Sitting right on the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay, with the Atlantic Ocean just a few hours away, Annapolis has always had a deep connection to the water — and the excellent seafood it produces. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Annapolis is home to many great seafood restaurants.
To help you find the best places to eat, we’ve created this guide with our local picks for what we think could be the best seafood restaurants in Annapolis. We will walk you through our top recommendations, so you can make the most of every meal while you’re here.
Specials, offerings, menu items, and hours of operation for most restaurants are subject to frequent change. While we make every effort to get the details right at the time of publication, it’s a good idea to confirm any important details before you go by calling the restaurant, checking their website, or social media pages.
Our Guide to the Top Seafood Restaurants in Annapolis, MD
While Maryland will always be known for crabs, we also think the seafood restaurants that serve other quintessential Maryland seafood — like oysters and rockfish — are a big highlight of this town’s culinary offerings.
Since we try to eat fresh seafood regularly, we’re very well-versed in the restaurants in Eastport and Downtown Annapolis that excel at creating creative seafood dishes.
If you’re seeking the best crab cakes, blue crabs, fresh rockfish, or oysters, our list of the best seafood restaurants in Annapolis is here to help you find the perfect restaurant with the ideal seafood dishes for you and your dining companions.
Carrol’s Creek Cafe
410 Severn Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403 carrolscreek.com
Carrol’s Creek Cafe is probably our top recommendation for an excellent seafood restaurant in Annapolis.
One of the highlights of dining at Carroll’s Creek is the waterfront view of Spa Creek in Eastport from their dining room and deck. You can also be assured that they earn that waterfront connection by serving some of the freshest seafood.
View of Carrol’s Creek Restaurant from the water taxi stop at Annapolis City Marina
If you’re looking for a special date night, a place to host a family celebration, a waterfront lunch, or dining for one at the bar, Carrol’s is a great choice for any of those scenarios. Carrol’s can accommodate everything from big groups for birthdays to single plates.
The food here is reasonably priced by market standards, high-quality, and expertly prepared. We’ve never had a piece of seafood here that wasn’t cooked to perfection.
We think their herb-encrusted rockfish is one of the best seafood preparations in all of Annapolis.
Herb Encrusted Rockfish
Carrol’s Creek also offers great crab cakes and excellent sea scallops prepared with phyllo dough, and has local oysters, both baked and raw, on the menu. Most of all, we love that Carrol’s is the kind of place where you can come as you are, or get dressed up and make the most of the evening.
Ahi Tuna Tartare Tower
The food is always top-notch, and they offer a cocktail menu and a wine list featuring great bottles that pair perfectly with their entrees and seafood. We especially love their cream of crab soup, paired with one of their Caesar Salads, for a quick, casual at-the-bar dinner.
Boatyard Bar and Grill
400 Fourth St, Annapolis, MD 21403 boatyardbarandgrill.com
Almost right across the street from the parking lot for Carrol’s Creek is another must-visit Annapolis seafood restaurant.
We’ve mentioned Boatyard Bar and Grill in our list of the best bars in Annapolis, but it’s primarily known as an excellent seafood restaurant with an extensive menu.
Boatyard is a local favorite that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there are delicious seafood options on each of those menus.
The Boatyard is especially famous for its “all killer no filler” crab cakes and crab cake sandwiches. In addition to their crab specials, they offer a huge variety of seafood from a raw seafood tower to favorites like Mahi Mahi and Salmon.
The Boatyard is particularly known for its oysters, and they feature a full raw bar, a variety of oyster shooters, and you can add fried oysters to your salad.
Ocean City Inlet BLT
We often eat lunch or an early dinner here, and our personal favorites are their Ocean City Inlet Flounder BLT sandwich, the Coddies, and the smoked fish dip, which used to be a happy-hour staple for us.
If you’re looking for seafood prepared in traditional Maryland ways, with a little nautical flair, Boatyard has an unforgettable seafood dish for every seafood lover in your party.
O’Learys Seafood Restaurant
310 Third St, Annapolis, MD 21403 olearysseafood.com
Just down Severn Avenue from the Boatyard, at the corner of 3rd Street and Severn in Eastport, is a teal blue building with a VW Bus in the parking lot.
