A Minted Location day guide
Dock & Dine in Annapolis
Dinner by boat in Annapolis works from a berth, a tender or the water taxi rather than from a guest dock — and one restaurant spells that out better than any guide.
Boatyard Bar & Grill in Eastport has no slips of its own and sends you three ways instead: "Annapolis City Marina across the street", a "dinghy tie-up available at the end of Fourth Street on Spa Creek", and by water taxi to the "Annapolis City Marina Dock, 1/2 block up Fourth Street". Read that carefully and it describes the whole town's arrangement — you take a berth or a mooring, and you arrive on foot, by tender or by taxi.
Carrol's Creek Cafe, Cantler's Riverside Inn and Sam's on the Waterfront all sit on the water, and none of them publishes dock terms. Call the restaurant before you plan to bring the boat, and plan on the tender otherwise.
Two practical notes. The City Dock Resiliency Project running 2026 through early 2028 has closed many of the slips that would ordinarily put you a short walk from the Ego Alley restaurants, so a walk-up berth downtown is not something to count on right now. And Annapolis City Marina, the berth Boatyard points you to, charges $3.00 to $3.25 per foot daily with a 30 ft minimum — while its own transient rate table lists "41' and over: All Slips Filled." For anything over about 40 ft, dinner ashore in Annapolis is a tender trip.
The stops, as their own docks describe them
| Spot | Where | Arriving by boat |
|---|---|---|
| Boatyard Bar & GrillNo dock of its own, and it tells you exactly how to arrive instead: a berth across the street, a dinghy tie-up on Spa Creek, or the water taxi. Berth, tender or taxi is the town's dock-and-dine reality in one paragraph, and it is worth knowing before you go looking for a restaurant slip. | Eastport — a half block up Fourth Street from Spa Creek | No slips of its own — its site directs you to "Annapolis City Marina across the street", a "dinghy tie-up available at the end of Fourth Street on Spa Creek", or "By Water Taxi, Annapolis City Marina Dock, 1/2 block up Fourth Street" |
| Carrol's Creek CafeSits directly on Spa Creek. Arriving by water means a berth nearby or the tender — call the restaurant before you plan on a dock. | Eastport — Spa Creek waterfront | Call ahead — arrive from a berth or by tender |
| Cantler's Riverside InnThe classic Chesapeake crab house. Confirm dockage with the restaurant before you plan to arrive by water, and plan on the tender otherwise. | Mill Creek, north of the Severn | Call ahead before you plan to arrive by boat |
| Sam's on the WaterfrontOne of the waterfront names on every Annapolis list. Confirm dockage with the restaurant directly before you plan an arrival by water. | Back Creek | Confirm dockage with the restaurant when you book |
Dockage notes are what each restaurant publishes on its own site — space is first-come and dinner-hour rafting is real, so hail ahead. Where a venue states nothing about docking, we say so rather than guess.
Planning more than lunch?
We represent buyers wherever the right boat sits — shortlisting, surveying and sea-trialing on the buyer's side of the table. Tell us the mission and we'll tell you which boat, and which berth, it calls for.