Seafood In the Buff
12132 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD, 20902
Seafood In the Buff Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Silver Spring for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Silver Spring for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Silver Spring for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
12132 Georgia Ave
Silver Spring, MD, 20902 - Phone (301) 962-9700
- Website https://www.seafoodinthebuff.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Ina C.
I agree with Arthur! We ordered crabs from Seafood in the Buff this afternoon, and they were delicious! We called ahead of time, and our crabs were ready in 15 minutes. We ordered a dozen and a half large males at $28/dozen. Almost all of the crabs were packed with meat, and there were only one or two that were a tad hollow. Hush puppies were also really yummy, but I was disappointed with the corn on the cob. I think they must've heated and reheated them throughout the day because they were a little brown. We didn't eat them. Another plus is that they offer around 10 different brands of beer at liquor-store prices! Service is also very polite and friendly. Overall, I am very pleased with the crabs we got today, and I will definitely order from them again!
(4)Luke J.
I would like to reiterate what over reviewers have said about Seafood In The Buff's failing in customer service. When I call or go to the store with questions about the seafood I must press hard to get any sort of answer. Recently, when I called to ask some basic question (size, cost, ect.) about their dungeness crabs, the person on the other end dismissed my questions and said that I need to come into the store for him to tell me the cost. He ended the conversation by cutting me off, saying bye, and hanging up. Regrettably, they seem to have the best seafood in the area so I will remain a customer until I find a friendlier place.
(2)Charlie S.
I had a craving for hush puppies and my roommate was craving good seafood, so we looked up Seafood in the Buff - Right up the street! Good prices! - and were on our way. I understand that it was early dinner time on a Sunday, but given that this kind of crowd is there every weekend night, I would have hoped for better organization, or really, any kind of organization. It wasn't clear who was taking the orders or where you paid, or who was in charge of your food. There's a distinct difference between charming disarray and chaos. This was the latter. We squeezed between bushels of crab, the seafood case, and the walkway to the kitchen to wait for our food. I expected to have something of a wait, but this was too long given the size of the line. After they finally handed me my to go bag, my roommate still didn't have anything. When we asked, it turned out that it had been just sitting on the counter. I ordered the crab cake and fried shrimp platter with macaroni & cheese and my long-awaited hush puppies. The shrimp were good - fried well without being overly battered, and not greasy. But that's about the only positive thing I can say. They gave me cole slaw instead of hush puppies, which I didn't realize until I got home. My roommate kindly gave me half of hers. They were okay, but not great - a bit too greasy and the inside was heavy. The mac & cheese was overly salty and was swimming in a pool of grease. But the worst by far was the crab cake. Deep fried, with all backfin meat (no lump at all), and with such an odd, fishy taste that I didn't even finish it. Definitely not a place I'd return to, and more than that, I'll be actively steering friends and family away. Genuinely unpleasant experience.
(2)Michael C.
Fried shrimp was really good. Crab cakes were disappointing. Had a dozen male blue crabs, which were decent. Nothing spectacular but a good place to get your seafood on.
(3)aloha g.
Convenient place for crabs. A dive with some tables. Depending on time of season, have good crabs. Friendly guys. Good beer. Parking is good.
(4)Sara R.
Do not go here if you are expecting a fancy establishment. Whether you choose to dine in or carry out, the food is amazing and you won't be disappointed! Carry out is usually quick. You can even have a beer while you're waiting When I don't feel like driving to the wharf in DC, this is the only place I will go to for good seafood.
(5)James M.
Another place was recommended but it was closed on Mondays, found Seafood in the Buff on Yelp. We almost drove by it for two reasons, first its off the main road and difficult to spot while driving and two it looked a bit seedy at first glance and had us hesitating as we thought about it. Looking in though we noticed the place was packed and decided to give it a try. That was the right decision, we frequent Johnny's Reef on City Island in the BX so we know that good seafood isn't always served in fancy restaurants. I got the combo, whiting, scallops and shrimp with two sides mac & cheese and collard greens. The wife got fried oysters with their seasoned fries we both were glad we took a chance. Good food along with friendly service and old school charm made for a satisfying meal and we would eat there again.
