I want to like this place so i went back again last night. Â I had a single hop pale that tasted like it was brewed in a closet with a Mr Beer kit - - just gross. Â I am embarrassed for whatever brewer is pushing this garbage. Â I chugged it down and tried to revive my spirit with the IPA. Â Again, it's just bad beer. Â With all the quality beer brewed in MD, save your money. Â
We also ordered a cheeseburger and it came out raw. Â Waiter did not even apologize.
Never again.
An unexpected delight as we road tripped through southern Maryland. We each had a beer brewed on site, an IPAD and a brown beer. Both excellent. and then we had Mediterranean pizza and their house salad, sort of like a chop salad with hot chicken , veggies etc. Thepizza was out of this world and cooked to perfection, great crust. Salad also excellent. Â Very good service, nice atmosphere. We will return.
Review Source:My husband and I came here a couple times and loved the beer, food, and atmosphere so much, that when our family members came to visit we immediately brought them here. With 3 kids under the age of 5 the staff was incredibly accommodating and our server, Ryan, was the best we have ever had. The food was great and the manager and Ryan went above and beyond to make sure our entire party was highly satisfied. I recommend this establishment to anyone in the area and they definitely have our repeat business. Please give them a try and you will fall in love with their craft beers, delicious food, and nights with live music.
Review Source:Always like dining at the Ruddy Duck, once we actually get seated. I called during the afternoon to make a reservation for 5 at 7pm but was told they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more. But they did put my name on a call ahead list. When I got there they told me to expect a half hour wait so calling ahead didn't really help much. The wait however turned out to be only about 15 minutes. As usual their beers were very good and the food was above average. I had fish tacos which were very good. Price was as expected. I recommend Ruddy Duck but don't show up hungry because it may be a long wait.
Review Source:I was here for an organization's cocktail party/meet'n'greet and was pleased. The waitstaff was pleasant, efficient, and quick, and the food was great. I had the duck spring roll appetizer, and the flavor was amazing. One of the best things I've ever eaten, hands down. The music was good--no Top 40s loop of Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber, but GunsnRoses, CCR, etc-if a little loud, especially since there weren't any speakers in the little area we were in. It made conversation a little difficult to hear.
I was a little surprised that the waitress didn't talk up their beers, since it is also a brewery, and that very little info was available on the cocktail menu.
But overall it was a great experience, and I would definitely go back if I'm in the area or there's another event.
We were in town for a sporting event and looking for a good bite to eat before heading home. Seeing this place offered their own beer we thought to give it a chance. As mentioned in some of the other reviews, it is loud and difficult to hold a conversation. I have to note, one owner greeted us as we walked in - classy. And the other owner cleared our table when we were done. Hands on - I like that. The food was good, the atmosphere was pleasant (but the live band was too loud) and the beer sampler was nice. Their beer is okay, although I found some of them to be weak. When in town again, we will defiantly be back.
Review Source:Had the beer that was supposedly an oktoberfest beer... Sure was when it hits your tongue but then you get this ugly taste with it. We ordered the calamari and my first bite took me 10 minutes to chew. I tried to send it back but my waiter took another 15 minutes to come by and only after I called him over. I had the porkchops and they were pretty good except the waiter asked how we wanted it to be cooked... Ok never in my life have I been asked that... So we said well done even tho we are medium rare steak people but it's pork... It needs to be cooked... The middle did look a little pink inside but regardless they were good. I probably wouldn't come back here tho.
Review Source:We were in from out of town after visiting a local winery. We wanted food before heading back home for the 2 hour drive north. We consulted yelp for a place to go... and it didn't disappoint.
Two of our party got pizzas which they found fresh baked and flavorful. I had a burger and the fourth person a sandwich. I opted for salad instead of fries and the home made dressing and house made croutons was a real hit with the table.
We also had a beer sampler because this place brews their own beer. Of the 8 in our rack, we really were fans of 6 of them.
The only negative thing I found was that we ordered the mini crab cake appetizer which was $12. Literally $3 per cake. While filled with meat and flavorful they were obnoxiously tiny. One bite, gone. A delicious bite, but a bite none the less.
If I ever find myself down in Soloman's again, I wouldn't hesitate to return to the Ruddy Duck.
