Seafood is a go-to for a lot of reasons. Growing up in the Midwest seafood wasn't good being the main one. The first time through Mays was appetizers. With seafood places it is often interesting to start with their appetizers. The crab Pretzel was simply amazing. The shrimp (bang-bang) was delightful as well. Although the shrimp was just a tad dry. Mays is on our places we will go to again list. read more

Waitress Jody was cool. Food was ok but for the money spent I expected better. Atmosphere was quiet when I was there. read more

See all

Very fun and exciting place. We ate there and had a wonderful experience. A very, very wonderful menu very hospitable great atmosphere and wonderful food. We definitely will be back. read more

Started out very slow. Long time to order. All you can eat crabs took a long time. Second batch also took a long time. Crabs were not great. With the third round crabs were better and started coming out faster. Server gave us someone else's check and then gave us our check but it was wrong so had to be redone. Had similar experience before but met some people who wanted to go there. read more

Great crabs , don't get the all u can eat , they are small now June 20,2026 did not care for the hush puppies , sweet potato fries were yummy , too much bay seasoning , slightly overcooked , overall good. read more

May's Seafood Restaurant - Hard shell crabs - Seafood Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

First time dinning. Great experience, wonderful staff, and food came out hot and fresh! read more

See all

Surprisingly better than expected. The outside building does not do it justice. The food was amazing. Service was fast and kind. We had oysters, fish and chips and a shrimp po boy and loved it all. What a great little find! Looks like they were known for all you can eat seafood boil but we were on the road and didn't have the time or stomachs read more

See all

I really wanted to like this place but the food was disappointing. I had a crabcake since we're visiting Maryland. The crabcake was mushy and lacked flavor. We were a large party and the consensus for all the dishes was edible, but not good. read more

See all

HORRIBLE! Ordered crab cake dinner, no flavor and I would swear it wasn't real crab. I was sick within 30 minutes after eating. If I hadn't paid in cash I would call and request a refund. Other diners with me had picked crabs and steamed shrimp, both mealy and bad per them. read more

The salad was small but ok. The crabcakes were small, with no taste, too much filler and very small lumps of crab. We ordered them broiled and they fell apart. The mashed potatoes definately were not made from fresh potatoes, but were from a box. We would not return. read more

Everything at Mays is delicious. Prices for real -fresh seafood is a fraction of what the "Fed" chain sells it for. Friendly staff... clean establishment and awesome dishes. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Go there... Do it! read more

Have been to Mays many times over many years. It never disappoints. Went with The Boys for dinner tonight. Ordered all you can eat steamed crabs with fries for $47. Crabs were not as big as the ones I had a few weeks ago at Costas Inn in Dundalk (5 stars, baby!) but just as tasty and a bell of a lot more affordable. Love that J&O seasoning! Good food, great company, cold beer: what's not to love? Go! read more

We have ALWAYS enjoyed dining at May's. Today, the service was terrible and the seafood was less than desirable. There were 7 in our party and the last to be served was the children. We waited nearly 15 minutes for their food to be served after we'd received our own. The crab cake was lacking flavor. The crab and shrimp quesadilla was overpowered by cheese and salsa rather than seafood flavor. The broiled seafood platter was mediocre with the scallops being the only thing that was desirable. Sadly, while the atmostphere was as to be expected, the number of people having to get up and advocate for what they needed in a timely manner truly was a disappointment. read more

Had a great time, my mom will not stop talking about how good the creamy crab soup is so I had to go myself. It was pretty good. I got the soup, crabs and raw oysters. Service was good, friendly quick. It's a nice classic seafood place inside, like the brown paper on the table so you can crack crabs. I maybe liked the oysters the best, I always love crabs though. Good place if you want to experience classic Maryland crabs. read more

May's Seafood Restaurant - Crabs, fries - Seafood Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

I got the all you can eat crabs and the crabs were cold, none of them had both claws, and the claw meet seemed overcooked. The clams (fresh and fried), mussels, and MD crab soup it came with were pretty bad- the shrimp was good but they were not de-veined. The cream of crab soup was the best thing I had and it was just ok. Service and ambiance were great. read more

Service was very friendly and the food was tasty. The house sauce was excellent . I would come again.

