Bethesda Crab House

I dined there as part of a group. We ordered 4 dozen crabs. They were good, but they had way too much seasoning on them. I would have preferred adding it myself. The place itself could also smell better. Just because you sell seafood doesn’t mean you have to smell like dead fish. Thankfully, we sat outside. The service was pretty good. This place is good but no WOW factor.

My family and I had a really good time in here last Friday. The service was awesome and the food amazing. Will recommend this place for any crab lover.

First time here. All you can eat crabs was the choice today. Came with coleslaw and corn. I usually don’t like coleslaw, but theirs was pretty good. The crabs were small & medium males. The first tray was great. The second tray brought was over cooked and soggy. This place isn’t frills and décor at all, but the inside and outside dining is quaint. I liked the ambiance. Good luck finding parking. Don’t expect A+ service (hence the 4 stars). Just except friendly people that work really hard and decent seafood from a nice establishment. I’ll be coming back and trying something else for sure.

I just showed up so I was relegated to only getting medium crabs. Service was attitudinal and the atmosphere is nil. Tiny bathrooms and a common sink outside them. The crabs were excellent. Part of the charm is that they are carrying boxes of fresh crabs and fresh corn on the cob through the front door while you are eating. The corn gets stacked up and husked at an empty table. The crabs go straight back to the kitchen. If you want crabs this is the place. Any more than that and you should look elsewhere.

I was craving crabs for my birthday and made a date with my family to go to steamers. Not sure why they close down but had to reroute to the closest crab joint. This was my first time here. Parking was not an issue for us but it could have been if the shops across the street were open. There is an open patio outside that was pretty much full so we chose to sit inside. The first sight of the menu, it’s seem to be a little pricey. Compared to my go to spot which has all you can eat crabs, corn on the cob and fries. This place has all you can eat crabs at market value but they didn’t even have the option that day because they had ran out. They told us you have to call in advance to order large or extra-​large crabs. Since it was my first time I was asking my waitress a lot of questions. It was busy and after some questions I could see the irritation in her face which was kind of a turn off but I can’t say she wasn’t helpful. So if you plan to come here make sure you call in advance! I didn’t want to eat the small crabs so I decided on the crab legs, which were a pretty good portion. (4 claws) They also only have two side options, corn on the cob and coleslaw. The waitress there was a place next door that sold fries and they would allow us to bring them in. Kind of cool but somewhat inconvenient at the same time. I will say that the crab legs were amazing! I could have gone without corn on the COM. But thanks to the neighbors fries and the crab legs my meal was complete.

Great place for overpriced crabs and lousy service. Owner is rude and known for his nasty attitude. Better off taking a short trip downy bay, hon.

We hosted a birthday party on the patio last night. The staff was wonderful and were happy to accommodate our larger than expected group. The crabs were great, as were the corn on the cob and coleslaw. Make plans and call ahead!

A crab lovers paradise. This is the only way to eat Blue Crabs. Brown paper table covering and some wooden mallets. This place is a little pricey but it’s worth it. We had a dozen large crabs for $ 105 and a 2 pound lobster for $ 35. Everything was very fresh and cooked perfectly. They recommend 3 – 4 crabs per person. Get ready to get sloppy. This is not a 1^st date kind of restaurant.
Don’t forget to call ahead and reserve your crabs. Apparently they sell out.

The crabs here are delicious! They are very heavy and meaty. Seasoned very well. I’ve been here twice so far and I have not been disappointed! It’s a small establishment but it’s well maintained. Definitely a place to check out if you enjoy eating crabs!

Fun option for when you can’t get out to the beach for the full messy crab experience.

Crabs are good, if expensive, but I just wanted to point out that if you think you’re getting MD crabs here, you’ll be disappointed… the vast majority of crabs served here are from the Gulf of Mexico.
I don’t care either way… if they’re good, they’re good… but if you’re really into the thought of eating only MD bay crabs, go somewhere near Annapolis.

It’s a grip but worth for us. half dozen crabs, fried oysters, coleslaw (the bomb) and corn on the cob did me in, got full. I’d say I was hoping for a little more seasoning from the crabs but it had been so many years since having blue crab all is good.

