Some meals come with a fork, and some come with a cracker, a bib, and a stack of napkins you will absolutely need. Dungeness crab is a West Coast favorite, and California has plenty of casual spots where the best way to eat it is the messy way.
This list covers seven of them, from tiny harbor counters in Bodega Bay to pier-side seafood markets in Redondo Beach and a Vietnamese crab house in San Francisco. Each one does crab a little differently, so pick the style that fits your appetite and roll up your sleeves.
1. Spud Point Crab Company, Bodega Bay, CA
Bodega Bay has no shortage of places selling crab, yet this little counter on Westshore Road keeps earning the detour off Highway 1. It sits on the harbor side heading toward Bodega Head, and the setting is pure working fishing town.
The menu is short and focused. Crab sandwiches, crab cakes, crab cocktail, shrimp cocktail, and fish tacos share space with the chowder that made the place famous…