Foods from Big Daddy's Crab Shack
Comments

2011 Dec 12
I called Big Daddy's Crab Shack on Elgin and they are trying to find another location. They have their lease extended until the end of February. The other location on Baseline is not moving or closing.

2011 Nov 27
The restaurant closes on December 31. I noticed on the website that one in Mississauga closed as well.

I wonder if this will mean closing of the chain in general?

I will be making one more visit before they do!

So. Here i am making a visit, i get here at 10 to 4 and they tell me they do not open until 4. So here i am waiting outside since i came by transit lol. Guess should have checked the hours.....

2011 Nov 8
NoooOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!!!

(...mostly because say what one will about Big Daddy's, we have a fair amount of Asian-Fusion around Otown these days and not nearly enough 'Cajun'... ish... )

2011 Nov 7
According to friends in the know, Big Daddy's is closing in December and will be re-opening as an Asian Fusion place. Just FYI, for those who like the place.

2011 Oct 29
Big Daddy's (Elgin location) has been a favorite of mine for several years. More often than not, the food is fresh and delicious, and the menu has something for everyone. However....

..over the last year, I have noticed that the portion sizes and quality of some dishes are significantly reduced. Has anyone else been disappointed with this? For instance, the chocolate brownie w/ ice cream desert use to consist of a brownie square. It was then reduced by a half to a triangle. The other day, it was 2/3 the size of the triangle.

For the entree, I had the bronzed salmon. This dish includes the sides of roasted red potatoes and seasonal veg. I was shocked how little the sides they served. For the potatoes, they gave me 5 halves of potatoes the size of grape tomatoes, and the serving of veg included 2 slivers each of carrot, zucc, and one tiny floret of brocco. As usual, the salmon was delicious.

Also, the bruchetta appetizer, normally a favorite, was smaller and was served with a handful of assorted lettuce leaves on top, instead of the flavourful fried onion strings as per usual.

These reductions, although with little impact on the flavours, definitely reduces the value and dining experience here. As a result, I will now consider drinks and dinner at the Manx first, although if no tables are available, will still consider Big Daddy's as a good second option.


2011 Mar 25
I really like the mussels in white wine and the baguette type bread they serve.
Big daddys platter is awesome.

2010 Apr 30
This has been an old favourite of mine for years, ever since i moved to Ottawa. I knwo I can go here and enjoy a nice glass of wine, some delicious seafood cheese fonue and oysters. I seem to have such relaxing nights here. I do agree with others that it can be a meat market at sertain times, but I avoid it then (usually Thursdays after work hours)and everyone's happy :)

2009 Jul 20
I always enjoy my time at this restaurant. It is a bit of a meat market during happy hour (as in: a pick up bar) but the food is always fresh and the cocktails are tasty and creative. I have yet to try it, but I hear great things about their seafood fondue.

2007 Jul 17
As I am moving basically across this street from this place (yipee!), I went there last Wednesday for Happy Hour with some friends.

Their food is thoroughly delicious. We sampled a great many things including oysters, calamari, mussels in creole sauce, crawfish, gator, seafood fondue and steamed crab legs.

Everything was fresh, well prepared and delicious. The calamari were perfectly done and in a very light tempura-style batter.

I especially enjoyed how they brought a tray of their house-made sauces (from mild to spicy) and a vinegar bottle filled with pepper-infused vodka to the table.

Our server was somewhat frosty in a "Canada's Next Top Model" kind of way but efficient overall.

On a side note: They have a woman reading tarot cards every evening for $10 and the proceeds all go to Habitat for Humanity. Two of our friends had their cards read and came back to the table thoroughly spooked.

2007 Feb 18
I love their happy hour menu. It's yummy.

Older


4





2011 Sep 3
My wife and I have been going to Big Daddy's Crab Shack on Elgin since we first met 15 years ago. We love the decor, the staff and the energy there. About a year ago we found out that my wife has Celiac's Disease. With that in mind we have gone to Big Daddy's on several occassions always mindful to identify her health concern. The staff (from server to manager to cook) have reassured us repeatedly that if they say something is "gluten-free" then it is "gluten-free". An impressive claim for any cajun/creole restaurant that uses traditional recipes (flour is a key ingredient is almost all their sauces and batters).

After several visits in the past 6 months (4 to be precise) we have to say that the label "gluten-free" must apply to the ingredients in the food and not the preparation and/or serving approach. My wife has had a severe reaction each and every time despite the reassurances of the staff. We have identified this issue each time we returned in the hopes that they would be able to accommodate us but it has been to no avail.

So, if you want to each gluten-free like myself and don't have cross-contamination concerns related to an underlying health-issue we highly recommend Big Daddy's on Elgin. Ask to sit in Sara's, Courtney's or Julia's section and you will be very happy with both the quality of the food and the attentiveness of your server.

If you have a gluten-related health concern we would have to recommend that you avoid Big Daddy's on Elgin. :(




1