Here you’ll find O’Leary’s, a small seafood bistro known for impeccable service. The dining room at O’Leary’s is gorgeous, with local artwork and well-chosen nautical touches. The service and food here are legendary.
O’Leary’s Crispy Rockfish
Because of its charming atmosphere and high-end dining experience, O’Leary’s is a great place to celebrate an important birthday or anniversary. The seafood here is known for its gourmet preparations, with seafood accompaniments you won’t find anywhere else.
We love their Crispy Rockfish, and they make an amazing gazpacho in the summer. We also love their shrimp and grits and would gladly try any of their seafood dinner specials without hesitation.
Wild Country Seafood
124 Bay Shore Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403 wildcountryseafood.net
When you’re still on the Eastport side of Annapolis, there’s one of the freshest spots you can try for off-the-boat seafood.
Wild Country Seafood is a seafood market located near the Annapolis Maritime Museum. It’s out of the way, tucked at the end of a dead-end street in Annapolis, but definitely a spot worth seeking out. Wild Country Seafood is an order-at-the-counter place with picnic tables outside for dining in warm weather.
Wild Country is the home of Patty’s Fatty’s oysters, named for the owner of Wild Country, Pat Mahoney. They are plump, fresh oysters that are famous in the Annapolis area. Wild Country is known for its fried seafood sandwiches, scallops, and soft-shell crabs in season.
We usually go for the oyster sandwich, and really want to try their broiled rockfish fillet or a combination platter. You can also order party platters or just pick up fresh fish or crabs for your own event and party hosting needs.
Cantler’s Riverside Inn
458 Forest Beach Rd, Annapolis, MD 21409 cantlers.com
While we plan to do an article dedicated to the Maryland crab shacks by themselves, you can’t mention seafood in Annapolis without mentioning crabs, and you can’t mention crabs in the Annapolis area without mentioning Cantler’s.
Cantler’s is a family-owned and legendary waterfront restaurant on the Severn River. It’s one of the top spots to pick crabs with family and friends. While you can certainly drive there, it’s also a great dock-and-dine destination. Not only is Cantler’s known for being one of the top spots for blue crabs, but they also offer a full range of seafood dishes, including seafood platters, fish sandwiches, and combination plates.
If you want crab without having to pick, they also offer crab preparations. Cantler’s has a casual picnic-table atmosphere, but its range of seafood options is first-class.
Chart House Prime
300 Second St, Annapolis, MD 21403 charthouseprime.com
The Chart House is one of our favorite places for cocktails and seafood happy hour specials. They recently rebranded as Chart House Prime, which means they’re now known not only for their seafood but also for their steaks, offering fantastic cuts of meat and classic steakhouse presentations.
The water views and the ability to get both surf and turf in this upscale environment make this a great spot to consider, especially if you’re celebrating a special occasion.
Mini Crab Cakes from the Chart House Prime Happy Hour
Chart House Prime is known for great service; the waitstaff and bartenders are always top-notch, and the dining room is a modern, elegant space that lends itself to fine seafood.
There’s something for everyone, including sushi, a raw bar, oysters, seafood towers, crudo, and whole-fish offerings. Chart House Prime also offers global seafood selections like Salmon, Chilean Sea Bass, and Alaskan King Crab, as well as local favorites like rockfish and cream of crab soup.
The Choptank
110 Compromise St, Annapolis, MD 21401 thechoptankrestaurant.com
Nestled in between the bars and restaurants in Historic Annapolis is a newcomer – The Choptank, owned by the Atlas Restaurant Group out of Baltimore. This multi-level restaurant is perfectly located right on the edge of Ego Alley, with beautiful views of the water. This is an upscale spot with outdoor seating, stunning bar seating, and several beautifully appointed dining rooms on each level.
While The Choptank is billed as a “classic fish and crab house,” the high-end decor and perfect location make this a bit more elevated than that descriptor suggests.
While this isn’t necessarily one of the go-to restaurants for day-to-day dining, it is one we frequently end up at with out-of-town guests because it is one of the few seafood restaurants with great waterfront views and a really eye-catching interior design and beautiful atmosphere.
