We discovered Lowry's several years ago and it's our favorite place for fried shrimp and crab cakes! It's well worth the 30 minute drive each way for us! Such a great place, active and supportive in the community! They treat customers like family! read more

I know it's called the Crab Shack, but the fried chicken is amazing! It's a good idea to call ahead of time as they make it fresh to order. Family favorites are also the fried oyster po-boys and jumbo shrimp. Indoor seating is a bit limited, but in nice weather there's a great little patio to enjoy your meal. One of our favorite family owned hidden gems in Western Loudoun! read more

Our family has known these great people my whole life. incredible food, service and hometown folks. Please support them.

I love Lowry's, not sure why the reviews aren't higher but maybe that's a good thing since I'd like to keep going and don't want it to blow up and change. It's exactly what you'd expect from the name. It is a "shack", which means generally good small town service, better than average seafood compared to most places that aren't anywhere near water, and cold beer. Is everything perfect? I'd say no, but what they do well they do really well. Anything fried is delicious, and that goes for the chicken too. We usually opt for The Rudy and it's a struggle for us to finish. Don't sleep on the corn fritters and hush puppies. They are amazing. read more

Lowry's Crab Shack - The Rudy - Seafood Near Me - Hamilton, Virginia

We have not eaten at Lowry's in several years. BEWARE they now consider chicken wings "white meat" an upgrade" you pay more for instead of regular dark meat (drumsticks, thigh, etc) ~ so, you will pay extra for getting very small wings they say are white meat. We realized this was not what we wanted and requested to swap out the two wings (and pay extra again) for two breasts, as part of a "meal" we had just paid for, and they told us we would have to buy two new whole meals... I even read them the definition of white meat from google, that it is only the breast and is a different muscle, etc. but the help was rude and just said no, they did not have time to answer any questions. They just said at Lowry's if you order a piece of white meat, you get chicken wings. VERY DIsAPPOINTED, But the onion rings are good. read more

No, just doesn't do it anymore. How it survived the pandemic I'll never know. Reminds me of a boardwalk frozen fish stand from the 1950s or 60s where everything was fried or dried and the oil hadn't been changed in a while. Time to turn it into a hotdog and hamburger taco stand and add a little freshness. You can still eat outside if you want but everything comes boxed in Styrofoam adding to the sogginess and the poor owners look burnt out read more

Good service. Fried chicken was very good. Sautéed soft shell crabs were solid. Decent selection of canned beer, would be good if they had a few bottles of wine. The steamer was broken when we were there, which eliminated much of the menu. read more

The food is good but the owner is rude. She has zero personality and could care less about her customers. And , they add a service charge when you order at a counter and pick up your own food when it's ready. read more

Our family has been coming to Lowry's for close to 20 years (even when they were a farm market stand). We have ALWAYS had a great experience! As a native Marylander, I am pretty picky when it comes to seafood, ESPECIALLY crabs- Lowry's has never disappointed! read more

No complaints at all - This local gem doesn't get enough credit. An incredible selection and reasonable prices. Our whole family loves the food, even the kiddos. I highly recommend the "family meals" where you get a main course and generous sides for a family of 4. read more

What a great hidden gem in Hamilton VA (near Leesburg). All food was freshly prepared and delicious. We ordered at the counter then grabbed a picnic table outside. I had the fried chicken and it was perfectly seasoned and cooked. My husband had fried shrimp and oysters and he said they were both excellent. The beer prices were reasonable also. Check this place out! read more

Enjoyed our Lowry's Crab Shack experience today. We had the wings (dressing on the side), and it was delightful! It was only lightly battered which was perfect, and my favorite part was that it was all FLAPPERS!!! We also ordered THE SHACK that consisted of their: Snow crab: tasty! (They gave us 2 because they were out of scallops) Fried shrimps: big, fat, and well seasoned batter. Fried oysters - just ok. Hushpuppies - not my fav, might ask to replace next time. Crab cake - baked to perfection! Corn fritters - my favorite! Shoestring fries. read more

See all

I'm from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, so I am picky about my seafood. Even though the food on Lowry's reviews pages looks appetizing, I wasn't sure if the taste and quality would meet my standards. After trying their Fried Sampler, I am won over! The seafood was exceptionally fresh with just the right amount of breading, seasoning, and crispness. The variety of seafood was impressive, with large scallops, oysters, shrimp, and delicious catfish. Their homemade corn fritters are a unique side, adding a delicious touch of sweetness. As a new resident of the area, I am thrilled to have found a local, family owned restaurant serving such amazing seafood. Now I feel like I can just drive around the corner to get a taste of the Shore. read more

