Waterman's Crab House

Delicious dockside lunch on the Eastern shore. Visited here 15 years ago for the first time and have returned several times since. This time we drove from Washington DC to get their famous crabcakes. The food was delicious and the view was superb. Easy parking. Inside side or dockside dining. See menu for pricing. Crab cake sandwich was about $22.00 and the dinner was about $38.00 for the double dinner. Soda and tea at $ 3.95z

Crabs: What they were calling medium were XL in Baltimore. Shrimp made with JO, which I love. Crab dip in bread bowl was perfect but a little shallow in the bowl caught me off guard on how much crab dip there was at first.

⭐️Great food, music, service and view!! Always a pleasure to visit Waterman’s for 20 plus years now!! #realtorlona #localgirl

The crab dip bread bowl was a perfect appetizer to share with a party of 4. Toasty bread bowl filled with a creamy cheese crab mixture. Nice spot along the water.

A family outing with a great view. It was a little busy but the waitress did well. The food was delicious and we had a great time.

Dinner for Mother's Day at Waterman's was great! We were seated immediately. Our server was very attentive and helpful in helping us choose our entrees. I ordered the potato skins topped with crab dip. Great taste, just could have been a little warmer temperature wise for me. We ordered a basket of rolls. They were served warm allowing the butter to melt. My main entrees was Seafood Norfolk (shrimp, scallops, crabmeat in a white wine creamy sauce). My side was a house salad and it was served with two pieces of garlic bread that tasted like they had a hint of lemon. My dinner companions ordered cream of asparagus soup (appetizer), crabcake with baked potato, Caesar salad. The other meal was crab melt that came with fries, added a house salad. Portions were nice size. We sat inside but had a great view of the water.

Brought our crew in for lunch. Outdoor staff (hostesses) were rude. They brought us to our table quickly but when asked to move next to water, on a table that needed wiped, she mumbled I will tell your server to wipe. The person bussing tables saw all of this and proceeded to go lean on the wall instead of wiping. My husband went to the bar and got a towel and we cleaned our own table. Food was good. We had crabdip, crab cake sandwich, clam pot, shrimp pot and kids chicken tenders. The atmosphere is really nice. Sits right on the water.

What a great dinner! I was in Chestertown for business and need to eat. I saw this place on Google maps and gave it a try. Glad I did. I arrived just before sunset. Got some nice pictures. I had a great waitress too. I went with the cream of crab soup and pan seared scallops. For dessert I had a slice of key lime pie cheesecake. Everything was delicious. Zero complaints! If I'm ever in the area, I know where I'm eating!

Waterman's is an Eastern Shore crab house with plenty of Old Bay to spice up your weekend. For those looking for crabs, Josh puppies and fried, you've come to the right place. The deck is huge, lined with picnic tables and hightops and (unless there's a band), the tables will turn and you'll have a great time. The 75' bar will quench your thirst with strong mixed drinks and 4 taps. They could use more help behind the bar, but the lean staffing makes you feel like a champ to finally walk away with your drinks.

Brought our party of 10 to Waterman's on a Sunday evening. Reservations are made either online or by phone call & we were seated immediately when we arrived. The restaurant is right on the water with beautiful views. They have multiple patio seats with umbrellas as well as picnic tables under a covered pavilion. The noise level was a bit much sitting under the pavilion with other children around us. Jose was our server and he gave great recommendations and made sure to check on us often! We ordered 16 large crabs which tasted amazing except they were room temperature and we wished they were hotter. The hush puppies were a hit, I love when they have real corn in them. The seared ahi was more like cooked ahi, barely any pink in the middle. The fish and chips were very standard, and the seafood nachos were huge and tasted great. The chicken chessie sandwich wasn't the best, the chicken was dry and the crab dip tasted like straight cheese. The rockfish special was delicious & and the drinks were refreshing! The food came out fast, I appreciated our amazing server, and the views were immaculate. The food is pretty mediocre but it's worth it to sit and eat on the water!

