Review Miss Katie's Crab Shack - Melbourne

the food 🦀️ 🦀️🌽🥔is very tasty and the ambience is lovely and nostalgic with great music🎵and lighting🕯️，the staff are all very attentive and considerate💗! It’s such a lovely place and just like my friend said “if one day I’m going to leave Melbourne for good and people ask me about restaurant recommendations there, this is definitely the first restaurant that will pop out” 💕thank you for this lovely valentines dinner experience 💓

True Fitzroy gem! Came here for lunch and really loved the decor & theme. Most importantly though, the food was really really good. We ordered the clam chowder which was perfect for a cold wet Melbourne day - the mussels & clams were delicious. We also ordered the spicy fried prawns which were packed with flavour. But the real highlights for me were the crab slider (crab meat was beautiful), the prawn roll and flavour packed crab tostada which in hindsight, I would’ve order multiple of as it was that good! Will definitely be back here again.

Customer service was good she was lovely. For my first time here i wouldn’t ever come back. If you want seafood boil go to docklands. This place was far overpriced. Starting at $52 for 2 blue swimmer crabs in your choice of sauce and that was all doesn’t even come with corn or potatoes you have to purchase it as an additional and you only get 1 corn cut in half for $6. And then you add the rest. The drinks are $5.50 for a small cup of soft drink that is filled with ice. If you are a seafood lover don’t waste your money here it’s way over priced. It was below average.

Quality of food was great, portion size was a little small. Staff were friendly and polite. Was sitting inside at the back where there was a cold draught coming through. Inside venue is very photogenic, plenty of interesting things to take photos of.

3.5 stars. Mixed reviews and my experience confirmed was simply above average and nothing special. (I visited in 2017 and saw some of my old photos so doing the review only now!) Food quality: Seafood didn’t taste the freshest, above average for sure but not more than that. Food portion / Price: Portions are in line with average and prices are as expected in the city!

A little disappointing as we found it very expensive for what we got, not the best tasting food we've had that's for sure. There's no real service, we ordered through QR code and it automatically selects 15% tip, but for what when you order yourself?! The food took a long time to arrive and it wasn't busy. The biggest issue for me was that the place was absolutely freezing! I had my winter jacket on and I was still very cold, so when the food came out it was cold within minutes as we were pretty much in a fridge. I wouldn't recommend sorry.

I read previous reviews but we went there with a open mind, as everyone has an opinion right. Unfortunately our experience was similarly as bad as others. Staff was very friendly, but the restaurant was so busy, with only one cook and 2 waiters, that was it. Wow.. I received my meal last (a tableof 4), literally an hour after the others at my table got theirs, and the meal I was served was blah.. Very expensive $85+ (for a crab boil - 2 small crabs, boiled baby potato & corn cob) just for my meal.. I was dumbfounded and I guess just in shock. I am more than happy to splurge on good food and service any time, but unfortunately I will not be going back, and I'm sorry, but I can not recommend it.

I came here with some friends on the weekend for lunch and left very happy. We had the crab boil, prawns, sliders and some chicken. All was fresh, flavoursome and cooked very well! We will also definitely be back for the clam chowder (that was unfortunately sold out) and $1 oysters during the week!

Ordered the crab boil 🦀 and fries 🍟. The chilli sauce is amazing, very recommended.

I tried this place a couple months back. Had mixed reviews so I thought I’d give it a go. For first impressions: my table was really dirty. Had left over crab shells from the customers before... speaking of the crab, it was really dry, lacked flavour. Is there anything worse, next!

There are alot of mixed reviews for this joint so here is my experience. We rocked up without a booking and were kindly greeted by the waitress and shown a table. We ordered:<br/><br/>Crab boil - ok, truth be told there is not much meat in the crab at all, personally the effort to get the meat out was not worth the reward. However, the flavour is so tasty and the potatoes really soakup that juice. I would recommend adding other seafood to the boil to get the most out of this dish.<br/><br/>Mussells in chilli jam (special) - big highlight for me, huge juicy mussels, in a fresh chilli salsa, lots of coriander and onion, loved this dish!<br/>Fries - well seasoned and crisp fries<br/>Fried chicken - personally wasnt a fan of the seasoning but the batter is crisp and they only use brown meat so it's juicy and tender!<br/>Lemonade - more on the sour side but very refreshing!<br/><br/>I would love to come back and try the boil again with some prawns and some other dishes.

I came into the restaurant, being greeted by a gentleman, with a very unenthusiastic attitude, already started on the wrong foot, there was no interaction or even a ounce of help during the time we were sitting down, we decided to pick a couple of things from the menu hoping it tasted as good as it we read it off the menus but we were highly disappointed and expectations were destroyed, I personally ordered the chicken and waffles; chicken was lacking of flavour while the waffles had a lack of “crunchy” exterior while also having a eggy after taste, overall I didn’t have a pleasant experience and don’t expect to be coming back again

Visited Katie’s finally last night. I have been craving a crab boil for quite some time now. We went in thinking it was going to be crowded as it is well reviewed. But, perhaps because we went in for 8.30pm dinner, many tables were unoccupied. The waitress was very friendly and described the special to us. I loved her energy. We ordered the crab boil and added an extra crab, 2 prawns. We also ordered 2 x oysters, prawn cocktail and 3 piece chicken. The boil was amazing. The crab looked fresh and the meat was plenty and quite juicy. The sides with the boil were also good. My husband being a massive fan of fried chicken loved the 3 piece chicken. I tried it hesitantly (not a fan of fried food in general) but, I have to say it was really good. It was perfectly seasoned and crispy on the outside. The prawn cocktail wasn’t bad either. The oysters were fresh. We could have done without the prawns. Overall a very good experience. The only time the food made me ignore my wine at dinner.

