Myself and 2 others went to Easter buffet at By The Docks in Middle River, Maryland.This place had a sign out front saying buffet for 12.95 until 2 p.m.. After we were seated, we were told they were switching to dinner and that the cost was $21.95. This was 30 minutes before 2p.m. They charged us for $21.95 plus the cost of soft drinks and 18 percent gratuity. The price was more like $30.00 per person. After complaining they said the sign outside was for Sundays but not Easter but nowhere did it say that. I asked to speak to the manager and got some teenage girl saying she was the manager. The real manager would not come out and speak with me so I could voice my concerns. Most buffets include a soda or coffee in their price. And 18% forced gratuity for some one to bring out 2 sodas and 1 water ($12) was excessive.. After complaining they would do nothing. Very poor customer service. I usually take my out of town visitors here but will not any more. read more

My wife and I love going out to by the docks. Large selection to choose from and the service is always great.

It was terrible! My hot sandwich was cold and the wait was SO long! And the mussels that I ordered were disgusting. Everything there wasn't something I would suggest. It was cold and my waitress didn't even refill my drink. No thank you. read more

This was the first time at the By The Docks and will definitely be coming back again. The food is great I do have to say by far the best I have ever had order. The staff very friendly and brought to our table in a timely manner. And yes music on a Tuesday night. read more

The atmosphere at this restaurant was fantastic.. the food also what's the bomb. I highly recommend it to anyone in Middle River.

Wow! Tuesday special crabcake the best! No doubt the best crabcake I've ever eaten. Service is excellent as well. The crem brûlée was outstanding as well. You gotta go!!! read more

We stopped in with our tour bus and had an absolutely wonderful meal. The servers were courteous and served our large group efficiently in a very timely matter and all with a great attitude. all our food was hot and delicious. The best crab cakes ever! Worth the drive. read more

The crab cakes and cream of crab soup were both delicious. The prime rib was good too. We were too full to sample dessert. Service started a little slow but evened out. Restaurant was noisy so conversation was a little difficult. read more

I ordered a crab cake with fried shrimp and a side of mashed potatoes. The shrimp and cake were very good, but the mashed potatoes were clearly from a box. I was sitting at the lounge and I did not like that this is where all the workers take their break because they were very loud and disruptive. read more

Very large,tasty crab cakes! Perfectly cooked thick cut steak with lots of crab on top. Seafood pasta with lobster,shrimp,mussels,and scallops over linguine was delicious. Everything was so reasonably priced in a comfortable, quiet setting with excellent service. My friends and I can't wait to return! read more

During a recent visit to Baltimore, I was brought here by friends who are lifelong residents of the area. They raved about the restaurant's Maryland crab cakes which, in their opinion, are the best to be found anywhere. I ordered the broiled crab cake for dinner and can say without reservation that it was the best I've ever had. It was a huge portion -- I normally eat two in most restaurants, but it would have been impossible here -- and it was seasoned perfectly. I did not see any filler, just pure lump crab meat which was sweet and fresh. I also had the fried calamari appetizer. It was a "dinner" sized portion and tender with a lightly battered coating. It was accompanied by a well seasoned sauce and a bunch of quartered lemons (I appreciate the latter and usually have to ask for additional lemons in most restaurants). I had a tossed salad with meal and rice pilaf, both of which were excellent. The warm rolls that came with the meal were excellent as well. Unfortunately, I was too full to try the deserts, so I can't comment on those. The waitress who served us was friendly and attentive. I was so impressed by the meal that I asked to see the owner who was sitting in the back of the restaurant and eating with his family. The were very gracious and it was clear that this was a family run operation. I live in New York City and don't come to Baltimore all that often. But when I do, I will be coming back for the crab cakes. read more

On 11/16/19, I met with several family members for dinner at By the docks restaurant. The place was cold and dark; very uncomfortable; however, I tried to make the best of it. I ordered the crab imperial which came with two sides; so I chose a garden salad and fries. When the waitress brought out the meal; the crab imperial sauce was yellow like cheese sauce. I began eating the crab imperial which was horrible and noticed that it had a lot of filler consisting of stuffing and claw crab meat with very little lump meat. I was truly disappointed as my meal cost me $32.23. To add insult to injury the fries were old and cold and salad was wilted. I vow to never eat here again; they should be out of business. In ending, I gave the waitress $50.25 to pay for my meal and she gave me $18.00 back. After being confronted she rectified the situation immediately. It is unfortunate that businesses are comfortable with providing sub par service and we continue to patronize them. If we all start sending the food back and leaving these establishments then perhaps they will do a better job. read more

