The criticisms of this establishment are not without merit.
Poor service? That was our experience last night. Â Place was moderately busy but not crazy. Â Server interaction was minimal. Â I think we were done a good 15 minutes before our server asked us for dessert. Â
Loud - yep. Â But that's due to the architecture and I would not recommend any change. Â
Food - the heart and soul of any restaurant and I'd just have to say Meh. Â Started with conch fritters. Â These pretty much had no taste. Â I had the fish and chips. Â Fish was good, properly fried and tasty. Â The bed of chips (french fries) were cold. Â Kelly had the blue crab sandwich with potato salad. Â Her sandwich was good but the potato salad was terrible. Â It tasted watery and lacked much needed seasoning. Â
We witnessed one customer complain and then watched the staff laugh about. Â Perhaps some tighter front end management would help.
This was a treasure off the batten path. Â You have to head over the bridge (we walked) from the downtown area, but it was worth it. Â
We had crab cakes and the French dip. Â Maybe the best crab cakes I have ever had. Â Relaxed atmosphere, really good food, and we expected the prices. Â If I lived here, I would be a regular for sure.
Disappointed in our lunch--overcooked rockfish drenched in a greasy sauce with mushy asparagus for $26? Couldn't taste the crab in the crabcakes--$15.50 for one? They tasted more like sauce cakes. Surely, there's better food for more reasonable prices in Annapolis? Wish we'd found it on our one-day trip.
The service was efficient.
SECOND HELPING/ HAPPY HOUR
  Had a nice Happy Hour here tonight, $3 wine and drafts and $5 bar bites. We had the $5 pizza and it was 6 nice cheesy slices of yum. Not a destination pie but for a beer tag along, quite good. Kevin the tender was on the job, sharp and friendly. Nice to see a bartender that can stay off the iphone.
  Oyster po' boy app was ample but bit soggy. The brat on the bar bites is worthy of skipping. Nice Wedge salad fresh and crisp. We need to come back and give dinner another try.
A nice menu with the desired Maryland staples-crab and old bay.
Very well put together salads as well; I would recommend the softshell crab salad. Pickled green beans were delicious,as was the dressing- light and vinegar-y.
I was only slightly disappointed by how the menu didn't seem to have a very large fish variety for a place called 'boatyard'.
The Boatyard does seafood very, very well - they smoke their fish in house, always have a great selection of oysters, fried calamari, rockfish, soft shell crab - you get the idea. It's all good. The pizzas are great, salads are yummy, and the sandwiches never disappoint. Â Love the brunch (and the pickled green beans in the bloodies)!
I love the fish and chips and the fish tacos, and the nachos!
The servers are friendly and so are the bartenders.
Even though it's fairly casual, this is the first place I take people from out of town and they always, always love it.
Good food, a lot of it is fried. Tasty fried though. The table spacing doesn't leave much room between you and the people around you, so it gets loud as everyone is trying to talk over each other.
The oysters were awesome though.
The drinks are good, but I would this of Boatyard as more of a "we just got back from boating so let's grab some fried chow and some drinks" kind of place.
Had the grilled salmon which was delicious, but the service was poor. It wasn't peak hours, nor were they busy, so there really wasn't much of an excuse for having to wait forever on everything. And then the waiter completely forgot about us, so we waited almost an hour for our check before someone went to hunt him down and couldn't even find him. Â We were also a party of 13 and the waiter refused to split the check which resulted in everyone calculating their own total. In result of the service I may give it a second chance, but I'm not sure that I would.
Review Source:Boooo.
Rubbish experience today! Â We've been here before a good few times and have thought the food to be better than we experienced today.
I ordered Eggs a la Fourth Street. Â Clearly, this used to be Eggs Annapolis but with the fruit substituted with potatoes.
My plate was supposed to consist of an English muffin topped with tomato, two poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce, asparagus spears and potatoes and two tiny teeny crab cakes.
My dish came out tepid and the eggs were WAY overcooked. Â The Hollandaise sauce was minimal to say the best and had dried, given the fact the dish had been under the heat lamps for a while, clearly.
