There are meals you choose because you need dinner, and there are meals where dinner becomes the entire plan. Show Me the Crab is firmly in the second category. This was my second visit to the Apgujeong branch, and coming back confirmed that the appeal is not simply getting crab in Seoul. It is the giant American-style seafood-boil experience in a city where meals are usually much more individually portioned.
Four of us ordered the Boiling Crab Family set, which is currently ₩179,000. There was lobster, crab, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, broccoli and plenty of sauce, but the amount of food goes beyond the seafood itself. Add the sides, bread and tableside preparation and it becomes the kind of dinner where you should arrive genuinely hungry.
We finished the night by walking to NuGela for gelato. The tiny shop was a completely different mood from dinner, and sitting outside with salted milk and roasted pistachio gelato turned out to be a very good way to end a heavy meal in Apgujeong.
Quick plan: Reserve Show Me the Crab for dinner, give yourself plenty of time to eat, then walk over to NuGela for gelato. This works especially well when Seoul's evening weather is comfortable enough to sit outside.
1. Why I Went Back to Show Me the Crab
♡ This was my second visit, and I came back because it is still one of the closest things to a proper American-style seafood boil I have found in Seoul.
This was actually my second time eating at Show Me the Crab in Apgujeong. I had already been before, but it is the kind of restaurant that makes more sense when you have a group and want dinner itself to be the activity. Instead of ordering individual plates and finishing quickly, you get a huge seafood spread in the middle of the table, put on gloves, and slowly work your way through crab, lobster, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn, sides, and sauce.
The portions are also noticeably different from what I usually expect at restaurants in Seoul. The Family set really does feel American-sized. We ordered it for four people and there was a lot happening on the table, not only seafood but fried rice, pasta, salad-style sides and other dishes around it. I would not order the Family set for two people unless you deliberately want leftovers.
Something I noticed again on this visit was how international the restaurant feels. We heard a lot of English around us and many of the diners appeared to be foreigners. That fits the food because American seafood boils are still relatively unusual in Seoul. If you are visiting Korea for weeks and suddenly want something completely different from barbecue, noodles or Korean seafood, this is a fun change of pace.
2. We Ordered the Boiling Crab Family Set for Four
♡ The ₩179,000 Family set is designed for 3–4 people and combines lobster, snow crab, shrimp and a surprisingly large amount of food around the seafood.
We ordered the Boiling Crab Family, currently listed at ₩179,000 and intended for three to four people. For our group of four, it was plenty. The centerpiece was a pile of seafood with a whole lobster, lots of crab legs, large shrimp, sausage, potatoes, broccoli and other pieces ready for the sauce.
The lobster came out piping hot and was one of my favorite parts. With seafood boil, I care much more about whether the shellfish still tastes juicy underneath all that seasoning than whether the plate looks refined. Ours did. The crab and lobster still tasted like seafood rather than becoming completely buried by the sauce.
What makes this set feel especially huge is that the seafood is not the entire meal. There are additional dishes and sides, so four people are not expected to survive on a few crab legs. By the time you eat the seafood, sausage, potatoes and sides, it becomes a very heavy dinner. Come hungry.
3. The Best Part Is How the Staff Prepares Everything
♡ You still get the messy seafood-boil experience, but the staff does much of the annoying shell work for you.
Seafood boil is supposed to be messy, and I still think eating it with your hands is easier and more fun than trying to politely dismantle a crab leg with utensils. Show Me the Crab gives you the option, but the clever part is that they make the process much neater than a completely DIY seafood boil.
The staff helps crack, cut and remove shells so that getting to the actual meat is much easier. You still have the gloves, sauce and pile of seafood in front of you, but you spend less time fighting a lobster shell. That is especially helpful if someone in your group loves seafood but hates the work involved in eating crab.
One little tableside moment I remembered from this visit was the bread. The staff cut it open and loaded it with seafood-boil sauce, coleslaw, sausage, shrimp and more sauce. It sounds chaotic written down, but together it was ridiculously good. The bread absorbs the buttery, seasoned sauce while the slaw gives it some freshness.
4. It Is More Than Just a Pile of Crab
♡ The sides are what turn the meal from expensive shellfish into a genuinely filling group dinner.
One thing I would explain to someone looking only at the price is that you are not paying ₩179,000 for four people to share a few pieces of lobster. The Family set is built as a complete group meal. Alongside the seafood, we had dishes including fried rice and pasta, plus coleslaw and a creamy potato-style soup or side.
There is also enough variety that the meal does not become one long repetition of the same Cajun sauce. You can take a break from the shellfish, eat some rice or pasta, go back to the lobster, then use bread to pick up the sauce left on the table. Water is available, which you will probably appreciate because the meal is rich.