What a great place for something of a change from a diet of noodles, rice, pho, pasta and roasts!<br/><br/>Incredibly welcoming environment with the venue nicely decked out as a crab shack, informal but efficient, with uber-friendly and helpful staff.<br/><br/>Dinner consisted of a dozen very fresh oysters along with a large bowl of thin-cut fries to start (there were two of us) followed by the crab boil (terrible name that does the dish a disservice as, swimming in butter and lemon and served with potatoes, corn and sausage, it’s delicious) and chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy on the other side of the table (which received a big thumbs up).<br/><br/>With a bottle of very drinkable Shiraz ($45), total bill in the $150 region was very reasonable.

The crab boil was excellent. Atmosphere bustling on a Monday night. Good service, prompt and professional! Will be back again!

Didn’t have the chance to try the fried chicken but I’ve heard it’s pretty good.<br/><br/>We had the seafood boil, would recommend adding oysters and other add so you are full at the end of your meal. <br/><br/>Prawn cocktail is probably the best

Went for dinner on a Friday night with my boyfriend. I went to pay the bill, the waitress stated $124 without presenting the bill. Regardless, I still made the payment. It was until the day after that I realised I might have been overcharged. I went online looked at the items I had on the night ( I took photos of every item) and realised the total bill should be $114. Am a bit annoyed that she did not print the bill out and that I was overcharged. To avoid this situation, REMEMBER TO ALWAYS ASK FOR THE PRINTED BILL.Overall, the food was nice. I would say the crab boil was the highlight of the meal.

I have been here a few times to fix my craving for cajun food. Not many restaurants in Melbourne serving quality cajun seafood dishes. The must-try from Miss Katie's Crab Shack is seafood boil. I ordered 1 portion with add-on option like prawns and mussels and they were absolutely delicious.

I've been to a few crab places in America over the years and they were nothing like this. With a crab boil you're supposed to get masses of food, you can never finish it. At Miss Katie's crab shack, a boil consists of one tiny little crab (i got a 50 cent piece worth of meat out of it) 3 tiny little potatoes and 2 tiny corn cobettes. You were supposed to get a sausage too but they forgot mine. I was so hungry i had to go to the kebab place down the road. Very disappointed.

We came here for soft shell crab bun and got in around 16.45 when it was not busy. Unfortunately the customer service was not good, there was only 1 girl staff there which was understandable during non-busy time. There were only 3 tables in total occupied. We were calling her to order but she went straight to serve the other table which apparently they were not very ready with their order. They took a while to decide what they wanted plus unnecessary non-order related chit chat with the girl staff. <br/><br/>The food was so so. As per our photo, there is little meat in the crab anyway (already ate some other stuffs in the dish), few pieces of chicken and small soft shell crab bun. <br/><br/>Overall, the place is for just a 1 time experience, nothing special. <br/>

Love love love! The best corn I’ve ever had! So juicy and yum! Also the crab is amazing, love the garlic butter! I would definitely be back!

So so good. I love New Orleans food and was shattered when Po Boy quarter closed so I am so happy to see another pop up on the same street. Had $15 fried chicken burger with chips lunch special and left feeling so satisfied with a full stomach. Fried chicken was delicious crunchy and juicy chicken thigh, with amazing slaw and a perfectly toasted bun. And ofc Cajun seasoned French fries to die for. The decor was some of the most intricate and unique I’ve seen in Melbourne thus far. Very New Orleans themed with lots of fun props, definitely want to come back for happy hour one night ❤️🍸

A must try in Fitzroy regardless of whether you like crabs or not. The restaurant is famous for their crab boil which I'd highly recommend and it also runs specials (we had a scallop chowder). The interior decor is lovely and unique, and it's as if it were trying to convince you that you are inside a submarine or a boat. Overall a lovely place to dine at with friendly staff.

Katie! What happened? We wanted so much to love you miss katie but this was a huge disappointment. I brought my friend here (who is from Maryland, just like miss Katie!) and we didn’t have anything good to say about it other than that our waitress was sweet. Our crab was so mushy it was basically inedible, the boil itself tasted like nothing and I actually had to stop eating part of my crab because I thought it was going to make me ill... I was super disappointed after reading all the good reviews, I thought maybe we just had ultra bad luck? I really wanted to love it because it looked delicious. We got the fried clams too, they were good - just like fried clams and fries are just fries so you can’t really stuff that up. Also had the corn bread and it was just okay nothing special. All up I thought $50-60 for a tiny bit of poorly cooked seafood and fries is a really bad effort. Sorry miss Katie!

Funky and fun place in Smith Street Collingwood. Although I'm not much of a seafood lover, that didn't mean I was left out. My friends had a prawn cocktail, followed by crab with mussels. We didn't order any of the add on sauces. Plus some soft shell tacos that were oozing guacamole and slaw. I had the fried chicken. The portion size was generous and certainly more than enough for all of us. To drink, I had a margarita and my friend had Boatrocker Miss Pinky beer.<br/>The decor is fun and funky, although the tables are a bit small, especially with plates and plates of food and drinks. Not a fan of the newspaper as a tablecloth.<br/>The night we were there it was pretty busy but didn't have to wait for a table long. Staff are friendly but taking an order took a while.<br/>I usually comment if it's wheelchair friendly but think someone would struggle here unless they let the venue know prior to coming so they could make room. Kid friendly. Parking isn't too bad in Smith Street - just watch the time as the parking inspectors can be quick.<br/>

4.5stars. The tacos were superb, the soft shell crab roll was really nice and the chips were generous. The crab boil was delicious! We loves the flavours of the crab inside and it had plenty of flesh. Would highly recommend and we will be back! Only downfall was the prawn cocktail that cost $5 but was enough for a mouth-full. We thought that was tasty but super tiny. Would come back and reorder everything except the prawn cocktail.

