My husband and I are visiting from California and wanted to know were the best place was to go for crab cakes, a place that was not overpriced and not a tourist trap. A nice gentleman had highly recommend this restaurant for having the best crab cakes. HE WAS RIGHT. This restaurant had great food great drinks and The best crab cake my husband and I have ever tasted, plus they were stuffed with a bunch of crab. I also highly recommend their down by the dock bloody Mary it was the best one I've ever had. I definitely recommend this to anybody wanting to try an authentic Maryland crab cake. SEE YOU SOON. read more

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We have been eating here for more than ten years never disappointed absolutely the best Crab Cakes around have never ordered anything else can't beat perfection! read more

We had the BEST date night dinner last night, better than most of our anniversary dinners because this dinner started us off on SUCH A GOOD NOTE. It was one of those nights where dinner is so awesome, and you go home, but you both are just vibing so hard, singing dumb car songs on the way home kind of night because you're full and happy and GD do you just love each other right now in all the food glory. Side note, hanger and blanket sharing are the number one causes of couple's clashes....j/s. We havent been to BTD in a hot sec (2-3 years) just cause were not super close, but we do enjoy the food and the crabcakes and of course the ranch when we have gone. So we roll up, we see there's this new brunch thing advertised- were like hey maybe theyre trying to cater to a younger crowd (as we remember its generally a MUCH older crowd that frequents). We will be trying the brunch next return visit FYI. We see the menu has changed up a bit, cool. Heather, our waitress, WAS ON POINTTTTT. We were so engrossed with each other and the food and a large part of that was because she was just so good at bringing things and predicting what/when we'd need stuff. Didnt have to think about "wheres our waitress" aspect once. The way she brought out the food was perfect. It's seriously the little things. We were constantly being fed. IT WAS AWESOME. Here's what we got: Bowl of Cream of Crab- BANGING Jumbo Clam Strips- PERFECT and HOT and CRISPY AMAZING and HUGE BF got: crab cake platter with lamb chops, ff and side salad with the awesome sauce ranch I got: fried shrimp platter with ff and side salad with ranch She asked if we wanted the soup and Clam strips together, we were starving so we said soup first. She brings it out ASAP with a second spoon (we didnt ask for one), Girl, you cute. As soon as were done that, BAM- clam strips. As soon as we were done that, boom salads. I even made a joke how i liked the order because it forced us to eat our vegetables before we get to our fries. The ranch is no joke, it's that good.She brought us out an extra side, because- get real. SO- the actual dinners- Jesus Henry Christ. Everything was just so perfect. You'd think frying food isnt hard, but the thing is, when youve had it extremely hot and crisp, it's amazing. AMERICA FOR THE WIN. Steak fries usually suck. That's just the nature of steak fries. Theyre either too soggy, too hard, or too cold. You're usually stuck fingering through your pile searching for the crispy, good ones. Not tonight. BANGING. I also got a lot more shrimp than i was bargining for. Hey, I am not complaining. The lamb was adorable and perfectly cooked too. Bill was 66- For the quality and portions- that's JUST FINE. It was a super cute time, we'll be back sooner. We will be doing brunch. Thank you for a seriously excellent night. read more

I love it here! The food is pretty cheap for the quality! They are known for their amazing crab cakes! With just the right amount of ingredients! And the steak fries are also delicious. Crispy outside and soft inside with a nice seasoning. I'd also recommend the fish and chips with their tartar sauce. But only 1 real problem is that the food isn't super fresh, but the fish is. Just a nice yummy fulfilling restaurant with no real flair read more

One of our favorites, and it's convenient location, good food coupled with the friendly service will keep it at the top of our list.

Wonderful Sunday brunch. I gave my hubby a birthday dinner here and they gave us a private area. Food was fantastic.

Crab cake heaven. Old school restaurant that stays relevant year over year. Great nightly specials, but always end up with the crab cakes.

Had a great dinner with a big group of friends last night. The food was really good, especially the Maryland crab soup, crab cakes (which are HUGE) and four-cheese pasta. Our waitresses were attentive and friendly, and kindly found several gluten-free options. And they were very patient with us after we totally miscalculated the bill and inadvertently failed to tip them enough (dumb mistake in our part). We hope they'll let us return! read more

One of my favorite crab cakes in town. Nothing special about the atmosphere, decor, or bar, but can't go wrong with any of the seafood. A go to when people visit and want to experience MD crab cakes read more

Had dinner there last weekend. Cream of Crab Soup and Crab Cake Sandwich were both amazing and best around. Dinning room was clean and neat. Host and Waitress were both very friendly and attentive. Great experience. Will definitely go back. read more

I was looking for a good restaurant that had very good crabcakes. By the Docks was a very good choice. The majority of my crabcake was lump crab and it was delicious. My daughter had the fried shrimp and they were delicious as well. Our server, Samantha, was very attentive and nice. This will definitely remain on my return restaurant list. read more

Had the crab cakes, great size and comparable to other good locations around the Baltimore area. Portion sizes were larger then expected

