Homewood’s Crab Bagz Restaurant offers dine-in seafood made with a variety of flavors, whether you start with the mild or go right to the very spicy.
in Homewood. (Nuha Abdessalam)
Crab Bagz, 18681 Dixie Highway, starts each sauce with a garlic butter base that is spiced to customers’ liking in various flavors, starting with Original and moving up to Chipotle, Fiery and Get it Crackin’.
Owner Paris Walker opened the new restaurant on June 27. She was a Chicago public school teacher who was inspired to open a restaurant after she and her family were out of town enjoying a meal at a seafood restaurant, “and I felt like I could do this, (I) could be better than this.”
Walker added, “We got back home, and I played with different sauces and recipes. I asked for friends’ and family’s input as taste testers, to where this became a weekend business from my kitchen.”
The family’s weekend food service took off by word of mouth. It was during the pandemic that Walker decided not to return to the classroom. Instead, she said, “I wanted to open up Crab Bagz, making it so you don’t have to drive north for delicious seafood, and still creating a repertoire with customers, allowing the teacher in me the opportunity to connect with others.”
Walker encourages guests to try the house favorite ‘throw it in the bag’ feast. Walker said customers ordering the meal “get the ‘crab bag’ experience of corn, potatoes, seafood, and your sauce of choice from mild to really ‘get it crackin’– it’s going to have your nose sweat.”
The restaurant’s menu offers seafood lovers fried or grilled shrimp, salmon, catfish and more. Customize the crab bag with lobster tail, snow crab, shrimp or crawfish. Plant-based eaters also have selections, ranging from the plant-based burger, fried green tomatoes, fried mushrooms and more. She is willing to cater to customers’ food sensitivities or dietary restrictions.
“I want customers to feel home away from home and that our cooking feels as if they were home,” Walker said.
New features like online ordering in advance will be made available to the public soon. Future events include “Crab Bagz Seafood Boil and Football,” available with a reservation, on Sunday, Sept. 24, giving customers a chance to dine and watch the football game.
Fun activities and challenges with spicy and hot sauces are on the horizon.
Crab Bagz is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Customers looking to book private events on Sunday and Monday are encouraged to call Walker at 872-529-2249. Check out the Crab Bagz website to view the menu and updated events.