The 11 Best Chain Restaurant Crab Cakes

Eating fresh crab meat is an incredible experience for many people. The protein is soft, slightly sweet, and delicate. Its flavor is refined on its own, but it can also take on other flavors while still adding a subtle richness. Few dishes show off the tender texture and subtle taste of crab meat better than crab cakes. Whether it's Maryland-style, with minimal fillers and seasoning, or the Carolina version, made with breadcrumbs, spices, onions, celery, and peppers, both showcase the crustacean at its best. 

With rising seafood prices, many places, like some Saltgrass Steak House locations, have taken crab cakes off the menus, while others have cheapened out and use a combination of lump meat from Maryland blue crabs and/or imported crabs from overseas. That's why we wanted to highlight the chains serving Maryland or Carolina-style crab cakes that fans rate highly for their taste, quality, and value (we included New York City-area prices where possible for comparison). If you decide to stop into any of these establishments, odds are you'll get a delicious dish that can be paired with your choice of sparkling wine, spirits, light beer, or a non-alcoholic drink of your choice. Just don't forget to try the sauce that often comes with the savory cakes for an added burst of creaminess and flavor.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is a respected upscale dining restaurant with more than 65 locations from coast to coast. Established in 1998, the chain focuses on prime steaks, fine wines, and a variety of high-quality seafood. One of the most popular dishes at Fleming's is the crab cakes. They're only served as an appetizer and come with a roasted red pepper and lime aioli. The plate costs $33 at the Edgewater, New Jersey, location (right outside of NYC). 

Diners who try the savory cakes say they're delicious, moist, and flavorful. One reviewer on Tripadvisor even said, "To start without the crab cakes appetizer would be a mistake!" That's high praise indeed. The appetizer comes with two cakes, which are sized to share and are cooked beautifully. Customers also say the sauce provides a good balance to the richness of the crab, the latter of which is fresh and served hot. 

The Capital Grille has been serving customers in its casually elegant restaurants since 1990. There are more than 70 locations in the United States, and a handful overseas. The restaurant is known for its steaks, which are aged in-house for 18 to 24 days before being ready for diners. Like any good steakhouse, there are also plenty of seafood options, including the decadent lobster and crab cake. The appetizer is served with lemon basil aioli and grilled lemon to complement the rich dish. At the Rockefeller Center location, the savory cakes cost $31 and are only available on the dinner menu. 

People say the cakes come with nicely sized pieces of meat and report that there's no filler added to take away from the taste of the crustaceans. Some say the crab cakes are among the best you can find at a restaurant and declare that it's their favorite version of the dish. Others praise the sauce, which they say is the perfect accompaniment to the appetizer. Many diners proclaim they'll return for the crab cakes again, calling them a must-try part of the menu. One Yelp reviewer went so far as to state, "I loved how flaky the crab cake was, with the sauce it easily melts in your mouth. I would savor each bite." 

Mastro's Steakhouse is an award-winning restaurant chain known for its USDA prime steaks, which are wet-aged for nearly a month to bring out the best of its texture and flavor. There are also seafood towers and the eatery's famous butter cake. First opened in 1999, the chain has around 25 locations and offers diners entertainment every night of the week. One thing people enjoy just as much as the live music is the jumbo lump crab cakes, which are sold for $27 as a single item or $54 for two during lunch and dinner at the NYC location. There's also an option of a crab cake sandwich during lunch for $32.

Customers appreciate the fact that the crab cakes don't have a lot of filler, so the taste of the meat can shine through. One Tripadvisor reviewer said the dish was "cooked to perfection" and came with a remoulade. Another declared the savory cakes wouldn't disappoint customers and that they make for an incredible start to the meal. The delicate cakes come in large portions and are made with fresh, tasty crab meat. The dish has been called superb and worth the elevated price tag. On the off chance you have any left over, you can make your own sauce for them at home or just do like Andrew Zimmerman does and put them on toast with Russian dressing.

