Picked this place randomly for a quick snack in Annapolis and I was pleasantly surprised! We had their oysters and fried calamari and both were really good. I particularly liked the fried calamari because it wasn't a plate filled with little pieces of fried bread crumbs instead of calamari, as it usually tends to happen. Definitely recommend.
Review Source:I have been here several times for Oysters and crap dip. Â The food is always good. Â Recently I went here with my Groomsmen before my wedding on a Saturday during the Annapolis Boat show without an appointment, because i forgot. Â The staff was totally awesome. Â They set us in the back by the bar in a corner and allowed us to have beers and oysters while they got a table for us. Â It took about 15 minutes. Â The food and drinks were excellent. Â We had oysters, which are always great, crab pretzels, crab dip, crab balls, grilled chicken sandwich and oyster rockefeller. Â Everything was good, but i would skip the rockefeller and go for the raw.
They have a great craft beer selection to chose from also which is a huge plus!
Torn between 2 & 3 stars, naturally. I really wanted to like this place. Went here on a gorgeous sunny day in April. It was around 80 degrees, so I snagged a table outside.
It was craft beer week, so they had 3 different bottled beers for $2 a piece: Victory Swing Saison, Flying Dog Atlantic Lager, & a third I don't remember. Service was pretty good, consistent and noticed when my drinks were empty.
But the food itself really wasn't anything special. I got the crab dip & Caesar salad. The dip didn't really have much crab in it. The Caesar was just plain bad. I don't know whether they had prepared it awhile before I received it, but the dressing was extremely liquidy and basically sat in a puddle under my salad. It was absolutely DRENCHED in parmesean cheese, and not even fresh.
I would definitely come here again, but I'm not sure I would get food. Definitely for drinks. The interior looks pretty cool actually, one room has a tree growing in it!
My family and I went here for a light lunch Sunday afternoon. Â Our service was very friendly and attentive; however, the food was hit and miss. Â We ordered clams from the raw bar menu, which were very good (tasted very clean and fresh as they should, and as you would expect from a seafood town), and the grilled mahi sandwhich I ordered off the specials menu was very good as well. Â The rest of the table tried the various soups, which received less than enthusiastic feedback, and my mom tried the chilli, which she barely touched because it consisted almost entirely of tomatoes (so much so that she questioned whether there was anything else in the bowl). Â If I were to come back, it would probably only be to have oysters or clams with some beers, rather than a full sitdown meal.
Review Source:So the other reviews here are kind of accurate about service being slow, and our waiter was a little condescending as well. Â Atmosphere wise it's definitely more bar than restaurant. Â To start we had an order of calamari which was advertised as 'lightly fried' and it delivered. Â This was definitely the star of the meal. Â Two people at my table ordered the clam chowder and said it was worst they had ever had, so definitely avoid that. Â I had the crab cake sandwich and it was pretty good. Â Not overly fried and good tartar sauce. Â 3 stars for my food but I have to subtract a star because of service (condescending attitude and I never got the drink I ordered), and the food was a little pricy ($17 for my sandwich). Â We were in Annapolis for the day and looking for an awesome seafood feast, but this wasn't it
Review Source:We were out of place here. That was evident. Good characters here though. Â Guy in salmon colored pants and navy sweater and white polo shirt hanging out. Guy in kilt and full garb drinking at the bar. I felt like I was watching the inspiration for the Royal Tennebaums and Life Aquatic in real time. They were watching me as if we were some sort of variety show as well. Good times.
Food was edible, but the servers were nice and very attentive. Bonus points for the server that brought the scrambled egg out instantly for my hungry baby and the nice fellow who brought endless coffees and milk. It was also cheap by our standards!
Want good people watching? Come here!
Well, considering we had to leave without being waited on the last time, it rated twice as good today. Lunch: I must say the steamed oyster were PERFECT! Often over steamed they were fully cooked and fully juicy. Our server Matalyn I think, was awesome. But every thing was ho hum from there. The clam chowder, cup, was milk and flour with touch of clam. Â The Artichoke and Chicken open face sandwich was oh so bland the salt and pepper could not even help it. Â The roast beef hash with poached egg sounded great but the deliciousness is only in the menu description. Basically, the hash was 2 pounds of unseasoned mashed potatoes studded with large chunks of overcooked under seasoned dry beef. Â Salt, pepper and ketchup could not make this one lunch. Â
PS. $60 not cheap either. Two beers and a tea in that cost.