Though the interior looked nice, we were very disappointed with the food. We got the crab boil and it wasn’t nearly as tasty as we were hoping for, yet quite pricey for the amount you actually get. The staff behind the bar also seemed grumpy and was quite rude when we went over to pay the bill. Not the best experience!

No. of Visit: 4<br/>Overall Rating: 4-4.2<br/>Will definitely return coz great seafood-boil is hard to find in Melbourne. I love how buttery the crab-boils always are in Miss Katie's.<br/>I also love that the menu is designed for both single individual & large group - so if I suddenly have a urgent crave, I can just go by myself ;p<br/><br/>Recommended:<br/>minty Ice Tea - really a perfect partner to the seafoods.<br/>Fried Green Tomato - interesting n' tasty little entree!

Turned up for a lunch. No notification about being closed anywhere, website, google, Facebook. 12-2:30 lunch hours. No answer on the phones. Sadly won’t be returning here.

even tho the staff are so nice and friendly the seafood boil itself is so underwhelming wouldn’t recommend and wouldn’t come back, the seafood was so unevenly cooked we would have a mussel that was super over cooked and rubbery but the prawns cooked just right (i literally got sick the next day) ☹️

First experience was via delivery so this time we came to the store and tried the exact same order which were the chicken and waffles and crab boil. This time around the crab boil was at a good eating temperature, not boiling hot and not cold. Portion size was good. 3 spuds, 2 pieces of corn, chorizo and a full crab.<br/><br/>The chicken waffles were same as last time. The batter outside was extremely dark but the meat was still juicy inside.<br/><br/>Overall I enjoyed the dine in experience over the delivery. Service friendly and we left feeling full.

Absolutely love this place. I had the seafood boil both times and it was amazing! We put our bibs on and dug right into the plate. The soft shell tacos were also tasty. The staff are friendly and attentive. The decor is super cool but the seating is a little squashy as the tables are right next to each other. Just remember that the seafood boil is very messy to eat but it's worth it!

AMAZING is all I can say, From the service to the decor of restaurant & food I have nothing else to say but amazing! Will defiantly be back. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Been to this place a few times. The bloody Mary’s are amazing and great value for money (they come with an olive pickle and a prawn!) the seafood is always good and the fried pickles I had were a huge standout. The fried chicken is also amazing. Only down fall is sometimes it’s not consistent, one time I had really terrible fries and the tacos weren’t as good as usual. Little expensive but it’s really tasty.

Not worth the hype. The crab boil is small and there’s not enough of the sides that come with it for what you pay. The best thing about this place was there fries and lemonade. Had this place on my list for years and finally going there was a letdown. Will not try again

Very cool venue, we loved how it was decorated in the seaside theme which made the experience very delightful! We of course ordered the crab and me and my friend love oysters! All the food was delicious, and we really liked our visit here.

Have been wanting to try this place for a while. Cocktails were delicious, great start. We didnt want to order the signature Crab dish, will have to come back and try that! I had the soft shell crab taco, it was nice but not amazing I guess. Cheesy fries were good!

I've been wanting to come here for so long after hearing so much hype about it. The crab boil is a MUST !! Absolutley amazing. The soft shell crab burger was pretty good but a bit small. Popcorn chicken was pretty good I'd reccomend getting it as a side with the crab boil to share as the ranch sauce is delicious. The soft shell crab tacos were not to bad but probably wouldnt order again. I will be coming back here very soon for sure. The bourbon ice tea is also delicious. Special mention to the guy with the crazy hair do mullet thing, really nice bloke. 4/5

3.5. Had one of the feed me menu option - tide over. Comes with mini prawn cocktail, fried green tomato, chicken ribs, fries, cornbread, fried chicken and waffle, and the crab boil.<br/><br/>Prawn cocktail was delicious. First time having fried green tomato and loved it. Chicken ribs was nicely coated with a strong BBQ sauce. Cornbread was alright. Fried chicken was okay but definitely could be better, they are not known for it so it's fine. Waffles was not too bad as well when paired with maple syrup, texture could be better. The crab boil was alright personally as I'm no crab expert, gravy has a strong buttery taste, the sausage was tasty.<br/><br/>Overall, this feed me option has great value for the number of different items you get to sample. Another potentially killer seasonal item to get is probably the what looked like king crab/snow crab legs, as other tables had it and the portion seemed massive. Also, the staff are very friendly people.

First of all, this is not America, please don't try to guilt people into tipping. You are suppose to pay your staff properly.<br/><br/>We had crab boil, fried chicken combo and softshell crab burger. Food was overall not bad taste wise but the burger was small and the crab boil was quite greasy. Friendly staff but I'm not so sure about the owner/manager. We came in and sat down at a table of our choosing as it was half empty. She told the staff off for letting us sit there with an attitude and moved us to a really uncomfortable seating area as we didn't book. We could hardly fit our food on the table. Until we left, no one sat in those reserved seats.

