Talk about a seafood marathon. After eating way too much fried food that afternoon but still in the mood for seafood that night, we decided to give The Crab Bag a try. I had read that they had the best crabs in Ocean City. Their menu is actually gigantic. There are more choices of various seafood than anyone needs, but also pages of barbecue and “land” food. Why anyone would come here and order ribs or a chicken sandwich (the guy at the table next to us) is beyond me. If the place is famous for crab, then that is what you should order.

I had not eaten a good crab cake in forever. There was a broiled seafood combo consisting of a cake, broiled filet of flounder, shrimp, and scallops. This satisfied my cravings and also allowed me to avoid anything fried. It also came with a choice of two sides. I chose the cole slaw and corn bread—they were amazing. It’s not often I mention something like that, but they were just that good (so good, in fact, I ordered more corn bread). This seafood feast was $29.99. The crab cake may be the best I have ever had. Jumbo lump, and hardly any breading at all. As for the rest of it, no complaints. The flounder filet was broiled perfectly and not fishy at all. Unfortunately, the shrimp (5) and scallops (3) were tiny, but had good flavor.

About a half hour after I finished, my friend slammed down the last of his snow crab platter. For the same price, he was given two large clumps of snow crab and what the menu said was a half pound of seasoned peel-and-eat shrimp underneath. But upon examining it, there seemed to be much more than that. I ate five or six, and he went on and on for what seemed like forever. Yes, about 45 minutes to take care of his meal. Despite people banging down the doors to get in, no one was rushing anyone. People can order all-you-can-eat crabs by the bag (hence the name) starting at $45 per person. The menu says to allow at least 20 minutes for steaming. So it’s nice to find a hopping place that lets you hang out. His meal was the ultimate value—I would probably get it next time if I ever went back.

I have only one complaint, which was our drinks. My margarita and his Bloody Mary left a lot to be desired. Prices were fine, but they just were not great drinks. Neither of us wanted a second one, and surprisingly, the waiter never asked us either, which was fine by me. The Crab Bag gets 4.5 out of 5 stars for atmosphere, value, and quality. Just be warned: do not come here if you have some place else you need to be. It took a half hour to get the food and then another 45-60 minutes to finish doing all the dirty work eating. Note, this is not a complaint from me. I didn’t mind the wait at all, but some people who are always rushing will.

The Crab Bag is located at 13005 Coastal Highway in Ocean City, Maryland.