6 Seafood Restaurant Chains Serving The Best Crab Cakes, According To Reviews

There's a long list of offenses that make crab cake lovers crabby. They don't want too many fillers like breadcrumbs or mayonnaise. They detest mushy textures or cakes that fall apart on contact. They turn their nose up at over- or underseasoned plates and sauces that don't fit the bill. On the contrary, what true fans of the seafood specialty really want is quality crab meat ... and lots of it, surrounded by ingredients that enhance the natural flavor rather than walk all over it. Plus, a light crisp around the edges never hurts.

You may think you have to venture down to Louisiana or set sail for a quaint Maryland beach town to get this kind of honest-to-good crab cake. And it is true that these places are teeming with a great deal of trophy catches. But there are also a select few chain restaurants serving up crab cakes worthy of acclaim, all across the country, not just tucked away on the coastline. Instead of being buried under a sea of criticism, crab cakes from these establishments are praised by diners for their freshness, real seafood flavors, and worthy accompaniments. They really do take the cake in this hard-to-nail culinary category, and today we're highlighting six highly revered recipes that have earned their loyal followings. From sourcing and binding to sauces and presentation, these crab cakes check every box and set the standard for chain restaurant seafood.

"If it isn't fresh, it isn't Legal!" At least, that's how the New England-based chain Legal Sea Foods operates. It's known for reeling in responsibly-sourced seafood that it packs into dishes like its famed clam chowder, lobster rolls, and its signature crab cake — a crab cake that customers can't seem to get enough of.

Seafarers and land-dwelling diners alike can find the crab cake on the restaurant's starter menu. It features real lump crab with a mustard sauce on a bed of greens, corn, onions, tomatoes, and a Dijon vinaigrette. Patrons say it's exceptionally crab-forward with jumbo pieces of meat throughout. The problem of too much filler or too much breading doesn't exist here. The seafood truly is front and center, served with a side of tangy mustard sauce. It's been called the "best crab cake ever" on more than one occasion, and customers make sure to note that it's a step above the crab cakes at most other seafood joints.

Understandably, you might not want to share something that tastes this good. So, instead of ordering it as an appetizer, Legal Sea Foods also gives you the option to pair a crab cake with shrimp for a surf-and-surf double feature. Or, diners can simply tack on an à la carte crab cake to any of the chain's featured meals. So you can have your crab cake and eat something else, too. That's a win-win that makes ordering a breeze.

Depending on where you live and your dining experiences, when you hear Mastro's, you likely think of steakhouses. And you wouldn't be wrong. The ritzy chain does lead first with its dry-aged steaks, which arrive at the table sizzling on a 450-degree platter. But it's a multifaceted enterprise that also has impressive maritime offerings, at both its Ocean Club locations and on its standard steakhouse menus. They're just as flashy as the cuts of beef, served in the form of 2-foot-tall seafood towers, chef-curated sushi rolls, and some of the tastiest crab cakes you'll ever have the pleasure of encountering.

Customers say they're obsessed with the jumbo lump crab cakes found on the restaurant's appetizer menu. Even the most discerning crab cake connoisseurs approve of the meat-packed offering and the sauce that goes with it. It's said to be a remoulade sauce that packs just enough heat to elevate it above other recipes out there. Others say the crab cake is full of unique flavors that make it delicious all on its own, but the filler ingredients never overpower the crab itself.

The Mastro's crab cakes also live up to their name. Diners note that they are large enough to share. One cake is enough for two people to enjoy–the perfect start to either a steak dinner or a continued seafood extravaganza.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room may be a small chain, operating just seven total locations across the country, but it makes a big splash. It is known for flying in fish, crustaceans, and other seafood every single day in order to offer its customers the best of the best catches from around the world. With this kind of commitment to quality and freshness, it's no wonder that the Oceanaire's crab cakes land on our list of customer favorites.

Known officially as the Chesapeake Bay Style Crab Cake, the maritime delicacy comes with a side of cocktail sauce and mustard mayonnaise. And even for diners who arrive at the restaurant with pre-conceived sky-high expectations, the dish doesn't disappoint. It's a highly recommended, must-order appetizer at the chain, and a sizeable one at that, weighing in at about 8 to 10 ounces, according to one customer.

Another patron says that there's nothing quite like the Oceanaire crab cakes. They actually liked them so much that they reached out to the Los Angeles Times back in 2010 to try to source the recipe, and lo and behold, the restaurant was more than happy to share it with the publication. It reveals that ingredients like Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, tarragon, and chopped onions join jumbo lump crab meat in the mix and even gives step-by-step preparation instructions. We love the transparency, but there's no doubt the cakes are at their best when plucked right from Oceanaire's kitchen for an "Ultra-Fresh Seafood Experience."

