Lee's Landing Dock Bar — Restaurant in Port Deposit

I wanted to like Lee’s Landing. I really did. Went on the night of Saturday 10/21/23 We had spent much of the day outdoors and it was brisk but beautiful. As such, we opted to sit on the outdoor deck and enjoy the view. Our waitress took our drink order promptly and returned with a soda for me and their Orange Crush for my wife . We placed our order for the $30 Seafood bowl , the PEI mussels and two cups of Md Crab for an appetizer . My wife kinda winced when she took a sip , def not fresh squeezed juice as described. Now it was brisk and windy so the deck was maybe at 10% capacity? She seats these young adults that couldn’t have been older than 22 directly behind us. Every other word is “ F” My wife and I are hardly Puritans but sheesh , maybe on an empty deck does the middle aged couple looking out at the view need to be immediately next to the gen z kids w their newly minted 21+ IDs? Then there were the other kids. They looked to be maybe a little league baseball team from Arlington as they all had hats and baseball u informs that said Arlington. The parents were im guessing hanging at the bar ? About 12 of these gremlins were up and down the stairs , climbing all over everything and just loud and distracting. Not really the restaurant’s fault but at this point it’s annoying. Just kids unsupervised doing what rambunctious kids do. Whatever. So our waitress had asked us when we ordered if we wanted our soup as an appetizer? YES PLEASE. After 25 min of the little league kids and the people behind us yapping and cursing I’m thinking “ where is our soup ?” If I’m sitting on a deck at the juncture of the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake, should a cup of Crab soup take a half hour? Lee’ landing states they are dog friendly. We like dogs. Unfortunately the dog on the deck was pretty barky as these kids ran amok. Like a loud bark every 30 seconds or so. So at this point it’s just like totally annoying. We are hungry and it’s just a bit much. I really wanted to like the place. I should’ve read the reviews more carefully as many of the 5 stars are nostalgia and many of the recent reviews mention poor service. After almost 40 min our waitress returns and asks how we are doing ? I motion to our empty table and ask U tell me? She says oh I thought you’d gotten the soup ? At this point I make the executive decision to abort mission. Sweetie , I stopped at an ATM en route to Lees so I could leave an nice cash tip for good service. We are empty nesters w appetites and disposable income. Other establishments we frequent kiss our butts bc we tip well. If you are our waitress how else would we have gotten our soup? Are u droning it in ? Of course I didn’t say that bc Bless her heart I don’t think she’d have grasped the obvious One bitter Crush and a Coke or Pepsi was $12. I gave her $15 and after the barking dog and obnoxious diners behind us amidst the running amok little leaguers from Arlington I was never so happy to leave a restaurant with an empty stomach and a few hundred in cash still in my pocket. I...

Yesterday, 10/20/22, we arrived at Lee’s Landing for a rehearsal dinner of 16 people. We had confirmed this reservation with Heidi, Dave, and Terri on 8/31/22 via their email submission form as well as multiple personal emails and phone calls.

The Lee’s website notes that they do close for the fall/winter season around 11/1/22, but of course we were not concerned about this as the rehearsal dinner was for 10/20/22 and it was confirmed via email with the management team.

We arrived at Lee’s for our reservation to all the doors being closed and locked. We attempted to call the phone number with no answer. Our group walked around and tried to see if maybe they were closed until 5-5:30? Or they had a private room for us? One of the kitchen crew members walked out to address our party and told us that the GM Heidi was on site but they were indeed closed.

I personally came in and spoke with Heidi and showed her the confirmation emails. She checked the reservation “book” and there was nothing written down for that day which is confusing as we have the email confirmation from her and her team. She did apologize but said there wasn’t anything she could do. We weren’t offered any kind of gift card or other accommodation for the mixup. Funnily enough, Heidi also told me that she “doesn’t often check her emails” and she then sat on a stool in disbelief. I am extremely disappointed that I just was told “I don’t know what to say” from the restaurant GM while my entire party of 16 was waiting outside in the cold. The bride and groom were inconsolable. I’m still not sure why they don’t use an electronic service like Open Table but they may want to look into it.

Since they were closed, there was nothing they could do, and we had to immediately had to pivot and spend our $1800 plus tip elsewhere. I’ve been to Lee’s during their prime season and have had a great time, but have no interest in supporting this restaurant further. Thank god we didn’t have a group of 30+ or may have ended up at Mcdonald’s...

A friend (who had been here before) and I decided the huge covered deck at Lee's Landing would be a great place for a late lunch on a muggy early September weekday. The setting could not have been more gorgeous, looking out over the Susquehanna River not far upstream from its junction with the Chesapeake Bay. Overhead fans lent a pleasant breeze on a day when there was not a natural one, making outdoor dining pleasant.

The COVID lunch menu was abbreviated, but, no worries, since I came to try out the crab cake sandwich. Theirs is truly "lump crab", not always my favorite type because often, there is not enough filler to hold the cake together and spread the flavor of the spices through the sandwich. Eureka!!!! With just a little more filler than most lump crab cakes, I have to say this was the best lump cake I have ever eaten!!!! Broiled and large in size, the cake was moist and perfectly flavored, and served with a flavorful tartar sauce. I savored each bite and was very full, but still a little sorry, when it was all gone.

The meal wasn't perfect. The bun was ordinary. No lettuce and tomato which the menu said came with the sandwich. Served with only a bag of chips or fries for $2 extra. But, ohhhhh, the crab cake was worth the drive and the less than perfect service that came with it. I did learn that our waiter was new, so hopefully his lapses (not bringing silverware, leaving our drinks sit on the bar for a longish time, leaving the lettuce and tomato off my sandwich without asking, and an incorrect check in our favor -- which I did point out to him) will be corrected with additional supervision and training.

Lovely location, comfortable environment, excellent food, definitely would have been a 5 star review except for the service lapses. I will return (often, I think) when I have a hankering for a phenomenal crab cake. Hmmmm... Come to think of it, my friend's shrimp salad wrap looked pretty...