The Original Crab Shanty, the seafood restaurant at 361 City Island Avenue, has reached its 50th anniversary. The City Island Chamber of Commerce dates the restaurant's opening to October 15, 1976, and on October 15, 2026, exactly five decades later, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson presented the restaurant with a proclamation marking the milestone.

Owner Michelle Howard Debitetto accepted the proclamation alongside members of the kitchen and dining room staff, among them Chef Alejandro Aguirre, Alberto Sosa, Juan Conde and Antonio Clara, according to the chamber's account of the visit.

A post office, then a crab house

The building is older than the restaurant by most of a century. According to the restaurant's own history, the high-ceilinged structure was a silent movie theater in the early 1900s. The federal government later took it over and ran it as the City Island Post Office for many years. A small road called Crab Lane once ran through what is now the restaurant's parking lot; it no longer exists.

When the current operators took over the property, their first choice of name was The Post Office. The restaurant says the federal government turned that request down, and the name The Original Crab Shanty came out of that refusal.

Built off the water, on purpose

Most of City Island's seafood restaurants sit at the water's edge, and the Crab Shanty does not. Its own account says the founders decided early that, without a waterfront view, the restaurant would compete on portion size, price and service. One result was the Feast for Two, a combination platter the restaurant says it created, and which it credits with building its early following.

The restaurant's history also recalls two rooms that regulars still bring up: a mezzanine dining level and a dining room with a large maple tree growing up through it. It notes that some of the servers and staff who worked the first season were still on the floor decades later.

What is on the menu

The menu is built around seafood, with crab at the center, alongside Italian dishes. The garlic bread comes up in the customer reviews the restaurant posts on its own site, including one from a family that returned after 30 years away from the Bronx.

The proclamation

The borough president's proclamation recognized five decades of service to City Island and the Bronx, and the chamber posted video of her remarks with its writeup of the visit.

Plan a visit

The Original Crab Shanty is at 361 City Island Avenue, Bronx, NY 10464. It is open seven days a week, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., with last seating and last takeout orders at 11 p.m. The dining room is small and the restaurant does not hold tables for late or partial parties, so groups should arrive together. Takeout orders can be placed online or by phone at 718-885-1810.

By transit, take the 6 train to Pelham Bay Park and transfer to the Bx29 bus, which runs the length of City Island Avenue.

Sources