Eddie V's Prime Seafood bears many similarities to the Oceanaire Seafood Room. For starters, it also receives fresh seafood daily from global suppliers and draws in guests with its elevated atmosphere. The two chains also overlap when it comes to their menus, and both have created a crab cake so tasty that diners can't stop talking about it.

The Jumbo Lump Crab cake is an Eddie V's signature item. It's loaded up with an entire half pound of lump crab meat, dressed in a panko crust, and finished with a creamy housemade sauce. Customers understandably say the portion is generous, but also mention that the crab cake is moist and delicious. One diner was particularly fond of the Maryland-style sautee and spicy chive remoulade –just a few of the features that made the crab cake an inspired culinary choice alongside picks like the restaurant's Butter Poached Lobster Mashed Potatoes. Another said that the chunky bits of crab make the crab cake a must, and yet another ranked the cake as a perfect 5 out of 5 on the tastiness scale.

The crab cake is listed on the menu as an appetizer. But its immense size also means it can pass as an entree. One guest went this route, foregoing a main dish in order to save room for a bananas foster butter cake dessert, and was more than happy with the decision. Not only because the crab cake lived up to expectations, but because the cake, which is flambéed table-side, did as well.

Truluck's has been bringing Florida Stone Crab to Texas and beyond since 1992. Along with its sustainable sourcing methods, crab is the restaurant's anchor point, and you'll find it scattered around the menu in a few different forms. Fresh, never-frozen claws are undoubtedly a main attraction. But the jumbo lump crab cake more than holds its own.

Customers relish the crustacean-filled cake, which sits in a pool of dilled tartar sauce. They say it's packed with plenty of juicy meat and the right amount of binding to ensure it doesn't fall apart. Plus, it's pan-seared, so the edges are nice and crisp. Diners love that it's rich, flavorful, and nearly all crab. One Yelp reviewer went so far as to write, "Bar none, best crab cakes on the planet." Given Truluck's crabby reputation, people flock to the restaurant specifically for the crab cakes, and they're not often disappointed. Some even admit to continuing to think about it long after they paid their bill and left the premises. It's what a good crab cake ought to be.

If you're planning an upcoming trip to one of Truluck's 12 exclusive locations, you will find the crab cake listed as a hot appetizer on the dinner menu and also on the lunch menu at restaurants with earlier hours. Pair it with a side of meaty claws for the true Truluck's experience. Or dive into a different kind of prime catch like Blue Crab Stuffed Lobster Tails or Jalapeno Salmon Bernaise for an all-out seafood feast.

Pappadeaux puts its own one-of-a-kind twist on chain seafood. Its scratch kitchens whip up coastal favorites but with a New Orleans French Quarter flair. That equates to dishes like Crawfish Etouffee, Louisiana Shrimp Gumbo, and Hot Honey Glazed Gator Bites. Of course, the restaurant doesn't deny patrons a few familiar and beloved appetizers either, like shrimp cocktail, fried calamari, and yes, crab cakes.

The Pappadeaux crab cake is oven-baked rather than pan-fried or seared, and it's made with jumbo lump crab covered in a lemon caper butter. And, according to customers, it tastes just as good as it sounds. "Perfect texture, perfect seasoning, and that lemon caper butter was the right kind of bright," one Yelp user wrote in a review of the crab cake. Others say that it's the reason they come to the restaurant, and despite the lengthy, diverse menu, the crab cakes have proven to be so tasty and filling that they haven't gotten around to trying anything else. The sauce is the perfect complement, and you can expect full crab meat in every bite instead of other unnecessary fillings.

Since the Kitchen is based in Houston, folks all around Texas have access to the specialty seafood dish — the state houses 28 of the chain's 38 locations. There are Pappadeuax locations peppered across a few other states. But if you don't happen to be in one of its splash zones, it's definitely worth a road trip to get in on this catch of a crab cake.

Crab cakes are a difficult recipe to master. When they're done right, they're flavorful, fresh, and utterly satisfying. But without the right kind of crab and a careful balance of ingredients, they can easily go awry, ending up mushy, overly fishy, or just plain distasteful. Unfortunately, many seafood chain restaurants fall into this trap. But a select few consistently get it right, delivering crab cakes that are a true standout.

To determine which restaurants fall into the latter category, we began by gathering a list of seafood chains that offer crab cakes on their menu — there is no shortage of chains serving this beloved maritime dish. Then, we dove further into reviews on sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and even Facebook to see what customers had to say. We sourced real opinions from diners and narrowed it down to the best of the best crab cakes that garner overwhelmingly positive feedback. The result is a curated list of chain seafood restaurants that are best-equipped to satisfy your crab cake cravings.