The hotel recommended the restaurant for good oysters. I asked if I could get my oysters lightly fried and was told that would not be possible. I don't like heavily fried, when you can't actually taste the oysters. Anyway I ordered something different. Food was nothing special. Service was very good. Our "server Anthony" was very nice. Don't think I'd return. We found another restaurant the next day that lightly fried the oysters and they were Perfect. read more

The crab cakes at this restaurant are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. They have the best crab cakes ever!. The biggest crab cakes I have ever seen. My favorite dish is the Shrimp and Cakes. Service is awesome. read more

Horrific Management! My mother used to come here twice a week to purchase the absurdly priced $40 crab cakes and pick up dinner, so often as to know the owners and even the staff to some extent. Tonight however, they first did not answer the phone for forty minutes as we called and called, my mother was coming home from a work trip and had to pick up food on the way home. When they finally answered, she ordered and had to wait twenty min for food in parking lot because no one can answer the phone in a timely fashion. Once getting her food in her hands, she paid with a card. The atm machine was broke and she waited ten min to get card back. The waitress came out and asked her if she has any cash. No. Another ten minutes. The owner comes out and takes the food physically from my moms hands and tells her that there is nothing they can do after forty minutes of waiting! Not to come back tomorrow, or give her the $20 meal for free after being a loyal customer? This establishment couldn't care less about the customer, and the owner sees them as dollar signs. Never returning. read more

Wife and I stopped in on a Tuesday for an early dinner. Only a few tables were occupied yet the service was slow. The dniner rolls were dry, tasteless and seemed to be left over from Sunday. The whole lobster special was overcooked and chewy. Only positive was the greek salad my wife ordered. This place is mismanaged. read more

Brunch was a complete disappointment. The meat options were few. If you don't eat pork, this wouldn't be recommended for brunch. The services was horrible Leslie was our server, I had bottomless mimosas. I only had one the entire hour and a half I was there, She wasn't very accommodating. I'll have to try the main menu.... maybe I'll have better luck. read more

i'm picky when it comes to crab cakes. i want fresh Maryland crab meat. the crab cakes here are large but not much flavor and probably not MD crab meat. didn't taste fishy (like G and Ms) but very bland. needs more flavor and sweeter crab meat. the steak was just average. my friend ordered the fried shrimp platter and it was very good. the shrimp are fresh, large, and house battered. she also ordered steamed shrimp and they were large and yummy. all the sides were good. service was very slow. prices are good. read more

We went here one evening during restaurant week. Service was wonderful. Food was amazing. Price is decent for the quality and servings. This is definitely a new go to spot for us. read more

The food & atmosphere was awesome! Amanda was very attentive. Crab cake was superb. This is now my go to spot for a delicious crab cake. You will not be disappointed. read more

We made a brunch reservation for 11:30 this past Sunday. Arrived at 11:25 when the hostess found our reservation. I explained that I preferred not to climb the 15 steps carrying a plate of food to the upper dining area. We noticed that there was at least one "4-top" table empty. Yet, at 11:30, the hostess told us that there would be a 30-minute wait to be seated. H'mmm... we made reservations; others who came in behind us without reservations were seated; and we were told we had to wait 30 minutes to sit. As I was questioning all this, someone interrupted and brusquely led us to one of the open tables. The food was very good. Timely seating was not. There are too many other brunches available in the area. We will not return here. read more

Went for a family get together last night, our son's 31ft birthday ! We try a different restaurant for every birthday and since there are 5 of us...it's safe to say that we've eaten at hundreds of restaurants over the years. The blue point oysters...I don't know where they get them but they were very plump and tasty.we ordered 18. Coconut shrimp...6 jumbo shrimp done to perfection. Two orders of stuffed mushroom caps...mini lump broiled crabcakes in mushroom caps....perfection ! Broiled swordfish blackened, stuffed oysters, fried seafood trio, steak and cake topped with blue cheese, A terrific dinner and a good time had by all !! Baltimore's best crab cake !! read more

We made a reservation asking for a quite corner table which was confirmed. We were shown a high traffic area table. We requested a different table and they accommodated us by putting us in the loft. Our server who did not introduce himself was was adequate. We ordered one appetizer, shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were room temperature (should be cold) & the sauce was runny. We asked the server about the thickness of the rock fish vs the flounder. He responded that the rock fish was the thicker of the fillets which on the plate turns out to be less than a 1/2 inch. The rock fish was ordered with stuffed jumbo lump crab imperial. There was no jumbo lump meat on the fish. It was more shredded with a few larger pieces. The crab imperial sauce overwhelmed the dish. The other order was surf & turf. The 10 oz filet was cooked per order, but for the most part lacked flavor. The lobster was fair. Both were ordered with garden salads. There was one sliver of radish, one piece of cucumber & 2 grape tomatoes on a bed of lettuce with an abundance of croutons. This meal is in the summer with many local farms in the area that could greatly enhance the quality of the salad. It was bland & could have been very flavorful with the local produce. read more

I have been here maybe 10 times and I have never been disappointed. best crab cakes and dishes around...I would highly recommend if you want good crab. read more

Favorite place in middle river for restaurant experience and quality of food. Chef is great, services makes you smile.

