Seaside Restaurant & Crab House

Our go-​to place for crabcakes when visiting Baltimore area– the best we’ve ever had! And don’t miss the delicious hushpuppies!

Gotta have crab when your in Maryland! and this it my first time going to a Crab House in Maryland. Went here for lunch its a very cozy, casual and laid back restaurant. Instant smell of crab when you enter, not bad just noticeable. We were helped right away and got a table for 5. Was browsing the menu and for the life of me I could not figure out what to eat so I took suggestions from everyone I was eating with. So I decided to try the soft crab sandwich. At the time I did not realize it was literally an entire crab in the shell stuffed between 2 piece of bread. As i sat there and starred at this entire crab on my plate, i wondered how the heck do I eat this! I wasn’t sure if i had to break it open or what. I was told that I am supposed to eat it exactly like it is. At first i thought it was a joke and I wasn’t going to fall for it. Eventually i gave in and pulled a leg off and bit in… WAS AMAZING! I then ate all the legs and went for the main park of the crab. Was very good!!! Was not able to eat it all but boy was it good! I also have the cream of crab which is by far the best thing i had while at this restaurant! It was so creamy and fresh with BIG pieces of crab in it. YUM! the fries were cooked well that came with the sandwich and this was overall a great experience! (PS. The soft crab sandwich is fishy so if you are not a fan of fishy food avoid)

So I came here with my family who love crabs!
But I don’t :(
They come here all the time and order a dozen and a half of the biggest crabs I’ve ever seen!
They all made a mess and enjoyed every bite
And worked to get through those shells!
I had the steak which was delicious and cooked absolutely perfect!
Tammy was our server and was the best — timed everything out right.
She knows what she’s doing… you can tell!
We’ll definitely be back!

My husband and I have been there twice in two weeks and love the food. We always have more than enough to eat and even some to take home if we order the seafood platter combo.
We ordered small salads before our meal and they were a very nice size not teeny tiny like some places. The Maryland crab soup is just spicy enough. The cream of crab is rich and has actual crab meat in it.
They have recently remodeled the inside and it is really nice, much nicer that the old décor.

Bad time here, I was served a NY strip that was rancid and stunk up the table. I am a chef so I know the chef had to know it was spoiled. I reordered the salmon and my server apologized though we asked for the manager. When the manager finally came he felt that they shouldn’t make any concessions even though I had that rancid meat in my mouth. Never again. Bad meat equals a bad kitchen.

I’m from Arizona and wanted to try the famous crab cakes, let me say they were delicious. Come with a big appetite because the crab cakes and side will be more than enough. I started with the cream of crab soup, sooo good! Really great for my first time!

DISAPPOINTMENT
My family and I have spent «THOUSANDS» of dollars at SEASIDE restaurant. Our last experience was so horrible and disappointing. When we walked into the restaurant, the hostess tried to sit us at a corner table that had dirty napkins on the floor along with crab shells and the table wasn’t clean. Mind you, there was plenty of seating in the restaurant so we asked to be seated somewhere else. Two more families after us came in and the hostess tried to sit them at the same table under the same conditions and they asked to be seated somewhere else as well. I tried to explain to the waitress that the table needed to be cleaned in order to sit somewhere there and she replied to me” well it is a crab house”. I was so disappointed because although it is a crab house you can clean the table off and pick up the «dirty» napkins off the floor to make it presentable to paying customers. Then to top it off the next morning I called to speak to the owner «Dave» and he blew me off saying he would get back to me which he never did. I have been going there for over eight years but the way they treated me that night, which happened to be my birthday, made it easy to make the decision to never spend another penny at that establishment.

The crab cakes are delicious! We stopped here for dinner. We were a little weary after seeing the outside, but were pleased with our meals. It seemed like a local spot. The seafood was good at an even better price.

Can’t speak for the crabs as I ordered a steak. My husband had the soft crab sandwich. Steak had no taste. They brought me an empty bottle of A1, asked for another and I am still waiting for it to this day. Crab sandwich was tasteless. Our sons booster seat had to be cleaned by us. The floors were disgustingly dirty. I couldn’t put my feet down where they sat us without stepping in something. NEVER AGAIN!!!

