JC Crab House — Restaurant in Colesville

Stopped pass here today on the way home after spending the weekend in the DMV area. I had a taste for crabs. I googled some places close by as we were on the road first spot to show on google it was 15mins from where we were on the highway. We got a dozen of medium males steamed to bring back home and ordered two crab cake meals came with french fries to have something right away. I asked the man at the counter where were the blue crabs he said in the back I asked could I see them and he laughed it off 🚩So I’m like okay I’m not going to overthink. We waited for about 15mins. and all of our food was done. I’m like that was fast 🚩. While standing there we ask the guy can we sit at the table to eat out sandwiches instead of the car. He replied by showing us a menu saying it’s 18% gratitude to dine in. Im like okay saying to myself we just spent $115.00 and there was not one person in the restaurant but us and the lady who went in the back to cook our food🚩The crab cake sandwich was not worth $19.00 at all it was thin and flat fell apart like a sloppy sandwich as we ate it wasn’t a fan . After our drive home got settled and began to eat our crabs as we started to open them the crabs smelled like ammonia. The meat in the legs were very dark brown and dry and some of the crabs had sand still on them it was mixed in the seasoning. Seasoning is not supposed to taste gritty. Highly disappointed and a...

We had a great time at JC Crab House and will definitely be back. The woman who served us was very kind and attentive. We had onion rings, hush puppies, two crab cake meals with fries, and a dozen+ jumbo sized crabs which didn't disappoint. We even took some home that reheated nicely the next day. The crab cakes had very little filler, and the crabs lived up to their jumbo name with plenty of seasoning. We had made reservations for lunch and reserved our crabs as well just in case, but traffic was fairly light so reservations may not be necessary if you want to fill a last minute craving around lunch time.

We live in the Rockville area, so I'd recommend it to anyone nearby looking for a good crab place that doesn't want to drive too far. The location is easy to get to since it's almost right off of 200. Parking was adequate.

Things of note that some people have already mentioned: you do pay up front and 18% gratuity was included for our party of four. If you want the cajun butter which we really liked, it needs to be ordered along with the crabs so they can prepare it. You do pay for any butter and/or vinegar to go with the crabs, and they don't offer free refills. The seating is benches, but there is a row of benches along the wall if you need something to lean on.

Overall, the restaurant itself is very clean with some nice ambience. We really enjoyed ourselves, so I'm sure it'll be a go-to...

Just wanted to add to my first review which I posted two weeks ago. Read it below. I returned this Saturday and got more crabs. I was absolutely delighted that the crabs were just as delicious as they were on the first visit. I couldn't pass up this second opportunity to give another 5 stars to JC's for excellent crabs and very nice staff. I will return. Again, I urge everyone who likes crabs to give JC's a try and to support our local merchant. Below is my first post from two weeks ago:

I rarely write reviews but just had to give praise to JC Crabhouse on New Hampshire Avenue. With nothing better to do yesterday in all that rain, I decided to get a few crabs and spend the afternoon enjoying watching the rain while picking some crabs. Where to go was a big question. I had seen JC's but had never stopped so I decided to give a try. I made a very delightful choice. The crabs were excellent and reasonably priced. The staff was extremely nice and helpful. Just of note, all the crabs had all their claws. It is a pet peeve of mine that a crab should have two claws. I do appreciate how nice it is to have a local crab house that has really good crabs. So support your local merchants while enjoying excellent bay crabs...