(4)Jay A.
I came in to get crabs, there was hardly anybody there but I waited at the counter for minutes until someone finished their conversation and came to talk to me. Once I placed the order the man went in the back. I assumed he was was preparing the order but I saw him cleaning something up. He hadn't even begun the order. Another woman at the counter did nothing to help either. After 10 minutes of getting absolutely no help, I turned around and left. I will never go back to this place again. Please learn how to treat customers!
(1)Anthony A.
We've been getting our crabs here for a little over 3 years now, and they have always been great. But today we got 2 dozen and every single one of them were mushy. Knowing that even the best places mess up from time to time, we chalked it up to a bad day. We have always been happy with their service in the past, so my wife decided to call to inform them of our experience so that they would be aware of a possible issue. However, instead of saying "thank you for letting us know", the lady on the other end of the phone yelled at my wife, blamed her, then hung up on her. When I tried calling back, the phone was either off the hook or answered and then immediately hung up. Needless to say, we will never get crabs from this place again.
(1)Andrew B.
This place was great but the owner (female), is a nasty, no manners, no customers service. I have been going to this place for 10 years and have never seen her before, she should have stayed home and collect her money. Anyways it was great while it lasted, but you just losted out not only on my business but the businesses I have brought to you. It only take one phone call and your nasty attitude has just ruin a great place. By the way always value your customers and don't assume things. We don't use EBT cards we use American Express Black Cards, so YES you have just messed your money up. Have a blessed day.
(1)Natasha D.
Omg ! Everything is good, oysters. .snapper, and macaroni and greens as your side , who can go wrong...the do soup rocks, and if you want get beer or wine. THIS PLACE IS A GEM IN OUR COMMUNITY, REALLY LOVE IT, AND PRICES ARE GOOD, DINE IN OR TAKEOUT, OR ORDER FRESH TO PREPARE FOR YOUR FAMILY-Seafood for thanksgiving makes a great addition!!Owners are wonderful, and please tip their employees. ...great place to take friends for maryland crab and oysters. .lots of parking...can never get enough of this place and the fresh seafood. They just had a renovation, go check it out !!!
(5)Brandi B.
Great crab legs, but the service was lacking! The woman that took my order was very rude and gave me the wrong order. She refused to correct it so I had to order what I initially asked for again and pay for both dishes. Luckily, there was a nice worker who apologized for her rudeness. He is the sole reason why I would consider going back in the future.
(2)Angel H.
Considering that there are only a handful of places in silver spring where you can get crabs on the fly and takeout seafood. This is usually my go to spot. Crabs are usually good, have had a few bad batches but I eat crabs every month through the year so they get a pass. Catfish is really good, just not a fan of the side orders. If you want quick decent seafood this is the place for you.
(3)Westley E.
11/22/2013 Westley E. Avoid this DUMP at all costs!! Keep your money in your pocket and get your seafood fix elsewhere, as anywhere will beat this pig sty. First of all the place is filthy, the bathroom was ghastly with a malodorous stench coming from it! The owner has a nasty attitude, they do not appreciate customers, and nobody there speaks fluid English, so if you go, you best bring a translator. The seafood is the worst I've had in my life and I've had it all over! They cook everything in the same oil so your order will have that "everything in the sea" taste to it. If you think you can get even a passable crab cake at this Dive...FORGET ABOUT IT!! Unless you like your crab cakes with turkey stuffing, Jalapeños, and onions in them...KID YOU NOT!!...then stay away!! This place makes me wonder what the hell health inspectors are good for. GO AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
(1)Emily S.
