Bethesda Crab House

• 4958 Bethesda Ave.
• Bethesda, MD
• 301-652-3382
• Open daily for lunch and dinner. Dinner until midnight daily.

Review

• Washingtonian Online
  • Bethesda Crab House. Get back to basics with a heap of Maryland blue crabs. They're cayenne-crusted and served with drawn butter, mallets, and a massive empty bowl for the shells. The scene both outside and in is lively, sometimes even raucous. Reserve jumbos when they're available--wait till you get there and chances are you'll have to settle for large or medium. Be sure to ask about the all-you-can-eat Crab Feast--including crabs, corn, and cole slaw for $25--available most nights. Doing battle with your dinner not your thing? Crabcakes are first-rate, made with loads of lump crab and just a bit of binder. Peel-and-eat shrimp work as a good starter or a fine main event. Sides aren't the point here, though the slaw makes a fine foil for all the rest. Service can be crusty, but that's part of the charm, too.
  • — Cynthia Hacinli, September 2003

• Washington Post
  • Since 1960, the Bethesda Crab House has been serving crabs to the local community. That's what it does best: serve crabs. This isn't a place for frills or super-cheap happy hour deals or even tablecloths. The tables are covered with brown paper and decorated with mallets and a knife. Sure, you can get other seafood here, but why would you? This is Maryland, after all.
  • Customers should call to find out if the restaurant is offering "All you can eat for $20" feasts. The availability changes daily. If you need hard-shell crabs, be advised to call ahead and reserve them. And don't be late -- your crabs will be waiting for you.

• New York Times
  • This modest restaurant is the best place in the Washington area to enjoy one of the Chesapeake Bay area's great delicacies -- blue crabs steamed with Old Bay seasoning. Order as many crabs as you want; when they're ready, they'll be dumped on your paper-covered table. That's your clue to pick up a mallet and knife and attack the crustaceans. (The waiters gladly give instructions.) Settle back with a beer for some serious crab pickin'. The price varies with the time of year. It's a good idea to call in advance to reserve your crabs -- the restaurant sometimes runs out.
  • — Fodor's

Reservation:

• This is a local place, not fancy, but if we are going to be a large (more than 8) group we should make a reservation and order the crabs ahead so they are ready when we get there.

Getting there:

• We can take the Metro from the Gallery Place station which is about three blocks south of the Convention Center directly to the Bethesda Station (all on the red line) in about 20-25 minutes. The Bethesda Crab House is about a .6 mile walk from the Bethesda Metro Station (in a good, not dangerous area).

Metro map

Map around Washigton Convention Center

Map around the restaurant

Attachments:

Bethesda.jpg [BethesdaCrabHouse/Bethesda.jpg] WCC.jpg [BethesdaCrabHouse/WCC.jpg] Metro-subway-map.jpg [BethesdaCrabHouse/Metro-subway-map.jpg]