BLUF: Lovely views, great bartenders, local hangout with seafood and American fare. Donnelly's has become my local neighborhood hangout for the past eight months and I'm really enjoying it. Over the winter my neighbors and I discovered that Friday happy hour goes until 7pm and now we're regulars. We have fun at the bar with Evan, Lacey and Jim and we enjoy the atmosphere. We've come to know various other local regulars too so it sort of feels like Cheers. Often I stick to the happy hour menu (snacks and drinks) Monday through Friday but I've also branched out into the Sunday early bird pre fixe dinner (yep, that is where I am in my life) and Thursday's lobstah night. Overall, it's been a good experience. A lot of people love the downstairs bar and season outdoor bar. It's a bit rowdier down there so intend to hang out upstairs. My favorites for happy hour are the ago tuna nachos but the happy hour menu rotates and they've been off the menu for awhile. The beer selection isn't great so I often get cocktails and they have all been solid. read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Lobstah night on Thursdays - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

A mix of hits and misses here, though mostly hits! Starting with the hits, the crab dip was FANTASTIC. It was a good mix of cream cheese and chopped crab meat, with a nice hunk of bread. The strawberry shortcake was also delightful; the cake was so light and fluffy and not overtly sweet. In terms of misses, the crab cake burger, brussel sprouts, and crab with fried green tomatoes weren't bad but they weren't anything to write home about. Service wise, our staff was nice but I felt like more attention could have been paid to when we needed water refills and the table needed to be cleared. The restaurant does have a waterfront view, which is lovely, but make sure to book in advance if you're hoping to sit outside near the water! read more

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A secluded location with scenic waterfront views . I have mixed feelings bout both the service and food . Other than the hostess who rather spend more time on her phone then look up and acknowledge and seat customers upon arrival , my server and the bartender were the complete opposite . Both ladies were attentive and understood what good customer service is . Now far as the food ... the fried cod sandwich beyond fresh and good , however it only lacked flavor : seasoning ( my opinion ) . But all in all I would come back cause place has tne potential to truly give a great vibe weather by the water or at the bar watching the game . Customer service training as a hostess should be reviewed. read more

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Sunny day. Table for 4 at the end of the pier. Boats slowly cruising by. Good food & drinks. Good service. A bit of a hike from Bmore but a great time was had. read more

I only tried this place as a part of a large group at a private happy hour out on the new exterior deck. It was a Thursday afternoon into the evening hours. So in general, this isn't really a highly informative review. Regardless, the heavy appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres were very good. We had calamari,shrimp, pizza , wings etc. All very well prepared and delicious. The beer selection was somewhat limited and they did not ( surprisingly) have any non- alcoholic beer options. The service was very good and the place seemed to be very busy. The deck location is fantastic with beautiful view of the marina and Deep Creek. Overall, it was a great experience. read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Exterior - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

Just had the Irish 'corned beef and cabbage' and I liked it very much. I never had this dish at a restaurant and I was curious, it is surprising and very good: the taste, the texture, all works perfectly for a winter dish. May I suggest to serve it with a spoon?, the broth is excellent. I like the fact that a different menu is proposed and I also like the family atmosphere of Donnelly. Now I learn also that the reward program mentioned on your bill... does not exist. It is asking for your email, promising some discounts based on points... we've just been told that the program is not applied in this restaurant. The program not being applied is not really a problem, merely an owner choice. What unsettled me is the fact that I cannot trust what is written... what else can't be trusted here? read more

Donnelly's Dockside - So delicious! Chesapeake oysters baked with crab (half dish) - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

Dined with my son on a Monday evening. Our server was ORIGINALLY very upbeat and seemed happy to have a table. The Chesapeake baked oysters I ordered were good, but sandy, but can't fault the restaurant on that. My son ordered mashed potatoes as a side and they never came. The service from our server was non-existent once someone else brought our food out. She never stopped by for refills, which we both wanted. We were never able to ask about my son's mashed potatoes. Although you'd think she disappeared into thin air, she was visible at a distance horsing around with other workers. Speaking of other workers, the hostess was giddy with flirtation over the bartender, to the point of burning his arm with something. This caused a loud disruption of him yelling out the f word repeatedly and her laughing hysterically. There were way more employees than customers and the lack of attention to the diners was mind blowing. There was ONE employee (very young- shout out to him) busting his butt, clearing and cleaning tables. It took forever to get our check and credit card/ receipt back. I didn't leave a generous tip and didn't even feel badly about it. I contemplated just leaving because at that point I felt invisible. I'd return for the interesting choices on the menu, but can't give business to such a clown show again, with such high prices, I might add. read more