I came here a while ago, and I found the food to be okay, the service to be almost non-existent, and the atmosphere to be nearly loud and raucous. Â We came around 6 pm, and the bar was full of loud, drunk people with the wait staff almost nowhere to be found. Â The food was neither good nor bad in my book. Â With so many good options near Ego Alley, I doubt I'll give this place another shot.
Review Source:I've been an Annapolis local now my entire life. as far as crab dip goes, this is the best that you find find anywhere, even better when you can catch it on the 5 dollar happy hour menu. This place is our home when all of our friends come home on college breaks. The oyster happy hour special is the best you can find in town and the oysters are top notch. I highly recommend.
Review Source:From out of town, stopped here for lunch....service was excellent...hamburger was good but those French fries, ugh...cross between a chip and a fry and they did justice to either...kill these as they were soggy and tasteless. Wife had the beef hash plate...another blah dish. Come on Annapolis, stop with the tourist food...
Review Source:Oh Downtown Annapolis on a Friday night, I can't say I've really missed you.
McGarvey's is one of the few places that's still the same since I was in school down the street, and its my grandfather's favorite place to go for oysters, which boyfriend really wanted. So with those two points in mind, we headed over for dinner during my reunion this weekend. It was LOUD. And crowded. And the service was meh. The food was good, but the portions were a little small. Boyfriend got his aforementioned oysters and Dogfish Punkin Ale on special. Friend had the fish and chips, and it might have been the smallest portion of fish and chips I've ever seen. I had a special, the trout imperial (crab-stuffed trout), and there were no vegetable options other than asparagus, which I don't like, but there were only 3 tiny pieces of it anyway. Â Prices were a little steep, but about average for DTA. We were seated in the bar area, which may have been why our server seemed a little frazzled. Nothing glaring, just little things like forgetting the water, or only bringing one of the checks for our split check table. The noise level wouldn't be any different at any of the other places in the area, so I won't knock them for that.
All in all, not bad, but the oysters were probably the best thing we ended up with.
I was delighted to find that their kitchen is open until 1am on sundays. They provided us with some chili cheese dogs and a bratwurst the "cottage fries" are thick cut fried potato chips, very tasty. The chili was assembled of tinned components and could have used some salt, thus the 4 stars. Service was courteous and prompt and I would recommend them for late night munchies.
Review Source:Went here Forth of July, eve.
Service was below average, the back bartender wasn't expecting a sudden rush and seemed a little flustered and unprepared for the amount of people looking to get a drink from the bar.
Over-all the bar is ok, there is a few draughts on tap, mostly all the beers are standard, and 3 taps are offered in the rear bar.
There is a awesome tree in the building, though it is in the way of the walk way, it's unique and offers a different vibe than most bars in the area.
You can't dance here, but you can relax throughout their multiple tables throughout the entire place.
Bathrooms are awkwardly placed up-stairs; on a busy night it might be hard to navigate to them, but it's not too bad.
Prices are on average for Annapolis. Most drinks are $7+ and beer is about $6.5 Â and up.
Ok, place if the waiter wasn't sooo incompetent to the needs of the patrons, and it seriously shouldn't take 15 minutes to get a drink on any night, just saying.
2 stars.
I stopped in McGarveys Saloon for a beer on a Thursday night (approx 8pm), and the place was packed to the gills. There was a wait for a table in the dining room, but I was able to find a spot at the back bar.
They were still offering drink specials, $1 off all "Craft Beers". I was pleased to see they had a nice selection of beers, and didn't group AB InBev drinks in their "Craft Beer" section (yes I'm talking about Ruby Tuesdays!). I had a Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA and a Guinness before hitting the road. Total cost for the 2 beers ran just about $10. Not too bad for a trendy beer in downtown Annapolis if you ask me.
As the big draw for this place is the Oyster bar, and I did not partake in it, I need to point out that my review was SOLELY based upon the service/experience I received at the bar.
