“Hands down, best crab cakes in Frederick.” So advised my brother, who has lived in Frederick for thirty years. I made no other local comparisons, but they were darn good! Even better you can order them in at least five different combinations. I got just...a plain cake on a plate for research purposes. But I could have had a sandwich, slider, on a seafood platter or surf ‘n turf, as well as a “Signature Single” or double.
We were in town for a family wedding, had half the clan with us (ages 2 months to 75 years) and ran a good bit of the menu, which is straightforward offering seafood, burgers, steaks and chicken. I also enjoyed the Maryland crab soup and some raw Eastern shore oysters (forgot to ask the specific name, but you see them everywhere). The kids loved the burgers and flat bread pizza. Only the fried pickles got a disappointed rating. Nothing I would call vegan, but a very good vegetarian flat bread.
In sum, the food was tasty, the beer cold and the service wonderfully accommodating and friendly. My other brother is walker dependent and had no troubles navigating the place. But don’t be misled by my crab cake quest. Callahan’s is not an inland crab shack. In many ways it was my fantasy idea of the perfect shore-themed road house. Nautical décor, dart board, some sort of Keno in the back, varied seating options, sports TVs at the bar and a very warm and welcoming presence. If we lived there, we all agreed we would go again. And again.More