Joe's Crab Shack   

1435 Baronial Plaza Dr
Toledo, OH 43615
419-866-8877
www.www.joescrabshack.com

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As you might expect from a restaurant with the word "shack" in its name, Joe's is a bit on the laid-back side. Housed in the old Chuck Muer's building off Reynolds Road and perched on the banks of Swan Creek, the pseudo-rustic Joe's Crab Shack is a brash joint with irreverently breezy service and a focused menu offering various saltwater seafood, especially shellfish. (But sorry: There's nothing on the menu from the Great Lakes, so if you have a hankering for Lake Superior whitefish, bypass Joe's.) Diners in the mood to splurge go for any of Joe's five crab entrees: snow, blue, Dungeness, soft-shell, and Alaskan king legs. Carnivores will be pleased to know that Joe's kitchen staff knows its way around a grill. The steak and chicken dishes are more than respectable alternatives to the other fishy fare. Desserts don't appear on the dinner menu (did they run out of room?), though management says this will change. It's certainly not because they are lacking in any way: The whipped cream-topped key lime pie alone is worth the trip. The kids are alright at Joe's, which offers outdoor seating on a spacious bi-level patio, complete with a playground that let's you watch the kids burn off their hush puppies while you tackle your crab legs. Those who venture inside the Shack will find Gulf-Coast fishing camp decor and frenetic music that can only be described as, um, pervasive. But on the flip side, the limited menu is consistently satisfying, Joe's stays open late, the prices are reasonable, and parking is rarely a problem. Not bad for a Shack.