Cute little cozy seafood place. I have been wanting to go to Miss Katie’s Crab shack for a while. Finally made it last weekend and I must say it was worth the wait. The Crabs and Oysters where fresh and well cooked. <br/>For starters we ordered Prawn cocktail, Chicken popcorn with ranch and Bloody Mary Oyster shooters. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted delicious. The Oyster shooter was my favourite, the Bloody Mary was sensational. For mains we ordered the Crab boil. The crab tasted fantastic with the chilli butter dressing accompanied with corn and pork sausage. For drinks we got Wheat and Raspberry beer (doesn’t taste like beer but is must to try if you don’t mind your beer being a little sour) and Bloody Mary for cocktails. <br/>It was nice warm day so we sat outside but only towards the end realised that they have a outdoor sitting area at the back which cool little cozy spot.

I went in with high expectation after seeeing good reviews. Crab is over cooked which is very disappointing considering that’s its specialty. Seafood chowder is ok and the homemade lemonade is fine but nothing stands out. The male waiter’s service is sub-standard. When we asked to change seats due to wind from the door he refused although the place is not even half full.

This is a small cosy place with low lights. Service and staff are very friendly and helpful. Food overall was good, but not so fresh on the night I was there (maybe it’s the bad weather and some seafood arnt in season). <br/>Finally, the bill was surprisingly moderate considering we had lots of seafood.

The staff was nice but the food wasnt up to the standard. The drinks menu is very limited. We ordered the banquet thinking we would get quite a fair bit of seafood because thats what we came here for. We basically got 1 crab between the two of us and the crab wasn't even a full one.. Is it called crab shack or chicken shack? We got more chicken than crab

Miss Katie’s Crab Shack is a nice restaurant with nice decor and friendly staff. We ordered the crab boil with an extra crab, home baked cornbread and old bay fries to share. The crab was very fresh and delicious, but it just lacked a bit of sauce. <br/><br/>The restaurant is not very big and it gets quite busy, so make sure you make a booking before you go!

The crab was delicious! We ordered the spicy crab option, which was one of the specials. Its a lot of work eating a crab, but i think that is part of the fun experience! They give u good crab eating tools here.... and a bib!! I really wanted to go somewhere where you eat a crab wearig a bib! :) the waittress recommended this cornbrea, which was so delicious! And i really loved using it to soak up the sauce. Another thing i really loved about this place was that the atmosphere was so warm and cosy! I really loved it. And the staff are so friendly too.

The crab was delicious, it was in a really nice butter sauce. Had nice sides with it that were also really good - the chorizo was a stand out.<br/><br/>Only really negative was that they didn't give us enough plates to put the crab leftovers on.

Loved this when it was a pop up at the Rochy in 2016 - had the vege chilli cheese fries & they were amazing, but this was a massive let down.<br/>Firstly it took too long for 4 ppl to be seated at 2pm in the afternoon on a Wednesday - there were two other people eating at the time.<br/>Group ordered crab boil, cheese fries & tacos.<br/>The fries were cheap & greasy with too much tasteless plastic cheese. The tacos were OK but not very filling for the price. The crab broil - smallest crab I'd ever seen!! After all the shell was removed lucky if there was 50g of meat - most of the dish was corn & potato. When we made comment to the server she told us we just didn't know how to crack crab shells properly?! Umm no.<br/>The owner sat at the bar the whole time looking angry & ignoring us when we tried to ask for additional cutlery. Yeah I get it - you're paying someone to do that, but we're paying to eat there - seriously a smile & a quick word to the server would have sufficed - being acknowledged is a nice gesture from a business owner.<br/><br/>Tl;dr too expensive for what you get.

Katie’s is a nautically themed, seafood oriented, funky cafe. Small cafe, I would hate to be in there if it was crowded, but it has space outside, front and back. It has well crafted food and drink menus, with interesting daily specials. Food is seafood driven, with the central elements a boiled crab plate and four burgers. Some salads, and plenty of sides.<br/><br/>I had a Colonial IPA, served on tap. Would try the wines by the glass next time. For food we had oysters, which were fantastic, really fresh, served with lemon. The chips were hot (temperature) and hot (paprika), I loved them. I had the soft shell crab burger and enjoyed it: good crab, crunchy slaw and not too much mayo. My partner had the chicken roll, made with thigh, so very tasty. Probably not enough vegetables for her.<br/><br/>I will be back for the boil...

Food was great! But the service can be a lot better this actually really destroyed our night. It’s a birthday we wanted to ordered more drinks and food but the waiter didnt give as time of day. It’s sad because the food was great but our experience behind it did not reflect that!

Crab Shack. Great value for money, my friends and I really enjoyed the food. But the service needs a lot of work. We wanted to order more food and drinks but we got ignored and waited for a long time for our items. It was a bit of joke when the waiter is hitting on other girls and tells us to wait one moment. The stand of food doesn’t match the service.

Got crabs? Need crabs? I’m so glad Miss Katie’s has moved into my neighbourhood permanently. When they were in the city it was just a bit hard to get to and the Ding Dong bar was a bit dingy so their new venue is Ace! Even Miss Katie was kind enough to have a photo with us even though they were doing 2 sittings - we got there at 7 and had until 8:30. Totally fine really in Fitzroy so many other bars to go to.<br/><br/>A few changes - they have now got set menus where $25, $35, $45 gets you sides with crabs. Sounds like a good idea and our neighbours had it and they looked like they were having plenty of food but we decided we wanted crabs!<br/><br/>The service was very attentive and the food came fast. They have a great range of beers on tap and at $24 a jug it’s quite reasonably priced.<br/><br/>The bloody mary oyster shooters were a little expensive but very spicy. The way I like it.<br/><br/>The wedge salad was generous in serving, and very tasty, but don't think for a minute it's healthy. Ranch dressing has a way of making vegetables rather unhealthy! Still, token greens.<br/><br/>On to the main event - we had double serve of crabs with extra mussels. The crab shells are purely for decoration! The crab were delicious - it's so soft that the only part needing the nut cracker was the claws. You could just suck the crab meat out of the body of the crap. The rest of it can be twisted with your fingers. The flavour was good - not overwhelming the crab too much. We had the fries; but our neighbours had corn bread which was most helpful in mopping up the sauce. The serving of the crab was a bit on the small side but with the salad the the fries it was just enough for two. <br/><br/>The bill came to $115 - not a cheap meal (although you could have gone without the oyster shooters or wedge salad and ordered more corn bread) but a most enjoyable one.

