Reel Inn

The Reel Inn Restaurant and Dock Bar is located inside of the pristine Harbour Island Community in mid-town Ocean City, MD. Originally built as a small open air tiki bar, the Reel Inn has grown over the years to become a casual but elegant dockside restaurant & bar. It is a popular destination spot for boaters, vacationers and visitors who come from all over the world. We walked here for dinner on our first night in town.

At first, we were a bit confused as we entered the private community, but continued walking and found the restaurant attached to the pool. Seating seemed a bit limited and the summer-hire staff did not want to be bothered. Nonetheless, Keith asked for a table on the harbor side with a few of all the parked boats.

To start, Keith ordered a Skinny Grapefruit Crush and I ordered a Skinny Citrus Crush - both made with club soda as opposed to Sprite to cut down on extra sugar and calories. Then we shared the Assawoman Bay Combo - a trio of tuna bites, blackened scallops, and steamed shrimp. The seafood was lightly seasoned and very fresh.  Our favorite was the grilled tuna.

For his entree, Keith ordered the Butcher Cut Ribeye - a 16 oz. hand cut, grilled steak with a hint of Reel Inn seasoning. Tonight it was served with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. The steak was a large portion and was seasoned a little bland for Keith's taste. But he figured we'd be eating lots of seafood during our trip, so he wanted to balance out with some red meat.

I ordered the Crab Cake Dinner served with the same asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. The crab cakes were moist and full of lump crab meat.  I could not eat both, so Keith gladly helped me out.

All in all, the food was just okay and the service not much better. The ambience was weird being in the local housing community.  Even though it was fairly easy to walk to from the Boardwalk, I felt as if we were visiting distant relatives and went to eat by their community pool - complete with screaming children running around.

Total Rating: 3.05
Food: 3, Price: 3, Service: 3, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 4