My previous review still stands... update, somehow it appears to have evaporated instead of still being visible below this... This is a canton square staple, and has outlasted many other long standing (and short lived) restaurants on the square. The secret to their success probably has something to do with the excellent quality of the food, the outstanding service, and the great atmosphere. Location doesn't hurt either as it sits in prime location on the corner of the square. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. See my previous review for a bunch of details (if it's visible...). Note the lobster roll is now served hot and cold... Both are great! Since my previous review seems to evaporated here are a list of things that we have tried over the years: Starters: Crab dip - amazing Calamari - decent cocktail - fantastic wings - fantastic salads: Mama's classic - fantastic Caesar - fantastic Spring berry - meh... skip it Soups: Cream of crab - fantastic Maryland crab - fantastic Seafood chowder - decent, but cream of crab is much better Sandwiches: Crab cake - great but honestly it's better as a platter Po'boy - meh; skip it Salmon blt - decent Lobster roll - fantastic both hot and cold Shrimp salad - fantastic (better as a wrap) Mama's fried chicken - fantastic Mama's classic burger - fantastic Entrees: Fried jumbo shrimp - fantastic Fish & chips - fantastic Chef's scallops - decent Maryland rockfish - fantastic Chicken Chesapeake - fantastic Lobster arrabbiata - fantastic, but usually I find the amount of lobster meat a bit disappointing (you get much more in the lobster roll!) read more

I have to say I was disappointed in our brunch yesterday there were some items that were very good and there were some items that were so bad you could not eat them. We had French toast sticks and the crab soup, Maryland. Both were excellent. We also ordered four oysters that were very tasty but not cheap $13. The orange crush drinks were good however the crabcakes had filler and the seasoning was overpowering. The chicken for the chicken and biscuits they ran out of biscuits so we asked for french fries. the chicken was in edible. It was rubber so we sent it back and by the time the hamburger arrived we needed to leave so we asked them to pack it up to go. . It was nice to sit outside. The weather was beautiful and our waitress was very sweet. We had ordered a second round of orange crushes and they did not come until we asked for the check. It seemed to have been forgotten, but they made them quickly when I asked to cancel the order. The prices are realistic for what crabcakes go for but it was a hefty bill. My lack of stars is for the food. I really find Yelp helps me find good places based on the star rating. And I too, am being objective. read more

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Always a go to for me! The food is always hot + fresh, 8 typically get any of the fresh catch fish w the sides. And the drinks + service is amazing! Mauricio is an awesome manager, 10/10! read more

This place is very cool inside and has an excellent vibe. We stopped in for lunch but it feels like it would be cool to hang out at night here. The staff was great and very friendly. The bartender waited on us and picked up we were visiting and started offering up good suggestions. The cocktails were great. For food, we tried the grilled oysters, great! The grouper sandwich loved it but could have used a little more salt or a good spice, the oyster po boy, good, again a little underwhelming on the flavor. Finally the seafood club. This is a huge sandwich but again just a little underwhelming, but still good. Overall, we really liked the place and would give it another shot. The kitchen may have had an off day. That's not to say it wasn't good, we ate everything and enjoyed our visit read more

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Service was great our servers was very knowable and had great energy . The food was delicious. I ordered the Mamas Lamb Chops.. My Partner ordered the Snow crabs Clusters but they was a little small but the drinks for Happy Hours was great.. Place was very clean and very upbeat can't wait to come back read more

Ok the food was and always is amazing . I sat at the bar on a Sunday Early Evening. The bartender was horrible I had to ask for menus then ask for silverware the ask to order then ask for change for a tip. He paid us no mind ... the entire time .... That's the only reason they lose a star. We found street parking pretty easy .... The selection of oysters was very nice. The ambiance typical not too loud or quiet . I'll always come for the food maybe not so much at the bar this time. read more

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Great crab cakes. I love the little ones on the appetizer list. The restaurant itself is really cute.

This restaurant is definitely worth a visit. All the dishes were very rich and delicious. FYI their portion size is quite generous. Food came out quick, and overall service was great. read more

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Fresh delicious oysters on the half shell during HH- only $1 each. Yummy fish and chips, and cole slaw. We also tried Baltimore Crushes here and they were perfect! The stand out attribute of Mama's was the service! I am a southern woman, and I truly appreciate hospitality. The woman bartender here was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. Thank you thank you! Also, my guy left his CC here, and we came back to retrieve it the next day without any difficulty. They were polite and helpful, and required ID to give his card to him. Excellent! I would say this was my favorite dining experience of my short trip to visit this city. Thank you, Mama's. read more

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John took the most amazing care of us. He made excellent recommendations including getting the Chesapeake chicken extra crispy which was INCREDIBLE. Cannot recommend this place and John enough! read more

I absolutely love this place just good to eat and Everytime I visit it's a great experience

