Crisfield Seafood at 8012 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring has announced it will permanently close on December 22. The restaurant has been a Montgomery County staple for nearly 80 years, operating in Silver Spring since 1945.
In 2022, the seafood restaurant earned recognition by being voted as one of WTOP’s 2022 ‘Best Seafood’ restaurants, coming in at #8. Crisfield has been owned by the Landis family since 1945. Today it’s owned by the third generation, with the seven owner/cousins being the grandchildren of Crisfield’s original owner, Lillian Landis.
A representative from Crisfield posted the following on Facebook on Wednesday, December 11: “OUR TIME HAS COME! After nearly 80 years, we have decided it is enough. The original Crisfield Seafood Restaurant will close December 22nd. The Landis Family would like to thank all the great people, customers and teammates, that made this a very special place for 8 decades.”
The restaurant offers a menu consisting of a variety of seafood that hasn’t changed much in decades. According to The Washington Post, “The Crisfield restaurant on Georgia Avenue deserves to be called a Maryland institution. (Okay, a Silver Spring institution.) After all, it was serving stuffed shrimp and crab imperial when Harry Truman was in the White House, when cars still had fenders and when most folks considered squid just another form of bait.” Over the years, plenty of local restaurants offered similar fare. In Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Bethesda, there were Fred and Harry’s, the Anchor Inn, and Bish Thompson’s. Today only Crisfield remains.
Fun Fact: Crisfield Seafood has a wall dedicated to singer Jimmy Buffett, who would visit every time he had a show in town. Pictured below you’ll see the “Crisfield Special.” It consists of lump crabmeat mixed with a delicate white sauce, baked in a casserole.
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