Dewey Beach · spotlight
The bar town gets a crab house: three summers of Starboard Claw
Dewey Beach never had a proper steamed-crab room until the Starboard's owners opened one in 2023. Three summers in, the menu runs from a $13 blue crab soup to steamed blues at the day's price.
Starboard Claw at 1818 Coastal Highway is Dewey Beach's crab house. The town never had a proper steamed-crab room before this one opened on Memorial Day weekend 2023. The fine print on the summer 2026 menu says crabs are subject to availability and market volatility, sold by the three, six or twelve.
The group behind the Starboard opened the Claw as half of a two-restaurant expansion. That bar has anchored Dewey nightlife for decades. The sibling, Starboard Sauced, opened the same weekend and handles pizza up the highway. Dewey had bars with seafood on the menu but no room built around steamed blue crabs. The approval process to build one ran back to 2021. Three summers in, it operates as a crab house with a bar attached rather than the reverse. It has indoor and outdoor seating, a kids' menu and reservations on OpenTable. Walk-ins are welcome after 5 p.m.
Steamed blue crabs come in medium, large and extra-large at the day's price. The claw bar sells raw oysters at $3.50 each or $30 the dozen. Virginia top neck clams run $18 a dozen. Peel-and-eat shrimp go for $15 the half pound. Snow crab legs cost $45 a pound and Dungeness $50. A Delmarva blue crab soup with short rib and sweet corn is $13. A cream of crab with sherry and goldfish crackers costs the same. A jumbo lump crab cake sandwich runs $26. The Dewey crab fries are waffle fries under cheddar, bacon and crab meat at $17.
What the reviews actually say
Google raters put the Claw at 4.4. Service draws the most praise. Reviewers repeatedly describe bartenders, servers and hostesses going out of their way. A December visitor found the off-season room friendly and quick. On the food, the crab dip and the shrimp and grits are the repeat mentions. "The crabs were the best tasting I've had in a long time," one reviewer wrote.
The recurring complaint is arriving to find things sold out. Oysters run out. Specials run out. Some nights the steamed crabs run out. A smaller set of reviews knocks the upstairs bar for inattentive service during the happy hour crush.
When to go and what to order
Price signal: three dollar signs. The raw bar is what runs the check up. Call (302) 550-2529 before you drive. Ask two questions: are there crabs tonight, and what size. If the answer is large or better, book it or arrive at 5 when walk-ins open. Order the dozen. Add the crab fries for the table while you wait. Finish with the blue crab soup if the night turns cool. The Claw stays open when Dewey goes quiet in the off-season.