We have been to the Ruddy Duck a few times, Ruddy Good would be a better name for it. Â The worst you will get is "good"....
Now, some things are a tad disappointing, such as the duck spring rolls....not that they are bad, they are good...but not "wow!"
Why is very good a tad disappointing... once you've had "wow!" here, you'll know.
Wow! items include their wings, onion rings and their pizzas (the Argentina is my current "WOW!!!").
They have live music on Fridays, so it can be a bit loud and crowded, but very worth the visit. Â It is the kind of local place every place should have.
Was with my husband on a business trip and instead of eating over the bridge in California which is chain soaked, we dined on Solomon's Island where our hotel was.
We went on a Tuesday evening around 6. It was quiet, patrons were scattered about comfortably. The bar was full.
Things I liked: server was very sweet, knowledgeable and friendly. Â Nice costal atmosphere. They brew their own beer. The kitchen is in plain view and clean. The short ribs were tasty and tender.
The crab cake sandwich was good and it was all lump but it also falls on the things I didn't like: I thought it was over priced and a tad small. I only say this because I thought the closer you are to the bay, the cheaper your seafood should be. I mean you just pulled it out the water no?? The only other dislike was the booth we were seated at was adjacent to the kitchen and at one point two servers who were waiting on line for a pick up ( I guess ) leaned over on top of the banquet to talk and stare into the dining room. I really don't like being observed while I'm enjoying my dinner.
I would definitely go back next time I'm in town.
I have been to Ruddy Duck on several occasions and usually with a group (6-8 people) of friends. Â The service is always good and the staff is always friendly. Â The food is good, not great, and beer/mixed drinks are tasty. Â
Why only three stars? Â It is always very loud! Â You can usually catch a live band playing which is awesome, but do they really need to be the ONLY thing you can hear while trying to hang out with your friends?
So, overall... this is a great place to hang out. Â The food is good and you will be taken care of, but don't expect to carry on a conversation without having to yell.
We took a group to the Ruddy Duck a few weekends back. In a sea of chains and very high end seafood restaurants, the Duck stands out for its diverse menu, microbrew setting and great seating for groups.
The menu was a little overwhelming, but we decided to share the nachos - on potato chips with their spicy chili - they were so delicious - I could not stop eating them!
I loved the asian seared tuna with won tons and asian slaw; the steak and cake made the boys happy but my boyfriend's cut of ribeye didn't have great marbling and was a tad dry and overcooked.
Others enjoyed the duck spring rolls and the fish and chips. Live music during dinner made it a bit tough for conversation but I appreciated the atmosphere.
A definite winner for the Pax River area --- I wish there were more restaurants like this!
In a word: underwhelming.
My bf and I bellied up to the Ruddy Duck around noon after a long morning of house hunting. Â We were seated immediately. Â The dining room was pretty sparse with only a handful of tables occupied. Â We had to wait for 20 min for our server to first make an appearance. Â However, she was otherwise very attentive and helpful so I can only attribute the wait to a lack of communication among the waitstaff.
The Beer
We ordered the flight and a round of waters. Â The Fest was surprisingly pale in color and completely lacking in the spicy full-bodied-ness that I would have expected. Â The gluten-free beer tasted and looked like gluten-free beer. Â Freakishly large bubbles and an unnatural taste, common to all gluten-free foods, that comes from using reagents instead of ingredients to make food. Â But we were curious so we had to give it a try. Â The IPA and the Lager were both passable. Â I was shocked at how much I enjoyed the apricot beer. Â From all of my previous experience with over the top fruity beers I was pleasantly surprised to find a well balanced interesting beer. Â Oh this is why they started adding fruit to beer!
Food
In spite of the ominous "Market Price" I went ahead and ordered the crab cake sandwich and my bf ordered the Italian cheese panini.  The panini was pretty tasty.  I thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers.  On to the crab cake.  I do not see what all the fuss is about.  This crab cake was OK.  It did have a great deal of lumpy crab but it had the texture of dungeness, with shorter more firm lumps instead of the long and luscious lumps that I would expect from Maryland blue crab "jumbo lump" cake.  Also the bun needed to be a little more substantial as it began to break down under the rigors of sharing and tearing that we put it through.  Don't get me wrong this was a solidly good cake.  Would  I pay $20 for another?  Absolutely not.  $20 for a crab cake sandwich?! In Southern Maryland?! Â
I was excited about this place because it sounded like a local gem. Â But paying that much for an OK crab cake made me feel like a tourist.