First time trying this place and I got the hot lobster roll, French toast sticks, and cheese grits that I added bacon to. I also got the unlimited mimosas for brunch. The lobster roll was really good but in my opinion just needed more butter and seasoning which my server happily gave me when asked. The grits were good and so were the French toast sticks. Service was a bit slow but overall my food was good and I had a good experience. read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Menu 3/30/2025 - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Always strong experience with Mama's. I have been a few times and always stay with their staples and never disappointed. Drinks are phenomenal and crab cakes exceed expectations! read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Outside corner view - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Here on business and of course when in Maryland you have to try the crab, so we stopped here for lunch just on a random whim. Our sever, I forgot her name but she was absolutely amazing, went over and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. We ate on the patio and it was a gorgeous day to do so. The crab fried rice was absolutely amazing, it had hints of pineapple and assorted peppers. It was really good and again the service was absolutely amazing. The young lady on 7/29 at lunch with the 1995 necklace you're special! I would def return read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Crab Fried Rice Lunch Special $26 - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Better tasting food. We were at the Owings Mills location. My food was so bland I cannot remember what I had.

Mama's On The Half Shell. 7/10 Recommend. My family and I are visiting from Florida and got word of this place through Instagram. Overall we had a good experience. As far as ambiance, we didn't feel much of anything special. Decor on the outside seemed authentic to the nautical/ship feel that I believe the restaurant has. We sat outside so maybe the experience is different inside the restaurant. Food was GREAT! Here are the ratings for the food we had: Crab Dip :: 8/10 - Creamy and fresh. Wish we had more pieces of crab in it! Crab Cakes :: 8/10 - Very Nice. We loved it with the aioli sauce that it came with. Broiled is the way to go! Scallops :: 20/10 - my favorite dish by far. The mushroom base went so well with the scallops. I just wish I had more scallops! Crab Chowder :: 20/10 - Family Favorite!! Amazing flavor. Only note with this place is if you are unfamiliar with soft shell crab, it is a hit or miss with different people. With our family, it was a miss. The soft shell crab BLT and the Cream of Crab with Softshell Crab both weren't our favorites because we weren't a fan of soft shell crab and the flavor. But you don't know until you try it! Overall, it was a great experience. Service was pretty average. We went on a Thursday evening, the pace was pretty slow but not negligent. If you have the time, give this place a shot. read more

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Came here with my friends for lunch around 2pm and it wasn't busy at all. They have cute outdoor area and indoor was more bar vibes. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive. My friends split the mussel appetizer with old bay seasoning and they said it was so good. The lobster rolls they had were super good too. I got the brisket sandwich with fries and it was delicious. read more

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April 2023 My husband and I split a crab cake double platter entree as it was cheaper by $10 than ordering a single. For our sides, I ordered the coleslaw and he ordered fries. It was nice that our server brought us our crab cake and sides individually instead of together on one plate. My sister-in-law and her boyfriend from Florida also got the same and they both really enjoyed the crab cakes. The crab cakes were one of the best I've had in MD. It was filled with lots of crab meat and not a lot of filler. The coleslaw was bland, however, and I would have preferred it to be sweeter. All three of them ordered an orange crush. My SIL and her bf never had it and loved it so much they had it at another bar and at our house. Helpful info: -There is a 3% tender fee if you don't pay in cash. -They have a loyalty club where you can earn rewards and discounts. -They have a bar and patio seating. read more

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Dated interior, smell musty . Food portion is very generous. Food heavy in oil and grease. 3 stars at best. read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Mama's Burger - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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The food was good. However, the service was a little slow. I went by myself and it took 10 minutes before someone came over to greet me. I went down a restaurant week and the prices were very affordable. It was $45 for a three course meal, including crab eggrolls, a crabcake with seasonal vegetables for my main dish, and bread pudding for my dessert. On the inside of the restaurant it was a little warm for a summer day, but they have outside seating. I'm not sure if they have fans to keep you cool and I'm not sure if I upstairs felt the same. The drinks were underwhelming but the bread pudding the bomb. I want to mention that you should pay very special attention to the bathroom labels. They are above the doors in the back however, they are very small. I accidentally went into the men's room, only to come out and everyone chuckling at my ignorance. Lol. ‍ read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Baltimore Restaurant Week: Solo Night Out Summer Rose Spritz - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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This was my first time and it was good. The fried rice was really good. So were the scallops. Wasn't a big fan of the pancake underneath but I liked the spinach. We had the oysters that were also good and the half and half soup suggested by the lovely Elizabeth was good too. Definitely go see her at the bar read more

