Chef Darius Williams opened Soul Crab over the weekend, and the lines were lengthy

Soul Crab, owned by chef Darius Williams of Greens and Gravy in Westview, is open on Main Street in College Park. The seafood-centric, soul food restaurant took over the space once occupied by Radial Cafe, which closed in June.

The restaurant includes lunch and dinner and a late night bar menu, both featuring a section with seafood-by-the-pound. Think heaping mounds of snow crab legs, crawfish, and peel-and-eat shrimp, with seasoning options like garlic butter, jerk butter, or lemon pepper in vary degrees of heat. There’s also a mac and cheese flight, fried catfish fingers, and jerk shrimp and scallop linguine tossed in collard green Alfredo sauce. Late night is a slightly smaller version of the main menu, which includes lemon pepper wet wings and crab cakes, alongside seafood-by-the-pound options.

Apparently, the opening last weekend saw long lines wrapped around the corner, prompting Williams to take to Facebook to apologize (a couple of times) for the “kinks” Soul Crab still needs to work out. Williams, who seems genuinely surprised in the latest video by even being “swamped” during Soul Crab’s debut, thanks people for their support, before launching into the apology. He and his staff are “committed to getting it right and making it perfect.”

Commenters mostly assured Williams that despite the long wait times, food not always arriving, and general “hiccups,” they would be back, and understood this was the first weekend. One commenter even gave a shout out to their server, calling him “so apologetic and sweet,” while another told Williams, “Everything’s going to be alright.”

In addition to the substantial seafood menu, Soul Crab offers a full bar serving cocktails like red Kool-Aid sangria and blackberry bourbon lemonade, plus beers, ciders, and wine.

Take a look at the menu for Soul Crab:

Williams, a cookbook author and YouTube chef, opened his first restaurant, Greens and Gravy in May 2017. It serves updated takes on soul food dishes such as crab cake deviled eggs and collard green lasagna.

Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (bar menu at 8 p.m.); Friday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. (bar menu at 9 p.m.)

3725 Main Street, College Park. soulcrabatl.com.