Captain Chris’ Crab Shack

Great place to eat crabs! The ambiance was relaxed, not rushed. The seasoning was just right. The crabs range from small to medium in size, with some occasional large. Will definitely be going back…

I didn’t like this place. The food wasn’t that good and it was unpleasant to eat outside, along the highway.

Stopped by as my bf and I were hungey after a visit at Elk Neck State Park, our first visit to the area. Saw this place off the road and wanted to give it a try. The all you can eat crab/​corn was $ 25 and after deciding that we wouldn’t be able to eat enough crab to make it worth it, we decided to get the fish and chips, an order of Alaskan crab legs, and an order of fried shrimp. All were super delicious! The fries were eh but otherwise. Prices were good too. I think we paid we paid around $ 30 to 35 for those and we were stuffed.
Seating is outdoor on picnic benches with umbrellas and covered with paper so you can be as messy as you want, worry free. And each table gets a big roll of paper towel too.
Will definitely be back for the all you can eat. But next time I know to come hungry!

Very good… I ate at chris crab shack yesterday and the price was reduced which was wonderful where else will you eat crabs for 15.95.all you can… its outside tho and sand on the ground so go in clothes that you dont mind gettin a lil dirty and dress comfortable. It was hot out that day… I wouldn’t mind sitting out there on a cool sept day

Eating at Captain Chris’ Crab Shack is a summer affair all about down and dirty outdoor eating. Hours of dismembering crabs on a construction paper covered picnic table. While the crabs are fantastic, your experience can be negatively impacted by heat, rain, and/​or insects. For a more civilized experience, try Woody’s up the road.
My bf and I stopped by on a Monday evening at 7:32. Outside dining closed at 7:30 but they wouldn’t make any exceptions. We were a bit upset but decided to order take out nonetheless: a dozen crabs, little neck clams, and fries. Once home it took us hours to retrieve every morsel of delicate meat from the crabs, and were thankful to be in the comfort of our home late at 10pm. The crabs and fries were great however ½ the clams were empty and were really a rip-​off.
We would definitely go back again, particularly on a Monday or Wednesday when all you can eat crab and corn is only $ 15.95 as oppose to the regular $ 24.95. I would definitely recommend dedicating a good 2−3hrs to eat and bring some bug spray. Crab is a lot of work for not many calories but in the end it’s about the fun of getting your hands dirty and cherishing those warm summer days.

Didn’t get the crabs got steamed shrimp which had to rescue from the onions and peppers they were steamed with… i personally just want the shrimp toss the other stuff if someone is ordering shrimp! Mixed drinks were served in small plastic party cups not worth the $. I’ll get beer next time. Live and learn. My friend got fish and chip basket. Fries were so-​so not «fresh cut» as noted on menu. They said coleslaw was delicious though. Sidenote: had to deal with people smoking next to us… guess MD allows outside smoking… but it kinda ruins the meal experience.

So I’ve been to Captain Chris’ many times over the last 3 – 4 years, and I always loved it. The crabs are cooked and seasoned perfectly, despite being pretty small. The corn is sweet and cooked really well also. Now, maybe it’s the day of the week, or the time of the year, I don’t know for sure, but the last two times I was there, today included, the smell of rotting garbage was so overwhelming that I couldn’t keep much of an appetite at all. It really ruined the experience for me. The last time was last summer, and it was a year before I could bring myself around to giving it another try. I don’t think I’ll do it again, unless I hear that something has been done about the stench, and quite frankly, I really don’t know what could be done, other than maybe having the trash picked up more often and cleaning the dumpsters daily, and/​or possibly building a structure around them. I really hope that they do find a solution, because I would love to return! Secondly, I got there at 1 pm-​an hour after opening. There weren’t that many people seated compared to other visits. So after our initial drinks were delivered and our first tray of crabs and corn came out, we didn’t see our server again for over an hour. We saw another server come by and refresh our crab tray twice though, so we thought they were maybe sharing the work. We asked this other server for drinks and she questioned why we didn’t ask our server when she was over checking on us. We explained that she didn’t come by at all, and hoped that now she would, but not so. Another half hour went by and we finally spotted her and had her bring drinks and the bill. It was very disappointing, but since the bus staff was doing a pretty good job keeping our bin empty, we left a standard tip anyway. I hope they got a fair share. (When an ex-​smoker, who is usually repulsed by the smell of cigarette smoke, finds the cigarette smoke a welcome break from the overwhelming stench of garbage, you know that it’s bad.)

Love love love this place! Great outdoor seating and eating experience. We come here every summer, at least two or three times. Staff is super nice! Good prices for all you can eat crabs (except holidays) and great play area for the kiddos.

Stopped there in a 90 degree day. Don’t ever do that. No inside seating. Hot days will roast you.

If you ever wanted to know what its like to eat crabs out of a hot sandy dumpster, this is your place.

Drive down to Captain Chris’ this past weekend from Philly and got a good meal of all I can crabs, corn and beer. The prices might be higher, and that’s still disappointing, but it’s still a favorite. Perhaps what I like the most is all of the hard working young people who serve and clean. They are really nice and helpful and work hard for their money.

