Assawoman Bay Brewery And Restaurant

Terrible bar service @ 340pm on a Sat. @ the end of Oct… can’t imagine what the service is like in «prime season». Beer is bland and unmemorable. Had the Ipa and Porter. Didn’t waste my time ordering food.

Pros: great beer selection and beautiful location and sunset views.
Cons: poor service. We went on a Wednesday night and it was mostly empty. Ordered 2 beers and decided to wait to decide if we wanted food. 2 tables around us ordered food and were both told they were out of what they wanted. Both tables left. We decided we wouldn’t risk it and just have a 2^nd beer and then leave… but 30 minutes passed with empty beer glasses and our waitress was nowhere to be seen. When she finally returned with no apology for disappearing we just paid and left.
The funny thing is we went nextdoor to the Taphouse and bar service was excellent and the place was packed, and it’s the same owners… why can’t they manage both businesses the same way?! This place has potential bc of the location but they really aren’t taking advantage of it.

My sister and I are big fans of the craft brewery so we scoured every brewery in a 25 mile radius to try while in Ocean City. Assawoman came back with some pretty positive reviews (for their beer) on Untapped and we had talked to several folks at some of the local brew pubs who also raved about their beers. So, we took the bus and headed up to the brew pub for my sister’s last night staying with me. Upon arriving, the bar is pretty spacious and was very empty, except for the seating outside. The hostess (Ukraine) kept insisting we sit inside. It was gorgeous out and we wanted to take advantage of the sunset, but wound up inside. We were hungry (and thirsty) so we took a table near the doors to the patio.
We each ordered a flight of beer, all of which was delicious and better than the next. The food was really good as well. My sister ordered the crab cake sandwich and I had the steak sandwich, which was actual sliced steak. Upon receiving the bill, I put in cash and my sister put in her card to make up the difference. When the server came back, she had charged my sisters card for the wrong bill. I explained it was not our check, so she went back and again, brings back yet another bill, however, she pocketed the $ 20 and charged my sisters card the full amount. Did she think she was getting a $ 20 tip? We told her she needed to APPLY the cash to the amount, which would’ve brought a $ 47 bill to $ 27. She didn’t know how to do this so we asked to see the manager. She went over and talked to the owner and after waiting for 10 minutes, we finally walked over to speak about this. My sister got the $ 20 back, but still was going to have a hold on her card for the other amount (roughly $ 80.00). The owner was very apologetic, however, the server didn’t seem to care and walked away. I understand bringing Ukrainian students here to work is cheap labor, but it’s a reflection on your business and she didn’t really seem to care that it may have affected my sister’s bank account as it wasn’t her money. We’ll definitely drink their beer should we find it on tap somewhere in the vicinity of where we live, but don’t know that we’ll be back to the restaurant. And sadly, we’ve heard similar issues from others we met in town about the servers here.

Atmosphere:
The view is picture perfect. You can sit outside right over the bay. At 930 on weekends you also have an unparalleled view of fireworks.
Food:
Our table got the BBQ wings, clam and corn chowder and Caesar salad to start with. The wings were crispy and the BBQ sauce was excellent. The soup and salad was also superb. For our entrees, we got the shepherds pie, rockfish sandwich, and the burger. All of the food was delicious and fresh.
Beer:
Their beer list had a mix of their own beer, other local beers, and the classics. Their own beer was surprisingly good for such a small/​young brewery and their selection of other beers is sure to please all shades of beer drinker.
Service:
The service was a little slow, and the waitress spoke broken English, but was not terrible.
All in all, I will definitely be going back in the near future!

Service was amazing. The waitress we had was attentive and very personable. Great sense of humor too.
We had 11 people in our party and tried many items from the menu. All the food was fantastic. Pretzel appetizers are huge and delicious. One order has two pretzels which was enough for four people. The cheese sauce was great too. The clam and corn chowder was wonderful. The salads were a good size as a meal. We also ordered the crab cakes and they had a ton of real lump crab meat and the house made hollandiase was delicious. The kids crabby patty was impressive too. It was definitely not a little kid size, they went all out. When we were done we were stuffed and we did not order dessert.
We sat on the deck and watched the sunset. It was beautiful and the ambiance was perfect.
They also have a large selection of beers. We tried 4 different types and all were great.
We will definitely try it again on our next trip here.

Bartender Neal was awesome. Drinks were great, but angry clown took the cake. Great wings, service and beers.

Let’s begin with the positive; the food here is excellent pub fare. All four in our party enjoyed the meal.
The process to order, receive, and pay for said meal, was unfortunately sorely lacking.
Here’s the bottom line up front: This place has no semblance of competent management and therein lies the problem and root cause of the negative experience.
We arrived for lunch and were told to seat ourselves. The large indoor space was nearly empty and we picked a low table. Menus were delivered shortly after by the hostess, and frankly we were impressed with the offerings. We also had plenty of time to review said menu because it was over 20min (we were enjoying the mid-​nineties radio and counted time to the songs) before anyone gave us any other attention.
Another 3 nostalgic songs later, our beers arrived. Mine had a garnish of two bugs on top and not wanting to wait, I went to the bar to ask for a new one. The second beer they provided was certainly an upgrade since it only had one bug in the foam. I returned again to the bar to ask for a replacement, but was given the excuse from the bartender that, «the bugs get in the taps». Yum…
Those two bug-​laden pint glasses then remained in plain sight on the bar until we left two hours later…
Eventually our order of Old Bay wings, sandwiches and salads arrived and we really enjoyed the food. Noticing empty glasses a manager came by to take our second round, and in all fairness the beers are decent.
At some point well after being finished, we found our waitress for the check and another 15min later we flagged her down to pick it up. She noticed and took the two credit cards to split it, but then explained on her return that they know the system can’t split checks and it’s all on one card. Thanks for the heads-​up, honey, on a known issue with your POS…
It’s a shame Assawoman Brewing doesn’t have their processes in order. Between a potential bay view, decent craft beers, and great food, the game was theirs to lose. Lose they have, and turned a White Marlin idea into rotting crab bait.

