Carpenter Street Saloon

What a great place! The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was charming. Stopped here with my husband when we traveled to St. Michael's. The crab ball appetizer was light and flavorful. My husband had the California BLT and I had the house salad with shrimp. Everything was amazing. Highly recommend!

So many thoughts but let’s start with the food.. It started off strong with the crab balls and the vegetable crab soup. Both were good. The crab balls were filled with lots of crab meat and little to no filler. One thing I didn’t like was that the crab balls came with a side of cocktail sauce. That really threw me off since the two don’t tend to pair well together but the crab balls were seasoned enough themselves that a sauce wasn’t needed. Rockfish sandwich: we were not expecting it to be fried (we could have misread the menu as I never went back to look) so we did take the breading off the fish which was easy to do. The fish itself was cooked well. The tots however were cooked a few minutes too long.. The mahi tacos had ZERO flavor even though they are heavily seasoned. Lack of salt. Which I’ll say I prefer under salted than over. The sauce itself had no flavor and I didn’t touch the mango salsa because it was warm so no thank you. The place was busy and they had one waitress running tables. She was very nice and still managed to be very attentive. The people behind the bar however ignored us when we walked in and stood since we didn’t know we could seat ourselves. We had to ask. Now for the “ut ohs”.. I did not like what was going on in that kitchen. You could see part of the kitchen every time the waitress went in and out of it. The station by the door had food all over the floor, there were two big bags of spinach opened and just sitting on the prep table by the door, and there looked to be a knife near the edge of the prep table closer to the door. That prep table was also used to put fresh plates of food on when she had to add something to it AND put the dirty plates on to dismantle the finished plates. We didn’t see the table getting wiped down in between and we didn’t see her wash her hands after handling people’s payments then going to get new food. (She very well could have since the door of course closes after a while). A glass was also broken and not all the pieces were picked up because there was a huge piece by the door to enter and exit the kitchen for the duration we were there. (It broke while we were sitting waiting for food). Because of this we didn’t really eat much of our main dishes since that’s when we noticed all of this going on.

A great local saloon! The food was delicious and very well priced! You have to order their cream of crab soup and crab cakes! Both were delicious. The atmosphere was that of a saloon, busy, loud and fun. The waiting staff was very friendly and attentive. I would definitely go back again. A great find that we happened to stumble upon as we were looking for a place to eat.

Best Breakfast in a long time! We stopped in here to kick off our first full day in St Michaels and definitely made the right choice. We had a wine tasting the previous day and the female server told us this was her favorite place. My wife enjoys creamed chip beef on toast (SOS). She said this was as good as her mom's. High praise indeed. I decided on the Maryland (or Chesapeake?) omelet. Wow. Loaded with crabmeat Boursin cheese, gently folded and served with home fries. Food came out very fast, and service was great. We were there in October, so it was not very crowded, but they were still hustling.

After a day in St. Michael's we decided to get some burgers at the Carpenter Street Saloon. Well, that was a mistake. I seriously have never had a more disappointing burger ever. First, there is NO seasoning in the patty. We ordered them with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and bacon. They forgot the onions and bacon, and the pickles were sliced about half an inch thick. The fries are OK, but nothing special. I thought it was strange that our waitress never came back to ask us if we needed anything or how the food was. I guess she knew that the food was bad and the only thing we wanted was the check. It looked pretty fun to have some drinks there, but that's about it. This place was very disappointing, especially with their other reviews.

Sorry for busting out this amazing little locals pub.....BUT, it it the essence of what I absolutely love from a local bar. Live, local music, friendly staff, and most importantly, the best bar food in town! Great local haunt with a great vibe and tremendous bar bites. We ate there back to back days......or at least that's what I remember....amazing wings, burgers, and cheese steaks. Loved it.

Went for breakfast this time. Amazing special of banana chocolate chip pancakes. The crab omelet was full of lump meat! The cinnamon French toast was so good we almost didn't get a picture. The Hillbilly is a fried bologna breakfast sandwich from my husband's childhood, he said it was delicious! The home fries were a miss though, get a different side.

Great place and great people.. Live music, excellent food, good mix of locals and 'outsiders', pool tables and plenty of bar space!