Update: After I posted my initial review, the owner contacted me and let me know that they switched back to real butter. We came for the first time again today. I'm super happy to report that Lowrey's has indeed stopped using clarified butter and started using real butter again. It is unsalted but that's easily remedied by adding a bit of salt. I am so grateful! They have such delicious quality seafood and now that their using real butter again I am truly satisfied! Thank y'all so much. Your restaurant is top notch! Previous review: I've come to Lowry's for several years but this is my last time to come for crabs or lobster. Whatever kind of butter stuff they're using is disgusting! I thought it was a fluke and asked for some fresh real butter but it still tasted like salt-free warmed up vegetable oil. My husband and the other patrons at our table are not foodies and will usually eat anything but even they couldn't stomach the butter after 3 bites with the "butter" on them. It was so bad I talked to the owner about it in hopes that they may consider changing it in the future. He scoffed at me and told me it was real butter with the impurities removed. He was rude, insinuating that there was something wrong with my taste buds if I didn't think it tasted like butter. Our waitress was very sweet and took our two beers off the tab for the butter issue without us even requesting it. But personally we felt insulted by the fact that they don't serve butter that's even an ok value and that the owner refused to acknowledge that it was poor quality. His response doesn't give me much hope for them being a quality restaurant ever again. Bottom line, if you're hoping to eat lobster or crabs/crab legs dipped in warm butter, go somewhere else. read more

Poor service. Food is made very cheap but they charge high prices. Chicken is good. It's hit or miss if they get your order right. No option for a free cup of ice water. Drinks are al carte and way over priced. read more

If you are only ordering crabs and food to go, they are okay. If you plan to eat there, better call first. We went there on Father's Day and were told that they had no one to clear tables so we could only do take out. Since we did not live in the immediate area we had to go elsewhere. I had preordered the crabs, so they could have at least said "oh by the way, take out only". read more

Whenever I eat or order from Lowry's, I feel like I've gone to the beach. Their seafood is fresh and well-prepared. There is nothing more relaxing than enjoying a cool drink and good seafood outside - which you can now do again! Highly recommend this local small business! read more

My wife took me and my boys here for my birthday dinner knowing I've been waiting to go for some time now. We waited for 20 minutes and just stood there. This was on July 2nd and it wasn't all too busy at 5:30p. Another gentleman came into the place your order/pickup food about 10 minutes of us waiting and said he was just picking up food and walked up to the counter. The Employee working on the register as if it were broke kept running in the back coming out and running in the back and never answered our "hello." First time for a birthday dinner fail, two thumbs down. read more

Best fried chicken I've ever had! Can't decide what's better: Lowry's seafood or their fried chicken.

This restaurant is always an adventure. We've been there about 3-4 times in the last few years - when COVID happened, this place went nuts. They were totally freaked out about COVID: took only phone orders and set your food on a table outside. Things aren't much different today. Now the place is reminiscent of Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi." So here, the crab Nazi uses the term "market price" on the menu to fool you into buying a crab cake sandwich for $25! Wow! If I knew that before I ordered, I would probably picked another item. Then you have to obey the rules which are loosely posted. The only eating area is the outdoor gravel lot with aging picnic tables from kindergarten. ("Don't move the tables!") Oh, did you want a straw with your beverage? That's something you have to ask for. One unwrapped straw to a customer! The proprietor came by our table and rudely placed a placard down without even speaking to us. The placard read, "CLEAN YOUR TRASH FROM THE TABLE BEFORE LEAVING!" At this point, I thought the whole thing was comical. Ok, bus your own table.... Fine. They use steel buckets of ice for your bottled (no fountain drinks here) beverages.... The final laugh came when I returned the bucket and I had to follow the posted instructions about where to put the remaining ice (in a cheesy sink loosely mounted on the wall) and then place the empty bucket on a very specific platform about 12 inches from the ground. I felt like I was in boot camp again. The food was good though.... But our lunch for two was sixty bucks! I don't know how they stay in business. read more

