JR's Seafood Shack

Absolutely fantastic service, experience, and meal. From the hush puppies, the prime rib & lobster tail. The seared tuna special, and the amazing crap dip fries. Definitely recommend trying the fried with the old bay seasoned hot sauce.

“Tasty Seafood, But Portions Don’t Match the Price”

We visited J.R.’s Seafood Shack while on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland, with a party of seven. The experience was a bit of a mixed bag—some highlights, but also some drawbacks.

Starting with the positives: Our waitress was very nice, and the service overall was solid. The food came out quickly, was served hot, and everything was well-seasoned and flavorful. We started with the Carolina scallops appetizer—seared scallops with peach salsa and a ginger vinaigrette. The flavors were good, but at $16 for just four scallops, it felt a little overpriced.

For entrées, we ordered three different dishes. The Low Country Boil ($32) came with shrimp, sausage, mussels, crawfish, potatoes, corn, and a biscuit—classic Southern-style. The pan-seared salmon was served with sautéed spinach, greens, red peppers, a light tomato sauce, grilled squash, and roasted potatoes. I had the classic New Orleans shrimp and grits, which came with smoked andouille sausage, shrimp, bacon, spring onions, Creole sauce, and a biscuit. Again, everything tasted great, but the portion sizes were underwhelming for the price.

I understand that this is a tourist town, and maybe the pricing reflects that, but for an off-season visit, I was expecting a bit more value for what we paid. The restaurant itself had nice decor, even though it’s located in a strip mall.

Overall, J.R.’s Seafood Shack delivers on flavor and service, but the portion sizes didn’t quite match up to the prices. Would I go back? I’m on the fence. If you don’t mind paying a bit more for good seafood in a casual setting, it might be worth a visit—but if you’re looking for better value, you might want to explore other options.

i wish i could rate it higher!! best dinner we’ve had on the shore by far. the hush puppies are killer, but the crab cake was just perfection. said yum with every bite! thanks Tammy for the great service.