cantler's riverside inn

always a no frills favorite. go during soft shell season before the crowds of memorial day

this place is great! and i don't eat crab all that much. it's fantastic & fun & the locale of our next shindig. can't wait!

went for lunch on memorial day weekend. still a great place for fresh, hot crabs drowned in old bay, but expect to pay for the full experience. one dozen "super" sized crabs were $95. if you don't like the messy business of bashing crabs apart for their meat, you (and your budget) will be safe with the lump crab meat sandwich. whatever you do, plan to show up early (before they open) or be ready to wait a while for a table.

my number one seafood destination in annapolis. one of the few places left in maryland that have soft shell clams. great year-round destination but love summertime on the back patio.

i'm from the louisiana, and these were the best boiled/steamed crabs i've ever had! the crab dip was to die for; the stuffed shrimp were fantastic. i will definitely be back!

there is a reason this place is rated the number 1 crab house in the country. it's the real deal. long rows of tables and blue crab on platters. you are right on the water where people literally take their boats over. the staff is wonderful and will teach you how to eat a crab! i just love this place. take the kids!!

we were looking for a place on the water to have crabs and we found cantler's. it was great! we got there on saturday at 1:00 pm thinking it might be after the lunch rush. wrong! we had to park in their overflow lot which was actually just short walk to the restaurant. they said it would be an hour wait so we luckily found a spot at the bar. the bar could have used another bartender but service was fine. the wait actually was only about 30 minutes and we sat out side. unfortunately we were in the sun with no shade. our waitress, kristen noticed the potential problem without me saying a word and as soon as the table behind us emptied she slid the umbrella over. we had the extra-large crabs and an order of onion rings. the food was fabulous and kristen did a fantastic job servicing us for the two hours it took to eat most of the crabs. couldn't eat the last two. we now know why the place was packed. great spot. we highly recommend it!

awesome sunday afternoon. my husband and i just left and needless to say we're stuffed!! we have blackend rock blt it was fabulous. then we proceed to 1dozen medium crabs!! they were more like large. i left a camper and i will return!' hey virginia isn't that far!!

not for the one looking to get their money's worth!. i'm a 42yr. male. i've been too plenty of places and can stand behind my remarks here. went myself for dinner. spent $29.00 for broiled seafood combo. got 3 shrimp, 3 scallops, 1 small to med. size fish fillet. all tasted great. i have issue w/ the amount i got for the money. my huge side of sweet potato fries were soaking w/ oil and salt. not good to me. my side of coleslaw was tasty but again small. my $9.00 bowl of cream of crab arrived in a black plastic bowl loaded w/ cream and salt. went crabbing for the meat and just like in the rivers the meat was hard to come by. i've spent less and got more and where everything was good 100% @ other seafood restaurants. i told the waitress of my unhappiness when she offered me desert. laughing @ me she said i best stay away from desert. i learned this place is best @ offering crabs. anything else is a risk of getting overcharged. lesson learned. thank the lucky cow i did not take my family of ten.

the best crabs i have had in a long time.. cantler's is off the beaten path and well worth the trip. it is actually about 10 minutes from downtown annapolis. we ordered a dozen steamed maryland blue crabs, some shrimp, and a bowl of clam chowder. the chowder was ok, the shrimp was good, but the crabs were out of this world. perfectly steamed, season well, and full of meat. with crabs, you never know, but ours were great. the service was good, but you definitely want to get there early, say before 6:00 or you will be waiting. no frills restaurant, maybe a bit pricy, but well worth it.

outstanding! not only was the staff very friendly, but the food was fantastic! had a 1/2 lb old bay style steamed shrimp and the crab cake sandwich with hushpuppies. the shrimp were good, crab cake very good along with the hushpuppies. ate the crab cake w/ out the bun. the trip there was fun in itself. feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. would be a great place to come back to in warmer weather. no wait time on a monday night (they offered all you can eat crabs as the special tonight, $34 bucks!). kids cheese pizza was huge and my husband who does not like seafood had the chicken tender w/ fries and thought they were pretty good. if we visit this area again, will for sure be back!


-----11 mar, 2014-----

outstanding! not only was the staff very friendly, the food was fantastic! had a 1/2 lb old bay style steamed shrimp and the crab cake sandwich with hushpuppies. the shrimp were good, crab cake very good along with the hushpuppies. ate the crab cake w/ out the bun. the trip there was fun in itself. feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. would be a great place to come back to in warmer weather. no wait time on a monday night (they offered all you can eat crabs as the special tonight, $34 bucks!). kids cheese pizza was huge and my husband who does not like seafood had the chicken tender w/ fries and thought they were pretty good. if we visit this area again, will for sure be back!

we had dinner there last night and the entire experience was great. our server was fantastic. my daughter ordered raspberry iced tea, but they were out of it, so she mixed a special blend for her. she was thrilled. the calamari was perfect and sea bass with lobster risotto was even better. the food was a bit pricier than i expected, but it was worth every penny. we will be back again.


-----16 feb, 2014-----

we had dinner there last night and the entire experience was great. our server was fantastic. they were out of raspberry iced tea so she mixed a special blend for her. she was thrilled. the calamari was perfect and sea bass with lobster risotto was even better. the food was a bit pricier than i expected, but it was worth every penny. we will be back again.

excellent. despite the place being very busy and crowded, we were seated quickly. our waitress was very friendly and attentive and knew the menu well. the soft shell crabs were the best i've ever had, and i've had them at numerous restaurants over the years. the beer was very cold. that's always a plus. the crab legs and crab cakes were also very good.

awesome!!!!! my husband use to come here when he lived nearby. my first visit. best crab cake i have ever had! he had fresh blue crabs and loved it. service was superior!!!!!

cantler's is located just a few minutes outside downtown annapolis you have to take a few winding roads that lead you back to this hidden gem of a restaurant that is located right on the water. it's not a big place and it's well known among the locals and typically crowded, so expect to wait for a table. we went for lunch on an early sunday afternoon and had to wait for about 20 minutes, which i'd assume is fairly common.