Higgins Crab House South

We visited for the first time last weekend, and I wss pleasantly surprised! Our server was awesome, and everyone that I encountered was friendly! We ordered ribs and fish & chips. My ribs were clearly warmed, though tasty. The meat fell off the bone with ease, but they tasted day old. However, I loved their hush puppies! I just could not get enough of them! My co-worker enjoyed his fish chips. The place is huge to accommodate the all-you-can eat seafood deals that they offer. The bathroom was clean and stocked. There is free onsite parking.

This restaurant is extremely popular, with a 45-minute wait when we visited. Without a designated waiting area, everyone waits outside in the parking lot. Despite the wait, it's absolutely worth it! The food is fantastic, and the customer service was excellent even during the busy period. This is one of the best seafood spots I’ve ever visited, and I've been to many.

At $100 for two adults, the meal was worth every penny. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the food. They also offer complimentary hush puppies and free refills. If you've never been to a place like this, be prepared to eat with your hands and getting a bit messy, but they have sinks available to wash your hands. I will definitely return when I'm in Ocean City.

I would recommend the “Steamer Pot”

Higgins has long been a staple in our visits to OC. Tonight will be the last time we ever eat here again.
Our meal started off great. The crabs were hot and delivered in a timely manner. Next comes the bucket of Coronitas to wash it down. My husband drank his first down (they are 7 oz) and opened his 2nd. He drinks a quarter of the bottle and states he doesn't feel well. We were eating the same meal so I knew that was not the culprit. We take a look at the date on the bottle in question and it expired in October 2024. Upon investigating the other bottles, we discovered a November 2024, an April 2025 (in date, but a little close), and 2 bottles for August of 2025. Guess which ones he consumed?? Yup, the out of dates.
We alerted the waitress, who asked if we wanted the beer replaced. We said, no, but they need to let someone know this is out of date and an issue. She scurried off. 15 minutes later as my husband is turning various shades of green, she comes by again and asks if we need more crabs. I stated my husband is going to be sick. Can we get the check and get him out of here? The waitress obliged and returned with our bill with the beers removed. I paid for the meals without question. As we were leaving, I stopped at the front desk to speak to a manager. Obviously, this situation was not taken seriously and needed to be addressed. As a former Assistant Restaurant manager myself, I know what protocol should have been followed when a customer reports illness while inside the restaurant and I wanted to ensure expired product was taken out of rotation.
After a short wait (and my husband asking to just leave), a manager comes up front to try to seat us. (Not gonna do that again). When I addressed the situation he apologized, stating, "He heard about that, but he was informed we had left." And then adds, "There is nothing else I can do."
I had to inform him of proper procedure for rotating product for him to respond, "so im supposed to check EVERY beer before we serve it??" Um, yeah...that is basic food service 101. I educated him on this and he offered to "let me check the rest" in the cooler. I declined the offer. He continued to half heartedly apologize and blamed the issue on the distributor. He again stated, there is nothing more I can do. Once again, I educated him on the process of how to handle a situation where a customer is reporting possible food poisoning. When I ask if he is going to take our name or number or anything He hands me one of the printed specials papers. Where was the form?? I wrote our names, number, and situation on the scrap of paper. I do have pictures of the beer in question. Now my husband is puking in our hotel bathroom instead of enjoying a relaxing night at the beach.
Moral of the story: check your dates on EVERYTHING because clearly, the Higgins staff is not. They did not know what FIFO was (first in, first out). It is a basic acronym utilized across food industries to ensure customers get items in date. They had no remorse for serving expired product. They also felt it was appropriate to be rude and condescending when they were the ones who messed up. And before you ask, I reiterate, I paid the bill in FULL and left a tip for the waitress, because unlike the staff, I care about other humans.