I also ordered French Toast but this didn't come by the time I had eaten my dish, so I asked the waitress to cancel this order as we had all finished and I had no intention of making my party wait for me to eat.
My big issue with this place, is the staff that bring the plates to the table. Â They are extra to the waiter/waitress and bring all the plates out. Â One of the guys today clearly couldn't be hassled with being at work and so, rather than walk to the other end of the table, gave one dish to the person nearest him and asked him to pass it down!! Â I couldn't believe it, it wasn't like we were in a tight space that he couldn't have just walked around to. Â
When I order my food, I don't expect to have to do the job of lazy wait staff.
I also ordered a cranberry/orange juice. Â The waitress came back and asked me whether I had wanted alcohol in my drink. Â Errrrr...any particular alcohol? Â No thanks! Â When she brought it to me, she spilt it over a large part of the dress I was wearing. Â Not impressed.
Sadly, I will not be hurrying back here and will be giving an honest report to anyone who asks.
I have been here for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Â While I have yet to be disappointed with anything on the menu, I have also yet to be impressed. Â In the mornings, it is a great place to start off with a bloody mary and, if possible, stay at the bar vice move to the tables in front. Â For lunch and dinner, the rockfish is good and the crab (in anything) has been very good and will definitely frequent this location again.
Review Source:My review, isn't on the food at all. Why? Because we left before we were even served our drinks. My mate and I went this past Friday night. We were scouting it out as a possible rehearsal dinner venue. We were pleasantly greeted and seated promptly. We saw our waitress as she checked on drinks at the table behind us. We watched her take nearly 10 minutes to refill that table's drinks. She was back in the galley, bs'ing with coworkers. After 15 minutes....no "Hi my name is ___, can I get you started with something to drink?," we left. I really wanted to try this place! Maybe it was just her/just her having a bad night.
Review Source:Sunday brunch...meh. Good menu, atmosphere, and service. "3 egg" omelet looked more like "1 egg" and it was cold. Potatoes were flavorful but cold as well. Enjoyed the rye toast. If prices weren't reasonable I would have dropped to 2 stars. Breakfast pizza looked really good and I tried a piece and would be my recommendation for next time.
Been there before for drinks and apps and it was a cool hang and enjoyable.
WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!?! The first few times I ate at Boatyard I was knocked out by how good the crab cakes were. Slowly but surely though the crab cakes started to change and I noticed the people preparing the food had changed as well. The crab cakes went from the best to breaded. Before there was NO filler but now? Forget about it.
I said in another review that I don't give second chances once a place goes down hill. I developed that policy after the first time I got substandard crab cakes from this place. They have been officially X'd off of the list for good. There are plenty of other places to get good crab cakes. I cannot speak for the rest of the food but when I go to a seafood restaurant I am ordering the crab cakes 9 times out of 10. As far as I know the rest of the stuff could be okay but I will never find out and I am okay with that.
Parking can be an issue if you go on a busy night.
Came here for lunch to try the crab cakes and wow are they great! Â Very meaty and their home made tarter sauce is quite tasty as well. Â My partner had the fish an chips which were also great, nice and crispy (not oily) and great flavor.
Had to try the Smith Island cake as it is the state desert. Â Very good but also very sweet.
Service was awesome, our server Chad took great care of us!
Would highly recommend this place!
I've only been here a couple of times, but I've never been disappointed. Â As many others have said, the crab dip is amazing, as are the deep fried crab balls and the quesadillas. Â No really.....you HAVE to try the quesadillas! Â I've never had any that are as cheesy and gooey as these, simply amazing! Â Prices are average for the area, so you won't go broke but don't expect it to be cheap either. Â They have a decent bar area and lots of seating, so although the parking lot may be full and you may have to park a couple of blocks away, you SHOULD be able to get a seat in a reasonable time. Â The staff are friendly, and there are lots of regulars (always a good sign). Â In the summer, people will gather after the boat races to watch the video of the race they just finished and have a few drinks with their competitors.....all in all, just a good time!
Review Source:My brothers and I decided to drive into Annapolis and try a random restaurant as we've never been to this town. Â Our brother-in-law suggested a few places to check out, and the gps just kind of took us to the middle of town. Â We ended up at the Boatyard and had an incredible meal. Â On the specials menu was a rock fish filet that was out of this world. Â It had some of the best flavor and texture of any fish I've ever had. Â Perfectly grilled, mildly outdated presentation, but delicious red rice and asparagus with it.
