Our first time at Schultz's Crab House in Essex. We started with a cup of nicely seasoned gumbo and a cup of creamy crab bisque. We think the bisque was made with a roux as the base. We hade the roughy stuffed with crabmeat. It was salty, but still delicious! Sides of baked potato and pickled beets! Our other entree was crab cakes. Lots of lump crab. Good flavor. We didn't have time for dessert. An assortment of beers on tap and by the bottle. Friendly and attentive service from Stephanie. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Nice atmosphere. Traditional wood paneling[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. Ample street parking read more

Schultz's Crab House - Crab cakes - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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We got to the restaurant and were seated after waiting several minutes. After sitting at our table for 10-15 minutes, the server came to take our drink order. Everyone got their drinks except for me - I had to ask for it (unsweet tea) multiple times before she finally brought it. We planted our order and the waitress brought out everyone's food except for mine; by the time I finally got my food everyone was almost done eating their meals. The crab cakes were good, but cold when it was finally brought out to me. We ordered an appetizer that was brought out after we were all done eating. The server kept saying she wasn't supposed to be working and made us feel like she didn't want to be there. The restaurant had a nice vibe, but the lack of service really was off-putting. I don't think I would go here again, plenty of other places that care about their costumers. read more

We were looking for a non - touristy spot that locals go to and I'm so happy we we went here. The fish options are vast. The specials like the clam chowder were all on point. Service was very friendly. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Bonus that it's family friendly and they didn't mind my toddler.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Of course we had to eat crabs during our little moms-getaway since we were meeting up in Maryland. This was a great find. Our server was super sweet and helpful. The crabs were so much larger than we expected. They tasted fresh and were delicious. We enjoyed the Bloody Mary too. Thanks for a great meal! read more

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Service was great. Food was awesome. One of the best (legitimate) jumbo lump crabmeat cakes I've ever had. Almost too big for one sitting, but I managed. read more

We met two other couples for an early dinner at Schultz's. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We knew it would be quieter and give us a chance to visit and catch up, which we did while enjoying delicious food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I know it sounds odd to order a club sandwich at a seafood restaurant, but that is what my husband ordered, and I have to tell you Schultz's makes a killer club sandwich - you have to try it. It is loaded with ham, turkey, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on white toast. It came with two sides - he chose French fries and Cole slaw. I enjoyed the Shrimp salad platter with a baked potato and a garden salad with blue cheese dressing. Our friends had the Hot Roast Beef with gravy dinner with mashed potatoes and pickled beets, another Shrimp Salad platter with macaroni salad and applesauce, Orange Roughy with mashed potatoes and broccoli, Haddock strips with potato salad and Cole slaw. The same goes for the Hot Roast Beef - it is really good - has a wonderful flavor to the beef gravy - who knew! The portions on all of our dishes were so generous. The food is always freshly prepared, filling, and flavorful. read more

Schultz's Crab House - Orange Roughy - Mashed Potatoes - Broccoli - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

Inside it looks like it is a pub, with pool. It was quite packed. Not much room to wiggle around. Food is ok. The wings are a bit dry. Crab is quite small. I thought I ordered medium as it was in the middle of the list. But since it cost $37.50 for 6, I guess the price justify the size. The bisque was very heavy. I got full just earing the crab bisque. Kids love the chicken nuggets, but not the fries nor apple sauce. Waitress is very attentive. (+1). Kept asking if we need anything. However, I saw that a lot of tables have free bread, I asked for it. They said it only comes with platter. (-1). Not sure if it was good as it look very white, and there were a lot of unfinished bread in other tables. I thought it would be great to eat with the bisque. Oh well... read more

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Hello it was always one of our greatest times to come to schultze... we always enjoyed the food but today was particularly expensive. we come in for lunch and my friend ordered for oysters to come to find out the price were $35 for four oysters...known for their crabs they did not have any steam crabs today but at the same time I got the grilled chicken and it was great. read more

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This is just a beautiful, well established restaurant in the community. We went for a weekday lunch, a Tuesday for the $3 off steamed shrimp...med or jumbo, you choose I chose the jumbo, and they were nothing less than jumbo. My received plate had 15. Cocktail sauce and onions. It was fantastic and worth the wait. My husband ordered the shrimp salad (cold), and it came with 2 sides. Since the macaroni salad was not ready, he had double potato salad. It was good. The hiccup came when his dish was cold. It was served nearly immediately, and I had to wait for mine to be steamed. It resulted in a huge problem of 2 meals out of sync at the same table. He was finished with his, and I was still waiting. To me, this is a major irritant. We are there together to eat lunch together. Deleted comment. All the food was top-notch, the timing, way off, a server should know better. We will try again and will speak up if the cold vs hot arises again. read more

