Shallow Waters

I just had my wedding here at the restaurant and it was perfect! It was the weekend of the crazy volkswagen car show in ocean city and the parking lot was full with over 1,000 people, but the restaurant gave us a separate parking area just for us. While it was loud outside, we couldn’t hear a single thing inside during the ceremony and reception. I had no idea that the parking lot was so full until we walked outside!
The staff was very helpful and accommodating when we asked to extend our reception for another hour. I didn’t have a chance to try much of the food with all of the hustle and bustle, but all of my guests raved about it. I can’t wait to go back and enjoy the view from the wonderful deck right on the bay!

Have visited twice and both times the food was very good. Yummy mac & cheese. Staff has always been pleasant and attentive. Great beer selection and also has in-​house beer from Assawoman Brewing (located onsite). House beer is good, not great, but is the best brewed beer in OC right now. Nice outside bayfront seating.

The food was okay. We ordered the crab dip. It wasn’t very crabby. The seafood soup wasn’t very hardy and not that warm. The service was awful. Probably doesn’t deserve 3 stars.

One star — I don’t even know why anybody would give it two. From the beginning we were thoroughly confused. The vertical signage on the building said «The Brewery,» while the horizontal sign said «Shallow Waters Restaurant.» We just wanted to have a few drinks at the Assawoman Brewery. To get to the «bar/​restaurant» you have to walk through the Assawoman merchandise shop. After being forced to gander at t-​shirts and mugs, we walked into an empty bar around 8:30pm and saw there was outside seating. Not sure whether we were free to just take a seat outside, we waited for a few minutes before we were finally greeted by the hostess.
It wasn’t until we were seated that we realized that this was not the Assawoman Brewery, instead it was just the Shallow Waters Restaurant. We ordered the pretzel sticks just so we weren’t «those people,» although we shouldn’t have cared since we couldn’t figure out whether there was any brewery at all or this was just a restaurant. The entrée prices were high for what we would deem «bar fare». The menu was not exactly imaginative either.
Although we took a little long to order, since we were still flustered about the situation, it took 10 minutes to get our drinks which arrived in clear plastic cups. It took an additional 15 minutes until our pretzel sticks arrived, thankfully, on an actual dish. I think the restaurant must shop at BJ’s because the pretzel sticks were just like SuperPretzel Soft Pretzels — you know, the ones you microwave at home.
As drinks we got a Ponytail (Assawoman beer) and my girlfriend got a Shallow Crush (mixed drink). The Ponytail was as average as the place itself and the Shallow Crush was more sugar than alcohol. In fact, the Shallow Crush had so much sugar that she needed a glass of water just to keep from dehydration.
It took too long to get the check and too long to pay the bill. The place was nearly empty so not sure what the wait was for.
The one redeeming quality the place had — it was on the bay and had a nice view. If you are thinking of where to go in OC, do not visit here.

First time at this new establishment. Our server was attentive and had a great attitude. The beer list gave our group of six a huge selection. I went with the Assawoman Bay BC Copper. Delicious. Our group ordered the fish tacos, steamed shrimp and crab balls. All dishes were well received and tasty. Very fresh. Only complaint is the odd lunch situation. We arrived at 11:45 and were told lunch wasn’t starting until 45 minutes later (??). Other employees told us 15 – 20 minutes until the breakfast buffet would end and lunch would begin. Seemed a bit silly that the lunch menu wouldn’t be introduced until after 12 p.m. That situation should be addressed.

Tried this place for breakfast. Drove down from Bethany Beach to try the breakfast buffet. They had a nice Omelette station and the Omelette chef was very nice and personable. Otherwise the service was lacking (which was weird because it looked like they had a lot of staff). Had to wait 10 mins before server came to take drink orders. They ran out of plates frequently at the buffet and dirty plates were slow to be cleared. Food was nothing special. A nice view of the bay, but Better breakfasts to be had in OC.

The view here is wonderful, and their beer on tap is very good too. Their food is pretty bland though, it doesn’t taste bad but it’s lacking flavor. I got a crabcake sand which and the crabcake itself had no flavor, their sweet potato fries are the same way they are served with a cream cheese cinnamon dip but it is very hard and not mixed well.