We’ve ordered and enjoyed the Rockfish Ceviche with friends, and we also love their various preparations of fresh catches like Chilean Sea Bass and Rockfish.
Sailor Oyster Bar
196 West St, Annapolis, MD 21401 sailoroysterbar.com
Sailor Oyster Bar is located on West Street in downtown Annapolis and has recently reemerged on the Annapolis dining scene after a devastating fire closed the restaurant for many months. Sailor Oyster Bar’s primary offering is a raw bar, and its lightly cooked cuisine was inspired by the idea of being shipwrecked on a deserted island with only a torch and fresh fish available.
True to that theme, the raw bar menu features items such as oysters, clams, caviar, seared scallops, and fish prepared crudo-style. While it’s not the place to go if you want a entree style meal or a hearty fried fish basket, but if you’re looking for refined seafood bites paired with creative craft cocktails, Sailor Oyster Bar is a great stop to make on your dining adventure.
Seasalt
1 Park Pl #7, Annapolis, MD 21401 seasaltannapolis.com
Seasalt is another relative newcomer to the Annapolis dining scene and is already making a great impression.
Seasalt has a dedicated oyster bar and a seafood-inspired kitchen that specializes in sustainably sourced seafood. Seasalt offers an elegant bar and a modern dining room that perfectly complement this upscale fine-dining experience.
Admittedly, we’ve only had the chance to visit during Happy Hour, but a look at the pictures of beautifully plated food and their elegant dinner menu reveals that Seasalt is creating unparalleled, exquisite preparations.
Mike’s Restaurant and Crab House
3030 Riva Rd, Riva, MD 21140 www.mikescrabhouse.com
A crab shack like Mike’s is a Maryland institution, and we’ll take a deeper dive into their attributes in our upcoming article about the best crab houses in Annapolis and Maryland.
While it’s best known as a crab house, Mike’s menu offers a full range of seafood. We visited this fall and were highly impressed by the rockfish sandwich, the views, and the drinks.
Rockfish Sandwich from Mike’s
Mike’s isn’t right downtown, but it’s just a short drive out of the city, in Riva. If you want seafood with a water view in a casual environment, Mike’s Restaurant and Crabhouse is a great place to try. There’s indoor seating year-round, as well as a waterfront deck with picnic tables and an outdoor bar with a great view of the South River. If you’re closer to Pasadena, MD, there’s a Mike’s location there, too!
Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls
188 Main St, Annapolis, MD 21403 masonslobster.com
Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls on Main Street in downtown Annapolis
Mason’s is a chain and little unique in Maryland’s culinary world, since its primary offerings are two New England-style lobster rolls and New England clam chowder. Located right on Main Street in downtown Annapolis, it’s the perfect spot to stop for a little lunch of afternoon seafood break.
A takeout order of the Mason’s Famous Lobster Salad Roll – The side of beer and pasta salad is our own
You can choose from the warm, buttered Connecticut-style lobster roll, the cold, mayo-based classic New England-style roll, the lobster salad roll with celery, the Bar Harbor-style roll with added lobster tail, or a few other tasty options.
For a low-carb meal, you can also opt to have your lobster or shrimp over salad greens. For soups, Mason’s offers lobster bisque or New England clam chowder.
It’s a small menu, but it truly focuses on the best offerings of New England seafood, and as native New Englanders, we appreciate having a place to get a taste of classic New England lobster right in Annapolis.
The Point Crab House + Grill
700 Mill Creek Rd, Arnold, MD 21012 thepointcrabhouse.com
The Point is not in downtown Annapolis, but since it’s only about 15 minutes from Annapolis, and it’s SO good, we decided to include it in this guide. The Point is a waterfront spot, tucked away in a residential area of Arnold next to the Atlantic Marina at Ferry Point. You can also arrive by boat – just call ahead for docking details.
It’s a bit of a winding drive from downtown Annapolis, and since it’s in a residential area with no other restaurants near it, it is really a destination that you have to commit to – but it’s worth the drive. While it’s primarily known as an upscale crab house, we still consider The Point one of our favorite seafood spots.
Cream of Crab Soup from The Point
The Point specializes in locally sourced seafood and steamed seafood dishes like the Lump Crab Cake, steamed shrimp and oysters, mussels, and the Fried Rockfish sandwich.