We went there for dinner last night. My husband had 2 very large crab cakes for his main course. They had lots of lump crab meat in them and were delicious. I had the prime rib which was also extremely tasty. The waitress was very friendly and one of the owners came by to check on us. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're in the area. read more

Our original destination was the drive in theater down the road but long lines and some powerful hunger pains caused us to ditch our movie plans and give On The Docks a try...and we were so glad we did! The sea food here is delicious. The fried calamari appetizer was tender and well seasoned. And the crab cakes ARE AWESOME. Seriously, huge chunks of crab, great blend of spices...they were fantastic! Combined with the friendly and attentive staff, we had a great dinner and had no regrets skipping the movie. So glad we stumbled across this little gem...we will be back! read more

Came here for lunch for my sister's birthday. All 6 of us got the crab cake platter. The crab cakes were AMAZING. Being a Baltimore native, and having lived in Florida the past 4 years, I missed my Maryland crab cakes. I would not have gone anywhere else. It was full of all lump crabmeat and seasoned to perfection. It wasn't full of fillers like a lot of other establishments that claim to have the "best crab cakes. " These are truly the best crab cakes in town! Looks like the change in ownership is leading to great changes. The exterior of the building is fresh and lively, and there are nice interior changes currently in the process as well. If you have out of town guests looking to have a good MD crab cake, definitely bring them to By The Docks. You will not be disappointed!! read more

I was really looking forward to the Imperial Crab but it was mediocre at best. Won't be hurrying back to this establishment. The waitress was excellent though so I upped the # of stars for her good service. read more

Out of this world great crab cakes! And the service is very friendly and good as well.

We finally remembered that they have brunch on Sundays. There was a really good selection and it is served buffet style. There were oysters on the half shell that my husband enjoyed. I ate the eggs Benedict. This is normally my very favorite breakfast food, but I guess being kept on a sterno really over cooks them. The poached egg was fully cooked and I couldn't cut through the muffin. The French toast was really good and the steamed shrimp were ginormous, although slightly over cooked. The stuffed clams were amazing. The clams were chewy but the crab imperial was amazing. I would go back just for that! The rest of the food was ok. None of the food was hot, it was all lukewarm at best. I would've expected to have the coffee included, but it wasn't. I was disappointed by that and that was the final determining factor on three vs four stars. We will be going back to try the lobster sometime on a Monday night. read more

What a disappointment! I had dined here once before and it was fine, but made (and confirmed) reservations for dinner last Saturday. A family member was visiting from out of town and it was my husband's birthday so we decided we would go to dinner here. It was a disaster. Despite the confirmed reservation, when we arrived to a completely jammed waiting room, we were initially told by some one who identified himself as a manager, but who clearly could not manage, that our table was not ready and it was unclear when we would be seated. When asked why that was the case, the only response provided was "we are busy and it's the last night of restaurant week". I repeatedly received this response until he finally said "30 minutes". He had no response to my questions about why they would take my reservation and expect me to confirm it (which I did) if they had no way to fill the reservation. We left, found another seafood restaurant nearby where we were able to be seated on short notice, without a reservation, and ended up having a great dinner. I will tell you I will never even consider coming here again , based on how rudely we were treated. For sure we will go back to the other restaurant-- they could not have been nicer even though they also were busy. Lesson to be learned-- mistakes and rude behavior by front of the house has cost this place our business. read more

Went for lunch: my daughter, my three-year old granddaughter and I. Such a pretty place: just the right note between casual and upscale. The waitress could not have been nicer or more attentive. Pleasantly surprised by a great children's menu, and of course, a fine adult menu. The three of us each ordered a cup of the crab bisque, which was excellent, studded with lots of crab. My daughter had a shrimp dish which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had a fish sandwich which came on a huge bun with still a lot of the fish hanging out of the bun. Such a generous portion, and absolutely delicious. My granddaughter had the chicken finger platter which was fine enough for an adult. All in all, a really nice experience, and we will be returning soon for dinner. read more

