What’s better than a cold beer and a steamed crab? (A cold beer and a dozen steamed crabs, that was a trick question.) Here are CBM readers’ top choices for crabs, beer, oysters, and everything else.
Bold Mariner Brewing Company
Best Oyster Stew (MD)
Waterman’s Crab House, Rock Hall Bayou Restaurant, Havre de Grace
Fishermans Inn, Grasonville
McGarvey’s, Annapolis
Wellwood Restaurant, Charlestown
Best Oyster Stew (VA)
Merroir, Topping
Willaby’s Cafe, White Stone
Urbanna Oyster Festival, Urbanna
Best Oyster Festival (MD)
U.S. Oyster Festival, Leonardtown
OysterFest at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels
Rock Hall Fallfest, Rock Hall
The Great Havre de Grace Oyster Feast, Havre de Grace Annapolis
Oyster Roast & Sock Burning, Annapolis
Best Oyster Festival (VA)
Urbanna Oyster Festival, Urbanna
BOB Fest, Smithfield
Reedville Fishermen’s Museum Oyster Roast, Reedville
Deltaville Maritime Museum Oyster Roast and Dance, Deltaville
Shuck and Suck, Cape Charles
Best Crab Cake (MD)
Hammer’s Bar & Grill, Warwick
Boatyard Bar and Grill, Annapolis
Chesapeake Inn, Chesapeake City
Schaefer’s Canal House, Chesapeake City
TIE: G&M Restaurant, Linthicum Heights; Waterman’s Crab House, Rock Hall
Best Crab Cake, (VA) Surf Rider (multiple locations)
Smithfield Station, Smithfield
Merroir, Topping
The Crazy Crab, Reedville Yorktown Pub, Yorktown Best Soft-shell Crab Sandwich (MD) Cantler’s Riverside Inn, Annapolis Harris Crab House and Seafood Restaurant, Grasonville TIE: Chesapeake Inn, Chesapeake City; Harbor Shack, Rock Hall; Schaefer’s Canal House, Chesapeake City Happy Harbor, Deale Best Soft-shell Crab Sandwich (VA) Smithfield Station, Smithfield Riverwalk Restaurant, Yorktown Surf Rider (multiple locations) The Crazy Crab, Reedville Leadbelly’s Restaurant, Reedville Best Maryland Crab Soup (MD) Hammer’s Bar and Grill, Warwick Boatyard Bar and Grille, Annapolis Carrol’s Creek, Annapolis Chesapeake Inn, Chesapeake City Baywolf, Rock Hall Best She-Crab Soup (VA) Smithfield Station, Smithfield Mannino’s Italian Bistro, Virginia Beach & Portsmouth Surf Rider (multiple locations) The Table at Wilton, Deltaville The Crazy Crab, Reedville Best Community Crab Feast (MD) Rotary Club of Annapolis Crab Feast, Annapolis Hard Crab Derby, Crisfield Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Watermans’ Appreciation Day, St. Michaels Tilghman Island Day, Tilghman Community Crab Feast at Wilmer Park, Chestertown Best Community Crab Feast (VA) Deltaville Fire Department Crab Feast, Deltaville Crabby Blues Festival, Cape Charles Irvington Crab Festival, Irvington West Point Crab Carnival, West Point Best Waterfront Restaurant (MD) Chesapeake Inn, Chesapeake City Bridges, Kent Narrows Cantler’s Riverside Inn, Annapolis Blue Point Provision Company, Cambridge The Crab Claw Restaurant, St. Michaels Best Waterfront Restaurant (VA) Merroir, Topping Surfrider, Hampton Smithfield Station, Smithfield The Crazy Crab, Reedville Riverwalk Restaurant, Yorktown Best Bay-to-Table Restaurant (MD) Cantler’s Riverside Inn, Annapolis Harris Crab House and Seafood Restaurant Waterman’s Crab House, Rock Hall Blue Point Provision Company, Cambridge The Kitchen at the Imperial, Chestertown Best Bay-to-Table Restaurant (VA) Merroir, Topping Smithfield Station, Smithfield The Crazy Crab, Reedville Riverwalk Restaurant, Yorktown The Table at Wilton, Deltaville Best Brewery (MD) RAR Brewing, Cambridge Eastern Shore Brewing, St. Michaels Heavy Seas Brewing, Baltimore Bayheads Brewing Company, Chesapeake City Calvert Brewing Company, Upper Marlboro Best Brewery (VA) Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Norfolk Oozlefinch Craft Brewing, Fort Monroe O’Connor Brewing Company, Norfolk Big Ugly Brewing, Chesapeake Virginia Beer Company, Williamsburg Best Winery (MD) Crow Vineyard and Winery, Kennedyville St. Michaels Winery, St. Michaels Boordy Vineyards, Hydes Chateau Bu-De, Chesapeake City Mount Felix Vineyard and Winery, Havre de Grace Best Winery (VA) Good Luck Cellars, Kilmarnock The Dog and Oyster Vineyard, Irvington The Williamsburg Winery at Wessex Hundred, Williamsburg Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville King Family Vineyards, Crozet Best Seafood Festival (MD) Maryland Seafood Festival, Annapolis The Great Havre de Grace Oyster Feast Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum OysterFest, St. Michaels National Hard Crab Derby, Crisfield Tilghman Island Day, Tilghman Island Best Seafood Festival (VA) Urbanna Oyster Festival, Urbanna Deltaville Seafood Festival, Deltaville Poquoson Seafood Festival Shuck-N-Suck, Cape Charles Cape Charles Fire Department Annual Seafood Festival Best Oyster Bar (MD) TIE: Boatyard Bar and Grill, Annapolis; McGarvey’s, Annapolis Steak & Main, North East Harris Crab House and Seafood Restaurant, Grasonville Sailor Oyster Bar, Annapolis Awful Arthur’s Seafood Company, St. Michaels Best Oyster Bar (VA) Merroir, Topping Chick’s Oyster Bar, Virginia Beach Urbanna Seafood and Raw Bar, Urbanna Bubba’s Seafood Restaurant, Virginia Beach Best Dock Bar (MD) Lee’s Landing Dock Bar, Port Deposit Pusser’s Caribbean Grille, Annapolis Harbor Shack, Rock Hall Tiki Bar at Chesapeake Inn, Chesapeake City Red Eye’s Dock Bar, Kent Narrows Best Dock Bar (VA) Chick’s Oyster Bar, Virginia Beach Shanty, Cape Charles Merroir, Topping IBX Bar & Grill at Smithfield Station Cocomo’s, Deltaville Best Dock Bartender (MD) Carole Clark, Waterman’s Crab House Best Dock Bartender (VA) Pat Brown, Smithfield Station