For me, this is why the restaurant works better with friends or family than as a casual solo meal. Technically there is a smaller Classic set, but the fun of Show Me the Crab is having a table full of food and everyone reaching into the same spread. I would save it for a group dinner, birthday, visiting friends, or a night when you specifically want a big meal.
5. Show Me the Crab Menu and Current Prices
♡ There are smaller seafood boils, premium combinations, individual seafood add-ons and plenty of side dishes.
You do not have to order the Family set. The current menu starts with the smaller Boiling Crab Classic and works upward through sets with more premium seafood. Based on the current restaurant menu, these are useful prices to know before deciding which set makes sense for your group.
| Menu | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Boiling Crab Classic | 1–2 | ₩54,000 |
| Boiling Crab Original | 2–3 | ₩94,000 |
| Boiling Crab Trio | 2–3 | ₩134,000 |
| Boiling Crab Duo King | 2–3 | ₩149,000 |
| Boiling Crab Family | 3–4 | ₩179,000 |
| Crumble Mac & Cheese | Side | ₩9,900 |
| Real Crab Meat Fried Rice | Side | ₩9,900 |
| Cajun Garlic Pasta | Side | ₩9,900 |
| C.J. French Fries | Side | ₩5,500 |
| Elote | Side | ₩8,900 |
| Fried Ice Cream | Dessert | ₩8,900 |
| New Zealand Green Mussels | Add-on | ₩18,000 |
| Premium Red Shrimp | Add-on | ₩29,000 |
| Lobster | Add-on | ₩42,000 |
| Snow Crab | Add-on | ₩49,000 |
If you are going specifically for the big communal seafood-boil experience, I would choose the set based on your actual group size rather than automatically ordering the most expensive option. The Family set was right for four hungry people. A couple would probably get better value from one of the smaller combinations.
Prices and exact set components can change, so check the current menu when booking rather than treating this table as permanent.
6. Location, Opening Hours and Reservations
♡ The Apgujeong branch is very close to Apgujeong Station, but I would still reserve rather than relying on a walk-in for a group.
Show Me the Crab Apgujeong is at 22-6 Apgujeong-ro 28-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It is around a five-minute walk from Apgujeong Station Exit 4, depending on your pace. That makes it easy to combine with cafés, shopping or another stop around Sinsa and Apgujeong without taking another train afterward.
Current listings show weekday hours of 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday, while Saturday and Sunday currently open earlier at 12:00 p.m. and close at 10:00 p.m.. Last-order information can change, so I would not plan to arrive right before closing.
I would also reserve if you know what day you want to go, particularly for four people or a weekend meal. The restaurant advertises reservations through both Naver and Catchtable. A seafood-boil table takes more space and time than grabbing noodles somewhere, so this is one place where having the booking sorted beforehand makes the evening easier.
7. The Review Freebie and the Restaurant's Popularity
♡ There is a small review promotion, and the walls make it obvious that the restaurant has had plenty of attention.
During my previous visit, we participated in the restaurant's review promotion and received a small Dippin' Dots-style ice cream after the meal. We did not do it this time, but if the promotion is still running when you visit, ask the staff about the current conditions rather than assuming it is automatic.
Inside, there are also a lot of celebrity signatures on the walls. It does not feel like an unknown neighborhood restaurant trying to become popular. The place has already had plenty of attention, including food-content creators and mukbang visitors. That matches the international crowd we saw during dinner.
I would not come solely because a celebrity ate here, but the popularity makes sense. There simply are not that many restaurants in Seoul doing this particular American seafood-boil format at this scale while also making the shellfish easy to eat.
8. Then We Walked to NuGela for Gelato
♡ A small nearby gelato shop made a much better ending than trying to order another heavy dessert at dinner.
After all that seafood, we walked over to NuGela for gelato. It is close enough that I would treat these two places as one dinner plan rather than two separate destinations. The walk gave us a few minutes after the extremely heavy meal before immediately eating dessert.
NuGela itself is small. There is indoor space as well as outdoor seating, but this is not a giant café where I would expect to spend three hours with a laptop. The outdoor seats were actually my favorite part. Seoul's weather is really comfortable right now, so sitting outside with gelato and people-watching around Apgujeong made the night feel more relaxed.
The flavors seem to rotate, so the menu in my photo should be treated as what was available on our visit rather than a permanent list. That is part of the fun of a small gelato shop anyway. I would look at what is in the case that day instead of arriving committed to one flavor you saw online months ago.
9. What to Order at NuGela
♡ Salted milk was the winner for us, with roasted pistachio close behind.
