While visiting Baltimore, we were on the hunt for some good crabs. After seeing Kahler's Crab House…read moreall over TikTok, we decided to give it a try. From the outside, it looks like a small shack--or more like a house--and the inside carries that same no-frills, classic crab house vibe. Simple tables, open space--exactly what you expect from a traditional spot. It was completely empty when we arrived just after 12 PM, but honestly, that worked in our favor because we were starving. We started with a few appetizers:    *   The cream of crab soup wasn't what I expected, especially for Baltimore, where I've had much better.    *   The crab deviled eggs were underwhelming--very little crab and mostly tasted like regular deviled eggs.    *   The honey Old Bay wings were actually really good.    *   The hush puppies were just okay. Now, the main event--the crabs. We ordered a dozen medium males, and they did not disappoint. They were flavorful, meaty, and exactly what we came for. I did get one bad crab, but our server handled it immediately and replaced it with a fresh, hot one. She also stayed on top of our drinks the entire time, which I appreciated. A few things to note: they don't serve alcohol, but it's BYOB (wine only). Coolers are allowed, and they'll provide ice, which is a nice touch. Overall, I'd definitely come back--but strictly for the crabs. Next time, I'm saving my appetite (and my wallet) for the main attraction.

I visited Kahler's a year ago and really enjoyed it. Last year's visit was during the week day and…read moreit wasn't extremely busy. Today we had reservations for 11 @3 on a Sunday. It was extremely crowded. Reservations are definitely recommended. Our table was ready on time. On this particular visit I was disappointed by a few things. Let's start with what went right. Pros- 1.Our reserved table was ready. 2. Crabs were fat and delicious. 3. Three people ordered the shrimp platter with 3 variations of shrimp and loved it. 4. They have a sink within the restaurant if you just want to wash your hands. 5. A screened in outdoor eating area. Cons 1. It took 20-30 minutes to get apps. When the cream of crab and fries were received they were cold and the waitress had to microwave the soup again. 2. I ordered 1lb of shrimp and onions w/ 2 ears of corn for my app and never received them. The crabs came out an hour later with my corn. The waitress said the shrimp were coming up and she just needed to get them. I cancelled them because I wanted them before the crabs not over an hour later. So until the crabs came I and my daughter watched everyone eating but us. 3. The bathroom had no paper towels and at 1 point no toilet paper. The trash can was overrun and needed to be emptied. There is only 1 stall for women and men. 4. A long wait to get food and even pay for your bill. 5. The waitress had to reminded that mozzarella sticks had been ordered as an appetizer. They came after the crabs and her entree. I'm not sure but I feel they may have been short on staff, but if that's the case they need to compensate the customer in some way and apologize and acknowledge that they're short tonight. I bought my family here to celebrate a birthday and because of the extreme wait they said this was their first and last time coming here. SN: Someone should be checking the bathrooms every hour to make sure they are stocked with the necessary supplies, trash emptied, and clean.

I recently purchased 2 dozen of crabs from this establishment. After eating 2…read moreCrabs I notice something very disturbing on the shell of the next crab I attempted to eat. After doing a google research , I learned that the crabs I purchased had barnacles attached to their shell. I called the next day and someone explained that it's not harmful , however for a visual person like myself , this is very traumatizing. I've been purchasing crabs for over 20 years and this is the first time I've experienced this . After doing more research , most reputable business avoid selling crabs With barnacles. I'm not trying to bash this business , I just want to help another visual person like myself .

To be honest my wife and I stopped there because we really had to find a bathroom. They had one…read morefor customers, so we thought "well, we'll buy something." Wow, did we luck out. I was going to get a hot dog and a soda then my wife saw the crabcakes. They were HUGE. We got a couple to go and they were great. LOTS of big pieces of crab. Nice, big, fresh buns. A+ for the crab cakes. To be honest, we didn't like the cole slaw, but it was fresh and worth trying. Definitely worth going to Essex for the crab cakes though!!! (The bathroom was fine too. clean.)

Had 6 jumbo last night. They were sweet as can be. And the price was great for jumbos. I go here a…read morelot. I put LP Steamers and Nick's at the top of my list. Do not confuse them with Nick's Riverside, another great spot and location, but more expensive and rowdy.

We ordered a bushel of large crabs and they were delicious. They were a little pricey but what…read moreisn't. We didn't receive one bad crab. I will be ordering from them again. I am sorry l didn't take a picture

$150 for 2 dozen of THE WORST crabs I've ever had! Bought as a Father's Day gift--I was so…read moreembarrassed. Meat was mushy. Zero mustard. Even a few female crabs thrown in. Will never buy crabs from them ever again.

