Quarterdeck review

If you are looking for a place to get some of the best crabs in DC without having to drive out to the Bay, Quarterdeck is the place for you. Tucked into a Rosslyn neighborhood on a side street, Quarterdeck allows you to feel like you are away from the city while still being just a few minutes outside of town. As with most crab houses the atmosphere is simple. As the name implies, they do have a nice size deck, perfect for those summer days. They also have ample room inside, with a separate bar and basement area that has pool tables and dart boards. Nothing about the atmosphere will blow you away, but nor should it.

Who goes to a crab house for atmosphere, you go for the crabs, and that is where Quarterdeck shines. Even on a night when they only had medium size crabs available, the quality of the crabs was still excellent. Those little guys might be a little bit more work, but the meat was sweet and the seasoning was perfect. I can only imagine a night when they have the big boys available. While I am on the highlights I need to make it clear that their homemade key lime pie was superb. Light, yet rich and tart, it is everything this Florida native could ask for.

While the Crabs and Key Lime pie stole the show, other items we tried were just ok. My group started off with spiced shrimp, which were cooked well, but had zero spice (thankfully they have old bay on the table). I started with the Bay Crab soup, which after I doused with enough old bay and Tabasco to kill a man, had some taste. Most disappointing about Quarterdeck was what was not on their menu. No raw oysters, no steamers, no mussels and no corn on the cob. Yet they did have Chicken fingers, hot dogs, pizza and grilled sausage sandwiches. It seems to me that Quarterdeck is not sure what it is…is it a local dive bar that also serves Crabs or is it a crab house, that doesn't have many of the crab house staples?

Still if you are looking to get away for a night to a place where you can sit outside with friends and enjoy some crabs, beer and an amazing key lime pie, then Quarterdeck will hit the spot. If you are looking for a true crab house experience, I am sorry to say that you will have to jump in your car and head towards the Bay.

Quarterdeck is located at 1200 Fort Myer Drive Arlington , VA 22209