We also had some incredible local oysters, we tried all 4 types available, the house oysters were phenomenal and they came with sides of horseradish, lemon, fresh relish, and cocktail sauce. Â We ended up eating over 2 dozen oysters and well over a dozen delicious mussels in some kind of white wine sauce with butter, onions, and garlic. Â To finish we had the key lime pie and bread pudding. Â The pudding was great and the key lime pie was deliciously tart without the artificial green you get at most places. Â
Overall we were extremely pleased with the food, the beers, and the service. Â If I'm in Annapolis again I'll gladly come back!
THE NACHOS!!!!!! The nachos were amazing! So were the crabcakes!
I had the crabcakes and steak meal with potatoes and veggies. I couldn't complain about it even if I wanted to. We also had a round of yeingling and it was great.
I swear they must sprinkle cocaine on the nachos though. They were addicting and huge.
The one star was for the service The waitress seen us sitting there long after our meal was over. We asked for the desert menu and the watiress told us the kitchen closed 30 minutes ago. We had been there for at least 45 minutes or more drinking and she never told us that the kitchen was closing or asked if we need anything else.
When the bill came I felt like telling her my wallet closed 30 minutes ago too.
Would this review be different if I had eaten what Boatyard Bar & Grill claims to have, 'the best crab cake sandwich you will ever eat?"
Who knows. All I know is that what I had and what I tried were not all that impressive. The fresh oysters were good. I ordered the open crab melt because I pictured lumps of crab meat and large portions of the artichokes and spinach, but what I got was something more like crab dip on top of bread. Good crab dip, but what happened to generous servings of the aforementioned? They also skimped out on the crab meat for the eggs benedict. Yes, service was fine. Our eight-person party was seated within 10 minutes or so. But maybe I'll try the crab cake sandwich if I decide to come back...
We stopped by for appetizers and drinks at The Boatyard one Summer afternoon.
We sat outside and ordered mussels and white wine - perfect combination!
The mussels were cooked perfectly hence all the good stars! I was not a fan of the herbs and onions though. They could easily do away with that or at least take it back a few notches.
Service was good here.
Parking can be a bear tho - they have a small parking lot; so be prepared to drive around for a few minutes while your party gets seated.
I had lunch here yesterday. I was disappointed. I really really wanted to like the Boatyard as the owner is a huge benefactor to local causes and charities. Unfortunately yesterday's experience was as poor as previous visits have been.
The ceilings are high, angled and without any absorbent material. The noise level is high and disruptive even when the restaurant is not full. "Background" music cranked up too high to hear a companion doesn't help. Service is inattentive and quite intermittent.
I had the roast beef sandwich. The beef itself was excellent. The bread was soggy, the lettuce wilted, and the tomato woody. The accompanying cole apparently came out of a tub - dry and old.
I ate at the bar. There is room for at least 30 people at the bar and there were four of us. I shouldn't have to wave a credit card at the bartender to check out.
Meh.
NOT GOOD FOR LARGE PARTIES
They do not take reservations but I had a group of 10 in town for a conference on a Monday night, so I called a week ahead and I was told "it would be no problem, it's not busy on Mondays, so just call before coming to give a heads up".... so i called on Monday and the hostess again said "no problem, see you soon."
Sure enough we arrive and it wasn't busy at all... however there was no table set up for 10. I figured it was no big deal, but we ended up waiting over 30 mins in middle of the restaurant because the other customers scattered throughout and also "rearranging would screw up the waiter zones".
I understand their no reservations policy but i would have taken our business somewhere else had i known they would be so unaccommodating. We went to several other restaurants that week and they had no problems accommodating us.
The beer was cold and our server was nice, but the food was just average.
Meh! I've had FAARRR better. Tasteless and generic are what immediately come to mind as I am drafting this review while waiting for my check. I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge that the crab cakes are delicious, but isn't that just table stakes for a seafood restaurant in a coastal town in Maryland? I'm beyond unimpressed.