I ordered the Cream of Crab Soup at Waterman's. This should be a staple in an Eastern Shore eatery but this was an amazing disappointment. A soup called cream of crab should have a velvety, cream liquid with crab. It should be self leveling, not a mound of gelatinous glue like mass mounded in a bowl. My soup arrived luke warm. Thinking it might improve of it was heated, I sent it back. Nope. Still disgusting. I don't think there was any dairy product in the soup. The waitress was fine. The chef needs to be replaced. Cream of crab soup should have milk or cream thickened with a rue of butter and flour that is cooked to enrich its flavor. This soup seemed more like wall paper paste thickened with corn starch. A touch of sherry would be nice and that was to be included but there were no hints of sherry in my bowl. Sad for Waterman's. Have eaten there for years and know they have gone from good to mediocre but this was their biggest low.

Not too impressed with Waterman's. It's a nice location on the waterfront and the service was friendly enough. But the food was nothing special. The crab cakes were very small for $18 for a single cake. I also had the beet and arugula salad, which was very good. At the recommendation of the waitress, my wife had the special crab cake parmesan. The marinara was not very good and overwhelmed the crab cake. Probably should have known it wasn't a good idea to serve crab cakes this way but the waitress really praised it. My wife also had a daiquiri, which is not a usual drink for her but she said it sounded good. It wasn't. Very sweet, topped with whipped cream and no discernible taste of rum. The third person in our party had fish and chips, which looked very good. It was a large portion and she took some home with her. All of the dinnerware was plastic - cups, small plates, dinner plates. It seemed very cheap for not very cheap food. We don't get to this area much but, if we're back, we'll look elsewhere for seafood.

Great atmosphere but food was below average with pricing that didn't make sense to match quality. Waitress however was very professional

I usually post positive reviews, but this beautiful water view restaurant is only worth the view. It was a Thursday and beautiful day so we selected this restaurant because of the view and menu selection. The had several waitresses and not many customers. Our drinks came fast, but AFTER waiting 45 minutes for fish tacos and receiving no updates from the absent waitress or from presumably a manager who asked if we had been waited on. We decided to leave money for our drinks and leave. Would I give them another chance? - NO !

Great food. Great view. Great service. Great live music. We liked it so much we went back the next day.

Anna is amazing, waterman's is my favorite reastruant, Tiffany is wonderful, she gives the best service and ambiance of this company. Great place to eat. 10/10 RECOMMEND

Our Yacht club members took a Labor Day cruise to Haven Harbor South. We decided to go to Watermans Crab House for dinner on Saturday Aug.30th. Everyone was ready for the AYCE crabs. The crabs were horrible. We all understood that most AYCE crabs can be paper shell, but they were so soft you could crush them with your hand Watery, no crab flavoring with the exception of the seasoning that was sprinkled on the top of the crab, and they tasted like fish. We gave them the benefit of the doubt, as they said they were bringing out a fresh batch. The "fresh" batch were as terrible as the first. There were 20 of us. Some ordered food, which looked yummy, and no complaints about that at all. Most of us ordered AYCE crabs. We complained more than once about the crabs. In the end, they took off $50.00 of an over $800.00 bill. We all thought that was an insult. So, with that, we paid the bill, did not stiff the waitress of her tip. She had a little bit of an attitude, repeating about the crabs being paper shell. Make no mistake about it, if we would have been told that "paper shell" meant "garbage", none of us would have ordered the AYCE. We left "HANGRY" and unhappy. Not a good experience, and would recommend them to change their name, because these were the worst crabs I have ever had in my 57 years in Maryland. Stick with ordering food and stay away from AYCE.

Muscles were terrible left half of them on the plate. Should have paid more attention to Susan's post. Oyster Po Boy was cold. Good drinks, people, atmosphere and dog friendly are the good things.