Accommodated 18 of us 12 kids with NO PROBLEMS at all. Food was outstanding I personally had the burger which was great. Btothers had chicken sandwich which they loved. The pretzels were to die for. And last but not least the beer menu was GREAT!!!

This gets 3 stars. 2 are for the awesome logo.
Sit outside and watch the sunset. If your experience is like mine, then there will be no outdoor music playing, which will result in a major buzz kill. BUT, it will be beautiful (1 star for the scenery).
We didn’t eat because I was craving a burger or a fish taco and Assawoman’s menu wasn’t answering my prayers. We did try the beers though. I prefer a hoppier kick or an occasional stout/​porter and this wasn’t the place to enjoy either one, so if you’re a light beer dude, then be skinny here.

Best place to drink craft brew During happy hour 3.00 craft from assawoman brewery Good beer also great view of the bay

So we’ll start with the positives: the view on the deck is excellent especially during sunset. The interior is nice and spacious. The beer list is stellar and has a wide variety. As for the negatives, the service was average at best. They were very slow to bring drinks out to the table. The food was hit or miss. Some of us liked our dishes like the open rock fish sandwich but then some of the dishes were not as good such as the buffalo chicken sandwich. Overall this place has potential but I would not necessarily rush back.

Great selection of beers. Menu looked good. Only had the shrimp, which had a good flavor but were overcooked. Took a very long time to get our first drinks, but then services picked up.

First I would like to point out that the two poor reviews made are because the people were asked for an ID to drink and they either didn’t have one or had an invalid one. Please remember that liquor laws in OC are very strict, especially with new restaurants. One mistake could shut a restaurant down and ruin the owner’s livelihood, please respect their ID policy and always bring your ID with you.
But I digress. This restaurant has it all. Great view/​atmosphere, awesome food, good service, superb local beer selection, and good prices. My server was Sasha and she was very sweet and attentive. The crab cake was literally the best I have ever had, and I grew up in OC, I know how a crab cake should taste. Also can’t beat 50 cent Old Bay Wings. I will definitely come back!

Well, this place is great. Beer selection and quality is amazing and I haven’t had a bad meal here. Plus pricing is very reasonable. Dining during the sunset on the deck can’t be beat by any other location. I usually get wings and a brew burger and both are great. Wings are large and meaty and burgers are always cooked to perfection. Seasoned shoestring fries go great with beer. I’ll be back.

My wife and I stopped by to get some drinks, we were the only 2 people their at 5 pm.
Very large bar, no one their, that always worries me, The women behing the bar, asked for my
ID.said I did not have one, being AGE 66, I do not carry one on me, leave it in the car., said she could not serve me!
Said it was a Maryland State Law, I told her it was not a law, No one in Ocean City, cards a 66 old man, so I left, told her I will never return, and I will not!!! We went next door and had a couple of drinks, and their was no bull shit of carding.

Came here on a Friday night looking for some drinks with appetizers. Mind you that today is my 24^th birthday… The waiter ID’d us and said our ID’s weren’t accepted because they were vertical… Even though it said we were of age. The food just did not taste the same without beer. Disappointed!

We were shocked to get a waterfront patio seat with no wait! Our waitress was prompt and friendly throughout the meal. My husband and I both had the burger, which was tender & tasty. We both loved the seasoned shoestring fries as well. It was surprising that a brewery had an extensive beer list on tap beyond their own brews — there must have been about 20. Give this place a try. It doesn’t look like much from the front, but they have made a beautiful dining venue in the back — both inside & out.

I’m giving this a five because I can’t do a 4.5 and want this place to have a higher rating. The beer was awesome! Not only do they have a bunch of their own but they have a ton of other local ones. The food too was awesome. I had the chowder and then the steam pot. AWESOME! The menu is a bit small but I’d assume they mastered what they have so… Def recommend this and would go back. Especially for the beer.

Only two tables occupied in the place at dinner time should have been the clue. We were tired and hungry with my two kids in tow so we thought we’d give it a try. Wanted to try their brew… sold out. Kids wanted chicken fingers… sold out. Who sells out of chicken fingers?!? Anyway we left. Still hungry.

Question: Where in O.C. can you have a great and reasonably priced meal, and have an amazing bay view without waiting for a table or dining in a crowd?
Answer: This place.
«The Brewery» is connected to the Assawoman Taphouse, but is its own entity (though under same ownership). It used to be Stillwaters, which was a hidden gem in its own right. But the Brewery is better.
The dinner menu is not extensive, but everything we had was well crafted (and delicious). There are about 10 app offerings; the pretzels (with homemade cheese sauce) and the steamed shrimp are outstanding. There are 5 or so salad offerings; my wife had one that combined fresh mozzarella with blueberries, and lettuce, and she enjoyed it. There are 5 or so entrees; the steam pot (clams, shrimp, potatoes in a broth was unique and very good. There are also about 10 sandwiches. There was only one menu item over $ 20, so this place is reasonable as well.
Lest I forget the beer menu. 10 beers brewed onsite. I had the transporter (a porter) that was smooth as could be. There are about 5 other locally brewed beers and a full bar.
Service was decent, too. The hostess and waitress were very friendly and accommodating, and the meal came out timely.
The outdoor dining needs to be stresses. On a deck (not sand) over the bay. A completely unobstructed 180-​degree view of the bay that is astounding at sunset.
Well, my secret is out. No matter, this is a restaurant that deserves to thrive.