COMING ATTRACTIONS
Popular Cajun seafood chain surfs into San Antonio's North Side
A chef prepares a boil at Surfing Crab.
A popular Corpus Christi chain is catching a new wave in San Antonio. Surfing Crab has taken over the former home of Ooh La La Korean Barbecue at 842 NW Loop 410 in the Park North Shopping Center.
The switchover comes mere months after Ooh La La vacated the space in late January, allegedly over unpaid rent. Although the new location is not yet listed on the main website, work is currently underway. Broker Vicki Levy Adelstein of Partners Real Estate announced the signing in a July LinkedIn post, and a door sign states the restaurant is “coming soon.”
Entrepreneur Ming Lin founded the restaurant in Corpus Christi after relocating from South Carolina. Since then, the chain has been rapidly expanding with one location in Escondido, California, and several outposts spread across Central and South Texas. The chain made its San Antonio debut in summer 2021 at 9837 W. I-10.
Surfing Crab’s menus vary slightly by location, but its main draw is seafood boils that range from the expected shrimp and crab to clams, snow crab, and lobster tail. The restaurant also keeps the oil bubbling for chicken, oyster, and flounder baskets.
Like many Texas coastal restaurants, there are also a few pan-Asian dishes. The boil seasonings themselves don’t seem to have any elements made famous by the region’s Vietnamese immigrants. Still, the menu includes pan-fried green beans, spring rolls, and fried rice alongside fried mozzarella and hushpuppies.
The new location will also likely have a full bar. The Interstate 10 restaurant serves beer, wine, and a full bar that mixes up margaritas and rum-filled drinks like hurricanes.
Surfing Crab has not yet released the opening timeline for its newest addition. A request for an opening estimate was not immediately returned. We will update this article should the chain respond.
Pan & Coffee's menu ranges from chilaquiles to croissant sandwiches.Pan & Coffee/ Facebook