I visited this restaurant for the first time on February 9,2019 to celebrate my mom's birthday. I made reservations on February 4,2019 for a party of 14. When we arrived at the restaurant we were told that it would be a few minutes before our table was ready, however, i watched people of a particular ethnic group be seated before my group without a reservation. We waited for over an hour to be seated with no apology of any sort. The meal was decent and the waitresses were attentive. At the end when we attempted to pay the bill, we asked for separate checks and we were told that we had to pay all together but they could only accept 5 cards, but there was an atm available.Several of us went to use the atm but could not withdraw because there was not enough money in the machine and we notified management. The manager said that they would load the machine and it would take 1 minute, however he came back 15 mins later and the machine still had not been loaded. He then questioned how we were going to pay the bill and we said that we were waiting to use the atm. A waitress had taken the cards of 3 members of the party and refused to give them back until the entire bill was paid which caused everyone to get upset. The manager had a rude exchange of words with my brother and told the entire group that he was from brooklyn as a threat. He was very rude and disrespectful and proceeded downstairs and came back with several police officers which were very understanding to what happened and got things taken care of right away. The manager finally loaded the ATM machine and we were able to pay the bill and leave peacefully but this was a very horrible and racist experience and we will never return to this location again and we will be reporting this. The manager needs to be fired and disciplined for his racist and disrespectful behavior. read more

My family had reservations at 7pm on Saturday, February the 9th at this Restaurant "By The Docks" for the first time. We got there and was seated within 15 minutes and from their it was down hill. The female waiter took our drink order which took her 20 minutes to bring them back and one of the glasses of water had something black floating in it. Then stated she will be back to take our dinner orders. Once she returned and received our dinner orders, we watched them escort 4 more set of customers to there tables. The waiter comes back and inform us the steamer is broke and they wont be able to provide the steamed shrimp we order. OK, we were fine with that. Then she returns to say you're order is coming soon. Cool. In the meantime, they served the other 4 tables there drinks, entree and dinner all while we look at each other wondering when will we be serviced! We ask the waiter....again she states it's coming it hasn't come up just yet. At this point it is 9:10pm. We asked the waiter to speak with the manager. She says is everything fine. No ma'am, we would like to speak with the manager. He comes over to the table and at the same time here comes our food. We explain the wait time and how is it that 4 other tables get serviced before us that came in behind us. Mind you this is restaurant week and we ordered the meal special they had going on...so nothing special or out of the normal. The manager replies, well we are busy this evening (OK understandable but I'm sure it's not the first) so what do you want me to do. One of my family members said, my mashed potatoes are cold, The managers replies, As long as you continue to complain to me the colder your food will be. We look at each in Awe (did he really say this)! We then asked, " With the service and long wait, you're saying your can't accommodate us? He (the manager) said you have two choices,either you can stay and enjoy the food or leave point blank! We in returned got up and left the restaurant peacefully and felt DISCRIMINATED against. Piss poor service starting with the manager on down. We visit a new restaurant every month as a family, most are five stars and this is the WORST Restaurant I have EVER been to in my life and I guess that's what happens when you try something different or less than. What ever happened to Good Customer Service anymore. Very Disappointing!!! Of course, we will NEVER go back! read more

This is an unpretentious and relaxing establishment with modest pricing and overall a very good dining value. We had the crab cakes and the crab Imperial and both were wonderful. The service was professional and prompt and the overall experience excellent. We will likely be back many more times in the future. We are new residents to Baltimore, so this was our first visit. read more

My father is in town for a few days and we decided to visit By the Docks for dinner tonight. It's the place we always make sure to take visitors for the crab cakes. All 3 steaks were ordered medium and came out almost well done. The crab cakes were smaller (shorter) than they have been in the past. Over all it was a very disappointing evening. It looks like we may not be going back anytime soon. read more

One the best seafood restaurants around!!! I love the food! I love the staff! And, I love the prices! It's definitely worth it!

Food was excellent and service matched. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by John who immediately made us feel welcomed and excited to try a new restaurant. He recommended the oyster Rockefeller and the crab cake. From the other reviews on here, I already knew I would try the crab cake. For an appetizer, I got the cream of crab soup - mediocre; and my husband got the oyster Rockefeller- EXCELLENT! It did not disappoint...probably the best in the area. I also had a side salad which of course a salad is a salad but the House Greek dressing is what I'm raving about - creamy and tasty. The entrees, which we couldn't finish, were also great choices. Lamb & Cake and Cake & Shrimp. The crab cake is ranked up there with Koco's Pub - barely any filling and huge. We will definitely be back! read more

We ordered crabcake platters from here for a work lunch. The crabcakes were HUGE and delicious, with tons of jumbo lump meat. The fries were also really good. I'm not sure about the atmosphere or service in the restaurant as I only had take-out. Would definitely order a crabcake from here again. read more