10 Popular Chain Restaurant Crab Cakes Ranked, According To Customer Reviews

Crab cakes are often overlooked. Many of us associate seafood chains with lobster, shrimp, and fish — the stars of the seafood world, one may say. Because of this, we've decided to give the humble crab cake a chance to shine and ranked 10 popular chain restaurant crab cakes according to customer reviews.

Crab cakes are often made with lump crab meat and rolled together in a patty that's bound with mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, and some form of breadcrumbs (essentially a crab meatball). They're thought to have originated from the Chesapeake Bay region as part of Indigenous cuisine. While the crab cake has East Coast roots, with the help of these popular restaurant chains, people can enjoy crab cakes across the country.

We'll be using both amateur and professional restaurant reviews to rank the crab cakes at these restaurants. The main concern for customers ordering crab cakes is the ratio of filler to crab. We're looking for large, noticeable chunks of crab in our cakes here. Additionally, we'll be focusing on texture, taste, and freshness — all in relation to price. You can find more information about our methodology at the end. Let's get into it.

Morton's The Steakhouse originated in Chicago in 1978. The chain's Jumbo Lump Crab Cake comes out at $24 for a half order, or $47 for a full order. While that's definitely a jump higher from most other restaurants on this list, it still seems to be a fairly popular appetizer choice for customers. The crab cake comes garnished with arugula, thinly sliced red onions, Grana Padano cheese, and a mustard mayonnaise. Reviews for the crab cake are mixed, with some customers noting on OpenTable that they're a bit on the smaller side, saying: "The crab cakes were tiny and burnt."

The largest setback for Morton's is that some customers noticed the lack of lump crab in its cakes. As one OpenTable reviewer put it: "I ordered crab cakes thinking that for the price ($47 for 2 cakes) there would be jumbo pieces of crab in them. No big pieces of crab and just so-so tasting." That's not exactly impressive for that price. However, the crab cakes don't seem to be the worst thing on the menu, and if you don't eat steak and you find yourself sitting at a Morton's, at least there's an option for you.

The first Bonefish Grill was opened in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2000. Bonefish Grill is a seafood-focused restaurant, so you'd think they'd knock crab cakes out of the park, but this isn't exactly the case. 

Bonefish Grill advertises a Maryland-Style Crab Cake with a red remoulade sauce. The dish consists of two cakes. Customers, well, they're not obsessed with the crab cake here. One customer noted in a Google Maps review that: "The crab cakes were okay, too salty for me and they were falling apart, too much liquid in them." Another echoed this thought in another Google Maps review and wrote: "The crab cake was also salty." Not everyone dislikes these cakes, though, so if salt's your thing, these are the crab cakes for you! 

The price for these cakes is on the lower side, coming out to $17.50. Because of this, Bonefish Grill deserves a bit of grace. If you're in desperate need of a crab cake and Bonefish Grill is your only option, it may be worth that $17.50 to get your fix. It's the cheapest cake you'll find on this list. People do praise the service and atmosphere at this restaurant, so Bonefish Grill earns some points in that department, as well. 

The crab cakes at this Rhode Island-based chain offer something different. The Capital Grille's crab cakes are made with not only crab, but with lobster as well. This popular appetizer is served with a house-made lemon basil aioli and a grilled lemon. On OpenTable, customers generally comment on the fresh quality of the crab cake and the healthy amount of crab chunks they contain (as opposed to filler). That's truly the best compliment a crab cake can receive. Maybe it's unfair to include a crab cake on this list that also contains lobster — a famously expensive and high-end seafood. But, people love it, so we had to include it somewhere in our roundup.

This menu item is said to serve two people, and is priced at $26. For that price, The Capital Grille gets bumped up a few spots. That's not a bad deal, considering we've had cakes on here that exceed that price point. However, it seems that the quality of this restaurant has gone down over the years. One customer commented on OpenTable: "The crab cakes were burnt and definitely not up to the quality they used to be." Maybe it was just a one-time underwhelming crab cake, but it's something to consider.

While it may come as a surprise to some that an Ohio-based restaurant chain gets rave seafood reviews, Ocean Prime and its crab cakes are seriously good. The chain's Jumbo Lump Crab Cake comes with sweet and sour slaw, as well as horseradish aioli. If you're looking for a fancier cake, Ocean Prime is for you. There's even a Reddit thread dedicated to figuring out Ocean Prime's crab cake recipe.

This cake comes at the price of $29. We are again dealing with a pricey but delicious crab cake. A customer who dined at a Michigan-based Ocean Prime said on OpenTable that: "The accompaniments and sauce with the crab cakes really complimented the dish, mouth watering!" The flavor definitely seems to be there. However, a handful of customers noted that the price was a bit steep for a single crab cake. Ocean Prime is known to be a pricier restaurant, so the prices aren't surprising, but we couldn't rank this dish too high because of that.

The Palm Restaurant was founded in New York City in 1926 by two Italians from Parma, Italy when "La Parma" was accidentally registered as "The Palm" due to the founders' heavy Italian accents. Nowadays, The Palm Restaurant is a steakhouse that's a bit on the fancier side, serving a single crab cake with old bay aioli that comes out to $27. It's a simple dish and the crab cake speaks for itself. The star of this restaurant is the steak, but that's not to say the crab cake can't play an important supporting role. The price is really what holds The Palm Restaurant back. If that doesn't deter you, however, the crab cake at this Italian steakhouse gets glowing reviews.