While I was happy with the price, and the bartender was relatively quick to refill my glass, there was nothing that made this place stand out. Thus I can only rate this place as A-OK. Since I am not fan of Oysters, I'm not likely to make plans to return to this pub, although I wouldn't bypass it if I were in Annapolis looking for a beer.
i stopped by for a late lunch on sunday with a group of 7, and fortunately, they had space for our party. Â as soon as they pushed 3 tables together, our party was all set.
i ordered the half sandwich and soup combo for $8.99, which was a great price for what i got:
*corn chowder with crab soup - rich and creamy, with lots of corn and pieces of crab
*half turkey pastrami, ham, cheese sandwich - good portions of meat, decent sandwich
hubby and i shared an order of mcgarvey's cottage fries ($3.99) which was a treat. Â the fries were cut in the shape of potato chips, then fried and salted. Â some fries were crispy (like potato chips), some were soft, all tasted great. Â these fries were definitely memorable, since i've never had fries shaped like potato chips.
service was fairly prompt, which i'd have expected since it was pretty empty at that hour. Â our waiter was friendly and juggled our party's requests well.
the location is great, just steps from main st, which was convenient for us since we had spent the afternoon shopping there.
i would return and try some of their other seafood specials.
If you are from out of town and looking for crabs.. DO NOT COME HERE. The place boasts a deceptively cool looking tavern interior where you might give in, it's definitely neat, but the FOOD is GROSS.
Alert * This is a tourist trap.
If you are into the Restaurant Depot supplied, microwaved, packaged + frozen [sea-] food.... TGIFridays kinda guy, then by all means..dive in!
If you consider yourself to be a foodie (i know, you're not into labels), do not consume anything here aside from booze. Even the seafood platter was tasteless and inedible. Do not let "that girl" talk you into it because she's 'hungry' and lazy, seriously, just don't do it. You will be sorely disappointed.
We hit McGarvey's on a Wednesday afternoon about 4 (business meeting of course). We had a a couple of Guinness and a couple of half n half made with the house special brew, Aviator. The bar keep was ok friendly, and he changed shifts while we sat. Nobody else really acknowledged us even thought it was a quiet afternoon.There were happy hour price breaks on a limited selection of beers and drinks. The crowd seemed like a couple of local, long time customers sprinkled amidst the tourists and business meeting attendees.
This was the first of several stops that evening, and honestly, I wish I had eaten there. The food looked and smelled really good and the people were digging it. The steamed shrimp, fries, wings and oysters all made an impression as they slid passed.
I'll definitely stop back. We did not eat and I wish we had. We did not make a connection with the staff. There was a construction project underway that sapped the ambiance. It rained - a remarkable drenching out of nowhere rain.
My review is of McGarvey's as a bar... not a restaurant. Â This was my late night hangout on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday when I lived in Annapolis. Â The good ole days when Beans and Guido were both tending bar... Guido, may you R.I.P. Â I had a lot of fun times in this bar and would occasionally eat dinner here. Â The food is not spectacular, although the french fries are delicious. Â The crab dip is very good as well.
I mainly come here for the drinks and the oysters..... and to shoot the breeze with Beans. Â They run an oyster special from January through tax day each year where you get a dozen oysters for $6..... it used to be $5 but is still a steal at $6. Â The special runs from 4pm-8pm Monday through Friday.
Eggs Benedict was not my favorite. Biscuit was slightly over toasted and not enough hollandaise. And they don't carry smoked salmon :(
Their potatoes were awesome, though. I dipped them in the crab dip. OMG the crab dip. And OMG the just warm enough toasty crunchy bread. If not for the amazing dip and bread, I would not rate this place very high. It was quite delicious.
Also got some oysters to go...after all, it is an oyster bar. I'm not a big oyster fan but they were pretty fresh. And the server hooked me up with tons of ice to keep the lil guess cold for the ride back.
Not a fan of the picnic table checkered table cloths. Guess it gives the place character...but I would give this place +2 style points if they got rid of them...otherwise nice interior, friendly and quick service, not too pricy for what they serve.