The place was so dirty I almost walked out - but it's a crab joint so I I decided to stay. We've ordered bushels of crabs, for our fire department functions, to go and they were good, well spiced and decent sizes (they lost my business last night so that will NEVER happen again - hope it was worth it lady!). We ordered 3 crab cakes and a few sides. The crab cakes were strangely fried so there was a thin hard crust, there was no discernible crab and they were jalapeno spicy. Since there was no description of ingredients, spicy was something we hadn't anticipated. My 7 year old daughter and my husband were unhappy about the heat. The one thing that we were excited about was the seafood soup. It was complimentary the last time we came in... seems that many folks providing reviews noted that the soup was good - and free with your order. Since it's a bit of seafood and a lot of broth and rice, it seems appropriate that it would be free or available at a small charge. This visit, for some reason, they charged us. No one mentioned that we'd be charged. Not only did we get charged, but since we got a few refills (a total of 4) they charged us each time. They actually charged us for 6 cups of soup! Twice we went to the soup station to get refills and left waiting for the soup to be refreshed - the seafood was gone. They charged us for these trips to the soup bowl anyway. The two women at the cash register were nasty insisting that it was seafood soup and that we had to pay. I hope it was worth the extra $20+ dollars they charged us because we will be getting our several hundred dollars worth of steamed spiced crabs elsewhere in the future.
(1)Senthil N.
Not a regular restaurant, actually a market for fresh seafood. Go here only if you like crabs, steamed Alaskan and Maryland crabs are tasty and worth the money.
(4)Ellen W.
This place didn't have any large crabs when I went so we had to get the small ones. The small was really small. They were really reasonably priced so we added hush puppies, steamed shrimp, a crab cake platter and some soup. Everything tasted so good except the crab cake. It actually didn't taste like crab cake at all and was 90% filler. The soup was a nice surprise. It was so flavorful and filled with a ton of seafood. The place itself is very small, cozy and nothing fancy. There always seems to be several people in there whenever I go. A great place for a casual fast meal.
(3)Scott M.
I forgot to mention that as I entered the place there was a lady who had a couple beers w/her dinner but was completely coherent. She had paid w/a $100.00 bill and the wild loud woman at the register tried to short change her. Register lady kept saying she paid w/a $50 and customer who was getting very upset started yelling back that she paid w/a $100 and demanded her proper change. Finally another customer in line told the register lady that she knew the customer had given her a $100 and what she was doing wasn't very nice. Register lady finally gave the proper change to the lady. Register lady mistakenly thought that since the customer had a few beers she could pull a fast one on her. Another observation that I didn't care for, After biting into the jalapeno cake ooops, I mean crab cake sandwich I desperately needed a drink of water. I asked the guy behind the counter for a glass of water. He told me they dont do that and pointed to the bottled water that was for sale. I said you have got to be kidding, I cant get a glass of water? He said no, they only have water for sale. I was desperate and my throat was burning from the jalapeno so I had to do it. In hindsight, I should have simply walked out at that point.
(1)Tara L.
This place definitely looks a little seedy from the street. In fact, deep down that is probably why I've never stopped. Not because I was scurred or anything, but more an indifference with the the seediness unconsciously swaying me away. The small, casual restaurant is more of a market. Actually, I would call it a market that you can eat in. When I entered, I was greeted warmly but the young man at the register. He was so nice and helpful making suggestions, asking what I liked, providing me a menu and even offered me a cup of complimentary seafood soup while I waited to keep me warm. It was a little salty for my taste, infused with an Old Bay flavor and loaded with rice, shrimp, crab legs, corn and rice. I took a bowl of it just to give it a go, but man the woman that came in after me went to town. I mean, this woman went fishing in that soup for an entire platter. Say word, big bird. I decided on a seafood platter with scallops, whiting and shrimp with a choice of two sides; hush puppies and coleslaw for me. The platter ($12.95) was way too much fried food for me. I forgot to ask from the scallops and shrimp broiled, so I just took a little taste of everything, filled up and it still looked like I barely made a dent. I actually liked the taste of the batter and the hush puppies were delicious. The coleslaw...eh. Nothing to write Yelp about. I'm also a fan that their menu says: Seafood in the Buff Big, Fat & Ugly Not at all like your mom.
(4)Eugene W.
This place is a rip-off. Advertising medium size shimp and scallops as Jumbo size. A video of my plate would qualify for worlds funniest videos. Incredulous. Not just deceptive marketing on quantity,, the food quality was equivalent to Long John Silver seafood at double the price. You have been warned.
