The Cracked Claw Story

The Peter Pan Inn has been a famous Maryland landmark for over a century. The original house, at the center of the restaurant, was built in the early 1800's and was a Carriage House rest stop along the Washington to Frederick corridor. In 1925 it was opened as a restaurant serving family style dinners. It was visited often by families from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The owners, The Baumgardner family, decorated the restaurant with elaborate mirrors, statues, light fixtures and furniture. Many of these items are still adorning the five different rooms and garden areas.

In 1989, Johnny and BJ Poole moved their restaurant, the Cracked Claw, from its very small, very old home where it had been a local and regional favorite for 14 years. They served a wide Variety of seafood, specializing in Maryland Blue Crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. In moving to the much larger Peter Pan Inn the Pooles began to create a new history; the Cracked Claw at Peter Pan.

On April 30, 1993 the Cracked Claw/Peter Pan again made history by becoming home to Maryland’s first off Track Betting Facility. Renamed the Cracked Claw at Peter Pan Restaurant and Sports Palace, the facility has over 120 TVs on which horse races from Maryland and across the U.S. are watched and wagered on. Also shown are the baseball, football and other sporting events.

Our menu still reflects the history of both the Cracked Claw and Peter Pan offering seafood, beef, poultry and much more. Our menu is available in all of our rooms, along with our seasonal all you can eat and our weekend dinner special.

The restaurant is host to our own ghost, affectionately referred to as "Lucy", who seems to have been around as long as the building itself. There is also a small cemetery in the back of the restaurant, presumable the resting place of some of the family members of the original house. The four tombstones are dated in the mid 1800's.

We are constantly striving to provide our customers with the best, and welcome your opinions and suggestions. Please feel free to drop us a line, speak with any member of our staff or e-mail us at We also invite you to take a look around, inside and out, and enjoy a truly unique restaurant, rich with history, atmosphere and great food.

Johnny and BJ Poole

The Cracked Claw Restaurant & Sports Palace

3363 Urbana Pike

Frederick, MD 21704

301-831-1200

Contact us: info@thecrackedclaw.net