Captain Mac's Fish House & Seafood Market — Restaurant in Delaware

Friends told us about this place recently, so my wife and I tried it out, a scouting party for our friends and family who visit us in O.C. It's a refreshingly different concept, and I really wanted to like it, but...

You place your order at the counter and pick it up when it's ready. I knew that going in, but it's handled pretty poorly. There's only one cash register to handle restaurant orders. If there's 10 or 15 people in line, it can take quite a while. I got over that and joined my wife at a picnic table to wait.

It took longer than I expected to get the food, but I could live with that. Any issues I had with the ordering process or the wait would have been eradicated by good food. Alas, such was not the case.

The fried shrimp platter was a bunch of medium sized shrimp thrown into a fryer - no breading, no seasoning - just bland. The stone crab claws tasted like they'd been defrosted, very watery. The claws were pre-cracked, but not well enough, and I had to go back and ask for something to crack them with. If you don't ask, you don't get. The banging shrimp was very ordinary - plain shrimp dipped in a slightly spicy sauce. And the crab soup tasted like warm water with Old Bay seasoning and some veggies. The corn on the cob shriveled and half was inedible.

I won't be bringing...

We just ordered steamed crabs earlier today for carryout and got some fried calamari and a kids tenders meal to go with it. Where I’m from, medium crabs steamed from a carryout will run you at least $20 more than this place was asking for, so at the steal of a price for their mediums I fully expected small, paperweight crabs. I was pleasantly surprised to find all good-sized, heavy crabs in the 2 dozen we ordered. They were perfectly steamed and their seasoning is also some of the best we’ve had.

The tenders were standard fare, but I noted they have my favorite kind which are more “flat” so that’s a plus for me! The fried calamari was excellent - light breading fried perfectly, not too greasy or soggy, and it’s fried with some julienned jalapeño and banana peppers which were also very good. (Calamari was served with a sweet chili style sauce.) Staff was very friendly and service was prompt, even with placing the carryout order in person versus calling it ahead. We didn’t eat in person but the outdoor seating view looked spectacular. This place was pretty busy for 6:00 on a Thursday evening approaching the end of the busy season so that should also tell you how good they are. We will definitely be back next time...

I can't explain how happy I am that we came across Captain Mac's Fish House! All I can say is this is the BEST seafood in the Ocean City/Fenwick/Bethany/Dewey/Rehoboth area! We've gone to a ton of places and I can't believe we just discovered this place!

Amazingly fresh and straight out of the water! We went a little over board bc we wanted to try a lot! The Md crab soup was awesome because it wasn't like eating a salt bowl! Right spice, just enough salt and lots of crab. The flounder both broiled and fried were awesome! You choose the cut of fish and they make it how you want it! The scallops were plump and juicy and even better with the crab cake on top! The corn was fresh and a tad sweet... Straight from the farm! The crab cake had minimal filler and simple as a crab and should be! We will be coming here often!

They have fresh fish to go and pre-prepped to go meals, like their famous crab dip! A must go to spot!

The staff is the most friendly in the area! They work hard,know their stuff and...