What a wonderful experience. After several bad service experiences at other places, we felt such pleasure here. Our party of 7 was seated quickly, our food and drinks were worth every penny, and were served timely. From the moment we sat down we were impressed. The view and atmosphere were relaxing and everything you hope for a nice beach dinner. Shelby, our waitress, Rob and Renee our bartenders, and everyone on staff was top notch. This place is going to be rockin for years to come!!!

Overall it was a huge «meh.» The menu is small and the food is average. We sat outside, which is nice. However, the patio furniture is cheap looking AND dirty. I’d be fine with one or the other.
I got a steak and corn. The steak was cooked fine and was tasty. But, they didn’t really have any good sides to pair with a steak, like potatoes??? A restaurant with a small entrée list should have more than four side choices.
The wife ordered fish tacos. They were really spicy, so she only ate one.
The service was good. I have a gluten allergy, and they were accommodating. If you have a food allergy you should eat somewhere with more of a variety.

It was around 8 pm on Wednesday night after a long day at the beach. The place is very large and looks very nice, but it was empty. It took over 5 minutes for a waiter to make it to our table. We quickly ordered and told the waiter that we were in a hurry to get back to our hotel, but he made it clear he didn’t care. He disappeared multiple times and I had to get the bartender to find him not once but twice! The $ 11 burger I had was dry and nothing spectacular so I can see why it was empty.
I will never go back here again!

Long list of draft brews to go with the chill atmosphere. I wish we stopped with the beer at the bar. we decided to wait for outdoor seating which was only ten minutes, however after being seated outdoors of waited an additional 20 min to have a server wait on us. Our food was horrendous… no seasoning on the crab imperial, microwaved macaroni and cheese tastes better, the fries were stale, and I swear the water came from the bay. I can’t complain about the asparagus, although the portion only had 3 small spears… I don’t normally mind prices, but when you’re spending 30 dollars on a dinner you want to at least enjoy it.

Topping off the last dinner of our vacation, our group decided to stop at Shallow Waters. We were seated incredibly quickly, and they even accommodated our request to move inside after it became annoyingly hot outside.
Our waiter was superbly helpful, giving us excellent drink/​food recommendations, and showing genuine care about the tables he was serving. The food itself was excellent, and the beers they brew in-​house had good flavor.
This place will be a definite stop next time we swing down here.

I went here with my family (about 9 of us including children) and we LOVED it. The food menu was small, but all the items were phenomenal. Their crabcakes were some of the best I’ve had in OC. Everything was so fresh and the portions are awesome. They also have an extremely extensive tap list for all the beer fans.
Waterfront dining, lots of drink options and live music. Definitely a customer for life!
Service was awesome too. Our server was Brooke and she was able to handle my crazy family with a smile :)

Must have been an off day for them, because it was a really off meal and experience. We arrived around 1pm and asked to be seated outside. The chairs were plastic deck chairs and felt flimsy. We were given two menus for our group of four. Our drinks came out really quick but were all ice and little drink. Then we were informed that there were no sweet potato fries. While that didn’t put a damper on our mood then, it should have tipped us off. After ordering, we waited about 30minutes. Then they brought a side of fries we ordered and nothing else. They were cold and not great. 15mins later we revived half of our order. Then we were informed the other half wouldn’t be coming, they were out of seafood chowder and other the fries would be coming. This was weird because two of us ordered fries and two of us had ordered chowder and we only received one of each. What restaurant brings out half the table’s meals only to inform the table there isn’t anymore coming? Then the fries that were promised never came and the food we did get was terrible.
The fish tacos tasted like pepper and that was it. I couldn’t taste even the fish through the burn. The wedge salad was browning and the lettuce hadn’t been cleaned. The salads tasted limp and the chowder was all old bay seasoning taste and nothing else.
The waiter was forgetful, showed up at our table three times the entire time, even when we tried to flag him down and we had to go looking for the check.
Not recommending it to anyone.

