AJ’s on Hanover

We enjoyed all of the cocktails we tried! Unique drinks- including eggwhite toppings and smoke…read morebubbles! Bartenders were really great too. They were friendly and paid attention to detail. It's a speakeasy so its inside of what looks like a freezer inside crossbar. Its dark in there so take that into consideration. Good vibes, would return. Love the pornstar martini!

This review is for the speakeasy bar (The Wurst) located inside of Crossbar. Martine and Danny were…read moreabsolutely amazing bartenders. We ordered our first round of drinks off the menu , and the next 2 rounds were drinks created by the bartenders. They did not miss!! The music was just as good as the drinks - it was a whole vibe! 10 10 10 across the board!!!

Champagne Cocktail

Decor

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French 75

Locals Only

4.2(47 reviews)

The Caesar wrap and pizza were great but def a place for drinking more than sit down. The music is…read moreloud and only bar top tables. Still good food but ambiance is for drinking!

I went for a bday party over the weekend and had a blast. It's a cute spot that has a lot of space…read more The upstairs even has an outdoor section. The music was pretty low so it's a good spot to hang out and have conversation. All the bartenders were so cool and sweet. I got hungry and one of them recommended the chicken Caesar wrap and it ended up being the best thing I ate all week. The fries were a 10/10 as well. If you're ever in the area, I'd recommend stopping by.

Burrata be kidding me

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Winter Cocktail (Part of their winter drinks menu)

Idle Hour

4.2(56 reviews)

0.3 mi•Riverside

•$

What a beautiful bar! From the lights to the decor and ambiance of the bar -- really great for a…read moreGNO or a romantic date. We just had drinks there but they were all so good! The service was quick -- it's a smaller spot but I think that ensures you have a personalized experience m.

Our bartender was super nice and engaging, she provided great conversation. The drink was also…read morereally nice and refreshing. Being here felt like I was in a HBO series and just had so much fun being there, I truly wish it was located even closer to me because I'd be there more frequently.

Me at the bar

Idol time

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Inside

The Elk Room

4.2(415 reviews)

1.2 mi•Inner Harbor

•$$$

My very 1st time going to a Speakeasy in Baltimore and I am a native Baltimorean. We came here to…read morewrap up a date night for a late night cocktail and conversation. There is a secret black door to enter. You can make reservations however, I was unaware that reservations were needed. We waited for about 20 minutes before a table opened up. Of course, the lights are dimmed inside with a very chill atmosphere. It is also pretty spacious inside for Speakeasy. We enjoy as it was something different to try. I will definitely return

It's a cool spot. It was a little hidden like most Speakeasy's which I love. When we entered it had…read morea cool dark but calming vibe and they weren't too busy. We had a party of 7 and we pretty much had our pick of where to sit. The waitress was talking really fast and low and we kept having to ask her to repeat herself. She never slowed down OR spoke louder. Once she had our drink orders, they didn't take long to come out. I ordered the "AKA" it was tequila based and was pretty good. Everyone was pretty happy with their drinks. This is when the night turned. 4 of the 7 of us wanted to leave and head elsewhere, the waitress made ALL 7 of us pay even though the others wanted to stay and order more. She would not budge on this and seemed pretty nonchalant about it. .. all in all. Glad we found it but won't be back.

Lounge

Bar area

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Dining area and dainty dècor.

The Charles

4.0(123 reviews)

So fun! Had some beers and watched the Os game! Will definitely be going back again soon! Service…read morewas great also!

It's been a long time since I've been to this spot! I dropped in for brunch with my cousin on an…read moreearly Saturday afternoon. Given my experience with DC and other parts of MD, I was determined to contact them ahead of time and make sure I would have a spot for brunch. But after some contact on IG, they said it's just walk-ins and I would most likely get a table with no effort or wait. I was concerned... but they were right! So we got settled immediately and started ordering. Our gracious server asked for drinks, which have a bottomless option during brunch. We could pick from mimosas, crushes, sangria and bloody marys. I tried everything but the bloody marys, and while they were good, whew there was a lot of ice in the mimosa... I'm not used to ice there, so it threw me off but it was still good! The REAL highlight was the food... the item I got changed my life: Crab. Cake. Eggrolls. They came with this amazing sweet chili sauce and were so filling and delicious! I also got chicken & waffle sliders to go that had a nice kick and the waffle texture was great! My cousin enjoyed his food as well. Also, shout out to the bagel wall that's on the way to the bathroom. It had great options and all the fixings! If I wasn't full I would've gotten one myself. I will return here for brunch.