My family and I dined here on a Saturday night when all the big chain restaurants across the bridge would have had at least a 45 minute wait. Â When we walked into Ruddy Duck we were greeted by two friendly hostesses and seated immediately. Â The tables are kinda packed in there, but this didn't bother us. Â
Our server was Brooke and she was friendly, attentive and seemed to anticipate our needs and take care of them without us having to ask. Â I ordered a sweet tea and it was like hummingbird nectar - sugary sweet and just the way I like it! Â It was being brewed when I ordered, so Brooke brought me a glass of water while I waited the few minutes for it to be finished. Â We ordered the spinach and artichoke dip for our appetizer and it was the best we've ever tasted. Â It was creamy and cheesy and sinful and my husband and I remarked on quite a few occasions that we could easily just eat a big bowl of this as a meal. Â Absolutely delicious. Â The focaccia that it's served with is warm, garlicy and fresh out of the oven.
For our entrees, my husband ordered the fish tacos, my 10 year old son chose the cheese pizza and I had the crab cakes. Â My husband said his fish tacos were "what fish tacos should be" - light, flavorful and fresh tasting. Â Cheese pizza isn't exactly special but my son loved it and devoured it in no time. Â My crab cakes didn't disappoint and are on par with the best I've ever had (if not THE best). Â They were served with a delicious pineapple slaw and fries. Â The fries were just meh, but fries are fries.
For dessert Brooke recommended the brownie sundae, which the 3 of us split. Â This could have easily been a throwaway, generic dessert but Ruddy Duck once again brought their A game. Â It was the perfect ending to a great meal and we will definitely be returning.
I really wanted to like this place, because brewery and brick oven pizzas are my favorite, usually because they always get it right. This place is just ok, not amazing. We went on a Sunday night and it didn't seem busy but the service still wasn't great. The beer selection was ok, not super- they only (only!) had six brews but it was four pale ales and two stouts I think, but no brown ale or reds. But the ale I had was ok, not bad. I had one of the pizzas and the crust was not special, it was very bready not the thinner type you expect from a wood-oven. Plus they dumped too many toppings more American style rather than the lighter Italian way, so it was a bit goopy.
But its big place, lots of seating and easy to accommodate groups and families, and with the limited amount of restaurants like that in the area it still is a great option for that.
Ok I'm giving it a solid three stars, could have been a four but a couple of things distracted from the experience. Â Flew in with a couple of my coworkers for a week long training a Pax Naval Station, and decided to get a bite to eat before we went to bed.
I ordered a Duck Pizza no kidding Duck Pizza how cool is that.  One of my coworkers ordered the stufed Pork Chop, and the other  ordered a chicken breast sandwich. Â
The first thing that kind of turned me off is that we had to wait approximately 30 minutes for our food to get to us, and there was hardly anyone else in the dining room strike one. Â
Bothe of my coworkers were very impressed with food when it did arrive, I on the other hand was not. Â The main problem was that my Pizza was burnt! Â I was looking at it and the waitress just said "Is there a problem?" Â I replied no problem, Â I was scared to send it back for fear that I'd have to wait another thirty minutes and it was getting late and I just wanted to get to my Hotel room.
I mean really the Pizza was burnt, I just can't believe they even brought it out. Â Wheres Chef Ramsey when you need him. Â
I"m not proud to say I ate the Pizza and didn't complain, it didn't taste too bad but it was hard to separate the delicate taste of the Duck because it was at times overpowered by the taste of carbon.
Look if it was just me reviewing the place I would have to give it a two, but since by coworkers liked it soo much I'm bumping it up a star. Â Maybe they just missed it with My Duck Pizza, and hopefully you'll have a satisfactory experience like my coworkers did. Â
If on the other hand they burn your order, don't say you havent been warned.
So I'm giving this place a very generous three stars.
Everytime we go the the duck we have great service. Â The staff is friendly and prompt. Â I recommend the meatloaf and all of the pizzas have been on point so far. Â They must be doing something right, because every evening we have been there, the place is packed!! Â I am not a huge beer drinker, but I hear they put out some good beers from their brewery. Â Highly recommend this place if you are in the area and looking for some good eats!
