's several times and have enjoyed the food and service.”
  12. “The service is professional, knowledgeable, and can always recommend something delicious to eat or drink.”
  13. “In addition to all the conventional fresh seafood in this place (the daily catch -- both fish and shellfish -- is posted on the wall), they have sushi, which is like having a second menu of appetizers.”
  14. “At first service was prompt, but the wait time between our fresh oyster appetizers and our entrees was about 45 minutes.”
  15. “The king crab was excellent.”
  16. “The crab cake was very good, but everything else was just average, and the service was definitely below average for fine dining.”
  17. “After great drinks service we ordered chowders to start and lobster for our main meal.”
  18. “excellent seafood at an excellent international price and with fantastic service”
  19. “On our first night in Chicago, I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with a nice seafood dinner.”
  20. “The food is generally pretty fresh, but the portions are rather small in proportion to the price charged.”
  21. “The service was extremely poor, which is unacceptable for food that expensive.”
  22. “Shaw's needs to get smaller serving trays for their cold seafood appetizer plate.”
  23. “Great raw bar with chalkboard specials for fish in season.”
  24. “Shaw's has actually become a stand by of mine for a decent meal out.”
  25. “The food was very good.”
  26. “Took a friend of 25 years to the best seafood restraurant I know in Chicago on Sunday night.”
  27. “There are many other places that are better for a nice seafood dinner!”
  28. “By the way, the food is good too.”
  29. “The food was incredible.”
  30. “The sizes of these legs were so huge and delicious.”
  31. “The food is fresh, but these guys act like they have never heard of seasoning.”
  32. “My husband and I ate delicious Austrailian lobster and ordered a 5 pounder, with other dishes, broke our bank for the month, but it was worth every penny.”
  33. “He along with the great food made the trip from Michigan well worth it.”
  34. “We had a very nice and knowledgeable waiter, who was attentive, but didn't rush us through our meal.”
  35. “poor service and overcooked seafood”
  36. “Here was our dinner/all worthy selections: Start with their hand-shucked dozen assortment of oysters (Chicago Magazine just voted "the best" oysters), then their famous jumbo lump crabmeat crabcake (North Shore magazine voted "best crabcake"), then their ”
  37. “Wonderful food , outstanding service”
  38. “The food was great, the drinks were great (although better Australian wines could be chosen) and the service was fantastic.”
  39. “The food was outstanding but even better was the service.”
  40. “The seafood bisque was good but had too much tomato sauce in it.”
  41. “Drinks are pricey, but nothing unexpected for an old-time downtown seafood house.”
  42. “The food is always prepared right, with great service, and the dining room is comfortable, where you can relax and enjoy your meal.”
  43. “The sushi was very good and fresh, and the rice had the right su mixture (the sweet vinegar mixture that is folded into the rice).”
  44. “But they do have a decent meal for a good price, if you aren't drinking.”
  45. “Shaw's has the seafood dining experience down to a perfect science.”
  46. “The steak was average, and the king crab legs were good, but not extraordinary.”
  47. “We both felt we have eaten the best crab ever in our lives.”
menu variety
80.0% positive
  1. “The waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu, very polite and did a fabulous job.”
  2. “The oyster menu has some of my favorite Northwest oysters, including the Kusshi from BC.”
  3. “An underpaid staff and an overpriced menu give rise to overstuffed wallets to some underdeserving restaurateurs.”
  4. “In addition to all the conventional fresh seafood in this place (the daily catch -- both fish and shellfish -- is posted on the wall), they have sushi, which is like having a second menu of appetizers.”
  5. “Here was our dinner/all worthy selections: Start with their hand-shucked dozen assortment of oysters (Chicago Magazine just voted "the best" oysters), then their famous jumbo lump crabmeat crabcake (North Shore magazine voted "best crabcake"), then their ”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “Anyone who thinks it's a good place to eat belongs in the book, The Emperor's New Clothes.”
service
84.02999877929688% positive
  1. “While I liked the atmosphere, the food and service were both below par.”
  2. “An underpaid staff and an overpriced menu give rise to overstuffed wallets to some underdeserving restaurateurs.”
  3. “We had a very nice and knowledgeable waiter, who was attentive, but didn't rush us through our meal.”
  4. “excellent seafood at an excellent international price and with fantastic service”
  5. “The food was outstanding but even better was the service.”
  6. “The service was extremely poor, which is unacceptable for food that expensive.”
  7. “poor service and overcooked seafood”
  8. “Food was great, the jazz combo was great, the cocktails would have made my mother proud, but the service was lousy.”
  9. “The crab cake was very good, but everything else was just average, and the service was definitely below average for fine dining.”
  10. “highly recommend Shaw's Crab House for its fresh food and excellent service.”
  11. “Armando , our waiter , was outstanding.”
  12. “Wonderful food , outstanding service”
  13. “Incredible service with incredible food”
  14. “The waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu, very polite and did a fabulous job.”
  15. “At first service was prompt, but the wait time between our fresh oyster appetizers and our entrees was about 45 minutes.”
  16. “We found our bill was about $US 150 for two -- but two people having ALL of the best we could order.”
  17. “The food is always prepared right, with great service, and the dining room is comfortable, where you can relax and enjoy your meal.”
  18. “With good ambience and great service, what more could you want?”
  19. “Very good atmosphere and attentive, excellent service.”
  20. “The service is professional, knowledgeable, and can always recommend something delicious to eat or drink.”
  21. “Overall the atmosphere is relaxed and the bartenders are very friendly and know their stuff.”
  22. “After great drinks service we ordered chowders to start and lobster for our main meal.”
  23. “have been to Shaw's several times and have enjoyed the food and service.”
  24. “The food was great, the drinks were great (although better Australian wines could be chosen) and the service was fantastic.”
value
61.539998054504395% positive
  1. “For all of those who think Shaw's is expensive, try dining out in Paris, London, or Sydney.”
  2. “Drinks are pricey, but nothing unexpected for an old-time downtown seafood house.”
  3. “excellent seafood at an excellent international price and with fantastic service”
  4. “Soft shell crabs were great but not worth the $13 per very small, skinny crab.”
  5. “Not an experience we care to repeat and certainly not a good value for the money spent.”
  6. “Quite honestly, we went to Hugo's Frog House the next evening and had an excellent dinner for about the same price.”
  7. “The food is generally pretty fresh, but the portions are rather small in proportion to the price charged.”
  8. “The service was extremely poor, which is unacceptable for food that expensive.”
  9. “An underpaid staff and an overpriced menu give rise to overstuffed wallets to some underdeserving restaurateurs.”
  10. “The sizes of these legs were so huge and delicious.”
  11. “He along with the great food made the trip from Michigan well worth it.”
  12. “My husband and I ate delicious Austrailian lobster and ordered a 5 pounder, with other dishes, broke our bank for the month, but it was worth every penny.”
  13. “But they do have a decent meal for a good price, if you aren't drinking.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “At first service was prompt, but the wait time between our fresh oyster appetizers and our entrees was about 45 minutes.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

