For some reason my wife is associating Philly with Crab dinners. Are there any casual places to get crab and a beer?

I might get corrected on this but IMHO you'll have to drive to the Jersey shore or head down closer to Baltimore MD to get some good crabs and a beer to go with it.

DiNardo's, on Race Street between 3rd and 4th (in the Old City section) is the place to go.

There are other crab-and-beer places, but most of them are in more outlying neighborhoods and definitely off the tourist track. There used to be a place called Walt's King of Crabs on Third Street in Queen Village that was quite good, but I think it may have closed.

Hi Kraig-

Having lived in Philadelphia for 6 years, I've never had crab & beer dinner.

But if you like mussels (served with pomme frits) & Belgian beer (many many different brands), you MUST go to Monk's cafe. It is on 16th street between Locust & Spruce. Make sure you go early or you'll be in for a long wait.

Another place for casual seafood is Samson Street Oyster House on Samson between 15th & 16th streets.

It's actually SaNsom (Sansom street is spelled with an n in the middle, not an m) and the Sansom Street Oyster House is a good choice...they have a web site www.sansomoysters.com where you can view the menu.
When we lived just off Rittenhouse Square, we regularly went to Seafood Unlimited on 270 S. 20th Street (phone: 215.732.3663). It's a seafood store with a very casual restaurant in the back (this is a real locals hangout). You can have crab and beer there. Check http://philly.urbansavings.com/seafoodunlimited.htm (the web site includes a voucher for a free clam chowder).
The focus at Seafood Unlimited is on fresh catches so call first to make sure that a) they have crab and b) the locals haven't scarfed it all down already
Monk's is pretty good for mussels and Belgian beer, but in all honesty, its atmosphere is a far cry from the real thing.
BTilke (Brussels)

Elle is right -- DiNardo's is the place to go.
I was just there last week and jumbos were
in. My only advice is get there early.

Thanks BTilke for the correction. Yes, it should be SaNsom. Brain infarct...

This might be helpful:
http://www.dinardos.com/

We love the crabs at Chicky and Pete's, in the Northeast (small) and their newer place in South Philly. Love the garlic instead of the Old Bay And they are already cleaned for you There's always a wait, but worth it. Their mussels in red sauce are great too.

Some folks will diss the place because it's an institution, but I think the crab imperial at Bookbinder's is the best in the world. An absolutely huge portion, too--about the size of a grapefruit. And it's very casual--a perfect place for a beer.

For steamed crabs, definitely go to Maryland. The crabs there are steamed with Old Bay seasoning, while in Philly they're traditionally steamed without seasoning. It makes a world of difference.