I came to this event with a group of people. We had lunch here and then some shopping and a Patriot cruise afterwards. I was impressed with the lunch. The fried chicken was nice and crunchy with just the right amount of seasoning. The crab cake was good as well with minimal breading. Also seasoned just right. You could see the crabmeat upon cutting into the crabcake. The service was good. I would love to come back and check out other items on the menu. This is located right on the water so the window views can be exciting as well. Especially on a beautiful sunny day. If you like to take day trips. I highly recommend. read more

The Crab Claw - This was a very good lunch. Included rolls and a baked potato - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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We stopped by The Crab Claw on a sunny afternoon in St. Michaels, and honestly, it was exactly what we were hoping for classic Maryland seafood with a front-row seat to the water. The place feels like it's been part of the town forever (and it has!), with that perfect mix of old-school charm and "dockside picnic" energy. We grabbed a table outside where boats were literally pulling up to the dock, gulls flying overhead, and the smell of steamed crabs in the air heaven. We ordered a big pile of steamed blue crabs, some crab cakes, and a round of cold drinks. Everything tasted super fresh, full of that signature Old Bay flavor, and just messy enough to make it fun. The staff was super friendly the kind of folks who make you feel like a regular even if it's your first time there. Things moved at a relaxed pace (which fit the vibe perfectly), and the view as the sun started to set over the Miles River was unreal. Sure, it's not fancy but that's what makes it great. You come for the crabs, the atmosphere, and the "this is what summer tastes like" feeling. If you're visiting St. Michaels, The Crab Claw is a must. Bring your appetite, some friends, and maybe an extra napkin or two -- you'll need them! read more

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I always visit the crab Claw when i'm in St Michaels. In fact I asked my wife to marry me in the restaurant 26 years ago. It always been OK, sometimes better than others but never any major complaints. This year 2026, I visited with my wife and family and was so dissatisfied, I will probably not return. The fried food was a bit greasy, my wife ordered shrimp salad (24.95), and got about 1/2 cup of shrimp on a bed of lettuce and the rest of us had crabs. All they had available was medium. That wasn't the problem. The crabs were empty of meat. I mean really empty. We complained to the waiter and he said they would reduce the price. It got reduced to 168.00 for two dozen. thats 84.00 a dozen for the worst crabs I have ever eaten. I couldn't believe a restaurant, who should know better, would serve such substandard crabs and then charge you 7.00 a crab. We know crabs can be expensive, but we also believe we should get a desent product and not a bunch of empty shells. If the resturant wants to price their items like a high end resturant then the need to serve a product that matched that price. The management needs take a hard look at quality control. read more

Service was nice and polite We were on a bus trip from Pennsylvania. It was the worst meal I've ever eaten. I thought the crab cakes would be fantastic because of where we were. They were fried hard and looked like a hockey puck. The green beans tasted like they were poured from a can and heated up. The chicken was dry. I'm wondering if because we were on a bus trip they provided typical frozen food and heated it up. I mean, we did pay for a meal and this is what they served us. I'd give this restaurant a zero if it let me. Save your money and go read more

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This restaurant was definitely a great option. The food was delicious. I recommend in the next time I go on vacation. I will be returning there. read more

Ordered the crab cake and was unpleasantly surprised that A. It was mostly filler and B. It cost something like $35. Nice waitress.

Only my husband would find a server with the same name as him. Lou was a great server. The food was great. Service is great. I would recommend come here anytime read more

Easy breezy outdoor waterfront dining with yummy crab cakes and frozen drinks that are perfect for summer. read more

The Crab Claw - Chesapeake Bay Seafood Sampler - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

Excellent rockfish! My new favorite seafood place in Saint Michael's! The place is always crowded so be prepared to wait a bit for your meal. The servers do a great job keeping the drinks coming. This is a must have if you love crab and rockfish. read more

Stay away. I have been coming to St. Michael's for 20 years. Each time I come I give them a shot. Worse each time. Food, service okay. MANAGEMENT, or lack there of is deplorable. Total tourist trap. Ask the locals. Terrible. read more

Service was pretty good, but the food was extremely mediocre. The crab cake and salmon were bland, and the oyster was extremely salty. The whole crab was probably the only good thing we got. However, the price was too expensive for the quality of food overall. read more

