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    Cantler's Riverside

    3.9 (1.6k reviews)
    ModerateSeafood
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Cantler's Riverside Photos

    Business Info

    CANTLER'S RIVERSIDE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Cantler's Riverside

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    Crabs!
    Ashley J.

    These crabs were very good and seasoned well! This was my first time here! Servers were great and ambiance was okay but a lot of children were running around. Crabs were a bit overcooked and hard to crack but delicious nonetheless.

    Lorraine A.

    10/10 for Cantler's! Was in the area with some friends and we had such a craving for some seafood. After checking reviews on yelp, Cantler's was the winner and we had to try it. We arrived at the restaurant at 11:15 and it was already packed inside! We were able to get a table outside by the water which we really enjoyed. Our waitress's was simply amazing and dealt with our shenanigans. We unfortunately knocked down our drinks a few times and our waitress was so gracious when it happened and understood. She was super nice, attentive and great! For food, we ordered a number of items. For drinks, we ordered the strawberry daiquiris which were delicious and strong. For food, we ordered only 3 crabs since honestly we didn't know our abilities in being a pro like other people in opening them, two orders of the shrimp, hush puppies and the crab cake sandwich without the bread. Everything was delicious and came out really quickly. The dozen crabs were kinda expensive but worth it with the amount of people you have with you. For a dozen, it was about $155 that day. We will definitely come back! It was a great experience! Pro tip: get there early! It's definitely a place to be and to not wait on a long wait, I would highly recommend to get there early!

    Indoors
    Gary G.

    To start I have to say that the drive from downtown Annapolis to this location was a beautiful filled with lush greenery worth the drive alone. This restaurant is definitely popular with locals and is in its own beautiful world on the water. The staff is young and accommodating, and we sat outside. A good choice because of the wonderful view of the river. I have to say at the outset the crabcake was the best we've had so far in Annapolis and compares with the best we've had in general. It was sweet flavorful and true to the area - no filler. Even though the portion may look small to some, it was very filling. The fish and chip special was very lightly fried with tender morsels of cod. One of our guests had the full cod dinner and the fish was beautifully cooked. The sweet potato fries were sweet and pulpy without being over seasoned. I had the blackened tunafish, which was very good and flavorful. The asparagus sides were carefully cooked and very flavorful. Another one of us got the new potatoes which were perfect. There is no doubt in our mind that we will return for the beautiful view, the fresh food, and the festive, friendly atmosphere. The only downside were the frozen piña colada's, which our friends ordered were very amateurishly mixed. We loved that there was a thick paper covering applied over the table and simply removed at the end of our meal. All in all, it was a down to earth experience, celebratory, and fun.

    Crab sandwich with corn
    Terri D.

    Wow is this place popular even at $10 a crab (yes $120 for #1s dozen)!!! So we passed ... and got the crab and cod sandwiches. Both were fine, nothing to return to Annapolis for. Service tad slow, as noted they are packed, even at opening. Unless you're visiting the area and want to experience famous MD blue crabs, otherwise this "neighborhood " hangout has become overpriced.

    Taking the wrong way and ended here. Gorgeous house!
    Danita W.

    Went here for seafood on the 4th of July, and enjoyed the vibes, music, and food. . The interaction with other customers was great! The drive to the restaurant was like going into a hidden community off narrow back roads, so drive with cautionThere was a wait, like 30 to 45 minutes but once seated, the server came to orders, the. It's all good from there.! We ordered 1/2 dozen of XL crabs, shrimp po boy with tater tots, large order of steamed shrimp, hush puppies, and Caesar salads. May not sound like a lot but it was. If you looking forward to a good chill spot and good eats, check this place out. Also, be careful going the wrong direction, you will end up in someone's house. Not a bad either.

    Another core of the dozen "super"
    Andrew L.

    (Delayed Posting due to the time need to clean up after an amazing experience of cracking Maryland blue crabs...) We've been living in Annapolis for about 6 months and have been following reviews closely in order to find just the right place to try Maryland blue crabs. Cantler's Riverside repeatedly was mentioned so we made that our target for when our kids were with us. As the summer deepened, we began to question our decision making process. Did we really want to be sitting outside in the sweltering heat working to deshell our dinner? We debated. We agonized. And we finally threw caution to the wind and made our way over to Cantler's for a Thursday evening early dinner with the boys. We hoped we would be able to catch some indoor seating And success! Parking was plentiful. Indoor seating was plentiful when we arrived at 5:15pm. And we jumped right in to this crab extravaganza. (Side note: the indoor seating was filling up by 5:30, so running is definitely everything) The review for Cantler's is very short: we worded a dozen "super" crabs, and while pricey, they were extremely succulent, and very well seasoned. Absolutely the quintessential experience for the kids. And, ok, the adults too' We also order a platter of soft crab (note to correct Maryland nomenclature - known elsewhere as soft shelled crab). Absolutely perfectly done. And the fired fish/crab cake from the Captain Lou's platter added a very nice variety to the crab feast. Add in top of this the gracious service and the excellent shore cove and Cantler's made for a quintessential Annapolis evening. Now I cannot wait to try the out door patio. But that will have to wait for October...

