The Chesapeake Bay is famous for its steamed blue crabs. The Maryland Eastern Shore has some of the best crabbing and several good waterfront crab houses to serve them. Steamed crabs and cold beer is an Eastern Shore tradition.
Based on my own opinion and experience, the best crab houses are right on the water and have both covered and open-air seating. These places don’t get too fancy. Usually they will cover the table with brown paper and you simply pile up your mess in front of you as you pick the meat out of the shell. When you are done, they roll-up the paper and throw it in the trash.
The best waterfront establishments that specialize in steamed crabs on the Eastern Shore are:
Waterman’s Crab House, Rock Hall
Harris’s Crab House, Kent Narrows
Fisherman’s Crab Deck, Kent Narrows
The Crab Claw, St Michaels