Crab Trap Restaurant

The price range is very expensive but the food is well made and delicious.

My fiancé and I ate here for a somewhat romantic dinner during our stay in OCNJ. As someone who is used to the Maryland and Delaware beach scene, I was very impressed with the Crab Trap.
Don’t let the name fool you, it’s actually quite a nice place. It’s a little odd first starting off as there is a host’s desk just for taking names and such. The host desk that actually seats you is a few feet away in a different dining room. Different, but no problem.
The hostess/​registrar told us 10 – 15 mins which was a very short wait for an early Friday evening (5pm). By the time I walked to the bar and had my Guinness served to me, our buzzer was going nuts. A 10 – 15 turned into 5. Sweet!
We sat in a cut out of the main dining room which was very quiet and comfortable. We ordered mussels and the stuffed onion ring for appetizers, INCREDIBLE! If you’re reading this review, just go there for those two items, you won’t regret it. Pinky swear.
We ordered the Second Mate: lobster flounder crab cake scallops and shrimp, and then Admirals sauté, all that, sans lobster, over pasta. In short, it was amazing but with the amount of sides you get, we were stuffed.
Amazing place, we will def be back. Clientele is a little older, but the fashion show those old folks put on is fantastic people watching in itself.
Go to the Crab Trap. You won’t regret it.

Our family travels to Ocean City for vacation every summer and have visited the Crab Trap on several occasions. Each time seems to be worse than the previous visit. Tonight we arrived at 4:30 in an attempt to be the rush. We got seated immediately which was nice, but that was the end of the enjoyment. We were there for over an hour and a half before we received our food. I ordered the Filet Mignon. It came with a baked potato and side salad. The Filet was without any detectable seasoning. It came with a Bearnaise sauce that clearly had been sitting around for a while. It was like pudding. A little bit of salt and pepper would have done wonders, too. The side salad was small and under-​dressed. The baked potato was dry and over cooked. I was extremely disappointed.

What a disappointment. With all the raves, I don’t get it. Crab cakes were awful, filled with bread crumbs and mushy crab meat. Soft shelled crabs filled with same stuff. And you have to wait for this goulash? Soft shelled crabs are not breaded and filled. Should have sent it back.

I’ve been going here for years. The food is great. My favorite is the lobster puffs for an appetizer. They are very cheesy! I usually order a New York sirloin steak. It’s always very tender and seasoned well. I also had their deviled crab cakes-​which are so delicious! Decent prices. The place is always busy and a line waiting for hours. But it’s overall worth it.

I am in so much conflict with myself over this one. Only because it is so good, and I know my «Gourmet Chef» friends and former F&B colleagues would say I’m selling out for cheap.

