The Big Owl

We were looking for a chill spot to relax for the afternoon, and I searched Google for quite a while, and I found this and boy are we happy… The food was amazing the banging shrimp tacos, the mahi-mahi tacos and the conch fritters Nicki was awesome

Had great time 6/21/25 listening to Rebound Band and great dinner of soft shell crab BLT sandwich with coleslaw. Thanks for wonderful time. Great location on the waters edge.

This place is such a hidden gem! Amazing drinks, food, service and views. Donna is the most incredible server, if you are lucky enough to get her. We had soft crab tacos and a crabcake sandwich. As I was eating it, lump meat would fall out of it! They were the most incredible crab cakes I have ever had and I have lived on the shore for 50 years!

Great place to have a drink and a light meal or Key Lime Pie and watch the boats go by as the sun sets out to the west over the river. It did get a bit too loud for me on Friday night with the DJ cranking tunes but maybe I'm getting to be a fuddy-duddy. Will for sure go back for pie and drinks one day.

love this place. Enjoyed our orange crushes. bartenders are great. The views are amazing

Super Chill. Food is always consistent and tasty, Great music variety on the weekends. Owners and staff are awesome. Place is always clean and the vibe is always inviting. Our favorite pub / chill spot on the island for sure!

The “catch of the day” fish sandwich was outstanding . The service was pretty good . They had some local breweries which was really cool.

One of my favorite summer spots. Beautiful view, great drinks and food on a deck beside Kent narrows. I always get the Rockfish tenders, in honor of my Father.

Quaint tiki bar with panoramic views off the water. Fun and lively atmosphere with great bartenders and locals. Service has always been quick despite the busy holiday weekend. We come 1-2x/year to Kent narrows just to get a break from the city. For food this time we had soft shell crab tacos and jerk shrimp tacos. Both were delicious and flavorful. I do wish for the price there were 1-2 tacos per serving. The drinks were good. Our group loves the crushes or frozen drinks. Overall, check it out and enjoy the drinks, food, views and live music.

Sometimes if you don't go looking, you'll never find these rare gems in the Annapolis area. Located right over the bridge in Kent Narrows you will find the Big Owl surrounded by water. A seasonal restaurant which unfortunately will not re open until April 2025. On a nice day this place is worth every penny. Live music, cheap beers, and decent bar food are some of the positives of this place. Random, but the bathroom is extremely clean and that I can really appreciate. Service was quick and efficient...you order and take a number and then a waitress comes over with the food and drinks from there....no complaints on my recent visit...will certainly try again

I seen this place right off the highway.. Eyes beaming over with curiosity. So I head over to see what's the hype and yes it def was a hype!! A band was playing and this was a Sunday! The crowd was so active more so an older crowd. I like that it was actually right on the water... Rain started to fall and that didn't change the enter at all.. I had a few crushes but my favorite was the Green Tea Crush. They had a good amount of food options which were great. Will be returning to see how some of the other days look also before it get too cold.

Cute Tiki bar on the water along the marina. Music is laid-back like the vibe. There is alot of variety with the drink and food menu. The Yucatan shrimp was basically jumbo garlic shrimp and it was just ok. The corn nuggets (fried creamed corn) was tasty. For drinks, I had the pain killer and a margarita. You can order your food using a qr code but I had issues with it and was able to order with the server. I had to ask for things a few times with the server but overall they were good and friendly. This place was full of people on a Tuesday evening and definitely a cool spot to pass the time.

Great place! Right on the water, relaxing, bar & table seats, separate pet friendly area, very good food. Sitting in the pet friendly area, food had to be ordered online with a QR code provided with drinks separate from a vending machine or a quick walk to the bar. Food was served to us and fast. Wonderful, friendly staff! Area for patrons with pets needed to be cleaned and straightened up and garbage emptied, but not bad (only reason Ididn't give 5 stars), and smoking is allowed in that area. Would definitely go again!

Between the views and the variety of crushes, Big Owl was a hit! I thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance and the locals who frequent there often. Service was great, and super engaging. Definitely coming back to enjoy some food before the fall arrives.

Great down to earth spot for beer and very basic drink. You go here for the location and local feel

If you want to be on the water with beautiful views of the Kent Narrows while drinking a cold beer and eating delicious fish tacos, this is your spot! The drink menu includes many tasty beverages and they are very accommodating. You need to stay for the sunset. You won't be disappointed!