We enjoyed a wonderful special occasion Sunday dinner meal at Waterman's this afternoon, after having attended the Sultana Downrigging Festival. Waterman's is under new ownership & has a new management team (as of May 2023). You can tell the interior has all been spruced up and re-imagined, and the food and service were wonderful. We were there for a birthday celebration. My friend ordered the prime rib, which she said was really delicious. I had the seafood trio (scallops, crabcake, & shrimp), which was fantastic. They have a nice list of side items to choose from. The views are amazing. The food came out quickly & our server, Keri C., checked on us frequently. The fall foliage was gorgeous, and it was a nice, easy ride up there (coming from Annapolis). Definitely put Waterman's at the top of your list for a day trip. It is a perfect way to end an afternoon cruising through the picturesque Eastern Shore towns of Centerville, Chestertown, & Rock Hall.

In town site seeing thought we would stop based on yelp's comments The establishment is nice a clean, right on the docks watching the crabbers unload catch. Outside seating great good view of the bay bridge in the south. ( the good) The bad - server seemed very overwhelmed and hostess did nothing more than check her phone to help. Food was okish tourist fare, fried and no much taste. We would probably pass next time near town Sad to have a million dollar view with $5.00 entree's.......

Food was fresh and prepared as requested. Scenery is gorgeous, Service was wonderful. We will come back

I had read a few poor reviews but we thought to try it for ourselves today, on a Tuesday. First, it's great to have a restaurant open on 7 days a week in Rock Hall when all the others are closed Monday and Tuesdays! We ordered the Fried flounder sandwich after watching a few trays go by with big fish sandwiches. No wonder, it was delicious! Meaty, fresh flounder with all the trimmings. I ordered the mussels with pita bread and a side salad. The mussel juice was a bit bland; more garlic and some white wine would pep those up but there were plenty of them. (To the chef...try the similar steamed clams at the competitors next door. You'll see what I mean and improve a classic dish). The blue cheese dressing is a little too sweet for my taste but it wasn't bad, and if it's not dessert, I don't like sweet food. Our waitress was efficient and attentive. I read so many criticisms about the staff that we were happily surprised with all the staff. Two other waitresses chipped in and took used plates away, brought us bread and they were all polite and nice. We couldn't ask for better and it's always nice to see teamwork in action. The water view is beautiful from inside or out. We will definitely be back and as year around residents, it's great to have a restaurant that is open when the rest are closed (in tourist season in July- go figure!

Went to this spot last night & was pleasantly surprised. The outside doesn't do it justice! Inside is clean, white table cloths, cloth napkins... but still has a family vibe. Right on the water! Huge deck for boaters!!! Great specials! $6 crushes on Monday's, we had a few & all were yummy. Food was good too. Fish &chips, ribs (on special) and crabby chicken sandwich! Kids wandered around and no one seemed to car! Would suggest this place for sure.

This place is a rip off. They added a 20% tip ON MY CARD to a $21 entrance fee. They called it tax and did not say a word.

We come for our anniversary dinner every year when we are visiting the area from out of town. We love the atmosphere, the staff and more importantly the food!!!

Terrible service and tasteless food. We had planned on returning to the Blue Heron Oyster House, where we had dinner the previous evening. Unfortunately, they close early on Sundays. So we figured, how bad can this place be. We found out. Looking back, maybe the management decided to leave early because everyone in the place seemed confused, as if they never worked in a restaurant before. Guesswork aside, it took forever for a waiter to approach our table. Once there, Becky didn't seem to know much about the restaurant or what they served. When she finally did bring our food, we had to wait five more minutes and ask a couple of times before we were given silverware. And unfortunately, the low point was the food itself. My wife had broiled crabcakes and I had them fired. Everything was bland and I had the added benefit of them being greasy. I am not sure if I'm allowed to make direct comparisons but the meal the previous evening, aside from being more pleasurable thanks to great service and better thanks to a better chef, was a lot less expensive. If we're ever in the area, we will certainly go back to the other place but never return to this one.