We tried the conch fritters to start and I have had way better fare from Costco's frozen section. We tried the jerk chicken sandwich, cheeseburger, bbq sloppy joe sandwich, and a couple of crab cake sandwiches. The fries were utterly inedible and everything else tasted like cheap diner food. Definitely not worth the 40 minute wait or the price tag. I normally trust Yelp to steer me in the right direction, but it has been failing me in the DC area.
The Boatyard Bar & Grill is a great place to go to escape the crowds near the more touristy restaurants by the Annapolis dock. Even as a tourist myself, stopping in for a few hours, I really appreciated how laid-back and calm the Boatyard was compared to everything else.
We came for a late lunch, and sat outside. Yes, their outdoor seating overlooks a parking lot rather than the bay, but I'll take it. We had the Lobster Roll special, which was good, but not the best I've ever had, and the Crab Cake sandwich, which was really fantastic. I guess there is something to Maryland crab after all, huh?
We visited on a recent Saturday afternoon and were really impressed with this restaurant. Â
One of my husbands coworkers recommended The Boatyard. We decided to take our motorcycle and glad that we did because parking is very hard to find in the area. Â It was extremely hot that day and was glad to get into the air conditioning.
We were promptly seated and our waitress gave us a few minutes to look at the menu and brought us our drinks. I had an Arnold Palmer (Ice Tea/Lemonade Mix) and my husband had a beer.
They have a nice variety on the menu. Â My husband especially likes raw oysters on the half shell. Â They had several varieties at a per oyster price. Â He ordered a half a dozen and we both ordered their "no filler" crab cake sandwich. Â I ordered fries and my husband ordered the coleslaw.
Our waitress seemed very "in tune" with my husband and pretty much ignored me the entire time... I guess she figured she would get good tips from him (she wasn't young or attractive - a seasoned waitress if you know what I mean)... more on her later...
The oysters came out and were fresh and delicious. Â I actually ate one from British Columbia and I'm not a big fan of raw oysters! Â
The crab cake sandwiches came out next. Â They are true to their word - no filler - perfectly broiled! Â The fries were the battered type and average, but the coleslaw was to DIE for. Â
I never order coleslaw because usually its the boxed type - boring/plain and bad.  I asked my husband for a taste and  I have NEVER had coleslaw like this before. It is freshly made with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper (red green yellow) with cilantro.  It was crisp with a light dressing on it.  The fresh ingredients, especially the bell peppers and cilantro make this coleslaw.
Our waitress came out and checked on us right after we got the crab cakes and I asked for a side of coleslaw. Â Another waiter brings out the coleslaw a few minutes later. Â
Halfway through my crabcake my drink was empty. I kept a look out for our waitress but she didn't show up for at least another 15 minutes (I timed her). I'm not sure why she was gone so long or if she was on a break but I at least expect someone else to cover for her if she is not going to check on us every so often. Â
There were no other waiters in the area, so I got up from my table and walked over to the bar and asked for a refill on my drink. Â The bartender didn't have lemonade at the bar so he told me he would bring my drink out to me. Â At this point I have stopped eating because I have nothing to drink...and am getting more pissed as each minute goes by. Â
Finally she shows up with a pitcher of WATER and looks at me and is like "where's your glass?" Â I told her that I went to the bar to get a refill because she wasn't around and she was like - oh well (no biggie to her). Â Plus I wasn't drinking water. Â There is no excuse for this lack of service.
The check came promptly and we left happy about the food but unhappy about the service.
All I can say is that the food was excellent, the restaurant was clean (including the bathrooms) and as for the wait staff - I think I just had a bad apple.
I will definitely visit again and update this review!
Delicious, well priced Maryland seafood.
Had the Maryland crab cakes and soft-shell crab sandwich. Also had more Bloody Oyster Shooters than I care to admit because THEY ARE AMAZING. Finally understanding what this oyster shooter thing is all about.
Could have maybe been 4 stars, but the oyster shooters tipped them over to 5+!
I kind of loved it here and want to give them 5 stars, but looking back, I realize nothing blew me away. Â I just had a great time. Â
Tuesdays are half price bottles of wine. Â Our bottle of Moscato was delicious and gone way too fast.
