Schaefer’s Canal House

Wonderful outside deck with plenty of room, good food, and great drinks. This place is back with style and you can tell they employ real chefs.

My wife and I dine here often and love this place. The food is always terrific and the atmosphere is the best in the area. The vibe is more relaxed than the competitor across the street, which is what we like most! You cannot beat the view of the C&D canal here. We have come for lunch, dinner and even Sunday brunch. Always great food and service!
My wife and I recently got married at Schaefer’s Canal House on 9÷26÷15 and were VERY happy. Angie, the site coordinator, was wonderful and very easy to work with. She stayed on top of everything from the initial site visit, planning throughout the year, up to the big day. She always got back to us quickly whenever we had a question. Of course, the food was great, the ballroom is big and gorgeous, and the price was a terrific value compared to other places in the area.
We will be customers for life. A+

I was so excited to have dinner here and wow was I disappointed! I had the cream of crab soup which was pretty good, my dinner however was less than mediocre. My sister and I both ordered the broiled combo and when it came out, the scallops were not cooked but the shrimp was so over cooked it seemed like they put them in the microwave. The veggies had absolutely no taste at all. The baked potato was pretty much the best part of our meal. Of course, we were still hungry so we decided to get dessert… ugh it wasn’t even worth the few calories from the two bites I took! Our server was very nice but slow as molasses. Needless to say, we won’t ever go back!

Great location. If you want to relax and have a nice dinner and drinks with friends you beat this place. On the water and orange crush drunks are spot on.

Great view of the Chesapeake and watch as the boats steer by when you’re eating on the dock. Food is decent. However, I do love their crab dip appetizer and my boyfriend swears their cheesesteak are one of the «best» he has ever eaten. Service is attentive. No bad experiences so far.

Loved it! Food, service, atmosphere and scenery. Haven’t been there in years and I’m glad we tried it out tonight. Our waitress was excellent and the food was as well. We sat on the patio and the sunset was great. Not to mention the 167 foot mega yacht outside that we got to gawk at. Can’t wait to go back.

Great atmosphere and the food was very good. I suggest the soft shell crab sandwich which was good (although the crab was a bit small). Also, although I didn’t try one, I saw their crab cakes which looked very good.

Great place! We found this looking for av pup friendly dinner. Outstanding crab cakes (really good on the burger). Fun, live music, tasty drinks and awesome walking along the canal after.

Not even worth one star at this point.
Went here ⁷⁄₂₃. The food and service was great, I talked this place up all the next day, until I noticed they charged our card twice. We’ve called everyday since, even left messages; However no response.
It’s now 7/​30, called and asked to speak to a manger and not a voice mail. Was quickly redirected to yet again the voice mail. I hung up and called back, told them again I didn’t want to pushed to the managers voice mail since they haven’t called me back after 4 messages during the week. The guy responded with «yea… he doesn’t follow up very well…» to which I said well that’s a problem. He put me on hold… I hung up after 15 minutes.
Next step will be to stop in to get this resolved. If that is the case, we’ll never go back.

Good quality food, at a fair price, will keep me coming back when I’m in the area. The service was good. The bar was if-​fy.

We ate among the flies. I’ve never been to a restaurant where there were so many flies in the indoor dining area. We finally asked the waitress if we could have dessert on the outdoor porch, where a light breeze kept the flies away.
The seafood bisque was very good with nice lumps of crab, lobster and small shrimp. Could have been served a little hotter. The crab melt was excellent, served on a pretzel roll.
The fish tacos were blackened fish and a little too spicy. But the mango salsa was very tasty!
Its a nice spot on the canal, with small boats going by and always the chance of a large ocean going vessel coming through. That’s exciting when they do!

Big fan of this place. The atmosphere is great the staff is friendly and the food is pretty darn delicious. If you’re going there for the first time I highly recommend the crab Mac and cheese. Keep in mind though its a huge portion.
The beer selection is pretty good but also keep in mind its mostly your usual typical Summer beers but they DO have Landshark which is a refreshing summer brew.
Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

In four words. Don’t waste your time.
Went there on Sunday afternoon around 4.
The hostess asked if we wanted to sit inside or out. I told her any one of the 7 vacant tables in front of us were fine. She told us she couldn’t sit us there because we did not have reservations. I was rather surprised because no one was around waiting for a table. She told me we could sit outside. I said OK that will be fine. She then told us we needed to go outside and around back to get seated. When I asked if tables were available she said she didn’t know and that I would have to go around and check.
We walked to our car and left. Found a wonderful dining experience 10 minutes down the road where they were interested in my business. Guess where I am spending money the next time I’m in the area!