Great food, great service. The ambiance was amazing. Ate outside on the deck and enjoyed the views. It was an hour and a half drive and worth it! I would recommend it.

Lovely waterside view, very good service but food was just OK. I ordered fish tacos and they came out cold.

Service was great; I ordered the Single Crab cake that came with two sides for $28. It was well seasoned but a little small for the price. Theres indoor and outdoor seating. I recommend going earlier than 6 as my party got there at 5:30 and it was right around the time it got busier on a Saturday. Once it gets busy tho it does get loud within the restaurant. Overall a very good dinner pick!

View is awesome with the wildlife putting on a good show. Waitstaff ( plenty) very attentive and the crab dip was so good we had another. Nice place away from the tourist trap ambience.

We are local and have tried the restaurant three times since the change in ownership. Service was attentive and courteous. We continue to be disappointed with the food and pricing. Crab soup was watery, salads included items with conflicting flavors, potato salad was cloyingly sweet and had no crunch (like from celery), shrimp salad had a heavy iodine odor and taste, soft-shelled crab was so heavily coated in breading could not taste the crab, hush puppies were mushy, and the steamed crabs were only available in mediums on all three visits. They have also removed some Shore staples like fried green tomatoes and pickled beets. We will leave this establishment for the tourists l

We pondered by Waterman's having heard good things about it and hoping to try it as we also learned that they are under new management. This restaurant does not deserve the 3 star review it has currently, resultant to its prior owner. We had arrived prior to opening for dinner. We were warmly greeted by both the chef as well as the manager, who graciously made us feel quite at home, like family, and made sure that we were fed. The food and service was so good that we dined there for the remainder of our stay. Food is exceptional, the staff go above and beyond. Well done!

Great location, good food, friendly service and good live music. Recommend! We enjoyed our meal: pulled pork, beet salad and amazing Smith Island cake.

Food was great, stuffed rock fish with crab imperial & the crabs were full & sweet , with hush puppies. Stacy our server was outstanding. Will return here.

What a fun place to spend a sunny day. Crab by the dozen and many other options. A view of the water. Live music Thursday to Sunday during Summer months. Great and friendly service. I have been to many crab places where the crab is good but all the other food does not pass the test. Waterman's crab house was excellent across the board. We were seven people and all ordered different things. All of us were very happy with the quality and taste. Really impressive. The day we were there, the weather was perfect so we sat outside on the deck. Plenty of shade on a hot day. They provide huge pictures of ice water so you will have lots to drink.

Recently had the opportunity to have lunch at Waterman's, first let me say the view from their deck/outdoor area is great. The food was okay, it wasn't anything to speak of. I had pork BBQ, which was smothered in BBQ sauce, the meat was okay, but it tasted and looked like it came out of the freezer. My friend had fish tacos, it was better, but lacked sufficient fish! I would go there again, but would be more selective on the food order. The service was good and prices reasonable.

So I have eaten here many times in the past and their soup and food was always good. We have eaten soup, apps, crabs, sandwiches, etc. This time was just ok. The soup was good BUT it was so salty we barely finished it. $10 for really small bowls with a few strands of crabmeat and BEEF. I dont remember ever getting it with beef but I do remember much more crab meat. We ordered a Cheesteak to split. For $14 it was small and they forgot to add lettuce, tomato, and onion. We ate it and it was good but pretty damn salty. The fries good but again salty. Someone take the salt away from the cook. $45 after tip for soup and a split sandwich is disappointing when its not all that good and ruined with salt. Ill be back at some point and see how it goes. Nice view.