Sangria, bang bang shrimp, crab egg rolls, Brussel sprouts

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Outside

Order of the Ace

4.5(27 reviews)

1.0 mi•Inner Harbor

Fun, speakeasy style cocktail bar with a large menu! Definitely come here with reservations…read more Note that it is a small place, so groups 4 or less are best. It took about an hour-ish for my group to order/drink/hang with one drink but you could maybe do 2 if you tried! We loved everything. Didn't get any food so I can't comment but other folks' dishes looked good. Would definitely come back as there's a ton left I'd like to try - but note it is $20/cocktail.

Perfect date night!!!!! The ambiance was sexy, romantic, small, and intimate. I loved how close I…read morewas able to sit by my boyfriend while enjoying the smooth sounds of the live jazz band featuring, Anna-Lisa Kirby. It was AMAZING! The decor was sexy and very exclusive, felt like a speakeasy vibes as the decor transported you into another era. It was magical Service was good, our waitress was really helpful with recommending good drinks. This was a post dinner bar visit so we mainly had drinks and added a few treats: colossal shrimp cocktail and warm butter cake. The colossal shrimp cocktail contained some of the largest prawns that I've ever had. They were fresh and perfectly prepared but one was enjoy to fill you up. The warm butter cake was sinfully good! Warm, soft, and sweet. The drinks were AMAZING! I ordered the Recurrence Eternal which contained gin, pear, and champagne. There were other ingredients in there but I wanted to spotlight these few. This was the perfect drink which will creep up on you LOL but it was sooooooooooo good. My boyfriend enjoyed his whiskey drink as well. Overall, the music, ambiance, drinks, and small bites made this place perfect. Can't wait to return

The vibe

Inside

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The Outpost American Tavern

4.3(286 reviews)

0.5 mi•Federal Hill

I had an ok experience at Outpost on a Sunday night. I ordered a seasonal offering, a salad with…read moregrill peaches, burrata, and prosciutto. It was just ok. I felt like the prosciutto was a bit fatty, and it did not complement the salad very well. The price was a bit much for the portion size. But the inside of the restaurant was fine, and the service was friendly. Not a bad place for a neighborhood meal.

This was ALMOST the perfect meal!! The tomato martini is delightful. Tastes very light on the…read morealcohol (and from past experience, so does their dirty martini), but very refreshing. The nachos are delicious. I adored my garden pasta. The tuna was good however I wish they put the wasabi in a more visible spot, for some reason ours was under the salad. The shrimp wasn't my favorite chimmichurri but was fine. The burger was delicious, especially the bun, however there was a very large chunk of completely inedible fat? Which I've never experienced in ground beef before, so it was a little off putting. For dessert the lemongrass ice cream was interesting! I did not like the lemon ricotta poundcake as it just tasted like corn bread. But what a fun menu and little place, I will certainly be returning!!

Bar area

Halloumi Carbonara

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Outside

Illusions Bar & Theater

4.7(496 reviews)

0.4 mi•Federal Hill

Illusions Magic Bar is truly one of the gems of South Baltimore! We recently hosted a private event…read morethere, and the entire experience was fantastic from start to finish. The booking process was incredibly smooth, thanks to Nicole's responsive and helpful communication. On the day of the event, Nicole and Spencer were flexible and accommodating, making sure everything played out exactly as we had hoped. Our guests had an absolute blast and were left in awe. Spencer's performance is engaging and interactive. He involved many of our guests in different parts of the show. We also appreciated that it never felt rushed and we weren't hurried out. Spencer and Nicole took the time to chat with our guests after the show and answer our many questions. Whether you're hosting a private performance or attending a regular show, you'll come away impressed not only by the magic but also by the genuine sense of community Spencer and Nicole create during the few hours you spend inside the bar.

I love this place. I've been twice. Once as an invite Elite Yelper and another time as still in…read moreAhhh fan. The show never disappoints. The theater is cool and the decorations are all so interesting. I love the history of the family and how he continues on. It's a two person run show, husband and wife. The wife is an awesome bartender. They have a fantastic drink menu but I always order the same thing no matter how much I say I want to try something different. She makes a salted caramel espresso martini that is out of this world. I'm so addicted. They do not serve food but you can bring in outside food to enjoy up until the show starts. Everyone gets involved in the show. I think that's my favorite part. I got pulled up front and was truly amazed by what he did. I mean how does he know?? Treat yourself to this local in plan sight hidden gem. You will not be disappointed but you will be bewildered.