    Hush Puppies and crabs
    Tonya H.

    I've been here several times in the service is great. There's outdoor seating as well as indoor seating. It's a friendly casual atmosphere. The crabs are always good and fresh and I just love the house puppies

    Nadine A.

    I cannot compare this restaurant to any other seafood restaurant in Maryland at this time. But all I know is the outdoor patio is welcoming, the location is perfect as it's by by the water and the food was amazing!!! Anyplace that serves sweet potato fries is alright with me lol. But seriously, the crab was seasoned to perfection, the chowder was creamy and tasty, the clams were crispy and the hush puppies were delicious!!! If you're in the area, visit this spot. It gets crowded so don't come too hungry in case there's a wait!

    Half dozen blue crab
    Elaine C.

    Food was great overall. The smoked fish dish was number one--I could've easily eaten the whole thing myself. The accompanying baguette looked hard at first glance but was surprisingly soft and fluffy inside. It was so good we ended up ordering another. Both the potato salad and coleslaw were amazing--fresh, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. The cream of crab, however, was underwhelming--not worth the price and easy to skip. We ordered half a dozen large blue crabs, which were boiled and sprinkled with a savory seasoning. They were noticeably meatier than typical grocery store crabs and quite filling, but keep in mind that even the large ones don't yield a ton of meat--I'd recommend at least 2-3 crabs per person if you're coming hungry. Service was attentive, but the overall experience felt a bit off. While everyone was polite, the energy was chaotic and not particularly welcoming. We were seated right next to the patio door, and the wind kept blowing my hair into my face--not ideal when you're elbow-deep in crab. The space itself feels more like a shack than a restaurant, but it's clear the focus here is on the food rather than the ambiance.

    Crabs
    stella l.

    People recommended this place for crab when we visited Maryland, but unfortunately, the crab was overpriced and not good. Some of the spices were very salty, and one of the crabs was bad and smelled unpleasant. Honestly, we could have bought better-tasting crab at the market without going all the way there. The only positives are that the restaurant is next to the river, the view is nice, and the staff were friendly.

    outside of the restaurant : very pretty
    Christie C.

    we drove 45 minutes from DC to eat blue crabs. Get in the restaurant and there's a sign that says no hard shell blue crabs. Don't make the same mistake as us, call first. We ended up eating at another place. As this place comes up highly recommended restaurant for maryland crab - they should put this information in their website .

    Blue crabs
    Anuva S.

    Hands down the best place for crabs in the Annapolis area! This place is everything you want it to be-- it's more of a lowkey bar/restaurant serving crabs and seafood and you can't go wrong with most things on the menu. Crabs are always the right size you order and are steamed fresh and have some of the best flavor. The crab dip comes out so flavorful and with 2 baguettes-- a crowd pleaser for sure. It's almost always crowded (rightfully slow) but service is still fast and servers are so attentive and you're never left waiting.

    Crabs

    The service from both servers was awesome! So kind and fun. The food was amazing. The fried calamari, crab dip, shrimp sandwhich, crabs and our drinks were also great. We were visiting town but if we lived closer we'd definitely come regularly!

    View by the creek!

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    Cantler's Riverside Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Cantler's Riverside

    Is the outdoor dining area heated and can I bring my dog?

    Yes it is heated in the winter. You can bring dogs to cantler's but only at certain outdoor tables (not on the covered porch)

    Is this restaurant dog friendly?

    The restaurant is waaay to crowded for dogs. They would not enjoy it and neither would the servers who are moving *a lot* of food

    Are crabs available in November?

    Yes

    Do they have a soft shell farm there?

    Yes they harvest their own Soft Shells and you can walk down and see them in the water bins as they shed their shells ... They are really fresh and right out of the bay... The crabs that we had there were huge last time, not cheap but tasty and full… Read more

    Is there a water taxi that goes to Cantlers?

    No but they do have a dock so you can arrive by boat if you wanted it's really nice.

    View All 7 Questions

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