Reviews & Ratings for Owl Bar

01/16/12

Be prepared to wait

by BakerT1 at Citysearch

Perhaps the best venue in Baltimore in terms of ambiance. Definitely what I picture1920s speak easy to look like. But the service is poor. A couple Saturday's ago the joint was packed. We were seated pretty quickly at a table that wobbled. We sat for 20 minutes without even a drink of water. We pulled one of the other waiters aside about the table issue, he dispatched himself to find a solution and 5 minutes later and no waiter, we left and went to The Helmand where we had a great meal with the service you'd expect to get.

02/25/10

Awesome Paninis

by SaylorGurl at Citysearch

Went to the Owl Bar for teh first time last week. Had amazing Ham and Cheddar Panini and Crab Dip Pizza from the Brick Oven. Super cool old-school bar with atmosphere galore!

Being from FedHill it's not the kind of place I'd go to every weekend just because of it's location, but definitely plan on checking out their brunch and happy hour more often.

• Pros: Great Brick Oven Pizza
• Cons: Off the beaten path

10/01/09

It's a BAR

by Jus Ren at Citysearch

I've met friends here a couple times and sometimes it's fun, sometimes weird. You get the runoff of whatever staggers over from downtown so this can be entertaining, at least.

• Pros: Decent Drinks
• Cons: not always a good experience, but it's a BAR

06/02/09

Does not live up to its history

Contributor at Citysearch

First, I'd like to correct the fact that prohibition time does not equal art deco! These are two different things. That owl bar still have some of that prohibition aura. But that's all. Where did you hear that they had brick oven pizza in that era??

Although you might get lucky, depending on who they might have hired that week, and they go through a lot of chefs! Don't keep your hopes too high on the food. If you don't mind waiting, you will get your drink also. Too many inconsistencies here.

Staff doesn't care. Since apparently they might not even get their money worth either.

03/17/09

this is looking nice

by bmuraliusa at Citysearch

this is looking so nice this is looking so nice this is looking so nice this is looking so nice this is looking so nice this is looking so nice

• Pros: nice
• Cons: nice

02/21/09

We'll never go out for Valentine's Day again! This time, we REALLY mean it!

by Annapfoodies at Citysearch

Been to Owl Bar for drinks & appetizers & loved it. But, this was NOT a night for trying dinner: oversold crowd, inexperienced waitress, & kitchen chaos. Had a 7PM reservation & left at 11:10PM! Waited so long for food, at 8:50PM we begged for bread & ANY part of our order that was ready. Thus: salad followed by 1 appetizer, then entrees delivered along with more appetizers, several wrong orders, etc. Our sweet & clueless waitress was a hostess learning to be server. We had to teach her how to uncork the wine! She even tried to charge us for the wrong orders. Food was very good, though there were limited selections on the Valentine's menu. Steaks=perfect; salad=fresh; fried & raw oysters=fresh & delicious; mussels=stone cold & tasteless; clams casino=dry & cold. WE RECOMMEND DRINKS & APPETIZERS HERE ONLY!

• Pros: Ambiance, cocktails with appetizers, pizza
• Cons: Oversold for Valentine's, inexperienced server, chaos

12/02/07

Best bar in Bmore!! hands down!

by fluff44 at Citysearch

This is probably the best bar in Baltimore. Not only is the bar amazing to look at but the food is out of this world! The bangbang shrimp and the crab dip pizza are just mouth watering!! The staff is so nice, including Holly, Ryan and Matt who are the best bartenders!! Also they always have great drink specials and a great late night happy hour!!

• Pros: great food and friendly staff
• Cons: sometimes crowded so its hard to get a table

07/13/07

Historical Bar with character

by redpegasus at Citysearch

I was sent to the Belvedere Hotel for atmosphere and pizza. I ordered the thin sliced pizza and must mention that the flavor was average even though the claim was the best in town! However, I did meet a friendly bartender that pointed out some other spots for me to visit in the same evening and poured a nice glass of K-One and tonic for me.

The crowd was not that great since it was a tuesday evening, but the bar itself stood on its own as part of the history in downtown Baltimore. i would recommend a visit and drink...perhaps a way to end or start an evening.

Enjoy the stained glass above the bar and exposed brick!

• Pros: Atmosphere
• Cons: Hyping the pizza as the best in town.

07/11/07

Worst experience in Baltimore.

by bob890 at Citysearch

First time I went to this bar was during their happy hour. Let's just say that I will definitely not be returning. A few friends and I were there for 20 minutes. More friends trickled in over the course of the next hour. Fifteen minutes before happy hour was over, our waitress told us that she could no longer give us the happy hour specials because our group "kept growing" and that we "kept adding new people"; this was apparently, manager's orders. I've been to enough happy hours to know that lots of people does not mean that happy hour stops. Additionally, isn't there some level of mingling involved with happy hours? I've never heard such a ridiculous comment from a manager or from a waitress. It did not help that our group was racially diverse- Asian, Indian, White.

If you have more than 5 people in your group, with any sort of diversity, I would highly recommend taking your buisness elsewhere. If the Owl bar wants to advertise happy hour, it should at least have the capacity to 1.) accomodate large groups 2.) honestly hold happy hours until stated end of happy hours for all patrons, regardless of group size, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

• Pros: historical
• Cons: horrible happy hour, no capacity for big groups, rude service, poor management, preferential treatment to certain race groups

08/17/06

Neat little place for drinks and food with friends

by greenie2600 at Citysearch

I find xeaa's negative review a bit bewildering. I've only been to the Owl Bar once, but I had a pretty good experience. It's a little pricey, yes, but not exorbitantly so; there are plenty of items under ten dollars. The food is quite tasty, and the menu is creative enough to offer a few pleasant surprises - but not so creative that it becomes foodie-pretentious.

I had the Vegetable Tower - "asparagus, Chevre cheese, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and spinach between layers of phyllo" - and I thought it was delicious. I also shared the fried artichokes and beer-battered pickles with my dining companions, and we all agreed that they were scrumptious. (Incidentally, I'm a vegetarian, and though the menu isn't exactly overflowing with meatless dishes, there are enough to give you some options.)

The atmosphere is nice, too - just the right balance of classy and casual. I don't think I'd go just for the bar, but if you want a few drinks with a friendly dinner, it's perfect. It's a fairly roomy place, and when I was there, it was only about half full, so we had our corner of the restaurant to ourselves. The titular owls - which overlook the dining room from above the bar - date from the bar's days as a speakeasy, when their moveable eyes were used as a sort of code to warn that agents of the law were present.

In short, an enjoyable, ever so slightly upscale, but low-key and casual dining experience.

• Pros: Atmosphere, interesting menu
• Cons: Service was a little slow