Looking back at our experience I can't find one criticism about the River Shack. The crabs were really good - sweet and tender. I guess the all you can eat size was a bit small but for the price - $36 (or was it $38...) a good deal. The corn bread is excellent and the corn was perfectly done and very sweet. The wait staff is the treasure at this place, even better than the food - very friendly, they all seemed happy to be there, attentive without being intrusive. I live about 45 minutes and $8 in tolls away - I'll be back this summer. read more

Good food horrible service waited forever for food no one checked on us for drinks other tables were ignored completely not sure what was wrong read more

Lots better than Woody's but flies abounded in the dining area and the server was rather hard to find when needed. We might have ordered another round or some dessert, but there was no one about to take the order. (Only three other tables besides ours were occupied, so I guess it wasn't due to being busy). We were between lunch and dinner time so that is sometimes the case. I was looking forward to the rockfish. The fish was fresh but is was overcooked and swimming in butter. Maybe that's what people like, since it resembled what many local restaurants do with it. I would probably give it another shot next time I'm in the area.... read more

The absolute best all you can eat crab spot ever!! The chicken was great the corn was great EVERYTHING WAS GREAT !! Can't wait till my return read more

If you love crab, this place is for you! Fresh crab in every style- on pretzels, in dip, or in the shell! Really loved the sand and picnic table back porch. Very nice to eat outdoors and feel the fresh air while having a local beer. Pricing was a little high but that's to be expected when having fresh seafood. 100$ for 2. Don't let the price tag scare you though, I left the spot with a full tummy and a smile on my face! read more

The River Shack - Fresh crab seasoned with old bay! - Seafood Near Me - Charlestown, Maryland

Soooooooo cute. Mock beach set up great service not to far from the highway. We stopped as a little break from Philadelphia. Seated immediately given multiple options for crabs 6, 12 large smalls then all u can eat. We had a dozen of the large very filling great quality. Also had the crab pretzel addicting!!!! read more

The River Shack - Seafood Near Me - Charlestown, Maryland

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After living within 10 minutes for over twenty years and trying a few times over the past few years we finally found the River Shack and sure glad we did. Wellwood was good but always felt a little dated and for older crowd. With COVID we got the food to go and everything was delicious. Crab cake, fried chicken, oysters Rockefeller, crab bisque. We also asked for smith island cake which is typically only available over at the Wellwood but the guy went over and got it for us. Definitely will be back and once damn COVID is over can't wait to get crabs and chicken! read more

Great day for crabs! We arrived around 6, and we were told it would be about 45 minutes for a table outside. We went in and ordered drinks at the bar. We got a call after about 15 minutes telling us we had a table. We took our drinks outside with us. We ordered six oysters (which were huge) and a dozen large crabs. The crabs were large and delicious. Our wait staff was attentive and brought us whatever we needed. We will definitely be back. read more

Love this place! The food has been delicious every time we have been there. Last weekend we had a very large group and they were extremely accommodating. The food was great and the service top notch! The girls that waited on us could not have been nicer or more patient with our large group! The fried chicken was outstanding as well as the crab fries (covered in actual crab meat) and a delicious cheese sauce. I heard that the crab cakes were "The best I have ever had" from anyone that ordered them. My steamed peel and eat shrimp were hot, tasty and delicious. It's such a great place to visit and we will definitely be back again and again. read more

I ordered the dozen large crabs and they were over seasoned with old bay. After they brought me a bucket to wash them off they were very good. I couldn't finish them all there so I brought them home and made crab cakes out of the meat, they were still very good the next day and after being cold. They did cost $96 which I thought was extremely excessive, but I'd go back and probably order something different bc of the price. read more

Visit when it's not crowded, you'll get a much better experience. The crowd can be a little rough at times. Love the option of sitting outside with your feet in the sand. Great rockfish bites and oysters. Crushes are the best around! read more

This place is absolutely amazing. The food is great and the atmosphere is amazing. There is no rush to leave. The wait staff is attentive and lets you enjoy your meal. We come down yearly from northern NJ for the day just to have a meal here. Don't miss it. This place is a gem !!!! The fried chicken is the best I have ever had. read more

Love the food. Crab was great and help is willing to help with first timers to blue crab. Service was great.

