If you like river side dining, then this is the great little place for you off the beaten path. A wonderful hidden gem with an amazing ambiance, great staff, and delicious food. Happy hour on the patio bar is from 1500 to 1800. 1 if by land, 2 if by sea...drive or boat, they can accommodate.

A little gem of a restaurant off the beaten path. Waterside dining on the dock or on the deck, it was not too crowded when we went at lunchtime on a Wednesday. I had the 1/2 lb of Old Bay jumbo shrimp. It came with a couple fingerling potatoes and a few onions. The spicy jalapeno margarita was excellent. Hubby had fried green tomatoes with crab. Waitress was excellent, especially since we were seated at the table at the very end of the dock. Several boats docked while we were there. A great little location.

What did we like? The best part of our experience was our server, Steph! Why? She made excellent recommendations after asking questions about what we had a taste for, she made recommendations based on our budget to enable us to taste some of the flavors we were interested in, and she made a custom ‘Crush’ for us! Crush is an alcoholic drink they serve in a variety of flavors. Because we could not decide on flavors, Steph made a special ‘Crush’ drink for our table. We loved it. If had berries, citrus and coconut flavors. Very refreshing drink! What do we wish we had known before we went? Price for seasonal items. Even though we weren’t on a ‘budget’, next time we will check the prices for Maryland crab dishes before going…just so we don’t have sticker shock. We had no budget so we ordered the crab cakes ($57 for two cakes and two sides). While the price can be shocking at first, the crab cakes were huge so two of us split the dish (Steph had recommended that - great suggestion). Highly recommend the crab cakes. All crab, no filler! Lightly seasoned so an excellent choice for those who like the natural taste of crab. Would we dine there again? Yes! And would come during the day so we can enjoy the view and outside seating.

Donnelly's was a pleasant surprise! My brother loves LOVES Maryland crab, and he came into town from Washington State that evening, so we went at my daughter's recommendation. Our waitress was very familiar with the menu and was very attentive. The food was absolutely delicious, and my brother got to have crab soup and crab for dinner. The last time I was there, I believe it was Deep Creek Restaurant. The interior has been painted a light color and it was very bright and cheerful. There are waterside tables on the dock for those who want to amp up the water experience! We ate inside as it was pretty hot. All the outdoor lights made it look very festive. I highly recommend. Oh, the prices were reasonable, too.

Being from Colorado, this was a new experience for us. Eating on a pier, on the water, with boats pulling up, was all amazing!The food was absolutely delicious. I've taken one star off of service just because I think it was difficult for the waiters to service 6 tables with only 2 staff (not a reflection of the staff - its a comment management planning for more staff.) Regardless, we will definitely be back! (Hopefully with my own boat! Haha)

What a wonderful treasure! A great way to spend time eating right on the water and enjoying the atmosphere, the views, and the breeze and the coolness of the night after being out on the boat for a stretch! The staff was friendly and accommodating and the food was downright delicious! Thanks guys for making this experience a treasured one! 🙂👍✌️

Stopped by via boat on an early Wednesday afternoon. Oyster Wednesday was on and we got a dozen for $12. Not a great price but they were tasty. I had the Tuna Poke’Bowel which was very good. The Coconut Shrimp was also good. Nice view and good service e.

Table for 7 on a Saturday night in June. Everyone's meal was fantastic and cooked perfectly. The service was outstanding as the waitperson kept checking in on us and refilling drinks. The view is total river/boat/marina heaven if that i what you like. Finally, we love the nautical decor and the GPS coordinates for fishing spots listed on the walls.

Date of visit: Wed Aug 23, 2023 Driving from Baltimore to Washington, we were looking for a nice, cozy, local spot for lunch that was on the water, and we came upon Donnelly’s Dockside Bar & Grille. This was a bit ‘out of the way’ from our destination, but we weren’t in a hurry, so we decided to check it out. After driving 15 minutes through the area we came up the restaurant located right on the water, with several boats perched on the water along the docks. It was a lovely spot, which seemed to be exactly what we looked for. We were seated on the Patio – which faces the water and were quickly attended to by a friendly and attentive waitress. They had a special on Oysters so we ordered some for an appetizer. Then we ordered a caprese salad with crab (which could use a touch more crab) and a soft shell crab sandwich (which could have used a touch more seasoning). The food was perfectly cooked, and nicely presented. The oysters were very fresh and tasty. The salad was very nice and a light summery meal. The crab sandwich was very tasty as well. The service was great, prices were good, and the view was absolutely lovely and overall the experience was just what we were looking for.

Very nice place on the water. Get there via road or water. We came by road due to the snow and frozen water today (January 21, 2024). Staff are friendly and efficient. All our food was good. Tried to get a picture of the crab pizza, but it got snatched up pretty quickly! Age range of our group was 9 to 70 years and they had something for each of us. Accessible to all with upstairs and downstairs sections. The deck looks nice for better weather.