The gang

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A DIY magic trick that left us all wowed

OctoBar

4.4(73 reviews)

0.2 mi•SBIC

We recently hosted an office gathering of about 15 people at Octobar, and everything was…read moreoutstanding from start to finish. The food was exceptional. Our favorites included the salad, roasted carrots, tuna steak, chicken kebabs, and tacos. Every dish was beautifully presented and full of flavor. The desserts were equally impressive, plated beautifully and absolutely delicious. The staff was attentive, accommodating, and provided excellent service throughout the evening. They made sure everyone was taken care of and helped create a wonderful dining experience for our team. If you're looking for great tapas, creative dishes, excellent cocktails, and attentive service, Octobar is definitely worth a visit. We look forward to coming back!

Came here for Baltimore Restaurant week during brunch for the $25 bottomless buffet special. Its…read moreusually hard to get a breakfast buffet wrong but unfortunately this buffet experience was lackluster. They offered a variety of items: deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, chicken and waffles, beef and chorizo quesadillas, sausage, home fries, and French toast. They advertised fruit salad on the menu but they didn't have it out on the day we went. For starters, the food was lukewarm. Everything could have tasted so much better if it was warm. Even when they would refill the pans, everything was still not warm enough. The restaurant was not packed but they were slow to refill for the parties that were there. When we tried to go back for a second plate, most of the items weren't replenished and the line was getting longer. It was so bad that one group asked to pay for their drinks and leave because they weren't able to get any food. My option of each item: Deviled eggs- yolk mixture was on the drier side and bland Scrambled eggs- they were ok. Just needed to be warm Chicken and waffles- it was giving "chicken tender on eggo waffle" chicken was better than the bland waffle. It also didn't help that the syrup they had was cold and thick. It made the waffle (and French toast) colder and hard to swallow. French toast- the first batch was (with the exception of being cold) perfectly cooked and dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The refill batches were so burnt and hard to chew and they didn't bother putting powdered sugar on them. Again, the cold syrup didn't help. Beef and chorizo quesadillas- they may have been a crowd favorite because getting a second serving was hard because they kept going quickly and took a while to replenish. They just needed to be warmer and served with sour cream. Home fries- great with the peppers and onions. Just need to be warmer. Sausage- my least favorite thing because it didn't taste like Sausage. It was very dry. Sadly, the food was a epic fail. This may be a great place for cocktails because the bartender mixed our margaritas perfectly. They had a Build Your Own Margarita menu with many different flavor options. I opted for the watermelon margarita with a Tajin rim. Delicious! My friend had a pineapple mango margarita with sugar rim and he was impressed also. The drinks earned them an extra star because otherwise, I think the food and the slow refilling of the buffet earned it 2 stars.

Upstairs

Shrimp, chicken and mushroom tacos.

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Watermelon crush

NOLA Seafood & Spirits

3.7(241 reviews)

We stopped into NOLA Seafood and Spirits in Fed Hill on a Saturday evening for some delicious…read moretakeout. In the past we've had a Gimlet here, so we asked and they made us one while we waited, even though it wasn't featured on their online menu. Basically it's a pleasant gin with bright lime juice and probably simple syrup. Very refreshing, and served chilled with a slice of lime in an intricately-etched Nick & Nora coupe. I ordered a freshly-fried $16 Catfish Po' Boy, with lettuce and tomato and a little very lightly-spicy mayo-butter sauce on fresh French Bread. It's a generous enough sandwich that I ate it in two goes, and that bread really crisped-up beautifully flakey! Because we cannot resist, we also got an order of fresh-made deep-fried beignets, little randomly-shaped crispy pastry-dough treats in a sneezeable amount of powdered sugar. It came with chocolate dipping sauce, which was a fun addition. The food and drink were delightful, as were the staff.

I decided to come out to Nola's to start my Thursday evening because this is the place that I…read moretypically frequent. Upon arriving, we asked to sit in outside/inside area and we were sat by the hostess. When we went to ask for drinks from the person who sat us, she informed us that she was not a waitress, and then our waitress would be coming soon. After quite some time, our waitress approach the table with quite an attitude asking for our order. We ordered RAW oysters, lemonade, and a lemon crusher. After about 10 minutes, we received our raw oysters which we consumed and about five minutes later, we received our food which consisted of mozzarella sticks and a catfish entrée. We begin eating our entrées and still had not received our drinks. I made my way to the bar and let one of the bartenders know that we had ordered a drink and not received it. She passed that message along to our waitress, and I was on the way to the bathroom when I saw the interaction. Our waitress seemed to be not at all interested in what the hostess had to say in pertains to our drink. I proceeded to sit at the bar and wait for our drink as I watched her take shots with other patrons in the establishment. I then went to the bathroom and returned to my table and two minutes later, she arrived with my very much watered down, lemon crusher. When we asked her for the receipt and told her that we didn't receive particular items, she rang us up and slammed the tablet onto the table. When we expressed this to the manager, we were offered free shots and while I do recommend this restaurant I would recommend it during hours when they have more staff.