I'm so sorry to write this review but the food was horrible and I was so disappointed and embarrassed because I suggested this place to my family who were visiting out of town. We ordered crabs cakes and they were the worst I've ever had. Very bland and they tasted like the meat had gone bad or wasn't fresh. Also, $38 for a 6 oz crab cakes and two sides is ridiculous. Way overpriced. I got a baked potato that was very old and broccoli that was over cooked. I ordered my son a kids meal single steamed crab and the crab was old. The meat way grey the crab was cold. It was not fresh at all. We ordered oysters and some of them barely had any meat. The cream of crab barely had any meat. The crab dip tasted like the meat had gone bad. I was so disappointed with the crab cake, it's the worst one I've ever had. The server was also very slow in service. I sat for a while before I was greeted and it took a long time for drinks and food to come. read more

I love Mays- it is probably my favorite seafood joint in Frederick and so we tend to go pretty regularly (at least once a month or so). Staff is always very knowledgeable about the menu and helpful with recommendations. Food is always delicious- we have tried to make our way through the menu and still working on it. Recommend: steamed royal red, oysters raw or fried, seafood sample, and seafood feast Must try: Lava cake!!! No matter what you order it's going to be great! It's a very relaxed ambiance, can be noisy outside sometimes but everyone is just having fun and enjoying the food! read more

May's Seafood Restaurant - Front of menu - Seafood Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

We visited about half an hour after opening, on a Saturday. Also, it was close to 100 degrees outside. We were are party of five adults. The inside was close to full, so we went with the recommendation to sit on the covered patio. We will definitely sit outside for future visits. The patio is well laid out and was well staffed. Initially, while waiting for our server, I did observe most of the staff were sitting around the service area, most seemed more concerned about staying hydrated, and staying in that area. After several minutes, I saw a server come from doing something else and pull a long sheet of the brown paper off of the roll on the wall. She headed to our table, and the festivities began. Jody introduced herself, with a smile and positive attitude. She made us feel welcome and took drink orders. Eventually, after I asked several questions to confirm the all-you-can-eat and market prices, Jody recommended we order two Seafood Platters, and add on certain items like crabs. We took Jodys advice and needed up very happy we did. We had no issues with the heat. The large fans were placed where they kept the air moving but not annoyingly. Jody checked on us constantly, several times I only noticed because my drink would be refreshed without having to ask. Everything we ordered was well presented, nicely seasoned, fresh looking and tasting. I am not going to list everything, and I did forget to take pictures. We enjoyed talking and eating. Being outside, we had plenty of room around us. Though Jody was very attentive, we never felt interrupted. Per my earlier observations, we are glad we did not have a server that spent most of their time more worried about being outside than keeping busy and attending to patrons like Jody chose to do. read more

Went today and the parking lot was jam packed but we tried it anyway. We were seated in a reasonable amount of time and got a dozen Extra large and they were meaty and delicious ! Shout out to Alison that was a great waitress and made sure we were well waited on ! Great Day at May's ! read more

Bit of a weird place. The inside looks like a local breakfast joint that's a bit dated vs a seafood restaurant. I recommend sitting on the back patio. We all ordered different seafood dishes, all were good. They have some all you can eat options as well. read more

I'm not impressed with their steamed crabs. 2x I've gotten all you can eat. Both times the crabs were not good. (ammonia smell) the last time I got oysters that weren't fresh. I would recommend trying another restaurant for fresh seafood. The fries and coleslaw were good. So was the crab soup. The place is very clean. read more

Looks good outside, very inviting decor & smells so good. Greeted upon entering. appears well organized and tidy Option to be seated inside or out...we choose outside. Covered, well ventilated huge fans on either side and comfortable. Our server was Dougie & he was very good and attentive! Thank you!! The food...it was ok. Seasoning is your friend especially with seafood The bang bang shrimp looked delicious, but the were over cooked, the seafood sampler was a good option to try several items: fried shrimp 9, baked loaded potato 9, crab balls ‍ I would give them a 3, steamed shrimp 7, the fish and chips, good size but not seasoned, hush puppies ok. The foods presentation is good, but we found the food did not live up to the photos. Sorry not a fan favorite for us read more

See all

The steam shrimp was so chewy and tasted funny couldn't eat it the service was very subpar also. Would not ever go back

