Cajun-style seafood chain brings ‘nautical oasis’ to the Lehigh Valley
“When you walk into our restaurant, you will be transported to a nautical oasis ... . Whether you are stopping in for a business lunch, family dinner, date night, or a night out with friends, you’ve come to a perfect stop.”
05/10/2021
A Cajun-style seafood chain known for its relaxed atmosphere and Southern charm is now open in Lehigh County.
Crab Du Jour celebrated a soft opening April 2 at at 1053 Grape St., near the Army & Navy store, in Whitehall Township. The 2,000-square-foot eatery is next to both the Whitehall Mall and Lehigh Valley Mall on an established dining corridor also housing Longhorn Steakhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Keystone Pub & Grill and Bonefish Grill.
Seth Lacey of Colliers International’s Allentown office this past September brokered the deal, representing the landlord in the transaction. Crab Du Jour was represented by Lip Fei Jiang of Chibeca Real Estate.
The seafood chain specializes in custom seafood boils, in which patrons first choose their catch: think snow crab legs, king crab legs, Dungeness crab legs, clams, crawfish, black mussel and green mussel, shrimp, scallop, lobster and lobster tail. Next, patrons pick a sauce, such as original cajun, Old Bay dry, lemon pepper, garlic butter, Du Jour special or plain. Finally, patrons choose a spice level, ranging from mild to medium to hot.
Concoctions are then boiled in Crab Du Jour’s secret spices and served in a bag to preserve the flavors, along with two potatoes and two corn-cobs per pound. Boils are made for sharing with family and friends, the chain’s website suggests.
The website describes the atmosphere of the restaurant as friendly, welcoming and casual:
“When you walk into our restaurant, you will be transported to a nautical oasis ... . Whether you are stopping in for a business lunch, family dinner, date night, or a night out with friends, you’ve come to a perfect stop.”
For diners not into shellfish, menu items also include po’boys, cajun wings and hush puppies. There are also burgers and sliders; soups and salads; and various baskets, such as chicken fingers, fried oysters, shrimp, and crab cakes served with choice of fries, sweet potato fries or cajun fries.
Appetizers include garlic bread, onion rings, stuffed jalapenos, fried mozzarella cheese, fried calamari, steamed oysters and crab meat fries.
Crab Du Jour opened its first location in 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to a recent report in the Philadelphia Business Journal. The national chain now operates roughly 50 locations across a 15-state footprint, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and Florida, according to its website.
The brand appears to be near doubling with more than 40 new locations indicated as “coming soon” on its website across several states, mainly along the East Coast.
Hours listed for the Whitehall location are from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Credit: Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Updated Apr 07, 2021; Posted Apr 07, 2021 website: www.lehighvalleylive.com
