cantler's riverside inn

they're serving fresh crabs here. we stopped in this local crab shack special on our way through town to the beach. it was crowded with locals, which is a good sign. it's a friendly, messy, paper towel tablecloth, place to eat fresh maryland blue crabs with crackers and mallets. our waitress even gave us a demo on how to attack the delicious guys. and the poor lady was happy to answer my mother's crab-cracking technique questions every time she returned to our table to refill our drinks. nicely done, canlter's.

great place for blue crabs.

loved this place! we were glad we arrived early-- the place filled up quickly and lines were extremely long when we left-- which of course was nearly two hours after we arrived because steamed crabs take a long time to eat when eaten the proper way! othera around us were there just about as long, too. these crabs are fresh-- you can go out to the dock to get an idea-- and cantler's does a great job preparing them. the only thing that was disappointing was the lack of draught beer-- a can of bud light sold for $3.30! overall a great experience, i'll have to return when back in annapolis!

fantastic service, great drinks, and delicious calamari!! i love this place, it never disappoints. also, when they have them, best steamers in town!!

the crab cake platters consist of broiled maryland jumbo lump cakes, served with fresh vegetables and starch of the day. single and double platters are on offer, with both jumbo lump crab and backfin. sandwiches are also available, served with one side. they also have crab cake sliders, which are fried. the jumbo lump c

go for the crabs. went while on vacation. heard that this was the place to get maryland blue crabs. my only complaint was the length of time it took to get our drink/food order taken once we were seated (yes it was a friday night, but it was maybe half way busy). the crabs were crazy good, super sweet. i've never had them with apple cider vinegar before, but i am glad i did. it was a nice touch. would certainly go back there again.


-----23 mar, 2012-----

go for the crabs. went while on vacation. heard that this was the place to get maryland blue crabs. my only complaint was the length of time it took to get our drink/food order taken once we were seated (yes it was a friday night, but it was maybe half way busy). the crabs were crazy good, super sweet. i've never had them with apple cider vinegar before, but i am glad i did. it was a nice touch. would certainly go back there again.

go by boat. i could not tell you how to get there by road, but i can find cantler's with my eyes closed by boat. that's the only way i have ever gone. good, local crabs, cold budweiser and the rest of the menu is fine too, but what you pay for is the most perfect embodiment of a chesapeake bay crab house. boating and picking crabs. a tradition i will pass along to my kids.

for one and a half benjamins, these better be the crabs of my dreams. unfortunately, they weren’t even close.

the blue crabs are steamed by the bushel and topped with old bay seasoning, very much the traditional style. prices are very reasonable for fresh, delicious crabs.

people who don't like this place should stay away!. really, it is not for everyone... it is a neighborhood, type crab house with cold beer and sweet crabs. the other entrees are good too. if you don't like long sheets of brown paper and getting really messy when you eat, don't go here. if you can't have a good time at cantler's, it is you, not them. to the person who didn't like it and didn't like geno's in philly- look this is a free country and we are all entitled to our own opinions, but stick with wendy's, you won't be disappointed.

cantler's. best place i've been to in annapolis. great atmosphere and excellent food. the lump crab cake sandwich is the best i've ever had.

seafood, especially crabs, doesn’t get much fresher.

simply put: this dinner will live on in infamy. fresh maryland crabs, served steamed and dry-rubbed with old bay seasoning, accompanied by melted butter, vinegar and spice. you crack them open with mallets and pick out the meat. tables are covered with brown butcher paper. classic. it has been two days and i'm still thinking about it. ignore any bad reviews. this is your quintessential maryland dining experience. do it.

ok, now i actually live in maryland, actually a short boat ride to this place. ignore the bad reviews, i love this place. the crabs are delicious and large. don't complain about the price foreigners, this is just about as cheap as it can get. now the staff isn't something for some 5-star french banquet, but good nonetheless. and rude is not what to describe their attitude; that is just how marylanders act. relaxed. so if you are a prissy brat who isn't willing to give up scenery and fanciness, don't bother. there's a reason that it takes so long to get a table people. so get your friends, get a table, and order some beer and a few dozen of some xls because you're gonna have a ball!

over-rated, over-priced, bad service!. we decided to visit this place based on high internet ratings and what-not. overall, it was a disappointing experience, and it seems this place is riding on the coat-tails of past glory and good reputation that it no longer deserves.

first of all, the entire staff consisted of a bunch of high-school kids (seemingly) with no vested interest in making the business work. while polite, they were incompetent, and not very attentive or professional. eating here was reminiscent of being in a high-school cafeteria. the waiters were more concerned about "getting their friends in quickly" even if that means paying customers wait longer. at one point we actually had to ask for a manager as a quartet of students who claimed to be from boston thought they were too important to get in line...and instead of making them wait, they were served ahead of everyone simply because they were being bratty. really?

additionally, the staff was overly focused on flirting with young people of the opposite sex than really doing their jobs well. waters were not kept full. condiments were lacking. they had no knowledge of the menu. and they did not come check on you after serving the food. instead, they'd sit at nearby tables *together* and chit-chat, laugh, and ignore the customers. driving all this way...and paying higher than average cost for average food...leaves a bitter taste.

now on to the food. the crab was fresh, and tasted great. but not really superlative to other good crab joints. the seasonings were salty, but good on the side. the rest of the menu was okay...and certainly not worth a drive nor deserving of a superior reputation.

i think this place is popular because of glory days past, and it's location on the water. nothing more. i would not make the journey back to this place.