We were down for a girls' weekend and stumbled upon the Saloon when another breakfast place provided horrible service. We were immediately greeted by Robin who instantly made us feel like family. The ambiance was fabulous and the delicious food was reasonably priced with large portions. But Robin's warmth, personality, and professionalism is what caused us to return - every day that we were in town. She made the experience whole - can't wait to return - just have to figure out when Robin is working.

Stopped for lunch . Ordered the steak and cheese. Was the best I've had in a while ! Service was very good considering the crowd . Was very busy. Wish they could do something about flies .

Our favorite place on Tablot street!! For a bar, the food was some of the best we had. It's a laid back environment but was definitely good vibes! Highly recommend!

The food, drinks and service were all excellent. If you are looking for a low key local spot, this is the place to try. They have live music and good ambiance.

Came here for breakfast at the recommendation of a couple we met at our hotel. Food was great, service was phenomenal, and the atmosphere was welcoming. Would definitely come here to hang out for some beers and entertainment another day.

Unsure of how to describe this place other than blatantly racist and unwelcoming? We popped in for trivia and one question from the history category was about India's politics. The host made a comment that "one group better know the answer." The one group was a table of Indian folks. Weird call out but okay. We made it through the round and the same group of people merely walked up to ask the host a question and the entire bar just booed them....loudly.... It was so uncomfortable.

Service and breakfast was great people were very friendly and offered opinions for Togo

Bar/restaurant with quick and pleasant service. We stopped here for lunch after visiting the maritime museum. Crab cake sandwich was good. I got to snitch some fries off a friend's plate and they were quite yummy.

I cannot comment on anything other than breakfast. This is the place to go for a no nonsense approach to breakfast. You won't find obscure ingredients or complicated dishes. You will find basic eggs, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, and toast done right. ***Hangover Cure Capital of St. Michaels***

Bottom Line: Casual bar and grill centrally located in Saint Michaels. I was so excited to try Carpenter Street Saloon for lunch that my husband and I arrived shortly after 11am but found out they don't serve lunch until noon. We left and came back about 12:30pm and were quickly seated in a nice corner booth by a window. I ordered the fish and chips and my husband ordered the crab cake. I enjoyed the beer battered fish and my husband thought his crab cake was in the range of average to good. The fries were very average. After we placed our orders I overhead another waitress offering the daily special of a blackened fish sandwich and an option to get tater tots. Both of those sounded really good to me so I was bummed we weren't informed about the specials. Service was ok. Our server didn't take away anything from the table when she left and I thought it was odd that she asked me if I wanted chips, fries or coleslaw with my fish and chips. Neither of those items are a big deal though. I recognize how hard it must be wait tables during COVID and to wear a mask for the whole shift so we were sure to express our appreciation to her.

Stumbled into this saloon for a drink while day shopping. We had been to some of the other higher end restaurants in town for dinner, but we were looking for a few drinks and snacks. Look, this place is far from high end, but it has something even better. Good hearty food with friendly staff and patrons. We sat at the bar, ordered drinks, had some crab balls (amazing), and ended up chatting it up with the bar tender and some locals. Nice place to visit and enjoy some good company and good food.

We had two different experiences. First was drinks and steamed shrimp when we got into town and then we came back the next morning for a surprisingly delicious breakfast. The crab omelet was packed full of lump meat and the hillbilly with fried bologna, egg and cheese was a hit! Highly recommend.

If you're a minority, visiting guest and not a local, DO NOT go here. Stepped into the place looking for a casual place to eat and shoot pool. Recieved nothing but unwelcoming leers from the local patrons. Completely ignored by the waitresses and bartender. Was only spoken to when we staggered our way towards the stairs in hopes of finding the pool table but only to be stopped in our tracks by a customer saying" it's closed, you can't go up there." Needless to say we left.

Walked in before the Boat Parade was to start. Was not greeted by one single person. There were seats at the bar so we sat there to get a quick bite to eat before the boat parade. Bar was filthy. Empty glasses, empty beer bottles, and trash all over - no one said they'd be right with us, no one cleaned up the glasses and trash. We waited about 10 minutes and a big argument started between two bartenders. They got loud and vulgar and I was with my 76 year old mother. We got up and promptly walked out and they were still yelling. Never going back or recommending them

Such a fun dive in St.Michaels! Bartender John is the best. I highly recommend ordering the Old Bay wings and ask for them to be extra crispy. Make your way upstairs after dinner and play pool with friends or cozy up to the bar for a night cap, they always have live music.