To management never ONCE did you sse me being aggressive. You were busy and I didn't want to bother you so I reached for the menu like I said. Wasn't rude about it or anything. However that was NOT necessary for you to handle it the way you did. I frequent many resturant and ALWAYS give reviews as I see it. Your goal shouldn't be to come back aggressive towards me however make it right. Again you never saw me as aggressive because your back was turned. Snatching it from me as well as complaining to another customer was very inappropriate. We ALL are dealing with this pandemic so no excuses for you to be rude towards me and then speak to another customer about it. read more

3.25 This is one of the few restaurants located in Hamilton. Every time we've driven past this place always looks packed. Tonight my family decided to try our luck. This is a nice little family run shop buried in the country of Loudoun County. This place is both dine in or carry out. There are only 7 tables inside, so you might have to wait. They also have seating outside if you don't mind getting bit by bugs. We were greed at the door by the hostess and we asked for a table inside. Lucky we got there when we did. About 5 minutes later the inside was full. They have a very large menu of all sort of seafood: king crabs, snow crabs, fish, shrimp, scallops, and so on. I like the idea of having a neighborhood place that only serves seafood. I was having a hard time deciding what to get. I asked the waitress what the popular food was. She said the shrimp, crab cakes, and oysters. I had originally wanted the king crab legs. Man did they look good. The guy next to me got one and man was it huge. Any how, I got the coconut shrimp and the oysters and my wife go the shrimp. The food came out pretty fast. To be honest, all our food tasted fine. It wasn't really anything special like WOW this is the best I've ever had. Everything that came out was hot and was decent. Its better than Red Lobster. I'd much rather spend my money here then there. At least here I know their stuff is fresh. My only complaint was the portions sizes of their baskets were a little small. I was still hungry after we left. The décor is nothing fancy inside. There are few crabs and things hang on the wall and the tables are pretty small. The people who work there are all nice and the service was good. No complaints there. On my next visit over I'll have to try the king crab legs and the crab cakes. Oh BTW the do have hushpuppies. Those were good also =) Then again, can you really go wrong with things are fried? =) read more

See all

For those familiar with Hamilton, this is not a large town. But this is a nice gem, with a deep menu (including "land lubbers plates") that should satisfy just about any palate. Nothing was over-the-top outstanding, but in this region, you definitely want to try the crab items. For which there are a dozen or more. One in my group had the oyster stew and thought it was pretty good. The homemade potato salad came highly recommended, but wasn't necessarily for my Texas palate (which is probably more used to it with barbeque). There's an inside and outside, it was a little cool for the outside for us. Inside is cramped, but it's just a small place. Eclectic decor on the wall make it feel casual. They had a surprisingly deep beer menu given the size. If you're in Hamilton, this is a good place to stop! read more

Lowry's Crab Shack - Seafood Near Me - Hamilton, Virginia

See all

I've been there only one time and I live five minutes from Lowry's. Both me and my husband got sick on the food we had and we did not eat the same dishes. This means that the kitchen staff were not using proper food handling techniques or were sick on the day we went. Also, it was very sunny and hot the day we went and who knows how long the food sat before it was served. Right now Lowry's is closed for the season, but I doubt we'll be going there when they do reopen. While we have to drive to get it, there are far better places to eat seafood. read more

Unfortunately during the pandemic some businesses seem to be taking advantage by charging higher prices for substandard product. Sadly, this is one of those businesses. They used to be the place I would automatically go to for crabs as they were always good before but I guess that's no longer the case. I ordered 1 1/2 dozen large steamed crabs which cost a whopping $135.00, which we were willing to pay as this was a special occasion. Got them home and dug in. Hmmmm? Something is wrong here. Seems all the crabs are really medium. I guess medium is the new large? I worked for decades in restaurants, several of which were crab houses in Maryland. These aren't large by any standard. But it gets worse, as we were going through the claws, at least half had meat missing or the meat was incredibly dry. To the point that several were inedible. Unfortunately, we go out of our way to go to this crab house (like I said before, they used to be good) so we can't just pop back over in a hot minute to get new crabs. Breaking into the body, none of the meat had that sweet crab taste, but ratter kinda dirty. These are what is known in the crab business as mud crabs, often harvested from polluted waters in Louisiana. They show up a lot of times after hurricanes and are often cheaper to buy compared to Carolinas or Maryland. With the dehydrated meat in the claws, clearly not all of these crabs were cooked fresh and alive. There were definitely "reheats." Next problem: Vicious Diarrhea! You know the kind; fasten your seatbelts because it's coming at warp speed! After several bouts of this my spouse tells me watch out as it is coming for you (my metabolism is slower than hers so I'm likely to get mine after she does). This lasted a full two days. I'm beyond disgusted and disappointed. read more

