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Spicy, buttery crab legs at Shell Shack
Shell Shack/Facebook

Where to Eat the Spiciest, Sauciest Seafood Boils in Houston

Ranging from classic Cajun crawfish to Thai basil shrimp, these are the city’s standout boiled seafood destinations 

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Spicy, buttery crab legs at Shell Shack
| Shell Shack/Facebook

In a city like Houston with long stretches of perfect patio weather, there’s no meal more perfect for enjoying outside than a steaming platter of boiled seafood. The city is replete with excellent seafood shacks and restaurants serving top-quality shrimp, crawfish, crab, and more, all boiled to perfection and served in the classic Cajun style or Houston’s popular Viet-Cajun blend.

And sure, Viet-Cajun crawfish may get all the attention, but there’s so much more to the world of Houston’s seafood boils. At these 11 restaurants, find the city’s best boiled seafood in a variety of styles — just don’t forget to thoroughly wash your hands after peeling and cracking all this spice-drenched seafood.

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Saigon House

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Saigon House puts its own twist on Houston’s famed Viet-Cajun crawfish with a traditional Cajun dry seasoning combined with aromatic herbs and spices. Crawfish is $9.99 per pound while other boils include Texas blue crab and jumbo shrimp.

a box of boiled seafood with crab legs, a lobster tail and an oxtail
Box of boiled seafood from Saigon House
Saigon House/Facebook

BOIL HOUSE

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Find boiled crawfish and shrimp available by the pound at this “pond-to-plate” destination in the Heights. In true Louisiana fashion, enhancements include corn, potatoes, mushroom and link sausage, along with margarita and strawberry daiquiris.

Crawfish Cafe

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Create your own seafood boil at Crawfish Café, where proteins include crawfish, Dungeness crab, head-on shrimp, little neck clams, black mussels and whole lobster. Here, flavor options range from classic Cajun to Thai basil, and the spice level ranges from mild to medium to extra-spicy.

Shell Shack

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A Dallas export, this seafood house features boiled king crab, snow crab, Dungeness crab, shrimp and crawfish (seasonally) and allows guests to choose from one of five seasoning blends — go for the Kitchen Sink — and spice levels that range from mellow mild to the dangerous diablo.

Ragin' Cajun

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A Houston institution, Ragin Cajun only serves 100% Acadiana “rice field” pond-raised, purged crawfish for $8.99/lb. The boil recipe, spiked heavily with cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder, is house-made, and makes for seriously savory crawfish.

a bowl of boiled crawfish, shrimp, corn and potatoes
Ragin Cajun’s boiled crawfish and shrimp
Ragin Cajun/Facebook

Bluewater Seafood

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Whether you’re looking for crawfish or something else in the boiled seafood department, Bluewater Seafood delivers in a big way. The Captain’s Catch pairs 1 lb. of crawfish with 10 boiled shrimp and ½ lb. of snow crab for $26.99, or you can skip the crawfish all together and stick strictly with blue crab, Dungeness crab, snow crab or king crab boils.

LA Crawfish

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Its easy to feed your fix by visiting one of any LA Crawfish locations around town. Crawfish are shaken up with the saucy seasoning of your choice — from garlic butter and Cajun to hot and sour. Can’t decide? Try a combo of two sauces for ultimate flavor.

Sam's Boat

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At this lively patio restaurant and bar, a broad range of seafood delights are featured, including boiled shrimp and snow crab with potatoes and corn by the pound, while boiled crawfish makes its appearance on the menu from January to June.

BB’s Cafe

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Take your pick of crawfish from the traditional Louisiana way, or enjoy the uniquely Houston “Tex-Orleans” style. Make your boil even heartier with tasty additions like button mushrooms, corn, smoked garlic sausage, red potato and boiled broccoli and green beans.

Crawfish & Noodles

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It’s well worth the trek to Chinatown for a sampling of true Viet-Cajun crawfish by famed chef Trong Nguyen, who’s been nominated for a James Beard Award and appeared on David Chang’s Ugly Delicious. The mudbugs here are $8 per pound, and can be ordered at four different spice levels. In addition to the crawfish, find seasonally-available Dungeness crab, shrimp, and other crustaceans slathered in buttery, spicy sauce. 

