Had my first visit here about a month ago. On that visit I somewhat enjoyed my Caesar salad with grilled salmon. It was decent. Unfortunately the Maryland vegetable crab soup was very disappointing and very bland. Came back for a second visit today. Decided to give the Maryland vegetable crab soup and other try. Just in case the first time was a fluke. The soup was better. The tuna sandwich was disgusting. Slimy and bland. I took one bite and couldn't eat more. I'm done. Never coming back. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

Excellent cream of crab soup! It tasted homemade with the local crabs. I was waiting for crabs from next door. The service was friendly and efficient. My only criticism is the steep steps to climb to get to the restaurant. Next time I'll taste more. I wanted to sit on their lovely patio but next time I come I will. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Cream of crab soup bowl - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

Haven't been here before, but went with my father for a special function. We ate out on the waterside dining area outside. Even though it was warm outside, it was fairly comfortable with fans. It was clean although some of the tables were a little dated. It was very nice though. I ordered the crab cake sandwich with a side salad in place of fries. Because we had a large group it took a bit to get the food, but it came out very nice. The blue cheese dressing with the salad was very good, as was the salad. The crab cake was also very tasty and had little to no filler. The only complaint might be it seemed slightly undersized but it was at least 3-4 oz. All in all a good experience and I'd probably return here. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Front of menu summer 2025 - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

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I have been to this restaurant before and I still very much enjoy your superior crab cakes. In fact, your fried and grilled crab cakes are so delusions, it's hard to prefer one over the other. This brings me to an odd experience. When we placed our order, I asked for one fried and one grilled crabcake, as I'd had the first time. The server was adamant that that could not happen and that you had to have one or the other, but you couldn't have one of each. The restaurant was busier than the previous time I was there and the serving staff seemed a little more rushed. We sat outdoors because it's a wonderful view of the water and sailboats along the Chesapeake. Now I ordered crabcakes to go after our meal, and was once again confronted with one or the other, but not both. A manager stepped in and said, of course, he can have a grilled and a fried crabcake. This seems a minor point, but this is how perceptions of service override quality of food. Also, you have one of the better Caesar salads I've had in the region. When I return, Portside will always be a lunch destination. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Crab cakes - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

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I felt bamboozled....I felt "got" (However you say that where you are from - your region / town) ok...so boom! I ordered the shrimp platter - $24 US dollars!!! An entree with two sides so OK. I like shrimp, they are "jumbo" shrimp...ok! I take my order to go - although there are nice views and a bar - I decided not to indulge. Picked up my order and its in a small container with 5 shrimp! 5...insert sad face (because I am sure that was the look on my face) Seemed more like a $10 lunch special to me (seems more rational) The food was meh....mid...just ok (However you say that where you are from)! Please see exhibit A (for $24 bucks & just mid - I can't make this up) read more

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Everything we ordered was tasty. Our appetizers were crab balls and friend oysters - both good. We had the broiled and the blackened scallop entree which comes with two sides, and my other friend ordered the grouper entrée. Our sides were mashed potatoes, which we could tell were made by hand, and the green beans, which were amazing. We can't figure out what kind of fatback or whatever they use for the green beans but they are really good and cooked well. The cocktails we had hit the spot as well, the Island Dream and the French 75 were good. Our server was nice. Overall this is a no frills seafood spot with a nice view and ample indoor and outdoor seating. We agree that we would come back. read more

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The service and food were excellent. There is ample parking. They take reservations. Bathroom was clean. The shrimp tacos were delicious. I would recommend trying this restaurant. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Shrimp tacos with sweet potato fries - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

Good seafood bar food. We came on a Sunday evening, overall the atmosphere was quiet and comfortable. Our waitress was attentive and kind. There were a few menu items we wanted to order that they were out of. But we were able to find alternatives to satisfy. read more

We visited as a group of 6 on a Friday night. We called ahead and we were able to get seating outside right away. Our waitress was very kind and came over to take our drink orders fairly quickly. The outside seating is just adjacent to the parking lot with an outside bar which had plenty of people seated and enjoying the night. We were able to order quickly however, we were told that the kitchen was backed up and it took close to 45 minutes for us to get our food. It was daylight when we arrived by the time we finished it was completely dark. Once the food arrived it was fresh and everything tasted good. We were missing several dishes though (including a crab soup) which we ended up just asking them to take off the tab. For our family of 6- 4 adults and 2 kids we spent about $180 for dinner. Overall the experience was okay. I would definitely try again. I would also say that if you have children with you, evening outside seating may not be the family friendly vibe you are looking for. I would suggest waiting for indoor seating if possible. The crab dip was a 10/10! read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - a plate of food - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

