Shaw's Crab House
49 people recommend, 7 warn against itvia r/chicagofood, r/AskChicago30 comments cited below
The comments cited below are a sample of the full tally across 29 threads.
What people say, in short
Shaw's Crab House is recommended by many commenters, and the oyster bar is the part they send people to. Several praise the oysters and suggest sitting at the oyster bar rather than in the main dining room, and a couple single out the mignonette. A few recommend the lobster bisque. A few commenters describe the oyster bar side as the casual option, away from the main dining room. Opinions on the lobster roll are split: a couple call it really good, while one was underwhelmed. A couple of commenters advise skipping Shaw's, one of them saying the seafood where they live is better.
Address
Shaw's Crab House, 21 E Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60611
At a glance
- Signature dishes
- Raw oysters, Lobster bisque
- Best for
- Visitors
- Opinions divided
- Yes
Nearby on this map
Other places on this map closest to Shaw's Crab House, as the crow flies.
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Recommendsu/ReverendHambone in r/chicagofood · Mar 2025
Ate a range of seafood dishes at the Oyster Bar, enjoyed them, and told readers to go.
- Recommendsu/Raccoala in r/chicagofood · Sep 2025
Agrees, and picturing a big oyster session with cocktails at the bar sounds memorable.
- Recommendsu/No-Chapter1389 in r/chicagofood · Dec 2025
Recommends Shaw's as the only choice, pointing to its oyster bar.
- Recommendsu/Otherwise_Surround99 in r/chicagofood · Mar 2025
Commenter recently ate oysters, bisque and a seafood salad there and had a great time.
- Recommendsu/young40 in r/chicagofood · Dec 2023
Suggests it as closest to the example: an upscale seafood spot with flair, though portions are not as huge.
- Recommendsu/WilsonIsNext in r/chicagofood · Jan 2025ambience
Enjoys Shaw's bar as a relaxed spot, especially watching oysters being shucked while live music plays.
- Caveatu/juliuspepperwoodchi in r/chicagofood · Jun 2026taste
Advises skipping Shaw's, saying seafood where the commenter is from is superior. Stresses no hostility toward the restaurant.
- Recommendsu/petmoo23 in r/chicagofood · Dec 2025
Names it among the city's best-loved seafood spots, while saying Chicago's seafood scene is limited overall.
Show all 30 cited comments
- Recommendsu/joe_deals82 in r/chicagofood · Mar 2026service
Calls Shaw's a safe bet for booking, praises its atmosphere and service, and notes the legs are not pre-sliced.
- Recommendsu/more_cheese_please_ in r/chicagofood · Oct 2025
Recommends sitting at the oyster bar section of Shaw's.
- Recommendsu/votequimby2016 in r/chicagofood · Mar 2025consistency
Regular diner who sits at the oyster bar calls Shaw's consistently excellent and a good recommendation.
- Recommendsu/wrk815emgk in r/chicagofood · Feb 2025
Names Shaw's Oyster Bar as their lasting favorite for oysters.
- Recommendsu/Altimishe in r/chicagofood · May 2026taste
Rates Shaw's seafood as excellent and suggests the oyster bar seating for a casual visit.
- Recommendsu/JakeLake720 in r/chicagofood · Sep 2024taste
Says Shaw's lobster roll is really good.
- Recommendsu/madmelly in r/chicagofood · Aug 2024taste
Says Shaw's Crab House makes an excellent California roll, using genuine crab.
- Recommendsu/IronSandwich0824 in r/chicagofood · Aug 2024taste
Suggests eating the bisque at the oyster bar, since it may not travel well.
- Caveatu/Future_Dog_3156 in r/chicagofood · Jun 2026taste
Agrees that visitors should skip Shaw's.
- Caveatu/Booyakasha1201 in r/chicagofood · Mar 2026service
Likes Shaw's vibe, but says legs arrive pre-cracked, which is a drawback for anyone wanting to crack their own.
- Recommendsu/heat3check in r/chicagofood · Mar 2026taste
Unsure whether Shaw's lets guests crack legs themselves, but says it is incredible.
- Caveatu/Theironyuppie1 in r/chicagofood · Sep 2024taste
Rates Shaw's lobster roll about 4.9 out of 10.
- Recommendsu/Jack_Burden in r/chicagofood · Aug 2024ambience
Agrees, calling oyster bar seating an experience and suggesting the bisque.
- Recommendsu/Comfortable-Yak7286 in r/chicagofood · Nov 2025price
Says Shaw's currently runs a half-price weekday oyster window in the afternoon.
- Recommendsu/Winter_Locksmith_803 in r/chicagofood · Apr 2025
Lists Shaw's as a clear top choice alongside Joe's Stonecrab.
- Recommendsu/savagesam12 in r/chicagofood · Jan 2025variety
Says Shaw's has a much better oyster selection and that its crab was more enjoyable.
- Recommendsu/MossyJoke in r/chicagofood · Mar 2025taste
Calls the oysters reliably excellent and says the place needs little more to be enjoyable.
- Recommendsu/theriibirdun in r/chicagofood · Feb 2025taste
Fond of the oysters on the dive-bar side, which it says have excellent mignonette.
- Recommendsu/LessLikelyTo in r/chicagofood · Dec 2024price
Agrees, calls it their top-tier seafood choice, but says keeping a meal cheap there is hard.
- Recommendsu/FirstIndustry8877 in r/AskChicago · Apr 2024taste
Visitor says Shaw's was great, liked the oysters, friendly service and the vibe.
- Recommendsu/smeekylafoo in r/chicagofood · Jan 2024taste
Praises Shaw's mignonette; says oysters served without it would be unacceptable.
- Recommendsu/GraceJoans in r/chicagofood · Dec 2023taste
Praises Shaw's very large lobsters and shrimp cocktail portions and says the service was excellent.
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Freshness
Details last checked 11 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.