Bay Island Seafood

Had to use GPS to get here, not sure if they have a parking lot because we were able to park on the street right in front of their shop.

Had contacted them a few days in advance to put in for a bushel of crabs and provided a 30 minute window for pickup. We got there at the end of that window and the crabs were just coming out of the steamer. They put the crabs into plastic bags, then into the coolers that we had brought.

The crabs were seasoned but not over-seasoned and cooked perfectly. We had a few friends and neighbors over and we ate every crab!!

I do realize that it is a little early in the crab season but these crabs were horrible quality. I asked the cashier if the crabs were being reheated and she said no they are being cooked fresh and needed a few more minutes. A whole lie. This was my main issue. I'm a crab eater so I know the difference between fresh cooked and warmed up crabs. When I picked up my order I knew they were warmed up crabs due to the temperature. All the years that I have been here and I have never had them lie about crabs being reheated. They usually will let you know and I take them chilled. Not only were they luke warm but they had a cup of salt pored on top of them. They were a decent size but not very heavy. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else if you want a quality crab. This place has run its course. I will NOT be returning and I've been patronizing them for years.

Pretty much a last resort option due to many places in the city and county not having any crabs. I was able to get a half bushel of sizes (allegedly) ranging from M-XL of females crabs and the price wasn't bad, there was a little bit of line but luckily I was in and out in able 10 minutes. Service was cool but when I got home I noticed that that the crabs were definitely more on the S/M size as opposed to a true mixture of sizes. Alot of the crabs were mushy and oversteamed and some were just outright tiny and took forever to pick meat out of. Whenever I'm in the mood for crabs during a busy weekend I'll have to search elsewhere or just call it a dub because this trip wasn't worth it!

Crabs smelled badly. For my crabs eaters the crabs smelled like they were two days old and just reheated to sell. Would not recommend waste of money!!

Didn't like the service I received here and the crabs weren't that good, would rather go to Sea Pride across the street from them.

This is Maryland, so of course, crab shacks are plentiful. This block alone had numerous crab houses, all boasting to have the best crabs. This spot stood out cuz that's where all the people were. I came here cuz my GF refused to go anywhere else in Maryland for crabs (for good reason). Looked like the area where the main entrance is was being renovated. We entered through a side door and directly into this janky, bullet-protected seafood bar. No seating, no need. Crabs were in bins with clearly labeled sexes and prices. Just ask and you can see and feel what you can get with each price group. We went for the top-priced male crabs.

Now, I've had a lot of crab claiming to be Maryland crab, but I have yet to have crab like this! My word, that seasoning is amazing! Perfectly blended, perfectly spicy! The crab itself had a surprisingly soft shell. Didn't need crackers, I was able to crack into it with my bare hands...then I sucked my fingers dry!

My credit card receipt had this place addressed under "1901 Pratt Street", but I see it's "1903" on all the sites. No worries, same building, same crabs.

Bulletpoint time:

I called and asked what specials they had, I was told 2dz medium Males for 50$.

When I arrived at the store it suddenly became male/female mix and when I got home I discovered a bag of nothing but females.

Crabs were mushy as if they had been boiled not steamed.

The other reviews are exactly right, they will give you small crabs and call them mediums.

And despite what the "From the business" says at the bottom they do not take orders over the phone.

Every year, SX dreams of the warmer seasons where there is an overabundance of steamed seasoned Maryland Blue Crabs overflowing our little dining room table and the "crack, crack, crack" of crab shells breaking underneath a slamming wooden mallet. We cover our apartment in newspaper, steam up some corn, and make sure that we have enough opened drinks nearby because once we start digging in, you don't want to get the crab spice rub everywhere.

We've been coming here for a few years now because a family friend had been buying crabs here for a long time. The rub here is old bay based, with a spicy kick. This place is really a locals joint due to the somewhat sketchy location, but the service is friendly and generous and the crabs are a decent size and good eating. We've ordered a half a bushel (which can feed quite a lot of people) and out of that lot, there were probably only about 4 - 5 crabs that weren't too edible, which is pretty good odds.

This is a carry-out joint only and they sell more (ie: corn, watermelon, mallets, etc.) than just crabs here. You can always call ahead to get the day's pricing. Located near the corner of: South Monroe and W. Pratt St.

Fun side note- This place was featured on HBO's "The Wire."

Purchased crabs here! Ordered mix 1/2 bushel. Got home all females. Not happy. I attempted to call no answer. Guess what gonna return my leftovers and request a refund! So many crab places are shady as hell!

If this is the one on Monroe Street these were the worst crabs I've ever had app I brought the $60 a dozen and only three of the crabs were good the rest of them taste like they had him a while it was really really awful never again. I couldn't tell which crabs we're worth the $60 . I had like 3 Big Crabs. The rest of the crabs were small in size and probably would the 30 or $40 crab. I don't know all I know is the taste was horrible one of them taste fishy like it was no good never ever again.