Tap Room

Outstanding place for crabs in a great little town. Small selection of beers, but its really about the crabs…
The crabs are fresh and affordable.
Staff is friendly and easy going.
Peel and eat shrimp are fresh. Corn is seasonal and good.
Well off the beaten path in Chesapeake City. Its a small little town that is not really a tourist hot spot.

Have to go with two stars for this visit. First time here, no real draw to come back. I grew up with crab places … So the paper on the table cloths etc., is to be expected
Service was. Ok. Just took the order & brought the food.
The soft crabs were advertised as «whales «…Nope. Pretty small and only warm when they were served.
Lastly — the cash only thing. Really– in today’s world — we would have tried more, but were no going to roll the dice on the ATM in the lobby.

We were regulars at the Tap Room when we lived in Delaware, but haven’t been in years. Thought we would stop back to visit Chesapeake City, and have some crabs.
We both had crabs, my wife ordered a dozen of the Jumbo garlic style. They were very large and full of meat. I went with the «all you can eat» and ate about 2 dozen. They were mostly #2s.
Service was good, and our waitress was very attentive. Our main disappointment was that the crabs were not «Steamed to order», they had already been cooked, and were re-​heated and served. My expectation is fresh cooked crabs. I do not want crabs that i have no idea when they were live, that morning, or 3 days ago. We will most likely be back, but I will check first to see if they will «steam fresh crabs» for me. There is a difference!

stopped for lunch while down at the Warbirds over Delaware show. When we entered, place was empty, save for one couple. That is usually a red flag for me. Waiters was friendly, service was timely but given we were the only group in there, does not say much. Ok ordered chowder and softshell crab sandwich. Friends ordered crabcake sandwiches. Food was OK but portions were small and expensive. Softshell was advertised as «whale» but there was no way that thing was a whale. Very disappointed as I heard it was a good place. Help ratings were off the mark, except for one. Won’t be stopping or recommending the place in future.

Always great at the Tap Room.
Crabs always the best, u peel shrimp excellent, corn on the cob the best!
The owner is friendly too.
Afterwards walk down to Canal Creamery for ice cream and watch the boats on the water.

Best crabs around! The all you can eat crabs were amazing. Debbie and Scott couldn’t have been more accommodating. Definitely worth the trip!

Food was good, but because of the poor service, they get two stars. Service was absolutely horrible. The server didn’t bring my soup that went with my meal. At time to pay, we were surprised with «we only take cash, but there’s an atm in front». At no time did we see «cash only» posted. So we get money from the atm and I ask for change of a $ 20, requesting a $ 10 and 10 ones… instead the server comes back with a $ 10, $ 5, and five ones. Apparently directions aren’t their forte. I won’t even comment on what we saw the chefs wearing… to give just a bit of a picture… cut off sleeves, no gloves, and dreadlocks hanging around for hair to get in the food. Never again.

We were excited to try their crabs, as my sister highly recommended this restaurant. We were definitely not wowed by the crabs, as they did not taste fresh. The crab cakes were good. We took a lot of the crab leftovers back home to my sister, and she agreed that they did not taste fresh or as good as they were before. Perhaps it was end of season or we got a bad batch. The street that Tap Room is on is cute and quaint and the restaurant itself has a lot of character. Service was good as well.

I love it here! The crabs are tasty and they offer «all you can eat crabs» everyday:) the owner is so nice. I crave the tap room everyday.

Would love to give it more but it wasn’t a very good experience. The crab bisque was so salty we couldn’t eat it and the crab cakes ($ 23.95 for a pair with French fries and slaw) were not very fresh. They had either been sitting out too long or were reheated. Dry and odd tasting. The mussels however were plump and delicious.
We wanted to love this place with the cool atmosphere but it was disappointing. No wonder it was pretty much empty at 6:30 on a Thursday.

Always fantastic crabs. Old school joint. Butcher paper on the tables. Great corn on the cob — fresh and local. great fries. great crabs — the best! nothing fancy here — just heavenly crabs! Cash only

Been here a few times with friends and we all never had a bad meal. The crabs are pretty good and seasoned well. Would have been five stars but my complaint is the bathrooms are very small for the crowd that they have.

My family and I have eaten here twice now. No frills seafood and the prices are reasonable considering the other more upscale seafood prices in the area. If you’re looking for a laid back, enjoyable no frills seafood feast, this is the place to go. The downside is that they give you really small drinks (sodas) and refills are not free. Also, they are cash only but they do have an ATM on site.

Just ate here and was not happy. The crabs were light, shrimp overlooked and then got the check for over $ 250 for 6 people which isn’t bad normally except when we went to pay was told they don’t accept credit cards. No signs anywhere that says cash only. Will not go back or recommend this place to anyone.

Went here for drinks last Friday night since it was one of the few, if not only, options we had during our first day of a weekend getaway in Chesapeake City. There was one medium-​size party when we walked in, but they left shortly after we arrived (it was only around 10pm) and then we were the only two people left in the bar. It felt quite unusual in the Friday-​night drinking scene.
I’ll spare the cash-​only comment since it’s been much discussed. There are interesting frozen drinks but I couldn’t pick out a one I’d like (most of them are rum-​based). It was also way too bright. Felt more like a high school canteen than a bar (I know it’s also a restaurant). Too bad we went after dinner so I didn’t get to taste the crabs. If I ever return to town I definitely will.

Good place to grab a beer on an afternoon hike around town.

I love this place and my family has always gone here– it’s a fun easygoing atmosphere where you can get TOP NOTCH Hardshell Crabs with some awesome other stuff (Crab Soup, Corn on the Cob, Fries, Onion Rings, etc).
While the crabs can get expensive, it’s totally worth it to get them as big as they have them. This whole season we have gotten some amaaaaaaaaaaaazing crab here. Probably one or two of the best batches I’ve ever had.
Ask for extra seasoning, they have been skimping what they put on the fries!

I’ve been here twice. The crabs are good (but expensive) but just about everything else we’ve had have been underwhelming.
The first time there I ordered a softshell crab sandwich. The crab itself was very small, about half the size of the buns they used, so I ate mostly bread and lettuce. Not impressed.
The last time there I ordered linguine with clams, and was presented with about 5 pounds of noodles in so-​so sauce. My girlfriend ordered linguine with crab cakes in white sauce and was given the same hefty portion but in a watery and very garlicky soup, which we were told was the ‘white sauce’. The crab cakes were alright but kind of mushy.
I don’t think I will be returning to this place a third time unless it is only for crabs.

Excellent food in a charming town.
A cousin’s wedding brought me to Chesapeake City and I was surprised how much I really enjoyed the place. The picturesque setting had a very New England feel to it so I felt right at home. However, no visit to Maryland is complete without crab and Tap Room did not disappoint.
My fearless family members opted for the steamed whole crabs that you need to beat with a wooden mallet. They said the whole crabs were excellent however I prefer not to pick my food out of an animal’s dead body and thus I went with the crabcakes. Delicious and full of crab meat these cakes were; not an abundance of filler as is sometimes the case. With a drizzle of melted butter on top, they neared perfection. The coleslaw was some of the best I’ve had… creamy with finely chopped cabbage but without that overly mayo-​y taste.
The meal was well worth the hassle of them not accepting credit cards so be sure to carry some cash when you are in Chesapeake City!

Good crab cakes, catfish, beer and garlic crabs. We stopped here during Canal Days and will be back again. Very good and great service too!
Cash only!!! One bad point so beware!!!