It's exactly what you expect it to be. We sat in the deck with the view of the marina, ordered our all you can eat crabs and a few beers, and settled in. Hold on to that ear of corn until after eating a few crabs to get the extra flavor. You can ask for liquid dipping butter if that's how you roll. You're going to get seasoning all over you, they do have a sink outside so you can hose off. If the crabs and corn aren't enough, the Hush puppies are pretty fantastic too. The service isn't five star... duh... don't be rude, but you don't have to be timid about flagging people down. They do the all you can eat Sunday through Thursday. The price is great and 2 hours is plenty of time to get tired of picking. I've earmarked this place for when the crew comes to town. read more

Captain James Crab House - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Visited the crab house on Labor Day for all you can eat crabs. The normal price for all you can eat is 34.99 Monday through Thursday. I believe there was a $2 upcharge due to the holiday which was no big deal. With the all you can eat you get a cup of Maryland Crab soup and an ear of corn on the cob. The soup was good. Not a lot of crab but good. The corn was good. Unseasoned but served with parkay, salt & pepper. For the price I wasn't expecting much. Our first batch I would compare to the medium sized crabs sold at local crab carryouts. They were served hot and the majority of them were heavy. A second batch had a few duds. We didn't waste time on the duds. Our 3rd and final batch were small but they were meaty. Overall they were seasoned and delicious. The price and the view makes this place worth the visit. read more

Captain James Crab House - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Had family in from out of town and decided to go to Captain James' Crab House. This was our first time going there, primarily because we'd heard great things about this restaurant from friends and relatives. Our out of town family had never dined on steamed blue crabs before, so I thought we'd go all the way and order the jumbos. Two-dozen crabs later, everyone was full and satisfied. Not to mention the great social time we had taking pictures and interacting with each other. Not a single bad crab in the bunch too boot, which was something I really appreciated. They were served with a side of old bay as well as a side of vinegar. We dined on the crab deck which also added to the ambiance. The steamed corn was sweet, the crabby mac n cheese fries were a hit, as were the various soups that we ordered. The Greek salad dressing was dramatically different - and in a good way - than any other Greek salad dressing I've ever had. The salad itself "popped" with fresh feta and kalamata olives! I would highly recommend this as a light starter. I read some reviews in regards to the service. The complaints seemed "ticky-tacky" and downright snobbish to me. It all goes back to "you see what you're looking for." All I saw were hard working and accommodating waiters and waitresses. The staff couldn't have been nicer. They were all hustling and taking care of all customers. Our waitress was Nicolette. She was friendly, professional and efficient. In fact, next time we go there we are going to request to sit in her area. Bottom line is that "the crabs are the stars!" If it's great crabs that you're looking for then look no further. Go to Captain James, sit outside on the crab deck, and have Nicolette take care of you! read more

Captain James Crab House - JUMBOS are the way to go!!!!!!! - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Remember the Parent Trap where the twins get their parents to go down memory lane and have dinner on the Queen Elizabeth II yacht?!? Well this place isn't like that (obviously!), but it is in a boat structured building so you can use your imagination. After all we aren't even in the 90's anymore right?!?! FOOD - Portions are big. The crab mac & cheese appetizer my friends had was actually their meal. Sandwiches & burgers are a deal ranging from $8-14ish. I wouldn't come here for pasta where most dishes are $25ish. DRINKS - If you want to pay $10 for a drink with a stick of bacon in it (aka the BLT), be my guest. But if you don't want to be underwhelmed then stick to anything else. SERVICE - awesome. If you're looking for a date place to family dinner, I believe this is a solid choice. My last bit of advice is to book in advance if possible! read more

Food was outstanding. Wings, crabs, soup, corn....all very good! Will visit again..

This was damn good! We had an amazing experience, sitting outside on the back patio, with a great view of the water. The crabs were just amazing! Don't forget to get some Old Bay wings while you're there. They are delicious here! The corn is also so fresh and hot. End your crabby dinner with the funnel cake fries, for the win! Follow me on my way to Foodietown! http://britneygfoodie.yelp.com read more