Food is delicious! Looks large and you might think that you can’t finish it all but really,it is a medium-sized serving. Bib is provided so you don’t need to worry for food stains on your clothes. They also serve cocktails (Negroni please!) Place is very nice too :)

My friend Lisa suggested we have Miss Katie’s Crab Shack for lunch on a hungover Sunday and I jumped at the idea. As a bonus it was just up the road on Smith Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne. I arrived and immediately ordered a large glass of soda water. Next thing I know the waiter had talked us in to two for one Bloody Mary’s too and holy sh*t am I glad! They had pickles and a prawn on top, plenty of spice and enough kick to pep me right up!

Last night I went to Miss Katie’s Crab Shack. I tried their special of the night which was chilli crab. Wasn’t spicy at all. Sweet chilli had been used so we were a bit disappointed because it wasn’t an authentic chilli crab. Also they had sold out of chilli crab and hadn’t checked the numbers before we ordered. In the end luckily the kitchen had two smaller chilli crabs that we could eat for a reduced rate of $22, while full size is $27. It doesn’t come with all the normal extras as what the normal crab combo gets for $27. <br/><br/>I tried the oysters - delicious! I also liked the Long Island ice tea, thank you to the friendly waiter for recommending it. He also knew a lot about drinks. The popcorn chicken was also nice and a highlight. <br/><br/>Definitely come here for an experience. It’s not often we get to eat a whole crab. It’s messy but we get a nice bib (a good group photo moment!) and it’s an experience. I just wish the chilli crab had been spicy! Next time maybe rename it to the sweet chilli crab?

This restaurant used to be a good place to go with family and friends until the new owner took over. Food was okay but the service was extremely slow and wait staff very rude. I really don't recommend this place.

Have followed Miss Katie's ever since I first found them at the Rochester, love the soft shell crab burgers and the crispy school prawns are the best. Know it will sound strange given its a crab shack but try the Fried Chicken it is fantastic!!

Big fan of the old bay seasoned chips and soft shell crab burger. Both were fried well. Tacos a bit meh but that's due to the taco shell itself. Needs to be heated more as it was a bit ruberry. Lovely enough to go back weekly says the chip connoisseur. $15 lunch specials are a really good deal.

Where do I begin... The people who worked there seemed disengaged and not interested in providing friendly service, in particular the owner. The waiter who asked us if we were going to have some cones later in the night, as he did every day, as well as his incessant need to touch one of my friends on the shoulder calling him big boy was a highlight and a reflection of the lack of care that anyone we had interactions with. <br/><br/>My crab boil was cold, and the fried chicken was possibly the worst fried chicken I have ever had, dry and sad. The waffles and crab seemed reheated and the cornbread was really disappointing. We were charged extra on our bill, and we left without even contemplating bringing it up, because getting out of there was the only thing that remained of importance. <br/><br/>Trying to be diplomatic with this review as much as possible, but all in all, I will never return or recommend this place to anyone.

This is a fun place to go for a meal. I liked the vibe, it was busy, but they still had time to look after us. Crab was delicious as where the spicy chicken wings.

I went to Miss Katie's for dinner with a friend and I had a very frustrating experience. To start, we had to wait about 20 minutes to order our meals. My meal just came after 50 minutes and when we tried to ask the reason why the food was so delayed as my friend was still waiting for her meal, the owner displayed a nasty behaviour. She did not offer us any explanation or apologies; instead she suggested that we could leave the restaurant because that place wasn't a place for us. The situation was massively mishandled and odd. As a person of ethnical background, I am trying not to think of this as a racial issue but instead just a huge lack of customer service skills and humanity from the owner. I will never come back to this restaurant.

Visited on a very busy Friday night. They lost my booking but managed to squeeze us in. The staff seemed a little frazzled which might be due to their recent opening and press coverage. <br/>We ordered the crab boil which was tasty. The chorizo in the dish was a strange consistency and wasn’t really a good fit for the dish. More crab or veg would have been better. The crab was really tasty. <br/>Two other members of my party ordered the burgers which were literally the smallest burgers I’ve ever seen. At any other restaurant they would have been called sliders. And at $18 they were not cheap - and didn’t come with any fries. <br/>Skip the corn bread. Tasted more like dry muffins than corn bread. <br/>Service was a bit haphazard. Staff seemed spread too thin (forgot some of our drinks and didn’t bring cutlery for crabs til about 5 mins after meal was delivered). <br/>Skip the burgers. Stick to the crabs. <br/>Worked out to almost $60 a head so not a cheap meal.

I don't eat crab (the vegan tacos are fine, the cheesy fries aren't what I ordered but sure, why not) but those who do were thrilled with the whole experience. Pretty $$$$$ though.