A friend and I sat at the bar and took our time ordering. Â We started with the muscles, which were really good. Â I loved the crusty bread they served with the dish. Â
The house salad was simple and the salsa I used as dressing was more like pico de gallo, but still good. Â
Crabcake platter was perfect. Â The crabcakes have little filler, tons of flavor, and are huge. Â I took one home. Â I chose double veggies instead of potatoes. Â They were a great compliment. Â
The atmosphere here is so laid back and fun. Â The bartender was excellent and had perfect timing while putting in our food. Â I didn't feel rushed at all, but things ran smoothly. Â My wine glass was refilled consistently until the bottle was gone. Â
If this place had been on the water, it would easily get 5 stars. Â I would go back no problem.
We went on Sunday, around noon.
Pros
Ambiance, great set up, go earlish and get a table or post up by the bar
Authentic crab cakes, not fried, but seared
Bloody Mary's, I judge restaurants by this. Spicy and top with a pickled green bean! Yum.
Annapolis
Con
Does not take reservations.
So in conclusion, this place was pretty great and the price were reasonable. If you go during brunch, Bloody Mary's are only $4.50 and comes in a pint, so there ya go.
Do yourself a favor and go enjoy Boatyard Bar & Grill!
I used to work at a hotel in Annapolis and always recommend people go to The Boatyard Bar & Grill, Sight unseen. I had never been there before, this was 3 years ago. Â
I went for the first time today, I see why I subconsciously sent people here.
I got the Titanic (Wedge Salad), We shared the Calamari, both were banging in space. Â They make their own Blue Cheese and that stuff ain't no joke, the best BC i've had.
For meals, I got the Ocean City Inlet Flounder Club - Flounder is a boring fish, so it sucked, if it was catfish it woulda been good. Â She got the crab melt or something and absolutely loved it.
Wait staff was fast, I never had less than a half glass of water at anytime, but then again this was noon on a Tuesday during non-tourist season (I hate tourists, so yeah, I hate you)
Anyway, The Boatyard is a hit, I'll be back in the winter.
I am a huge fan of the BY! Discovered 9 years ago when I purchased a house here in Annapolis and I truly love the place!
The patrons are friendly, the staff even friendlier, and the food is great! What more can you ask for?
Try the ribs with mango sauce on them, cole slaw, mac 'n cheese, and corn bread...mmmm...mmmm...good!
Check it out for yourself and tell me differently if you honestly can...Cheers!
This was my second attempt at going to the Boatyard Bar & Grill. Â I gave up the first time because there were too many people waiting for tables outside and I was hungry. Â Brunch this Sunday was a little less crowded, but there were still a bunch of people and it was very loud. Â The breakfasty selections were limited, but if you like more lunch selections (or seafood) for brunch this is the place to go. Â They were also offering $1 oysters because they were closing down for a week. Â I don't usually care for oysters but I did try a couple and they weren't bad. Â
My group also shared a breakfast pizza and it was delicious. Â Do not, however, get the crawfish. Â They are only boiled in beer and they don't taste good at all. Â Throw some cajun spices in there Boatyard! Â I was also not very impressed with my mimosa or our service. Â Our waitress was slow and forgetful. Â Parking can also be hard to find and you will probably have to park on the street somewhere. Â Decor was dedicated to, what else, boating paraphernalia. Â It was fun and I will go back and try their lunch or dinner entrees.
Great food, especially for breakfast! Â The bar is nice and it really is quite spacious. Â My only complaint is about the bartenders, it almost seems like it is a burden for you to be giving them money. Â On several occasions they have been incredibly rude and on one particular visit my party was ignored, it literally took twenty minutes to get 3 beers. Â
However despite this, the wait staff is great! Â I recommend hitting it up on Wednesdays during the summer for race night. Â It's always a good time.
I hadn't been to the Boatyard in a few months. The food was always good, the service was always good. But I have to say, this time we got the short end of the service stick.
We came in just before 9pm and were seated right away. Â Off to a good start. The waitress was a bit slow to get to us, but that was OK, it was fairly crowded.