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This is a review for Captain James's all-you-can-eat crab dinner. If you are looking for a restaurant to get anything other than AYCE crabs, this is not the review for you. Even if you are looking to get steamed crabs by the crab, I'm not addressing this review to you (and I'd probably direct you towards LP Steamers instead). No, right now I am talking to people who want to sit for hours and continually crack crabs. You don't care if these are awesome crabs or heavy crabs. You just want to sit down to a never-ending crab feast and you don't want to pay out the ear for it. If that sounds like you, come to Captain James Crab House and don't look back and forget the haters. The AYCE crab feast here is no joke. For less than $40 (the price inches up every year) you can have an unlimited number of crabs served to you, along with a cup of crab soup and an ear of corn. The crabs aren't the best in Baltimore, but they are totally fine and they are UNLIMITED. Service is also totally fine; I've never had an issue getting a fresh bucket of crabs when I needed one. As an added bonus, the ambiance of this place is great. There's a huge deck out back overlooking the water, and half of the deck is covered so it's still usable in bad weather. Sometimes you truly and unironically are looking for quantity over quality. An AYCE crab feast at Captain James is one of the best ways to spend your M-Th dinner time in Baltimore, so get crackin. read more

Super fun family experience for dinner - unlimited - all you can eat - blue crabs! Very good and a fun time with the kids. LOVE read more

Captain James Crab House - unlimited CRABS- so much fun - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Went here last year I really enjoyed it, this year not that much. We went for my sister birthday since we enjoyed them last year. Not same experience. The customer service is great, that what the stars are for, but the crabs no thank you. I went during all you can eat for $35. The best thing is the corn that you get with the crabs. The crabs were hot, but not good. Most of the crabs we picked were bad, and dark inside. Not sure if they cooked crabs that were already dead, or just not a good batch of crabs. Next time I will purchase my own crabs live and cook them myself. read more

I've been coming here for years, and I've never been disappointed. You know how a lot of crab spots can be hot or miss? Not this place. It's ALWAYS a hit. I live an hour away, and it's worth the drive. So first things first, It's on the water, so you have the option to get crabs with a view or eat them on the inside. Secondly, the sides, omg, they legit have the best sides. The hush puppies and the French fries are so the bomb. Lastly, the crabs come out in about 15 minutes and they are always so heavy and meaty no matter the size you choose to get. Oh, and the people are so friendly. read more

Captain James Crab House - 2 dozen large crabs. Our very homemade butter sauce and crab sauce - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

As a service industry person, I was greeted by a smaller 35-40 ish server. She was not on her game. No hustle. We almost left After 15 mins

A bang for your bucks. The music was great. Staff friendly and engaging. The best crabs around. Two hours later, I was as full as a tick. And I dint even like crabs like that. read more

The cousin and I decided to meet up for crabs and tried to do a half way point drive for us both. We entered the outside dining area. Pretty neat place. We dined out by the water. We chose to have a dozen of the large crabs, a pound of steamed shrimp, two ears of corn, fries, 2 beers and 2 glasses of sangria. The service was pretty good. The sun was shinning bright and it was a very nice day to dine by the water. We were ok with the pricing however, could not figure out why the bill was so high. Now, don't get me wrong- I have never had a problem with tipping well but, I think that for two people it was ridiculous to be charging 18% gratuity because the purchase made was over $75.00. That is just a bit much. I can see it being that if it was maybe a group of four. I think that should be somewhere in large print before you order to at least allow you to determine if that is really what you would like to be forced to pay. The food was pretty good but, I would have to really think hard about going back because I have had very good crabs other places that don't force you to pay so much gratuity. read more

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This is a long review so I will give a summary up front. Captain James is like a solid diner, encased in a boat, charging fancy restaurant prices, while delivering decent diner food with adequate service and no draft beer--details to follow. I must admit that I went into Captain James with very low expectations. I have lived in Baltimore for my entire life and passed by this place hundred of times and kind of snickered at the gimmicky boat motif. One of my hard set restaurant rules is that restaurants with gimmicks have lousy food and are to be avoided. When some friends suggested that we go to dinner here I was beyond skeptical. I considered wearing a captains hat or a Gilligan style sailor cap but in the end climbed aboard in my civies. The gimmick exterior extends to the interior and we were able to sit next to the crows nest where you could climb and keep lookout for your food if desired. All kidding aside the food was actually surprisingly good. It is not fine dinning to be sure and it does command fine dining prices, but what we had was good solid food. The seafood nachos were a gloopy affair of cheese and crab dip on chips. Not the prettiest presentation but darn good. The grilled oysters were just ok--Bourbon street has nothing to worry about. For an entree my wife had the lamb chops which were delicious and cooked to perfection. I had the seafood club which consisted of a soft shell crab and a crab cake layered on slices of bread with tomato and bacon. It was without a doubt delicious. Our dinner guests seemed very pleased with their entrees as well. We closed out the meal with a very unsophisticated rice pudding with a dollop of whipped cream--simple, delicious and somehow very metaphorically perfect for this establishment. My only real gripe is that after being in Baltimore since the shot tower went up they still somehow don't have a tap system in place. Come on people, I have bottles of beer at home. Restaurants without draft beer are just freaking stupid. read more