In short… I really like this place! My «portion size-​to-​taste-​to-​quality of service ratio» ranks high on this place. The food is very good, but don’t expect gourmet. The service was attentive and friendly. And it is noisy. But SO-​O-​O-​O good.
First, we went on a whim. Driving up from Cape May, I mentioned to Wifey and Queenie, that I was in the mood for broiled scallops and some raw shellfish (Oysters or clams). We wanted to drive through the Ocean City area. So Wifey found an add in an Ocean City paper listing the Crab Trap as being voted one of the favorite seafood restaurants…’ I’m big on trying local popular places, regardless of the type. So we went.
It’s big. It’s loud. And It’s BUSY. If you go during twilight dining (3PM to 5PM M-​F), no matter how old you are, you will be the youngest. The «Twilight Menu», as opposed to the «Dinner Menu» includes «soup to dessert» with their prices. I really need to try this place at about 7:30 one night when all the «Blue Hairs» have left. No offense to Blue Hairs. I use that as a term of affection. I’ll be one soon (sooner than I care to admit). I just figure it will be less crowded with less people screaming so their elderly relatives can hear what they’re saying, as the younger ones read the menu to them.
We arrive on a Thursday evening at 5:00. Their parking lot and the supplement lot was full. I estimate about 75 cars. I was lucky to find someone leaving, so I jumped in their spot. We walked up to the first hostess station to give our name. The young lady said, «30 to 35 minutes». We were fine with that. She handed me a «vibrating notifier», and we proceeded outside to sit on one of the many benches to wait.
More people arrived… More people sat on more benches. As we waited, we heard newcomers say, «45 minute wait», then, «an hour wait». But in exactly 30 minutes after they told us it would be 30 to 35 minutes, my notifier gave me a tickle in my pocket.
We made our way around the many support walkers and old folks standing in the middle of the walkway to the hostess station. She, then directed us to a 2^nd hostess station, where we just needed to tell them how many people we had. She walked us to a table. A square table for four. Plenty of room.
I started with the PEI Canadian Oysters ($ 10.50). Cold, clean, fresh and shucked completely where they just slid in my mouth. Excellent!
Queenie and I had the New England Clam Chowder ($ 4.95 ea). Had to be the best NE clam chowder I’ve ever had. A delicate cream base with plenty of clams and not too many potatoes (often used as fillers by other restaurants). A good size portion for the price at about 10 – 12 oz. Wifey had the Crab Bisque ($ 6.95). Plenty of crab meat, light and creamy. Same size portion as the chowder. So far, so good!
For dinner we ordered the Baked Stuffed Shrimp ($ 23.95), the Broiled Scallops, which came with choice of potato ($ 23.50), and the Seafood Risotto ($ 27.95). The girls let me taste each of theirs. They were all very, very good. The sea scallops were a bit small, but fresh, tender and flavorful. …not rubbery in the least. Wifey’s stuffed shrimp was stuffed with a flavorful crab meat stuffing which was more crab meat and little breading (which other restaurants like to use as a cheap filler). But the Seafood Risotto was FAN-​TAS-​TIC!!! Not only was the portion huge, but the risotto was cooked perfectly– in a light tomato/​basil cream sauce. It included shrimp, scallops and loads crab meat. Queenie couldn’t finish it, so we brought about ¾s of it home.
«Veggie side» choices were strange (to me): Cole Slaw, Beets and a few other things I don’t recall. But no corn, spinach or anything like that (when we were there). The salads were small, but I’m glad. Because it left more room for the enormous entrees.
All in all, I couldn’t have been more satisfied when I left. From the extensive menu to the quality and freshness of the seafood, to the professional and attentive wait staff in their sharp black slacks and black button down shirts with colorful ties (uniform), to the fair pricing… I don’t think can be beat. Worth repeating. the wait staff is very professional, as young as many of them are. They are constantly on the move. But when they do get a moment or two to regroup, they stand at «stations» in the dining room, where they keep an eye on their tables. This is what dining service is all about. Kudos to management!
Crab Trap is a top contender in my book. For such a casual place, I highly rate this restaurant for quality, value and service. It’s not pretentious. And it doesn’t take advantage of it’s location (by the water) with pricing as so many of the shore restaurants do around me. My only regret is that we live so far away. But we will be back. And YES, I will recommend it… often.

Hugely disappointing. I’d come here every year for decades as a special treat down the shore for my birthday. Today we decided to come here as an early celebration, after having not been here in years. Sad mistake.
Aside from the curt, bordering on rude waitstaff, the food was terrible. The mussels were tasteless, except for the thick, gravy-​like butter and garlic sauce. The soup was thick and over-​salted, and everything has tasted like it came straight out of a can.
I’m so sad my favorite place has turned into this. I should have known by the fact that there was no one under 65 in here when we were here. I think the restaurant is riding on the coat tails of its reputation from decades gone by. There are a dozen better places near here. Go there.

I came here for a family dinner on a Saturday night. They were PACKED!!! In the front they have a big circle bar along with a stage with live music and a dance floor. They also had a tank with live lobsters!
As they walked us to the table I began to realize how big this restaurant was. wow! It is seriously 5 restaurants combined into 1! They had to have at least 100 tables. Which did make me wonder about the kitchen and consistency with the food.
I’m taking away 1 star for the drinks. Ordered the house Pinot Grigio — absolutely disgusting, it was so sweet one sip made me nauseous. Also ordered lemon drop shots that seriously tasted like windex! Ew! Get a new bartender!!!
Our waitress was very attentive and knowledgable about the menu so I have to give service a 5 star.
The food– yes!!! Now I know how they pack out this HUGE restaurant. Clams casino appetizer was delicious and served over giant salt rocks. Crab bites were perfectly cooked and crispy on the outside — no breading, all crab meat.
Chilean sea bass also cook perfectly! Crispy crumbs on the outside and melt in your mouth flakey fish on the inside. I wish it didn’t come with mango salsa over it, I think it did take away from the flavor of the fish. But I still loved it!
Cannot wait to come back!!!

The crab trap is truly my favorite spot in ocean city. Every time I go there I always have a great time and meal. Was up there for Memorial Day weekend and the place as usual was super packed both donning and bar area. Staff is professional and very attentive. Since the Place seems to cater to an older crowd the bar area cleared out after 8pm. As usual I Ordered the crab cakes, crab meat cocktail and blue point awesome. Never fails! Delicious meal and great service. Will be back soon!

The service was extremely slow. I ordered the blackened mahi mahi, it came with some lemon butter sauce, which didn’t have much taste and was not in the description on the menu. Also my side of broccoli was covered in cream sauce, which would have been nice to know about beforehand also. This was really annoying to me because when someone orders a blackened fish and broccoli, they are generally trying to eat healthily. Adding cream or butter sauces to both without fair notice was not a good move. The overall quality of this place has been on a steep decline. Overall a disappointing experience.