I have to say. This was the worst experience!!! I have been here quite a few times. Tonight was the by far the WORST! Crab feast was so expensive and they were over cooked so the crabs were mushy the flies were horrendous inside . The hostess had no personality I did tell our waiter that the crabs were horrible and did nothing ( I understand it's not his fault). He was very nice Robert was his name . He did move us to an outside table bc of the fly situation I don't think I will be back No compensation was offered either

Can't wait to go back to Waterman's so I can try the prime rib sandwich. My father in law devoured his on this trip and said it was fabulous. It's a pretty large sandwich too, and he ate every single bite, and all of his fries. Hearty appetite, that guy! I had the grilled sausage sandwich wrapped in bacon, and it was good, but the roll was too big for the sausage. Or maybe the sausage was too small for the roll? Either way, the roll was also a little too crunchy for me. Overall though, I enjoyed it, especially the homamade mustard sauce that comes with it, and the grilled onions on top. The sausage was flavored well too. My husband didn't fare too well with his shrimp tacos. He wasn't aware that the shrimp would be breaded (it may say so on the menu but he didn't see it). He prefers grilled shrimp with no breading on his tacos. Anyway, the fried oysters and fried green tomatoes were both very good. Overall, it was a good visit, and I plan to go back soon for that sandwich!

This may be more of a 3.5 star review, but I'll throw them the benefit of the doubt cause COVID. Stopped by for crabs on a Saturday evening and were able to be seated right away. This place is huge with tons of outdoor seating. My husband ordered steamed crabs and they were delicious. I ordered the crab cake Caesar salad and a side of fries (balance). We had to remind the waitress to bring out the fries, but they were worth the wait. The crab cake wasn't the best but hit the spot. The guy that put paper on our table for crabs was fairly grumpy. Our waitress wasn't the friendliest. With an attitude change in staff, this place could up its rating.

We have been there before and it was okay, not great but the atmosphere was great. We went 4th of July. Some of our party got steamed crabs and were happy. Food was not so great. Shrimp salad was very wet , the shrimp had been sliced down the middle and were so thin you could just about see thru them. Seafood wrap had only small unseasoned shrimp and a ton of cheese. No season at all, it was like eating a grilled cheese wrap. Drinks took along time and were only okay. Expected much better for the drink prices. Go for the crabs and atmosphere. Our waitress was fantastic even though she had a lot of tables.

It's an outside place to go even though they have an inside room - can't eat crabs inside as well. Ok, now let's get right to it. Crabs, crabs, crabs. And beer. Nothing else needs be said.

The place has a great water front deck and plenty of great views. The staff were awesome. I was disappointed in the jumbo crab cake though. It wasn't as big as I thought it would be. It would be great if it was served on a potato roll. The fries were awesome and the corn on the cob was very sweet. I'd go back anytime!

I was here for the end of summer crab feast. The crabs were great as well as all of the sides. The service was really what made the evening though!! Caitlyn and Harlie were absolutely amazing! Even though everything was self serve they made sure our beers were full and that we had plenty of crabs on our table! Exceptional service and extremely friendly. If either of them are working you can be sure that you will have a great time!!! I will definitely be back again.

4 of us came for lunch on a Sat and we were all pleasantly surprised by their food quality. Everything tasted great. Ordered crabcake sandwich, arugula n beet salad, rockfish and dozen crabs. Really enjoyed our delicious lunch while dining outdoors by the water. Not sure why this place only has 3.5 stars on Yelp but definitly deserves higher rating. If u r on the fence about trying this place like we were, dont hesistate b/c u wont be disappointed.

Another bad experience with the new ownership at Waterman's. We have been loyal customers for years and have been trying to accept service that is subpar to the prior ownership. Today we stopped by to have lunch at the bar only to be told that they were not serving at the bar. Moments later the staff delivered food to the group next to us. The server told us that the had cut off food at the bar about 15 minutes prior.

Eat outside so you can see the water because the inside is kind of dark and dingy. But outside is nice, albeit hot and with some flies, but they can't control that. It's also pretty loud outside with people and music and all, so if you want somewhere where you don't have to raise your voice to carry on a conversation, this probably isn't the place for you. But it's a good outside atmosphere for a relaxed, fun time. Anyhow, the food has always been good. This place is usually pretty crowded so be prepared to wait a little for the food, but it's good. I haven't been to a lot of other seafood places in the area so I don't know how this one compares, but my family keeps coming back instead of trying anywhere new. The service isn't anything special but isn't bad either. Overall a solid place with a good view.

