Ruddy Duck Seafood & Alehouse — Restaurant in Maryland

Three star food with negative star service. As locals, we came here late on a stormy Wednesday night for a friend's birthday. The restaurant was really quiet. The first indication that service was going to be bad was waiting almost 10 minutes to be seated when there were only 4 other tables seated at the restaurant. We had a table of 9 which was a pretty big party but it was a quiet night! We waited 45 minutes for our main courses. I had the shrimp tacos. The shrimp were lightly breaded with good texture but were really salty so only three stars for the food.

The problem we had was with the service. Our server Megan did not tell us the specials until we asked her, did not refill the big water bottle for the table until we asked her, never asked if we wanted more drinks or dessert. She only showed up at the table to take our orders, bring food, and the check. We asked to split the bill several ways. We figured this wouldn't be too hard because we were the only table left in the restaurant at 9:30pm so we weren't taking service away from another table. Then we had 20% gratuity HAND WRITTEN on the bottom of our checks. A person in our party asked about the 20% gratuity for large parties since it wasn't stated on the menu. While this is fairly standard for parties over 6, the manager argued that he had the permission from the owner to add gratuity without telling the customers. I personally would have tipped 20% anyways because of my friends and family in the service industry who depend on tips but when Megan reappeared with the checks after we asked about gratuity she THREW my friend's receipt with an eye roll and huffy attitude into his plate, which she never cleared, and stomped away without leaving any pens. Really?!?! I can make shrimp tacos at home. I came out for a good food and service and didn't receive either one.

Despite a potentially beautiful view on a not stormy day, I don't recommend this restaurant because of the people who work here. There are plenty of other restaurants who work hard to deliver outstanding service to build a good reputation. Don't waste your time or money...

We ventured to Ruddy Duck at Piney Point In St. Mary’s. Long time fans of its Sister Ruddy Duck of Solomons, we crossed our fingers that Father’s Day diners would not be overwhelming. We were rewarded with an unbelievable experience in sustainable seafood dining.

Dining during Covid-19 is always an adventure. The Piney Point location has a large water edged outside deck with amazing views. They also had additional shaded dining on their lawn. Perfect dining ambience during these times.

Father’s Day menu offered a variety of seafood, beef and vegetarian selections. However, we both chose the Mixed Seafood Grill plate!

Because of the drive, we didn’t splurge on custom mixed drinks. However, I couldn’t resist the Lime Kombucha Rita, which was light and refreshing.

The main course was beyond what I have experienced. Seafood grilled has depth in flavors that traditional preparations hide. Everything on the plate was fresh, seasoned appropriately and bountiful. By everything I mean oysters on the half shell prepared with spinach and Parma, grilled shrimp, mahi mahi, and the best crab cake ever! Sides prepared were quinoa and lightly grilled mixed root vegetables.

I know this review is lengthy. But these are exceptional times we are in. To dine outside by the water and have an exceptional dining experience is rare.

And now a shout-out for the great people making this possible: Jo-Anna our ever patient server, the Grill Master behind the scenes and Co-owner Micheal, who like his Partner Carlos, always takes a moment to greet fans of Ruddy Duck dining.

Eat well and stay...

Been here twice, once before to eat with family and the other time to meet friends and drink some beer. My dining experience with my family real good. Right by the road, huge visible sign, plenty of parking, great views in and outside.. We had crab dip and fresh oysters as apps. They were really good. We all had the fresh fish of the day as our entrees. It was a rockfish fillet drizzled with savory white sauce over a risotto with some fresh veggies around it and some asparagus stalks layed up on top. The stalks were pretty thick and hard as I just pushed them aside thinking they just garnish. The table next to us actually complained about the asparagus stalks being too hard and thick and they were brought out some thinner stalks on a platter which were more edible. My family enjoyed our meal although our waitress hardly checked in with us after we got our food and we were waiting quite a bit so we could tell her we were ready to check out. My meet with friends was a good time. The bar is loaded with beer taps which made my friends my real happy and the bartender I give kudos because I am not a beer drinker and he was real knowledgeable and patient with me telling me about the abc's of brewing and about the different beers they had. He ended up giving me some different beers which I really liked. Their prices do justify their quality of food, the drinks they serve and also the atmosphere and...