I can't believe I have never reviewed Portside. Portside was originally an oyster house and overlooks Cambridge Creek and the historic drawbridge going into downtown Cambridge. Portside has beautiful views whether you're sitting outside, upstairs or downstairs, you can watch the waterman on the workboats, returning from the days catch or local tour boats. This is where the locals hang. I always order the same thing the warm pretzel sticks with hot cheese crab dip and the dry wings with old bay. One bite of the hot cheese crap dip and you will agree it's the best dip ever. Portside has the best Old Bay chicken wings recipe with dry rub. Dogfish Head 60-minute IPA on tap makes for my favorite lunch. read more

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Horrible place m- run down in dire of much needed repairs. I can't image what the kitchen looks like. Overall, reheated food- poor quality. Crab cake seemed fresh but not much seasoning. All the other entrees were absolutely disgusting. read more

The main draw of this restaurant is definitely the beautiful waterfront view- it's relaxing and scenic, perfect for a sunset meal. Unfortunately, the food ranged from just okay to quite disappointing, and the service left a lot to be desired: slow, inattentive, and not very friendly. If you're going for the atmosphere and a drink by the water, it's worth a stop, but don't expect much from the dining experience itself. read more

Very casual place with great seafood dishes. Parking in front of restaurant was full but just past restaurant there was a gravel topped lot with plenty of open spaces. You walk in and head upstairs and there was a very noisy bar with a few tables. I made a reservation since we were a party of 6 and we were sat in the enclosed outside section which was a normal noise level. There were only 2 tables that could seat 6 so I'm glad I made a reservation. Being winter and dark outside, the flaps on the walls were all zipped up and we couldn't see any view. It would be nice to come back in warmer weather and see this room opened up. Our server Caden was great and warned us the kitchen was backed up and food may be a little slow. It turned out it was fine and we ordered an appetizer just in case it did take a while. We started with a sampler appetizer and enjoyed everything included. The crab stuffed shrimp had lots of crab and was delicious. We also enjoyed the blackened grouper sandwich and fish tacos. Would have been nice to not have the table cleanup cart next to our table but we enjoyed our meal and service was great. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Fish tacos and crab stuffed shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

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Came here late night close to closing. Was intrigue by the place since it was on the water.. I was here out of town with my lady and the energy at first wasn't as inviting. Maybe because they was closing in hour and half. But that energy changed up somewhat later on and got better. We sat outside by the lake and threw back some beers, then sipped on some drink that was pretty good. I have to give this place another chance once I'm back in the area again. read more

We ordered fried oysters for carryout. The price was outrageous for what was received; over fifteen dollars. My order looked more like something pulled from the garbage can, consisting of a few random shreds of cabbage (?) and only one decent sized oyster. The other five resembled pieces of oyster rather than whole oysters. Never again! Portside, you should be ashamed to serve sub-par food! read more

Came with my brother on a Saturday afternoon. Parking OutFront. We sat downstairs, along the pier. Was a great day to be outside dining. I had the shrimp tacos with chips. The tacos were alright. Also, came with some kind of sour cream and chives dip. My bro had the fish tacos. He Loved them!! The fries were good too. They only have Heniken Zero in a bottle. Waitress was fantastic! read more

Great view of the harbor and the drawbridge. Staff is friendly and the food and drinks are reasonably priced. This place makes its own salad dressing and the ranch is really special. Get the wings and ask for ranch, even if you are a blue cheese guy. Seriously. I like the crab balls, crab dip, wings, and salads. The tuna appetizer is also a treat. I haven't boated here yet, but it looks like you might be able to tie off below the aim outdoor deck. Be aware that many places on the Eastern Shore now charge 3% for credit cards. This is a new thing in Maryland and I've learned it is to offset new higher fees. I complained bitterly about that and got excoriated by the substantial Portside fan base. This 5 star review is my penance. Sorry Portside. I know you do a good job. read more

I got to work Ironman in Cambridge MD. Everyone who was local recommended this spot so I had to check it out. My friend ordered the fried shrimp. It was not overly full of batter which made them even better. The tacos were flavorful and didn't even need a sauce to go with them because the way they were prepared and presented was ideal. Will definitely come back here when in town. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Blackened shrimp tacos - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

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We go to Portside at least once a week because it's local and the food is decent. On Thursdays you can get 1/2 lb of steamed shrimp for $7. Such a deal. They have fresh tuna and a great wasabi sauce ,the cream of crab soup. Drinks are generously poured read more