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The best crabs and drinks. I loved the service and when I left mission accomplished because I couldn't stand up Love to the bartender ate those succulents crabs for days and I will be coming back for more read more

Everything about this place is quintessential old world, neighborhood, family crab house. Thoroughly enjoyed our first visit, from the delicious, giant orange roughy sandwich special to the lump crab cake with homemade coleslaw & fries. Maryland crab soup some of the best I have ever had. Top all that off with friendly service from the two sister owners and a couple of Natty Bohs. We will be back! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]I walked into a packed bar, fellas shooting pool in the back, and a seat-yourself dining room with an open table for me.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]On a Monday night, when a large portion of the industry is closed, Schultz's was fully open for business.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I started with a bowl of MD crab soup, and ordered the 6oz Jumbo Lump Crab cake and Fried Shrimp combo. 90 seconds after doing so, I was presented with a piping hot bowl of soup and a steamy loaf of sliced white bread. If I had no self-control, I would have eaten the entire loaf, along with the cold salty spreadable container of butter that accompanied it. You've been warned. The soup teleported me back to family crab feasts. Could it have had more crab meat? Yes. Should it have? Nope. It's not a crab cake in broth, it's a home made, beefy vegetable soup with crab and an "old bay" style seasoning. Not too spicy, but my sinuses were clear before I finished the bowl. I burnt my tongue on the mashed potatoes and perfectly thick gravy. It was hotter than I expected, good job Shultz's and shame on me. Fortunately, I didn't exactly burn myself, no taste buds were damaged, or if they were, I didn't notice. The coleslaw, clearly homemade, is slightly sweet and balanced with an abundance of green pepper. The fried shrimp were succulent, butterflied tail-on shrimp in a light batter that could easily work on oysters as well. And there were plenty of them. Now, you need to know that filling in a crab cake is a necessary evil. You can't fry or broil a cup of crabmeat and expect a delicious outcome. (Well, surely you can, but the result is not a crab cake) What you want is a mix of mayo, egg, bread crumbs and spices that elevates the crab and allows you to form a presentable patty. What you don't want is to lose the crabmeat to the breading. Clearly, the kitchen staff at Schultz's know this and they execute it perfectly. They produced a beautiful crab cake, over loaded with huge chunks of backfin that are barely held together with a delicious and relatively light batter. If you're outside of the fine state of Maryland, you will struggle to find an amazing dish loaded with "blue crab." If you're in the state of Maryland, you can find crabmeat everywhere, from 5 star establishments to corner stores. But they're certainly not all amazing. Tonight, here at Shultz's, I enjoyed amazing. read more

don't buy steamed crabs, crabcakes , crabimperial, etc.... any place else ; they have been the best for 56 years! Not to mention they're freshly baked hot bread that's the best read more

Man o man, if your ever in Essex, make it your justice to stop in Schultz's just once for some crabs. Established in 1969, Schultz's is a classic Baltimore seafood staple, that specializes in delicious home-made entrees and Chesapeake style crab cakes. What I love about this place is that you feel right at home. The food and service was phenomenal. We mainly came for some crabs last Sunday and they were nice and hot and beer was good and cold. It was 4 of us, so we just did 2 dozen crabs which was plenty for us, along with a plethora of other bites such as the steam shrimp, the crab fluff, their Maryland crab soup( not pictured) and the snickers cheesecake( not pictured) but was also delicious. And their price point for crabs was right on the money, with the current inflation with everything, Schultz's is the way to go for crabs. I will definitely return whenever I'm in the Essex area. Until next time read more

Schultz's Crab House - Crabs come to the table piping hot - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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I met with 13, guys which retired from the beer, wine, and liquor industry, for lunch. Schultz's is a bar/restaurant located in a residential neighborhood in East Baltimore. It is known for its selection of seafood, steamed crabs in particular. On this Wednesday the special was Sour Beef and dumplings, which several of us ordered. They were amazing! The beef was fork tender, the gravy perfectly thickened and not too sour. It came which 3 good sized dumplings which seemed to have been flash fried after being boiled. They were the best ever. Service was top notch as our waiter was also the manager. Pricing was such a great value, I look forward to returning when the crab season begins to get better. read more

Great food, no waiting, goes the extra mile. Fresh ingredients and takes the time to do it right. Good service. Will be back.

