Phillips Crab House

I have had steamed hardshell crabs from probably 100’s of rivers, tributaries, and bays. Caught and cooked right on the dock. In restaurants from Louisiana to Maine and always have felt ya know still nothing is quite as good as the ones I get at Phillips in OC Md. When you walk into a restaurant 40 years later and everything kinda looks the same, smells the same, sounds the same, and taste’s the same what more can you say.

They boast a 35 $ buffet and I think that is the way to go with this spot. I ordered the Bloody Mary, which oddly arrived with salami and over-​cooked shrimp on the rim. The drink itself was tasty but the shrimp felt like I was biting into a chicken breast. The chicken Caesar salad was good and they provide a good portion. Sandwich buns here are atrocious (old toasted buns from some mountainous pile in the back).
The service was not terrible but we definitely could’ve used some more attention. Waitress never asked if I wanted another drink and she never brought more plates out when we said we wanted to share the salad .
It is a large establishment that has stood its ground for over fifty years. Stick to the buffet.

Food was fresh and delicious! The surf and turf was delicious and juicy. The stuff flounder was outstanding! Cooked very well. Hubby loved his surf and turf!

This is the second time we went here. Free Parking in Phillip’s Square, across the street. We were able to get the $ 4 off per adult since we came in the first hour of service. The steamed crabs, crab imperial, garlicky mussels, steamed clams, buttery corn were my favorites. My family loved the crab legs and oysters which were really fresh. The crab cakes are good but a bit dry. We had shrimp scampi pasta made from the pasta station — was heavy but tasty. I wish they had plain steamed shrimp, which my kids would’ve eaten.
Tacos are made to order. Rockfish was dry, and the guacamole from a squeeze bottle didn’t taste good anymore. I usually look forward to dessert but I found most of them too sweet.

The all you can eat buffet if you are super hungry and don’t mind plopping down a bit of cash is the way to go. They have every bit of seafood you can imagine multiple ways.
There is steam shrimp, shrimp cocktail, popcorn shrimp, crab legs, crab cakes, crab imperial, plus things like hush puppies and corn bread. A place that if you want you can put down a lot of food quickly.
Despite always being packed the buffet has good turn around time and you never find an empty dish. Food is constantly flowing in. The down side is that since it is so busy staff is often refilling the food and it can be hard to get a refill of your beverage. Over all a great place we stop at even visit.

Phenomenal seafood buffet. Well worth the money. The only reason I do not give it 5 stars is because the tables are very close together so it can get loud. The buffet can get a little crazy crowded, and the service is hit or miss. But the food is incredible!!! This is why we come back every year. Have a light lunch, and come for dinner ready to chow down! Seafood is fresh and delicious. Even if you don’t like seafood, there is more than enough variety for you to feast on! Fresh sliced prime rib, turkey and so much more. This location is great. The one on Coastal Highway in North Ocean city is not as good. Better variety at this location. Soups, salad bar, dessert bar, raw bar, made to order pasta station, crab legs, whole crabs… they have everything! Take a chance on Phillips! There’s a reason why they have been around since 1956

If you go to Ocean City, you must stop here for the awesome all you can eat buffet. They have a restaurant on the bottom floor, which I’m sure is great too, but the seafood buffet is a gem. I thought I had the best when I went to VA Beach, but this spot definitely is on top.
All the food was soooo fresh and the seafood was so on point. No complaints at all. The food, the drinks & the service were worth every expensive penny it cost to eat ‘All-​you-​can-​eat’, I just wish I could actually eat more. A return to this place is a must on every trip to the real ‘OC’, beach that it. haha

To start… I don’t like buffets. However, this one is actually worthy of a return visit. It literally has something for everyone. From expertly executed boneless rib roast, carved to order, chicken (roasted, fried or in strips), brisket, pork, turkey, and of course, seafood (salmon, snow crab, oysters, clams, scallops, crab imperial, and hardshell crab). There is an additional «kids buffet» but it’s ALL fried foods. :(A dessert buffet rounds out your meal. Bananas foster, apple fritters, cheesecake, ice cream, bread pudding and fresh fruit if you suddenly become diet conscious.
Beverage service via Carley was slow to neglectful. Finished plates piled up on our table and ambience was almost overwhelmingly loud.
All and all, if you have children to feed a great bargain. If it’s date night, opt for downstairs, entrée order seating.