We stopped in for late lunch. The creamy crab chowder was really delicious. My husband's fish and chips was good too. The fish was bery fresh and nicely fried. Service was friendly and fine. read more

I can't stop thinking about these amazing scallops!!!!!! Unbeatable! How was this many scallops only $30???? My husband said they were the best sweet potato fries he ever had. Even my son who doesn't like shrimp really loved the bang bang shrimp!!!!! read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - 1 pound scallops pan seared - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

We waited forever for our food, waiter all but ignored us, and 2 of my family's 5 entrees were stone cold. When we told the waiter, he said he could heat it up, but good grief..you do not reheat scallops!!! The wings were unbearably salty and the cocktails were extremely watery. read more

Food was okay. Service was just okay. No thrills kind of restaurant. I expected better food options. Sat out on the patio area. Nice to see boats come through when they raise the bridge. Had the raw oysters and thought they could have been colder and had the fried shrimp. Cocktail sauce needs to be hotter. read more

Yea I agree with the 3 star average. Polite staff, descent location, nice bar area but the food was only ......ok. I had the fried fish and chips.....it wasn't flavorful. The fries were the basic heat and serve. My friend complained that his food was mediocre. I forgot what he ordered but will add pics. Maybe a nice place to enjoy the dock and have drinks but consider just ordering a appetizer. read more

Waitress was nice but could have come back to ask if we needed anything. Tuna tacos were good. Shrimp basket shrimp were more batter than shrimp. Fries on both lunches we're not fresh. Overall the place could be cleaner. read more

Made a reservation for Mother's Day a week in advance since this is where our mother wanted to go. We knew it would be busy so we arrived 10 minutes before our scheduled time and it was crazy. There was a sign that said wait for hostess, who was non-existent for more than15 minutes. People were getting upset because of the lack of communication and being left to stand outside. Needless to say, we did not get our table outside on the deck that our mother requested. Most of our food was good but the grouper sandwich was a joke. It was served on a huge cold bun (warm your rolls!) and the roll was three times the size of the little piece fish. On the plus side, our waitress was very pleasant and attentive. read more

Delicious crab cakes! Everyone in my party lived their meal. Deserts were amazing! Lovely outside water view on the deck.

Overall, we had a good experience at Portside. However, it is very small inside and very loud! We felt bad for our waitress as she had so many parties. She was running all over the place and did a nice job handling everything. The food and drinks were very good. We were disappointed that there were no oysters as that was once their specialty. read more

In town for a conference and was looking for a dinner with a view. Unfortunately we got sat in the corner of the restaurant next to storage containers. Overall, the food wasn't bad. Seems like your usual bar food but slightly elevated. It was a bit too heavy for me but I will say the crab cakes were excellent! Our server was friendly but this definitely felt like a place meant for locals. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

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Casual atmosphere and delicious food. Our server recommended the Crab Balls appetizer and we were not disappointed. Lots of crab meat, fried to get a crispy crunch. The Crab Melt was wonderful. Yummy crab imperial on a toasted English muffin. Scrumptious. The shrimp salad sandwich had perfectly cooked, nice sized shrimp in a light dressing. Only disappointment with this sandwich was that it was served on white bread. Service was slow, but very courteous. Great food at reasonable prices. read more

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Walked in to this place and greeted by a very unfriendly hostess. Felt like she was mad at the world. She showed us where to sit without a grace of invite. Almost like you don't want to proceed, thanks to other waitress that saved her with the great attitude. The best part was the food offerings , where half of what in the menus were not available. For a place close to the water in Cambridge MD. running out of seafood to serve is odd. What an experience . This place could have been a gem. read more

Good food, fun ambience (great sixties Beach playlist). I ordered a Caesar salad with blackened tuna, and my partner had scallop tacos, both of which were excellent. They offered local beers on tap, and had a fun drinks special list. We say it on the upper outside deck with a view of boats going in and out under the drawbridge. We were there early, and I imagine later or probably gets a little loud. read more

The location and the area being known for its seafood so there was high expectations. Ordered fried clams but they were out. The order from the table was the crab dip, seafood nachos, fried shrimp and a burger. The burger came out without the fries. It took a while for the fries to come out to the point of eating the burger with no fries until about 10 minutes after eating the burger. The fried shrimp slid out the batter and the tartar sauce was too sweet to my taste. The food was just okay and didn't meet the level of dining at a restaurant that focuses on seafood. My peach tea crush was great but the old fashion was not made well and was not good. The service was great upon coming in and being served. The restaurant had seating outside and inside. There wasn't a wait and we were seated quickly. Inside was filled and there were a few tables filled outside. I don't recommend. It's a very fast paste area as there is a resort not too far away and can be a nice place to go to get out of the resort. So I hope they take into consideration the reviews. If they do I think it can be a great place. read more

