In response to television advertising, we decided to give Joe's Crab Shack a shot. The experience was pretty average, leaning on the side of below average.\r
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First of all, the Citysearch listing says that this location has a parking lot, but for those familiar with Station Square, you'll know that parking is in a pay-by-the-hour parking garage; Joe's Crab Shack is no exception. We were also stunned to learn that they won't validate your parking ticket like Hard Rock Cafe and other Station Square businesses do, so parking is 100% on you.\r
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Our table was wobbly and overly cluttered with 8,000 useless condiments and advertisements. What customer needs a half gallon of black pepper? The atmosphere was incredibly noisy, so for those of you looking for somewhere to go for a semi-quiet or romantic dinner, this isn't the place for you; you won't be able to talk to each other without yelling. I'm not an old coot by any means, but it was just too loud. The fluorescent bulb directly over the table also detracted from the comfort of the booth.\r
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Service was quite slow. The amount of time that it took for our very simple orders to come out was borderline unacceptable. And when the food finally did come out, it was just okay. Not terrible, not exceptional. The bacon on the bacon cheeseburger was raw and rubbery in spots. The crab was much better, but a larger portion would have been nice for the money paid for it. When we were done, our server disappeared for what felt like forever, so we finally had to flag down a passing manager for our check. Our server returned to ask us if we wanted dessert after we had already paid and were about to walk out the door.\r
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I'm normally not this hard on a restaurant, but I definitely felt compelled to write a review this time, especially after seeing the Citysearch editorial rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Joe's Crab Shack isn't a place I'll ever be dying to return to.
Pros: Station Square location, food is okay (but not exceptional by any means).
Cons: Far too loud, uncomfortable seating, slow service, will not validate parking.
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