I’m generally not a fan of eating at buffet restaurants, but I always make an exception for Phillips. Sure, it’s a little pricey at $ 34.99 per person, and adding drinks on top of that can make the cost add up quick. I think it’s worth it though. If you go at prime time there may be a wait to be seated, but the line generally moves along pretty quickly. The place is clean, and the staff is always friendly and attentive.
The buffet has everything you could want: Steamed crabs, Steamed shrimp, steamed crab legs, Crab Imperial (my favorite thing), a raw bar, fish tacos, a create-​your-​own pasta bar, crab cakes, veggies, mac and cheese, a variety of fried seafoods, etc. There’s even a container of Old Bay seasoning on the bar, which is great because the seafood is served plain so you need to add your own seasoning. They even have a dessert bar, and the cheesecake is surprisingly good.
Definitely check this place out if you’re looking for seafood at a good value.

Our first night in OC and seafood was a must! We chose Phillips as it was close to the hotel and seemed like an easy option. Quickly seated and great attentive service from start to finish. We went with the Clam Bake for Two, and we were not disappointed! So much food! All cooked perfectly! It was «almost» more than my wife, my 10yr old son, and I could finish. «Almost» because who wastes seafood even if you feel miserable the rest of the night! Also started with the Soft Crab Chowder Soup… amazing is all can say to sum it up! Promise this isn’t the Orange Crushes taking but o’boy were those some refreshingly tasty beverages. A meal we will definitely remember!

Very good buffet! The staff and qeue was very well organized. Our waitress was very personable and helpful. I like that she gave us a run down of where everything was and what to do with our dirty plates.
All of the food it’s were very good and there was enough variety for everyone to be able to eat. The seafood was excellent. Good sized crabs. I had fish tacos were interesting and tastey. Crab imperial was good. Mussels were good. Prime rib could have used more flavor, but it was tender.
We went with a 8 adults plus a 1 year old. Everyone was happy with their food. If we come back to OC, we will be sure to go to Phillips again.

This place is awesome-​you jsut can’t beat the price for all you can eat crab legs at their buffet. I’ve been here twice this summer and was happy to bring my family this past weekend. They usually have a decent selection, although not so much if you’re a vegetarian. My dad isn’t eating meat these days so he had pasta and salad mostly but the rest of my family enjoyed it! Ironically one of my favorite items was the pork spare ribs! They have a good selection for kids as well (chicken fingers, pizza. the usual kid-​friendly although not-​so-​healthy stuff) and the service is always quick and friendly. There is a line to get in but it doesn’t take too long, especially since the food is ready and you basically order your drink and then go get make your plate. As far as buffets go, this is worth the price even if you’re not planning on pigging out! It’s very family friendly and in a good location and it helps they have free parking.

It gets better every time we come back. If you love crabs… this is the place to be. You can have snow crabs, blue crabs, clams, oysters and mussels. It has more seafood selection compared to Bonfire. Luv this place. Until then…

This place really puts heart into their food. I had penne pasta with clams, crabs, and shrimp in it. I picked the gouda sauce. The food was phenomenal. It was definitely the best food I’ve had all trip.
Overall, I’d definitely say come to Phillips with your family or even with a pal if you’re looking for a fancier place to go to eat while on vacation. Like most places at the beach, they’re either casual or a little more than casual. I’d define this place as a little more. People wore all different types of clothing at this restaurant. Our waitress was Izzy, and she was super nice. I currently have no information on the Buffett. I give this place four out of five stars because whenever we ordered a lobster… They gave us a lobster. And no one knew how to cut it, either. But that’s just me being super nit picky. Overall, give Phillips a try.

