wicker's crab pot

disappointing..maybe an off night?. i had really high hopes for this place. it was recommended by a chesapeake native who grew up with members of the wicker family; i was promised the absolute best crabcakes i've ever had, with good value and great service.

i came on a saturday night (5/21/22) with my folks for a celebratory dinner. the outdoor patio was filled with folks listening to live music; the take-out window had a long line, the parking lot was full. looked promising! the indoor dining room was packed but our wait to be seated was brief.

from there on, the experience was horrible. our waitress brought out hushpuppies promptly (in fairness, they were piping hot and delicious) but was too distracted by the men at the table across from ours to remember to take drink orders. she returned to our area a few minutes later to bus a table and we flagged her down to order a pitcher of beer, and sweet tea. the pitcher arrived a few minutes later, but no glasses...had to wait for the glasses...then another trip for the iced tea. the she-crab soup was loaded with crab chunks and very rich, but it was lukewarm at best. our hot crab dip appetizer didn't arrive, neither did my mother's appetizer (house salad.) in hindsight, when the salad was ordered the waitress didn't ask about dressing preference; i should have recognized that she wasn't paying attention to our order.

when the entrees were brought out, we told the waitress to please cancel our order for the hot crab dip as it never arrived. we also reminded her about the salad order. she seemed embarassed to have forgotten both, but again didn't ask about salad dressing. another server came to our table with the crab dip saying something to the waitress along the lines of "hey, i think this was yours." our waitress was flustered, and though the dip was cold and had been sitting out she said she couldn't cancel it now and we could just "take it home if we didn't finish it."

needless to say, the dip was pretty much congealed cheese at this point. we each gamely tried some (i heard rave reviews) but it was disappointing. this is the first time in my life i have ever sent something back. to her credit, the waitress apologized and said she'd take care of it.

our entrees (crab cake platter and broiled seafood platter) weren't hot. i will say that the crab cakes were generously sized, and as promised, without any filler. the seafood was fresh, but again, simply not hot.

one of the managers was checking in on the tables in our section and asked how our food was. we didn't mention the poor service (everyone has an off night now and then, and i'm not looking to get anyone fired...besides, cold food is not necessarily a server's fault). we did, however state that therestauranthad been highly recommended, but that the food from soup to entree to appetizer had all been cold. she was shocked, seemed genuinely distressed, and apologized profusely.

dinner came out to $70 for three people. we weren't charged for the crab dip, which i appreciated.

will i go back? maybe. the size of the crabcakes and lack of filler was impressive, and to me indicates a committment to quality and value.

i have a feeling that my experience was an off night at this place. if i do return, it will be for lunch-- a lower stakes, less expensive gamble. if i do have a better experience i will certainly report back

poor service. had high expectations for thisrestaurantbased on what a customer of mine mentioned about it (i travel to chesapeake every month on business), and was greatly disappointed, primarily, but not exclusively, by the service.

my entree was mistakenly given to another patron; they touched it, so that meant i had to wait twice as long for my re-ordered meal to arrive. the kicker for me, however, was not necessarily that a mistake like this was made, but that the waitress didn't offer me anything for the inconvenience - inexcusable! no complimentary entree, or an offer to discount my entree, or even a free drink while i waited - nothing! this is service??? not based on anywhere i've ever eaten before!

regarding the meal, the seafood chili tasted so-so; little flavor-character to it, and was woefully skimpy on seafood - just a few little shreds of crab, that i could detect, as opposed to nice hunks of seafood. my shrimp taco entree was ok, flavor-wise, but again, skimpy on contents (they actually weren't tacos, but resembled enchiladas - rolled, as opposed to open-faced tacos, in other words).

in summary, this was a totally underwhelming dining experience.

scrumpdelumiously great. i am a virginia beach native and was first introduced to wicker's in the winter of 2011. i'm a real critic on crab cakes since duck inn closed but i have to say wicker's is my all time favorite (even over duck inn!!!). i am real fastidious about seafood and i love soft shell crabs, oysters, scallops,shrimp and tuna. this is the onlyrestauranti can find soft. she'll crabs out of season and they are always delicious. the hush puppies are great, the she crab soup, tuna bites, oysters, shrimp, scallops are all superb! the wait staff are all like family the atmosphere takes me back to my cottage in corova beach i n.c. so friendly, warm atmosphere, and it's not a hotsy totsy space. so i think those bad reviewers need to k.m.a. and go back to marina shores. this is truly a superb local dining experience, i take my family (form the shenandoah mountains here) and my local family it is the top of our list. debbie and the entire wait staff make you feel like family. i love wicker's and am telling everybody about it. they are a five star seafood family restaurant. i also remember buying seafood from them with my mom and dad when i was a kid (before the restaurant). oops! i guess i am giving my age away, i have traveled a great deal thought the u.s., puerto rico, the bahamas, grenada, mexico, hawaii and i have to say for great seafood there is no place like home at wicker's. love it! love it!!!!!!!!

gordon ramsey needs to visit thisrestaurant:(

don't listen to the negative reviews about service, their waitstaff is very accommodating (if your not a pushy ass demanding something they don't have).

always good. in true wicker tradition. ray and the family have done a great job giving our area a high end seafoodrestaurantwith a down home atmosphere.
my family has been there several times and whether we're sitting at the patio area or dining inside we've never been disappointed.
you owe it to yourself to give this local jewel a visit.

will definitely go back. we had a large group, took my dad and stepmom there while they were visiting here from fl. therestaurantwas busy (all tables full). yet, we received excellent and prompt service. the food was hot and delicious. loved the atmosphere of the place, very cozy and family oriented. our waitress, debbie, who was also a member of the wicker's family, was excellent and fun. we had 10 people in our group, so our orders varied, and even with all of the business in therestaurantand all of our different orders, we still received everything quickly, and without any mix-ups. debbie was very personable and made us all feel so welcome. we definitely will go back for the all you can eat crabs (you have to eat them outside). our family shared a bite from each of our plates so we could get a little taste of everything, and all was seasoned just right and cooked to perfection!!! what a hidden gem in chesapeake!!! really loved it!! ps. the crabcakes were the best (no filler); just yummy lump crab meat.

great local seafood!. this is the place to come if you're looking for a great atmosphere, great food, and want to get away from the chain restaurants. debbie welcomed us and treated us like family. this is a small family ownedrestaurantwith a cozy inside dining area, or you can opt for the patio seating...we ate inside and as we were leaving we walked by the outside patio where customers were enjoying fresh steamed local blue crab and a live band. yet another reason for us to go back soon! you have to try the crab dip appetizer and the "sea bisciuts".

fantastic. while it virginia beach to participate in the rock n roll half marathon my foodie boyfriend and i (also a foodie) decided to find some amazing seafood. we found wicker's crab pot seafood on urbanspoon and decided to give it a whirl...thank goodness we did...simply the best seafood i've had in a very long time! therestauranthas a nice, comfortable feel and the servers are hilarious. i believe that the owner's aunt, debbie, waited on us. she had us laughing for a majority of the evening! i ordered the dish that came with deviled crab, garlic lump crab, and a cream sauce lump crab...all of which were fantastic. my boyfriend got the steam pot that came with a pound of crab legs and steamed jumbo shrimp. i definitely sampled the crab legs and the shrimp from his plate and needless to say, we were not disappointed. the sides were wonderful as well. i had a veggie medley that was seasoned perfectly and steamed to just the right tenderness. oh and the hush puppies...to.die.for!! if you have the opportunity i highly suggest that you sumbit your taste buds to the wonderful food at wicker's crab pot seafood!