Solid lunch experience during the off season.
There aren’t that many sit down places near by and someone recorded Crab Trap so my group of 5 headed off. We arrived to a late lunch crowd, there was a conference in town so it took a few minutes to be seated. The hostess was almost a little standoffish I imagine it had been a rough lunch shift. That aside we were seated on the far side of the bar which was a little quieter.
Service was a little slow, but not unbearable. The bread was fresh from the over hot and we all are plenty and we shared calamari as an app and each ordered a variety of foods. Everything looked good to me, I can only speak to the St Louis burger I had which was delicious and perfectly cooked.
I ordered Banana pudding pie which was amazing. I certainly left feeling full and happy with our choices.
Not sure how this place would fair on a busier night, but was just right for our lunch.

Came for lunch a few weeks ago — really enjoyed it! The place was PACKED on a Tuesday afternoon so surely thats a good sign! and yes, it was!!!
the clams casino are definitely to die for — just the right amount of butter and bacon! I had the crab cake salad — balancing health with fried crab cakes :) and my husband had the broiled scallops — this brought me back to the days when I was growing up and going out to dinner with my family down at the shore. Just as good as I remembered!

I went to the Crap Trap Restaurant with my ex’s family while vacationing in Ocean City one summer. After a disgusting meal at Obadiah’s the night before, I wasn’t expecting much from the Crab Trap either. It was pretty crowded so we had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated, but we were given a nice large round table in the corner, which was nice having two small children with us. I was pleasantly surprised with a half decent meal, including the appetizers. Although Crap Trap would not stand a chance when comparing it to a restaurant in the city, it was a huge upgrade from the other options in and around Ocean City. Since it is off the island, they also served booze, which is always important when dining with extended family.
I prefer to cook/​grill when I am vacationing due to the generally over-​priced, sub-​par fare that most restaurants down the shore serve. But if you like to go out, I recommend hitting up the Crap Trap.

This place has always been a delicious local seafood restaurant.
Whatever you order on the menu is fresh and delicious. Homemade sides
are also delicious. The Crab Imperial is made the old fashioned way with
no «fillers». The fried seafood combination platter is fried to perfection with
not a bit of grease. Delicious deviled clam on the platter which is a rarity
in most seafood restaurants.
Try the trio soup sampler – it is homemade, hearty and delicious.
Place gets crowded cause it’s super good-​but it’s worth the wait!
And for a seashore restaurant-​their prices are very fair and won’t
break your bank.

Disappointment. I have lived in the region my entire life. I have known the Crab Trap and have been here numerous times. Been here for celebrations, weddings and a good seafood dinner. It has been about five years since being here. The expect wait was fine, the bar was hustling and the bartenders did a great job. Finally to the table and an excellent server. Had the soup and was okay but same you could find elsewhere. The steam clams were excellent. For the dinner is where all stars were lost. Just felt like it was processed food and not the Crab Trap way. The Baked Crab Imperial was poorly done
Yes the Crab Trap is a tradition for the region… but tonight it wasn’t for me

An excellent, local seafood establishment. The location is right before the bridge to Ocean City on the water, which makes this location perfect for such a restaurant.
The service here is top-​notch. I was greeted by the hostess and seated immediately. The environment is very cozy and the customer service is quality.
My waitress was named Brooke and I was very impressed with her overall attentiveness and knowledge of the menu items. She is one of the friendliest servers I’ve had in a very long time! Overall, Brooke did a great job representing the restaurant.
The menu was pretty awesome, as well. They had a wide variety of seafood specials. And according to Brooke, they create a new menu daily.
Overall, a «must visit» restaurant! I will be back for the top-​quality service, comfortable environment, and the outstanding food!

Hubby and I stopped here for lunch because everyone had told us how wonderful this place is supposed to be. Honestly, we were not overly impressed. It IS good if you’re on a budget and want lots of cheap seafood, but the quality is not that great. The best part is the reasonable prices. I can only assume the good reviews come from nostalgia by those who grew up coming here, and don’t see past that to the reality of the food quality today.
The ‘creamy’ crab soup was more pasty, than creamy. The crab cakes were okay, but would have been much better without so much bready filling.
The service was okay: nothing to write home about. The ambience was more of the cafeteria variety. Like I said earlier, this place is okay if you’re on a budget, or want to take your kids out for seafood while down the shore, but definitely not a destination for true foodies.

Almost always a wait but you can go to the outside bar while you wait.
I had Canadian oysters and they were huge and perfect. A wedge salad and the crab cakes. The crab cakes were not great but everyone I was with liked what they ordered.

