Mechanicsville Travel Guide

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When Bob asked me whether I wanted to go out to dinner, I said yes and tried to figure out where we had not been that would be OK on Saturday night. There was a review of Rick's in the local paper, so I suggested that. Bob said he had looked for it and hadn't found it, but he had missed the fact that it was in Mechanicsville and was the former Copsey's Seafood. We had eaten here before when it was Copsey's, but it was some time ago.

When we got there, there were two doors - one to buy seafood to take home to cook and one for the restaurant.

The sign outside said


Open 7 Days
Catering Raw Bar & Crab Feast
Oysters/Shrimp/Steaks


Then the removable letter board underneath said

All you can eat crabs nightly 4-8 $25.95
3 doz crabs to go
Males $75 Females $38

We went in through the restaurant door, and the sign said to seat yourself. Many of the people seemed to have tables covered with brown paper and they were eating crabs. One of the waitresses cleared off a table for us.

Inside the signs said:

1 doz Crabs $42.00.

We couldn't read the sign very well and thought it said $12.00, so the price of $42 was a shock. Bob thought he couldn't eat a whole dozen and he thought that a dozen between us at $12 would be a better deal than the all-you-can-eat, but actually for the $42.00 price, he could eat just a little over a half dozen and break even.

Favorite Dish: The board inside also advertised specials, so I ordered the cream of crab soup ($5.95 for a cup) and the stuffed rockfish dinner for $18.95. It was to come with two sides, and I ordered potato salad and a tossed salad. Bob decided to order the steamed shrimp off the regular menu for $13.95. He ordered cole slaw and applesauce as his sides.

My soup came and was good although I thought it a bit salty at first.

When the entrees came, the server told me that I didn't have stuffed rockfish, I had stuffed flounder which would have been $17.95. We got three sides. I got the cole slaw and a roll, and Bob got the potato salad and applesauce. I never got the salad, which would have been extra. My fish (whichever it was) was good. Bob had so many shrimp that he almost couldn't finish them, and I ate some of his potato salad. I then had bread pudding for dessert while Bob was still finishing his shrimp. That was $3.50.

Our bill (which says Copsey's Seafood on it) before tip (including tax) was $47.81. So you figure out whether I had rockfish or flounder.

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Capt. Leonards is primarily a seafood place although you can get chicken or steak. It is family run. The tables are all covered with brown paper for eating steamed crabs. You come in and go up to the bar and you will be seated. Seafood & carryout available. Open year round Wednesday–Sunday.

When we were there Thursday, there was a young lad in a black muscle shirt cleaning tables (mostly he took up the salt and pepper and non disposable items off the table, bundled the rest up in the brown paper cover and stuffed it in the trash and then tore off another piece and flicked it into place on the table), and sometimes taking orders. There was a big blonde waitress taking orders, and there was a younger blonde girl bringing the orders round to you. In a large party, you had to remember what you ordered. Since the person delivering the food didn't take the orders, she didn't know who went with what.

Favorite Dish: Bob had steamed shrimp and iced tea. I had a cup of bean soup, a crab cake sandwich (very good crab cake on an ordinary lightly toasted roll), blueberry cheesecake and lemonade (from a can).

The bill was $25 including a tip of a little under $5.00

We ate here again July 2004, and Bob got a dozen soft shell clams (manoes) to start (last picture) which were really yummy. I got the lobster tail special ($20.95 - three lobster tails with two sides and melted butter pictured in the collage) and I had bread pudding (top right) for dessert. The bill was $52.34 before the tip was added.

We came again in March 2007, and got the steamed manoes again. We each had a cup of oyster stew (which had 5 oysters in it), and then Bob had a pound of steamed shrimp and I had a shrimp basket. Things were so hot we could hardly pick them up.

On the Patuxent River (away from the main highway). Open year round. Closed M to W.

This restaurant is right next door to the Seabreeze.

Favorite Dish: Steamed crabs is what they specialize in

They also have oysters, clams, sandwiches, and dinners. Waterfront and outside dining. Carryout available.

While the PO address is Mechanicsville, this restaurant is in Sandgates on the water just after the Sandgates Inn. Crabs, fresh seafood, steaks, prime rib. Waterfront and outside dining. Carryout available. They also have some fishing piers and a couple of horseshoe pits.

There is a bar and pool room on the back southeast side of the restaurant and the smoking section tables are alongside the bar on the west side. The non-smoking tables are all along the waterfront on the north side.

Favorite Dish: This is a crabhouse, but the crabs were $30/dozen (9/2004) and Bob thought that was too much. Instead, he had the Seabreeze Steamer - 1/2 pound of steamed shrimp and 1/2 pound of crab legs (center) with cole slaw and corn fritters for $13.95. The corn fritters were kind of a sweet dense cornbread hushpuppy/donut cross.

I had the stuffed lobster special for $16.95 which came with a tossed salad and two sides. (center left inset). It was a chilly day so I had hot tea and Bob had iced tea (one free refill) for $1.25 each. They were out of coconut cake, so I ate Bob's leftover corn fritters for dessert.

Bert's started out in a little storefront in Calvert Co. He opened this much larger diner in St. Mary's county later, and sold the one in Calvert Co. It's a Tasty Freeze or something now.

The girls used to be dressed like car hops and you used to give your order at the counter and then take a number to put on your table so that the appropriate meal could be delivered to you. They've stopped that and gone to regular table service now.

There are TVs and keno is available. Also there are real working juke boxes.

We like to come here for lunch if we are on the way up or down the county. Except on Friday nights when the cruisers congregate and fill up the parking lot.

Fifties memorabilia galore (Marilyn Monroe and Elvis pictures), relive the fifties while enjoying subs, sandwiches, pizza and full course dinner entrees (very abbreviated full course menu), soft and hand dipped ice cream, sundaes, malts, floats, milk shakes. Outside dining and carryout available

Favorite Dish: We had lunch here and I had the special (beef bbq with cole slaw on top and fries- $5.25) and the blizzard type milkshake (small $3.15) with M&Ms in it. Bob had the BLT on toast ($3.95) with everything and chips, and iced tea ($1.25 unlimited refills).