Shaw’s Crab House: A Chicago Seafood Icon

Located in the heart of Chicago, Shaw’s Crab House stands as a beacon for seafood lovers. This iconic restaurant, known for its lively atmosphere and exceptional cuisine, welcomes guests at 21 East Hubbard Street. Whether you’re planning a special dinner or a casual get-together, Shaw’s Crab House is open daily from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Step inside and prepare for a culinary adventure that will tantalize your taste buds.

Looking to keep track of your calorie intake while enjoying your meal? Use our handy
to plan your dining experience!

Menu Highlights

Shaw’s Crab House offers a vast menu, focusing on fresh seafood and classic dishes. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:

Appetizers

• Oysters on the Half Shell: Freshly shucked oysters, served with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
• Jumbo Lump Crab Cocktail: Succulent crab meat, chilled and served with a zesty cocktail sauce.
• Shrimp Cocktail: Classic shrimp, perfectly poached and served with cocktail sauce.
• Smoked Salmon: Delicate smoked salmon, served with capers, onions, and toast points.
• Tuna Tartare: Fresh tuna, diced and mixed with avocado and a sesame-ginger dressing.
• Crab Cakes: Delicious crab cakes, pan-seared and served with remoulade sauce.
• Calamari: Crispy fried calamari, served with marinara sauce and lemon.
• Clams Casino: Baked clams, topped with bacon, peppers, and garlic butter.
• Mussels: Steamed mussels, served in a white wine and garlic broth.
• Seafood Ceviche: Fresh seafood marinated in citrus juices with cilantro and onions.

Soups & Salads

• New England Clam Chowder: Creamy clam chowder, filled with tender clams and potatoes.
• Lobster Bisque: Rich lobster bisque, a creamy and flavorful soup.
• Caesar Salad: Classic Caesar salad, with romaine lettuce, croutons, and Parmesan cheese.
• Wedge Salad: Iceberg lettuce wedge, with blue cheese dressing, bacon, and tomatoes.
• Seafood Salad: Mixed greens with crab, shrimp, and a light vinaigrette.
• House Salad: Mixed greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, and a balsamic vinaigrette.
• Spinach Salad: Fresh spinach, with bacon, mushrooms, and a warm vinaigrette.
• Grilled Salmon Salad: Grilled salmon atop a bed of mixed greens and seasonal vegetables.

Main Courses

• Alaskan King Crab Legs: Steamed Alaskan king crab legs, served with drawn butter.
• Maine Lobster: Steamed or grilled Maine lobster, a true seafood delicacy.
• Grilled Swordfish: Grilled swordfish steak, served with seasonal vegetables.
• Pan-Seared Scallops: Pan-seared scallops, served with risotto and asparagus.
• Fried Shrimp: Crispy fried shrimp, served with fries and coleslaw.
• Grilled Salmon: Grilled salmon fillet, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
• Roasted Halibut: Roasted halibut, served with lemon and caper sauce.
• Seafood Pasta: Pasta with shrimp, scallops, and lobster in a creamy sauce.
• Crab Legs: Snow crab legs, served with drawn butter and lemon.
• Blackened Redfish: Blackened redfish, served with jambalaya rice.
• Surf and Turf: A combination of steak and lobster, a true indulgence.
• Whole Fried Snapper: Crispy whole fried snapper, a flavorful culinary adventure.
• Mahi-Mahi: Grilled Mahi-Mahi, served with rice and seasonal vegetables.
• Seafood Cioppino: A hearty seafood stew with a tomato-based broth.

Sides

• Creamy Mashed Potatoes: Smooth and buttery mashed potatoes, a comforting classic.
• Asparagus: Perfectly cooked asparagus, a healthy and delicious side.
• Mac and Cheese: Rich and creamy mac and cheese, a crowd-pleaser.
• French Fries: Crispy and golden french fries, a perfect accompaniment.
• Rice Pilaf: Fluffy rice pilaf, seasoned with herbs and spices.