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Hot day but wanted to sit by the water: hot deck and no ceiling fans made it impossible. Hostess found us a spot inside and wait staff was great, standard pub food, drinks were watery. OMG the FLIES! Get a freaki' bug light! read more

Pretty average. Outside deck on the water. We had the cream of crab soup. Not a ton of flavor, but not bad. We also had the fried shrimp and the rockfish bites. Both were ok. The fries were good. I ordered with a side salad instead of fries. That is a $2 plus up charge. They ended up bringing me fries with the rockfish and charging me $5 something for a side salad. Activating because I didn't want fries and couldn't eat them, but I believe it was just a mistake. Overall, we both thought it was average. read more

Four of my friends and I enjoyed a great seafood dinner. Service was good, drinks were delicious! I enjoyed the blackened scallops and my friend said the crab cake was delicious!! We'd definitely recommend! read more

Great view, good food, good drinks, good service. Smaller tables, so if you have a group of people it'll be tight. But definitely recommend. Spinach salad with salmon, steak, stuffed shrimp, fish tacos; I can go on and on. Outside deck overlooking the water is great especially on a beautiful day. Outside bar. One of the best places in town. read more

Well I had left this place a semi- good review a couple of years ago. I used to really like eating here but each time I go the quality seems to decrease. The other night was probably the worst yet! My husband and I went on a Friday night. As others have noted, this place is LOUD. The bar is very crowded and that is fine but I can see where it could bother some people. I think it has something to do with the acoustics of the room and the fact that the bar is in the middle of everything. It was packed with diners as well, which should be a good sign, but... I ordered a Cosmopolitan ($8) and it was almost all cranberry juice, skimpy, and it had a maraschino cherry hovering around the bottom of the glass (?). It also was not very cold. I drank it though, and afterwards ordered a Sam Adams draft, which was good and cold. They always have a good selection of beers there. First the appetizer. Our rockfish bites ($10) were not the same as I remembered. There was not a crunchy coating as in the past- these were hard and smooth, and didn't taste the same as previous visits. The dipping sauces they serve with it are delicious. Didn't seem like as many rockfish bites to the order as in the past, so you have a lot of sauce left over and nothing left to dip LOL! Then I ordered the fried shrimp dinner ($21.99). I got 5 shrimp that were overfried, hard as a rock and had obviously been previously frozen. I was at least hoping they would be butterflied but no. They came on a bed of what seemed to be coleslaw mix with no dressing on it. This was confusing to me. The whole thing resembled an appetizer not an entree. My sides were in separate bowls - dry coleslaw with no taste and sweet potato fries that were not too bad but not great either. Not worth the money at all. Glad I didn't opt for the stuffed shrimp for $24.99 - feel like I would have been even more disappointed and spent 5 more dollars! Our server was very attentive and sweet - we didn't see the need for complaining to her about the quality- we just paid our bill and left. Lesson learned - we will be back but probably for beer and the view- unfortunately I think I'm done with the food there. read more

Portside Seafood Restaurant - Fried shrimp dinner - Seafood Near Me - Cambridge, Maryland

The outdoor seating on a Friday night was pretty good, with tents set up to keep the sun from beating down too hard. The staff kept things moving and followed all current orders on social distance guidelines. The food wasn't bad, with my fish and chips coming out fresh and hot. They didn't have my favorite beer, but had a National brand readily available. The karaoke made conversation nearly impossible, but with the popularity of Portside, especially during happy hour, you do risk sometimes getting seated near the loudspeakers. They did seem to need more staff, as all of the servers were running ragged. I took one star off due to the gravel parking lot- not really bike friendly. I do understand that they're using their paved lots for outdoor seating, as indoor seating was restricted at the time. read more

Was looking for a good Seafood restaurant. We had traveled from Berlin as my ex had a VA appointment close by. We had the best experience because of our waitress Julie!! She was amazing!! I would go back just to have her wait on us again. Our food was excellent too. The three of us had the most delicious Cream of Crab soup, the ex had the veg beef. Which was also great, then we four had the Fresh Tuna, cooked to perfection and our sides were good also. We topped it off with desert. Lava Cake and a Salted Caramel cake concoction which was out of this world. We had to waddle our way to the car!! Thank you Julie!! read more