The Red Roost: A Delmarvalous Delight

September 3, 2021

 Before I moved to Maryland 20-ish years ago, I’d never even heard of blue crabs. I grew up in the geographical center of North America, so essentially as landlocked as you can possibly get, so this makes sense! But when I moved to Maryland, I can still remember a friend taking me for blue crabs and trying to teach me how to pick them.

Try being the operative word. Twenty years later and I’m still not great at it, no matter how many blue crabs I pick! And sometimes I have to not think too hard about what I’m cleaning out, lol! But that doesn’t stop me from going back for more. Though all you can eat blue crabs isn’t often my go-to seafood, because I’d waste away from hunger thanks to my terrible picking skills, before I ever ate enough to get full. Or they’d kick me out for taking too long lol!

Still, I love visiting our local crab houses and my favorite is and likely always will be Red Roost.

Owned by the Southern Boys Concept group and located in a former chicken house out just off the river in the middle of nowhere near Quantico, MD, Red Roost offers not just AYCE blue crabs, but snow crab legs and shrimp as well. I fully realize that snow crab legs aren’t a Maryland thing but I will tell you that I don’t care, because they make me happy and that’s what matters, right?

The ambiance of Red Roost is one hundred percent Maryland, with picnic tables and red vinyl booths lining the length of the repurposed chicken house. Covering walls, beams, tables are one dollar bills marked with names, dates and special messages. from years of Red Roost customers. On my last visit there, I took advantage of having a few Shop Local Delmarva and Delmarvalous Delight stickers to decorate some dollar bills and my husband located the perfect spot where customers are sure to see them—right at the front of the hostess stand!

On the tables is a few AYCE essentials: rolls of paper towels, squeeze bottles of the weird liquid “butter”, and of course, the ubiquitous brown paper covering the surface. Each table has a large trash can next to it, something you normally wouldn’t want to see in a restaurant but is fully expected and absolutely needed when you’re at a MD crab house.

Red Roosts menu offers several AYCE options: blue crabs, snow legs, shrimp or a combination of three. The AYCE meals are prefaced with hush puppies, fried shrimp, fried clam strips, fries, steamed corn and the famous, delicious, crispy, artery-clogging-but-who-cares fried chicken. If there’s any reason besides crabs that people go to Red Roost, it’s the fried chicken! And here’s a hot tip: if you live in Salisbury, you can head to Evo for the famous Red Roost chicken. Yum and yes, please. It’s also worth noting that if you have people in your party who don’t like seafood, or don’t want AYCE, there’s a full menu with a large variety of other food options available!

Because I’m sure to be taking in some saltiness while at the Roost, I love the sweet fresh brewed southern tea with my meal, but Red Roost also has a full bar, offering beer by the pitcher, wine, frozen drinks, mixed drinks and, of course crushes. They also have several desserts on offer but I’ve never had an ounce of room to try dessert after a meal there.

In the times I’ve eaten at Red Roost, whether it’s been blue crabs, snow crabs, fried chicken or something else, the food has always been hot and delicious, and the service fast and friendly. The servers fill requests with cheer and as much speed as possible.

Reservations are recommended on the weekends and holidays, especially as it gets later in the day or if you have a larger group. I’ve noticed that going earlier, near opening/lunchtime, that I’ve never had a wait and there’s always plenty of seating.

There’s one other special bonus to heading to Red Roost for dinner. Just a short shuttle ride away is their outdoor bar, Bull Lips, which also serves some light fare, located on a bluff overlooking the Wicomico River. After you’ve eaten at Red Roost, hop on the short (just a few minutes) shuttle ride to Bull Lips and enjoy a drink in a hammock chair or lounge in an Adirondack chair near a fire pit and enjoy the views! If you’re coming by boat, you can dock at Bull Lips and take the shuttle to Red Roost for an indulgent meal.

If you’re looking for a place to gather some friends and get yourself stuffed full of AYCE blue crabs, Red Roost is my recommended destination, for the ambience, the food, the drink and the service!

This business is a Shop Local Delmarvalous Delight and I highly recommend it! 

Business Details:

The Red Roost

2670 Clara Rd

Quantico, MD 21856

https://www.theredroost.com/menu

https://www.facebook.com/theoriginalredroost

Angela James is a resident of Salisbury, MD and active in the Delmarva community through volunteer work for organizations such as National Folk Festival, Humane Society of Wicomico, Salisbury Pride Parade and more. A fiction editor, author career consultant and public speaker, she’s a small business owner who understands the power of word of mouth and customer reviews.

Delmarvalous Delights highlights the best of Delmarva, along with hidden gems, and shines a spotlight on those businesses that stand out consistently as Delmarvalous Delights.

If you’d like to invite Angela to visit your business, or try your products, please email angie@delmarvalousdelights.com