The interior of Shaw’s Crab House is designed to evoke a classic seafood restaurant feel, with nautical accents and a lively atmosphere. The service is attentive and professional, ensuring a pleasant dining experience. While Shaw’s Crab House offers a premium dining experience, the pricing reflects the quality of the ingredients and preparation, making it a great choice for special occasions and seafood enthusiasts. The vibe is energetic and social, often buzzing with happy diners enjoying their meals and the vibrant environment.

Conclusion

Shaw’s Crab House is undoubtedly a Chicago institution. The Alaskan King Crab Legs and Maine Lobster are particularly famous and for good reason. It’s a perfect spot for a celebratory dinner, a business meeting, or a fun night out with friends and family. If you’re a seafood lover, Shaw’s Crab House is an absolute must-visit. With its fresh seafood, impeccable service, and lively ambiance, it’s a dining experience you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!

Restaurant Planning Notes

This guide is designed to help readers compare Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago with clearer visit planning, menu context, and practical ordering checks. Restaurant details can change quickly, so the final booking, menu, hours, and price details should always be confirmed through a current official source before visiting.

How to Use This Guide

Use this page as a starting point before you travel, book, or place an order. First, decide whether Shaw’s Crab House fits the occasion: a quick meal, a casual catch-up, a family dinner, a date night, takeaway, or a more planned restaurant visit. Second, compare the likely menu style with what your group actually wants. Third, confirm the live details that can change: opening hours, booking rules, menu availability, prices, service fees, dietary handling, and delivery coverage.

This matters because restaurant pages become outdated quickly. A static page can still help when it explains how to think about the menu, what to verify, and how to avoid common ordering mistakes. Treat this guide as an editorial checklist, then use the restaurant’s official website, booking page, social profile, or current delivery listing for final confirmation.

Practical Menu Notes

Shaw’s Crab House is best approached as a restaurant dining option. Readers should look for mains, shareable plates, drinks, desserts, and visit-specific menu choices. If the current menu is long, avoid choosing only by the first dish name you recognise. A better method is to compare the main categories, then choose one anchor item, one supporting item, and one side or drink that balances the meal.

For first-time visitors, start with the dish category the restaurant is most clearly known for, then add one balancing side. For groups, order across categories instead of choosing several similar dishes. That gives everyone a better sense of the restaurant and usually makes the meal easier to share. If you are ordering takeaway or delivery, choose items that travel well and keep sauces, toppings, or delicate sides separate where possible.

Real-World Visit Checks

• Check current hours: restaurant trading times can change by season, staffing, holidays, and private events.
• Check booking rules: popular venues may need reservations, deposits, seating limits, or cancellation notice.
• Check the latest menu: dishes, prices, lunch specials, tasting menus, and delivery options can change without warning.
• Check the location: restaurants with similar names, branches, or old listings can cause confusion in maps and delivery apps.
• Check value before ordering: compare portion size, sharing style, service fees, and delivery charges rather than looking only at headline menu prices.

Dietary and Allergy Notes

Do not rely only on a third-party guide for allergy, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal, or other dietary guarantees. Even when a menu item sounds suitable, preparation can involve shared fryers, shared utensils, dairy-based sauces, nuts, seafood, eggs, wheat, or other ingredients that are not obvious from a short menu title.

If a dietary requirement matters, ask the restaurant directly before ordering. Useful questions include whether the dish contains the ingredient, whether it is cooked on shared equipment, whether substitutions are possible, and whether staff can record the request clearly. That direct check is more reliable than assuming based on a menu category.

Editorial Note and Author Information

Author: MyReserveTable Editorial Team. This guide is prepared as a practical restaurant planning resource. Readers should confirm live restaurant details such as current menus, prices, hours, booking rules, and dietary handling directly with the restaurant before visiting or ordering.

Verification Notes

• Menus, prices, opening hours, bookings, delivery coverage, and dietary handling can change quickly.
• Before visiting, confirm current details through the restaurant’s official website, booking page, social profile, map listing, or current delivery listing.
• If two public sources disagree, prefer the newest official restaurant source.