Calling all seafood lovers! If you are big into shrimp, snow crabs, crawfish, and even HUGE red Russian king crabs, this is the blog for you. A restaurant located in Howard, KS, of all places, has been throwing a big seafood boil once a month. They have seafood flown in and put on one of the most amazing feasts you’ll ever come across in Kansas. It’s Poplar’s Pizza. Some people may be familiar with their restaurant in Andover, KS, but their Howard location has much more seating and the only place to enjoy the monthly seafood boils.
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202 S. Wabash, Howard, KS 67349
620-374-2525
Tuesday – Thursday: 11am – 2pm; 4pm – 9pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 2pm; 4pm – 10pm
Sunday: 11am – 2pm
Closed on Monday
Website | Facebook
Cash/Card Accepted
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I’ve heard about these seafood feasts for a long time, but haven’t had the time to make the roughly one-hour drive to Howard, KS. It only takes place three days a month from Thursday through Saturday. The announcement of when it takes place is always announced on their Facebook.
You will want to plan out your trip as it’s their busiest weekend of the month. For instance, on Friday they had a line out the door with people from all around Kansas making the drive to get in on this delicious meal. I dropped in late Saturday night and fortunately missed the rush.
Prices can fluctuate with the cost of seafood, and here’s what they were charging during my visit:
- Red Russian King Crab: $69 for one leg, $109 for two
- Snow Crab Boil: $49.99
- Shrimp Boil (one pound): $21.99
- Crawfish Boil (one pound): $21.99
- Shrimp & Crawfish Feast (2 lbs of shrimp and 5 lbs of crawfish): $74.99
All options were served with potato, corn, hush puppies, garlic, sausage and five jumbo shrimp. The ability to add on a pound of shrimp, crawfish, or crab cluster were available for $9.99. Mountain oysters appetizers were $9.99.
I was there by myself and didn’t know when I’d be able to make it back, so I splurged a little. I ordered the one leg Red Russian King Crab for $69 and added on a pound of shrimp and a crab cluster. It didn’t take long for my food to arrive. The following platter, I’m pretty sure, weighed more than me.
It was served with butter and cocktail sauce. They also had Old Bay Seasoning if you wanted to some kick to it.
No lie, the food was outstanding. Every bite had me in heaven. The platter arrived fresh and piping hot. Everything was cooked and prepared properly. I didn’t have a single bad thing to say about the feast at Poplar’s. It was a no frills boil. They didn’t rely on any special sauces to mask the flavor of the seafood. Everything was served as is and perfect. I asked for Old Bay Seasoning, but ended up not using it. The butter was all I needed.
The Red Russian King Crab leg was about as long as my forearm. I was given a pair of scissors to cut it open, which was easy. One piece of meat I pulled out felt like it weighed a pound. I ended my meal on this piece and didn’t want the moment to end.
The service was fantastic all night. It just made my meal even better. I finished all the seafood and nearly struggled driving home as I was so full. If the cops had pulled me over, I easily would have blown over the legal limit for melted butter. Money well spent!
Who would have ever thought that one of the best seafood platters was in Howard, KS? Between that and Toot’s Drive In, I may have to move out of Wichita, rent an apartment or get a VRBO and stay there for the weekends the boils are available.
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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