Maryland is famous for crabs, but some of the best seafood meals in the state come from small stands and carryouts with no fancy dining room at all. These are the spots where you order at a counter or a window, grab a hot platter, and eat in the car or at a picnic table.
Many of them keep prices friendly, with plenty of plates landing around or under $20. If you like fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, and crab cakes without the big bill, this list of eight stops from St. Mary’s County to Baltimore and Kent Island is one to save for your next road trip.
1. Farrell’s Seafood Roadside Stand, Avenue, MD
Down on Colton Point Road in St. Mary’s County, the name says exactly what you get. Farrell’s is a true roadside stand, the kind of seafood stop that feels like part of the Southern Maryland landscape.
The focus here is local seafood, with soft shell crabs and shrimp among the favorites. It runs as a family operation, and the hospitality is a big part of why people keep coming back.
Prices sit in the $10 to $20 per person range, which makes it an easy pick for a budget-friendly lunch. There is no table service and no restroom, so plan on takeout and a short drive to wherever you want to eat.
Timing matters with this one. Farrell’s is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM and closed Monday through Wednesday.
Parking is free in the lot and along the street.
I would save this stop for a weekend drive toward the water, when a bag of fried shrimp is all the plan you need.
2. The Vault Fish Fry, Bowie, MD
Fish fries usually pop up for a weekend and disappear. The Vault Fish Fry did the opposite and set up a permanent home at 14207 Old Annapolis Road in Bowie.
The menu keeps things focused. Expect crispy, made-to-order fish, chicken tenders and wings, and golden fries, with fish platters as the main draw.
The seasoning is the headline, and the seafood salad has earned its own following in Prince George’s County. Desserts come from Dulcita Treats, and the cheesecake is a popular way to finish.
Hours run Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 PM. Takeout and delivery are both available, and parking is free.
Feeding a crowd? The Vault also handles catering and private events, which is handy for family gatherings that call for a big tray of fried fish.
3. Seafood Shanty, Fort Washington, MD
Cornmeal is the secret handshake at Seafood Shanty. The jumbo shrimp get a cornmeal coating and are cooked to order, which keeps them coming out fresh and hot.
Beyond shrimp, the menu covers flounder, catfish, and other fried seafood platters. Fish plates come with fries and coleslaw, so one order makes a full meal.
Most meals land in the $10 to $20 per person range. It is a family-owned carryout with no table service and no restroom, so think of it as a grab-and-go stop.
Parking is rarely a headache here, with a free lot and plenty of space. That makes it easy for a quick lunch or dinner run.
Seafood Shanty is open Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 8 PM and stays open until 9 PM on Friday and Saturday. It is closed Sundays, so plan your shrimp craving accordingly.
4. Potomac Fish House, Mt Rainier, MD
Some carryouts chase trends. Potomac Fish House has stuck with fresh and fried seafood for years, and that staying power is the whole point.
The no-frills counter on Rhode Island Avenue fries fish to order. Whiting, perch, catfish, scallops, shrimp, oysters, clams, and crab cakes all show up on the menu.
Platters come with coleslaw and large cuts of potato. The fish and scallop platter is a classic combo, and the fried oyster sandwich is another favorite.
Fair warning on budget: the overall price range runs $20 to $30 per person, so the simplest fish or shrimp platters are your best bet for staying near the $20 mark.
Friday afternoons and evenings get busy, and a wait is common. Street parking can be tricky, so a weekday visit is the smoother move.
Hours are generous, from 10 AM most days with late nights until 11 PM on Friday. The shop is closed Sundays.
5. Crack And Juicy, Glen Burnie, MD
Here is a rare thing on this list: a seafood stop with real seats and a restroom. Crack And Juicy on Governor Ritchie Highway offers counter service, indoor seating, and some outdoor seating too.
The menu swings between fried and steamed. On the fried side, the catfish and shrimp combo is a strong pick, and the crab cake platter comes with your choice of sides.
Those sides are a highlight. Collard greens, mac and cheese, corn, onion rings, and sweet potato fries let you build a plate that feels like Sunday dinner.
Most visits fall in the $10 to $20 per person range. Crawfish party trays and blue crabs are also available for bigger appetites.
It is open seven days a week, with Friday and Saturday afternoons drawing the biggest crowds. Free parking is easy to find.
6. Maryland’s Fresh Seafood, Upper Marlboro, MD
Bone-in croaker is not something you find on every menu, and that alone makes Maryland’s Fresh Seafood stand out. The Croaker Platter Bone In is a nod to old-school Maryland fish fries.
The menu also covers a Fried Shrimp Platter, a Backfin Crab Cake Platter, and a deluxe seafood platter that can be fried or broiled. Hush puppies and fried mushrooms round out the sides, along with homemade soups.
Prices stretch from about $10 to $50 per person. The platters and sandwiches, like the fried croaker sandwich, are where you keep things friendly to your wallet, while jumbo lump crab cakes and crab legs sit on the pricier end.
It is a counter-service carryout on Watkins Park Drive with no restroom. Delivery and takeout are both options.
Hours run daily from 11 AM, with later closing at 10 PM on Friday and Saturday. Parking is free and usually plentiful.
7. Stevensville Crab Shack, Stevensville, MD
Planes taking off nearby are part of the scenery at Stevensville Crab Shack. The picnic tables sit right next to a small airport on Kent Island, which gives lunch a little extra entertainment.
The signature item is crab fluff, a crab cake dipped in hush puppy batter and deep fried. Rockfish tenders, Kent Island Fish and Chips, battered cod, coconut shrimp baskets, fried oysters, and clam strips fill out the menu.
Baskets are your best path to an under-$20 meal, since the overall range runs $20 to $30 per person. Freshly made sides and deviled eggs are worth a look too.
Families have it easy here. There is a kids’ menu, restrooms, plenty of deck seating, and dogs are welcome outside.
The shack is closed Tuesdays and opens at 11 AM the rest of the week, closing at 5 PM on Sundays. Weekend afternoons are the busiest, so an early lunch helps.
8. Happy Times Seafood, Baltimore, MD
Lake trout is a Baltimore carryout tradition, and Happy Times Seafood on Wilkens Avenue keeps it on the plate. Despite the name, it is usually whiting, fried and served with plenty of local pride.
Big jumbo shrimp platters are the most popular order. There is also a seafood platter that piles on lake trout, fried shrimp, steamed shrimp, scallops, and fries.
For a lighter spend, the boneless whiting fish sandwich with fries is a smart choice. The menu also climbs higher with fried lobster tail platters, snow crab leg combos, and crawfish boiling bags, which is why prices range from about $10 to $70.
The counter-service setup offers takeout, delivery, and a kids’ menu. Free parking makes quick pickups simple.
Happy Times is open every day, from 11:30 AM Monday through Saturday and noon on Sunday. Friday and Saturday afternoons draw the biggest lines.
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