Red sangria

Chicken wings

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The whisky drink was tasty

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Becky S.

318

13

1

7 years ago

Love this place! Came over the weekend and had the Smoked Salmon Donut and it was sooooo good! I hope they never take it off the menu because it's my new go-to for breakfast/ brunch! read more

Jack S.

0

2

0

2 years ago

The food was fast and tasted incredible. Mandy and Courtney were some of the best bartenders I have encountered in Baltimore. Great draft beer selection and awesome environment! read more

Latica L.

3

10

0

5 years ago

Food and drinks are delicious. Great menu with lots of variety. Have lots of specials. Great happy hour

Gary C.

0

2

0

1 year ago

Jenna and Jordan were great and we will definitely be back to see them!!! AJ's was amazing read more

Julie M.

0

1

0

7 years ago

The food was okay. The waiter was horrible. Rude, aggressive, and inattentive.

AJ’s on Hanover - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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It is a beautiful restaurant. It is also small. There is outdoor seating…read more I was told to go after 9PM, so then you can enjoy their cocktail program. The cocktails were good. You could probably not go wrong with any of the cocktails that they served, and I think that alone is worth trying this place. On Saturdays, it appears that they are open until 1AM for drinks. This is not really communicated outside of a circle on a menu, and I do not know this as a fact. Service is a little suspect. The hostess was able to seat two of us within 10 minutes, but then, no one checked on us for 15 minutes. There was a server working the tables around us, but they did not check in with us whatsoever. The hostess ended up doubling as the server, even though there was a server for the other tables. The hostess did not know the menu inside and out, and things had to be pointed out on the menu. Also, there was some misinformation. Some people were ordering food, while we were not allowed to order food. Why were some people able to get entrees, fries, and dessert after we were seated and had been waiting for 15 minutes? Someone got more fries after we were told we could not order food. We were also told that the reason why we were kept waiting was because there was something that happened outside of our view. Meanwhile, the server for the tables on either side of us kept coming out with water and taking more orders for those tables. That server even gave one patron a new drink since the one she ordered was not to her liking. This all happened while we waited, and we almost got up and left after 15 minutes. Two cocktails took one hour.

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Came here for Baltimore Restaurant week during brunch for the $25 bottomless buffet special. Its…read moreusually hard to get a breakfast buffet wrong but unfortunately this buffet experience was lackluster. They offered a variety of items: deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, chicken and waffles, beef and chorizo quesadillas, sausage, home fries, and French toast. They advertised fruit salad on the menu but they didn't have it out on the day we went. For starters, the food was lukewarm. Everything could have tasted so much better if it was warm. Even when they would refill the pans, everything was still not warm enough. The restaurant was not packed but they were slow to refill for the parties that were there. When we tried to go back for a second plate, most of the items weren't replenished and the line was getting longer. It was so bad that one group asked to pay for their drinks and leave because they weren't able to get any food. My option of each item: Deviled eggs- yolk mixture was on the drier side and bland Scrambled eggs- they were ok. Just needed to be warm Chicken and waffles- it was giving "chicken tender on eggo waffle" chicken was better than the bland waffle. It also didn't help that the syrup they had was cold and thick. It made the waffle (and French toast) colder and hard to swallow. French toast- the first batch was (with the exception of being cold) perfectly cooked and dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The refill batches were so burnt and hard to chew and they didn't bother putting powdered sugar on them. Again, the cold syrup didn't help. Beef and chorizo quesadillas- they may have been a crowd favorite because getting a second serving was hard because they kept going quickly and took a while to replenish. They just needed to be warmer and served with sour cream. Home fries- great with the peppers and onions. Just need to be warmer. Sausage- my least favorite thing because it didn't taste like Sausage. It was very dry. Sadly, the food was a epic fail. This may be a great place for cocktails because the bartender mixed our margaritas perfectly. They had a Build Your Own Margarita menu with many different flavor options. I opted for the watermelon margarita with a Tajin rim. Delicious! My friend had a pineapple mango margarita with sugar rim and he was impressed also. The drinks earned them an extra star because otherwise, I think the food and the slow refilling of the buffet earned it 2 stars.

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