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Fall is almost here and you know what that means—cooler weather, crisp autumn leaves, pumpkin spice, and crab cakes. In case you didn’t already know, early fall is also crab season, making it the perfect time to enjoy this popular, if sometimes underrated, seafood dish.
If you love crab cakes but don’t feel like making your own or picking up frozen ones from the supermarket that often lack taste and texture, you’re in luck. We’ve rounded up some of the best restaurant chains that serve the best crab cakes. Some spots whip up more traditional versions, served with dilled tartar sauce or a tangy sweet and sour slaw. Others kick things up a notch and incorporate interesting ingredients like beurre blanc, rémoulade, and a range of exciting aiolis into their crab cake variations.
From high-end seafood spots that opened decades ago and have been making crab cakes that seamlessly combine flavor and texture to beloved steakhouses that also excel at making seafood dishes, here are ten restaurant chains that serve the best crab cakes.
Sure, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is known for its steaks and chops, but it also whips up top-notch crab cakes. The chain, which got its start in 1965, prepares a delicious crab cake menu option that’s served with sizzling lemon butter. This flavorful dish pairs well with the chain’s bleu cheese-topped wedge salad, potatoes au gratin (made with a delectable three cheese sauce), and the lobster mac and cheese that’s prepared with cavatappi pasta, juicy lobster, and a creamy white cheddar sauce.
The Florida-founded Bonefish Grill has been serving undeniably delicious seafood dishes and more since its doors opened in January 2000. One standout on its menu is the house-made Maryland-style crab cakes prepared with a fantastic rémoulade sauce, a mayo-based sauce made with spices and horseradish. Here, you can expect delightful flavorful dishes made with only the highest quality ingredients—in fact, the chain shares on its website that it partners with local fishermen to source only the freshest fish. Score.
Amazing steak dishes, refreshing cocktails, and next-level seafood menu options—what’s not to love about the inimitable Capital Grille? The next time you visit a location and want to try something beyond steak, be sure to order the crab cakes. These tasty seafood options are an elevated version of a more traditional crab cake. They are made using lobster and crab meat and are served with a mouthwatering lemon basil aioli. Suggested pairings for this dish include creamed spinach (a steakhouse classic), lobster macaroni and cheese, and caramelized French onions.
Chart House was founded on July 4, 1961, and ever since it has become synonymous with delicious dishes and unbeatable scenery. Each of this high-end chain’s locations boasts gorgeous waterfront views. It also makes a delicious crab cake served with brown butter, skillet corn and a fabulous mustard beurre blanc. This rich sauce is typically made with butter, vinegar, or white wine, and shallots. The crab cake goes wonderfully with an order of chilled beetroot ravioli, featuring citrus herb goat cheese, arugula, and honey, or the refreshing kale and Brussels sprouts salad, made with pomegranate arils, apples, goat cheese, and dried cranberries.
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Maggiano’s Little Italy, the beloved restaurant chain with over 50 locations throughout the country, is the perfect place to enjoy scrumptious pasta dishes, perfectly prepared chicken parmesan, and, you guessed it, crab cakes. This eatery makes the classic crustacean dish using a rich lobster cream sauce and plates it with a fresh and delicate arugula and tomato salad. Order Maggiano’s crab cakes as an appetizer, main entrée, or side for the table—any way works.
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If you love Old Bay seasoning, you’ll be happy to hear that The Palm serves crab cakes with a side of Old Bay aioli. Even better? The high-end eatery also offers a handful of other crab-centric menu options that are full of flavor. For instance, there’s the crabmeat cocktail appetizer that’s plated with cocktail sauce, lemon, and a side of horseradish. There’s also the sea bass Oscar, stuffed with crab meat and served with asparagus and béarnaise sauce. And lastly, The Palm offers crab and shrimp topping that can be added to your steaks or chops.
Ocean Prime takes crab cakes to the next level with its jump lump crab cakes made with sweet and sour slaw and served with horseradish mustard aioli. Besides delicious crab cakes, you can also expect handcrafted cocktails, a menu curated by renowned chefs, and a wine list that’s been honored by Wine Spectator—in other words, Ocean Prime is everything you’d want in a restaurant and then some.
Legal Sea Foods Restaurant and Oyster Bar may just be one of the best places to pick up crab cakes. The chain makes tasty jumbo crab cakes with mustard sauce, mixed greens, corn, peas, radish, tomato, and chive vinaigrette. Legal Sea Foods dates all the way back to the 1950s when the beloved chain first opened up as a fish market in Cambridge, Mass. Today, there are nearly two dozen Legal Sea Foods locations along the Eastern Seaboard in places like Virginia Beach, Va., Short Hills, N.J., and King of Prussia, Pa.
If you’re lucky enough to have a Truluck’s near you, try the jumbo lump crabs served with dilled tartar sauce. For those looking for even more crab-centric dishes, there’s also the fresh stone crab claw platter that features chilled and pre-cracked crab claws served with a house specialty mustard sauce. Since the early 1990s, Truluck’s has been crafting fantastic seafood dishes using only the finest ingredients. Even better? The chain specifies the origin of each fish on its menus, and the produce is sourced from local growers whenever possible.
Elegant restaurant chain Eddie V’s Prime Seafood has a long menu filled with delicious options, including Norwegian salmon with a mustard and rye whiskey glaze, center-cut filet mignon, truffled macaroni and cheese, grilled asparagus with sea salt and lemon—and, of course, jumbo crab cakes. These crab cakes are sautéed Maryland-style and served with a spicy chive rémoulade. Order this dish with a side of sautéed Monterrey-style sweet corn or butter-poached lobster with aged white cheddar mashed potatoes for a truly decadent meal.
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