This is a Burger and a beer joint. Went with 15 people and only three liked their meal and it was a cheese steak and burger. The steaks came out like hockey pucks the shrimp scampi was gross. The server was very nice but didn’t know the beers and they have ALOT on tap so you should know the differences. The manager did the right thing by switching out the meals that were gross and replaced the well done filet mignon. The place is new so they were having computer issues with our order and were charged for stuff we didn’t have but they were quick to fix it. didn’t enjoy the food but they are trying to do the right thing for a new place. Need more entrée options then just pizza burgers and apps. And side choices other then fries and Mac n cheese even thou the crab Mac and cheese was very good! Would not go here for dinner again. Just beer and apps to watch the sunset.

Just got back from breakfast at Shallow Waters. Worst breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. We waited a good half hour for our four plates to arrive. The portions were rather small on the «scramblers» my mother and I had ordered, my girlfriend’s quiche looked very store bought, and my dad’s poached eggs were not poached, they were just over easy. The English muffins that the «poached» eggs rested on were less edible than a ceiling tile. The grits were good, but add enough cheese and pepper to anything and it’ll work out, and that’s precisely what happened with the grits. The bacon my dad ordered came out a wee bit later. What I estimated to be seven slices of bacon were stuck together and seemed fresh from a microwave. We had fun trying to pull the slices apart wishbone style, so I guess that’s a plus.
Before receiving our meal, what looked like the managers of the restaurant were having a little business meeting, during which the chef (?) came out, saying he «didn’t need so-​and-​so and could run the place on his own». I call B.S. On that one, seeing as he certainly hadn’t gotten us our food yet. Also, once we had received our meals and were griping about them, we heard him talking to the bartender about the lack of quality in the beer selection. The beer selection is great; I’m a beer snob and I was impressed, especially compared to most restaurants in the area. Stop complaining about the beer, fix the food! Also, deal with this stuff before or after you have paying customers «enjoying» their breakfast nearby.
Only went there because the Taphouse stops breakfast at 11AM and we missed it. Will not be going back to Shallow Waters for any reason.

This has become one of my favorite places in Ocean City, even when the whole place was the 45^th Street Taphouse (which is next door and appears to be owned by the same people). Excellent food, excellent beer selection, and an excellent view of the bayside.
Pros: Indoor and outdoor seating that faces Assawoman Bay. The beer and drink selection is excellent and each beer I drank was perfectly cold. The Crab Mac and Cheese my wife had was the best she had ever eaten. I had hot chicken wings that were as good as ones from the ‘famous’ places in Buffalo (and I’m from Buffalo and know these things). It was not particularly busy, which was good and a little disheartening. I thought that this place should have been busier. Finally, the service was about the best I’ve ever gotten in Ocean City. Finally, the service was great. The server suggested things (like the crab mac and cheese to my wife) and was very attentive and personable.
Cons: If anything, the location is a bit bad. It’s located right on Ocean Highway, but between a sort of rundown shopping plaza and a strip mall. Some of the menu items can be a little expensive, but not out of line with the local competition.
Overall, this is probably the most underrated place in Ocean City, in my opinion. I hope they start getting bigger crowds! Highly Recommended!

In a town like Ocean City, restaurants are either hit or miss. Shallow Waters is definitely a hit!
atmosphere: The bayside deck is a great place to enjoy your dinner and the sunset too!
beer selection: The draft list is long and rotating, there is something for everyone.
small plates: crab dip– delicious and full of real crab meat, mango-​chili wings– perfectly cooked wings with a tasty sweet and slightly spicy sauce, sweet potato fries– shoe string style with a sweet cinnamon dipping sauce, and finally, mac and cheese– creamy and delicious
Highly recommended and I would definitely return.

We came in at 10pm so we didn’t expect much & we got just that. The wings were overcooked & smothered in too much sauce to the point where it was uncomfortable to eat. The seafood pizza was good but it should have been titled «Shrimp Pizza».
It’s your average «TGIF» type restaurant.
The waiter was nice but not enthusiastic; he may have been tired.

Just opened. Great view fantastic service for new place. Just had small plates but they were good! Crab Mac and cheese was awesome. Kid friendly and had $ 2 beers all day