Share With Your Friends!

Got Crabs? Virginia’s River Realm Style.

Want Crabs? We gotcha covered! Here in Virginia’s River Realm, blue crabs have been a part of our local palate for centuries. At this time of year, we put crab meat on just about everything, cause we know everything tastes better with crab!

You can find steamed crabs and crab dishes all over Virginia’s River Realm. There’s crab dip, steamed crabs, crab soup, crab benedict, crab au gratin, crab cakes, crab rolls, fried soft crabs, crab bites…Can you name more ways to enjoy crab?

Let us show you where to eat, find and fish for crabs! If you love crab as much as we do, Virginia’s River Realm will not disappoint.

Get your Crab on!


Urbanna Seafood Market & Raw Bar has some of the freshest soft crabs around. Not only are they located next to a picking house but they have rows of crab shedding tanks right next to the restaurant. Try their soft crab sandwich at the restaurant and then stop by the market for some take-home picked crab meat or steamed crabs for later. All this on pristine Robinson’s Creek, well worth the drive for this awesome view and savory crab dishes!

Prefer Lobster?

The loaded Lobster Rolls at Small Town Burger pair perfectly with a high-quality burger. This is a must-stop on your seafood adventures!

Nothing Beats a Crab Cake!

World Famous Bar and Grill (THE CORNER!) in Lively is definitely a local hangout and a delicious retro place to find one of the best and biggest crab cakes in Virginia’s River Realm. In fact, the crab cakes are much bigger than the bun! We recommend pairing your crab cake with the coldest brews in the Realm and you will leave happy and satisfied.

Want to catch your own?

 You could catch your own crabs with a string tied to a chicken neck. But if you want professional advice, ask Captain William Saunders. He hosts a Crab Academy at the Tides Inn in Irvington where you can be a DIY expert on how to catch crabs like a waterman. Spend a few hours with the Captain on his deadrise boat the Miss Nicole to learn the tricks of the trade. Afterwards learn to pick steam crabs the right way as you enjoy as many hard crabs as you can possibly eat. Call the Tides Inn for details.

 Not ready to pick your own?J&W Seafood – Gourmet Market is a one stop shop for crabs in Virginia’s River Realm. They offer anything from fresh steamed crabs if you like to pick your own or if you are short on time they offer anything from lump or backfin crabmeat by the pound. If you want to save even more time, J & W offers customers delicious premade crab cakes (secret family recipe), crab dip and deviled crabs. Not a picker but just want to savor that delicate flaky crabmeat without the work? If you are not into catching your own dinner, or picking your own crab meat, just stop by Miss Mary Seafood, they will hook you up with the catch of the day. This new fresh seafood shop offers seasonal pre-picked crab by the pound, as well as many varieties of fresh caught seafood ready for your next culinary creation!

It doesn’t get much better than this with blue crab cuisine where ever you look in Virginia’s River Realm. You can’t get any fresher than here.