Crabtree Cafe in West Berkshire

Navigating the parking zones of Crabtree Valley Mall feels akin to participating in a high-stakes game of bumper cars—minus the thrill and with a higher likelihood of vehicle mishaps. It’s not unusual to witness the unfortunate aftermath of careless hit-and-run incidents, where cars sport new battle scars multiple times a day. Personally, I tend to avoid this shopping hub more often than not, a strategy that has served me well. In my youthful days, however, I was a frequent visitor to the Old Navy nestled within those crowded confines, where I indulged in a delightful shopping spree for an array of promotional t-shirts. Ah, the good old days of fashion enthusiasm! Fast forward to the present, and my interest in sartorial splendor has waned significantly. Now, my wardrobe refresh consists solely of a dozen plain black t-shirts and v-necks every three months—because let’s face it, nothing says “I’ve given up on life” quite like faded fabric from overzealous washing. Oh, and speaking of my escapades at Crabtree Valley Mall, I once made a rather extravagant purchase at the now-defunct Sears there. In an act of chivalry—or perhaps sheer folly—I bought a car battery for my then-girlfriend, who was knee-deep in statistical equations at UNC. The battery was promptly shipped off to Chapel Hill to ensure her ride would continue rolling smoothly. And let’s not forget the $600 splurge on a Sony F717 camera at that same establishment. I might as well have been funding a small country! Recently, while perusing Google Maps for their latest panoramic images, I found myself scratching my head in bemusement. It seems Crabtree Valley Mall prefers to pay someone exorbitantly for lackluster panoramic shots of its facade rather than employ someone like me, an amateur photographer who takes joy in capturing the world through my lens without charging a dime! It’s truly baffling—why pay for what could be done for free by someone with a passion for photography? Many folks believe that when it comes to paid services, quality is inherently superior. However, I firmly assert that my 360° panorama skills eclipse those of any professional panorama photographer in North Carolina by a factor of at least one hundred! Alas, it appears my talents go unnoticed, much like that lone sock that mysteriously disappears in the laundry cycle. Isn’t it just absurd? So here I am, humorously lamenting my position as an underappreciated artist in a world that values expensive over exceptional. If only they knew that sometimes the most delightful treasures are found in the unlikeliest of places—like a humble hobbyist with a knack for capturing the essence of Crabtree Valley Mall’s chaotic charm!

Really nice mall! It’s big, super clean, and has a stylish vibe. Perfect place to hang out, shop, or grab some food. Plenty of stores and space to walk around without feeling crowded. Definitely a great spot to spend some time!

Enjoyed the double story walk and lots of stores. It was entirely worth the visit.

Dated but still the best mall in the Triangle. Good selection of stores and restaurants. It's been a staple for decades and continues to a great place to shop.

Upbeat, vibrant shops and atmosphere

Interesting mall, plenty of parking

It's still my favorite mall in Raleigh for shopping and restaurants.

Always busy. They have a great selection of stores.

It is a good place where you can enjoy with the family. And make purchases.

Very nice place, everyone was so nice....

Good multiple shopping experience with clothing, food, and multiple department stores. Electronics, book store, and eye care with many restaurants.

I fell off of the second floor, as I was tackled by security, broke 3 fingers, lost my left arm, broke vertebrae in my back, I'm in a full body cast, because I asked security for directions on where the bathroom was.

Fun experience by looking at different kinds of stores!

Wish they had a Hot Topic and Boxed Lunch

Loved my picture. Definitely something to treasure.

Good service, easy to get lost though.

Parking is ample but hard to navigate. Low clearance. Too few restrooms and benches.

A wonderful experience 10/10 recommend

Al Rimawi drew our official family photo. I’d say good deal!

I love this place. U can find anything and very ship prices and nices clothes. Shoes. I recommend it

Very cool mall with a lot to shop from, two stories high, well organized and it’s very clean.

It's the last good mall in the Raleigh area but that makes it very crowded and the acoustics weren't built for that. It's so noisy it's barely worth the bother to go unless there is some store or item that's worth the trouble. Parking is horrible. The mall is now surrounded and buried by an enormous parking garage that goes almost all the way around it and traffic around the mall is VERY heavy. Kanki restaurant would be worth the trip except there are other locations in the Triangle. Cheesecake Factory is popular but very expensive. Food court is good.

Very happy with the work i totaly recommended this place

Gotta do better with the value of a BLACK dollar!

I shop here every year and especially around the holidays it never disappoints!!

Went to Season 52 to eat for New Years Eve..

Many store options for everyone in the family. Plenty of eateries in the Food Court and restaurants on the periphery of the Mall.