Service: 4
Food: 4
Value: 3
Menu: 4
Location: 4
Enjoyed a dozen oysters, a dozen steamed shrimp, and an order of cottage fries, washed down with two Aviator amber lagers. Oysters were good, shrimp was good, fries were not so good. Â Lager was ok, but unremarkable. Â Waitron did a good job, even though it was busy. Â Lots of locals here, not so much of a tourist trap like so many in Annapolis. Beer selection was weak. Â Four tables outside, they fill up quickly. Â I'd go back, but would avoid the fries and would see what they have in a bottle vice draft.
I'm glad I checked in here, because I'd forgotten the name of this place!
A few friends and I ate here after taking a sailing class in Annapolis.
I had the cajun tilapia* caeser salad without croutons. Â I thought it was delicious, and ate the whole thing.
Service was good. Prices decent. Atmosphere was what you'd expect of a pub-type restaurant. Â I wouldn't make a special trip to Annapolis to go here or anything, but I'd probably return if I was already in the area and needed a meal.
*Pretty sure it was tilapia...if not, some similar sort of white fish
My weekend lunch here was remarkable. We had a little table past the bar against the wall and although I didn't have a view of the harbor, the neat stuff on the walls and enjoyable company made up for that. I had the best lunch. There was nothing left on my plate and that doesn't always happen when I go out to eat. Seriously. If you're not an oyster fan then order the chicken artichoke salad on a english muffin. It is toasted on open halves so the cheese melts over a slice of tomato. I thought the combination of flavors and textures were perfectly matched and the only thing I recommend is to ask for a steak knife because the butter knife could barely cut through the toasted english muffin bottom. I think I got a work out from sawing. The cole slaw I opted for instead of fries was good too. Service was great and our waiter kept checking on us.
The wedding party who showed up and wanted a big table might have been disappointed - don't think they got a table for their huge group (in full on wedding dress and everything). I would have changed into a second dress for the party especially on a hot summer afternoon.
***/* 3.5 Stars. I took Rockstar to McGarvey's Thursday evening and we had a very good dining experience. They had a special on Mussels. $6 for a larger portion which we ordered for an appetizer.
Service was very good and we proceeded to order the Gumbo special, BBQ Shrimp and a salad. The Gumbo was one of the best I have tasted and that includes many tastings in New Orleans.
McGarvey's core business is being a "Bar". Overall I think you will find the food to be good and the quality might be determined by what night you are there.
Vital Statistics: Watch for seafood specials. Mussels for $6, great deal and very well prepared in butter/wine sauce. They also have a list of special that are stopped at 7PM. The place is packed on Friday and Saturday and gets worse during the tourists season May-Oct.
If I could give 10 stars, I would! Â McGarvey's is the first place we visit when my husband and I go home to Annapolis. Â It's been a favorite of ours since he was at the Academy. Â We love the beer (Aviator), the wings, and the crab dip!! Â When we went out with friends to celebrate our engagement, you bet we went to McGarvey's! Â
We'll really miss Guido, he was and will forever be the best bartender! Â
McGarvey's is the place to go in Annapolis if you want good beer and food. Â Sure it may get "loud" in there late at night, but if we wanted to sit down to a quiet dinner then we would stay home. Â
You can't go wrong with McGarvey's!
I've been away from Annapolis for a few years now and I'll admit this one of the top 5 things I'm looking forward to when I get back. Â If you're looking for a quiet, peaceful place to wine and dine on a 5 star meal, go to Maria's or Aqua Terra or the Charthouse. Â This place is a BAR. Â They happen to serve pretty good bar food, to include the best crab dip in ANNAPOLIS. Â No big deal, just the sailing/crab capital of the U.S., maybe the world.
The vibe is great, it's a Naval Aviator bar, and you'll see all the flight helmets, that dozens of salty pilots have donated, displayed above the bar. Â Also, they have a great microbrew called "Aviator" to which I still compare every beer I drink. Â
The place really picks up on the weekends, especially after a big Navy sporting event, tons of alumni and Midshipmen are not uncommon. Â
By far my favorite place to relax and have a beer in Annapolis
This review is also dedicated to long time McGarvey's bartender and neighbor Chris "Guido" Whitesel who passed away this year after a painful struggle with cancer.
Wow...service was horrible!