We were looking for the best crab house in Baltimore, most reviews pointed to this place. Since reservations were recommended, we did so on Opentable. First off this place is split into two locations, across the street from each other. The ship looking location is a full restaurant, and the crab house is across the street on the water. We were told the restaurant really doesn't serve the crabs, we should go across to the crab house for those so we did. The crab house has picnic style benches, most with umbrellas and a large section situated under a roof. Large tables are shared with other parties. The view is great of the harbor, and the weather was perfect for outdoor seating as well. There are no prices on the menu, it is pricey. The crabs are ordered by different sizes, we ordered the large crabs, which are $100 for the dozen. We got 2 1/2 dozen, with beer of course, and some sides. Corn on the Cobb, fries, cold slaw etc. cole slaw was excellent, corn was sweet, beer was a good selection. The crabs came, they were excellent! Well seasoned with old bay, and did not disappoint. The staff was attentive. Nothing negative to say about this place, except for the price. When we return to Baltimore, I would return! On a side note, you can get take out from here as well. Something I wish we had in Florida. Enjoy! read more

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Had a pleasure of dining here on Father's Day 2020! Nice weather, good cold beer, and of course some good heavy crabs!! Thanks Guys!! read more

Captain James Crab House - Large Crabs - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Absolutely will never return again. I would give zero star if I can. Yelp's review of 3.5 stars is already very overrated. We have a baby in our group and we asked the waitress for a small piece of baguette for the baby to munch on. The baguette (half a piece) came out burnt and we got charged 2 dollars for the burnt baguette. Fresh catch sea bass is not fresh at all. Service isn't that good either but the waitress automatically charged 20% gratuity onto the bill. Even though the server ended up canceling the charge of that half a piece of baguette after we told the waitress the charge is a joke. The fact that they would charge a small piece of baguette for a 8 months old baby is ridiculous. Baltimore has many way better crab cake restaurants so I recommend going to other seafood restaurant than this one. read more

Captain James Crab House - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Thats a huge exaggeration, unless you are unfamiliar with good food including burgers. This place has some of the worst tasting food and the prices are worse. High prices and poor food quality and taste. How can this place and other places like this improve if people who either work for the establishment or do not have a clue of what good food is telling lies. You are better off going to Moe's and better yet Jimmy's or Bo Brooks, where you will find some of the best food and crabs to satisfy your taste buds and wallet. read more

We had a good time here and the waitress was great. Crab legs were great. Dinks we're good. Hubby got fish tacos, but he thought they were too fishy (but that's just him). :-) All in all, a great visit. read more

Came to visit from Philly. This place had good reviews so we stopped here. No reservations - there were 2 of us but I suppose it is highly recommended. The manager was able to get us in which rocked. The food was great! Reasonably priced for what it is too. We both had the Broiled Seafood Combos, Hush Puppies and the CJ Fries. All awesome. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars is because we were charged an 18% gratuity. I've been in the hospitality industry for years and have seen this before in larger groups but for a party of 2?? We always tip well as we're both in the industry but it kind of left a "huh?" taste in our mouths. Very strange. What's up with that Captain James? Aside from that weird tidbit, I recommend. read more

Fun place but don't get confused between the restaurant and crab shack. Didn't try the restaurant but if u enjoy blue crabs and getting messy and just having a good time the crab shack is fun. Plus the water taxi picks up and drops off at the shack. read more

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My husband grew up coming here with his family. I've eaten in the restaurant and gotten carryout every time we come back to visit. Even their carryout menu is huge, including lots of dessert options, perfect after a night of drinking. Last time I got simple grilled chicken and fries and the chicken was nicely seasoned but the fries were bland. Still, I will always come back here. It's a Baltimore establishment and there's always something on the menu I want to eat in the wee hours of the morning. read more

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I promised some friends who were new to Baltimore I would share the gems of the city. In the past Captain James was good but this last visit I was underwhelmed. The crabs were nasty. I get that you are running an all you can eat special, but you should at least offer good crabs. They were over cooked or hollow. I was so disappointed. The service was good outside of the nasty crabs. read more

After a disastrous crab fail, our uber driver led us here. Usually I'd be wary of the Yelp rating, but we were desperate. This place doesn't deserve the 3 Star rating. We had the best hush puppies of our lives and a really nice Baltimore version of nachos featuring crab dip. But the crabs. The crabs! We got our into to crab and went to town on a dozen large. We only ate 10 but it wasn't the quality that stopped us - it was our weak constitutions. Lindsey treated us amazing - she even pushed up my sleeves and didn't bat a lash when I asked for double wine in a pint glass with a straw for ease. All in all, great experience and I don't know where these bad reviews are from. read more

