The Tasty Crab, a seafood restaurant, opened its second ever location on March 18 in Skokie, offering a variety of cajun food and an unseen, authentic cajun experience. Since it opened, the restaurant has gained generally positive reviews as well, with a 3.9 on Google Reviews and a 4.2 on Yelp, who lists the location as the number one cajun seafood restaurant near Skokie, Illinois.

This new restaurant welcomes its customers with a very maritime environment; upon walking in, one is greeted by fish and other sea-based decorations hanging on the walls and from the ceilings. Interestingly, the restaurant even has a statue of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow standing by the front door on the inside. The vibe is generally mellow, with warm lighting contrasting gray and tan walls, as if one were in a ship while eating their food. One can also choose from a variety of different foods, both seafood and non-seafood based. For those looking for some real seafood to eat, one can order a shrimp bucket (literally) or crab legs as a meal, while others can order chicken tenders as a non-seafood appetizer.

When sitting down, one immediately notices the large piece of paper that covers the table like a tablecloth, though it’s just part of the soon-to-be messy dining experience. All main meals (priced by the pound), including the sides, will be delivered in a giant bag on a plate, like an authentic seafood boil. The restaurant also encourages customers to eat food with their hands for authenticity’s sake, offering disposable gloves and even bibs for those looking to keep their hands and clothes clean. One can even order their foods at different levels of spiciness ranging from slightly spicy, mild, very spicy, to extremely spicy. The restaurant also offers tools to break and pry open one’s food if they are ordering something like crab legs. Additionally, every main meal is offered with a choice of potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, boiled eggs, and several different spices and mixtures of them.

“The food was nice, it was cooked well,” junior Matthew Ader said. “It was really good. [The environment] was nice, I liked it. The service was nice, [my table] talked about it quite a bit. The employees were pretty friendly…they were humorous. [I’m glad] they gave us gloves, because I don’t know how [else] you would eat that with your hands. I would [recommend this restaurant] because it was a nice experience, enjoyable, just all around a good experience.”

It is also important to mention the friendly staff of the establishment. The uniformed employees are, expectedly, friendly, accommodating, patient, and oftentimes social. Not only this, but some of the staff includes both graduates and active students of Niles North. 

The Tasty Crab is unique in its authenticity and environment first and foremost. Outside of cajun communities, this kind of experience can only be replicated in Bloomington, where the only other location of this establishment resides. For those looking for a bona fide seafood boil and gloves to match, then The Tasty Crab, just a 20 minute walk from Niles North, is the right place to go.