Ruth's Chris Steak House is one of the best-known and largest steakhouse chains in the country, with over 140 locations. Established in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1965, the restaurant innovated a 1,800-degree Fahrenheit broiler to create legendary steaks. But that's not all the eatery is good at. There's also quite a variety of seafood on the menu, ranging from chilled towers to fried calamari and seared Ahi tuna. 

And, of course, the sizzling crab cakes get plenty of accolades too. The appetizer is served with lemon butter and comes with two cakes, making it easy to share if you like. At the Garden City, New York, location, the starter costs $32, or you can order an entrée-sized portion with three cakes for $49. 

Multiple guests report that the items do arrive sizzling and that the accompanying sauce complements the crab without drowning out the meat's delicate flavor. One customer said these were some of the best crab cakes they'd ever tasted. "The crab cakes were purely delicious, as if they melt in your mouth literally," read a Tripadvisor review. Many customers highlight that the crab cakes are filled with lump meat, without excessive fillers, keeping them light and tasty. 

Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill is one of the smallest chains on this list with 13 locations. The chain's size helps keep the focus on quality and customer service, which is something that its guests can easily see and taste. The eatery is dedicated to dry-aged steaks that are hand-cut in-house and a selection of seafood, like trout, salmon, and tuna. 

Its crab cakes can be ordered as an appetizer, as an accompaniment to a steak, or as part of the filet medallions entrée. At the Annapolis, Maryland, location (Stoney River doesn't offer anything near NYC), the starter, found on the lunch menu, costs $18, or $19 as an appetizer on the dinner menu. There's also an option of adding the crab cake to a steak meal for $16. The appetizer comes with a Dijon mustard sauce and a roasted pineapple salsa, providing strong bursts of flavor and several textures.

The pan-seared cakes are stuffed with lump crab and held together without much filler. They're also well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. Some guests call them the best they've ever tried at any restaurant, noting they are moist and sizeable. "Their crab cakes are to die for," said one Tripadvisor reviewer, while others share that the savory cakes dissolve on the tongue and are hard to forget. 

Ocean Prime is an upscale seafood restaurant that's been devoted to serving responsibly sourced foods since it opened in the late 2000s. The award-winning chain is known as much for its hospitality as for its excellent cocktails and chef-driven dishes. The chain's jumbo lump crab cakes are one of the most popular items on both the lunch and dinner menus. The starter, which comes with a horseradish mustard aioli and sweet and sour slaw, is priced at $34 at the NYC location. 

People say the cakes are meaty and are almost entirely large lump crab pieces held together with very little binding. Fans have called the crab itself scrumptious and delicious, saying it leaves them wanting more. The slaw and sauce provide a nice texture contrast and help cut through the crab's richness with a bit of spice. The cakes are generously portioned, and guests have called them the highlight of their meal. One person on Tripadvisor stated, "The crab cake appetizer was excellent and the sides were delicious, but big enough the two could have been a meal themselves." So it's best to keep that in mind before you order.

Bonefish Grill is a massive seafood chain with more than 150 locations across the country. The restaurant brands itself as "Polished Casual," offering an easygoing but intimate experience with candlelit tables and wood-fired fare. The crab cakes, found in the starters portion of the menu, come with the restaurant's signature sauce and a lemon wedge and cost $17.90 at the Rockville Center, New York, location. 

Guests have called the dish delicious and one of the best crab cakes out there. Fans say the items are a tasty start to the meal, such as one Yelp user who said, "They give you 2 good size crab cakes, enough for 3 of us to share." Those generous portions are one reason the dish is a favorite of many diners, but so is the overall taste. People note the cakes are light and flavorful and have never been disappointing. There's plenty of crab meat in the cakes, which customers tend to appreciate.

Legal Sea Foods started out as a fish market in the early 1950s and has grown to more than 20 locations in the decades since. The brand specializes in locally caught, responsibly sourced seafood and is known for dishes like lobster mac and cheese, New England clam chowder, lobster rolls, and its signature crab cakes. The item is so popular the chain even ships them nationwide in packs of two or four starting at $49.99. At the restaurant, you can get the crab cakes as a starter, an add-on to another meal, or as part of a combo with grilled shrimp. They'll set you back $25, $21, or $45, respectively, at The Mall at Short Hills, New Jersey, location. 

