Seafood Boil in Raleigh, NC: Take-Home Bay Buckets in North Raleigh

Planning a seafood boil in Raleigh, NC, usually comes down to two choices: wait for a table, or spend a Saturday tracking down crab, shrimp and a pot big enough to hold it all. Topsail Steamer gives you a third. Pick up a Bay Bucket packed with seafood, corn and potatoes at our North Raleigh store, steam it at home for about 40 minutes, and dump it out on the table for everyone you invited.

The store is open at 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167, in Brennan Station just off I-540, and two sisters, Paige Rogalski and Renée Moore, run it.

A take-home seafood boil means no waiting for a table

A restaurant seafood boil runs on the restaurant’s schedule. You wait to be seated, keep the group small enough to fit one table, and wrap up when the check lands. A take-home boil runs on yours. The party happens on your porch or around your kitchen table, the kids can wander off between crab legs, and nobody needs the table back.

It also fits the nights a restaurant can’t. Think birthday dinners, a cookout with the neighbors, the first weekend in a new house, a lake day at Falls Lake, or a big game on TV with friends. Everything comes in one bucket, and the table paper is included, so cleanup mostly means rolling it up.

What is a seafood steam pot?

A seafood steam pot is a single pot that holds a full seafood boil ready to cook, with the seafood and vegetables packed together so everything steams at once. The category started with Topsail Steamer in Surf City, NC, in 2017, and its version is called the Bay Bucket®.

What’s in a Bay Bucket

Every Bay Bucket starts with the same base: sweet corn, red bliss potatoes, butter, cocktail sauce and table paper. The seafood depends on which bucket you choose.

Two sizes: Low Tider for 2-3, High Tider for 4-6

The Low Tider feeds 2-3 people, and the High Tider feeds 4-6. Sizing up from there is simple math. One of each covers about 6-9 people, and two High Tiders cover 8-12.

Eight signature buckets, plus Build Your Own

• Shark Bite: lobster, shrimp, snow crab, clams, scallops, corn, potatoes and sausage
• Full Steamer: shrimp, snow crab, clams, corn, potatoes and sausage
• Wrightsville: snow crab, scallops, shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes and sausage
• Low Country Shrimp: shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage
• Topsail Clam Bake: shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes and sausage
• Crabby Jimbo: shrimp, snow crab, potatoes and corn
• Captain Pierce: shrimp, snow crab, scallops, clams, potatoes and sausage
• Miss Emily II: shrimp, snow crab, lobster, clams, sausage and onion

Build Your Own is there for the table that wants its own mix.

Crab legs in Raleigh, steamed at home

Six of the eight signature buckets include snow crab legs, so crab lovers have plenty of room to choose. Crabby Jimbo is the straightforward pick: shrimp, snow crab, potatoes and corn, with no sausage. Shark Bite and Miss Emily II add lobster to the crab. Butter comes in every bucket, so the crab goes from pot to table paper with nothing else to buy.

For crab legs in Raleigh, that trade is the whole appeal. You skip the crab house wait and eat them at your own pace.

How it works: add liquid, steam about 40 minutes

1. Pick up your Bay Bucket at the Raleigh store on Creedmoor Road.
2. Add liquid to the pot, water or beer. No pre-boil.
3. Start the timer and steam about 40 minutes on the stove or any burner. A gas grill burner works too.
4. Dump it out on the table paper and dig in.

Skipping the pre-boil removes the slowest part of a traditional boil, which is standing around while a giant pot of water heats up. Set the timer, set the table, and the food is ready about when your guests are.

On the way home from Wake Forest and Brier Creek

The store sits in Brennan Station, the Trader Joe’s center on Creedmoor Road, about a mile from I-540. That puts it on the drive home for much of the Triangle’s north side.

• North Raleigh and Leesville: a few minutes down Creedmoor or Strickland Road.
• Wake Forest: a straight run across I-540. Grab a bucket on the way home and it’s steaming by the time the table is set.
• Brier Creek: west on I-540, a short hop home with dinner in the car.

Call ahead and pickup takes a few minutes, so the drive is the longest part.

Feeding 20-30? Order a Party Pot

For a bigger crowd, a Party Pot feeds 20-30 people. You pick it up at the Raleigh store, steam it where the party is, and eat in about an hour. Order 1-2 days ahead, and earlier for holiday weekends, when demand is higher.