Captain James Crab House - Crab town - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Waitress gave poor service. Forgot soup that was ordered. She had to be reminded half way through our crabs. Slaps down soup with no apology. Her attitude was extremely dismissive as if she was doing us a favor. She slapped an automatic grat on the check for 3 people who just happen to be black. I guess its common practice for patrons of color. Her name is Irene F. If you get her ask for someone else. read more

Some friends got the all-you-can eat. One friend ordered a crab cake to take home after the all-you-can eat and she thinks she didn't get it, which is awful ($40 crab cake meal). That price is brutal. The server didn't give us their drink menu even after we asked what drinks she has, she was basically saying "all the bottled stuff, beer and wine." Then we discovered the drink menu! Of course we ordered real drinks from that point, which certainly helped her tip. Speaking of - she refused to split our check. We were all there on business and we needed our own checks for expensing purposes. She said it isn't allowed and she doesn't make the rules. She doesn't seem to "get it." I hate the mentality because the only explanation is that's she's scared for her tip, we tried to assure her she'd still get her tip. To the owner - please know you're being blamed for this. We were there Tuesday March 28. read more

Who charges people for glasses of water? Captain James does... You get one free glass of water and then you are charged for additional glasses of water. Are you kidding me? After all that Old Bay and crabs, you're usually thirsty and want water. It's a smart business tactic, but this is unheard of at restaurants. Turn on the faucet and stop trying to rip people off! The whole water thing really irritated me. But that being said, Captain James is still just a mediocre crab house. Though I do think that when the weather's warm, it's great to have their mediocre crabs, sit outside next to the harbor, and order any drink other than water. read more

Finally made it to Captain James after much anticipation. This is one of the top 10 best places to eat crabs in Baltimore according to The Huffington Post so I was pretty psyched to check it out! They have a restaurant and a crab deck which is across the street from the restaurant. We got there right when they open around 4 p.m. and it wasn't crowded so we were immediately seated. First impression...it took almost 30 min for any food to arrive to the table!! Remind you it wasn't crowded AND there were tables around me that came after us and they were getting food...I honestly think they forgot about it until I reminded them. Moving on... Needless to say I had already studied the menu and decided on what I wanted before I got there Lol here's the rundown of what I got; Half dozen of Oysters ($1 each during happy hour 4pm-7pm) - plump with little taste, cleaned well but very bland. One of them had a slightly fishy taste so after that I was pretty much done with the oysters. Even with the added condiments it just wasn't satisfactory. Not sure if it was a bad day but don't think I would order these again. Maryland crab soup - little backfin crabmeat, LOTS of veggies, tasted like minestrone soup out of can and they added crab. Nothing special. Crabs - ugh *deep sigh* I had really high hopes for the good ol Baltimore Crabs but I was a little disappointed. After seeing the sizes they had available ordering by the dozen, I decided to get the AYCE for $31.99 and I'm glad I did because I would've been highly upset if I'd paid upwards of $78 a dozen for medium size crabs that lacked that kick of seasoning. However, I was impressed with how many jumbos they through into the mix. Most of the others were heavy but one too many were soft and had a fishy taste. Crushing Waters Cocktail - Watermelon vodka crush - watery, the watermelon wasn't sweet and it tasted like they just threw sprite on top of watermelon and a splash of watermelon vodka. Long Island Ice Tea - ugh I striked out with the drinks here all the way around!! Smh My daughter ordered a Shirley Temple, she got a cup of ice, with grenadine in it and a can of Sprite!! Lol smh while that is the drink, can you at least mix it for her!? Just stick to the beer here ladies and gentlemen!! Last but not least Corn! Which was the best thing we ate there! Hot, sweet, not overly cooked. My daughter said she could've just ate the corn and been good! After spending a little over $100 for 2 people, I feel like it was a waste. As much as I love eating crabs by the water, it'll be awhile before I return here. I guess I missed the hype everyone else mention in there reviews! I'm giving 2 stars for the food (I would've gave 1 but there AYCE price is a tad lower than some other surrounding restaurants)and 1 for the atmosphere. *Tip* heads up they automatically charge 18% gratuity for all parties of 2+ read more

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Best seafood I had while in Baltimore! The crab quesadilla is a MUST, and could easily be a meal for someone, the crab stuffed lobster was filling and so hard to stop eating! Love the building and I love that the owners were sitting at the bar and thanked us for our visit upon leaving. A MUST if you're in the Baltimore area! Skip the chains! Eat where the locals go! It's absolutely worth the trip! read more