Great food, friendly service, and unbeatable waterfront views. The dishes were fresh and flavorful, the staff attentive without being intrusive, and the atmosphere relaxing--especially with the scenic backdrop. A perfect spot for a memorable meal. Highly recommend! read more

Whether the outside weather is good or bad, we make a trip down from South Jersey every fall if we can and it never disappoints always a good experience food comes quickly and it's always above average. It just stinks that food prices are getting higher so that may deter us from coming as often. Beer is local and delicious. We always order a few pitchers while taking our time, eating those delicious crabs and watching the channel with the sparkly water and sailboats bopping by read more

The Crab Claw - Crab - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

Seafood restaurant in St. Michaels right on the water Sat outside. Clams were amazing but the food was average. Very pricey for seafood. Service was ok. read more

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Owner is extremely rude! I recommend any of the other nice restaurants in town. St. Michael's is a nice place but this restaurant is not included in that statement. read more

You can't visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and not stop in The Crab Claw for a bite. The place has a great vibe that just makes eating seafood all the more enjoyable. read more

The Crab Claw - Shrimp and Fries - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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This place is always Amazing! We always go here every summer at least once. It always a great treat and experience. Love love love it read more

Went here because it was rate top of 5 places to have crab. The crab cakes had filler and it was somewhat stringy. Not lump crab meat. For the price I was surprised the sides came out in small plastic Togo cups. The bathrooms were atrocious. The service was good. read more

For being a seafood restaurant it was very disappointing. Apparently they bring in all their seafood not getting from the local watermen. The crab balls had absolutely no flavor. The clams casino were greasy and the best part of the grilled tuna was the wasabi. We eat a lot of seafood so we know good seafood. We even asked if they had steak and were told by the waitress that the chef doesn't know how to cook a steak because they are a seafood restaurant. First and last. read more

Excellent service, fluffing great crab fluff, tasty eats and potent Bloody Marys, recipe for a good time. read more

The Crab Claw - Crab Fluff, it's fluffing delicious - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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We tried this place after the boat tour in wanting to support the local small business but really? They charged 11$/crab for peelers. Service was rude. Try another place. We did and it's way better. read more

Overall, great experience. Super-touristy of course, because of the waterfront location, but it delivers what the tourist wants: tasty, authentic seafood. My soft-shell crab sandwich hit the spot, the fries were crispy and golden brown, and it was all just perfect. The service could have been a touch more attentive, but was basically adequate. read more

The Crab Claw - a woman sitting at a picnic table - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

Located in St. Michael's, this is one of my favorite places to dine while in the Eastern Shore. They have a large outdoor seating area (big plus if you want to bring your dog) and a huge indoor dining room with excellent views. This time I ordered the 2 pounds of crab legs for $60 instead of steamed crabs. They had XL crabs priced at $156 for a dozen. These crab legs were the best ones I've had. They were huge and the meat just slides out from the shell. My daughter enjoyed the White Crab pizza. They have a parking lot adjacent to the restaurant. Service was slow, but which restaurant has fast service these days due to labor shortage. read more

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We are local and decided on an afternoon lunch . The view is pleasant. Service was acceptable. Unfortunately we were disappointed in the meal and price. One of us ordered a crab cake. It arrived on a bland hamburger bun. The crab cake was lump on the outside and claw meat inside. It was less than average. Sides were fries which were acceptable and a very small container of Cole slaw. The other was a fried soft shell sandwich on a crappy bun and the same sides. We did get a sliced tomato ( also bland) and lonely piece of romaine. One Pepsi with the meal. Food was mediocre at best. Price was 70.00 Definitely a tourist trap. I do not recommend this establishment. read more

A good destination for lunch or dinner. Great view of the harbor. Seafood is very good and service fast. The outdoor dining area is preferred with picnic tables. Boats may dock there and tie up for a meal. A short walk from S Talbot street. read more

I was so disappointed. I traveled a long distance to visit this town and restaurant. I did not order crabs but the couple next to me did. $50 a dozen for medium crabs but they did not receive them before I left so I couldn't ask their opinion. As for me, the menu stated "Fresh Flounder" which I verified with the waitress. The flounder was obviously frozen based on the texture and look. The meal was served with two sides which I selected a baked potato and coleslaw. The restaurant provided corn muffins. I would not recommend this meal. Very disappointing for a seafood restaurant on the Bay. The view was very nice though and service was good which is why I gave the overall rating three stars. read more