I went into Seaside for lunch and ordered the Maryland Crab Soup and a Lump Crab Cake. I had to ask again for the Crab soup because my server forgot it the first time but when I received it it was good. Just the right amount of crab meat and spice. The crab cake was great. Why they would use frozen fries instead of fresh I am not sure but all in all it was a good lunch

Chad’s eSCAPE review.
Crabs, Crabs, Crabs…
Service (+): The waitress I had was attentive and good at her job. However, there was a younger kid there that was acting like a bus boy by setting up the tables with the crab orders and then cleaning up after them. He was very personable, friendly and very efficient at what he was doing. The (+) is for his efforts and the crab eaters (like me) leave a true mess at each setting.
Cost: When in Rome… So I decided I wanted to order the crab like many around me. They were nowhere to be found on the menu so you are forced to ask the server (unless it was posted somewhere else I missed). They priced them by crab size by the dozen. They did allow half dozen orders, so I got a half dozen of mediums, a salad and an ice tea. My total bill was nearly $ 60 with tip! Too expensive.
Atmosphere (+): Very well decorated and I felt like I was at or near the ocean! If you are not a true seafood fan, then this place will not be much fun for you. Even though they offer non seafood items on the menu, the atmosphere, the smell, the ambiance is overpoweringly seafood related.
Palate: The crabs were amazing in flavor but overly dredged in Old Bay style seasoning. I had to wipe off quite a bit of spices on some of them. Different flavors or styles would have been interesting. The side salad I had was very plain.
Everything else (+): If you have never had crabs then it is a somewhat humbling experience. They cover your entire place setting in brown paper, give you a brown paper bag, a wooden mallet and a plastic pick. Plan on almost ten minutes per crab, so a dozen crabs will take well over an hour and also plan on some chopped up fingers! The Old Bay seasoning in the fresh cuts will help build your character! A ton of work, but totally rewarding.

The place was packed. Week night specials. But I was hunting crabs, had four large steamed crabs with cup of soup. The servers were great despite the crowd. They have full menu of fried seafood and other dishes.

Been here a few time already. Figure it’s time to leave a review. Pretty good place for steam crabs. Order Xtra large for $ 95 a dozen. A lil steep. But was worth it. 2 people and still had left overs. Parking is small compare to the size of the restaurants. Weekends we had to park on the side streets where the neighborhood is.

I visited your establishment the evening of May 29^th, yesterday, for the 3^rd time in a month. Previously, I had nothing less than stellar service, to the level that I’ve started referring your bar/​crab shack to other friends and family, but yesterday was an exception. During the course of my visit, while waiting for co-​workers to arrive, I sat at the bar. Typically, I order the very same drink (Coors) but this evening I wanted something different. Once I had the attention of the bartender, I asked for a recommendation. He proceeded to ignore my request for assistance and asked, «well what do you want?» That set the pace for the night. He was extremely condescending, to the point that I consider his behavior bullying. I have dealt with bullies all of my life, and as an adult I refuse to be bulldozed by such personalities. However, he was the victor during this engagement. I’ve elucidated the basics of my evening in the following list:
· Very terse tones during our limited interactions
· Lengthy conversations shouted directly over my head with other patrons
· Directing cutting remarks or «jokes» with other bartenders towards me («there’s your last chance for romance»)
· Refusal to take any additional orders, but involving himself in orders I placed with other bartenders
· Suggesting to patrons, while I’m still eating «she won’t be here much longer, just wait in the patio and I’ll call you when she leaves»
While I previously bemoaned traveling such a distance for food and drinks, I began to look forward to my outings at your establishment. Now, after such behavior, I will advise those same friends and family members to steer clear, unless proven corrective actions are put in place. I firmly believe that your staff can benefit from customer service training, with an emphasis on etiquette and temperament.