I love Schultz's,been going there for years..Best crab prices ,and they are the best around,seasoned perfectly..My first ever complaint..I got the "half n half soup", regular soup and cream of crab.Just wasn't their best....But I will go back!! read more

Schultz's has been around since the late '60s, and they offer various apps (hushpuppies, hot cheese balls, coconut shrimp, loaded rounds, etc.), raw items, soups, salads, sandwiches, platters, seafood specials, various sides, and even kid options. The hubs and I came here for an early dinner, and, honestly, I was pretty excited! We ordered: +Crab Pretzel (I wasn't really a fan of the crab dip; the pretzel itself was just okay) +Fried Mushrooms (probably one of the best fried mushrooms I've had! Large-sized juicy mushrooms with the perfect crispy batter; a side of ranch sauce was the perfect complement!) +a double order of Jumbo Lump crabcakes (really good crabcakes! Hardly any fillers in here - they were meaty, flavorful, and so good!) +an order of large-sized steamed blue crabs (meaty and delicate, the Old Bay seasoning blend that they used was quite delicious; don't forget to ask for some vinegar and extra seasoning to dip your meat in Service was so welcoming and friendly, and the atmosphere is quite relaxed. There are two entrances to this place, where one goes into their bar area, and the other into their dining area; it doesn't matter which one you go through as they're both connected. Looking forward to coming back during the season! Plenty of free street parking in the residential area. +tasty crabs! +great crabcakes! +delicious Fried Mushrooms! +friendly staff! +plenty of street parking in the residential area read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Long time neighborhood favorite with a hometown feel.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Best waitresses anywhere. Crabs and seafood menu are outstanding. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Invite a few family and friends and celebrate the good life on the East side of town![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

i just had a backfin crabcake on white bread.. i've been going to Schultzs for over 18 years.Never been disappointed,unpredictable tonight..So much filler,doesn't taste like a Schultzs crab cake.This doesn't mean i won't go back,because they are an awesome crab house... read more

Schultz's Crab House - Crab cake... - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

Service wasn't great. They weren't too busy either for that to be an excuse. Crabs were mediocre and the crab soup was pretty good, thankfully. Personally I get better service and better food at Costa's. read more

OK the ambiance is local bar but the food is excellent particularly anything crab related. Nice portions. Maybe a bit expensive but everything is expensive these days. On the James Beard Classics list for a reason. (I've been to about a dozen of the places on that list and pretty much all were amazing even if half of them were random holes in the wall thst you wouldn't expect for a second to have the best food of your life in.) read more

If you go here for steamed crabs and only crabs you're good to go. Prices aren't bad for crabs in this area so thumbs up there. Other foot that isn't strictly steamed crabs, steer clear. Went to dinner here with my wife and a friend that was visiting and we were all very put off by the food. They were out of crabs that night :( read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]What a great place![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We came from Jersey to see a boat and wanted to get crabs... the staff... and the food... were amazing!! What a great place!!! read more

What's up foodie fams! Today I got a chance to try some righteous and super amazing crab cakes in Essex, MD. This place is in a quaint little area near the water. The place itself was neat but opted to eat outside. Ordered the crab imperial and lump of crab cake with side of coleslaw and steamed broccoli. First off...you can see the huge crab meat peeking out of the crab cake like it's teasing you. As I dug into the appealing ball of crab cake, it was almost all meat! There is almost no breading if any! That's how you do crab cakes! Eh hem...the flavor was sooo delicious. Well seasoned on the outside and baked to crabby perfection with a little season on the inside, every bite is happiness . The crab imperial is super savory with a concocted mayo sauce made in house. Pair this with the complimentary house made warm bread and you'll be wanting more. Come eat here if you get the chance. Till next time, stay safe and healthy. SUPER NOM!!! read more

Schultz's Crab House - Crab cake and crab imperial in the back. - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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Got: Lump crab sandwich, fried rockfish fritters, seafood gumbo, dozen crabs Price: $40 for dozen crabs, lump crab was slightly expensive but still fair what it was Value: Good value for high-quality seafood and great service Great service, friendly, attentive, and efficient! The bread rolls were homemade and came out warm. The crab soup and seafood gumbo were slightly over seasoned but still delicious and perfect when eaten with the fresh bread. The crab cakes were divine and seasoned well, perfect in a sandwich or with bread. Might be a little too seasoned if eaten alone? Anyways, the whole crabs were the star. A dozen for $40, local, and sweet. There are different sizes (bigger = more expensive) but the dozen we got was the smallest size. Overall, a great place for high-quality seafood and great service. Local and fresh! :) read more