Many people say the savory item is one of their favorite things on the menu, noting how pleased they were the cakes were made with very little filler. Guests enjoy the texture and taste of the dish, with one Tripadvisor user stating, "The crab cake entrees had moist and tender crabmeat lumps. The exterior of the crab cake was crisp and not too crusty. The remoulade sauce accentuates the creole seafood spice in the crab cake." Overall, customers say the dish is all-around excellent. 

Eddie V's Prime Seafood offers guests an elegant atmosphere and quality hospitality, along with a large selection of excellent seafood dishes. There are more than 30 locations serving things like South African lobster, sashimi, and stuffed shrimp. The jumbo lump crab cakes can be ordered from the happy hour or dinner menus and come with a spicy chive remoulade sauce. At the Paramus, New Jersey, location, an order of the panko-crusted dish costs $36.

Fans have called them a must-try item, with one Tripadvisor reviewer declaring, "Every course was great but the [crab cakes] were truly the best I have ever had. When they say no filler [they] mean [no] filler. They were perfect little circles with crispy top and bottom and the presentation was beautiful as if it was molded." Customers say the cakes have a nice crunch from the golden topping of breadcrumbs, which add texture and a buttery taste to the rich crab meat without being so thick it overpowers it. Some people even order extras to take home with them. 

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, which seeks inspiration from the cuisine of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, makes all its dishes from scratch with the freshest ingredients. The restaurant prides itself on its generous hospitality and serving sizes, offering everything from alligator bites to octopus to oysters. The chain also has an oven-baked crab cake appetizer that comes with lemon caper butter and is priced at $35.95 at the Downtown Houston, Texas, location. 

From guests' first bite, they're impressed by the quality of the savory item, with some calling it the best version of crab cakes they've tasted. It's made with large pieces of lump crab meat, and guests appreciate how large the dish is, saying it can easily be divided among a few people. Fans remember the dish long after they've left the restaurant and say it's worth the price tag. In fact, a Yelp reviewer stated, "Beware once you have the crab cake at Pappadeaux your crab cake standards will be set extremely high. The size of the with the unlimited amount of lump crab makes this appetizer worth every dollar. In addition, the flavor [can't] be duplicated, therefore I have yet to came across a crab cake that out [do] those at Pappadeaux." 

Morton's the Steakhouse is an award-winning restaurant chain that's been serving fine steaks and seafood for decades. There are over 65 locations, with around 50 in the U.S. and nearly a dozen overseas. The creative menu offers Wagyu beef dumplings, Maine lobster ravioli, and seared sea scallops. 

There are two versions of the jumbo lump crab cakes. The first is a hot appetizer that comes in half or full portions, and the other is a mini option served in the bar. Both come with a whole-grain mustard butter sauce, while the appetizer version also includes red onion, arugula, and Grana Padano cheese as an accompaniment. The half order is $27, and the full costs $52 during lunch, with the price increasing slightly to $29 and $55, respectively, for dinner at the Manhattan location.

Customers enjoy the dish, saying it's a good portion that's light but decadent. The lump crab meat used is tasty, and the dish is made without excessive fillers. A Facebook user said, "The Crab Cake Appetizer was [yummy]. I would go back just for that." That makes it no surprise that multiple people call them some of the best crab cakes they've eaten at any restaurant, while others simply say they're incredible. 

Deciding which crab cakes should be on this list involved narrowing down dozens of different restaurant chains across the country. We had to examine multiple factors, such as the overall customer experience, how many locations each chain had, the value and taste of the items, whether they were regularly available, and the prices. Each chain included on this list had to have at least a dozen locations.

We then searched through social media posts, comment threads, professional reviews, and user review sites. Only the crab cakes with the most positive customer reviews regarding their quality, size, taste, and perceived value were chosen for the final list.