The worst service imaginable.40 min seated after our reservations. Hostess was rude, only saving grace was our server. She was a delight. They stopped refilling before 2pm for the buffet. We asked for the mgr, he came over & gave us shit. Wtf. Will not be back read more

OMG!!! Katie my server was amazing! I ordered the 1/2 and 1/2 crab soup (awesome) and had one of the top 3 baked crab cakes (softball size!) in my life. I was born in Baltimore and have the pedegree to know a great great crab cake! By the way, they have a shaker of Old Bay on every table in the restaurant. read more

They offer a $20 brunch on Saturday on Sunday. I wouldn't recommend it. The food was cold. Shrimp were over cooked. I paid $10 for unlimited mimosas and barely tasted any alcohol. Don't waste your time. read more

My first visit to my friend, John's lovely restaurant. We arrived at a busy time but it was worth the wait. My husband enjoyed the two very ample size crab cakes which were the best we've had. I had the Seafood Paradise with shrimp and crabmeat and penne pasta in 'pink" sauce. I ended up taking that rich delicious portion home. It comes with garlic bread and a salad. The server was on hand at every refill or request we made. Excellent service. The sound gets to 80+ dB when crowded (used app to check) but you can still enjoy the atmosphere. I watched other patrons partake of the buffet which is from 9am to 2pm on Sunday. The food passing by looked delicious. You can rely on not going hungry. Desserts are super delicious. John, you've done an amazing thing with this place!! We miss you at Double T but this is superb! read more

This is the first and last visit to this place, an hour for a meal at 11:30am on a Friday and then it has no flavor, its wrong and the presentation is poor at best. The waiter never gave his name or anything I WILL NOT BE BACK read more

Food is a bit pricey but you definitely get your money's worth! Love their stuffed shrimp!

Went there today for Brunch. Drove through the snow to get there and was definitely worth it. The selection was great and the food was tasty. Worth every penny. Server was great as many times during buffet at many restaurants the servers slack but not today. Never a dirty plate or empty drink glass on our table. read more

My wife and I showed up for restaurant week, put our names for a party of two. We were then told by the hostess it will only be a few minutes, about 10 to 15 minutes went by, and we asked the manager how much longer it would be, because we were told only a few minutes when we got here. The manager then looked at his list and said just a few moments., Tables are clearing up now. We then patiently waited for another half hour, before we saw many more couples that arrived after us get seated first. If there's one lesson we've learned today is that this is not the place to visit during restaurant week being a walk-in. read more

This place has already received countless great reviews, and each is well deserved. If the chance arises to visit this restaurant, take it. The staff is professional and accommodating, the atmosphere is tasteful and appropriate, and clean. The food is great, the only conundrum is which dish is the BEST? What is the BEST I can get for my money? Bc it's all good! This place offers large, beautiful crab cakes and crab imperial, and a classy brunch buffet with a tea cake set up, lots of beautiful pastries and a beautiful breakfast selection with a decent selection of meats to choose from - mimosas included. The served portions here are generous, and all of the side dishes I've ordered have been delicious as well. I absolutely, highly recommend this restaurant. My husband drove me 30 minutes outside of the Inner Harbor to lunch during our last Baltimore visit, and I fully intend to dine here for all future Baltimore visits. read more

Went on valentines. The customers here a really ratchet which isn't the restaurants fault but you don't really want to eat around a bunch of loud people. I got The crab cake with mashed potatoes and my husband got steak and shrimp. Honestly the crab cake wasn't that good it was a regular crab cake and everyone said its so good? The mashed potatoes were nasty I can tell they were instant mash and not with real potatoes, The food wasn't really hot either. My husbands steak was tender but the shrimp were cold and greasy when served. Some of our dishes were dirty and our candle wasn't even lit which I was disappointed because I wanted it to have the ambiance. It was also FREEZING theres a door right by the bar and it was so cold. Our food came out fast but I would have rather it took time for food to be hot especially when you're spending $30 for one meal. Our server was nice. I was just disappointed because Iv heard great things and it was a lot different than expected. read more

One of the best crab cakes I ever had. The brunch here looks amazing as well. The owners really care about their food and it shows! read more

By The Docks Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Middle River, Maryland

Crab cakes are definitely NOT Baltimore's Best. Loads of filler and little crab meat.