Great spot to grab a cold one and watch the boats go by. Food is good too. I had the Crabcake sandwich and found it to be full of yummy crab and very little filler. The place is not too large so seating is limited. If you are looking for indoor seating with A/C this is not your place. All seats are outside either covered with Umbrellas or the roof over the bar area. One of my favorites on Kent Island.

Amazing food and atmosphere! Must try the Jerk shrimp tacos and grapefruit crush! Service was spectacular! Waterfront setting, was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! The entertainment was on point!

I must give the Big Owl two stars. I got the fried fish sandwich (mahi mahi) which was very dry and even the bun was dry and crumbled in my hands. I told the waitress and she said she was sorry but did not offer me a reduced price or another dish. I will never return.

Tucked away at the end of the parking lot but an absolute amazing spot on the water. Great tiki bar atmosphere where you can watch boats go up and down the channel all day. The service is really great and all bartenders were quick to take drink orders even when busy! The food was also really good and they smoke the meat themselves. The pork tacos were delicious! Highly recommend.

Some friends and I stopped in last weekend and snagged a picnic table right on the water. The view was great and it was nice watching the boats go by. I had a couple beers while my friends all had orange crushes. We noticed a little to late that many people had a key lime crush which I heard was amazing but never got to try. Maybe next time! I started with the coconut shrimp and it came with so many! The sauce it comes with was delicious. I then just had a Caesar salad which barely had dressing on it. I asked for extra but after it not arriving for over 20 minutes I just ate my salad. The dressing then arrived. The service was good, just a little slow.

4.1 rating? Are y'all insane? Oh ok, just beer goggles on setting a very low standard. It's a dive bar with a seedy reputation and a lot of parking lot misadventure. Food is edible. Service with a snarl is part of the charm. Great location true, and it's a change from the monolithic restaurants nearby, but 4.1???

Used to be my favorite place to hang. Just went yesterday. Had to order my food on line, then had walk up to the end of the dock to get my food! Had to get my own beers from the bar then was expected to and did pay a 20% tip for serving MYSELF! To put the cherry on top the food and beers were twice as much as they used to be. I'm not going back, spoke to several of my neighbors and they've axed Big Owls as well. Their new concept sucks.

Highlights here were location right on the water on a casual dock, the attentive staff and beer. Can't say I'd come back for the food but perhaps we didn't order well with the fish tacos and steamed shrimp. The burgers and sandwiches that were being delivered around us after we ordered our food looked like better options.

Great summer outdoor destination. Fun in the sun. Outstanding views amazing sunsets. Waterfront dining with live music and great tiki bar service. Highly recommend visiting this destination.

We called in this place pre covid, when my mum and sister came to visit. So, post COVID we came back to repeat. The food was great and just what we needed from a waterfront joint and reasonably priced. The best was the service. I'm in the industry and I know how hard it is to find good staff right now. Kim was wonderfully attentive and just excellent.

Food was pretty good, the Snakehead bites were fantastic and I was nervous after reading some reviews but the service was great too. Listened to the Chesapeake Sons the next night on the patio and the music was impressive. Worth a try.

The best little spot on Kent Island is Big Owls Tiki Bar. The food was great and we had a crab cake sandwich, rock fish tenders and wings. The cocktails were delicious too. Service was excellent, friendly and attentive. Definitely need to check out Big Owls for a fun time this summer

Best hidden secret around! Great music, layback atmosphere, and great food. Tacos are the best.

This place gets POPPING during season! They have the BEST orange crushes drink! For a little spot-I can't believe how packed it gets. Great people-great crowd-great staff-and great entertainment. Different every time! A hidden gem!!!

Talk about an amazing outdoor setting. You're literally sitting at the edge of the dock. Steamed shrimp was amazing, the fish and chips thing came out cold in the middle, but they quickly fixed it. Soft shell crab sandwhich was so so... but the view and the setting made up for all of it. If you want a 5 start outing here, stick to the steamed shrimp and cold beers.

Loved this stop. Casual, fun, delicious drinks, great view friendly staff. I'd highly recommend to anyone headed to Kent Island.

