Crabtowne USA — Restaurant in Maryland

I've been to my fair share of crab restaurants in Maryland, and this one has to be one of my favorites. I usually judge a crab joint's quality on the flavor, size, and price of their steamed hardshell crabs. For this visit that was almost exclusively what we ate, save for the Bohs, hushpuppies, and fries.

First impressions - this place is huge and sort of inconspicuous off the highway in Glen Burnie. The interior was clean with big tables already lined with brown paper, and there was a bar with colorful neon signs that dispelled any notion that this was anything but a Maryland-original spot. The staff was friendly and welcoming, unlike the grumpy reputation of some other great crab spots in the area (looking at you LP Steamers, but I still love you!). We had Cori taking care of us, who kept our diet cokes and beer full while we enjoyed our visit.

Interestingly enough there is a giant arcade attached and presumably part of the restaurant. Not only were there tons of classic arcade cabinets, but probably the most pinball machines I've ever seen in one place. If you're bringing the family here, you could bribe the kids with quarters while you enjoy ice cold Boh's in a plastic 16oz cup and pick crabs. I saw some signs that there's a pinball league here too?

The crabs were phenomenal. We ordered a dozen larges that came out hot and extremely fresh. Flavorful, heavy, and perfectly seasoned. For those who would like less or more seasoning, they give you the option when you order! In the dozen we had, not a single throwaway or watery disappointment, these were top shelf all the way. The price for a dozen of their largest in April was higher than I am used to paying @ ~$150, but with the cheap freezing cold beer and well-made hushpuppies and hand cut fries, I left feeling like it was money well spent. I anticipate the prices are higher than normal due to the ongoing shortages and impact to the "crab economy" in Maryland since the pandemic.

They also served homemade cakes, which we of course indulged to wrap up a spectacular meal.

In any case, this spot is a new favorite for a lax Saturday picking crabs. If I had a $5 in my pocket, I may have even popped in for a couple of games of Dig Dug and Adams Family pinball.

Don't miss...

The place is great. The arcade is phenomenal still .25 to play. There must be 2 dozen great pinball games. Everything was in working order including the change machine. I recommend two player double dragon. The arcade is very well maintained. There’s a QR code to report something broken by the bathroom. The service from the waitstaff is awful. We sat at the bar and were ignored for ten minutes while the bartender talked to the other bartender and kitchen staff. Then ran around trying to find a Togo box for a table in the dining room. She moved a cake from one part of the bar to another. All while passing by us several times and not saying anything.

The bar seats filled up during this time and instead of serving people in the order they arrived. She went closest to her to furthest away. People who sat down after us had their appetizer and mains before we got a drink. When I saw how bad the bar service was I decided to put our name on the list because the table service had to be better than the bar service. Well it was barely better. Our waitress took our order and then we never saw her again. She stopped to take care of an angry table next to us several times. If you want to yell and fight and argue with the wait staff then you’ll get what you need. If you sit patiently and wait for them to check on you. You’ll get what we got no service. Then she was cleaning the bar for some reason. Then she disappeared into the back room for 20 minutes. We finished eating by then. I went behind the bar and got my own refill of soda. That’s when she showed up. The crab legs came without butter or any utensils to crack them with. The busser who delivered the food took our forks so we ate everything with our hands. Then she just dropped off the payment pos device for me to figure out how to pay.

It was still making a grinding printer noise as I left it on the table and walked right out of there. The staff is more interested in socializing with each other than serving customers.

I hope the owner can see this and save this place because the place is a gem. Food and arcade are great. Great deal on oysters Friday nights.

Service is a s show.

2 people we got drinks, oysters, crab legs, salads and rockfish...

Crabtowne USA used to be our favorite spot for Monday night trivia and our group has attended every week for the past 9 or 10 months. However, after several incidents we will not be returning.

A few months ago the owner became very aggressive with my wife, got in her face, and yelled at her for simply moving a chair from a nearby vacant table to accommodate our large group. Something the staff had failed to do.

A couple of weeks ago I found a sharp piece of hard plastic in the soup I was eating. Had I swallowed it, I would have certainly had to be taken to the ER to have it removed. Another time, we ordered a pitcher of draught beer tasted skunky and was probably quite old. Food is often brought without silverware being present at the table, resulting in you having to go get it yourself.

Finally, several policies have been implemented lately which the staff insists have always been their policy. If this was the case, these policies have never been enforced up until a few weeks ago. First, the entire group must be present in order to get a table. Second, everyone MUST order food and/or alcohol in order to get a table. This may not be a big deal for smaller groups, but for larger groups such as our that are often 6-8 people, it makes it impossible to get a table as members of our group tend to arrive at different times.

We have shown a lot of patience with Crabtowne USA as it really is a cool place with pretty decent food. But after several disappointments and policies that are unfriendly towards customers, our group will not be returning and will seek out another place for our trivia night.

Edit: to clarify in response to the comments below, in the past everyone in our group consistently ordered food and drinks. However now that we couldn’t even get a table the past two weeks to order food or sit as a group, it really ruins what is normally a fun evening. I am sympathetic and understand you must do what’s best for the business and wish you success...