Service was slow as could be for our party. Made reservations for a party of 11, when we showed up, the staff had not set up and delayed our start.
Food was saving grace as everyone enjoyed their meal, but we had to ask for our salads before we got them.
Maybe we just caught a distracted server, but definitely good food. Worth the risk of terrible service? Not sure

Reasonably priced and great service. The staff was very friendly
And helpful, and the food was pretty solid. The crab ravioli and soft shell crab sandwich was great!

Great location, big bar, fresh well prepared food! Tried the fish Tacos with fruit… fruit was delicious, the blackened Mahi w/​soft corn taco shells and mango salsa were great.
Lunch crowd in mid April is sleepy, with locals but certainly this place is busy for dinner in the warmer months! There are not many high-​end restaurants in the area but this one is probably top 3.

Great views of the Chesapeake, beautiful deck/​patio dining. You can dock your boat & enjoy dinner! Food is great & fun drink menu. Of course anything with crab in it is wonderful, it is Maryland!

When it’s good it’s good. I’ve had the best meal here and the worst. As a local it’s disheartening. Sometimes the seafood bisque is wonderful and a few times it’s been horrible… liquid with 2 little shrimp. Had a crab cake last time because that’s my favorite. It was dry. The bar seems understaffed and overwhelmed a lot in winter months.
On a good day this is the best food in the area. I wish the owners would make the necessary changes to keep things consistent and appreciate the locals who patronize year round.

Thanksgiving Buffet at Shaefers did not disappoint.
After hearing about the Ups & Downs over the years of this Former Upscale Restaurant, I decided to roll the dice, and stop in for a «Thanksgiving Day Buffet». I made the reservation a month ago by phone. When I arrived, they had NO RESERVATION for me, HOWEVER, The PLEASANT, ACOMMADATING Hostess was able to seat me and my date without hassle. Choosing the deck seating was a scenic choice until the sun went down. The temperature rapidly dropped, and our Professional, Attentive, Server moved us inside. Atmosphere isn’t the greatest inside, Beerhall like seating, however the Service was Excellent, and Food was VERY GOOD. A delightful selection of seafood, including their Very Good Crab Cakes, Standard Turkey, Stuffing, Carving Station, ETC. The staff, including Servers, Bar Staff, Hostess, were all very good. Their Crab Bisque was Very Good, and an excellent selection when dining there. I STRONGLY SUGGEST, you VALIDATE your reservation prior to going there. Getting through by phone the day of can be very tough. Great Scenic Views of the Canal.
Chef Gary Curry

Dinner on the outside (covered) patio, watching the sunset paint the sky in changing pinks & blues, while seeing boats go by & hearing the live band next door made this a great choice on a Thursday night.
Parking was a bit challenging because the live band we were hearing was for a private event that packed their lot. But being seated immediately overlooking the water made that fade away pretty fast.
Our server was nice, checked on us often, & the food came out at a good pace:
Half Dozen Oysters — raw, with a mignonette & cocktail sauce, these guys were fresh & briny & delish! It was a bit odd that we only got one little fork, no spoon for the mignonette, & no lemons — but they were yum.
Mango & Avocado Stack — sweet, lump crab meat & shrimp stacked over avocado slices & served with a mango sauce. Yum! Really good & a must order.
Broiled Seafood Plate — a great crab cake, perfectly cooked scallops, a few (somewhat overcooked) shrimp, a baked potato, & a mix of zucchini & green beans, with tartar sauce, drawn butter, & sour cream. A lof of yummy on one plate :)
Ahi Tuna — encrusted with sesame seeds, the portion was generous, but the tuna itself was sadly disappointing. Bland, dry, either frozen for too long before cooked or overcooked or both. It was better with the creamy wasabi & teriyaki-​ish sauces — but sadly, it was the let down of the night.
The patio was so lovely that we sat out there & blabbed & watched boats go by til long after the end of dinner. For that experience, it was well worth it, & I’d definitely come back. But next time, I’d make sure to get the Mango & Avo stack and the crab cake & just avoid the Ahi.