But her service went downhill from there. Â We pretty much ordered appetizers--chicken skewers, mushrooms, salads, and drinks (iced tea and a bud light).
The food was great!
But the server never woudl have known our opinion. She never came to see if it was good or bad. Each time we needed a refill of iced tea, we had to hunt her down. That was easy because she was busy talking to her friends at another table. It was a chore to get served.
We had to hunt her down for the check (she was saying goodbye to her friends in a 15 minute goodbye (yes, I noted the time) at the door and finally glanced our way. She brought the check and said "there you go".
I gave her my credit card and she came back and put the receipt down without a word. When she came back to pick it up, I said "thank you" (and not sure why--maybe because my mother raised me right) and she said "oh yeah".
It was painfully obvious that she did not want to be there and the manager on duty should have seen it.
The food was great as always. but for a place to make it, there needs to be service AND food.
She did seem to be the anomaly as the other servers were bustling and attentive to their tables, but the Boatyard ought to know how one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.
Yes, I will go back. The food was great, but boy, if I find the service is similar to last night, I will have to think twice!
I liked the Boatyard Bar & Grill - it's like your regular sports bar but nicer. The menu isn't your typical greasy burgers and wings but a nice mix of salads, entrees, hot and cold sandwiches and seafood (raw bar).
We came here the night before running a big race and had no problem getting a table.
I thoroughly enjoyed my cream of crab soup and the special fish sandwich of the day- panko flounder with mango mayo. I also very much appreciated that there were plenty of side dish options other than fries and that there was no additional charge to make the substitution.
The service was pleasant throughout and my water cup rarely ran dry.
If the opportunity presents itself, I wouldn't hesitate to return on future Annapolis visits. If I lived closer, I could see myself here often sitting in their outside patio enjoying a cold beer.
We found this place today, on my birthday. Â My girlfriend was going to take me out for all you can eat crabs. Â Then we hit traffic. Â I suggested we just find some other place. Â Therefore, I opened Yelp on my iPhone and found this place with the high reviews quickly.
I am glad we did. Â I had a cup of the crab soup (3 stars) and the Boatyard Surf (5 stars) and Turf (4 stars). Â The soup could have been spicier if you ask me. Â However, they do have shakers of Old Bay on the table. Â Therefore, I could have easily made it spicier and then given it 4 stars. Â I asked for the steak medium and it came out exactly medium. Â No more, no less. Â The real winner here was the crab cake. Â All lump crab meat and basically no filler, the usual spices and such. Â However, this was hands down, an excellent crab cake. Â I say 5 stars only because that's what I'm limited to. Â Nevertheless, I personally think it deserves 6 stars.
The only negative I can find out this place is in the flags. Â There is a University of Maryland flag and a University of Virginia flag. Â Being the Virginia Tech Hokie that I am, I had trouble giving my business to fans of UMD and UVA. Â I almost want to knock this review down to 0 stars for that. Â However, I realize no one is perfect. Â The food deserves the five stars. Â The atmosphere would deserve 4 if they would add a Virginia Tech flag. Â But, I won't let that sour my star rating... This time.
Tucked away in the Maritime Republic of Eastport, just over the bridge from Annapolis, you can find this little bayside cottage that looks very serene on the outside, but is alive with boatworkers, shipwrights, boaters, tourists, and colorful locals. It's part pub, part restaurant and open enough to get a taste of both no matter where you sit.
Big screens feature the local boat races, fishing, or whatever sport is taking place when boats are racing or fish aren't being caught. It's raucous in there...expect to make a bar friend or two.
I have a hard time classifying the menu, but suffice it to say it's a nice mix of burgers, decent crabcakes, an even better Cuban sandwich and pretty solid fish and chips. The crab soup is a winner, as are the conch fritters, coconut shrimp, cuban shrimp and anything that features the mango chilie sauce. Nothing is overdone or too fancy, but it's "island" enough to make it special.
The real standout of the Boatyard is the bartender. The Margaritas and "southsides" (the boatyard's answer to the mojito) are really enough meal for me. Anything containing rum is likely to be poured liberally. Good beers abound and the wine list is quite extensive as well.
When I get a little mopey for Key West, the Boatyard is a good, quick fix.
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