Nothing likd a good steak cook the way u want it n they can cook it anyway its the best burger will mealt in your mouth great place for your family to eat read more

Service was kind of slow getting to us but the Crabs are better and bigger than most all you can eats. The Corn was very good too and live music was the topper! read more

BEEN Going to RiverShack for years and always had a wonderful time! We have ate inside And outside! Always service was top notch until this weekend! This server was on one Speed and it was SLOW!! You could tell she didn't want to be there! So here's to Lil Miss Cortnie next time you don't feel like coming to work call in sick! Because you can ruin a persons visit! Luckily I have been there and know that the service is always TOP NOTCH! But somebody never been there before would never return with the service you gave! The night before we ate in the Wellwood right next door and our server Jessica was on top of everything! Food is always good there & the RiverShack! Saturday we had a dozen of Medium Crabs and they were huge & very heavy! Then Sunday we got the Jumbos! OMG So Delis! I also must say we had many Apps. Sat. We had Firecracker Shrimp Flatbread pizza Shrimp Tacos were Outstanding! Then also on Sunday we also had the Stuffed Buffalo Bites they were soooo good! If you like blue cheese you must try them! We also had Chicken Wings which were fried to perfection! All in all we had a wonderful weekend! And can't wait to return!!!! read more

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....mmmmmmmm Clams Steamers... Crabs 'n fried chicken! ... one great lit'l find if ever driving through and can afford a break to cross over Pulaski Highway from the interstate to find this place on the water for a nice dinner. read more

Driving from Boston to DC this is worth the detour! Sit outside, dig your bare tootsies into the sand and rock out to the great tunes while you crack those crab, enjoy the fried chicken, crabby patty or anything else your party orders. This place is THE BEST read more

Can't wait to go back! Stumbled on this place thanks to Yelp and so glad we did! Hubby had the chicken and I had the all you can eat crabs. So good! read more

The River Shack - All you can eat crabs - Seafood Near Me - Charlestown, Maryland

This is a great little place to unwind and grab a drink and snack. They have a great drink selection and the food was awesome!

We are frequent customers of the Wellwood and went to the river shack last season with excellent experiences. DEFINITELY NOT this year! When we came in the seats were covered in what looked like pre chewed chicken. Then when we ordered water (which apparently means we don't deserve service at all) the server never came back. We won't be returning... read more

We went here on Monday of Labor Day Weekend and had all you can eat crabs. I was very disappointed. The crabs were light, not just in weight, but in seasoning. We had to ask for more Old Bay. In addition, the corn was not shucked. Our waitress told us that the kitchen was 'cutting corners' because they had been so busy all weekend. Once we shucked our corn, we found that it wasn't even ripe! Perhaps we could have overlooked all of the food issues, if the service had been good. But, alas, the service was terrible. Our waitress took forever to bring drink refills, forgot the items that we asked for, and was generally inattentive. There are several crab houses in the area with better food and service. I will not be back here. read more

The atmosphere is great, sat outside and enjoyed the setup. Service was ok- nothing exceptional but also not bad. Food took very long to come out. While everyone else in their party enjoyed their meals I did not like mine but overall food was good and fair priced. read more

Absolutely the best crab house in the area, unfortunately all of the locals know it so this place gets busy. 6 Large Crabs, Fish Bites, Crab Bisque + Beer = Dinner for 2 Bit pricey but still worth it. read more

Crab shack is located within a residential part of Charlestown, MD. The crabs can't be beat. We ordered 2 dozen of the mediums and they looked more like larges. The fried chicken is addicting and the meat on their BBQ ribs come right off the bone. The option of outdoor seating is fantastic on a sunny day. The prices are very reasonable. Can't wait to go back! read more

NOT REAL BUTTER, though waitress and manager told me it was. Its a oil mix. I trusted them, and got very sick.

The best crab house I ever went! It has beach-like outside seat and band at night. It is located by the coast too, very nice to visit.