(1)Will M.
Save your time. And your money. I went here based on the recommendation of a friend and the food was so bad I'm pretty much never listening to a suggestion this friend makes again. Maybe the people eating here that rate this place higher than 3 stars havent eaten seafood anywhere else, but the entire experience is simply not worth spending money on. I'll start with the food. Nothing looks fresh. A quick glance at the items behind the counter, on the counter and under the glass shows a bunch either okay looking seafood or frozen food thats thawing. For the menu prices it should be much better. The blue crabs here were some of the smallest I've seen. And I ordered a "big crab cake" & "jumbo shrimp" platter. I promise you the crab cake is atleast 90% filler.. maybe more. In fact I cannot locate any actual crab meat in this "big bread patty", because it damn sure isnt a crab cake. The jumbo shrimp, were more like medium size. Seriously.. one bite and its gone. You would expect atleast large size if you ordered something described as jumbo. Add to that the long line, okay customer service and cramped space. Yesterday's visit was my first and my last. There are sooooooooooo many other trust worthy places to eat fresher, cheaper, seafood from in the DC area.
(1)Christian T.
The customer service is my biggest issue with this "Seafood in the Buff" as burnt food CAN happen. After being told that there was ONLY fried seafood available, we learned it was a lie when we went to pickup our order and saw broiled food was indeed being served and available. Aside from burnt scallops & burnt crab cakes the rest of the food was tolerable at best. I was argued with when I called & explained I was extremely shorted on snow crab legs & did my best to convey about our burnt food. He told me I was wrong & mistaken at least three times being exceptionally rude. My friends were stunned as to how rude the guy on the phone really was to me, as I had it on speaker phone. I grew up in the restaurant business, my granddad would have fired this guy on the spot for how he talked to a customer. (shrug) BAD juju! It was a TOTAL waste of time & effort to order, pay, & pickup. The crab cakes were mostly filler & ours were completely burnt! I did upload a pic of it! Boo-Hiss! P.S. My roommate's cat wouldn't touch the crabcake! My German shepherd and choc lab had no issues with it however. P.P.S. I have had stomach issues most of today, the next day after I ate their food. :( Now my roomie is also having the SAME issues I am. This isn't a fluke and I am Not a happy lady. Boo Hiss X 2 !
(1)Tom H.
Their Germantown location was shut down for opening NFL weekend. I spoke to the owner who said she would comp me an order of calamari if I went to the Silver Spring location. I advised her that I was looking for XL live crabs and she said they have all sizes. The reason this isn't 5 stars is because I arrived at the Silver Spring location and they didn't have ANY live crabs yet and the shipment wouldn't arrive until around 2:30 PM and it was 11:30 AM. They said they had some large cooked males and females. Not wanting to drive to the Warf in DC I decided to give it a try so I ordered 1 Doz Male and 1 Doz Female for $45/Doz each and was also given the Calamari as well. The service was gracious and speedy. The crabs actually turned out AWESOME! Not a single bad crab in the bunch. No mushy meat or rotting smells. I was very impressed. Also, a large majority of the crabs were VERY large and on a normal day would probably go into their XL category. Well Done!
(4)Jessie C.
Probably a 2.5 star experience. Called ahead to order a half bushel of crabs, as I was going to be picking them up during rush hour and wanted them to be ready to go when I got there. After verifying my name, number, and order at least two times before hanging up, I thought I was good to go. Unfortunately, upon arrival two hours later, they couldn't even find my order. Needless to say, the crabs were not ready. For the price (approx. $90), the crabs were really light. I ordered females and a lot of them had good eggs, which I was happy with, but the body of the crabs didn't have much to them. What meat they did have was sweet and had good flavor in general; which is why I rounded up on the 2.5, rather than down. The corn on the cob was mushy, but the mac and cheese was delicious. Hopefully, this was a fluky experience (with the lost order and the tiny crabs). I'd be willing to give them another shot, but I would only order a few dozen, just to be on the safe side.
(3)Fred A.
