Anyone can offer crabs on a menu, but it’s what you do with them that counts. Luckily for diners, what The Crackpot does with them has, according to Baltimore magazine, become "a Baltimore tradition to appreciate." A full-service bar helps customers wash back these tender crab morsels, which are still cooked according to The Crackpot's original recipe.

Though the five-page menu has expanded to include steak, prime rib, burgers, wings, pasta, soups, and a kids' menu, not much has changed since 1972 in terms of ambiance. The retro crabhouse—decked out with wood shingles and twinkling holiday lights—still has its first crab traps hanging from the walls, sharing space with a 7-foot sailfish and a mounted swordfish. The restaurant also hosts a Heroes Table event, inviting a small group of wounded veterans and their spouses to dine for free once a week.