A different dinning experience for Melbourne. Crabs aren't something you usually find on a menu let alone base the whole restaurant around them! Having said that I found it pleasant inside reminded me of being in the states! The fried chicken is delicious and love the maple syrup on the side. The crab is messy and frustrating to say the least. A few more options on the menu wouldnt go astray here

We had the crab boil, fries and popcorn chicken iceberg salad.  Food is tasty but didn't quite hit my expectation. The crab tasted ok. There was not a lot of meat in it.  The chorizo was quite nice. I wished they were a bit more generous with the popcorn chicken because there was only a few bits on a plateful of iceberg lettuce for $15. I'll have to avoid ordering this dish next time (if I ever return) as didnt think it was value for money.  <br/><br/>Service is friendly but the service order of the food was a bit bizarre because two tables who ordered their food after us got their food first.  Kinda of annoyed about this.  The three tables ordered similar food and the chef cooked the order together and portion it out but it was just strange to have the food served to the other two tables first before ours. It would have been ok if the three tables got served one after another but it was not the case as there was a bit of a wait for the food to be served.  One of our dish was served to the wrong table and the table started eating it only to realise it was not what they ordered.  The other two tables had to exchange their food themselves when it arrived because the servers got the orders and tables mixed up.   <br/><br/>The place is a great concept, A place to chill, have some crab, mussels, fried chicken, have a drink.   But if you are foodie after an awesome meal, the food is ok and you'll need to manage your own expectations.

Great taste, small portions but still worth while. The negronis were pretty good. Lacks a bit on service but given that it’s a cocktail bar, it makes sense.

Went here with a group of friends as one of them were craving crab. Although crab season has ended, we thought we’d give it a go. We all got the infamous Crab Boil and added some oysters and prawns. Oysters were a disappointment, especially for the price. Prawns were okay. The boil itself I found to be priced quite highly for what I got. Some extremely salty chorizo, the “sauce” was pure oil with some parsley chucked on top and crab was tiny. If you are seated in the Ding Dong lounge area, it is quite dark and can be difficult to see. Staff however are friendly and nice.

As the name suggest, this place specialise in crab but have decided to go with the three piece fried chicken with waffles and maple syrup. The chicken was seasoned well, not too salty and the batter has a crunch to it. Waffles were toasted just enough to give it a slight crunch but was a little dry. Drizzle in the maple syrup to the fried chicken and waffles and you will get a well balanced sweet and savoury dish. <br/><br/>The meal was tasty, but the chicken pieces (a drumstick, part of a thigh and a small rib) have too many bones and didn’t seem to have a lot of meat. The bones hidden under the batter makes cutting more difficult so would have preferred boneless chicken with the waffles. The amount of maple syrup was also lacking.

Tasty enough but just didn't have that wow factor. My sister and I shared the crab boil with corn bread and fries as sides. All my praises go to the delightful cornbread, which was perfect for mopping up the crab boil sauce. I also loved the seasoning on the fries. As my sister mentioned, it wasn't really the crab that we were enjoying, it was everything else. The crab was just ok, nothing to write home about. As a seafood lover at a renowned seafood restaurant I expected it to be better unfortunately. I also found it annoying that we were practically forced out of where we sitting for a band performance shortly after our meal. We really should have been placed in the other section.

Shady asf. Worn out seats. Dusty. Food is expensive. Found a hair in the crab. Quite and dark, hardly any customers. Unappealing, very lonely. Food generally tastes bad. <br/><br/>Although employees are nice.

Chicken and waffles, absolutely amazing. I never really understood how these dishes compliment each other so well but this place absolutely nailed it! Will be back!

As we leave the crap winter weather, we unfortunately also leave the crab season!! The Build your Own Boil is an absolute must try @misskatiescrabshack. Not only does it come with some succulent blue swimmer crab but is completed with delicious morsels of chorizo, corn and potato! Don't need much more to be honest (although there will always be enough for fish tacos and Cobb salad). Overall it was lovely and tasty however it did not give us a wow factor! Still worth a try though - I mean who doesn't like well cooked crabs?

Chicken and waffles? They may seem like a weird combination but after trying this for the first time, I loved it. The sauce complimented well with the dish.

So I wasn’t sure what to expect, but crab and seafood would surely be interesting in Melbourne CBD. We ordered chicken ribs which were perhaps a little too over fried, and the chowder which was served in a loaf of bread and was definitely the standout dish (although needed seasoning), the fried chicken was very average but extremely expensive for what it was, and finally the soft shell crab burger was a bit of a letdown. At $18 for a couple of mouthfuls, I’d expect finesse and flavour (think the SuperNormal lobster rolls), but instead it was forgettable. Overall it wasn’t a bad meal, but nothing I’d rush back for. Ok for novelty value.

Rip off. Ordered the crab bowl which was $27, the crab was so small and the sauce was mostly oil, barely any flavour. The 'king' prawns were normal prawns at $4.50 each. Definitely not king prawns.. the lemon lime bitters from the bar had barely any bitters in it and even the tabasco sauce was watered down. Fried oysters were average. Chips were ok and soft shell crab burger was nice. Also had bloody mary oyster shot which was nice. Wont be returning.

They're located at Ding Dong Lounge - so it was up the stairs to a quirky, funky nautically themed bar. We easily got a table at 5:30pm and ordered ourselves a 2 for 1 cocktail!  We needed some food and there was plenty of fried alcohol soaking up options! I've always wanted to try fried green tomatoes! These came with goats curd and hot sauce and weren't bad… a little less fried batter would have made them even tastier.

Fam bam at this nice old school styled bar/pub, loved the set up and decorations. Was really looking forward to the crab boil, but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed, the dish was quite small (not enough for one person tbh)... Also ordered the school of prawns, cornbread (was surprised at how small this actually was lol) and the veggie chilli fries.The environment was very upbeat which I liked, I'd go back for drinks but wouldn't go back for the food.