Plain and simple! Don’t go anywhere else. I used to hate shellfish and never really liked crabs. Let me
Tell you this place made me love both! The fresh Maryland crabs and crab soup, crab cakes crab crab crab… AMAZING!
You will not regret coming here… oh they also have other food!

Phillip’s was alright. We went to the Buffett. Between the two of us, we tried just about everything they had to offer. The wait staff was very nice. Super sweet. It was mentioned that there was a new taco bar, but even the staff didn’t know where it was exactly — not sure how I was supposed to find it — so it remains elusive.
The food overall was mediocre — nothing to rave about. The pasta was actually quite tasty, the only thing really worth mentioning… And recommending. Get the fettuccini with Gouda sauce — way good.
I think this place is very expensive considering the food, but it’s Phillip’s so I’m not surprised. I’m full so I guess that’s all that matters :/

We came for the buffet after looking for an AYCE, it seems to be a rarity in Ocean City. The food was okay, most of the seafood was overcooked. Not bad but not great either.
Place is pretty big but it wasn’t busy, we’re here visiting before everyone starts their vacations. The waitstaff was nice and kept the table clear.

Arguably the most expensive buffet in Ocean City but definitely the best. You will literally find anything and everything, prepared fantastically on this buffet. Anything from scallops to oysters to crab legs (BIG ONES), shrimp, hamburgers, hot dogs, A PASTA BAR WITH A PLETHORA OF OPTIONS, chicken fingers, etc, etc, etc.
You’ll see a lot of kids here but I would hesitate bringing my kids (if I had any) due to the price of the buffet. It really is expensive, so I feel it could potentially be a real waste of money regarding the little ones. For everyone else, come hungry. You aren’t just getting quantity, you are getting quantity and quality.
I suggest eating an early breakfast and not eating the rest of the day. Come during the early bird hours (it’s a few bucks off the buffet) and you won’t have to wait in quite possibly the largest wait line of your entire life. Take a stroll along the boards to walk off the meal or walk across the street to Fishtales for some frozen libations afterward.

This place has been a tradition since I was a kid. The staff members are nice. The only «downer» is that you have to decide if you are ordering off of the menu or having the buffet. There is ample free parking. I don’t eat meat, so I order off of the kiddie menu and they charge for adult portions. Hubby loves the crabs.

Such a huge disappointment… and probably the last time I will eat at Phillips. I used to eat at Phillips with my family when I was growing up. Unfortunately, Phillips has gone way downhill over the years.
A few weeks ago during my trip to Ocean City Maryland I decided to take my kids to Phillips to get dinner. The waitress was nice but I immediately ran into issues with ordering steak and crab cake. The waitress told me that they don’t sell steak and crab cake, and that if I wanted to add ONE crabcake to my meal it would cost me $ 16. I told her how could that be? This was Phillips so I should be able to add crab to anything! Phillips=all things crab! Plus it was on the menu I looked at online! She told me I must have been looking at the menu for their other location!!! Wow, really?! So if I grabbed my kids and headed down the street I could order steak and crab cake but not at this location?! Some way to treat your customers!
I asked her why they couldn’t just give me some sort of a deal because they offer steak and lobster on their menu but she insisted there was no other way to do it. I went ahead and ordered it because we were already there but I was pretty ticked off. She asked me if I wanted my crabcake broiled or fried and I said broiled. If you look at the picture I posted of my $ 16 crabcake you’ll see that it was fried. Wow!!!
Two of my kids ordered the macaroni and cheese meal from their kids menu. She brought out the most disgusting unappetizing looking macaroni and cheese I think I’ve seen in quite a while. Needless to say my kids didn’t eat it so that was a waste of money as well. My crab cake also had bits of shell in it. Really Phillips? Just sloppy.
I wound up paying close to $ 50 just for my meal which you can see a picture of. It wasn’t even that good. I was also pretty ticked when I overheard two other diners inquiring about steak and crab cake. I could have sworn I heard my waitress say that she could try to work something out for them. I’m positive I didn’t hear her say anything about paying $ 16 for one measly disgusting crabcake. My bill was over $ 100.
That is it for me and Phillips. No more chances from me. Thumbs down, boo.