Went to the Crab Trap twice last week while on vacay with the fam. Now, this isn’t a nuanced, meal like you might get in Philly or NYC, and it’s definitely not a chic place (outdated linens and a much older crowd) but it’s quintessential Jersey Shore seafood joint and I love it.
Negatives first: no reservations and wait times of 1 – 2 hours most nights. The first time we went with a group of 7 and a baby and waited about an hour and 20 minutes and the second time it was just 2 couples and we waited about 45 minutes. Waiting doesn’t really bother us and we had nice weather both times, so we had drinks at Crabby Jack’s while we watched some beautiful sunsets. We had great service at CJ’s on Monday night, but on Thursday night, the bartenders were a little… well…crabby.
The restaurant service is on point. We never wanted for cocktails, refills, anything really.
The food is delicious Jersey Shore grub. At the risk of sounding like a total pig, here’s everything I tried while there:
Lobster Puffs: to die for
Crab Bites: very good, but I would go with the lobster puffs if given the choice
Clams Casino: YES! Praise the clam gods!
Shrimp Cocktail: SOOOO good
Fried Shrimp: not really an option as an app, but she made it happen for us and boy, were those shrimpies tasty
Crab Bisque: I’ve had nicer crab bisques, but this had CLUMPS of fresh crabmeat, so I won’t complain
King Crab legs (absolutely amazing on both trips)
Prime Rib: solid
Crab Cake: nice, but not my fave crab cake ever
Shrimp Feast: mix of deviled shrimp (hello!!!), fried (delish!) and shrimp scampi (meh)
We also did desserts the first night and the Oreo Cookie Tower and the Peanut Butter Chocolate pie were out of this world.
The atmosphere is a hoot – especially on a Thurs-​Sat when the dance floor is filled with serious septuagenarians cutting a rug.
I recommend taking an Über if coming from OC, because chances are you’ll be several cocktails deep by the time the buzzer goes off.

Lots of different reviews and viewpoints about the Crab Trap so I’m going to summarize the key points about coming to this place:
1. Prices are very high which is to be expected considering where you are and the fact that the quality of the seafood is very good in general let alone for the area which overall is pretty much a dumpster fire of mediocrity.
2. No, they do not take reservations. They never have and they likely never will. I can remember coming as a kid 25 years ago and waiting in season an hour plus on a Wednesday at 4:30 the same as we waited 30 minutes this past Wednesday. They give you a buzzer and then you hang out but at least there are lots of benches outside for you to wait on.
3. The parking situation is horrible. The main lot around the building is poorly designed/​too narrow and way too many cars shark, circle and fight for parking for both TCT and for Crabby Jack’s. Your other options are to park next door at the Pier 4 hotel lot or you park across the street in their overflow lot which is no more than a stone/​shell lot without lines which means people park like A-​holes in terms of parking others in or taking up what you would consider multiple spaces to try and not get parked in.
4. The restaurant itself is huge and since it’s perpetually packed it does take a while for the food to hit the table.
With that said, yes TCT is an institution which is why the place is packed daily more or less year round. Why? Look at the majority of the clientele. I would say two-​thirds of the crowd this past Wednesday was over 70 and by in large they’re looking for safe, buttery and bland which is exactly what is being churned out here.
Blow by blow:
Rolls: We didn’t touch the dinner rolls as they were hard as a rock. I didn’t try the muffins personally but the others at the table ate them so I suppose they were fine.
Salad: Overall underdressed and hopefully you like radishes because there were lots of them and most of the lettuce leaves were a lovely shade of yellow.
Soup: The classic onion and the creamy crab bisque both had outstanding flavor.
Entrées: The chicken piccata comes with enough rice that our server tried to warn me that you need to like rice if you order this as it comes on something crazy like a half pound of it and sure enough it did. The chicken itself was done nicely although the lemon caper sauce was more like a thick congealed goo. The surf & turf was deemed excellent and it came with more than enough butter although the potato/​vegetable side it came with was inedible as the potatoes were burnt almost to the point of being black.
The children’s menu stuff is grossly overpriced, period. $ 8 for a grilled cheese and then to top it off $ 3.50 for a highly watered down small glass of apple juice? WTF!
Service: Our guy kept the water refills coming quick enough although it took him two requests to get us enough silverware (three place settings for four people at a table for six isn’t cutting it) and everything else I’ll chalk up to a slow kitchen because the place was probably 85−90% full.
Overall some of the complaints about TCT are valid as the prices are high, the food is somewhat bland and clearly it is a giant nostalgia trip but within that context most of the food in the OC area is miserable and this place is always packed for a reason and that reason is that it’s consistent. The same deviled crab cakes you’re getting today you would’ve gotten 25 years ago without fail. So while hip, new and foodie (whatever that self-​absorbed term means) are fine so is reliable, dependable and consistent because warts and all that’s what The Crab Trap is.