Cinnamon swirl pancakes are to die for. Home fries with skin on had a fresh cut fries taste. Excellent! My wife enjoyed her spinach omelet. Service was great even as crowded as it was. The only con was the noise level made it difficult to converse at the table. We will definitely return.

Carpenter Street saloon is a local hang out but the tourist love it too. Shockingly... The hamburgers are made from scratch and not from Cisco. Simple honest American fair something to delete everyone!

Great place even greater service... came here on a Monday and it turns out Mondays are "Maryann Mondays." Maryann is truly one of a kind, she's sweet with some southern sass. Such a fun neighborly vibe coming here, everyone seems to know one another, especially Maryann. If you're looking for a local spot in St. Michaels this is it!

Great place for live music, appetizers, drinks and food. We met friends for lunch and enjoyed the ambiance, people and vibes. The cream of crab soup was excellent. Good burgers and onion rings. I'm looking forward to going back again.

Nice bar, pretty good food. I had an IPA plus the buffalo wings app and the rockfish bites entree. The IPA was served cold and was delicious. The wings were hot and slightly spicy. Very good. The rockfish bites took a while to get out to me but they got me a second IPA so I was good. But the rockfish bites were only fair. Some were borderline good, but some were not so good. Didn't finish a couple of them. And I wasn't too satisfied with the basket vs. a plate for serving them and the fries. Baskets are great for smaller bites but for larger chunks of fish a plate is better. And these were larger chunks. But this is not the first time rockfish dishes have been hit or miss in Maryland, so it isn't just Carpenter Street. The fries were fairly good. Good meal, albeit not great, and good service. I will be back but I will probably avoid the rockfish from here on out.

Awesome breakfast! Great service. Nice atmosphere. Will definitely eat there again. Will also recommend to others.

Great laid back saloon with super elevated food! I had the chicken tenders and onion rings at the suggestion of our server...outstanding! My hubby had the seafood quesadilla and really liked it. Drinks were excellent, atmosphere is comfortable...lots of friends chatting. We will be back!

I think the food is insanely good but the service left something to be desired. Just sort of had the feeling our server disliked us or something because we weren't locals. I hate that feeling - and I think it's silly. We left a really good tip and before we got up the check was taken off the table. We weren't there for very long at all. I just felt a little uncomfortable because of the service. Can't everyone just be nice and friendly? We ordered takeout later that night because we loved the food so much and again the same attitude. Anyways - great food so if that stuff doesn't bother you then go for it.

My friend and I were looking for a place to have lunch, and she wanted a burger. It was 11:35 am. I had hoped to eat outdoors, but places were filling up. Carpenter St. Saloon has a few outdoor tables, but they are right along the narrow (busy) sidewalk. There was a man in the doorway who welcomed us. We asked to see a menu and he handed us paper lunch menus. He told us the food was great and we would not be disappointed. We saw they had burgers so we accepted a nice corner booth (inside) by the window. When the server came and we tried to order, she told us they did not start taking lunch orders until noon. She offered us breakfast menus but we were not interested in that. So we sat with our waters and waited 25 minutes until they would take our order. I had the Southwest chicken salad, which was quite good. My friend enjoyed the Talbot St burger (mushrooms and swiss). My friend asked about dessert and they had three choices, so she settled on chocolate lava cake. It was ok but not what she expected. Lava cake usually is served with a warm center. This was just a mini chocolate bundt type cake with whipped cream, no ice cream. It tasted ok but was not anything out of the ordinary. So I am giving them 3 stars for this visit because we were offered lunch menus to get us in the door and then told they weren't serving lunch. Our server was very nice but the experience was a bit choppy.

Always great in the past but went for breakfast before town parade. Waitress was great as always but food took over an hour to come out and food had hair on the plate (not my color) and my husband had lipstick remains on his cup. Will go back again but not on parade day.

A comfortable and adequate neighborhood bar. Super easy going place. Reasonable prices for this otherwise touristy town.