Great seafood (depending of course, on the local catch) Nice crabs! Dont miss the house soup! Friendly service. Lousy decor and ambiance, but hey, you cant have everything.
(4)Erin T.
Tara L. described this place very well. If you're looking for steamed or fried seafood this is for you. They have the freshest seafood in the area. The prices are very competitive and the staff is friendly. Just note that the staff can be a bit iffy with their English so just make sure you get what you wanted. Spanglish seems to be sufficient enough. The shopping center is kinda nasty and I wouldn't really suggest that you eat there(it's always crowded with limited seating area) but if you need to get your seafood on they never disappoint. The crabs and crab legs are always fantastic.
(3)Lia S.
Nice spot for seafood at a great price. The flounder was the best I've had in the city, and they've got their own killer version of Old Bay. The decor and huge tubs of beer on ice transported me back to Virginia Beach. I also like the fact that you pay after you eat.
(4)Alex F.
Pretty cool place to eat some seafood. Its very much a hole in the wall kinda place. Not fancy and no AC, open air deal (keep in mind the place is indoors they just open the windows/doors). We had a pound of snow crab legs and 18 male blue crabs. Lets start with the good: The environment was cool, my wife and I like hole in the wall places. I know this kind of place is not for everyone. Very informal, you order at a counter and they pretty much rush you because of the long lines that can form. The seasoning on both kinds of crabs was awesome. The snow crabs were cooked perfectly. The beer was ice cold. The variety of seafood appeared top notch. NOW THE BAD: Asked for butter, none was brought, but the kid apologized after the fact and I concede they were slammed. 2-3 of the blue crabs were entirely filed with what appeared to be gunk/pus, not sure. Not a huge deal as we had plenty of food. Price was a bit high, but not insane. Snow crab is usually 5.99/6.99 at the market uncooked, here you get it for 8.99. Blue crab was 20+ dollars, not worth it imo. Guy taking the orders had broken english and didn't speak spanish so I was out of gas re any questions I might have had. Beer variety is low. But they do have negra modelo which was pretty awesome. All in all I plan to go back this weekend, shot maybe even tonight. If the price was 10% lower this would be a 5 out of 5 worth monthly/weekly visits.
(4)Michael S.
I recently went by the silver spring location to get crabs. Being a Maryland native, I have to say that I was thoroughly unimpressed. I ordered 1 1/2 dozen medium males. I've have to bet at least 8 of them were cooked dead (if you know crabs, when you open them they should not be mushy and smell like formaldehyde). The price was right but not worth getting sick.
(1)Brett M.
Its a dive. I liked what I ate. It had a very pleasurable experience. I like how it feels like a fisherman's catch of the day market.
(3)allen t.
Saturday This is a quick one since it's seafood carry out, and crab is the main item. I would sit there if it's just me and my boys hanging out but it gets a little hectic in there on a busy day. It normally takes about 15 minutes to get the order if I want them to steam the crabs. This time, we're getting carry out; a dozen crabs and a couple dungeonous crabs (frozen). Price was ok ($18 for 1 dozen male and $9.99/lb for dungeonous crabs) and food was fresh enough although I had one bad blue crab (meat mushy). I gave three stars because they are fairly stingy with extras and ingredients (i.e. old bay) on top of being more expensive compared to my favorite seafood place. What I mean by extras is that the other seafood place normally throw in an extra crab b/c much of the time the crabs are missing claws. It's just a way to show that they're not screwing you over which I appreciate.
(3)Christie W.
We ordered a carry out order of 1/2 a bushel of large male crabs, this weekend, and I was satisfied. They were $89, not too bad and considering there were 6 of us it made it roughly $15 each. The crabs were steaming hot, and seasoned perfectly! Just the right amount of spice gave the crabs that wonderful salty, spicy zing!! The meat was sweet and fresh. All of the crabs were packed with meat, minus a few. The only problem I came across was that not all of the crabs were what I would consider large. They were more like mediums. The bigger one's were on top, and as we worked our way down, it seemed the crabs got smaller. However it is a great place to pick up crabs TO GO!! I would never sit inside and eat here, the clientele is uhhhhhh kind of sketchy, and the place smells like seafood, but not in a good way........! ;) However the employees are effiencient and friendly! :) They had a crab escape while I was waiting to pay and as it was scurrying towards me across the floor I manged to bulldoze my boyfriend out of the way to escape the claws of the crab, and they all had a laugh about it, as they came to my rescue. I definitely recommend this place for good crabs to GO!! :)
(4)Jesse P.