Dog-​friendly outdoor seating where the staff will bring water for your pooches. One of the staff even offered mine dog biscuits.
Wait staff is friendly, crabs and corn are good (so are the onion rings). Only complaint was that our table was really crooked on a mound of sand. And when you’re sitting there a long time picking crabs, that kind of thing starts to get really uncomfortable.

Granted I’ve grown accustom only shelling out $ 14.95 in years past, but hey it’s new year and the prices have went up. If you’re any sort of crab connoisseur you would know that a dozen medium crabs are gonna cost you at least $ 40 per dozen, so hey if you put away at least a dozen you’ve got your already $ 15 ahead.
I tend to think of ‘The Shack’ as a roadside crab shack with a place off to the side that you can eat them hot right out of the steamer and instead of being done eating when you kill the dozen, there’s someone walking by asking you if you would like to have a few more.
In my opinion, the atmosphere is all it needs to be and I will keep coming back, because the crabs (and corn) are hot and they are happy to keep them both coming.

Not sure why others are bitching that the price went UP to $ 24.95 for the all you can eat crabs! Please tell me a cheaper place? Any way… it is what it is. A crab shack… side of the road… outside dining only, with picnic tables in the sand that you might have to share and the local country station on the radio. They do have a menu for those that do not want the all you can eat crabs and corn. Those items are either fried or steamed. The crabs were some of the best tasting ones I have had in a while, plenty of J&O on them. The corn was just as yum. And if you have not… put the crab spice on the corn… you will never eat it with just butter and salt again. It was busy the day we were there so you will have to flag your «runner» when your crab tub gets lower. So you always have some. What ever you do not finish you can take home for $ 1 a crab. The soft drinks are not all you can drink, but they are $ 1 each. They have the normal selection of mass market beer and they are $ 3 each and they have some specialty mixed drinks as well. We did not have any bug issues like others have mentioned, but it was a cool and breezy July night. Also kids under 14 (?) pay by their age, they also have a kids menu too. You want fancy upscale… you can find it other places… you want a back yard crab night with good friends, tasty crabs and corn, and no mess to clean up… this is the place.

Went here today and watched several times them recycle the food! On the all you can eat crabs and corn, they throw it in the garbage bin and then have a guy go threw it and pick out the crabs and corn! I could not believe my eyes, so I ask one of the guys working there and he confirmed it they re-​serve what the other people don’t eat! this made me so sick just to think about, we just paid $ 70.00 for food that other people had thrown away ! We will never go back!

great place! love the open air eating the best way to eat crabs is out on a picnic table with brown paper sand between your toes. Beer and great Mixed drinks! there was a wait but we knew that there would be it was a nice day. They kept the crabs coming the service was very nice. I had the fries were also great.

Crabs were small but full. If you don’t get your belly full its your own fault. The only reason they didn’t get 5 stars because they didn’t have any non-​alcoholic beer! Water just doesn’t cut it!

Love the all you can eat crabs! Now this place is for people who don’t mind getting dirty in the sand. It’s outdoors. They have beer! Canned soda. You get your own hammer :) service is great. Very attentive.
Cons: when it rains, you won’t be able to eat
You will get attacked by bugs, be sure to bring repellant because you will get bitten by Mosquitos.
No free refills
Other than that great place def will come back for more crabs

Went with a group of about 10 to Captain Chris’ Crab Shack this past weekend, and was generally disappointed. The crabs were decent, as was the rest of the food we ordered, but the experience overall was lacking. CC is marketed as having a «beach», but what we found was a restaurant that sits just off the road, surrounded by woods, with an outdoor seating area where the ground is covered with sand. The weather was fantastic this past weekend, with highs in the mid-​upper 70’s, but the sand and sun in the seating area caused it to be warm just to the point of being uncomfortable. Combined with the black flies, it was a real distraction from the meal.
Based on the other reviews, I would say that unless you are interested in gorging yourself on the all-​you-​can-​eat special (unavailable on holidays, including Fathers Day), you can do a lot better.

First and main part of my review someone should say… This is outdoors only folks!!!
Being from North East it took me a year to finally get the word about this place and try it. I read the other review here and kind of see some of the points that were made. I will go there again since I live close and the Crabs for all you can eat $ 17.00 is cheaper than you will find it anywhere!
Goods
— I actually like the sand part. Maybe they should rake out shells or groom it… just leave your shoes on then
— The buckets of beer/​ice were ice cold and fine by me for eating Crabs
— The outdoor cleanup station was nice after eating Crabs so if you want indoors go to Woody’s, Howard House, Wesleys or any one of many places not far away.
— It’s a seasonal thing so outside is great
Bads
— Parking is nuts since it is a little lot and along the road (which Chris gets flack from the Police daily). We always went on a motorcycle though
— Due to space the bathroom situation sucks
— The live music selection could use a little change
— The wait staff is okay but not real responsive
It is what it is and stated as a shack. It’s a great outside stop-​off if say you are going out to Turkey Point or just looking to do the outside Crab/​Beer thing. It’s a success for what it is as you have to get there early or the wait is forever in the evenings or near impossible on the weekends.
BTW… I bought a dozen medium Crabs from Chris to take my Father in Tennessee and he commented a couple of times how great they tasted when reheated a couple of times.