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We had a great time at Captain James Crab House. We were in town to visit and this was a must on the stop list. We were wanting good seafood and that is exactly what we got. The drink selection was great and the food was all delicious. Highly recommend all of their side items they were delicious. read more

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Worst food in Baltimore! Crabs-burnt and overcooked. Hush puppies-burnt. Boardwalk fries-NOT burnt but raw instead. Mussels-beards intact and FULL of sand. Absolutely everything we ordered was atrocious. Thankfully the waitress was a gem but it's a shame she has to work here.... read more

Captain James Crab House - Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Worst food in Baltimore! Crabs-burnt and overcooked. - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Ok so, food is delicious the servers have no idea what's going on. There is one waitress that is serving everyone and everyone else is standing around doing nothing. So, she is busy around the restaurant and isn't paying attention to everyone. So basically service was absolutely horrible and I won't be returning. Also want to add that they don't need to give good service to get a tip. They added 18.88 percent gratuity to the bill. Had the service been great I would have easily tipped 20 percent or more. read more

Captain James Crab House - Servers doing nothing while we have no drinks. - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Customer service was ehhhh. But Maryland has some delusions crabs and I had never been to an all you can eat crabs. The crabs were seasoned and they kept them coming. It was $32 per person but it was worth it if you were craving some good ol crabs! read more

Captain James Crab House - All you can eat crabs!!! - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Good food, good service! I expect small crabs for the All you Can eat special, but they were a good size and meaty! The servers are very friendly and work very hard. They wear masks all the time and masks are required for customers when walking around. We felt safe eating there. With COVID-19 ruining most of our plans, this has been one of the bright spots this summer. read more

Met a few friends here after attending a conference. The wait was about 30 minutes which was nothing compared to what I heard. So we were seated outside at these wooden picnic type tables. This place is straight to the point. We do crab! No one was in the mood to crack open a few crabs, so everybody ordered the crab cake. Everyone asked for baked or boiled or whatever they said about their crab cakes. I said, look dude. I'm from the south, fry my crab cakes twice. So I opened the crab cake up to see all crab meat, no filling. For the record, they all looked fried (or did they all look boiled?). The crab cakes were really good, but the environment allowed the small reunion to be as loud as it needed to be. The place is a little more expensive than it should be so be ready. Good food and good friends...sounds like a corny commercial. read more

My parents love freshly streamed crabs. Every year I take them to Capitan James. They love to sit outside on the pier while they eat. This year, they ran out of the extra jumbo so we settled for the jumbo and a dozen was just enough for the three of us. The crabs were not as sweet as usual but they were really meaty. The mussels were a bit disappointing, they were the size of a dime. The service was fast and friendly. I understand that people might not bring kids here but I did. The only choice of food was a hot dog for my nephew. He loved it but I would have liked for him to have a small pasta dish. read more

This was a fun spread of crab with all the fixin's in a dock setting on the waterfront. This place is a little more off the beaten path, but, that just made for a better experience. There is more of a sit down seafood place with the same name across the street that is shaped just like a boat... kind of kitchy. We decided to stay at the crab house and go for the authentic crab experience! Bring on the crabs on brown paper table covers! We tried the tomato based seafood soup, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, hush puppies and the star of the show: half a dozen crab. The corn on the cob comes steamed in it's own husk - just how I like it. We thought the crabs were MD Blue Crabs, but, after we'd finished our meal, the waitress informed us that most of their crab is sourced from the Gulf as it's available year round. It was still delicious and a fun experience! The server brought plenty of Old Bay and napkins. She even demonstrated step-by-step how to crack a crab when the crabs first arrived to our table. Service was great. They let us linger. Did not feel rushed at all. There was some fun music blasting from under the dock. We liked it. At the end of your meal, they have an actual sink outdoors for you to wash up before leaving. Nice. You kind of need it after cracking crabs! read more

Captain James Crab House - Seafood Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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finishing an old review that was never posted... yummy yummy yummy! this place is great! love the outdoor seating even though it could be super windy and chilly outside. Their crabs are so good! fresh and delicious, they put a lot of old bay spice on those crabs so the shell's really salty, but I like it flavorful that way, plus you usually just eat the crab meat inside and it's not salty at all. read more

Gotta give 2 stars for their Friday crab cake Special. Found crabmeat with a orange color To it. 100% imitation crabmeat. If a seafood restaurant in Baltimore is ok with using imitation crabmeat who knows what other corners they cut with other food. Kisslings which is just across the street is known for their wings and had a better crab cake with real crabmeat. read more

Came here with my family. Awesome time with crab feasts the way they should be - good music, a nice deck looking out to the bay, and most importantly nicely steamed crabs. Will definitely plan to come back! read more