No. 1 · West Ocean City
Crab Alley
Known for steamed crabs over the commercial fishing harbor, snow crab feast for two, cream of crab soup.
Updated 2026-08-01 · updated continuously as reviews, prices, and reader reports come in
The best crabs in Ocean City, Maryland right now
One question, kept current: where should you eat steamed blue crabs in Ocean City today. The ranking is built from thousands of public reviews and our phoned-in price checks. It moves when the record moves. No crab house pays to be here.
The list, by the record
No. 2 · West Ocean City
The Shrimp Boat
Known for posted weekday male-crab special, head-on shrimp, restaurant with a working seafood market.
No. 3 · West Ocean City
Hooper's Crab House
Known for all-you-can-eat crab feast, bay deck at the foot of the Route 50 drawbridge, Sneaky Pete's dock bar next door.
No. 4 · North Ocean City
The Original Crabcake Factory
Known for jumbo lump crab cakes, seafood breakfast and Bloody Mary bar, crab cakes shipped nationwide.
No. 5 · Downtown Ocean City
Harrison's Harbor Watch
Known for crab cakes with no filler, raw bar shucked to order, inlet views of Assateague.
No. 6 · West Ocean City
Waterman's Seafood Co.
Known for all-you-can-eat Original Feast, full-service seafood market and carryout.
No. 7 · North Ocean City
The Crab Bag
Known for hard crabs graded medium to colossal, all-you-can-eat steamed crabs, jumbo lump crab cakes.
No. 8 · Midtown Ocean City
Blu Crabhouse & Raw Bar
Known for all-you-can-eat blue crabs on a bayside deck, raw bar oysters, crab dip with pretzel bread.
No. 9 · Downtown Ocean City
Mug & Mallet
Known for only crab house on the boardwalk, all-you-can-eat blue crabs, vegan seafood options.
No. 10 · Midtown Ocean City
Higgins Crab House 31st Street
Known for all-you-can-eat steamed crabs with fried chicken, hush puppies and corn with every crab special, snow crab leg combinations.
No. 11 · North Ocean City
Higgins Crab House North
Known for all-you-can-eat steamed crabs with fried chicken, family-style crab feast format.
Ocean City prices right now
Phoned-in checks and posted boards, dated.
- The Shrimp BoatWest Ocean City
- mixed$1.99/ea
shrimpboatoc.com specials page; posted as male crabs, size not specified, weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in season, no order limit · 2026-08-01
- Higgins Crab House 31st StreetMidtown Ocean City
- mixed$61.99/AYCE pp
posted online menu, higginscrabhouse.com · 2026-08-01
- Higgins Crab House NorthNorth Ocean City
- mixed$61.99/AYCE pp
posted online menu, higginscrabhouse.com · 2026-08-01
Common questions
Who has the best crabs in Ocean City, Maryland?
By the public review record as of 2026-08-01, the strongest crab houses in greater Ocean City are Crab Alley (4.4 stars across 2,200 Google reviews), The Shrimp Boat (4.4 stars across 1,800 Google reviews), Hooper's Crab House (4.3 stars across 5,300 Google reviews). Best Crabs Ocean City tracks the full ranked list and updates it continuously.
How much do steamed crabs cost in Ocean City?
Prices move with the catch; the Best Crabs Ocean City price board carries current numbers with dates, phoned in from the houses every few days.
Should I eat crabs in Ocean City or West Ocean City?
The famous high-volume crab houses sit on Route 50 in West Ocean City. That's five minutes over the bridge. Locals cross for the heavy crabs. Staying downtown? A carry-out dozen splits the difference.
What size crabs should I order?
Larges are the meat-per-dollar sweet spot most of the season. Jumbos are the show-off order in late summer when they run heavy. Mediums make sense early season or for a long cheap afternoon of picking.
When is crab season in Maryland?
The season runs April through November. Crabs run heaviest July through October. Early-season crabs come light and late-season crabs come full.