Where to Find the Best Crab Cakes in Maryland

This restaurant, started by a Greek immigrant in the 1970s, serves crab cakes with a Greek influence, from a recipe developed in-house by chef Tony Minadakis. Jimmy’s crab cakes are made with jumbo or colossal crab meat. As the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in other seafood too; they serve raw oysters and clams, shrimp cocktails and various types of grilled fish besides their famed crab cakes. The interior is simple, reminiscent of an old-school crab house, with dark wood tables and a live seafood aquarium.

Koco’s Pub is a casual eatery on the north side of Baltimore, famous for its crab cake platter. The place is small and basic, but the excellent quality of the food makes up for it. The crab cake is made by the “mama” of the restaurant with jumbo lumps of crab meat; it’s broiled instead of fried, which gives it more moisture on the inside. The menu includes other dishes – like salads, burgers and buffalo wings – but locals and travelers gather here for the award-winning crab cakes.

Located in the historic maritime district of Annapolis, close to the waterfront of Spa Creek, Boatyard is a favorite place for local fishermen and sailors to grab a bite to eat. The interior mimics an old yacht with sea-themed decorations. Their menu features an extensive list of crab and seafood specialties, from the acclaimed crab cake to crab soups, crispy crab balls plus crab and artichoke dip. There’s also a raw bar featuring oysters, clams and mussels.

This family-owned business, in Baltimore’s Lexington Market, serves some of the most acclaimed crab cakes in Maryland; they’ve even won awards for the jumbo lumps of crab and little filler. It is a market-style eatery where you can buy your seafood fresh or pre-prepared. Other specialties on offer include fresh or cooked fish, oysters, calamari and clams. The crab-cake sandwich was once named best sandwich in America by the Travel Channel.

Located in a suburb of Annapolis on the South River, Edgewater is a town landmark dating back to 1948 that serves its crab cakes with fried okra on the side in a one- or two-piece platter. Other items on the menu include soups, crab dips and seafood specialties like lobster tail, stuffed shrimps and deep-sea scallops. This place has kept its old-style decorations and laid-back atmosphere to this day.

This restaurant, with a prime location on a waterfront deck, overlooking the Patapsco River, offers any fish or seafood you might crave, from steamed clams or mussels to fish and chips or hand-breaded shrimp. The star on the menu, though, is the crab-cake dinner, served with deck fries and coleslaw. Enjoy with a cocktail on the terrace and make sure you drop by between Thursday and Sunday evening when live music brings the place alive.

Set in the historic Fells Point area of Baltimore, Thames Street is famous for its raw bar with fresh oysters, from both the East and the West Coasts, and its homemade crab cakes. The executive chef, Eric Houseknecht, prepares authentic seafood dishes inspired by Maryland, New England and Mid-Atlantic cuisines. The cast-iron crab cake is made with East Coast blue crab, remoulade sauce, Swiss chard and baked squash. You can have dinner in one of three spaces — the bar room, the upstairs dining area with water views or the back courtyard.

Mama’s on the Half Shell is a crab restaurant with an old-tavern vibe, next to the West Channel in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood. Crab cakes are served here with different sides, depending on the season, from green beans and Brussels sprouts to fries and mustard. The crab cake sandwich is a particular favorite. Don’t miss the fresh Atlantic oysters (there are four different types to choose from) or the catch of the day, prepared to your taste.

Located in Hanover, a southern suburb of Baltimore, Timbuktu Restaurant does crab cakes of award-winning quality. Its crab cakes, which have been voted best in Maryland multiple times, include jumbo lump crab meat prepared using a 40-year-old recipe and cooked according to preference, either fried or broiled. Don’t miss the southwestern-style dishes, such as the crab quesadilla or fish tacos.

Pappas is a basic, family-owned restaurant, famed around the Baltimore area for its crab cakes. Like Jimmy’s, the specialty is prepared according to a secret recipe from the 1970s, when Greek immigrant and first head chef Mark Pappas opened the place. Pappas serves their crab cakes accompanied by seasonal vegetables, usually asparagus and salad. Their menu also features other fresh fish and seafood dishes, from fried oysters to soft shell crab. For meat lovers, there is a selection of steaks and burgers.