Mickey’s Family Crab House
Mickey’s is a ‘down-and-dirty’ (not literally) crab shack that is best enjoyed as an all-you-can-eat hard shell joint with fried dishes thrown in for those who do not want to get (as) messy while smashing crabs. Eating inside or out, you are surrounded by butcher-block paper strewn on picnic style tables, with plenty of hammer crab pounding around you, along with buckets of beer and fun. Mickey’s caters to large groups and families, and the all-you-can-eat specials draw small crabs, inviting lots of smashing and (imitation) Old Bay spice flying around. Patrons can pre-order large crabs and, unlike many crab houses which engage in size and pricing mischief, Mickey’s delivers the size you order. Sure, there are salads, burgers, and bar food served in baskets, but crab dishes are the draw. Crab cakes warrant attention from those who do not want to work for their meal, but the real attraction are the hard shells – pity the garbage collectors who have to remove large bags of shells every day, but somebody in Bethany Beach has to offer crabs, and somebody’s got to clean-up. And remember, any clothes or shoes you wear will inevitably stick to something, so keep the Chanel and Prada’s at home, but don’t forget the faux Berkin Bag to store wipes and mints, because upon your exit, you will need something to cool your on-fire mouth after ingesting pounds of seasoning dumped on the 30 crabs you just pounded into pick-and-eat submission.
