Eat Athens: This Cajun seafood restaurant also serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine

If you haven't been to The Crab Hut this year, it's safe to say that you've never really been to The Crab Hut.

Though the Cajun seafood chain restaurant has been in operation at the Georgetown Square shopping center for a few years, recent additions to the menu have earned it a reputation as one of the best Vietnamese eateries in Athens.

Located at 1860 S. Barnett Shoals Rd., The Crab Hut is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Yes, the original Cajun seafood menu is still there, but flipping it over to the other side offers a key to a new world of flavor.

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Under new owners Lolly and Ben Thao, The Crab Hut held its grand re-opening on Jan. 1 with an entirely new menu of Vietnamese dishes in addition to the restaurant's signature fare of po' boy sandwiches and fried this-and-that. After running a restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, Lolly seized the opportunity to take over The Crab Hut when the previous owner put it up for sale.

"In Falls Church, there is a shopping center called Eden Center that has 40 Vietnamese restaurants right next to one another, so we're used to having competition," Lolly told the Banner-Herald. "I cook with passion, which I learned from my mom, and I think that our ingredients and cooking methods have helped create positive word of mouth in Athens."

Lolly's new menu is far from a secret, as large posters of a few of the dishes can be seen in the restaurant's windows from The Crab Hut's parking lot. The Vietnamese cuisine includes traditional staples like Pho soup, noodles and grilled meat, but booklets on each table in the dining area reveal such exotics as garlic butter quail and five-spice elephant thigh.

When the Banner-Herald visited, we tried Bun bo Hue, which Lolly described at "Pho's sexier cousin." Served in the tried-and-true giant Pho bowl, the spicy soup was a never-ending adventure of tastes and textures. Though our portion contained thinly-sliced beef, a vegetarian version is also available. Without the use of any MSG, the multitude of flavors felt fresh with each bite, and the heat was perfect for the sinuses on a cold day.

To explore the new menu at The Crab Hut, visit facebook.com/61555396235951.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Crab Hut also serves Vietnamese food