Mall is nice clean people were very friendly

Always easy to find parking and by searching ahead,. I know where I'm going to get the things I need. Easy access everything I need I location.

Always favourite. Lively clean great place

The Santa was awful. Did not Talk until I asked him how he was doing. Never said 10 words and zero people where getting a picture and mall was a pretty good crowd. Just FYI most boring ever

This was a very busy place. Right before Christmas. Upper deck was almost full. Lower deck to park with a pain.

Great mall! Definitely pretty to see during the holiday season, but it’s always nice! The food court is good especially the Japanese restaurant in the corner. Cheesecake factory is always a great place as well! Been going here for many many years now. Always fun to walk around and shop!

A decent mall with lots to look at and explore. A good food court and security seems to be pretty good. Lots of entrances and some decent restaurants.

Good place but food court gets too much crowds

Good amount of parking space and major brand stores

We love it! Best experience ever !Kyn!

Nicki was the BOMB! First time here and she made the experience so nice and pleasant.

There are really only two really nice malls in the greater triangle area, and Crabtree is one of them. It has a huge selection of stores, and great eateries. Everything is spotless clean, the stores are well appointed, And nearly every restaurant offers reserve seatings so you can always get a table. I do wish it had a little bit more of an outdoor concept like the streets at southpoint, which is my other favorite, but for selection and convenience Crabtree is fantastic.

Very good stores to select from and items are well stocked too. You can get stuff for all occasions. Wish the food court places stayed open longer, so one can get food after the shopping and not be rushed by security.

Big mall. 2 levels. Big food court

Rimawis caricatures are very cute, and he did an amazing job!

Rimawi’s caricature stand was so cute and well done.

Crabtree Mall has two levels of stores, a food court, and the best of all The Cheesecake Factory restaurant. Lots of parking is also available.

I always look forward to going to the mall! I love Crabtree as this mall has a variety of different stores and products.

Typical crowded mall. Happy people

It's definitely a mall. Lots of stores and a good selection of places to eat.

I took my Twin boys to the Crabtree Mall to see Santa for they're birthday and Christmas and the Santa wasn't very " Santa " at all he mean mugged and didn't crack one smile with me paying over $100 for pictures that he didn't even smile in ! I would like a refund immediately!

Nice shopping environment and great food!!

No parking. Had to turn around and leave.

You can find a little of everything you need here.

Crabtree is a great mall! One of the last malls standing in America and it is vibrant as its inception!

It would have been helpful to have a map at every entrance to the Mall. I was there for pick up of one item from one store and had to walk to find a map. The other idea would be to make the Mall interactive with a Mall map that populates on your phone when you enter. It would save time and frustration after walking a mile in the wrong direction on the wrong floor to find a store.

I remember the good old days when everybody and their mother was at the mall. Especially during the holidays

I love Crabtree valley Mall. Nice place to shop for people

We visited Crabtree Valley Mall during our trip to North Carolina and had a fantastic experience! The mall has a great selection of stores, perfect for Christmas shopping. Of course, we had to stop by Macy’s and the LEGO store, which didn’t disappoint. Buckle was another highlight for some stylish finds. After shopping, we enjoyed a variety of options at the food court—everything was delicious. To top it off, we made sure to visit Curaté and support a small business. The mall had something for everyone, and the atmosphere was festive and welcoming.

It's much better than many malls I've visited. It has it all, and it's has a nice atmosphere as well.

By far, the best mall in the area!

Laws very clean well lit with a number of different types of stores

I always enjoy going to Crabtree Mall when i'm in town.

A lot of stores to explore. A lot of walking. I was just hard to find parking.

Crowded and you have to fight for a park.

It’s a great mall and I always have good time there. My only complaint is - I wish they had more restaurants/ cuisine at food court for vegetarians / vegans. Other than that they do have all brands mostly covered.

Got nothing else to do in NC, shopping mall is the place to go to.

Decent mall with plenty of stores we haven't seen at other malls. Very diverse. There are some kiddie vending rides in the food court so bring cash or take a chance on the questionable looking atms. Not a ton of food options in the court, so ended up eating at an onsite restaurant - good experience. Parking is garaged and was pretty full on the weekend but got lucky and found a spot near the entrance.

Nice to visit and get steps in.

Mehhh id rather go to southpoint mall in durham

2 story mall with big brand retail stores and cute boutique shops...price ranging from reasonably affordable to high-end. Definitely a lil something here for everybody, young and old. Huge food court. Great place to shop if you're in the area. Parking can be a bit tight but there are spaces available on the ground and first level.

