It's a bit on the pricey side but crab is never cheap. The drinks are excellent - I highly recommend the mocktails. The mock crab dish (mushroom based) is a fantastic alternative for vegetarians. The crab kha prao and the black no pepper crab were probably a little saltier than they needed to be but every other dish was excellent. Oh and the coconut creme brulee is a must have. It's a clever, well executed alternative to the traditional. Thanks for looking after us, Team MoC!

Fantastic experience at Ministry of Crab. The service was excellent — the team kindly helped us rearrange to the best table and took the time to introduce the different sizes of crabs, which was very helpful. The staff were incredibly friendly and warm. The mango-flavoured cocktail was amazing, and the crab was fresh and absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!

I visited yesterday for a solo dinner, and while the restaurant is known for its crab, I was underwhelmed by the other dishes. The prawn bisque lacked depth and the aromatic Sri Lankan spices that should’ve made it rich and flavorful. The Teriyaki Hazeldene chicken was tender but didn’t have much impact. The highlight was the coconut crème brûlée—light, creamy, and perfectly coconut-infused. Service was quite good, but the staff could have been more knowledgeable about the menu and provided better dish recommendations. Overall, the experience was decent, but I expected more from the menu and service. I’d return to try the crab, but hope for better experience.

Went in to try their Crab Liver Pate, to be told its not available even though the restaurant was empty? Ordered Prawn Bisque, which was diluted Srilankan curry with a prawn that was translucent at centre. Second dish was Kapraho Crab with side fish sauce. The server told me to try the dish before adding the sauce as it may otherwise become salty. Well the dish was so salty so salty to begin with, that when i tried the fish sauce it tasted sweet. At best it was a standard thai dish made with crab and ton of salt. Third was Baked Crab, and again no idea where the flavours were going, the only saving grace was the generous amount of crab meat. Overall total disappointment. Service was pleasant and attentive.

I had wanted to try MOC for the longest time! I always missed out on visiting the restaurant in Colombo because whenever I went to Sri Lanka, I got caught up with friends, family, and other commitments. So I was glad to see a branch open in Melbourne, and I flew down from Sydney just to try it. Considering the price point and hype, this turned out to be one of the most underwhelming fine dining experiences I’ve had. Three of us went for dinner and ordered the following: • Starters: Crab liver pâté and Kaphrao crab • Mains: Garlic chilli crab, Sri Lankan curry crab, coconut sambal, Kade bread, white rice, and garlic fried rice • Drinks: A selection of cocktails The Sri Lankan curry crab lacked the depth of flavour and heat that a typical Sri Lankan crab curry would have. I suspect it may have been adjusted to suit a wider palate, but in doing so, it lost its authentic character. We enjoyed the garlic chilli crab a little more, though neither dish truly impressed. The Kade bread worked well with the curry sauce, while plain rice paired better with the garlic chilli sauce. However, both sauces were overly thick and heavy, making them difficult to enjoy fully. The coconut sambal was also disappointing. It lacked authentic flavour and felt like a tempered-down version. A fresh sambal would have been a much better option to cut through the richness of the crab dishes. The garlic fried rice was greasy, and when combined with the already rich crab sauces, it left me feeling a little unwell. The crab liver pâté was not the “explosion of flavour” described on the menu. It was bland, slightly dry, and underwhelming. The clear winner of the night was the Kaphrao crab, which was our favourite dish. It had a beautiful balance of flavours and deserves a place on the mains menu. The cocktails were also enjoyable. Service started off strong—the floor staff were polite and welcoming—but it tapered off noticeably as the night went on. We had to flag someone down a couple of times just to clear the shells dish. We were given gloves since it was a messy meal, but when one of us requested extra-large gloves, we were told they didn’t have any available. For a fine dining restaurant, this seemed unacceptable. On top of that, no one asked if we wanted another round of drinks, which was surprising given the relatively quiet dining floor. Another issue was the two-hour dining limit mentioned in the booking confirmation email. While we weren’t asked to vacate, we noticed that by the two-hour mark we had only managed to get through half our meal. Eating crab takes time—much of it spent cracking shells and extracting meat—so it felt unrealistic. We are not slow eaters, and even with minimal conversation, it was impossible to finish comfortably within the time frame.