Describing The Palm Restaurant's crab cake, one customer wrote on Google Maps that it was "one of the best crab cakes I have ever had!!! I am from the south and we have some really good crab cakes but theirs is by far amazing! Run don't walk."

Legal Sea Foods is a popular New England seafood chain established in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1950 as a family fish market and prioritizes fresh, quality ingredients from the coastal waters of New England. Being from New England, the expectations are high for the freshness of its crab cakes. While Legal Sea Foods has expanded outside of the East Coast now, and customers continue to praise the quality of the seafood served at its restaurants — even those located in landlocked states.

Legal Sea Food's crab cake is served with a mustard sauce, greens, corn, onions, tomatoes, and a mustard vinaigrette. It has a bit more going on than the other crab cakes on this list, and we give them points for creativity. At $25, it's not too crazy for the price, either. Its signature crab cake is highly beloved — a customer on OpenTable said that a "friend from Rhode Island said the crab cakes were the best she has ever had!" 

An additional positive note that stood out here is the chain's option to have the chain's crab cakes delivered. They come frozen, and customers rave about their freshness at home, as well. It seems that these crab cakes are high quality.

Stoney River Steakhouse is a chain known for its cozy ambiance and wooden interiors. You'll find stone columns inside, much like a ski resort lodge. While most of the reviews for this restaurant are focused on the steak, understandably, the crab cake gets a whole lotta love. It's pan-seared, served with a mango jalapeño salsa and a Dijon mustard sauce. This crab cake definitely stands out. You only get one cake — but it's pretty large. The dish is priced at $18 which isn't too bad considering the high price points of other restaurants on this list. Definitely something to consider, though, as you'll also find cheaper options on this list.

A customer on OpenTable said that the crab cake "was large enough for two of us to share. If you like crab cakes I recommend it. Flaky, and well seasoned made it a good buy." It seems like the single crab cake isn't a deterrent to most. The flavor and serving size are there, and for that price, Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill is near the top of our list.

Ah, another steakhouse. There seems to be a pattern here, but we don't judge. Smith & Wollensky first opened in 1977 in New York City. Today, its crab cake comes with cognac mustard and ginger sauce. That's a bit on the fancier side, but if you're looking to try a crab cake with some new flavors, this place is for you. While most people make a reservation at Smith & Wollensky to eat steak, the crab cake gets a lot of love here. Seriously, it was hard to find a negative review.

One customer notes on OpenTable that: "We started off with crab cakes which were packed with flavor and freshness." Points in the freshness department. Another customer said on OpenTable that the crab cake was "one of the best crab cakes I have ever tasted in my entire life. Better than Maryland or Louisiana and I've had plenty of both. Would return just for the crab cake alone, but everything else was good too." Points in the taste department too. It just keeps going. Clearly, this crab cake seems to be pretty solid. This single crab cake comes out at $18. That's really the only reason Smith & Wollensky isn't in top place. Customers are telling you it's worth it, though, so go get that crab cake if you can!

A steakhouse again? A bit surprising to some, but Ruth's Chris Steak House's crab cakes have stood out for years. The sizzling crab cakes at Ruth's Chris come in a sizzling lemon butter at the price of $28. Reviews for this popular chain's crab cakes are positive, with one customer on OpenTable noting that "our starter was crab cakes, one of best I have ever had."

The sizzle makes these crab cakes really stand out. And yes, they really do sizzle. As one reviewer said in a YouTube video: "This one is fully crab in here. Big chunks of crab. I would say that this crab cake is very pure. It doesn't have a bunch of flavor added to it, so it's like if you're a purist when it comes to your crab, you wanna just taste pure crab, I think this is a really great option." Definite points in the crab-to-filler ratio department. And if you're paying $28, you really do want a crab cake that's mostly, well, crab.

Ruth's Chris Steak House is ranked high on the list for this specific reason. We've got a reasonable price for two crab cakes, a wonderful sizzle, and a great crab-to-filler ratio. The only downside to this dish is if you are looking for a flavor-packed crab cake or the taste of pure crab is overwhelming, this might not be the place for you. You're probably not ordering a crab cake if you don't like crab, though, so that doesn't deter Ruth's Chris from being in second place.

Phillips Seafood is a long-heralded Mid-Atlantic chain known for its crab. Hailing from the Chesapeake Bay region, Phillips Seafood lives up to the hype. And it has big shoes to fill, since the crab cake originated from the Chesapeake Bay. Founders Brice and Shirley Phillips grew up on Hoopers Island, Maryland, so it's no surprise that this restaurant chain takes the cake. It really knows its crab.

There's not one, but two choices for your crab cake extravaganza. You can go for the Hoopers Island Crab Cakes, which come with vegetables and mashed potatoes. This dish is $42 — but you get two cakes, and with the addition of mashed potatoes, it could act as your entree. The other option is the Ultimate Crab Cake, which comes out to $49. The price seems to be worth it because Phillips Seafood crab cakes have a cult following and you get a full meal — with one customer on OpenTable saying that the "crab cakes [are] among the best we've ever had." Another patron noted on OpenTable that the "crab cakes are the real deal! No filler." This dish checks all of our boxes.

To compile this list, we gathered customer reviews from OpenTable, Reddit, and Google Maps. We focused primarily on taste, freshness, and size in relation to the price of the crab cakes, to decide whether or not they were worth it for their price.

We prioritized credible reviews focusing on taste and freshness, but if customers were not commenting on these attributes, we focused primarily on the price point. As we saw with The Palm Restaurant and Smith & Wollensky, the price held these steakhouses back from a better ranking.