Okay, so I know it was a Saturday night and it was really busy. But really? I guess since it is a downtown bar that caters mostly to tourists, they really don't expect people to return on a regular basis, so they might be able to get away with this. Â
After being seated for about 20 min and we asked a waiter (who wasn't our waiter) if someone could take our orders and he had this "How DARE YOU!" look on his face and told us that he wasn't our waiter. Â Well, that's nice. But you work here, so one would think that he would let his fellow slacker co-worker know that he has customers.
10 min later, our waiter begrudgingly comes along and takes our order. Not impressed with this guys attitude either.
The food was okay. I ordered the Oyster Rockefeller and  Clams casino. It was good, but I think there was more cheese, breading and grease than oysters and clams.
BEST CRAB DIP IN ANNAPOLIS!!!
It really is the best crap dip in Annapolis. Â I also highly enjoy the Surf & Turf with a pint of Guinness. Â The Turf is always cooked perfectly to order, and the Surf is a heavenly cake of crab that beckons and lures me from my current perch halfway around the world.
Plus, the barkeep (the one who looks like Wilford Brimley, or a walrus) REALLY knows how to pour! Â If you're part of this mixology trendiness, you will enjoy the classic, expert knowledge of the Brimley Barkeeper.
Come here for a lunch for soup or sandwich, after work (or sailing) for an expertly poured drink, dinner for Surf & Turf, or late to meet a pretty, young thing. Â In short, McGarvey's can satisfy damn near all your needs of the day.
When my husband and I walked in this summer, we noticed McGarvey's had an odd smell, kind of like a cross between a horse barn and a locker room. We should have left right then and there, but we were hot, sweaty and starving so we stayed.
Ordered a half-dozen oysters to start. They were ok. Nothing to write home about, but not bad.
I ordered the seafood salad sandwich. Big chunks of shrimp, scallops, etc. But aside from the huge glops of mayo, there was nothing else to it. It was remarkably bland. The pasta salad on the side was the best part of my meal, and an excellent recommendation from our waiter.
My husband's soft shell crab sandwich was embarrassing. Undercooked, under-seasoned and tasted old. He took two bites, pushed it aside and proceeded to get sick for the rest of the afternoon. Avoid.
I can sum up our visit to McGarvey's with the following phrase:
"Ewww...no"
We headed to McGarvey's at the recommendation of a shuttle driver. Â When my wife asked him, "What's your favorite restaurant in downtown Annapolis," he responded with
"McGarvey's! Â Their food is good and they have the best crab dip."
With such a boisterous endorsement by this post college aged kid, we decided to head over to McGarvey's after first meeting up with Steve L and his Uber-cool fiance. Â
The exterior of McGarvey's looked like a small Irish bar which seemed equally small after walking inside. Â The hostess that greeted us was kind and funny and soon instructed another waitress to show us to our table. Â We passed by the main bar area (which was full) to a larger more open area that surprised us.
The area was beautifully open and had that historically old feel with plenty of light and lots of character. Â Everywhere you looked there was wood panels and sea themed decorations adding to the character. Â The dining area had a surprisingly open and airy feel that reminded you how large this space off of the main bar/entrance area. Â From the outside, you would never have imagine that McGarvey's was so large on the inside.
The wife ordered a soft shell crab sandwich and I ordered some chicken fingers for the boys as they were ravenous after our long trip to Annapolis. Â The waitress never cracked a smile and appeared to be "annoyed" at our party of 4 silly adults and 2 kids sitting at one of her tables. Â I don't expect servers to entertain us or kiss our butts, but there was an an air about her that just seemed to say, "I'm annoyed..."
The food and drinks arrived and here's what we got. Â One tiny softshell crab that was barely the size of the potato bun upon which it was served. Â The home made chips were tasty, but the main part of the wife's dish was too tiny....I would call it a soft shell crab slider.
The boys' chicken tenders were HUGE. Â The plate consisted of three large pieces of battered chicken breasts, which were on the plate sans side items...no fries, no side items, nothing, nada...zip. Â The batter was a bit peppery and waaaay too thick. Â The thin piece of chicken was drowned in batter and the boys dug through the batter to get at the chicken.
One of our boys dove into his chicken tender throwing all caution to the wind and yelling "hot hot hot Daddy" as he ate his still hot pieces of battered chicken. Â I ate one of the large pieces of chicken and thought that it was okay, but definitely had too much pepper and way too thick batter.