Would give no stars if I could. My wife and I went inside this place. Stood there for 10-15 mins, if that long waiting to be seated and didn't know if we could seat ourselves. Not a word from staff, which the only one was seen was behind the bar, no greeting from them who could have said "have a seat anywhere" or whatever to acknowledge our presence, not even any eye contact from anyone except brief glances and leers from customers looking at us as if we didn't belong there....nothing but a negative, unwelcome vibe, so we immediately left. Wasn't looking for some red carpet welcome, just polite common courtesy. "F" that place. Bunch of stuck up rude-ass people!

Neat stop for breakfast. Blueberry pancakes were amazing. Our server Gabby was great. Highly recommend!!

First place we had lunch when we arrived to St. Michaels Island. Food was good and pleseant service. Will eat here again when we return.

Another reason to get off 95 going north. Avoided DC and Baltimore and had the best crab cake sandwich ever.

Better options close by. Service slow at the bar. Caters to locals. Food just edible.

Carpenter Street Saloon in St. Michael's is the quintessential dive bar - and I say that in the most positive sense. Think "Cheers" by the sea - a warm brick interior; the bar with fading wood panels; walls crowded with random memorabilia and slightly-weird seaside decor; the sweet waitress who treats every customer like an old friend; and of course, the surprisingly amazingly food. On our last day in the charming seaside town, hubby and I stumbled in to Carpenter Street for a late lunch, craving something familiar that didn't sport claws or a shell. I ordered the special - a half rack of ribs with fries - and he ordered the pesto chicken sandwich with a side of onion rings The wait was a bit long, but we kept ourselves busy laughing at the signs on the walls and guessing the life stories of the folks sitting around us. When the food finally came, it was well worth the wait. My ribs were delicious - lick-your-fingers-meat-falling-off-the-bone delicious. The homemade (or at least, what I think was homemade) barbecue sauce was tangy and sweet, a great complement to the lightly-seasoned rack of meat. My husband made strange noises after each bite of his sandwich, so I assumed it was good too. Oh and those onion rings. How they get the batter to be so crispy and tasty is a mystery. Yummy. Overall, a very satisfying lunch in a lovely place. Make a stop if you're ever in town.

Great place in town to have drinks! We went here both nights after dinner. Great, friendly staff! One amazing thing is they offer a shuttle to take you home!! Their motto is "you drink , we drive." Simply tip the driver! Must go to when it town!!!

I am a regular since moving to Easter Shore. They have been a staple since Covid and sometimes, had to do their best to survive. The food and service NEVER took a "hit". the Tuna (fresh) Salad is amazing.... Check 'em out, worth the visit.

My favorite local hangout! Great food, fun atmosphere and the BEST employees ever! LOVE!!!

Good food, good service, good music, good drinks. The home for locals and visitors alike

Went there for breakfast with 3 friends. The food was pretty good, although my Hipster omelet, which was supposed to include Gruyere cheese, had very little cheese in it. The omelet seemed to be cooked in sections, with all the peppers together, next to all the cheese together, next to the spinach together. In other words, instead of having an omelet with each bite containing a little of each ingredient, you got all of each ingredient at once. The service was okay, a little brusque, and a little slow. I asked for hot sauce and was told "they're over on that shelf, go pick one." Even for a casual place, that's just not right. I had to have my friends get up so I could get out of the booth to get the sauce, then get up again when I got back. The coffee was very good, and they give you good-sized mugs of juice.

We took a group of 20+ including a wheel chair bound friend and they denied us entry tonight! I can not believe they were letting small groups in but would not accommodate a wheel chair cancer fighter in their establishment! We will never go there again!

Good food, cold beer, friendly service in a no frills local bar that has lots of TVs and signed dollar bills all over the place. The cup of Maryland crab soup was really enjoyable and had a good amount of fresh crab though for $7 I suppose it could've been a little bigger serving. The shrimp on cilantro cabbage was perfectly seasoned, the shrimp were really large, and you can't beat the Thai style dipping sauce. This only thing this place is missing is a riverfront view but it's still worth a try for a great meal at a friendly place.

Went here and was ignored by bartender. We sat down and said hello and we were not even acknowledged. She asked the couple next to us if they were ok. They still had half their drinks left. She looked at us and walked away. We left and went to Ava's Pizza and had a great meal and drinks. Will never go to Carpenter St again.