Beautiful atmosphere, great food, and drinks. You can come by car or boat. Crab pretzel is served with a cheese sauce. A little different, but still very good. I think the jumbo crabs should have been listed as whales. I was only able to eat 2, but now we have breakfast tomorrow morning . We will be back.

We had a party of 8 and everything was wonderful. Prices had gone up considerably but we enjoyed our time there. They had run out of several popular items but we made due.

What a complete dump. First the place is dirty and flies everywhere. That's inside where there is no real AC. The menus are filthy. Think about all those disgusting smudges the you are now touching before you are going to eat. We asked to change seats to get away from the flies but some kid acting as a hostess said that's not possible even though the place was mostly empty. Looked at food on other people's plates and it looked gross. We walked out before our food was close ready.

Servers are amazing and attentive! Crabs were meaty and fresh! Worth the the trip!! Beautiful view of the water!!

We took a drive out to the Eastern Shore and were looking for a place to eat lunch while in Rock Hall, MD. This place is right on the water, and probably just the spot where all the tourists go, but it was still really good! Our server was very friendly and fast, and this place offered all of the Maryland seafood favorites you could want. I got the crab cake (broiled) and it was pretty good; just the right consistency and tons of lump crab meat. We came here on a rainy day, otherwise it looked like they have a pretty cool outdoor patio.

I had eaten here before over the years but it seems like ownership has changed. Drinks are watered down and pricey! It clear that money is the focus vs quality. Based on the drinks we went elsewhere to eat so I can't really say if the quality of the food went down but the offerings seem to have shrunk for food. I just read someone else's review about management screaming to get "the f out" at last call... double no thanks to this place. RESPECT your patrons first and foremost and a part of that is in word, deed, service and offerings. Do better Watermans and maybe I'll give it a 2nd try but not any time soon!

Absolutely delicious food, great service. We were in town for two days and wanted some fresh seafood with easy pick up options. Waterman's looked good - a variety of options on the menu, with everything available for take out. They were doing patio dining as well, and I believe were doing limited indoor seating (I may be wrong on that!) We ended up getting Waterman's for dinner both nights we were there! Everything was very fresh, very flavorful and well cooked. We had the fried rockfish, steamed shrimp, steamed mussels, a full rack of ribs, and a variety of sides including sweet potato, collard greens, and beets. I'm always hesitant to get meat at a seafood joint, but honestly they were some of the best I've had in a LONG time! I also have allergies to dairy and wheat, and the two women who took my order over the phone were both patient and helpful with my questions, and when I arrived to pick up the order and had an additional question, the chef even came out to provide additional information and address my concerns. Waterman's is right on the water - we ate out in the parking lot (our COVID dining room has been the bed of our pick-up!) with a view of the water. Great people, great food, support your local businesses and don't miss Waterman's!

I hadn't been to Waterman's in a few years, and had never actually been there in season to enjoy blue crabs. A friend and I stayed overnight in Rock Hall and crabs were definitely our top choice for dinner. We sat outside on the deck, close to the boats. This was fine until a loud, drunk group made their way back to their vessel. Luckily they left shortly after, because the cigarette smoke was wafting into our food. Our server Dawn was very nice and allowed us plenty of time to relax and catch up. We got the crabby fries (loaded with cheese sauce, crab meat, scallions) and 1 dozen large crabs. The crabs were a touch over steamed but delicious nonetheless. Having worked at a crab house for many years I am keen to the perfectly steamed crab. We were incredibly full after. Everyone seemed to be abiding by the social distancing and mask wearing indoors. Would go back for sure.

VERY disappointed Made reservations 3 pm Was told no crabs COVID or no COVID you should have crabs Or at least tell the customer when confirming reservation that there's a possibility they will run out

We were there off season but the food was first class and the staff were fun to work with