Whenever the waitress came over, she still seemed annoyed and shot us glances that seemed to say, "I can't wait until you breeders and your kids leave." Â We didn't feel welcome and Steve L even commented on the waitress' demeanor and unfriendly attitude. Â Steve L also wasn't too thrilled with his rum and coke commenting that it had a weird taste that was neither rum nor cola.
I wasn't feeling the food, and despite the cool decor and feel of the place the service wasn't great. Â It was just an okay 2.5 star food experience that last a half star by the cold waitress. Â I was glad I didn't order any food and saved my appetite for something better.
McGarvey's didn't wow me and I just can't motivate myself to ever return when there are other restaurants in the area that I'd rather support.
After reading all the negative reviews I had to look at the uploaded pictures to make sure I was going to review the right place before writing. I just can't believe there are so many bad reviews of this place!
Okay, so I don't know why, but I really liked my food here, had no problem with the crowd, and found the staff to be attentive and friendly. I did come in the evening during the week, but the place was still packed, people always asked how we were doing, and the food was really, really, really good. We basically got crab everything- crab balls, crab dip, and crab sandwich. Oh, and a few wines and beers. Everything was absolutely delicious! We were very hungry before going in, but let me tell you, we ordered a ton of food and ate every bite 'til the plates were clean. Plus, with their happy hour prices, we didn't hurt our pockets, either.
I would love to try crab at other restaurants in Annapolis, but if I am looking for somewhere familiar, I'd have no problem returning here. In fact, I'd come back just for their crab dip, which is among the best I've ever had.
$5 for a chili bowl and beer? Amazing!
I went on a day trip to Annapolis today and went to McGarvey's for lunch. The staff was polite, we got our orders quickly, the food was good, and the prices were low.
After spending a week in Paris over spring break this year, I wasn't sure if I would be impressed by a baguette again. But sure enough, the French sourdough here could not have been baked more perfectly: lightly crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. As for my main meal, while the chili and beer deal only offers Bud Light, for $5 I really can't complain too much.
Since I was only there for lunch I can't comment on the bar or evening atmosphere, but I would definitely recommend McGarvey's for anyone hitting up in Annapolis for the afternoon.
3.5 stars.
I love that other review:
"Everyone...likes to go there and get wasted..."
"It's too loud..."
"you can't hear a damn thing"
"too crowded to move"
"forget trying to get a drink"
That sounds like a normal, popular bar.
I piled into this place 40 strong, a wedding crowd; the kind of crowd that is loud, proud, and mostly getting wasted and acting like morons. Â
I liked the tree growing out of the floor in the middle of the place. Â I liked the cocktails served in funny little glasses with stems. Â I like the stairway to nowhere.
This is a popular bar. Â It is going to be loud and crowded, and unless you are flashing some cleavage or a Benjamin, it might be hard to get a drink. Â
I may thrive on volume - but if you are going to berate a bar for being loud and crowded, go drink at home.
Auf.
If you happen to find yourself stuck in Annapolis on a thursday, be sure to pay a visit to McGarvey's. Thursday at happy hour is a shellfish lovers paradise--A huge platter of mussels (I'm talking 40 or so per plate) will only set you back $4. A dozen oysters is only $5. I can't even buy oysters for less than $0.75 in California, let alone have them shucked and served for less than $0.50 a pop.
So naturally, we ordered two platters of oysters and three of mussels for six people. And wanted more. But we still had to order dinner and a second round of beer.
Speaking of beer--beer lovers rejoice. The Aviator amber lager is arguably one of the best lagers I've ever had. Unfortunately for me, I'll probably never get to try it again; the beer is exclusive to McGarvey's and brewed at a microbrewery just 70 miles south. The only thing preventing me from ordering three rounds was that massive amount of shellfish I had just eaten.
McGarvey's makes up for the rock bottom happy hour specials by charging unheard-of prices for their entrees. The crab cakes were authentic, but a little pricey ($25). I'd rather have a crab. I'm glad I didn't order them.
The roast beef hash, on the other hand, was a great value. The dish was elegantly presented and fried perfectly. Make sure to ask for the side of horseradish cream, which goes well with roast beef and potato pie.