Last day in town and hadn't had any seafood yet. Luckily,this spot was open on a Monday! Party of 6 and arrival around 2p, we were seated promptly. Friendly service in a very laid back environment. Started with the Crab Dip, nice consistency and ample amount, plenty to share. Could have used a tad more seasoning. Crab Legs, very tasty, $5X for the 1lb at market value. Single Crab Cake, $23.99 at market value, but definitely majority Crab, no filler on this one and great size to it. Shrimp, also very tasty. I'd say the lowest star at the party was the fried flounder, needed more seasoning for sure. Overall, a nice experience and one to try. Many of the patrons were in for the crabs, but alas, I can't speak on that. Enjoy! read more

See all

Brought my out of town friends here on a recommendation. Not a good experience! It took 15 minutes to get waited on and 10 more to get drinks. Wait staff kept forgetting to bring things we asked for. Food came at same time as appetizers. Crab cakes did not have much flavor and were dry, I thought it was just me then my friends commented that theirs were really bland as well. These are folks from the Chesapeake Bay Area who know how good crab meat should taste. It then took another 15 min to get our check. Had to ask for drink refills as no one came back to check on us. Seemed very short staffed. Ambiance was poor with old tables , chairs, outdated surroundings and lighting. Our table was sticky to touch, I wiped it with a wet napkin. My team had planned to eat there next Saturday but now we are going elsewhere. read more

Extraordinary service - Very attentive! It was a packed house for a Saturday afternoon visit. Moving through the AC section we were seated in the huge picnic tables section. Brown craft paper covered the tables. When it comes to Crabs - we're used to newspapers covering the table in the Maryland region. The Seafood Platter was offered in two ways: Broiled and Fried. So, two of us decided to order one each and share. With this agreement fully understood, we waited patiently for our orders. To my surprise, my friend was served their delicious Crap Soup with only ONE spoon. I watched him enjoy it...he did offer me to lick the bowl though. What a guy! The Platters were served with a choice of two sides for each. I ordered the Mac-n-Cheese and Onion Rings. He ordered Green Beans and Sweet Potato Fries as two sides. We didn't hardly touch the Green Beans. Just look at these Scallops, Flounder, Crab Cake and Shrimp Extravaganza! My friend picked up the tab, how nice! MP stands for MARKET PRICE on these loaded platters. Everything was to die for delicious! This was my first visit to May's - What a treat! Look for my artwork for the STAR. read more

See all

Was skeptical of my fish and chips from reviews but it seemed that everything was made fresh and came out piping hot, just as you'd hope! Lots of food, service was attentive, and everyone enjoyed the crabs, of course. Seems that they sing happy birthday on your birthday. They gave us the insider that they actually check your IDs before you get the free dessert, so don't try your luck here or it'll probably be awkward. Lol! read more

See all

The worst crabs I've ever had. Went to May's Seafood Restaurant today with friends for crabs. The crab meat was gray without any flavor. Three of us ordered the all-you-can-eat crab deal for $53 per person. We all agreed the crabs had no taste. I talked to the manager and was told Maryland crabs are out of season and they get their crabs from Louisiana. He also said Louisiana crabs tend to be gray when cook and have a dirty flavor from the waters in Louisiana. I googled Louisiana crabs. They are the same species as as Maryland crabs and the meat should be bright white when cooked. The manager was making up excuses. I asked for a refund. The manager said he would take of it. When I received my check, the three of us who ordered crabs were refunded only 75% of the $53 per person. I argued with the manager and he finally said he could only refund me 90%. Claiming I had eaten a few hush puppies and the small crab soup. The manager didn't seem to care. I should have been credited 100% for the meal as the meal was not satisfactory. May's Seafood Restaurant has lost my business. If that's the way they treat their customers, they will be loosing more customers. Don't waste you time going to May's Seafood Restaurant. read more

5 stars for this great crab house near Frederick. I wish there was place like this in MoCo (Bethesda Crab House doesn't compare with the variety of menu options, including kids menu). Our waitress recommended for a family of 8 to get the seafood feast and we then added 2 more crab legs ($34) and got dozen Jumbo crabs (they had colossal, jumbo, XL, and large crabs today (Memorial Day). Not one bad crab and very meaty and sweet. Just two crabs each will fill you up. The feast has cooked oysters, mussels, shrimp, clams, crawfish, sausage, and potatoes. It was a great recommendation. Bill was about $400 with tax and tip and so worth it! Thank you Mays! read more