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We googled and found this place during our drive back on a trip from VA to NY. It's an old local traditional bar/restaurant kind of place. We needed someplace has outdoor and pet friendly which they offered. It was the 1st day in May and the restaurant were not quite have outdoor set up for the season yet, but they were so kind and nice to set up a table for us when I called. Upon arrival, I could smell the old bay spice in the air. We ordered one dozen of the medium (biggest they have in early season) steamed blue crabs. It really hit the spot as we couldn't find any in Virginia Beach. And to my surprise, the jumbo lump crab cake was the best I've had throughout this trip! I am so glad we took a detour and stop by Schultz's. read more

Schultz's Crab House - Steamed blue crabs - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

Nice local food spot. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Building is old and I don't think it's has been updated in years.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food is always hot and fresh. Crab cakes are always good. read more

Came here to visit family from Los Angeles and immediately drove here to try their crabs. Had crab cakes and of course steamed crabs. Lump and backfin crab with their crab cakes. It was good more backfin than lump. The steamed crabs here big and seasoned well. Def a lot of work for some crab meat but worth it. Bread was delicious and warm. Side dishes green beans it was canned and broccoli was steamed a tad bit longer than I wanted. But overall. Good experience. read more

Schultz's Crab House - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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Que Giligans Island music because I went on a 3 hour tour to find crabs. Yes. 3 hours! We went to our normal crab place, they were having a private party so we went to another We'll know crab place and they had a power outage. Go figure! Lol. Finally we decided to try Schultz's Crab House. We were so relieved when we were immediately seated and had our drinks in 5 minutes tops. The crabs we great and can I say the most affordable price I've found this far?! They even threw in extras. Our waitress was the sweetest and kept checking on us. There's a pool table in the bar area and we watched a few entertaining games. I would definitely come back to Schultz. It's a neighborhood family owned crab house with all the feels. Til next time! read more

As old school as it gets. After looking for crab house options on a recent road trip to the Baltimore area, I stumbled upon Schultz's. After seeing Schultz's name on every top 10 list and seeing that it was even recognized by JBF as an 'America's Classic' recipient, I knew we had to drop in to see what the buzz was about. My wife and I came here on a recent Friday evening at about 7pm and the restaurant was already buzzing. There were cars lined up and down the block and more trying to look for parking nearby as the restaurant was located in a residential area. Everyone who was parked nearby was in the restaurant. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a large bar with tons of people already surrounding it. In order to get seated, we had to make our way around it. There was a wait for a dinner table, but it was only a few minutes. Everything I read about this place was true. It was truly a classic with it's wooden walls, no frills decor and quick service. The menu was pretty big with page to page seafood in all forms, raw, broiled, fried - you name it, they had it. We were obviously here for the old bay crabs, but to get things started we ordered a few appetizers and an entree. First, we went with the hot cheese balls and fried mushrooms. The hot cheese balls were like small round mozzarella sticks. To be honest, they weren't anything special, but they were a decent starter. As for the fried mushrooms, now those were a real winner. My wife and I love mushrooms, but when it's fried? and hot? Mmmm mmmm, delicious, fried goodness. We highly recommend the fried musrhooms to start with. Next, we ordered the Crab Cake and Fried Shrimp platter with a side of fries and cole slaw. The Crab Cake was one of the best we had ever tried. It was so meaty and full of crab. Typically, crab cakes lack crab and have too much breading stuck in between, but not this one. Lastly ..... the crabs. We ordered a dozen of the medium crabs, which came out to $38 total. We thought it was going to cost more, but surprisingly it was only $38. The crabs arrived on a large plate and were stacked one on top of the other. They were pretty typical of the crabs we tried at other crab houses, but I will say they were less salty than others, which was a good thing. The crabs had plenty of meat and were easy to take a part as well. From the moment we walked in, the restaurant was bustling. It was very loud inside, but it never bothered us as this was a casual restaurant after all. Our waitress couldn't have been any friendlier too. She was so nice and patient with us. At the end of our meal, we bought a few of the T-shirts that the restaurant sold as they were located towards the back. Our experience here couldn't have been better and it's definitely a crab house I'd recommend to anyone looking for a legit crab dining experience. read more