The standout flavor was salted milk. It was almost finished when we visited, which made sense once we tasted it. The flavor is simple, creamy and slightly salty rather than aggressively sweet. After a buttery seafood boil, that cleaner milk flavor worked much better than another extremely rich dessert would have.
Roasted pistachio was also very good and would be my other recommendation. It had more depth and nuttiness, so pairing pistachio with salted milk gives you one stronger flavor and one softer flavor instead of two scoops that taste too similar.
The one flavor we personally would skip is the lemon sorbet. This is obviously subjective, especially if you love very sour desserts, but ours was intensely sour and had a strangely slippery texture that we did not enjoy. I would happily go back for the salted milk and pistachio instead.
10. Who I Would Recommend This Apgujeong Food Plan To
♡ Best for a group that wants dinner to feel like an event, followed by an easy dessert stop rather than more sightseeing.
I would recommend this combination most to groups of three or four, couples sharing a smaller seafood set, and visitors who have already eaten plenty of Korean food and want something different for one evening. Show Me the Crab is expensive compared with a normal neighborhood dinner, but splitting a large set between several people makes much more sense than judging the total price alone.
I would not cross Seoul solely for NuGela unless you are a serious gelato person. It works so well here because it is an easy dessert after dinner. Likewise, I probably would not choose the Family set for a casual two-person date because the quantity defeats the point. Match the seafood set to your group and the experience becomes much better.
If the weather is nice, my ideal version is exactly what we did: reserve Show Me the Crab, take your time with dinner, walk to NuGela, order salted milk and pistachio, and sit outside for a while. You do not need to cram another attraction into the evening. Apgujeong is good for simply walking around after dinner.
11. FAQ: Show Me the Crab Apgujeong + NuGela
Where is Show Me the Crab Apgujeong?
The Apgujeong branch is at 22-6 Apgujeong-ro 28-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It is roughly a five-minute walk from Apgujeong Station Exit 4.
How much is the Show Me the Crab Family set?
The current listed price is ₩179,000. It is designed for three to four people and includes a large seafood spread with items such as shrimp, snow crab and lobster, plus sides.
Is the Family set enough for four people?
It was definitely enough for our group of four. The meal includes much more than shellfish, so the additional sides make it extremely filling.
Do I need to eat the seafood with my hands?
No, but I find gloves and hands much easier for seafood boil. The staff also cracks and prepares much of the shellfish, so it is less difficult and messy than dismantling everything yourself.
Should I reserve Show Me the Crab?
I recommend reserving for a group, particularly for weekends and popular dinner times. The restaurant currently offers booking through Naver and Catchtable.
What are Show Me the Crab Apgujeong's hours?
Current listings show 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Check again before visiting because restaurant hours can change.
What should I order at NuGela?
From the flavors we tried, salted milk was my favorite and roasted pistachio was also excellent. I would personally skip the lemon sorbet unless you specifically enjoy very sour flavors.
Is NuGela worth visiting on its own?
I liked it, but I think it makes the most sense when you are already around Apgujeong. It is especially good as a small dessert stop after dinner rather than the main destination of a cross-Seoul trip.
12. Sources and Planning Notes
Show Me the Crab Apgujeong address: 22-6 Apgujeong-ro 28-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Nearest subway: Apgujeong Station, with Exit 4 being a convenient approach.
Current weekday hours: Monday–Friday, 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Current weekend hours: Saturday–Sunday, 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Boiling Crab Family: currently ₩179,000, advertised for 3–4 people.
Show Me the Crab official website and current menu
Check Show Me the Crab on Naver Maps
Check reservations on Catchtable
Check NuGela's current listing on Naver Maps
Restaurant hours, prices, menu composition, gelato flavors, promotions and reservation availability can change. I checked the restaurant information while preparing this guide, but confirm the current listings before making a special trip.
The opinions on portion size, flavors, atmosphere and what I would order again are based on my own visit. In particular, gelato preferences are subjective, so my dislike of the lemon sorbet should not be treated as a quality issue.
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13. Final Thoughts
Going back to Show Me the Crab a second time made me appreciate what it does differently. Seoul has endless excellent seafood, but this is not trying to compete with a Korean sashimi restaurant or traditional seafood market. You come here because you specifically want the giant, saucy, hands-on American seafood-boil experience.
For four people, I would order the Family set again. The lobster was piping hot, there was plenty of crab and shrimp, and the sides meant nobody was sitting around waiting for one tiny piece of shellfish. I also love that the staff does the frustrating shell work while leaving enough of the messy part for it to still feel like a seafood boil.
NuGela was the right ending because it did not turn the evening into another huge stop. We walked over, got gelato and sat outside. My order next time would be easy: salted milk and roasted pistachio. After a giant seafood boil, I do not need anything more complicated than that.