This place has friendly service and great seafood. We had the lobster, shrimp and crab (The Rudy), and a fried shrimp platter, drinks and desserts. Was more than enough food for 3 adults and 2 kids. How did they get the crab so perfectly salted inside of the shell? I want to know. I would recommend this place, we are definitely going back. read more

See all

Great seafood fix if you need one but mostly fried and the oil always seems old. Steamed crab legs are available but limited selection.

This unfortunately will be the last time we eat here. The food does not taste fresh (notably the seafood -- which was the main reason we came here) and we were constantly swatting flies while eating which makes me wonder what is going on in the kitchen. The green beans side dish was essentially canned green beans with sour tasting bits of ham which made me wonder how old it was. The broccoli and cauliflower salad, while the sauce they were in was tasty, I found the broccoli appearance to be distracting. I could tell the broccoli was old because each "cut" end of the broccoli was brown and dried out. Unless the food was fried, everything else had the appearance of being old and reheated. The crabs are from Texas, which is disappointing because we had the expectation they were local (and thus, more fresh). I also think that it is important for the server to disclose everything that is no longer available on the menu upfront. Otherwise, it is a reasonable expectation of the patron to be able to order anything on the menu. In this case, what was not available was any lobster dish or ice cream. Do not expect any seafood item on the menu online to be something you can order when you are there. Call ahead and you may find out that only medium size crabs are available, which personally, I don't think is worth a visit. It is a shame because the outdoor dining area looks very lovely, so there is so much potential for this restaurant if the above was addressed. read more

Hands down best quality seafood you will find in the area. My family & I have been loyal customers for the last five years, anytime we get seafood anywhere in the DMV area it just does not compare to Lowry's. The pricing is reasonable. Quality is always the same, never disappoints. We even drive 30-40 minutes from WV to get pick up & the food is properly boxed so well it's still fresh & hot as soon as we get home. This is one business I always love to support. The owner works very hard to keep the it the best crab shack in the area. Hard work that never goes unnoticed. If you're looking try somewhere new or find a good family dinner to bring home, look no further. read more

The food here is awesome! Such a nice variety! Servers are just mediocre - not very friendly or engaging but they get the job done. We visit there often because of the food. If they had good servers (more people-oriented), it would be a great experience. read more

We ate here last weekend. I wish I could give this restaurant 10 stars but I will have to settle for 5 The atmosphere was incredible and welcoming and just all-around relaxing. The employees were on point and they couldn't have done a better job. The crabs were sweet and juicy and a pretty good size for being mediums. We also had The fried oysters, which were Golden, delicious and perfectly cooked And the corn fritters... TOTALLY DELISH!!! I ran into the owners as we were leaving. Mr. and Mrs. Lowery were so great and I can't say enough nice things about them. They serve great beer and cider. They support local breweries and cook the best crabs around. I hope you all give this quirky, sweet, delicious, Key West style restaurant a try. I found my new Main Avenue Thank you read more

the worst crab cake I have ever had. cole slaw was bland and watery. hush puppies were pretty good.

Very disappointed. There was only outside dining. Luckily the weather was decent. I was hoping for inside dining. I had the Cream of Crab soup. The base tasted like it started out like a dry mix, with water or milk mixed in. The so called crab meat was imitation crab meat. The color was like a grainy brown? I took about three bites and threw it in the trash. The worst soup I have ever had! The fried chicken was very good, and the sides (mashed potatoes/gravy and coleslaw) tasted good. The peeled shrimp was salty. I thought the prices were high for the quality. Sorry to say that I will not be returning. read more

Consistently outstanding food, modest pricing, and a great staff! I went to a trade school in Annapolis--and folks in MD think they know seafood. Well, we take every classmate from USNA to Lowry's when they visit. It's always a highlight! NEVER a mediocre meal there and the menu has options to suit any age or appetite! (Note: Seating inside is limited, but the outdoor patio is nice if the weather's nice. Once it gets too hot or too cool; call ahead for a reservation.) read more