09/01/11

Not Impressed... At all

by RoyalBloodi

My wife and I recently went to Shaw's for dinner because she wanted something other than "Red Lobster". We got to Shaw's which isn't hard to find, and were seated in the very back of the dining room. The atmosphere was GREAT! I really liked the place. However, that does nothing for the food. While I've heard their oyster bar is good, their food leaves much to be desired. The prices for the menu items are outrageous. We got Fish and chips(3 small pieces of fish with some fries) and Alaskan Salmon(Just boiled... No major preparation). The Fish and chips were what I'd expect from Long John Silvers, and the Salmon I could make for a quarter of the price and probably better. My suggestion, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. We will never return.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

01/14/11

OpenTable Diner Since 2006 Dined on 01/12/2011 Food Servic

by wcox19

OpenTable Diner Since

2006

Dined on 01/13/2011

Food

Service

Ambiance

Noise LevelQuiet

For the price, this was really nothing special could have found a much better place. not many people; seated us at a table that was at the back part of the dinning room. gave me the wrong dessert. all in all for the price could have done better

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/27/09

Best seafood in Chicago

by hexter

July 25, 2009 My wife and I dined at Shaw’s Crab House Sat night, and it was fantastic. We have eaten out at a lot of seafood restaurants, and we can honestly say that Shaw’s (either Chicago or Schaumburg) still has it going on, and is top of our list for consistent, quality seafood and shellfish. The food is always prepared right, with great service, and the dining room is comfortable, where you can relax and enjoy your meal. Here was our dinner/all worthy selections: Start with their hand-shucked dozen assortment of oysters (Chicago Magazine just voted “the best” oysters), then their famous jumbo lump crabmeat crabcake (North Shore magazine voted “best crabcake”), then their wonderful Lobster Bisque soup, then split an order of their steamed Alaskan King Crab legs with side of melted butter, then try the in-season special, three delicious soft shell crabs sautéed in lemon, garlic butter, all with great veggie sides, and end it all with Key Lime Pie and Homers Peppermint Ice Cream with Hot Fudge sauce. Hot Intelligentsia coffee drinks and specialty tea capped it all off, and we were very happy. Shaw’s has the seafood dining experience down to a perfect science.

  • Pros: Shellfish, seafood, service
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/10/09

Great oysters and great bar

by fredsamford

The 4-6 1/2 oyster special is one of the best Ive ever been to in any city. Very good atmosphere and attentive, excellent service. Great raw bar with chalkboard specials for fish in season. Front dining room is very classy and very nice bar too. Def. worth your time.

  • Pros: Oyster happy hour special, raw bar, nice bar in front
  • Cons: Premium drink prices
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/08/09

Oyster Bar is Awesome

by rgalbos

This is one of my go-to late afternoon lunch spots downtown. Nothing better, in my opinion, on a cold winter late afternoon than a bottle of white wine, a dozen oysters and a bowl of lobster bisque. Love it.

Cannot wait to go back.

  • Pros: Great food, casual scene, great service
  • Cons: Mmmm ...

The Details on Shaw's Crab House

Place Categories:

  • great food
  • great excellent service
  • very nice waiter
  • just love northwest oysters
  • nice seafood dinner
  • extremely poor service
  • like oyster bar
  • not extraordinary king crab legs
  • pricey drinks
  • liked atmosphere
  • full clam chowder
  • very good sushi
  • particularly enjoyed blue crab
  • great soft shell crabs
  • delicious sizes
  • decent meal
  • famous jumbo lump crabmeat crabcake
  • excellent international price
  • highly recommend crab house
  • best fish
  • fresh entrees
  • best ive
  • great seafood
  • great place
  • outstanding armando
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