I got the crab cake sandwich. The crab cake was average size, and meaty. It was served on a standard potato roll. The cole slaw is vinegar-​based, not mayo. And they have draft beer.
Definitely a no-​frills kind of place, perfect for having crabs (or crab cakes) and beer in a casual atmosphere.
I would absolutely return, and I would definitely like to come back when the weather is warmer and I can enjoy the outdoor seating.

This is a no-​frills crab house. If you’re looking for a crab house, this is what you want. It’s not cheap, and it’s not fancy, but it’s some great crab.
Call ahead to order your crab. If you’re not an expert, watch some youtube videos to properly learn how to pick and eat crab (
). Enjoy.
Downsides: Parking in the area is surprisingly difficult. Expensive.

Came here tonight with a group of friends but sadly I was not impressed. High price for mediocre food. We had 3 dozen crabs and a few beers and the bill was a little over $ 414. The crabs weren’t bad but also didn’t contain too much meat.
Please be aware of the butter they serve. It seems like they let it sit outside for long periods of time with stuff flying in and out of it. Tasted kinda weird. The server even said when she put it down «oh let me get you guys some new butter, these look funny». And yet the new ones tasted funny lol

When you arrive at Bethesda Crab House, there’s only street parking. In addition to indoor seating, they an outdoor patio. When we called ahead of time, they were sold out of large crabs, x-​large crabs, and Alaskan King Crabs. They serve seasoned crabs, spiced shrimp, jumbo lump crab cakes, soft shell crab, snow crab legs, raw oysters, corn on the cob, coleslaw, and cold beer.
We ordered a dozen of medium sized crabs for $ 75. There was exactly twelve crabs, but we felt that there was a mix of small (4 ½−5 inches) and medium (5 – 5 ½ inches) crabs. Some of our guests didn’t like how they were steamed with seasoning while others wanted extra seasoning. At least two of the crabs were missing legs. We felt that the quality and size of the crabs wasn’t worth $ 75! The corn of the cob was steaming hot. It was very sweet but a bit on the pricey side ($ 2.75 for one corn on the cob).

Bethesda Crab House is the perfect name for this place. They have simple menu of basically crabs (Medium, Large, XLarge), all you can eat crabs — medium sized, oysters and shrimp. They also only have two choices of sides — cole slaw or corn on the cob. The waiter said they even welcome folks to bring in their own fries since they didn’t offer any. The large crabs are $ 95 a dozen. They were meaty and sweet. The restaurant has definitely stood the test of time. Its been here for years. The service is pretty good. I recommend calling a head to reserve your crabs so that when you walk in its ready for consumption :-). The waiter did recommend coming in on a Tuesday if you want the XLarge before they run out on the weekends.

What else can you ask for in a crab house. Good meaty and sweet crabs and cold beer.
Came here for dinner and you should call ahead and reserve crabs if you want large. We ordered two dozen large at $ 95 per dozen and could have been XL crabs at other crab houses. Only sides they offer is coleslaw and corn on the cob. Big, meaty, and sweet crabs. Yeah!
No fryer here, so no fries or hush puppies.
They sell beer by the pitcher (no hard liquor here) Bud Light, Sam Adams Seasonal, and one other one.
Our server was great. Friendly guy and checked in with us occasionally and emptied crab bucket so it was never full.
Good place for crabs in MoCo!

It’s exactly what you want when you are eating crabs, picnic tables, hammers, beer, and great crab. They asked if we called ahead for large crabs, «we didn’t». My try that next time.
My wife and I split a dozen mediums with side of corn and cole slaw. Couple beers each and we broke the $ 100 mark. Pricey but tasty and fun. Never had crab quite like this as we were out of towers, but caught on quick.
I would go back as its Maryland and its crabs so really can’t go wrong.

We have frequented Bethesda Crab house several times for the past four years and this will likely be our last trip. Initially we paid the high prices for crabs because they were usually fresh, large, and well seasoned. We felt like the price was worth it for the quality. However, over our past few visits, the quality, size, and freshness have decreased significantly.
While I understand that it is early in the season for crabs our crabs were significantly smaller than comparable crab shacks in the area. Further, I paid for 1.5 dozen and we were shorted about 4 crabs. At this point I find it hard to rationalize continuing to
frequent the shack.