Sand Crab Tavern Features New Orleans-Style Seafood and a Authentic Decor

The Original Sand Crab Tavern (7) established in 1988, is a family-friendly, funky seafood joint with a New Orleans and nautical atmosphere. One patron described the decor “…as if the Sand Crab owners happened upon the yard sale of Jack Sparrow and Sailor Jerry – and bought everything!” Certainly the atmosphere is fun, but it’s their great seafood and terrific service that keep the locals and area visitors coming back time after time – for over 25 years.

The Sand Crab’s Seafood Combos are what put the Sand Crab Tavern on the map. A feast of assorted shellfish, including choices like fresh Maine lobster, King, Dungeness, Blue, Snow and Stone crab, along with peel & eat shrimp, Louisiana sausage, corn-on-the-cob and red potatoes, are spread out “family style” atop a sheet of white butcher paper. No utensils or plates needed, it’s just Ready, Set, EAT! All served with assorted dipping sauces and real melted butter, plus a chubby loaf of sourdough bread. The Sand Crab Seafood Combos are great fun for large groups, and perfect for couples or smaller families, too.

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But that’s just the beginning. The Sand Crab has an extensive menu filled with delicious homemade soups and seafood salads. The award-winning New England clam chowder is incredible, as is their hearty seafood gumbo. The creamy Lobster Bisque with puff pastry is second to none. The crab, shrimp, or grilled salmon salads are beautifully made with locally grown produce.

Wonderful fish and seafood entrées include Alaskan halibut and chips, assorted New Orleans-style Po’ Boy sandwiches, Ketchikan Crab Cakes, and traditional Maine Lobster Rolls. Their signature Voodoo Shrimp is out of this world – jumbo peel & eat shrimp sautéed in an authentic New Orleans-style sauce, served with a toasted chunk of French bread for soaking up the sauce. Or enjoy some authentic Jambalaya, grilled wild-caught Alaskan salmon with béarnaise sauce, steamed local Carlsbad mussels or clams, bacon-wrapped jumbo scallops, and more. For the Landlubber in your group, the Black Angus burgers are “build your own” with several accompaniments to choose from. This may be a seafood restaurant, but the Sand Crab makes a wickedly good Philly cheesesteak sandwich, too. Add in some great appetizers like homemade potato chips, beer-battered onion rings, French fries, Sweet Potato fries, southern fried pickle chips, their FAMOUS hot crab dip, chicken wings, the Best calamari…and there’s something for everyone at the Sand Crab Tavern. And kids age 10 and under can choose their own meals from the Swashbuckler’s Menu.

OYSTER LOVERS UNITE!
The Original Sand Crab Tavern is home to The Black Peal Oyster Bar, where proprietor Captain Rick and his crew mates shuck the freshest Pacific northwest oysters every weekend. The Black Pearl always has three varieties of the freshest oysters from which to choose. Their rotating selection include Fanny Bay, Barron Point, Mirada, Sunset Beach, Dabob Bay, Olympia, Evening Cove, Hood Canal, South Bay, Kumamoto and others. And what goes better with oysters than an ice-cold beer or nice glass of wine? The Sand Crab has an impressive selection of beers including top notch national and regional brands like Stone IPA, Dogfish Head IPA, Ballast Point Yellow Tail, Alaskan Amber, Fat Tire, Coronado Mermaid Red and at least two dozen others. And their delicious yet reasonably-priced varietals of wine by the glass or bottle and sparkling bubbly compliment these bivalve wonders perfectly. If you love oysters – you’ll love the Black Pearl Oyster Bar.

SUNDAY BRUNCH, ANYONE? The Big Easy Sunday Brunch With LIVE Blues Music
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, come to find out it can. The Sand Crab has their “Big Easy” Sunday Brunch with LIVE Blues music! The 3-course prix fixe menu has a New Orleans theme different from just about any other brunch in San Diego County, and all menu items are prepared fresh when you order them – this ain’t your momma’s buffet!

Start off with any one of these delicious first course options: French Creole Onion Soup, Lobster Bisque with puff pasty, New England style clam chowder, Hearty seafood gumbo, or a shrimp and crab garden salad.

Next, choose any one of the following 9 entrées: Maw Maw’s Cajun Breakfast Eggs, Eggs Baranof Benedict, French Herb Scrambled Eggs, Oysters Benedict, Crab Cake Benedict, Vanilla-Orange Pain Perdu, Traditional Eggs Benedict, Belgian Waffle, or the award-winning Ponchartrain Duck Hash with Woodland Cream Sauce. All entrées include a basket of sweet bread and fruit or breakfast potatoes.

And for dessert, how about homemade carrot or coconut cake? Or their fantastic Key Lime Pie or a French Vanilla Ice cream Sundae? For a REAL treat, the Bananas Foster is hard to beat.

Of course the Sand Crab still offers a limited seafood menu during their Sunday brunch, too, including their famous seafood boils, Alaskan halibut and chips, or Po’ Boy Sandwiches.

And let’s not forget the Live blues music featuring some of the very best blues musicians in southern
California. It’s all here at the Sand Crab Tavern, every Sunday from 11am – 2pm.

For large groups, be sure to reserve “The Captain’s Quarters Party Patio.” It’s available all year long, and can handle groups up to 50 people. Bring the whole crew for a birthday celebration, family reunion or or rehearsal dinner you’ll never forget. Just give the Sand Crab a call and they’ll be ready for you.

Part of the charm and adventure of dining at the Sand Crab Tavern is finding this little hidden gem, which has spent the past “25 years in the same, obscure location.” However you get there, make it a point to visit The Original Sand Crab Tavern. It’s not just another seafood restaurant, it’s a destination!

Go to their website at www.sandcrabtavern.com or call them at (760) 480-CRAB (2722) for directions or more information.

Huge Selection of Seafood

Rick's Black Pearl Oyster Bar

The Captain’s Party Patio