We usually go to Happy Hour, where our order is likely to include Nanny’s Deviled Eggs, Cream of Crab Soup, and their delicious Baked Jumbo Lump Crab Dip.
Enjoy the open-air waterfront bar and dining room setting of The Point in Arnold for some excellent crab and seafood dishes
Latitude 38
12 Dock St, Annapolis, MD 21401 latitude38waterfront.com
Latitude 38 is located just around the corner from the U.S. Naval Academy and is situated right near Ego Alley. It has a bit of a changing landscape at the moment, since there’s a huge construction project underway at the Annapolis Waterfront and Ego Alley space.
Latitude 38 is a moderately upscale but still casual restaurant with a unique open-air dining area with what is usually a great view of the busy Annapolis Waterfront. The menu features plenty of seafood options, from halibut to Maryland favorites like crab dip, crab cakes, and soft-shell crab sandwiches.
Lures
1397 Generals Hwy, Crownsville, MD 21032 luresbarandgrille.com
If you’re up for heading a little bit outside of downtown Annapolis, down the road about 20 minutes to Lures Bar & Grille, another great restaurant that centers seafood across many of its classic menu items and fresh offerings. They bring in fresh fish daily, which can be prepared in a number of different ways, including Rockefeller, Mango, Southern Fancy, and more. Their restaurant and bar are welcoming and full of tasteful aquatic and coastal style. Their outdoor patio features a stunning carved-wood pavilion, creating an elevated and memorable dining experience. Best of all, all of their dishes always have a little fishy signature – they include a goldfish cracker on each plate!
More Spots to Find Great Seafood
While some of the restaurants in the area aren’t known specifically as seafood restaurants, they’ll often incorporate local fish and oysters on their menus, so you really can’t go wrong with ordering a seafood dish if it’s on offer from any of the local restaurants. For instance, even though Adam’s on Fourth is known primarily for ribs, we’ve enjoyed excellent salmon and rock fish there.
Mussels from Reynold’s Tavern
We’ve had excellent mussels at Reynold’s Tavern, and there’s almost always a delicious crab soup, crab dip, or crab-topped entree at Davis’ Pub, in addition to their excellent fish and chips.
Another favorite is the Monday lobster special at Rams Head Roadhouse. Rams Head offers a varied menu and is known for its burgers. This used to be available at the downtown Annapolis location, but now it’s limited to the Roadhouse location on Defense Highway in Annapolis. They offer rockfish bites, which are generously sized portions of fried rockfish, as well as a fantastic deal on a 1-pound lobster dinner that comes with a salad, corn, and potato, all under $30!
Grilled Salmon over Kale and Quinoa
If Italian is more your style, we’ll be doing a summary of those restaurants soon, but it’s worth noting that several of the wonderful Italian restaurants in the area, like Osteria 177 and Luna Blu, center seafood in their entrees and pasta offerings.
Our Favorites
Rockfish from Adam’s on Fourth
So, which one is the best seafood restaurant? Carrol’s Creek probably gets our top recommendation for its mix of all-around service and fine dining. We also love O’Leary’s for a special event or romantic dinner, and Wild Country is a hidden gem for casual take-out for lunch with super fresh fish. As native New Englanders, we get our lobster fix from the Monday night lobster special at Rams Head Roadhouse or with a lobster roll from Mason’s.
There is something for every sort of seafood lover in Annapolis, from fine dining restaurants to casual counter service style places. Annapolis Restaurant Week can be a great time to familiarize yourself with some of these places and decide for yourself which seafood spot is the best!
More Annapolis Dining Ideas
For this article, you’ll notice that, with the exception of some raw oyster references, we’ve mostly stayed with prepared and cooked seafood restaurants, but Annapolis has a full offering of restaurants dedicated to both sushi and crab. So if you prefer your seafood in sushi or crustacean form, we’ll be sharing specific picks for both crab houses and sushi restaurants.
If you’re visiting Annapolis or just looking for some of the best places to eat and things to do, we’ve written a few other food guides that might interest you. Check out our recommendations for the best coffee in Annapolis, the best pizza in Annapolis, and the best bars in Annapolis.