Review Source:Came here while I was in town. Decided to get the crab cakes since I was in Maryland and it stated that they were the best in Southern Maryland. Said "Market Price". Here I thought crabs were in season so they wouldn't have been that much, unfortunately I spent $28 for two crab cakes, a small amount of fries, and some veggies.
I personally like remoulade sauce with my crab cakes. They gave a mayo type mustard thing, which was fine. They weren't the best crab cakes I've had in Southern Maryland. That made me sad.
On the plus side, they make their own beers, which is pretty awesome. I didn't have any though. I settled for a Snake Bite. Can't go wrong with those.
Their dessert menu was small because they were out of one of the desserts. We orders a cheesecake and an apple crisp. Both were pretty mediocre.
On another note, Ruddy Ducks are pretty badass.
Great crab cakes! Â
Decent size dining room, great service, and did I mention the crab cakes rock. Â They do a broiled crab cake that is almost no filler, just crab. Â
I tried the almond cheesecake for dessert and it was awesome as well.
If the crab cakes weren't so good, I'd be tempted to try the pizza which looks amazing.
Skip Stoney's, you won't be disappointed.
The Ruddy Duck is the only brew pub in the Southern Maryland region. And they have already won numerous awards for their beers. Personally, I like the IPAs.
It was the only bar in St. Mary's and Calvert that I could find that was open for the Sunday UK vs. Germany World Cup match last year. Other "sports bars" were closed because it was Sunday morning. I was so happy to find the Ruddy Duck open and full of a friendly crowd, including the owner, watching the game on the big tvs and drinking fantastic beer.
That said, I wouldn't advertise this as a sports bar. There are tvs in the bar area, but the rest of the restaurant could be a family and fine dining experience. I even sat out on a table this summer, the last time I visited. So, it doesn't have the constant television in the background of your meal quality that sports bars do.
The inside is beautiful, and on weekend evenings there's often live music. The menu is a combination of Chesapeake (lots of seafood, and acclaimed crab cakes), Argentinean (empanadas) and grill (steaks, salmon, etc). The pizzas are also excellent and a little different to your boring old toppings you find on standard pizzas. The homemade hummus is also a must.
The only improvement that could be made, for me, is a better vegetarian selection. As someone who likes to go back to this place whenever I'm nearby, I'd love to see a few more veggie specials. The kitchen is also very very accommodating. I have a friend whose toddler has a number of allergies and she's able to eat at the Ruddy Duck because they will made items specially, put together a dish a la carte if you have restrictions, and can guarantee which oil they fry with, etc.
I should also say, it's family friendly. They even have a "Little Ducklings" menu.
Check out their menu and events, etc: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ruddyduckbrewery.com%2Findex.cfm&s=d7522bcb6094900f626b3612e37f89ace13cb35b783fbd2054628718a52589b8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.ruddyduckbrew…</a>
If you appreciate good beer and you're in Southern Maryland you have to go to The Ruddy Duck.
I thought about the rating for a while, but 3 stars seems apt.
My parents took me out to dinner at Ruddy Duck, a restaurant none of us had been to. It's in Solomons, Maryland, an area notable for its boardwalk, RV camps, and DUIs.
Ruddy Duck is a bar and grill restaurant with high ceilings, an enormous bar area, with dark wood and dark-colored blinds and curtains. They were listed as opening at 4pm, but we walked in a few minutes early, and there were already a handful of people at the bar (likely the patrons of the hotel next door). The atmosphere is definitely a mix of casual and tourist, what with the hotel next door. Just about everyone was in a polo shirt or t-shirt, and one in a flight suit.
Right off the bat, I tried their in-house porter, which wasn't especially unique, but it was pretty smooth. I ended up getting a Heavy Seas Loose Cannon after that, not wanting to take a risk on their other beers. The waitress seemed to be in a bit of a rush, perhaps because she just came on shift, but was otherwise pretty polite. The appetizer (potato poppers) came in a bunch of 5, and were warm, but not hot. They came with a generous amount of sour cream, which was solid, not blobby.