Just great. Everything was good, a hole in the wall with great seafood.
(5)Ravi B.
Went here to pick up some fresh steamed crabs and shrimp, and I'll definitely be back for a meal sometime. The large male crabs were 38/dozen, but the small were only 18/dozen. We opted for half a bushel for about 8 people for just under 100 bucks, and we were pretty happy with the results. I haven't tried their platters or sandwiches but I will soon enough.
(4)DCGUY D.
The best dive seafood restaurant that I have ever been to....
(4)SAM d.
This place is only good for crabs. The food sucks. The mac and cheese is disgusting, seafood soup is so-so and the flounder sandwich is average.
(2)Arthur K.
Would you trust seafood from a trailer? My friends and I went out on a limb a few years go and tried some from the "Seafood in the Buff" trailer in Germantown. And we were amazed. Top notch blue crabs. Probably the best and most consistent quality crabs in MD. I've had crabs from that trailer at least a couple times a year since. And I have yet to be dissapointed. So yesterday I went to the original Seafood in the Buff, non-trailer style, which is a more traditional carry-out/sit-in restaurant in Silver Spring. The restaurant though is just barely more than any of its trailer-based siblings. Its an unabashedly no frills restaurant. The inside is dirty and smells like a seafood market. A few glass-door fridges full of beer cramp the already small dining area, which they somehow manage to arrange about five or six 80's-era tables. The walls to the bathroom are lined with cases of beer. It's not a looker in any way (not to mention the smell). We decided to eat in. We had trouble finding steamed blue crabs on the large yellow overhead menu. That's because it was handwritten on a brown paper bag and stapled to the bottom of it. (Crab prices vary from week to week, which totally explains the "write it down on a paper bag" scheme). We ordered our crabs. The price was decent. We got 2 dozen crabs (regular male), 9 jumbo shrimp, french fries, mac & cheese, a soda, and a beer for $50. And they came out within minutes. To note, most friends I've talked to say the eat-in crabs usually take quite a while to come out. The crabs were what I'd come to expect from Seafood in the Buff. They were served steaming hot, tasted fresher than most seaside crab places, and were very firm and meaty. The crabs were delicious. 2 dozen regular males were a challenge for two of us to finish. I would suggest getting the jumbo or large crabs; you get a lot more meat for opening up a single crab. I have yet to get an inedible "throwaway" crab from Seafood in the Buff (most other crab places will have at least a few empty or rotten/overfrozen crabs) - although I occasionally get one that's less firm than desired. Our shrimp, mac & cheese, and fries were good too. Our friends had snow crab legs which were very tasty. Perfectly steamed and full of meat. The restaurant is very laid back. The employees are a bit rough around the edges, but polite. You order your food which they write down, but you grab whatever drinks you want (from the fridges or round beverage containers) and then tell them when you pay. It's basically the honor system with drinks. You pay at the cashier at the end of the meal. There are no waiters, although someone will bring out your food when ready. As a disclaimer, these are not Maryland blue crabs, as our Chesapeake Bay crab population has dwindled in recent years. (I think most MD crab places actually don't serve "MD" blue crabs anymore but they are usually shipped from NC or Louisiana). I was told Seafood in the Buff, though, personally ships their crabs up every day (from NC i think), to ensure freshness and quality. I would recommend not eating in at the restaurant, as it is crowded and not too pleasant. (But then again, what do you expect from a crab joint?). You can call ahead and order the crabs for carry-out. If you can, find someone to volunteer to stink up their house for a crab party. I would also highly recommend the Seafood in the Buff trailer in Germantown for you northern Montgomery County residents. I actually think the crabs are even better there.
(4)