I visited on July 3rd(for the firework show) during Happy Hour and I got service right away! Why I am giving 5 stars: 1. The view is amazing! 2. The staff is friendly and very accommodating. 3. The drinks and food were delicious! 4. Fair prices. 5. Ease of parking. I typically leave more detailed reviews but this is as straight forward as I can get! #YelpMDburbs

I recently patronized the Big Owl with my wife and friends, as we have many, many times over the years. We always enjoyed the drinks, listening to music, while watching sunsets and dining on their mostly sub-par food. Well, that all came to a crashing halt after a recent visit a couple of weeks ago. Our horrible experience was similar to many others this season. We ordered drinks from a bartender and was made aware of the QR code method of ordering food. After ordering and completely paying for my food, as prompted by the new "system", I received an acknowledgment text stating that your food will be ready in 15 minutes. As we conversed with our friends, I noticed that way more that 15 minutes had passed and I asked our bartender when we could expect our food, only to be told that we had to go get it ourselves! I was shocked to say the least. Never in my life, have I ever sat down at a table to dine, then asked to get up, walk approx. 30 yds., leaving the establishment, to a metal shack in the parking lot, pick up my food and return another30 yds. to my table! No signage, no table tents stating the new "rules" and no heads-up from the bartender, when I informed her that I was ordering food. When I informed that bartender that I was not going to be walking to retrieve my now certainly cold food, she then called over the owner of the establishment. Big Al himself, who told me in his typical arrogant manner that, he talks and I listen and then proceeded to scream at me about how he cannot get waitresses, food runners and help in general. Well boo-hoo Al and welcome to running a business in the post-covid era! He then went on with his rant stating that "WE ARE NOT A RESTAURANT; WE ARE JUST A BAR!" He then went on to state that if you google restaurants in the Kent Narrows area, his establishment will not come up! What an absolute idiot thing to say! He then made NO attempt to refund me my money or in any way make a concession to satisfy me as a very long-time patron. I am a very long-time, local resident of Kent Island and I will absolutely never go back to the big owl bar and will make it a point to encourage everyone I know to do the same. There are plenty of other great places in the area, to enjoy sunsets, cold drinks, entertainment, with great food...real bars and real restaurants.

I went to the Big Owl on Friday, Sept. 8 with my husband, daughter and her boyfriend. My husband asked "Jessie"behind the bar for some Old Bay and she seemed really offended. She went over to a big guy sitting at the bar and made a gesture toward us signifying she wanted to punch my husband. He seemed to be encouraging her. A few minutes later she came back over and started kind of talking to us as we sat at the bar, saying, "Do you smell hot dogs? Funny, when I came in earlier it really smelled like hot dogs but now I'm smelling lemon tops. Does it smell like lemon tops to you?" It was very strange and my husband and I, and my daughter's boyfriend looked at each other, like, that was weird. My daughter got very upset and she said, can you just pay the bill so we can go? When I asked why, she said I'll tell you in the car. We paid and when we got to the parking lot our daughter told us what hot dog and lemon tops means in urban slang. It is totally offensive and it was obvious that "Jessie" was deliberately insulting our daughter. I went back and gave her a piece of my mind. it's unbelievable that she would think she could insult a customer like that who had done nothing to her. We live nearby and used to enjoy going to the Big Owl. Needless to say, we will NEVER go back. Also, their new system of ordering food online and getting no waitress service stinks.

Just stopped in for a drink before dinner. They tasted fresh and were reasonably priced. We sat at the counter in the back to oversea the water.

Great food, friendly staff, and awesome drinks. The smoked fish dip, shrimp, and jerk chicken sandwiches are some of our favorites. The view is one of the best on the kent narrows and they also have some of the best orange crushes I've ever had.

Come by land or sea for a fun atmosphere with a live band and light dancing. It's fun to stay just for a drink, or to grab some food. The crab cakes are Maryland strong, definitely recommend it! Coconut shrimp is a generous portion, and prices are all very fair. The only down side is most things just come with a bag of chips instead of fries or an actual side. Sometimes I think it's good for me because they are easier to resist lol but fries or something else would feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck. It is all outdoor, with the bar area covered, and the bathrooms are down the planks in air conditioned trailers.

If you have a high tolerance for Jimmy Buffet, this may be the best place place to catch a romantic sunset on a hot spring day. It's a no frills dock bar, with a Key West theme, located right before the bay bridge in Kent Narrows. We were here for drinks which were generous on the alcohol but the bar food looked pretty mouth watering. The staff was very kind to our tired group of surfers and our surfing dogs too. Will be back for crab cakes.

This place was very nice. The service was great. Worth the hour drive. Will definitely go back

Excellent place to stop on the way to Ocean City. Great food - tacos, fries with vinegar and my fave, the rockfish tenders!!!! Yum!!! The owners are super nice too:)

We only stopped by for one Sunday afternoon cocktail during the middle of our bike ride across Kent Island but liked this place and will return when we can spend more time here. It has a fun vibe and the water views are spectacular.