The menu struck me as Cheesecake Factory-ish, because it offered so many different types of things. When you offer foods across so many genres, it makes me think you do them all just fine, but none of them are great. I finally settled on their special of the day, the prime rib. It was a good cut, with the trim having all of the seasoning, but not hot enough for my taste. The mashed potatoes were good and garlicky (which I can still taste 7 hours later), and the vegetable medley was just for show.
My dad got their ravioli, which he liked, but admitted it was super heavy, and loaded with cheese. We ordered a plate of focaccia with parmesan, which was soft, but was likely something that wasn't fresh made, but frozen.
My mom got crab cakes, at market price ($28), and thought they seemed lukewarm in the center. She sends her meals back pretty often when she goes out, but the waitress actually suggested that for the price, she get something she be happy with - and brought her brand *new* crab cakes, not heating up the ones she had.
The meal was decent, and it's still better than the sea of chain restaurants that plagues the area, but I think it's a bit overpriced, and tries to do too much with its menu, while not having anything stand out.
I visited here with two friends for the first time on a Friday evening for dinner. Â They told us that the wait would be 10-15 minutes (it was probably closer to 25) and the waiting area felt cramped and crowded -- way too small of a space for the 10-15 people that were waiting for tables.
When we were seated, I was impressed with the decor of the place. Â Our booth had high backs, giving us complete privacy from other dining parties and drowning out a lot of the noise of the crowded dining room, making conversation pretty easy.
Our waitress was efficient and friendly, and our drinks came out quickly. Â I had the 3-beer taster, and finished all the shot-glass-sized tastes by the end of the meal (impressive as I'm not a huge beer fan). Â My friends both ordered the 6-beer tasters and didn't finish them.
As appetizers, we ordered the potato skins (on recommendation from our waitress) and the calamari. Â The calamari was tender but crispy and the dipping sauces were good. Â The potato skins were also good but could've used some salt or other flavoring.
Our meals came out fairly quickly, and were presented on our plates very well. Â I had the Rudy's Margarita pizza, which was good if a little wet (I'm not sure if it was from the sauce or the extra tomatoes, but there was definitely some excess water on it that made for a soggy crust). Â My friends had the Crab Cake and Monterrey and enjoyed both dishes, though their fries were extremely salty.
It was an affordable meal, with good service in a great environment. Â I'll definitely be back in the future!
Thanks to the ladies at CD cafe for recommending the Ruddy Duck. Â "That's where we hang," they assured us.
I can see why, Â Brew pub. Â Loads of big screen, HD tvs, excellent service (thank you again, Sarah), and surprisingly good food.
This is comfort food. Â My wife had a crab cake sandwich which was excellent. Â I had the short ribs with chimichurri, garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies. Â Giant servings. Â Oh, we had their Octoberfest lager. Â Very good.
While the Rud somehow avoided the ubiquitous Calvert County  nautical theme, the food, beer and service were excellent.
We've been here a few times so far--the first time on their grand opening and a few days later. Â The atmosphere is nice, the wait, kitchen, and bar staff all seem to be nice and competent at what they do, however I'm certain this place will change considerably in its 1st year.
They only had 2 of their own beers on tap (a kölsch and a wheat beer), both of which were drinkable, but hopefully not the pinnacle of what they're capable of brewing.
On the first night, I had their mussels appetizer which was a little bland and thin tasting, primarily because of the sauce; Â I had a similar experience with their half rack of ribs--too bland--but I was fortunate enough for the chef to come over and ask how they were.
I simply stated that they were bland and he told me to wait a few minutes and he came back out with a whole new order with a spicier dry rub, some BBQ sauce on the side, and a side of grits (the first order came with pineapple cole slaw--which was interesting).
On the 2nd visit, we had the chipas a la Carlos on a friend's recommendation.  I've never had anything quite like them, but they are delicious, however they only give you  3 of them which may be for the best if you're watching your calories.
For dinner, I had the ravioli marinara and the portion was a tad smaller than I would have liked; it was delicious and could very well be, in my opinion, the best pasta dish in the area (that is a normal menu item).
All-in-all, a great experience and we'll definitely be going back. Â One detractor that we found was that Jay, who I assume is the bar manager, said that they would not fill other people's growlers which is a real buzzkill if you are like me and have amassed a collection of various brewery's growlers over the years. Â Hopefully this policy will change.
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