The Choptank

The Choptank is a restaurant in Annapolis, MD, located at 110 Compromise St. It is a classic fish and crab house serving Maryland cuisine, with steamed hard-shell blue crabs as its highlight. The menu features local seafood caught in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, including steamed blue crabs and crab cakes seasoned with the restaurant's own proprietary recipe, along with oysters, soups, sandwiches, entrees, and house-battered Eastern Shore fried chicken. Guests can choose from 20 draft beer selections and listen to live local musicians on an indoor stage. The waterfront deck and rooftop offer seating with views of the surrounding docks and neighborhood. The Choptank also hosts group dinners, larger celebrations, and parties. It holds a rating of 4.10 based on customer reviews.

The Choptank takes its name from the Choptank Indians, who occupied the south side of the Choptank River basin in 1668, in the area around present-day Cambridge. The name is thought to have originated from the Nanticoke word "tshapetank," meaning a stream that separates. The tribe retained the land until 1822, when the state of Maryland sold it. The restaurant is part of Atlas Restaurant Group, which celebrates historic Annapolis with this fish and crab house. The group traces its roots to Steve Paterakis, who came to America from Greece in 1921 and started H & S Bakery in 1943. His son John inherited the business at 23 and grew it into the largest private bakery in the United States. Grandsons Alex and Eric Smith continue that vision, having opened 22 restaurants in Baltimore and employing more than 1,200 people locally.

The restaurant sits on Compromise Street along Ego Alley, the Annapolis canal where boats parade through the city dock area. It is steps from the Guardians of the First Amendment Memorial and Newman Street Park, both within a few hundred feet, and about 0.1 miles from the Victualling Warehouse Maritime Museum and the Annapolis Summer Garden Theater.

The Choptank is known for its positive rating from the customers who have reviewed it, reflecting satisfaction among diners who visit for Maryland seafood and waterfront dining in Annapolis.