I want to start off by saying, the majority of my many times here have been very enjoyable. My co-workers and I frequent this place often (even during Covid). The food is great and the staff has mostly been enjoyable. I have even met Mr. Lee on multiple occasions (great guy). After last nights experience, I will not be going back again unless something is done. Our waitress Chawna has no business working in a service industry. My many co-workers and I who are all professionals have never seen a waitstaff speak to customers the way she did. Our friend who speaks many languages and of which English is not his first, but he speaks it excellently has asked a simple question. How Chawna answered was boarder line racist. There was some miscommunication around the number of people allowed at one table. Her tone was extremely rude and as she insisted to ask our friend "if he even spoke English" and berated him like a child. She multiple times in a harsh tone insisted that he didn't understand what she was saying. Our friend is a professional with advanced degrees and in no way deserved to be spoken to like that (no one does!). There was no room for questions, she didn't care to explain further, she at one point said "there is the exist, feel free to leave", rather than simply answering any questions. We as a group live and work in this area and love to support local businesses, especially during these hard times. It is was unanimous within our group that we will take our frequent business elsewhere. Mr. Lee, if I were a business owner and I had a frequent and happy customer feel this way, I would want to know. This is a courtesy, because I believe this is not the manor in which you want to run your business. I would love to come back if this situation was dealt with properly. UPDATE: Brooke - I found your response completely insufficient and lacking any type of accountability. You are missing the point completely. This has nothing to do with the number of people seated at a table. This has to do with the way your employees (and by your response, management) treat guests as nothing more than second class citizens. A member of our party left shortly after this situation happened and called the restaurant. Chawna answered the phone and refused to talk about the situation and hung up. I am just as upset/disappointed with "managements" response to this. We will not be back to this establishment. I also strongly encourage you to examine your values as an organization. read more

Okay, I work there, so this may come off as very biased, but its NOT! Leelynn's is definitely the hidden gem of Ellicott City/Baltimore. My roomate found this place for us off of craigs (for job openings) otherwise I would've never known the greatest mac n cheese known to man. And what a sad (wo)man I would've been. But yes, the mac n cheese (with tasso ham) is EXTRAORDINARY. There has been one time where it wasn't up to my standards, but for the most part its perfectly cooked and gooey. The ham and pepper jack is such a unique blend of flavors. I really cannot describe the kind of orgasm my mouth experiences when I eat this. It's a huge portion, too! GET IT! They have some of the tastiest and favorite food I've ever had in my life. I've tried a couple of things from there, but I definitely recc: quesadillas (best I've ever had and I hate tomatoes, but I devour these things like it's my job), blackened chicken wrap, smoked gouda mashed potatoes. chicken and proscuitto pannini (LUNCH ONLY..one of the best sandwiches I've ever had), and their bbq salmon (although, the execution could be more inspired, still yummy). It's a tiny little restaurant, but it's intimate and has outdoor seating which gets really popular during kind seasons. I love eating here and I love working here!!! read more

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Expensive for what you bet. Service was good. Burger was excellent. They were still adjusting to post pandemic life, it it showed somewhat.

Decided to meet my boyfriend for a drink before we took his sister to dinner in Columbia. This place sounded nice and reasonable. The door is really hard to find if you're walking from the parking lot. I was confused but someone at an outside table pointed me in the right direction. I was seated at the bar by a female greeter that clearly did not want to be there. I grabbed the corner seat knowing my boyfriend was coming, plus there were either people sitting or staking their claim on most other seats. I ordered a margarita just before happy hour ended. It was very good. While I sat and waited another man sat with me and we got chatting, as he was waiting on his friend as well. A few minutes later my boyfriend arrived and grabbed the seat to my left. Our new friend stepped to the restroom. His drink was in plain view and everything, however the hostess told this couple that that seat as well as the one next to it were open. I ended up standing in order for this guy to have a seat when he came back. The attention to detail was lacking but I guess she didn't care. The place was a lot louder than I expected. There was a guy on the guitar, the bartenders were too busy meaning they needed help, it was eclectic for sure. It wasn't what I was looking for originally but it did the trick. It was near impossible to get the bartenders' attention to order another drink or get the check. We get the check and they put our tab together with the tab of the guy and his friend. It took almost 15 minutes to get their attention and get it sorted out. The menu looked good, with a lot of gluten free options, and the drink was good but I think the service could be better. read more

Leelynn's - On tap - Lounges Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Don't judge a book by its cover, when you first roll up here the only thing you see is Allview Liquors LOL! Sharing the building is a nice bar/restaurant with a large outdoor patio. Expect food much better than pub grub. LeeLynn's offer some fine beers on tap including Maryland's Flying Dog and Delaware's Dogfish Head 60min IPA, but $6.50 for a pint wasn't cheap. Full bar, and on Wednesday evenings all bottles of wine are half price. I highly recommend the house-made potato chips! Five bucks gets you a large basket of rosemary scented fresh hot chips with a side of chipotle mayo, so yummy salty delish with the beer. Ok I confess I have a thing for potato chips, but never mind me. LeeLynn does indeed specialize in last year's trend of small plates, altho I found them not especially small nor especially cheap at $10ish each. I made a meal of two small-plate weekly specials: fried oysters on a fruit/veg relish, and a pappardelle pasta with summer squash, sausage and goat cheese. Both were excellent, this was gourmet food served in a bar, not some old pub grub. My dining companion had the LeeLynn salad, a huge bowl (not even remotely a small plate :) of mesclun, peppers, beans, corn, tomato and onion with cheese and blackened chicken on top, a meal in itself and quite a bargain at $13. Our waiter wasn't memorable in a good or bad way, just OK. If you can manage it, visit during happy hour (for half-price beer) on a not-so-humid day (for a table outside). read more

