Stone Crabs at Crabby Bill’s
St Pete Beach, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Seafood
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in: May 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Crabby Bill's Zomato rating:
Crabby Bill’s was started by Bill and Dolores Loder making home-cooked seafood in 1975 when they opened Captain Bill's Beach Kitchen. They sold the old Captain Bill's and relocated to Indian Rocks where they opened the first Crabby Bill's Seafood Restaurant. Since then, Crabby Bill's has grown and expanded to more restaurants. Bill Loder died in 2018, and the younger Loder now runs the family business, which includes the original Crabby Bill’s location, Lu Lu’s Oyster Bar and Sea Breeze Island Grill in Redington Shores. They focus on fresh Gulf seafood with eclectic menu offerings that go beyond the basic seafood restaurant. The menu has a range from your classics like mahi, grouper, and assorted shellfish. On the exotic and rare side, you will also find Florida alligator tail, a thresher shark burger, and conch fritters from Key West.
Crabby Bill's Menu:
- Appetizers
- Shell Bar
- Soups and Salads
- Sandwiches
- Entrees
- Desserts
My wife, neighbor and I went to the Crabby Bills on St Pete Beach for happy hour, sitting at the inside bar, as it was too hot outside to enjoy the patio and the views of the Gulf. The happy hour wines were $3.00 each and the beers an even better deal. Stone crab claws were still in season (October 15 each year and runs through May 15), and though they range from Connecticut down to Central America, most are fished off the warm waters of Florida, hence the known name as Florida stone crab. Everglades City, Florida, claims the title of the stone crab capital of the world. The small south Florida town sits on the western mouth of the Everglades, is the birthplace of the stone crab industry and brings in 98 percent of the state’s stone crab claws. Stone crab claws are prepared like shrimp cocktail—cooked, cracked, and served as a high priced meaty finger food. If cracked from the body correctly, in about three years the crab will regenerate their claws to an adequate size for another harvest making them a renewable seafood source.
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| Crabby Bill's / Florida stone crab claws |
My neighbor and I ordered the stone crab dinner, one with the green beans and the other with the vegetable of the day. The meat was flaky and fresh, white to off-white with a sweet taste. The texture was very delicate, with the meat tasting like the claw had just come from the ocean, and was cooked right away, as the meat was not sticking to the bone. Properly cracked, the meat was easy to get to, and it had a lot of meat. Though I love when they are in season, one fear I have from stone crabs is if they go bad, which did happen when I had some store-bought ones a few years back that did not do my stomach any favors.
My wife enjoyed the mahi smoked fish spread with mint and jalapeno, presented nicely on a small plate on a lettuce leaf. A Very simple, yet refreshing and delicate fish spread with nice fresh flavor with fantastic smoky taste and quality with eclectic flavor. On the fish spread chart for Wine Dine and Play I rate the spreads from 1 to 6 with six being the best. This spread I would rate as a 5, or damn good. See the chart below for how I breakdown and rate Florida restaurant fish spreads.
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| Crabby Bill's / Smoked fish spread |
Fish Spread Rating Chart:
(6) THE BEST - Top notch quality, excellent flavor profiles, memorable presentation, rare ingredients, organic, non-GMO, sustainable, local, immense-colossal quality of fish, and extravagant smoke flavors
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(5) DAMN GOOD - Fantastic smoke, exceptional quality, eclectic flavor, nice display, dedicated local sourcing, beautiful quality fish, possibly sustainable, non-GMO
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(4) GOOD - delicate, Enhanced ingredients, nice flavor, fresh taste, great smoke, common arrangements, in state local, superior quality fish
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(3) BETTER - Nice ingredients, higher-desirable quality, okay flavor and taste, good smoke content, maybe from in-state sources, but possibly a GMO
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(2) OKAY - Nothing amazing, a regular spread, fair quality, highly probable GMO product, might be from the state, most likely not, fabricated or mainstream smoke products
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(1) BAD - Taste old, horrible seasoning, cheap smoke, manufactured, heavy GMO product, not local, bad smell
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Florida restaurants known for their stone crab specialties:
- Joe’s Stone Crab, Miami
- Billy's Stone Crab, Hollywood
- Charlie's Fish House & Seafood Market, Crystal River
- Cod & Capers Seafood, North Palm Beach
- Frenchy's Café, Clearwater Beach
- Triad Seafood, Everglades City
Dessert:
We did not have dessert during this visit.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Seafood articles and restaurants similar to Crabby Bill's:
Seafood cuisine is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans. Seafood prominently includes fish and shellfish. A seafood restaurant is a restaurant that specializes in seafood cuisine and seafood dishes. They may include freshwater fish, sushi, raw bars, or rarer items such as the deadly Fugu Blowfish.
Alioto’s Restaurant Historic restaurant serving Sicilian-infused seafood in San Francisco, California
Bonefish Grill Contemporary 200+ chain with a seafood-centric menu; reviewed in St. Petersburg, Florida
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood A Jazzy upscale seafood eatery chain in 9 States, review from Tampa, Florida
Hank’s Seafood A classy southern seafood eatery house in Charleston, South Carolina
Hyman’s Seafood Enduring southern seafood eatery in Charleston, South Carolina
Jack Dusty’s Nautical themed eatery with crafted cocktails and raw bar at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota Florida
Moshulu New American dining on a restored ship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar Laid-back Cape Cod-style seafood restaurant in Austin, Texas
Red Snapper Kiwi “fush n’ chups” takeaway restaurant in Sumner, New Zealand
Snappers Sea Grill Seafood spot owned by local fisherman rated in the top 50 of Tampa Bay on St. Pete Beach, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other St Pete Beach restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Med-Latin and tapas café with 360 views
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
|
Eclectic American fine dining in a beach style resort
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
|
New American cuisine and tapas
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
|
A few Florida restaurant favorites:
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Japanese restaurant & saké bar with sushi
Key West, Florida, USA
|
An Eclectic Blend of American and European
Dunedin, Florida USA
|
Gourmet organic Taqueria street food
City of Anna Maria, Florida, USA
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Crabby Bill's a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Crabby Bill’s
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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11
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11
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0
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Food quality
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11
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8
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3
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Plate presentation
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10
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8
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2
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Customer service
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10
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8
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2
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Alcohol and other beverages
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10
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8
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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52
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43
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9
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.826923076923077
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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0
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.826923076923077
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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3
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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3 of 5 Stars:
83% Rating with a 0 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded All My Expectations in a Dining Experience
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style at Crabby Bill's:
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American
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-free choices, Grass Fed, Local, Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required, but Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Crabby Bill’s
Experiences:
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Contemporary, Trendy, Great bar, Great outdoor dining, Rustic, Scenic views, Hole-in-the-wall, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Crabby Bill's has a valet, public lot, private lot, or street meter parking
2 hour validated parking up until 6:00 PM, $8.00 charge
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Crabby Bill's is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking patio
WARNING: has a smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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Alcohol prices:
$24.00 USD
Crabby Bill’s:
5100 Gulf Blvd
St Pete Beach, Florida
33706
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727-360-8858
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Website Contact:
Email Us:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Daily: Sun - Thur
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Fri - Sat
11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Happy Hour: Mon-Sun
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for Crabby Bill's:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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A hip burger chain with space-age decor
Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
|
Colonial Portuguese Fusion with tapas
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Posh and artful French cuisine + culinary experimentalism at Intercontinental Hotel
Festival City, Dubai, UAE
|
Other Crabby Bill's Pictures:
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| Crabby Bill's / Stone Crab Claw |
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| Crabby Bill's / Vegetable of the Day |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
