Kahler’s Crab & Seafood Carry Out

Went for Crabs in the Dining area tonight and had a great and friendly experience. We went on a recommendation of my Brother-​in-​Law and were not disappointed. We had a Charming Waitress: Nicky who was very attentive and friendly. We came for Crabs and got (extra-​large) that were heavy, sweet, fresh and affordable. We had onion rings, great-​corn on the cob and a basket of rolls with iced teas. Has a great menu of Seafood dishes as well. Will be returning soon…

Only thing better than the crabs was the service!
My wife and I were looking for a place to go out and eat crabs for «date night». (We usually just get them and bring them home.) I asked for recommendations on Facebook and got several.
We started out at a local place, and paid for our drinks and left when we found out that all they had were smalls and mediums at $ 45 and $ 55/​dozen. Next we went to another place up the road and (asking this time before were were seated) were told $ 65, $ 85, and (large) $ 120/​a dozen! (Do the math! That’s $ 10 a friggin’ crab! @ $ 120/​dozen, those crabs better be something from out a a science fiction movie!)
We left there and decided to drive to Rosedale and give Khaler’s a try. I called first though, and got prices. They sounded a lot more reasonable, so I said «We’re on our way!»
I’ve driven by this place dozens of times, and was always under the impression that is was carry out only. (It looks small from the outside.) But I was pleasantly surprised when we went in. It’s not some «fancy restaurant» wannabee. It reminded me of the type of «crab house», that I was used to growing up. Cool!
:)
I got the largest ones. $ 55/​dozen, and my wife got females for $ 35 a dozen. They were good sized and heavy! I could only eat 9. (I can usually polish off a dozen by myself) and she could only eat five. We brought the rest home.
Our waitresses were Kim and Kim. (Just say «Kim!» and somebody will come. Not that I had to even call them over, once.) You could never ask for a nicer couple of ladies. Very friendly. Very attentive. And made us feel right at home.
So happy we found this place. We will definitely be making it one of our regular spots now!

Best crabs, friendly service, great evening.
It was our first time visit recommended by friends and we will definitely come back for more.

Hands down the best crabs we’ve enjoyed all year. Would give Kahlers 5 Stars, but the service didn’t warrant a perfect rating– had to flag down server to order our apps and they were out of knives when our crabs arrived.
Despite the spotty service, I would definitely go back!

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! My boyfriend and I live around the corner and come here when we want a nice, quick seafood meal or when I am craving steamed crabs. A few things that are great about it:
1) It’s a tiny Mom & Pop crab house. They’re built for crabs… tables are lined, they’ve got buckets for the empty shells. The crabs are DELICIOUS and hot and juicy when they bring them out.
2) The price. These are the lowest prices I’ve ever seen for crabs in Baltimore. If you go to a big house like Costas, you’ll pay around $ 60 for a dozen mediums. Here, you can get a dozen mediums for less than $ 30. They also have specials… so if you buy 3 dozen, you can get it for a discounted price. I am now responsible for picking up the crabs at the annual family feast b/​c the price is so right.
3) Food in general is good. nothing too fancy. Their crab cakes are legit.
4) Homemade ice cream! Get the butter pecan.

Kahler’s has been a staple in the Rosedale community for as long as I can remember, the food is reasonably priced, and tastes incredible !! They do have a full seafood menu and take out is always quick and easy. Some of the best Maryland Steamed Crabs around for the price.

I was invited to Kahler’s for a after work party with friends. Even though I knew this was a crab house, I called ahead to see if they had other food for those of us who do not eat crabs. I was told that there was a «full menu».
Several in the group ordered the cod patty appetizer. Everyone was disappointed as they were cooked real dark (they looked burnt) and they had way to much filling and no taste.
Everyone who had the crabs were pleased. The two of us who did not order the crabs were very dissappointed with our food. I had ordered a grilled chicken sandwich on a kaiser roll, with a fried mushroom appetizer, and an ear of corn. The waitress told me that she would bring the corn IF they had any.
When my appetizer arrived, the mushrooms were real dark. They looked like the cod patty’s in color, but these were burnt. The waitress stopped and I told her that they tasted burnt and asked for if I could get another order that was not burned. She told me that they would probably be the same as the «grease was old». Well, she was right! My grilled chicken sandwich was a nice piece of chicken, grilled to perfection, served on a COLD kaiser roll. The piece of corn came at the end of the meal.
The service was horrible! The young lady that waited on us seemed to be lost most of the time. She was very slow. We needed more to drink, so she brought us a pitcher of ice (with no scoop or spoon) and another pitcher of water. We had only crab mallets and knives on the table. The three people who ordered soup and the one that ordered salad had to ask for silverware.
On the plus side, the dining room and the rest rooms were clean. It was an older building and it was decorated with crab, crab everywhere! It was OK for a Mom and Pop kind of place.
If you go to Kahler’s, be sure to order the crabs. I would not recommend anything else. Make sure you have plenty of time, because service is extremely slow. This will definitely not be a place that I will dine at again.

I didn’t know what to expect from this place, but it was recommended to me by someone who knows his crabs. I was looking for an authentic Baltimore crab house experience, not a tourist trap like the «new» Bo Brooks.
Well, I think I found it. I think this place has been around since the ‘30s or ‘40s, and it’s quite obviously a family-​run establishment. Kahler’s has dine-​in and take-​out service. The place is decorated with stuffed crabs and other crab tchotchkes. They have a sink in the middle of the dining room that you operate with your foot, so you can clean the crabs off your hands. Kahler’s is BYOB, and they are happy to ice down your drinks for you.
The best thing was the price! I’m used to spending upwards of $ 60 to $ 80 for one dozen larges. The night I went, they had a special of one dozen larges, plus two ears of roasted (I’ll get to that in a minute) corn, and a pound of very good steamed shrimp for $ 40. Unheard of! So yes, the steamed shrimp were very good and perfectly cooked, and the corn was roasted in the husk, not boiled. It is supposedly local Maryland sweet corn, and it definitely tasted like it. I didn’t even need salt or butter, it was so good.
Oh, but the crabs, you ask? The crabs were good. I don’t eat crabs that often so I don’t remember what to compare them to, but bad crabs are usually watery and/​or light feeling. These crabs were heavy and full of sweet meat. The seasoning seemed to be Old Bay and it was applied in sort of a wet/​dry manner. Also, most all of them had their claws, another good sign.
It was crowded for a late lunch/​early dinner but cleared out pretty soon after 5 p.m. on a Sunday evening, surprisingly. Maybe it had more to do with the rain than anything else.
I’ve found a new place to take family and friends when they have a hankering for crabs.

Awesome crab house on Philadelphia Road, in Rosedale. Great outdoor porch for warmer months, but good amount of inside seating if you need a/​c. Good, heavy crabs. BYOB, which is awesome. Make a reservation, it gets crowded.