Great place to grab a drink and food. On off nights it's even better. Super fast food and drinks all done up just right. This last visit was $0.99 oyster night. Not just on the half shell (was my option) but lots of choices and styles. It's a bit off the beaten path, but that's a good thing. Easy parking, great service, and way better than average pub fair with plenty of more up scale seafood options as well. There's outdoor seating by the dock and water in fair weather. Indoor there's bar and table area.

Donnelley's Dockside redecorated, and I love it! So coastal and Annapolis! Don't worry, the fireplace is still there! Large booths that sit 6! The food was delicious, and the service was awesome! Definitely recommend trying this place yourself. The outside dining is also open and looked inviting, but we opted to eat inside.

We went for Saturday lunch. It wasn't busy at all. They have two outdoor areas - the deck and the dock. We sat on the dock and it was so nice to be out on the water. Our server was very nice! We ordered the crab deviled eggs and crab dip appetizers. Both had lump of crab meat. I got the fish and chips. The tartar sauce had a little old bay in it. The best thing I ordered was their bloody mary - it was outstanding. Whatever seasoning they put in there is delicious. Didn't taste like old bay, so maybe it was a house seasoning. I appreciated that it was spicy without horseradish, so it didn't taste like watered down cocktail sauce (a problem I find at a lot of places).

Donnellys is the best for waterfront dining. The atmosphere is so fun with awesome nautical decor, there are two bars, outdoor dining, cozy fireplace for cold days, and the food is great! We love going for a full meal or appetizers and a drink. There is boat parking which is one of the easiest of all waterfront options, a lot of spaces and big spots for all boats.

We had a delicious lunch sitting by the water. The views were great. Our server, John, was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed fish tacos as well as a blackened grouper bowl. The food was well seasoned, fresh and flavorful. We will definitely be back for another great meal with outstanding service in a lovely setting.

This place had the best service and great food! Our server, Julia, was not only a great waitress, but actually jumped into the water after the wind blew a table off the dock. She got the table out of the water and then came back to work. She was awesome! Can’t wait to come back.

It was my first time trying Donnelly's Dockside tonight and I wish I could say I had a good experience, but honestly not sure I'll be back. The food was great, but I was pretty disappointed at the service by the evening bartenders upstairs. I work in the service industry and I understand Friday nights are busy, but we were blatantly ignored throughout the night and had to take steps to ask for items when others around us were receiving service at every step of the way. We would have ordered a lot more if we could even get the attention of the bartenders without basically jumping up and down waving our arms. If a bartender has time to sit down and chat with his buds, he has time to check in with the tables in his section and make sure they are receiving adequate service.

We went for lunch. The crab dip, shrimp and steamed crabs were very good. We were seated off the deck at a picnic table and had a nice view of the water. Our server was Julia . She was also responsible for the tables that were actually on the end of the dock. We were already impressed with her quick service and how even on a busy afternoon she was still smiling. We were waiting on our food and gust of wind picked up one of the tables on the dock and blew it in the water along with a women's purse. We watched as Julia took off her shoes and went in the water swimming after the purse and table and umbrella. What an incredible young woman. She then went inside and put on a dry shirt and continued to wait tables. Five stars to Julia!! Needless to say the service here is amazing! We did have a few other staff members check on us and bring some of the food out and they were also very friendly and attentive. Thank you Donnelly's staff for a very nice afternoon.

The fried pickles and calamari were great. My sweet potato fries were extra crispy and cold. Had to reorder. The crab imperial was a 2 out of 10. It had too much mayo and egg, and 😔. The server didn't even acknowledge that I didn't touch my food and wasn't happy. For $50, I have to go home and fix it. Will visit again, but that imperial is not a choice.

This is one of our faves; just down the street a bit. Waterfront setting that draws quite a crowd in warmer weather. Most of the dining area has window booths to view the Deep Creek activities up close. The indoor and outdoor bars are usually hopping but not so noisy that you can't enjoy your meal. The food, especially seafood, is very good, with gluten-free and and dairy-free options upon request. The red crab soup is one of my favorites.

Mary Lynn was the best server. Friendly & knowledgeable. My husband has the blue cheese burger w/ blueberry compote which he really enjoyed. The soft shell crab sandwich and jumbo shrimp broil was delicious. The atmosphere was tremendously fun.

Food was decent, dessert superb. I ordered a Poke Bowl. The tuna was fresh, but I've had better Poke bowls at the mall and elsewhere. Next time, I will stick with a more classic fare.

Delicious eats, tasty beer and excellent service from Dylan in the downstairs bar. A perfect off-season or peak season destination!

Wow - we went all out here. It was fantastic. Crabs were perfect with a ton of seasoning. SO MANY CRABS! If you are visiting (like we were) and you like crab - give this place a try!

We came here for an early Sunday dinner. There's nothing like a MD crabhouse on the water and Donnelly's didn't disappoint. We sat inside with a gorgeous view of the Deep Creek. The crab cake sandwich was top notch and the half n half crab soup was delicious! We'll be coming back!