Seafood choices include shrimp, snow crab, lobster tails, large sea scallops, littleneck clams, andouille and kielbasa, with corn, potatoes, seasoning, butter and cocktail sauce alongside. Pricing starts from about $20 per person, compared with caterers that often charge $45 and up and want 2-4 weeks of lead time. An NC State tailgate, a graduation party, a family reunion, an office lunch or a cul-de-sac get-together all fit that size.

Planning a Raleigh office or holiday party? See our guide to catering in Raleigh.

Meet the sisters behind Topsail Steamer Raleigh

Sisters Paige Rogalski and Renée Moore are the franchise owners behind Topsail Steamer Raleigh. A seafood boil is a family-table kind of meal, so it fits that a pair of sisters runs the Raleigh store.

Danielle Mahon founded Topsail Steamer in 2017 in Surf City, on Topsail Island. The brand has grown to more than 10 locations across five states and is the leading seafood steampot franchise. Viewers may also recognize it from its Shark Tank Season 16 appearance.

In North Carolina, Raleigh joins stores in Surf City, Wrightsville Beach and Charlotte. See every store on the seafood boil in North Carolina page, or check out Topsail Steamer in Charlotte if you’re headed west.

Topsail Steamer Raleigh: address and phone

Topsail Steamer Raleigh 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167 (Brennan Station) Raleigh, NC 27613 (919) 322-2825

To order, visit the Raleigh store page or call.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a seafood boil in Raleigh, NC?

The Raleigh store, at 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167 in Brennan Station, sells take-home seafood boils you steam yourself in about 40 minutes. Raleigh’s other seafood boil options are mostly sit-down crab houses, where the restaurant cooks and you wait for a table. Choose by the night you want. For servers and a dining room, a sit-down crab house fits. For the same boil on your own table, with your own guest list and no wait, pick up a Bay Bucket. Groups too big for one restaurant table are where the take-home route helps most.

Is Topsail Steamer a seafood boil restaurant?

No. It’s a take-home steam pot shop, so you pick up your seafood boil and cook it wherever the party is. The tradeoff is simple. A restaurant does the cooking but sets the pace, the seating and the group size. With a Bay Bucket you spend about 40 minutes steaming, and in return you get your own table, your own guest list and no wait. For groups larger than a restaurant can seat together, that difference matters most.

Is there seafood delivery in Raleigh?

Local orders are pickup, at 8111 Creedmoor Rd in Brennan Station. Pickup suits a same-week plan, since you grab the bucket and cook it that night. Sending a boil to family outside the Triangle is a different job, and Bay Buckets ship nationwide for that. Party Pots stay pickup only. See how shipping works on the seafood boil delivery page, or call the Raleigh store at (919) 322-2825 to plan a local pickup.

How many people does a Bay Bucket feed?

A Low Tider feeds 2-3 people and a High Tider feeds 4-6. For mid-size groups, combine them. One of each covers about 6-9, and two High Tiders cover 8-12. Once your guest list passes a dozen, compare the cost of several buckets against a single Party Pot, which feeds 20-30 and is pickup only. Big eaters or a crab-heavy crowd? Round up a size rather than down, since leftover corn and potatoes beat a table that runs out early.

Do I have to boil water first?

No pre-boil is needed. Add liquid to the pot (water or beer), start the timer and steam about 40 minutes on the stove or any burner. A gas grill burner works too, which keeps the heat and the smell outside on a warm night. Dump everything out on the table paper when it’s done. Because the liquid heats up with the food, you skip the long wait for a stockpot of water to boil, and you only have one pot to deal with afterward.

Can I get a seafood boil for 20-30 people in Raleigh?

Yes. A Party Pot feeds 20-30 people and is available for pickup at the Raleigh store. Order 1-2 days ahead, and earlier for holiday weekends, when demand is higher. Pricing runs from about $20 per person, while caterers often charge $45 and up and need 2-4 weeks of notice. The catch is pickup: someone needs to collect it, so assign that job early and put the pickup time on the event plan.

Is there a seafood boil near Wake Forest, NC?

The closest Topsail Steamer to Wake Forest is the Raleigh store in Brennan Station on Creedmoor Road, a straight drive across I-540. That makes it an easy stop on the way home for a weeknight dinner or a weekend gathering, and the bucket steams at home in about 40 minutes. A Party Pot covers a Wake Forest backyard party of 20-30 with one pickup.

Plan your Raleigh seafood boil

Topsail Steamer Raleigh is open at 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167, in Brennan Station. Visit the Raleigh store page or call (919) 322-2825 when you’re ready to order. No toil, just boil.