The Crab Claw - Baked flounder, coleslaw and baked potato. - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

First of all, bloody mary is good. Let's start there. Plus I requested celery and, to my delight, they came through. Ordered a crab cake and was happy with that, as well. On the water and just a short walk from where we were staying so very pleased all around. read more

We enjoyed a delicious meal at The Crab Claw while in St Michael's for the first time. Yes--it's a little pricey, but you're paying for very fresh seafood and a gorgeous view. We enjoyed a shrimp cocktail and a lump crabmeat cocktail as appetizers. Both were yummy, but the crabmeat cocktail was superior! It was a generous helping of backfin meat (market price that night was $23--fair). My husband loved his broiled seafood combination entrée, with fresh flounder, scallops, shrimp, and a sizeable crab cake. It was served with 2 sides, and the coleslaw slaw was a hit! I enjoyed 2 jumbo steamed crabs and had fun picking all the meat. They bring your butter over a tealight candle, so it melts at the table and doesn't congeal like at other establishments. I did not have room for dessert, but my husband had the Smith Island cake and LOVED every bite of the 10-layer confection. Our server, Olivia, and the other staff member we interacted with, Noah, were both delightful. We will definitely visit The Crab Claw the next time we visit St. Michael's! read more

The Crab Claw - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. This place sucks and expensive for some frozen ass blue crabs. We came here with high hopes that it would be the best seafood place because come on they're only open during the summer. I'm pretty sure one of the crabs I ate was bad, it smelled kinda funky, brown and rubbery. The seafood broiled platter was ass, it was over cooked. Don't get me started with the service. Our waiter was terrible, he didn't really checked on us or offered us refills on the drinks. Don't waste your time coming here. Spend your money somewhere else. read more

Food and service was good, I'd go back. Outdoor seating was nice. I had the raw oysters, very good.

This is really a 3.5. Fantastic location - any closer to the water and we might fall into it. Outdoor seating, with a great view, and that also meant Fercha the retriever could come. We got the shrimp app which was fresh, jumbo, delicious shrimp. The soft shell crab sandwich was good - not particularly flavorful or crunchy, which is what I was expecting. I'd come back again to try other things though. read more

The Crab Claw - Soft shell crabs sandwich - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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My extended family and I had dinner at this restaurant on the water and enjoy the succulent, crabs and steam shrimp. Great ambience and friendly service. Highly recommended for locals and out-of-towners. Reasonably priced. read more

I loved this place! Let me preface this review with my own story. I grew up going to the Maryland shore (Ocean City). I have very fond memories of cracking crabs and having a beer with generations of of my family, but especially my grandfather. This was a special thing we only really got to do with them about once a year growing up. I have now been to a few more of the towns on the eastern shore of Maryland, St. Michael's being one of them. We found this place by accident but I am glad we did. This is the place you want to go for an authentic crab cracking, Maryland fried chicken eating, experience. If you go with the proper mindset (seriously good food served casual), and want to get the feel of a real crab house in Maryland, then this is the place to go! Things to know: 1- This is not a fancy place. You will eat on picnic tables. They will put paper on top of them to crack your crabs. 2- The people are very nice. They are there to have fun. They know this is a little slice of heaven and will be wonderful to you if you are to them. 3- Have a crab claw beer and a dozen crabs. Just do it. Get the biggest ones they have in that day. Don't forget the pickles & cheese just for fun. 4- Love the experience of sitting on the bay with your family cracking crabs. There are few meals where you have to put your phone down. This is one of them. read more

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This place is down and dirty - don't expect linen napkins & tablecloths. Don't expect a wine sommelier. Don't expect real plates even. What should you expect? The best damn cream of crab soup I've ever had! Period! Beautiful crab flavor. Big clumps of crab meat. Luxurious velvety broth that's not too thick. And a picnic bench outside on the water to enjoy it all!!! Fancy? NO! But who cares! This place is a MUST! Go to The Crab Claw! You'll be very glad you did! read more

Absolutely fantastic blue crab but wow... What a ton of work to get to the meat! Also, the seating is outside in the sun, so it tends to get very, very hot read more