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We ate outside midweek and it was nice. Most of the people seemed like local professionals meeting after work blended with tourist such as us. The oysters were great. They had a good local and regional selection. I started with the crab soup, which was the best part of the entire meal. I had a salmon on a salad which was decent. My husband had the lobster seafood dish and really liked it. He has a good appetite but said it was too much food. Sadly, the rose selection I had was terrible. I left the entire glass on the table. My husband had beer and said it was a good selection. read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Crab soup was delicious! - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Real chill adult vibes crab cake 9.5 out of 10 Managers great service 9.5 servers check on you often read more

I must start by saying they are in the process of closing. The service was lacking in any type of care and the staff that cleaned our table before we could sit was extremely rude. The food was not on the level I had been used to before. Overall I'm disappointed they are closing for good and the experience I had definitely showed that they are just trying to make it till the end! read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Taco Salad - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Our first time here. Location is very nice. They have outside seating if you like. We sat upstairs on second the floor. Service was nice. This place seems like an oyster spot. The steak and eggs were good, the kids fried shrimp and fries were tasty and the shrimp were big. The bananas Foster's waffle was ok. The shrimp and grits were mehhh. If you look at the pic..it was a small portion of grits surrounded by so much sauce. The grits taste like they were left over. But the shrimp were big. read more

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This is a fantastic neighborhood gem. Think Cheers. Amazing food! Loved the seafood chowder, broiled oysters in horseradish crust, and ginormous crab cake! Super friendly staff; what a treat. read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Broiled horseradish oysters and crab cake - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Amazing food!! The cream of crab soup and the crab dip were both so rich and flavorful! They didn't skimp on the crab and both dishes were very hearty...perfect comfort food for a Marylander. The Benedict was pretty good as well but the shrimp and grits had some room for improvement. More like a gumbo than shrimp and grits, but still tasted pretty good. I would 100% come back for all of the crab dishes! They were delicious and this place makes a phenomenal crush as well! read more

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My co-workers rave about Mama's On The Half Shell. One so much, brings everyone from out of town here for lunch. It would not surprise me, if they have a chair with her name. Restaurant is cute, cozy vibe. We came for lunch. If there's a crab cake on the menu, I'm ordering it. I'm a well known crab cake snob. The Seafood Club caught my eye as a server was walking past delivering two to another table. The sandwich is huge! I ordered mine in a to-go box as I knew right away, there is no way I could finish in one sitting. The Seafood Club has a smaller version on their crab cake, yummy, bacon, I pulled the bacon off, Swiss cheese...my favorite, stuffed full of jumbo shrimp. I'm normally not a fan of shrimp, it's a texture thing. These were cooked perfectly, nice flavor and very much added to the club. The French Fries on the side were delicious! I see why they rave about Mama's! 5 stars for sure. read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Seafood Club - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We sat at the bar on the first floor, but noticed that the restaurant is up a flight of stairs. There's also a large outdoor dining area adjacent to the street. The bartender came over as soon as we sat down and gave us menus. We chose to start with drinks; the Deep Eddy Crush and the grapefruit crush. I know, grapefruit is not in season in June, but there was refreshing and fresh (NOT canned) grapefruit juice in my Grapefruit Crush, along with a juicy grapefruit wedge on the rim. The Deep Eddy had muddled fresh basil and blueberries. Both drinks - highly recommend! Hubby came for the Cream of crab soup and broiled crab cake sandwich. There were lumps of crabmeat not only on top but also throughout the cup of soup! It was VERY tasty. The crab cake was jumbo lump, very little filler and perfectly seasoned. See our pictures! If you're looking for a great Baltimore crab cake and/or cream of crab soup, this is your place! Rolls usually are no big deal, but the crab cake roll was fresh and sweet. The fries were a perfect marriage of crunchy outside and meaty potato center. I chose the Tuna Tatare appy for my entree and the ahi tuna was fresh and very tasty. I'm usually not a sriracha fan, but the aioli perfectly complimented the tuna. It was sooooo good! Service was friendly and professional; the bartender was near but not over attentive. Go for the food, stay for the drinks! read more

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Welll Food: apps lemon pepper wings excellent crabcake egg rolls NEVER GET THEM cream of crab sorry entree seafood club hmmm it will do Service : really good we have a spicy lil mama she was crazy cool and super cute and gave us great service Ambiance: just cool clean read more

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Went to brunch and had a fabulous meal. Cream of crab soup, raw oysters, fried oysters, shrimp salad sandwich and stuffed shrimp. Everything was tasted fresh and was cooked perfectly. Service was very good. Please note we went around 11:30 but called first because there were no reservations available until 2:30. So glad I called prior and they said we didn't need a rest. The place was empty at this time. Maybe the app for reservations doesn't start until later so just call and see if they have tables. It satisfied all of our seafood cravings and we will be back! read more