I was so excited to revisit S. DiPaula Seafood after a 2 year absence. I was also pleased to learn…read morethat they sell genuine Maryland crabs. So I called one day recently and ordered a dozen steamed medium males for $39, along with some corn. It should be noted that I don't remember the place being such a dump. It really looks decrepit; I wonder how they even pass inspection? Anyway, I was looking back fondly on my past experience, and just ignored that detail... The staff was very nice, and my order was ready on time as promised. The bag of crabs (and corn) seemed heavy enough. But when I got home and dug into them, I was disappointed! Here are my takeaways. - At least half of the crabs were light as a feather, with mostly water and little meat, so I guess those crabs had recently molted. - Only a few crabs had both of their mature claws. The rest had either one normal and one small claw, or one claw was missing entirely. That's a sign of poor handling and/or poor selection. - There was so little meat that they seemed to be smalls rather than mediums. Only four of the twelve were actually heavy and what I would consider to be medium crabs. - Many claws when cracked squirted out water, and the meat was miniscule relative to the shell size. This is August, so I was expecting much heavier crabs. I wish Maryland would require watermen to *weigh* their crabs as well as *measure* them from point to point. Throw back the lightweight ones in order to let them fatten up. So all in all, not a great experience. I won't be going back. (The corn was good, though.)

Let me start out by saying that...... I lovvvve eating crabs!!!!! I usually get my crabs from…read moreConrads. However, that last few times that I have gone there, the crabs left me very disappointed. I tried another place. The crabs were heavy and meaty, but the seasoning wasn't that great, and the prices were just ridiculous! I have been driving by Gibby's every day .... two times a day for over a year. One week ago, i decided to stop, and I am so glad that I did. They had a special on their large male crabs. I bought two dozen for what I considered to be a great price! When I say that these were the absolute best crabs that I have had all summer, I am not exaggerating! They were huge, seasoned to perfection, and meaty!! They were absolutely delicious! It usually takes me a few days to finish off two dozen. I finished these in two days! they tasted even better cold. I will definitely be going back! Thanks Gibby! Toni

Big seafood market and lots of choices in their gourmet restaurant. Busy place with wonderful…read morestaffs always willing to help and assist with your orders. Just only take out no dine in place. Place is well kept clean and orderly. Ordered the favorite of my mother the Maryland blue crabs in males and females. One of the best and prices are competitive.

Amazing customer service and crabs! Definitely check it out. Will be returning in the futureread more

Great customer service. Delicious, huge, meaty crabs. Got jumbo crabs for $10 a piece and they were…read moreworth it.

The Truckers (largest size crabs) were surprisingly really good. I came across this restaurant on…read moremy way home and was pleasantly surprised. Great service and the owner was extremely nice. I will definitely be back!!!

Reserved and picked up 1-1/2 bushels of large steamed crabs. The owner, Nevis, was super helpful…read moretaking my order and, on pickup, everything went as smooth as silk. All of my party/crab feast attendees were very happy with the crabs. I would highly recommend Hard Shell to any of my friends!

This is a rebranded (second or third) location of the infamous Vince's Crabhouse. I feel it's…read moreimportant that people don't get confused, and support a business that doesn't align with their values. I'm pretty sure several other locations still openly carry Vince's name, but for some reason this one does not. I don't know how this place compares to the other locations in terms of staff, or how they treat customers. All I can say is that my boyfriend and I were looking for steamed shrimp for our upcoming NYE party and our first choice was closed. We didn't want to spend an hour in the grocery store, with the 50 other people looking to also get shrimp for the holiday, and I remembered seeing J&J's listing in one of the Dundalk-related FB pages. It's a bit difficult to find the place until you realize that they're serious about the "shack" part of their name. It's a bit like the original location of Chap's. There's a little building on the property of the North Point Inn. That's where you can get your seafood to-go. The woman who waited on us was pleasant enough, efficient, and gave us an entire bag of cocktail sauce (decent, but I like mine with a little more zing) to go with our 5 lbs of steamed shrimp. Huge shrimp, kinda light on the seasoning, no onions. I don't necessarily think that I would return, but this location was open when we needed it, and was capable of serving what we needed. In the warmer months I am sure that there are many other places around the neighborhood that can provide crabs and shrimp, without the tarnish of being associated with notorious racism.

I went out to J and J's Crabshack at 6:00 today and they were CLOSED and here I'm seeing all these…read morereviews and I drive all the way out there and they're Closed