May's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood feast. Delicious! - Seafood Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

See all

The fried oysters and shrimp are always great. The staff is consistently nice and helpful. Very good place for seafood, especially if you like crabs. read more

Went there on Memorial Day and was surprised to see it wasn't so crowded. We waiting about 10 minutes to sit outside. The crabs were a little light in the weight and small for the all you can eat. But the sides were excellent. The hush puppies were wonderful, flavorful and crunchy. The clams strips tasted phenomenal dipped in the tartar sauce, and the mussels and clams we got were Steamed and great. We love eating outside the weather was perfect, finally our waitress was very sweet and attentive to our request . Will definitely be back. read more

See all

Might be bias because of it being my first time but i LOVED my experience at Mays! I decided to take my dad out for Father's Day without a reservation and think goodness the inside was not as full as the outside seating. I went right when they opened and the hostesses were super sweet and accommodated my dad and i. Our server was just as sweet and welcoming. she explained what would possibly suit the most of us without being too full and explain a little bit more of the backside of the menu. We decided to go with the platter for two and crab for an extra $20 which I found to be extremely reasonable. The shrimp and crawfish that came seasoned already were out of this world! Definitely did some damage with that butter and needless to say my dad and I had a blast crushing all of that. I would definitely go again to try some other items on the menu and maybe try out the outdoor seating! read more

May's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Had been going to Mays for well over Ten Years.....Went for Dinner Sunday Night Ordered AUCE Crab Legs. The Steamed Clams Were a Watery Salty Mush. The Hush Puppies were just as Salty. The Steamed Shrimp were Rubbery and Cold and The Crab Legs were So Skimpy and Cooked up! Save Yourself the Time Hassle and Money. Go Elsewhere l, As I will be doing !! read more

Food was fresh and cooked well. A few shrimp might have stayed in just a bit too long, but cooked well. The scallops were top notch. They were so good. The fried shrimp had a nice flavor (lite beer batter and citrus). The waitress was very attentive and knowledgeable. She was always prompt with drink refills and extra butter! read more

May's Seafood Restaurant - (L-R) Scallops (broiled), spiced shrimp and fried shrimp dinner - Seafood Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

See all

The service was good. We sat outside and for July it wasn't too bad. They may want to add another fan. The all-you-can eat crab legs were pretty much over cooked, dry, flaky, no flavor and maybe even freezer burned. You actually couldn't pull the meat from the legs without peeling the leg opened revealing meat that literally shredded into dry flakes. We tried a couple of the crabs (since they came with the ayce deal) very light and not flavorful at all. Our server told us 'that's a good thing about ayce, you can just throw it away and order more'. like what? lol Would NOT recommend. read more

Wanted to give mays one more try and they really let me down . Got all you can eat X2 $80 x2 and only thing that was good was fries and hush puppies . server didn't care about what we said, he said that's why it's all you can eat just throw away if it's not good and get more, crab legs dry no flavor complained oh I'll get you more, really? crabs horrible. miller lite perfect. service was great. read more

Loved it! All you can eat crab and other sea food. Very laid back restaurant. We had the BEST waiter who constantly checked on us to refill drinks and bring more food. read more

I went to Mays for the first time because I heard good things but I don't know if I'll go again. They had a Mon - Thurs special where you get AYCE crabs and fries for $38.99/person. You can start at tier #1 which includes what we got plus soup, coleslaw and hush puppies for $49.99/person, but we didn't need all the extras. The crabs itself were a hit or miss. The first batch that came out were tiny and almost empty, but as they kept coming out, they were eventually mixed with some good sized, packed crabs. Some of the crabs tasted old, some tasted fresh... the service was like the crabs too. The original guy who helped us was great, but his shift ended and then the next lady wasn't all that helpful. It's hard to find AYCE crabs around here so that's the only plus of this place. As for social distancing measures, they provide indoor and outdoor dining at a first come, first serve basis. You have a 2 hour sit limit, and you have to wear face masks coming in, and to/from the restrooms. read more

See all

We were there yesterday to celebrate our 20th. Wanted to try somewhere different. What a disappointment. The food was horrible. We ordered the stuffed flounder and stuffed shrimp. Both were soggy and no flavor. We should have sent it back. It was like it was frozen and put into a microwave. Just horrible. read more