Rustic Inn Crabhouse

An old Florida crab shack on the Dania Cut-Off Canal near the Fort Lauderdale airport, known for garlic crabs, mallets and bibs.

Проверено ноябрь 2026 г.

For crab lovers and groups who don't mind getting butter to the elbows. It's big, loud and built for tourists as much as locals, and the trade-off is a crowd in exchange for the dish everyone talks about.

The garlic crabs

The order here is the World Famous Garlic Crabs, the dish the whole place grew around after the owner started picking crabs pulled from the canal out back. You get a mallet and a bib, the tables are covered in paper, and the house line is to forget your table manners and eat with your hands. Take that literally: it's buttery, messy and slow, so skip the white shirt. The menu covers other steamed crabs and seafood too, but the garlic ones are the reason to drive here instead of anywhere else in town.

Dock or dining room

Ask for the dock. It sits on the Dania Cut-Off Canal, and it's the seat that makes this feel like old Florida rather than a giant room off Anglers Avenue. The restaurant started as a one-room roadhouse bar and has been built out to feed up to 600 people, so the main dining room is large and noisy. The original bar is still there if you're solo or just want a drink with your crabs, and the lounge is where the frozen cocktails come from.

Hours and the line

It's open 11:30 am to 10 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 pm on Sunday. Lunch service ends at 2:45 pm every day, which matters if you're aiming for the midday menu. The restaurant's own history talks about a line out the door, and a 4.5 from about 12,800 Google reviews backs up the draw, so book ahead for dinner rather than winging it. Can't get there? They ship the crabs nationwide through Goldbelly.

Бронь

When you reserve, ask for the dock if you want to eat by the water.

Дресс-код

Wear something you don't mind getting butter on; casual is the recommended attire.

Полезно знать

Lunch service ends at 2:45 pm daily, including Sunday.

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