FOX 5's Will Thomas stopped by Fairfax and visited a restaurant that will have you rolling up your sleeves and making sure you are prepared to eat with your hands.
We are cracking crabs this week at Captain Pell's Fairfax Crabhouse, a place that has been in business for 38 years. The Pell brothers started the restaurant back in 1977 in Merrifield. They moved into this larger Fairfax location in the late '90s. Now, the next generation of Pell brothers run this crab house: Billy and Danny.
What's on the menu?
- Jumbo crabs
"We get them fresh daily. We procure our crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf coast -- Florida, Texas, Louisiana -- wherever the best crabs are, that's where we go to get them," said co-owner Danny Pell.
- Neptunes's Platter (Two pounds of giant snow crabs and three sides of french fries, corn on the cob and coleslaw)
- Steamer Bucket (Dozen steamed clams, one pound of snow crab legs, ear of corn and a half pound of shrimp)
- Captain's Platter (Crab cake, fried oysters, steamed shrimp, Alaskan snow crab legs, two sides)
- Hush puppies
How much?
Appetizers range from about $5 to $20. Entrees go for about $18 that include their combos. Their main specialty of crabs range anywhere from $45 and up.
The scene?
The restaurant is massive with 400 seats on two floors. On weekends, you might see some lines, but customers say the wait is worth it.
"I especially love the weekends in the fall and winter. They are open year round and I can watch the football games for three hours and pick crabs," said one customer.
"It's a great family environment," said another visitor.
"The service is great. The crab is great and the beer is cold," someone else told us.
The must have
Jumbo steamed blue crabs
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Captain Pell's Fairfax Crabhouse
10195 Fairfax Blvd.
Fairfax VA 22030
Phone: 703-560-0060
Website: www.captainpell.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaptainPells
Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday: 2 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: Noon - 10 p.m.