The Crab Claw - Oh no! The pinchers! - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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This was a fantastic suggestion from a local when I couldn't decide where the best place would be to get crabs. The variety of options listed on yelp with a wide variety of positive and negative reviews made the choice difficult. The local's recommendation was spot on in terms of crab and oyster dishes. The crab cakes were sensational- very meaty and not much filler. I had mine boiled which I think gave the best flavor. My son has them fried and they were done nicely as well. The sides of Cole slaw ( loved it) and fries (something I don't normally get but was recommended by our server) was perfectly done. The local oysters were outstanding- fresh and delicious!! Many menu options besides what we had chosen if preferred. The "crush" drinks were refreshing and very satisfying- I got the grapefruit "skinny" option and I loved it. Atmosphere was very nice - we sat upstairs (indoors) and it's the best view of the water. There is open air seating and covered seating below if you prefer being outdoors. The service was excellent. Parking is convenient and close by if needed. read more

The Crab Claw - Grapefruit crush and Orange crush - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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SAVE YOUR MONEY At of all the wonderful restaurants in St Michael's, my friend and I unfortunately chose to eat at the Crab Claw because it had a water view. WORST choice EVER. It cost us $ 60 for LUNCH and all we had was 2 Entrees and 2 soft drinks, they charged $ 8 for 2 iced teas in a plastic cup filled with ice.!! No appetizers or alcohol. I ordered the fish and Chips that was oily, greasy, and DISGUSTING that I couldn't even eat more than a couple bites. My friend had the Shrimp Taco's, the shrimp were tiny and coated with a lot of batter to appear bigger & didn't come with ANYTHING ELSE- no Chips, fries, salad- NOTHING and they had the audacity to charge $20 for that crap.The service was awful too, I had to search for my waiter even though there was only one other couple eating at the time.The owner should be ASHAMED!!!! read more

Arrived after a day at the MASCF event next door. Was worried that we'd not get seated due to the large amount of reserved tables spread across the porch. In addition our waiter just so happened to be the same guy that saw the line behind us as we were waiting and rolled his eyes. He certainly did not look like he was having a good day, but after a few questions as to the menu and taking his suggestions as to the Crab Dip and Steamer Pot he cracked a smile and seemed more at ease. The Crab dip @ 18.95 was absolutely delicious and well presented. My wife and I each had a a crab dip for ourselves as the appetizer was easily enough for 2-4 people as it was servers up atop a braided pretzel roll and topped with melted cheese. The steamer pot we ordered was most excellent and in came with corn, potatoes, mud bugs, snow crab, mussels, clams, oysters and shrimp for $39.99. There were ample amounts of condiments including cocktail sauce, butter and clam broth to accompany the seafood selections. There was easily enough to share as we split the platter between the two of us and after such a large appetizer, we had no room for dessert. The service warmed up to us as we engaged in conversation and the views along with the occasional duck walking by the table made for a really nice evening. Highly recommended. read more

The Crab Claw - Snow Crab, shrimp, oysters, mud bugs, mussels, clams, corn and potatoes. - Seafood Near Me - St. Michaels, Maryland

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Touristy spot on the water which meant very long waits for drinks and food. I understand that they were understaffed under the COVID restrictions. However, the food was simply underwhelming in taste and presentation. Everything tasted as if they had been freshly defrosted and slapped on the plate. We tipped our waitress well because we felt sorry she had to work under these conditions. read more

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3.5 We enjoyed our lunch outside on the deck except for a few minor things.... We seated ourselves on the dock because of the view and all was fine... until a super yacht pulled up and nearly choked us out with its fumes as it positioned to dock... goodbye view. Our server was OK. We had to remind her multiple times about forgotten drinks and condiments - maybe she was new, maybe she had too many tables. But the worst part? She forgot our bucket of oysters! We had to wait quite a bit for it to be brought out so instead of being an appetizer, it technically was a dessert. I liked that it was served with lemon, clam? juice and horseradish. I also had the salmon, which was OK. The side of vegetables was laughably tiny, served in a very small cup. Luckily, the weather held up, it didn't rain, and once we recovered from inhaling all that boat's gasoline fumes, we were able to enjoy our meal. read more