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*** JBF America's Classic (2017) *** #20 *** I drove 2 hours each way from DC while I was on a one night trip to the east coast... and I won't say it wasn't worth it. I probably wouldn't do it again, but since it might be the closest that I get to Schultz's, it was worth doing it one time to try that CRAB CAKE. Yes, you've heard it before and you'll hear it again, it's the best crab cake that you'll ever have. The fresh baked bread is also pretty epic too. I was trying not to ruin my appetite by eating the bread, but I almost polished the whole thing off because it was so good. Warm and soft and perfect with a bit of butter melted on top. Prices here are insanely reasonable. I ordered the seafood platter and for under $40 had enough food for 3 large meals. It was high quality seafood too - scallops, shrimp, crab, white fish, etc. It was all fried though, which would not be my ideal way to eat seafood, especially high quality seafood like this which doesn't need to be fried, but I ordered it so I can't complain about it. While the seafood was good, there was nothing stand out about it, but those crab cakes and bread are a must get. Service was friendly. They had to move me from my table because a large party came in and I was obnoxiously sitting by myself in the middle of a section, but they were super apologetic about it and kept thanking me for moving (so not a big deal). read more

Schultz's Crab House - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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This restaurant is definitely a hidden gem! I am visiting from out of state and wanted to try the crab. I opted to try a local spot rather than one of the tourists famous locations and that was the best decision I made! The steamed crab was perfectly seasoned and the lump crab cake was to die for! read more

Our group of 7 monthly diners decided to go for a late lunch to Schultz's to enjoy the Sour Beef and Dumplings special that they offer on Wednesday and Sunday. We called ahead as they requested, since they do not take reservations. When we arrived, they had a table for 8 ready for us. Krystle was our server, and she did a fantastic job keeping all the orders straight and taking care of separate checks by couple. She had the perfect personality for our group - she was so upbeat and pleasant. She made our dining experience great. Four of us enjoyed the Sour Beef and Dumplings Special - the beef was so tender, the sauce perfect and the 3 large dumplings were amazing. The others enjoyed a Crab Cake dinner, Fried Shrimp dinner, and a hot Roast Beef Sandwich with gravy. We were so into our meals that we forgot to take pictures. We all enjoyed our lunches! read more

This spot is serving great Seafood, and stands by its name as a Crab house! The interior is adorned with wall hangings of swordfish and old charm wood paneling. They have been in business since 1969 and still standing, so you know they are serving good meals and their servers were all pleasant and tentative. A great menu selection and various seafood dishes besides the steamed crabs. The seafood gumbo soup was excellent, heaping with seafood in every spoon! Cos fish platter was 5 pieces of perfectly battered cod with juicy fish in between the golden layer of fried batter. Scrabble cakes were real lump crab cakes and a good portion served with sides. The cucumber salad and coleslaw were perfectly prepared, with a hint of German Bavarian sweetness in their preparation. Also their sourdough bread was excellent. They also have a large sit down bar with a pool table on the side of you just want a few drinks with hush puppies! Those by the way, were excellent as well and served with a sweet dipping cinnamon cream butter. Definitely worth going out of your way to experience a great seafood meal. read more

Schultz's Crab House - Gumbo seafood soup! - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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Help us on Yelp, please. How does a restaurant not have any butter knives available at 8 pm on a Friday night? Also, [[HIGHLIGHT]]both my husband and myself witnessed a waitress heavily sweeping the kitchen carpet back and forth then shaking and throwing the rug in the air towards two woman sitting at the table nearest to the kitchen[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. Wow! How oblivious and stupid people are. read more

We stopped here on the way home from Baltimore. It was Memorial Day and it was the third place I called that was actually open. The crabs were excellent, and my wife got the fried fish which was really good, esp with a little malt vinegar. Highly recommend. They were short staffed but still had good attitudes. read more

Absolutely the best crab cake I have ever had in Maryland. It's not loaded with Old Bay or breadcrumbs. What you taste.... is crab! The place seems old, darkly lit. Wood interior. It's quaint... delicious and a must try! read more

Schultz's Crab House - Interior - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

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Crab bisque full of crab. Md crab soup was also tasty. Add a pinch of salt. Soft shell platter was funomenal. Got 12 hards which are great in a nice friendly place. Killians on tap and blue moon w orange. read more

Schultz's Crab House - Enjoyn' 12+ - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Maryland

Back for a second time... A 20 on a scale of 1 to 10! ... The hostess was the sweetest girl, I wish I got her name. Our server was Frank... He's so much more than a server... He's an incredibly nice guy and has worked here for 43 years! That says a lot for the owners and the place. What to have... Well, have the crab bisque and .... Everything else! Do not miss this place! read more