I live right next to here and and absolutely love, coming here for seafood and crushes! We came during restaurant week and they had an amazing soft shell, crab sandwich, and crab egg rolls! We sat outside, and absolutely got rained out and the service was so nice. They were so willing to move us out of the rain! We've sat inside, and it's pretty cool to see all the decor that they have. Their softshell crab soup is amazing and honestly so cheap and filling! read more

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This is a MUST VISIT while in Baltimore! The place is so nice, the music the decor, etc makes you feel part of Baltimore., Server and runners were friendly and helpful, menu has so many options for the whole family... and most importantly they have local delicious seafood. We tried many different items and they were ALL amazing... we started with soups: Seafood chowder and Maryland Crab soup, they were 2 diff preparations and both were really delicious. After we had the hot lobster roll and the Bouillabaisse and the freshness and flavors were out of this world. We honestly did not tried more food because we were so full but everything on the menu looked very good. The kids had friend shrimp and mac and cheese and they really loved it. read more

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My friend and I came here for brunch and were sat outside. We put in crushes which took a while to arrive. My orange crush tasted like plain orange juice so not much alcohol there. We shared the grilled oysters and got 2 each of the three toppings offered (it came with a total of 6 oysters). All of them were delicious with my fave being the smoked paprika butter. As my main, I ordered the Seafood Omelette and my friend got their Crab Cake Benny. My omelette was ok. It didn't have a lot of flavor but the potato hash was pretty good. The service was quite slow as everything took a long time to arrive and our server never came to check on us after placing our orders. She also dumped our paycheck on us in the middle of eating our entrees without saying a word. Not great service here but a decent seafood restaurant if you're around the area and want something better than plain bar food to eat. read more

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Great food and service. The place was nice and clean. Lots of great options on the menu and also great specials

Catrina at the bar and whoever the badass in the kitchen was made this one hell of a last meal in Baltimore. We scooted over to the Canton area for one last seafood fest before returning to the hot dumpster that is the DFW metroplex, and we could not have been happier with our decision. We were also thankful to this place for being open, as so many in that area are closed on either Sundays, Sundays and Mondays, or until dinnertime every day. From looking at the pics on the business page, as well as its hallowed spot on the menu, we each went with the Seafood Club as the entree. The starter was a half dozen oysters, which were shucked by the hardworking Hayden. The oysters were fresh and tasty - they also fit the flavor profiles presented on the menu. I ordered the Bluepoint and Shooting Point oysters, each variety being both sweet and briny. But then the sandwich, whoa, that damn sandwich. It was a colossal collection of crab cakes and shrimp salad nestled between layers of bread, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon. It visually and spiritually presented an eating challenge that we contemplated while I started in on the delicious fries. Solution: treat the top crab cake layer as a stand alone sandwich. Then you can either eat the second shrimp layer as an open faced sandwich, or (and I just thought of this) you can eat both crab cake layers then fold together the two remaining shrimp layers into a third half sandwich. OR - you could just split this sandwich meal with someone you really, really value in your life. It is ALOT of food. No matter what, you won't come away disappointed. I loved this place and the experience here. Thank you, Mama's! read more

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Gavin excellent service I definitely will come back Great recommendations for the foods And drinks The gentleman who seated us exemplified great customer service and the gentleman who took our order They kept us up to date on the service read more

Mama's on the Half Shell is a true Canton institution! It's been here for 20 yrs and still going strong. I worked in the area many years ago so haven't visited in awhile. A friend recently moved to Canton and I suggested a visit to Mama's was a must! It was 10:00 on Saturday night and we were fortunate to find street parking right in front of the restaurant. Beautiful weather so we sat on the ample patio. Our waiter was nice and answered all our questions. We both decided on the Here For A Good Thyme cocktail. It had a good smoky taste and was refreshing. We also both ordered the Maryland Rockfish and what an excellent choice that was!! Rockfish, broiled & stuffed w/ Mama's crab cake. It was accompanied by rice pilaf and sautéed beans, and an Old Bay butter. I switched out the beans for their seasonal vegetable-squash, zucchini and carrots. This dish was sooo good! The fish was so fresh and the crab cake was well seasoned. The vegetables were also yum! We both had leftovers after and it was just as delicious the next day! Some restaurants can't keep a great rep when they've been in the game for 20 years but I'm glad Mama's still rocks! read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Maryland Rockfish Rockfish, broiled & stuffed w/ Mama's crab cake. Accompanied by sauteed beans, rice pilaf, & an Old Bay butter - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Food and service were great. Obviously I had cream of crab soup and crab cakes because that is what you do when you visit Maryland. If you want a margarita they you can head next door. Wish I would have taken pictures but was visiting with friends. If you are in the area I would definitely items recommend that you stop in for a meal. read more

Mama's on the Half Shell - Seasonal Drinks. - Bars Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Excellent seafood options, historical location and good service. Crab arancini special was outstanding, as well as the oysters on the half shell and the grilled oysters. I' highly recommend. read more