Came here for Fathers Day. We had reservations made. When we arrived we were seated right away on the patio. My son and I had all the crabs you can eat and my wife and daughter ordered from the menu. All meals were really good. Service was a little slow but the girl was pretty busy. Jazz band was playing which added to the atmosphere. We had a nice time and enjoyed the day. We will come back before the end of the season. read more

Had such a lovely lunch here we returned for dinner. Great drink specials... had an orange crush and a watermelon crush... amazing food, cute patio and indoors. We have the sushi a try and were not disappointed. Their signature roll features lobster and A MOUNTAIN of lump crab meat. Loved it! read more

This was a spontaneous stop for us and we will definitely be going back! The atmosphere was fun and relaxing and I love that the floor is soft sand! Our waitress was awesome and so was the food runner! We got hush puppies, a buffalo chicken pizza, and a shrimp basket. The food was fast and delicious and our drinks were never empty. The side of coleslaw that came with the shrimp basket was a disappointment because it was soooo small and the Buffalo pizza needed more Buffalo sauce but overall it was satisfying. After we ordered we noticed most people getting crabs or fried chicken so we're planning on going back to try those! The live music was pretty bad but it was also comical so it didn't ruin our experience. I've already called by parents telling them we found a new restaurant to take them to the next time they come for a visit! read more

Been here several times. The crabs are always good and seasoned well. The fried chicken is the best in the country. Can't beet it anywhere. Had the chicken cheeses steak and it is filling. Staff is pretty good. Can't go wrong at this place. A little on the pricey side, but well worth it. Good for the whole family. read more

made a reservation and confirmed that we could get all you can eat but once we got there they said we are too late to get the all you can eat. when we told them they were the ones who confirmed and we actually drove 2hrs hust to get there, they acted like they are doing us a favor to let us have all you can eat. And gave us a one dozen crabs for 7 people at 8pm after 30 min they came back to tell us that they are going to start steaming crabs for us when they close at 9. sp what were they doing for 30 min??? whats the point of all you can eat when you can get maybe 2 doz in an hour after spending 35.99per person?? so ridiculously rude to ppl and they thought they could get away with an excuse for giving us free corn????? i do not recommend this place. read more

Food is good but waited an hour and a half to get in and about the same time to leave since they locked us in the parking area and instead of unlocking it wandered around aimlessly trying to get people inside the restaurant to move their cars will update review next time if the staffing is a little more adequate read more

Came here on business and we stayed at the comfort inn and suites in North east and at check in I notice a sign in lobby about this restaurant and that a shuttle would pick us up and take us back to hotel. we had a few drinks at the bar met nice couple the Potters awesome people and then we went and ate outside I had the best soft shell Maryland crab in the world and my friend had the shrimp. We finished it off with chocolate martinis and took a walk down the boat yard and then we got a ride back to hotel. We really had a awesome time the atmosphere couldn't be better the food was awesome and we had a lot of laughs. I highly recommend this spot it had everything. they also have a lot of theme nights wish we could have stayed longer but we will be back. Thank you!!!! read more

River Shack has absolutely great service & delicious food! The fish dinner melts in your mouth. Serving size is more than an adult can eat. Chicken of course is delicious and moist. Family atmosphere yet am able to have a beer. Eat inside or out - I've ate here multiple times and I don't have a single complaint. Except that they close Oct-May. read more

A little pricy but fun to sit outside and eat crabs. Kids played in the sand.They had toys for them which was nice to keep them occupied while we adults enjoyed the food. Will return. read more