I would put 0 stars if I could. Pre-Covid, this was one of the best seafood places in the area. It was a nice family owned restaurant with pretty good customer service. Since then, it's gone down hill dramatically to one of the worst restaurant experiences we ever had. To start, they got rid of the entirety of their wait staff. Now you have to wait in line at some run down, sweaty shack covered with stapled crap just to order your food with literally one person taking orders. They ruined the original experience of a good family owned restaurant to some cheap, white-trash establishment . By the time it was my family's turn in line, (after about 15 minutes of waiting for one family in front of us) the singular staff member taking orders had to go get the drinks for the previous customers, which made us wait even longer just to put in our order. The service was absolutely horrible. If you plan on going to this restaurant be prepared for a very long wait to simply order your food. In the end we ended up leaving before we sat down. read more

My new favorite place. Service was great. Everything was fantastic! King crab for him, blue crab for her, both perfect! And the best fried pickles, coconut shrimp, & hush puppies ever! Already can't wait to go back. read more

I've been going to Lowry's for a few years now and something is clearly wrong these days. In the past the crabs were always very fresh and tasty and all the other food is good, not great, but good. The steamed shrimp were always very good. I've been to Lowry's three times this summer and the last time, this past weekend, is probably my final visit. Starting last year and really apparent this year, Lowry's is not serving fresh crabs- or something is clearly wrong with them. I noticed the quality of crabs sinking last summer but thought it was just a bad day, but this summer the trend has continued down. The crabs I had on Sunday were disgusting- I mean it, disgusting. Mushy, smelly as heck, and as my son said, they tasted sour- his words, not mine. I know I personally threw 4 crabs out of the dozen and a half we got away (we ate at the restaurant so I just threw them in the bucket) and then my son threw 3 away and my daughter just stopped eating after two crabs. I have been eating blue crabs for 30 years, I know when I'm being served crabs that have been frozen or maybe died and went bad but I have never tasted crabs as bad as these. Lowry's is getting two stars only because every server I have ever had there has been extremely nice and most of the times fun to talk with. They all have great attitudes and I wish I could go back because the setup is nice, sitting outside eating crabs and drinking a cold beer- there is usually not much better than that. I don't live nearby so I drive 30 miles to get to Lowry's so I don't know if they have changed hands recently or changed their crabbing methods or something, but clearly something is not right here. Lastly, and everyone who has ever eaten blue crabs will have this same complaint, but $85 for "large" crabs that are light as a feather is not right, but honestly, if they tasted good this wouldn't even be a complaint but they tasted awful. Maybe Lowry's has let the quality slip because they are the only game in town? I don't know but it makes me kind of sad to lose this place. read more

Don't make a judgement from the outside. Inside is great food and friendly people. My best advice is to make a reservation. We were there last night & glad I made a reservation as it got crowded as soon as we sat down. If you are hungry for seafood, this is the place to go. read more

Lowry's Crab Shack - Grace - Seafood Near Me - Hamilton, Virginia

Pretty disappointed in our experience tonight. My dad is a VIP - there 2-3 times a week, always with a crowd. Our party of 7 spent $250 there tonight, and that is common when he's around. So, when he complained about the size of the crabs and 2 employees said there was nothing they could do that he should talk to the owners - who were not there - I was rather turned off. Calimari tasted like fried chicken - I guess it's all fried together. Shrimp was OK. The crabs were small, dirty, and very green on the inside... plus the meat was sticking to the shell in the legs - a sign that they were overcooked. I have been other times and enjoyed myself better. Tonight was a real turn off. I am not anxious to go back. I was not impressed how they treat a very loyal customer - especially since that person happens to be my dad. When I let them know that - politely but very firmly - the gal got very defensive saying she couldn't do anything. Customer service is lacking for sure. read more

I have lived in the area for years and always drove by this place. Finally, when my mom was in town visiting we decided to give this a try. WOW! I was so happy to have made the choice. First things first, it is a small building so in winter (when we went) you may want to call ahead for a seat. THe food was simply amazing, I really never expected such good crabs this far inland. I do not know how they do it, but I do hope that they keep doing it. Our server was super friendly, and I rewarded her with a nice tip. My only complaint is that the salad was a bit of a joke. So lesson learned, no salads on the next visit, more room for delicious crabs! read more