We made a reservation for a Friday evening and were taken to a window seat with a beautiful view of the water. No wait and pleasant, professional host staff who greeted us in a friendly manner. The restaurant was busy on a Friday night however the service was outstanding. The waitress could not have been more attentive and friendly. Her name was Kale. She made sure we had everything we needed and more. The food was delicious. Only positives and compliments for this restaurant. Will definitely come here again. read more

Always enjoy dining at Donnellys! Oysters are delicious and local! Atmosphere and view is also a plus! read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Always enjoy dining at Donnelly's! Oysters are always delicious and local! - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

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This was my first visit to Donnelly's. The dry rubbed old bay wings were AMAZING! My friend and I also split the crabcake entree, which were large and delicious. However, market price was $70! The coleslaw and fries were also good. We went at peak dinner hour, it was busy but we were seated within minutes. Very loud, however. Reilly was our waitress and she was attentive and accommodating. I'll definitely be back. read more

We had a great birthday lunch today for a friend at Donnelly's Dockside. We were a bit disorganized in terms of our arrival times, but they were very patient and accommodating. I arrived first and enjoyed a glass of wine. After a couple of others came, we ordered the white pizza to share as an appetizer. It was delicious. I enjoyed the Salmon salad with grilled vegetables. Another friend had a chicken salad, one had the Salmon Strudel, and another had Shrimp Scampi. Everyone was very happy. We shared a huge strawberry shortcake for dessert. They put a candle in it because it was a birthday celebration. It was a lovely lunch. read more

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We were in town for a memorial service, and on Friday night we Placed a Carry Out Order, fish and chips with coleslaw, and a Grilled SW chicken salad. The food was delicious and fresh and a good value. On Monday we Stopped in for Lunch with the family and the Variety was great for Everyone. The Crab cakes were delicious the burgers were great and the Tuna bowls was wonderful, the crispy Brussel sprouts were shared by all and were thoroughly enjoyed. The restaurant is a nostalgic place full of history and Fantastic food the staff was friendly and helpful. Thank you to the staff for being a comfort during a difficult time. read more

This restaurant is great - comfortable atmosphere, great view, and I've always been impressed by the service and food. Especially the crab cakes and inexpensive raw oysters. Among the best crab cakes I've ever had. I live ten minutes away and I've never heard a word against it, only praise. read more

Closest restaurant to home! Never disappointed, lunch or dinner week days or weekends, formal or relaxed, always something for everyone! read more

Cute little spot. Beautiful views. They were very nice to make a veggie version of their pasta. I do wish there were some vegetarian options on the menu more consistently, and perhaps not just cream focused pastas. read more

i've been here many times and throughout the seasons It is a great place and has a very local easy-going feel to it. Although my favorite thing is to sit outside on the deck, sitting inside at the top with a good view of the water is great too. The food is always consistently good and the staff are always consistently nice. read more

We had a memorial service for our father and met with Neil before hand and estimated 50 people, Neil walked us through all the options and made a difficult situation very easy on us. The day of the service we had twice as many people show but Neil and the wonderful staff handled it like professionals, they adjusted seamlessly and we could not be any more grateful. Thank you to everyone at Donnelly's. read more

Delicious! Great service! I will shorely go again as there are other items on the menu that I want to try. If they are half as good as the crab cakes they will be superb! read more

We loved this place for a long time. We live close by and usually the food is always good. It used to be my favorite place to get crab dip. About a year ago, Donnelly's changed the crab dip and added artichokes. It was still good. Today we went and this time the crab dip had no old bay and tasted extremely bland. We are sad to see our favorite crab dip no longer exist. The view and the servers were always amazing read more

Had a wonderful dinner with family. The Oysters Chesapeake, Oysters Rockefeller, and Boom-Boom Shrimp appetizers were delicious, as were the Bluefin Tuna Rossoito, Shrimp Salad Croissant, Steak Frites, and Oyster Dinner. The service and ambiance were also outstanding, and prices reasonable. We look forward to returning! read more