We had tickets to see Lights on the Bay so even though we woke up to foggy skies last Sunday we decided to make the best of the day and check out the Christmas decorations in St. Michaels and Cambridge. Our first stop was St. Michael's and after checking out online reviews of local restaurants decided on Carpenter Street Saloon. We arrived around 1 and even though they still had a nice crowd we were seated right away at a 2 top booth in the dining room (for some reason they were closing at 3 so i'm glad we stopped when we did). Hubby & I had already checked out the menu online and were ready to order when the waitress arrived - hubby ordered the Smokehouse Burger with cole slaw while I went with the Jerk Chicken Sandwich with fries. The chicken was moist, flavorful and quite tasty but hubby's burger was the bomb and he immediately proclaimed that the cole slaw was the best he had ever had (this always happens when we don't order similar things - his meal always turns out to be the better one but at least he gave me a bite). The vibe of the place is totally old school boating town, love the wood and murals, and the staff is really friendly and efficient, only problem with the place is parking can be a bit crazy, we got lucky and got the last spot in the parking lot out back. St. Michael's is filled with lots of great restaurants but we would definitely come back here for lunch or perhaps even breakfast, in the spring or summer next time so we can stroll along the street and check out all the great shops.

Good food, ice-cold beer, friendly service. The Saloon has an inviting and friendly atmosphere true to its name. We were immediately shown to a booth with a nice view of the town. Our waitress, Morgan, greeted us immediately and took our drink order. The menu offers something for everyone and we easily found something inviting: a salad, quesadilla, tuna, and tater tots (yum!). (If you're a burger lover there are many on offer.) the food was tasty, and the portions are very generous. Morgan was the perfect waitress--friendly without being cloying, and attentive without hovering. In short, we'll be back.

Middle of the road... we were seated quickly and then ignored for 10 minutes with no menus or water. Once we got service it was good. The crab balls are good. The burgers were average, dry and bland. Not sure I would recommend this place for food. It's probably better as a bar so come for drinks.

We walked in with little expectations , cold and very Hungary because there was no other place open and serving breakfast . Looking from outside it was hard to tell if there were two separate stores or only one , buildings are quite different looking . We walked in , received well by staff and seated . Staff were very polite and friendly . We had couple of typical tourist questions , our server answered to all . They gave us enough time to be seated and get comfortable. I had breakfast taco, sausage and black beans are the main ingredients . They serve two tacos per order .I think two not only is enough but also does not take up the entire space of the plate. My order was served very nicely and timely .it was delicious. They totally exceeded our expectations .i totally recommend this place .

Reasonably priced good place to grab breakfast in St Michael's. Appears to be a local favorite spot. Had the French toast and blueberry pancakes. Not the best I've ever had, but solid. Love the sweet tea. Avoid the turkey sausage. Like chewing salty leather.

The lady bartender and "artist" was wonderful. She was really accommodating. She made all the yummy pizzas for my starving family (everything else was closed for the night at St. Michaels). We tried the pepproni, plain cheese and the supreme. All good. Even the leftovers were good the next morning. The bartender drew lovely pictures on each pizza box. How great is that! The locals were fun and entertaining to chat with! I felt like I was on the set of Cheers. The St Michaels beer on tap was an excellent quench thirster while I waited for my pizzas. I wish I could have stayed longer and mingled with the others at the bar.

Thinking their usual kitchen staff was off. The wings and philly cheese steak was less than. Will be back. Love the staff and the atmosphere.

My husband and I with 3 others guys visiting from Florida stopped in St Michaels on way home from Rehoboth beach before heading back home to Florida. Well we ordered a couple drinks which were good. We ordered apps before dinner...HUGE mistake....we ordered Seafood nachos ....which looked more like NACHO SOUP they had SOOO MUCH liquid cheese on them not ONE nacho was hard enough to pick up and eat with the seafood on them. Needed a spoon for sure. We got the DEVILED EGGS which had to be made days before as they were rubbery from sitting in refrigerator. We also ordered green fried tomatoes just nasty.. We decided NOT to have dinner here and just left. TOTAL AWLFUL EXPERIENCE!!!!!!

Jamie is a very sweet bartender, and the clientele is talkative without being overbearing. Great conversations with great people. Touch tunes, and shots...what more could you ask for?