50 years old shopping mall. Vast world of the collection

It’s always disappointing walking into Macys. No one around to ask for help. No variety of sizes - it’s either small or extra large. No wonder the Macys brand are doing so badly. They really do need to make the shopping experience more pleasant.

A nice indoor place to walk, talk, shop and dine.

This mall is always busy and traffic is somewhat complicated, but you can find anything you need over here. And yet you can always find a parking spot near where you are trying to go. There are plenty of options when it comes to clothing, not so much when it comes to shoes . It appears that the numbers 7.6, 8.0, 8.5 and 9 are in huge demand because I can never find a pair on those numbers unless they are way, way expensive or super ugly and outdated. And the cutest ones you can only find in small sizes. Food is a big thing here, no matter how long is the line is you can get your food relatively fast, those shops are very good in getting the food out, except for McD's they always take their time. And they are not the cheapest option to get food. The only thing this mall needs is some kind of entertainment for kids and teenagers!!!!

Amazing service and great food!

It's a convenient shopping mall in the triangle area. I love shopping there.

Malls are at a crossroads with online shopping. For now, Crabtree Valley Mall has managed to maintain the right mix of stores to entice shoppers to get off their computers or phones long enough to shop in person. I'm not a big mall shopper, but I like Crabtree enough to give it 5 stars.

This mall is very likable. It has lots of different options. Plenty of restaurants. It has a great appeal. Parking can be a little challenging and it could be very crowded at times overall I enjoyed this mall to shop.

Great Black Friday Deals. Go early parking is a problem!

Definitely one of the top 3 malls in the Triangle! Mid to high price points. 👇 Important visit Notes: ⭐ Parking in the front is ROUGH ⭐ Enter/Exit from side streets ⭐ Park in the BACK parking deck, which is easily accessible and has multiple entry options. 👍 Overall great food and stores!!

Nice place to spend a Sunday. However most of the shops are expensive brands which is not offered for middle class/low budget shopping. The atmosphere is good though and plenty of food choices.

Big mall almost every brand available

Great location and many stores and coffee shops also the food court has many good choices.

It was welcoming and comforting despite being so crowded it was still easy to navigate and the flow of traffic was smooth. I was particularly amazed about the art walk even that they were hosting which supported local artists. It was nice to see familiar faces while making new friends as well and buying amazing artwork!

Nice mall, a variety of different stores, enjoyed Christmas music while wandering

The mall has a lot of nice stores

I called three different places looking for my keys- Starbucks and spoke to Amy, The Korsett (nice people), and Rack Room Shoes. I said hello how are you today to everyone who answered the phone, and NOT A SINGLE PERSON SAID “I’m fine, how are you?” They all just immediately went to “how can I help you?” And even that sounded like they were annoyed because they had to answer the phone, and completely ignored my greeting. Whatever happened to phone etiquette? Where have the days gone where people answer the phone with cordial greetings? Do better people, or JUST DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE! Please and Thank You!

You can find everything for everyone just here.

They have most everything that you need with a clean environment. They also carry a variety of foods in the food court area.

I love shopping and decorations.

What an awesome place to walk, eat a meal, shop, and just socialize.

It's a really nice mall with a lot of stores. It's a bit of a zoo finding parking but that's not the fault of the mall. It's honestly surprising to see a mall so busy in 2024 so they must be doing something right.

Clean and friendly atmosphere. Has everything you need in a mall, really good variety of stores with good prices.

It's a mall. It has stores and restaurants. Food court is okay. I mostly just go for the LEGO store, and the game store right across from it.

Such lovely mall but the gunshots are becoming too much. Not a safe place to be anymore.

Always a pleasant experience at this mall.

My Girlfriend and I still like to walk in store and look at items and sometimes buy in store if the pricing is fair. We still enjoy the food court and novelty stores, Hot Topic, Spencer's and etc. I like going to the shoe store to try on in person if buying online. Workers are nice. Clean mall. Clean Restrooms. There are specialty stores and stores I've never heard of. Good to see a variety of brands instead of the usual mall.

Alot of high end name brand stores Niece loved Build A Bear Wouldn’t make a special trip to go back

Good place to shop all your clothings and many choices of food. Always busy, parking always available, very clean , Mall security always around to feel safe.

Cheesecake factory has great espresso

The best stores great customer service unmatched experience will be returning went to build a bear for my daughters ninth birthday stopped at the candy shop right there in the middle of the mall then we had to get some of the cereal infused ice cream if you ever get a chance and you’re in Raleigh North Carolina you have to go to Crabtree Valley Mall

Always a great experience here. Since it's close to Halloween, they had a beautiful Christmas store in there Staff was truly in the spirit. One of the best food courts. Lots of variation with food offerings & staff can always be seen cleaning up in the court.