☞ EAT: Joe's Crab Shack Harlem Opens Today

Joe's Crab Shack at 125th at FDB/8th Avenue had a soft opening last night and will officially open to the public today.  This is our first outing at the national chain and the Crab Shack's first New York City presence also. A giant shark display greeted guests as they arrived on the top floor of the eatery along with a young, helpful staff dressed in tie dye tees.  One other thing that stood out the most is that the front area is very much a sports bar and the drink menu is quite extensive.  New England style props decorate the main dining area but this event was more for socializing and like a cocktail party with small bites served.

Menus were past out to guests to take home and prices appear to be in the low twenties to the thirty dollar range for the various crab boil pots.  Those same crab pots attracted around fifty folks who formed an early line last night to be the first 100 guests at today's opening who will receive a year long free crab membership.  By 7:00 last night there was tent that was pitched also out front.  With all that said, Joe's Crab shack should be a popular destination for a lot of families in the neighborhood and a key factor in developing the quiet upper FDB corridor located north of 125th Street.

UPDATE: There ended up being over 600 people waiting in lone for the opening today and Joe's extended the year's worth of free crab award to a total of the first 300 instead of just 100.