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Visited Donnellys today for the first time because the Point was closed. What a great spot! Atmosphere, seating, view and noise level far superior to the Point. We could actually talk to each other and there was a lovely warm fire going in the dining room. Ordered boom boom shrimp for appetizer ........would definitly not order again...shrimp were nice but batter seemed quite heavy/thick and they appeared and tasted overcooked? Grilled salmon salad on arugala with sweet potatoes and goat cheese was delicious and crab soup excellent! Hostess was A+++ and service though good could have been more attentive with the water refills. Will definitly be back......a very extensive menu! read more

Wonderful waitstaff. Great food. And fun atmosphere , wish it was a bit quieter but would still go back in a minute!

Use to go here all the time by boat and after a round of golf. As the bartender was friendly they seem to always be out of things that Ive had before. The HH beer and food menu isn't worth the effort. Mostly vegetarian type items for the food and limited to a small specialty menu of about 6-8 uninteresting items. The beer HH was limited to half price domestic 12 oz cans and only $1 off the good draft beers. Atmosphere is the only thing going for the place during HH. Very sad but was evident by their early closure of the downstairs bar and few people in attendance. read more

We went to Donnelly's today for the first time to celebrate our anniversary. We were seated outside with about 4 other tables. We sat and waited for someone to wait on us. After over ten minutes of seeing the other tables waited on while we were ignored, we decided to leave. We wasted our time but won't do that again. read more

Donnelly's Dockside is legit a hidden gem. It gives a small family-owned and operated feel, however, when you walk in, it is quite large! You really don't know how perfect the waterfront view is until you walk through the main dining area. The parking area is small however, if you come in on the boat, they have a lot of space for you to slip in. The drinks they have on the menu are pretty standard however, they tend to have seasonal offerings that are very Instagram worthy. The food here is curated specifically for the seafood lovers. The menu is not overpriced, especially for the quality and quantity of seafood that you receive. I have had the crabcake sandwich here and the shrimp salad wrap. Both 5/5 stars. read more

Lovely relaxing view, sitting by the fireplace on a cold day looking at the water is a great experience. Always great food and service!

A good place for a burger, mine was cooked perfectly as requested. The mahi was also very good. Didn't care for the chicken wings. The drinks were fantastic! Kudos to the bartender! Nice views. Will definitely be back in the summertime. The staff is 100% attentive making this a five star experience. read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Entrance - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

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Service was friendly and good. The food is very overpriced and not very good. Would not recommend this place.

The setting of Donnelly is perfect on the water in a neighborhood. Parking is no problem. We like the cocktails but I'm not a fan of plastic cups for my drinks. We usually go for Their happy hour and through winter spring months go for the oysters which they serve all ways including oysters with crab on them. Their crushes are really good. Service is always good but we usually go at 3:30 for happy hour so it's not super busy yet read more

Well, today was the first day as folks in Maryland got to go maskless after spending over a year under Covid regulations. Having wanted to try Donnelly's dockside for some time, I figured since today was such a beautiful day our group to head out to try to capture one of the coveted seats on the patio. We didn't quite get the patio but we did get a nice seat under the tent near the boat dock. The menu is pretty packed full of great seafood entrées along with a handful of salads and sandwiches that should satisfy any pallet. Our group decided to start off with the fried pickles. These are spears dredged in fine bread crumbs and served with a chipotle aïoli sauce. It looks like each order comes with six spears and they arrived at our table piping hot. Perfectly cooked and not over-spiced the pickles paired well with the chipotle aïoli sauce. And of course, they didn't last long. One of my buddies decided to have the shrimp bowl. The shrimp bowl is blackened shrimp served over quinoa, with lettuce, chickpea, kale, black beans, corn, jalapeños, radish, and avocados. The surprising part of this bowl is the sauce was Yum Yum sauce. My buddy went on a rave about how great the salad was, so I will have to get it next time I'm there. Next up, I ordered the seafood broil, which included a broiled piece of fish, several extra-large broiled shrimp, and five broiled scallops. It normally comes with rice and a mixed vegetable, but I decided the mixed vegetable and the rice should be substituted for something like their fantastic onion rings. And of course a side salad. I will have to say the onion rings are fantastic even though they don't give you very many in a order, it is definitely something that you should order as an appetizer and share with a group. My lunch was awesome. Well, the star of the show of course was the special of the day, a soft shell crab club sandwich with avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, served as a club sandwich on wheat bread. This sandwich is huge; my friend didn't even put it down, he kept it in his hands until it was completely gone. Needless to say, he highly recommended it. If it shows up on the menu in the future I will get it because it did look delicious. He also got the onion rings and also said that they might be some of the best in the area. All in all our experience for lunch was outstanding, I can't wait to take another group of friends and/or family for another epic meal, in a beautiful location, highly recommended. read more