Awesome dive bar in the Kent Island area. Food had a great flavor but was cold after they walked it from the back parking lot. Some of the best Rockfish in the area, just ask them to make sure it is hot.

Amazing view of the Chesapeake... tiki bar... cool breeze... cheap drinks (YES!!!!)... wonderful service... Terrific bar food!!!! I almost hate to give a review because I don't want everyone to know about my little slice of heaven, but Big Owl deserves it. This place has helped me keep my sanity many weeks ;-) I have been coming here for about a year, and this is one of the few things that I miss about the Eastern Shore. This is the go-to spot for after work Happy Hours in a chill envrionment. EVERYONE here treats you like family--- visitors, regulars, servers, and the owner. My favorite was the mozzarella sticks, but they are no longer on the menu. Since there aren't any vegetarians options, I get either the fries or fried pickles. Both are great with alcohol, but bad on the waistline (don't neglect the gym). The stand out is their deep fried key lime pie!!!! OMGoodness!!! The damn pie is wrapped in tortilla, and fried! It is so wrong, but oh, so good... If you ever decide to cross the Bay Bridge, make a stop at the Big Owl! The natives are friendly and the drinks are cheap :-)

Stopped for a lunch, had their jerk shrimp tacos -- great meal and hit the spot!! Great location, right on the water. Definitely a good vibe! Recommend!

Showed up at 8:40 and were told they "closed 20 minutes ago." There we're tons of people with full drinks, and the hours said they didn't close until 9 pm. The owner said "come back when we're open." Beautiful location, looked like it would have been very fun, just don't expect reliable.

This is a fun little spot in the area. First and foremost the staff are so nice and some are down right funny. Tiki kitsche is everywhere and the view is stunning. 50 year old music is not my style but is easily tolerated. While they have a menu I saw no one eating and the place was packed. Filled with locals and a smattering of tourists everyone was drinking. Got loud at times but that's part of the ambiance. Would recommend as an afternoon spot for a few drinks near the water.

Love the Big Owl for watching boats and drinking beers. Pretty good food and good service. Worth the trip to relax by the water.

With the rebar stools and a great view of the Narrows, it's amazing that this hidden gem isn't packed with people all the time. The food is bar fare, but served quickly and with a smile. The drinks aren't too strong or weak, and they don't look at you cross-eyed when you ask for a blender drink. We sat down on a rainy Saturday afternoon, and watched the boats go by while listening to Radio Margaritaville. The layout is mostly outdoor seating, with 4 or 5 stools inside and some standing area. The food is cooked off the pier, but still hits you hot and fresh. The shirts they sell are cool, and keep the wind off nicely. I can't wait to come back on a warm evening!

Ordered calamari which was quite good. The grouper tacos, however, were bland and a bit disappointing. Has great beachfront atmosphere!

Best view in town. The food is good too. Shhhh...dont tell anyone!

Had lunch there this past Thursday. Got the fish tacos as usual , and the pork tacos. Was disappointed the fish tacos were very dry. My wife ordered a burger which was not good. She ended up being sick for the past 2 days . Thinking we will not ne going back again

Love the view and the vibe of this place. Their crab cakes are pretty good! Service is okay. Usually pretty busy!

I love this place. Use the GPS and find it. My husband loves the crab cake sandwich! We are from the area so we know good crab cakes. I love the wings and hand cut French fries. This place is literally picnic tables on a dock. First time I stopped I couldn't figure out where the kitchen was located!!! I doesn't matter....this is one of the few dock restaurants that have really good food!!! This is a must try!!

Stopped in as we saw the bikes outside. Had a few beers and tried the fried pickles and onion rings. Very nice.

Soooo glad that we stopped and tried this place! We'd been to The Jetty a few times, but it was closed, so we tried Big Owl. Great location, right on the water. Really nice, friendly and attentive staff - hostess and waitress were both great. Food came out fast and was DELISH! Coconut shrimp, shrimp tacos, shrimp quesadilla and another marinated shrimp app..kinda went on a shrimp binge All 4 were fantastic and we loved their sweet tea Prices were very reasonable too!

We travel all over the Bay trying different water front restaurants. Once we hit the Big Owl Bar, my wife won't go anywhere else. Love the live music, the food, the fast friendly service, and most of all the dock space. Went to see D'Vibe and Conga over Memorial weekend and even though it was crowded we still got good seats and fast service. Great job guys.