This is an email I sent for just the Wellwoodabout a horrific experience, but it has the same owner so here is the email..... To the Owner, I wanted to write to let you know how disappointing my visit was this past Saturday evening on July 23, 2011. I have been to The Wellwood, and the Rivershack more recently, several times over the past 10 years and have had some good food and not really any problems. That all changed on Saturday. I was down with my wife, my best friend and his wife and two children (7 months and almost two years old). I called earlier in the late afternoon and mad a reservation for 6:45pm. I was told that we may have to wait a few minutes. We arrived at the Wellwood at 6:40. When we walked into the waiting are by the hostess stand the first thing that I noticed was that the air was not even running in the room. The heat this past weekend was very high, but the room had to be at least 90 degrees. Hardly a way to treat your guests waiting to pay you money for food. Then I went to the hostess stand to check in and let them know that we were here for the reservation at 6:45. The hostess thought I was picking up a to-go order for some reason, and once we cleared that up she did not say that we would have to wait, so I thought that we would be seated at 6:45. Well at 6:55 I asked her if we were being seated soon. She said she really had no idea, people were not getting up and that was it. No time estimate or anything. So I waited another 15 minutes before asking again. In the meantime a guy came in with a 7pm reservation at 6:58 and was seated immediately. I went to see again what the wait would be at 7:10 (25 minutes after the reservation). I was told again they did not know how long it would be, yet they say a 6 top in the bar and some fours and 2 that could have easily sat 4 adults and 2 children in high chairs. Then around 7:20 group of 6 that had a reservation walked right in and were seated immediately. I waited a few minutes and then asked how much longer. I was told they were clearing a table and it would be 5 minutes. I was a bit upset that the 6 topes were seated ahead of us, but I decided not to complain at that point because we were finally going to be seated (I thought at 7:25). So at 7:30 I went back to the hostess stand and was told they were still waiting to clear the table (10 minutes later). Now I was upset. I asked how the 6 top go seated ahead of us. The hostess told me that they made a reservation weeks ago. REALLY!!! This is how you do business? You leave 2 small children in an overheated room while some middle age people can waltz right in? these two kids had been waiting for 40 minutes and had to watch at least 25 people get seated ahead of them (not counting the outside seating). So now I am livid. I tell me buddy and his wife to take the kids home because at this point it is getting close to their bedtime (we had thought we would be done by 8 to 8:30 and who knows when we would be seated. I ask the hostess on last time at 7:40 (55 minutes after the reservation time) and she said they are still working on it, and I complained some more and she told me I can talk to tthe owner if I want. I said yes I do. Then ten minutes later I had to ask her again to see the owner. She gave me a dirty look and then went to find you. She came back and told me he did not have time to talk to me. I have worked in the restaurant business for 15 years and this was the worst experience I have even had at a restaurant. The hostesses made me feel like I was doing something wrong asking why it was talking so long and why people were being seated ahead of us. Not once was there an apology for the wait or the inconvenience that we were experiencing. I would like to know, is this how you plan to do business? Does the training program you have for hostesses include that the customer is never right, you always are? Because that is how I felt at your establishment. I would like to hear back from you to explain the situation. You have been open a long time and one would think you know how to handle a busy Saturday night, but two days ago you proved otherwise. I must say I used to recommend your place but after Saturday I am going to tell as many people as possible to avoid your place like the plague. I look forward to hearing from you about why we experienced what we did, and please do not say that 'people were not getting up.' read more

Was going to the wellwood for lunch and it was closed...drove by the river shack and it was open...think the wellwood lost a lunch customer...had a meat and a chicken soft taco...both were excellent...will be back to try their personal pizza...have had their fried chicken which is very good...and as I mentioned in a prior review the mussels are very good...look forward to another meal here. read more

Just had dinner here and the food and service was fantastic! It was my first time eating whole crabs and Kelsey, my waitress was very attentive and showed me how to pick them. They also had $1 oysters on the half-shell, which were also great. read more

been itching to eat some crabs for a few months and the iance and I had free time nd went down to Maryland to Wellwood's River Shack. we went around 12pm when it opened so the place wasn't yet crowded (around 1pm the place was getting more and more packed). we wet with the all-you-can-eat at $48/pp. the entrée included a couple of their homemade fried chicken and a few hushpuppies (we wanted to save room for the crabs so we didn't get a chance to ea them as leftovers to-go because we accidentally left them behind :-(....). the crabs were very delicious. we had 2 dozen and weren't able to eat anymore (food coma soon fell upon use afterwards lol). great time and food. would like to come back again in a year. read more