I ordered a broiled crab cake sandwich which was very moist seemed. It was compromised mainly of all local crab.
Order 2 $ 40s. Seasoned w/​old bay. A bit of work but good.
Priced well. The patrons and the bar were very friendly.
A few good local crafts and the local traditional a
HH starts at 4

Yes I am a fan!!! And I cannot say that enough. This must have been divine intervention because for the past 2 weeks I have been yearning for crabs, crab cakes, crab dip, heck, crab seasoning LOL.
So what brought me to Seaside Restaurant and Crab House? It was a planned seafood dinner for my family member’s coworker. First, the drive out there was a bit much (I live in Silver Spring and had to ride past Arundel Mills uuuggghh) and not only that the weather was horrible. With that being said, once I arrived I was even more annoyed that the parking was small as heck and had to park in the neighborhood (the walk wasn’t so bad but the weather was just pissing me off)
My family member and I were not necessarily greeted with the warmest smiles and faces but hey in that type of weather I will give you a pass with that one. We were sat immediately and the table was already reserved. There was already talk about what we would order but I had my heart set on a few crabs (which turned in to many) and crab cakes.
The restaurant itself is not very large. There is a sports bar type area for the ones who just want to hang and have a frat type of feel and there is the restaurant area. Set up with plenty of televisions, a large enough party area for large groups (there were several), and we were not sat on top of each.
Then it was time for our server to bring us drinks and food. Lets just say our server meant well but really could’ve been better. She must have been busy because we could barely get her to stand still long enough to finish taking our orders at time. And when we did get it in it took forever (not her fault so I won’t jump on her about that). Next time just slow down and get it all together before you turn your back on the table and the guests
As for the food. Here are where my complaints lie. The guests ordered crab balls (fried soft and not hot at all when they arrived to the table), crab dip with butter toast (not hot either, very salty, and not enough kick to it but the bread and crackers that came with it were delicious), barbecue bacon wrapped shrimp (first plate came out luke warm at best the second plate of food was actually hot) which I highly recommend, and fries (I didn’t try any but the census was they were delicious once they were dressed up with old bay, vinegar, ketchup and mayonnaise)
Now for the piece de resistance: CRABS!!! The restaurant only had females small and large and they were well worth it. They came out piping hot and COVERED!!! in Old Bay (not my style but hey I managed). What were supposed to be maybe 1 or 2 crabs turned into I don’t know how many. Each crab was filled with succulent and sweet juicy meat and I went back for more and more. Each crab is perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. Even as they cool down from sitting on the table they never lose their flavor or juiciness. As for the mess? They supply paper bags for you to drop your shells in along with your dirty towels. In addition, if you would like butter, vinegar, or any other sides they supply that as well.
Because I spent so much time busting open and savoring crabs I never did touch my meal. I didn’t get to my crab cakes until two days later and they were filling with very little to no bread and nothing but succulent chunks of sweet crab meat.
I will be coming back in the summer and yes they have a new fan in me

Crabs at the bar! This bar was packed on a Friday night. Everyone was on the bar side with the tables and picnic table style places to sit. I wasn’t surprised that they had crabs on their tables but then we saw people sitting AT the bar throw down crabs. Nice.

Came here last week got the double crab cake and a half pound of medium shrimp the crab cake was delicious although small I say get the double shrimp were tasty but seemed over cooked service was good and friendly but she charged us for a pound of shrimp instead of half… I will be back for the crabs.

One of my favorites for authentic MD crab cakes. Nice pieces of crab meat, well seasoned and best when broiled (healthier too). Many prefer fried but meat tends to have a better consistency when broiled.
The hush puppies are also a hit here. Must try. They are a combo of sweet (powder sugar) and savory (garlicky) which are accompanied with butter. When hot the pups are good.

Not exactly a fancy restaurant but what they save in costs for linen tablecloths, they pass on to you in the form of better quality seafood. Today, I chose the broiled platter (NOT fried!) and was presented with a belly busting quality of clams casino, orange roughy, scallops, shrimps and a nice sized crabcake that was nearly all crab. On the side, I went with the cole slaw and took the waitress’ recommendation to have corn on the cob. (Corn was excellent!). All of it really tasty and delicious, a great plate of excellent seafood that I expect to have when I’m in Maryland.
The bar side of the restaurant is a bit of a dive with a lively bunch of barflies on stools, but the service over here is good at the few tables and who doesn’t love a good show.
Totally pleased with my meal. Would absolutely return.