Floyds Seafood - Sugar Land

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There are plenty of Cajun culinary standouts at Floyd’s — from boudin and fried catfish to oyster po’ boys — but folks flock to the restaurant for its authentic, Louisiana-style seafood boils. Crawfish is $9.99 per pound, and a dozen hot boiled jumbo shrimp will set you back $14.95.

Saigon House

Saigon House puts its own twist on Houston’s famed Viet-Cajun crawfish with a traditional Cajun dry seasoning combined with aromatic herbs and spices. Crawfish is $9.99 per pound while other boils include Texas blue crab and jumbo shrimp.

a box of boiled seafood with crab legs, a lobster tail and an oxtail
Box of boiled seafood from Saigon House
Saigon House/Facebook

BOIL HOUSE

Find boiled crawfish and shrimp available by the pound at this “pond-to-plate” destination in the Heights. In true Louisiana fashion, enhancements include corn, potatoes, mushroom and link sausage, along with margarita and strawberry daiquiris.

Crawfish Cafe

Create your own seafood boil at Crawfish Café, where proteins include crawfish, Dungeness crab, head-on shrimp, little neck clams, black mussels and whole lobster. Here, flavor options range from classic Cajun to Thai basil, and the spice level ranges from mild to medium to extra-spicy.

Shell Shack

A Dallas export, this seafood house features boiled king crab, snow crab, Dungeness crab, shrimp and crawfish (seasonally) and allows guests to choose from one of five seasoning blends — go for the Kitchen Sink — and spice levels that range from mellow mild to the dangerous diablo.

Ragin' Cajun

A Houston institution, Ragin Cajun only serves 100% Acadiana “rice field” pond-raised, purged crawfish for $8.99/lb. The boil recipe, spiked heavily with cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder, is house-made, and makes for seriously savory crawfish.

a bowl of boiled crawfish, shrimp, corn and potatoes
Ragin Cajun’s boiled crawfish and shrimp
Ragin Cajun/Facebook

Bluewater Seafood

Whether you’re looking for crawfish or something else in the boiled seafood department, Bluewater Seafood delivers in a big way. The Captain’s Catch pairs 1 lb. of crawfish with 10 boiled shrimp and ½ lb. of snow crab for $26.99, or you can skip the crawfish all together and stick strictly with blue crab, Dungeness crab, snow crab or king crab boils.

LA Crawfish

Its easy to feed your fix by visiting one of any LA Crawfish locations around town. Crawfish are shaken up with the saucy seasoning of your choice — from garlic butter and Cajun to hot and sour. Can’t decide? Try a combo of two sauces for ultimate flavor.

Sam's Boat

At this lively patio restaurant and bar, a broad range of seafood delights are featured, including boiled shrimp and snow crab with potatoes and corn by the pound, while boiled crawfish makes its appearance on the menu from January to June.

BB’s Cafe

Take your pick of crawfish from the traditional Louisiana way, or enjoy the uniquely Houston “Tex-Orleans” style. Make your boil even heartier with tasty additions like button mushrooms, corn, smoked garlic sausage, red potato and boiled broccoli and green beans.

Crawfish & Noodles

It’s well worth the trek to Chinatown for a sampling of true Viet-Cajun crawfish by famed chef Trong Nguyen, who’s been nominated for a James Beard Award and appeared on David Chang’s Ugly Delicious. The mudbugs here are $8 per pound, and can be ordered at four different spice levels. In addition to the crawfish, find seasonally-available Dungeness crab, shrimp, and other crustaceans slathered in buttery, spicy sauce. 

Floyds Seafood - Sugar Land

There are plenty of Cajun culinary standouts at Floyd’s — from boudin and fried catfish to oyster po’ boys — but folks flock to the restaurant for its authentic, Louisiana-style seafood boils. Crawfish is $9.99 per pound, and a dozen hot boiled jumbo shrimp will set you back $14.95.

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