Last evening, was simply amazing to know that there are still some possible places to receive great service. We were pretty impressed with the service that we received by our waitress Brenna. Our waitresses service was timely and efficient in getting our order and drinks. The food options for restaurant week gave us a variety of options to choose from. We definitely would recommend this restaurant to others. read more

At first glance your thinking, seafood here? The menu is full of choices. The boys (15 and 16) had the shrimp linguiny. Excellent and more shrimp than they could finish, so next time don't eat the bread and salad. I had the special,pork chop stuffed with crab. It wasn't stiffed it was piled high on top. A ton of crab cake and an excellent piece of pork. This place really did big portions and you pay for them. Kinda more expensive than we are used to but we'll worth it. Make the drive it's worth the effort. Real family atmosphere! read more

Would have given this place a 5 but when we made the reservation they didn't indicate that we would be going upstairs for seating. It would have been ok if an elevator was available for someone disabled. For the future my recommendation is that they need to ask if a sitting upstair would be a problem or using a staircase. The food was great and the rolls was hot. I would consider going back my open reservation would be if they are crowded and we need to sit downstairs how accommodating would they be for someone with a disability that couldn't use the staircase. read more

We've eaten here since we moved to this neighborhood 10 years ago. They have great specials and will make anything you request on or off the menu. My only issue is that take out orders have not been consistent in the recent past. But we will still come back for more :) read more

After I wrote my review of G&M I thought I'd mention another place I've been to get crabcakes in the Baltimore area. The crabcake was a good sized crabcake without too much filler. This place had a quiet, classy enough atmosphere , even though the building on the outside doesnt look as classy. A good solid place to visit for crabcakes. read more

Visiting family and they brought us to By the Docks Seafood Restaurant. I ordered the cordon bleu and husband ordered double crab cakes. AMAZING. The food was delicious. The staff were very accommodating to a very large group. Staff were great. It was an overall great experience. read more

Due to the Corona virus issue and trying to support local businesses, I decided to order from By The Docks (and I live in Harford County) So I called to place my order, It was a Tuesday, and I wanted 2 crab cake specials. The girl who took my order asked what 2 sides we wanted. She ran through a huge list of items to choose from. Baked potato and coleslaw. When I picked up my order, the bill was 8 dollars more than it should have been for the specials. She charged 4 dollars each for a baked potato and then told me if I had got the French fries, it would have been the regular price. When I told her she never mentioned that, she just kind of shrugged and asked if I wanted to speak to a manager. By, now, I just want to get home. Also, the coleslaw had absolutely no flavor at all and was like eating raw cabbage. Very disappointing. All because I wanted to support local small business. Needless to say, I'll be making my own crab cakes from now on. read more

I've always enjoyed By the Docks but this visit stands out. My sister and I came here for our annual sister birthday dinner, which we look forward to every year. The food was fantastic and the service was excellent, especially for a Saturday night. We had Caty (Catie? I know it's spelled with a C). She was fabulous. We barely had to ask for a thing. She was friendly, attentive and efficient but not overwhelming. Give that girl a raise! read more

Um, DELICIOUS seafood. Crabcakes are excellent. Salad was excellent. Cream of Crab soup was excellent. Reasonable prices and it seemed like a good little family restaurant. To tell you the truth, no one does crabcakes like Maryland does, and this place has some of the best. If you like seafood, you better get to By the Docks... read more

A mistake not to be repeated. All the deck restaurants in the area had an hour wait, so we gave this a try. :-/ very disappointing. Service with a scowl. Microwaved rolls. Microwaved crab cakes. Frozen fried shrimp. Best thing we ate were the side salads. Very expensive for the poor quality. The waitress told me that I couldn't substitute soup for a side salad even though it was the same price. :-/ Explain that one? read more

Okay, I made it back to have the crab cakes. They are very good. I'll say better than those at Schultz's Crab House. I ordered it with the vegetable of the day, which was green beans and corn, and broccoli. The vegetables were extremely boring. Almost no seasoning (or taste) at all. Pretty sure the green beans and corn were frozen. My friend had a grilled meat platter special that had a pork chop, chicken breast and sausage. All of the meat was slightly overcooked and dry, which is consistent with other meat dishes I've ordered here. I think the better food here are the seafood dishes and traditional seafood dish sides (e.g., fries, hush puppies). The service was better than average. read more

I would recommend this restaurant highly. We started with top neck clams which were excellent. Then we had oyster stew which was the best ever. We then ordered the crab cakes which were amazing and gigantic. I also had the lamb chops which were cooked just the way I requested We did not order dessert since we were too full!!!! Our server Marco was wonderful and very attentive. I look forward to coming again!!!! read more

I'm giving it 1 star because the service was good. I came for the crab cake, which was also good... As good as any other place that boasts "best crab cakes ever" but the huge disappointment came from the rest of the meal. I ordered the platter. The lobster was extremely mushy, the scallops were very gritty and the shrimp was slight over cooked. A waste of money. The waitress offered me a free dessert for my uneaten $60 meal.... Whatever. read more

Love this place!! Certain things on the menu will be just ok, but others are fantastic!! Love coming here with a big group of people!! Always a blast!! read more

Not sure what happened, but i got tiny crabcakes without jumbo lump. Total let down for 36 bucks.

I want to love By the Docks but they make it difficult. Big lovely crab cakes but they have been cold more than warm the last few times I've visited. My first visit was magical and I've returned many times finding them off their game more than on. Staff is always friendly and desserts are great. However, I just cannot handle the inconsistency of not receiving hot food. They have great setting and all the makings of a great restaurant like my first visit. Please get some help in the kitchen and watch temperatures of plates waiting to go out. read more