Ordered the 'Build your own boil' (+ additional mussels), it was delicious w/ a variety of flavours and spices, however, the food came out quite cold. Also, portions (especially the crab) could be bigger!<br/><br/>

The place is split into two strangely enough. One place is a bar and the other a restaurant. You can only order food from one, then order drinks from the other. Bit of a hassle I thought.<br/>Anyhow, it was the first time I had a crab boil, so I don't know what is considered a good one.<br/>Overall, it was cooked well, but fairly bland to my taste.Portion size was small so I ordered fries, coleslaw and mussels.Fries with Old Bay seasoning and blue cheese sauce and was good. I would recommend this (with salt).Coleslaw was a bit dry. It could have used more mayonnaise.Mussels were expensive. But something needs to pay for the rent and the add-ons are it.<br/>I would go back to try the chicken and waffles. The boil? Probably not because it wasn't very filling.

If you're lazy like me, skip the lines and order via ubereats/foodora and then you can have ALL THE CRAB delivered to your house! Always ends up at my door within 30 mins and whilst the crab boil portions are quite small, the flavour makes up for it. Icebear is happy with the veggie cheese fries which luckily for him comes in a generous serve!

Get the fried chicken with waffles. Absolutely delicious and even good when cold. Love the sauce that comes with it. Also tried the crab boil but wasn't a fan of it - the crabs weren't very meaty and it was quite troublesome to eat. My partner loved the softshell crab burger and we also shared a cobb salad which was really fresh and unique. I was tempted to order everything on the menu but had no stomach for it so I will have to go back.

Enjoyed myself greatly here. Dining experience was fun, great ambience to the venue. Blue swimmer crabs were perfection with sweet butter. Enjoyed the chicken and waffles as well

Obsessed with this place, I could eat here every day if I could. The nicest workers served me so I was so happy with their serve. Got the popcorn whiskey cocktail- oh my goodness it was amazing!!! Their cornbread is highly recommend, a must try. Music was a little too loud but besides that I fell in love with it! The decor was really nice too 😋

Quite tasty crabs boil, comes with a couple of small potatoes, cuts of chorizo and corn. Portion was quite small, maybe feeds 1-1.5 people per boil. Still quite good value for a crab dish though. Coleslaw came less sweet than usual coleslaw ive had, but had a nice tanginess to it. Place is a little run down and doesnt seem well maintained, but service is prompt and firendly.

This place was average and I didn't overly enjoy it. I ate the boil and I also realized that I'm not a huge fan of crab. My friend got the chicken which was deep fried to a crisp with a sweet cold coating that wasn't at all enjoyable.

Hahaha what an experience! So messy but lots of fun. Crab was pretty good. Worth going at least once, even if you're not a fan of seafood. Good times.

We celebrated Mother's day dinner here, it was quiet tonight and we had no live music. But we didn't mind we could enjoy the crabs even better. Beautifully cooked crabs, clams and mussels...we also ordered prawn coriander and fries with blue cheese sauce. The cocktail was a little let down though. Overall it's 👍👍👍

Came for dinner after my friend made a booking. Really liked the atmosphere of this place, the decor was really cool. You order the food at the counter and your drinks at the bar. And it comes to your table. Staff were mostly friendly. Food came out quickly but not all at once and many people at our table were without food for at least 10-15 minutes after everyone else. But ordered straight after each other.. and some meals we had to ask for cause they never came. Food was okay but nothing special. Mainly would come again for the bar/ atmosphere.

My friends wanted to try this the other day so we decided to give it a go on a Sunday afternoon. We were seated in a booth by the window and greeted with a live band on stage!. We ordered some oysters, fries, fried chicken and waffles, crab and soft shell crab burgers. I didn’t happen to get a picture of everything though!

We had a delicious lunch at Miss Katie's on a wet Saturday afternoon. We were greeted at the door by 2 friendly staff and the service remained fantastic the whole time. We ordered the fried school prawns to start, which were absolutely delicious! A little bit spicy and so moreish. We also shared a soft shell crab burger, which had a yummy brioche bun and a beautiful crispy crab! The prawn cocktail roll was nice, but the roll was a little dense. It's a little strange being inside the Ding Dong lounge, but who cares - the food is amazing! Will definitely return.

Came here for dinner. <br/>Service was friendly but poor.<br/>Little meat in the crab and generally poor meals.<br/>Hefty prices. <br/>Deafening music. <br/>Criminally overrated place.

Came here for a staff farewell party and the food was great! Everyone loved the crabs and oysters 🦀️ also had the Cobb salad with blue cheese sauce and the southern fried chicken with waffles all was perfect ~ <br/>We stayed and watch the live band and drank after dinner great place to hang out❤

LIT!: such a unique experience as you can eat crab though I did initially think.. just crab?but it was seasoned so well. The chips WITH the cheese sauce is a must! <br/><br/>NOT SO LIT: if you're not a fan of "doing it yourself" kind of places, then this isn't for you. <br/><br/>Thanks for having us!

Katie's Fried Chicken with fresh slaw<br/>Build your own boil with added crab and king prawn<br/><br/>Location: Nice vibes with stage for a live band. Very spacious and tables for couples as well as large groups<br/><br/>Service: Waiters were very friendly and helpful and food came out quite quickly. Only let down was that they had run out of hand wipes for the day and was offered napkins instead.<br/><br/>Food: Thoroughly enjoyed the boils. Crab came out nicely cooked and very buttery. Only disappointment would be the added king prawn. Menu said 300g of king prawns and to my disappointment, I ended up with just the one prawn.<br/>Would definitely come back and grab the boil again with added clams or mussels this time. Chicken was nothing out of the ordinary, expected something different and unique. The slaw on the other hand was magnificent.<br/>Portions were good, perfect for two people.<br/><br/>Price: Boils are very well priced. Quite a bargain when having seafood. Again, a bit disappointed with the price I paid for the prawn but this does not in any way deter me from coming back here.