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Great location, decent food, and friendly help. Today, we had the shrimp salad sandwich, Maryland crab soup, and steamers. Shrimp salad can be hit or miss--great or meh. Great here; great shrimp and fresh croissant. Came here because spouse felt like having some. She catalogs the best places to get the things she likes and Donnellys is her go to for this. Steamers were great today! Have had some bad steamers in Maryland (lots of cracked or unopened shells, or size of your palm not sure how that's gonna go down!). These were small, well cooked, no unopened and very few cracked shells. Shows proper handling in the kitchen. Was a little too cold for outdoor seating today but sat at downstairs bar for great view. read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Steamers. - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

Love the downstairs, waterfront bar. But main-level dining view is beautiful too. Great HH w/discounted appetizers & drinks. Friendly crowd. Outside, waterfront seating also available. read more

Although the food and service could be improved the location is great and the atmosphere fits perfectly

We sat outside on the patio and had a very nice view of the dock & river. The service was excellent. We enjoyed the cream of crab soup which had a lot of crab. My wife liked her shrimp dish. The Brussels sprouts appetizer had a nice flavor. We will definitely come back. read more

Beautiful location & view. Horrific food. Paid $30 for seafood broiled platter. Tasted like a boiled seafood & butter. Save yourself and just go for HH and then eat at home. read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

Came here for a later dinner on a Saturday night and was set immediately. The inside is very nice and it was a great atmosphere. I appreciate the extensive specials list, and our server was very helpful. I had a surprisingly good burger and clam chowder, my family enjoyed the fish and chips and the mussels as well. Only not 5 stars because it isn't my personal favorite menu, but that's just preference! read more

Atmosphere... That's this places #1 trait. The new owners spruced it up a few years ago and coupled with the view, this place is great in the summer. You're sitting outside right on the water. This is one of those places where you cna get lost looking at the view of the water. And I mean that as a positive. It's a quintessential grab a beer and sit outside type of place. But don't forget to eat too because the food is delicious too. I've had a few things on the menu and been pleased each time. The servers are very nice and friendly. My one gripe, we'll maybe 2. And anyone who reads my reviews knows I talk about bathrooms... The upstairs bathrooms need a makeover. I have seen the downstairs bathrooms, but the upstairs ones need work. My second gripe is space. It's tight upstairs. So in the colder months when outdoor eating is limited, if there's a big party upstairs, the entire upstairs feels packed and when it's loud it's hard to hear. They can't do anything about the space, but I don't know if anything can be done about the noise. Maybe some sound deadening? But it's not enough of a gripe to not go by any stretch. Still go, eat, have a beer and get lost in the water view. You won't regret it. read more

Great place and great view! The food is excellent and the service is top notch. The view is spectacular.

We love this place. Tucked back in the middle of a neighborhood. Right on the water. Great views. Good food. read more

Donnelly's Dockside - Crab Benedict - Seafood Near Me - Arnold, Maryland

I loved Donnelly's! Great view, delicious food, wonderful service. Parking can be a challenge. Definitely not enough parking. In which due to their location cannot be fixed. The view, food and service make up for the parking situation. Ahi tuna, yum! Crab dip double yum! Boom boom shrimp with the accompanying spicy dipping sauce, YES! Also loved the Rum punch with cream coconut. I can't remember the exact name but it definitely packs a punch! We topped our Happy Hour visit with Lemon Drop shots, so yummy! Looking forward to spending Summer nights on the dock enjoying great food and a beautiful view. read more

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