Staff were really friendly and food came out pretty quick. The crab itself was boiled well but flavours were not amazing or strong enough, would have been great if actual chilli crab was an option instead of just having a bottle of sriracha on the side as a sauce option. Crab was decently priced at $27 for one or $45 for two. My partner and I added mussels to our boil for $12 and they were pretty good in terms of taste. Overall, this crab shack has friendly staff, quick service, and decently priced crabs. The only things I were disappointed about were the little amount of mussels they offer for an additional $12 and the little lack of flavour in the crabs.

I know Katie's all about the crabs - they look DELICIOUS, and the friends I went with who ordered the crab boils said they tasted just as good - but my heart lies with good old fried chicken. I ordered the 6-piece with waffles (about $24) (only get 6 if you're quite hungry, otherwise the 3-piece may be plenty), and loved every bite. The skin was crunchy with a great mixture of interesting spices, and the chicken was just as it should be - juicy! Given how happy my friends were, I'll try the crabs next time. Katie was also kind enough to talk us through Old Bay seasoning, and how it was used by her mum back home. Great food, and lovely personal service.

Had coconut crab which is on special that day. More of a place to have some fun using the mini hammer, but tbh personally speaking chicken&waffle are not that that good as expected. 😐

Fresh is the best!<br/>Went to miss Katie's on the weekend for some lunch and let me tell you it was AMAZING! I have read previous complaints about using disposable containers, but that is the whole point! YOU'RE THERE TO MAKE A MESS! ITS A CRAB BOIL! If you do your research it's served on a massive table with newspaper. NO PLATES. We had the Thai special and the original. It was definitely fresh NOT FROZEN, like other places I've been too. The Thai special, I hope she makes permanent because it was simply delicious!. Being served by Katie herself, and having our "weapons" made it a fun experience overall. Would definitely travel all the way to Melbourne again just for this meal.

I've been a long time fan of the Shack since their days up in North Melbourne. Taste-wise I have absolutely no complaints. The seafood is fresh and flavoursome, and although it's expensive I do feel it worth the money, I don't know anywhere else that does food like this. However, there were two things that I picked up on - the oyster shells hadn't been cleaned properly and were disappointingly gritty. And, the most disappointing of all is serving everything in disposable containers. Like another commenter above it's disappointing in this day and age they are adding to the waste of resources to create this stuff, and the landfill it creates. Not just the trays but giving a paper bag with a mallet and wipe that immediately goes straight in the bin!! Seriously just put them in tubs for people to take!! I could understand it at Public Bar, but this is a set up that can handle crockery. Call me crazy but I actually find it upsetting.<br/> <br/><br/>NB. I am over the moon to report that they have heeded our advice and concerns and now serve on proper plates and have cut more of the disposables. Very very happy and I will now be returning at least once a week! Love ya Katie!

Wow! I saw the photos of this place and instantly had to go. Boy it was worth it! Crab was flavoured well, fried chicken was amazing and holy crap the French fries with the season and blue cheese sauce was out of this world!

The fried chicken was amazing, but the waffles we had were not great at all. Cold and tasteless but I would go back for the chicken. The tacos and burgers are good.

Our food didn't take too long at all to arrive. I got the Katie's Fried Chicken. You could add French fries or Belgian waffles with real Canadian maple syrup for $5 - I opted for the latter. These were seriously one of the most juicy, succulent fried chicken I've had in a while. Coated in a golden fried, crunchy shell made from a secret blend of herbs and spices, these were awesome. The fragrant, herby flavour of the skin was like Southern style version of our Asian five spice chicken - I loved it!  The waffles were soft, fluffy and missing that chewy, dense crunch - the kind I like to fondly refer to as panffles aka look like waffles but with the texture of pancakes. I never particularly liked these type of waffles, but drizzled in sweet Canadian maple, these made a nice enough accompaniment to the chicken.<br/><br/>Summer had Katie's Low Country Boil. This chilled-out crab looks like it's having a leisurely yawn. This was an Australian blue swimmer crab, corn and smoked kranski cooked in Old Bay seasoning and garlic butter. Summer  was presented a cute wooden hammer. In actuality, it was probably too lightweight to do much damage (other than making noise like a judge banging his gavel) so she ended up biting through the shells like a beaver. There wasn't a lot of meat in the blue swimmer, but what was there was juicy and soft. The flavour of the crab was somewhat overpowered by the garlicky, buttery broth and Summer said she would have preferred her ultimate favourite mud crab for the more firm texture and distinctive taste. <br/><br/>Summer and I finished our deliciously indulgent meals and left feeling incredibly satisfied.

Last time we went to MKCS was at the Rochester and would have given it 5 stars. Last night it swung the other way. <br/>- Terrible setting, not welcoming, no atmosphere (8pm on a Saturday night)<br/>- In effective service having to order drinks from a different business that shares the venue.<br/>- Food below par, nothing to rave about. Chicken was flavourless, Crab had a sticker in it (TUE) Does this mean the Crab was 4 days old. (Unsure I should have asked, but had already felt deflated by the experience)?<br/><br/>The best thing about the night was the company.<br/><br/>Shouldn't have walked up the stairs.