Leelynn's - Bar and lounge - Lounges Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Update - I'm not sure if we've just been hitting them on good nights during the pandemic or what, but they've become much more dependable since my last review. We pretty much stick with the same items and they've been consistently good - kids mac & cheese (so good!), chicken quesadilla, side of chips (extra dip/dressing!), and the Leelynns burger. Since I'm pregnant, I miss their cocktails - which have also been consistently good! I can't give 5 stars though because our friends were unimpressed with their to-go burger order. read more

They have the best crabdip I've had west of Annapolis; their sweet potato fries are to die for, and they take gluten-free seriously. Unfortunately, they don't take covid too seriously. We were there today, and our waitress wore one of those gaiter masks most doctors offices now ban for offering almost no protection. The bathroom had no hand sanitizer; the pump on the liquid soap didn't even work. You had to open the top on the soap and pour it into your hand. When I poked my head into the kitchen to get my check, two of the three people I saw in the very small hallway were wearing their masks on their chins. The third person, whom I assume was the manager, wasn't wearing a mask at all. The three were standing less than three feet apart. When the manager spoke with me, he didn't practice social distancing (and wore no mask) and simply stepped forward when I backed away. The people eating there also weren't taking covid seriously. There was room to stand six feet apart at the entrance, but no one did; and no staff member appeared to ask anyone too. My husband and I are high-risk. We won't be going back until this is all over. I expect that, sadly by that time, a few people on staff there will have fallen ill, perhaps gravely so. If you've had covid and are immune, do try the sweet-potato fries. Otherwise, go someplace safer. read more

This place was a bit hard to find but once we got there it was pretty tasty and I am not sure if that is only because we had a pitcher of Sangria before our meals! All I can remember is that the homemade chips were pretty dang tasty and we also dined with two young ladies (3 and 5) and there were enough options for them as well so I would say we may go back. Love that they had an outdoor option as well! read more

Left church hungry for some "real food" (no Outback or Friday's, ya know?) and Yelp came to the rescue! The pictures looked legit so we gave it a whirl. I don't know why this place doesn't have five stars. First off, don't let the location or exterior throw you. Once you walk in, the outdoor patio is awesome! Next, the food was amazing. The crab cake was super lumpy and full of flavor. The cream of crab soup was just as delicious. Our server was friendly and attentive. We'll probably be back every Sunday! read more

Leelynn's - Half soup/salad. The most delicious cream of crab. Greens, goat cheese, cranberries, candied nuts, add-on blackened shrimp. - Lounges Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Sat down for lunch outside, by a highway, and they started blowing the leaves right next to the tables!! Hurt my 90 year old Dads ears. Then they got upset when asked to stop. Can't even focus on the food!! read more

I enjoy Leelynn's. The atmosphere is casual but nice, and the menu has some good offerings and is reasonably priced.There aren't a lot of vegetarian selections, but otherwise, I tend to enjoy their sandwich selections most of all. The crab cake entrée or sandwich and chicken pasta are good too. Service is generally attentive and I've enjoyed my experiences here. read more

Leelynn's - Lounges Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Well, I was very excited to try this place as I saw it had very good reviews on Yelp. Unfortunately, this was my first and last experience. I went for the crab soup mainly. I thought it was ok, not the best I've had. Too spicy and not enough lump crabmeat. Anyway, I also ordered a small chicken quesadilla. I couldn't eat it since the soup was large. I took one bite and asked for a to go container. When I was placing my food in the to go box, I pushed the pico de gallo aside only to find a bug, dead and upside down on my plate. I asked for my check to be corrected since I was it going to pay for something I wouldn't consume. I would recommend the place. Swim at your own risk- you are bound to go wrong with this one. Hi Brooke, This was June 21. Thank you. read more

Leelanau continues their welll-deserved 5 star status with an excellent diverse menu and reasonable prices. Everything is delicious. You can count on it. read more

Beautiful restaurant, amazing service, the best cream of crab soup around! Went there for curbside pickup during covid and they were very organized. One of my favorite restaurants around! read more

Great seasonal food at a price that doesn't break the bank. In an area that has so many international options, its refreshing to find a restaurant like Leelyns that serves QUALITY American food. Most places in this area, that are worth going anyway, seem to be foreign cuisine. Not to say they aren't great too, but its always a gamble trying something new. At leelyns however this is not the case. The menu options here are familiar with a modern twist. read more

I'll preface this review with: I like dive bars, local relaxed genuine atmospheres, good music, interesting food and people watching. This place fits my bill, minus the music part. It has: Outdoor seating. Cozy bar, friendly bartenders. Good food, broad menu. Great seafood selection. Eclectic atmosphere. I'll definitely be back. Parking was questionable. Prices are reasonable. read more

Leelynn's - Shrimp and grits were amazing. - Lounges Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

I have lived around here for several years but never stopped by Leelynn until last night. I like the entrance stucco into the patio area. It reminds me of a restaurant in Napa Valley with grape vine draping the cover sans vineyard view. The patio area was nice but we got the table inside. I like the idea of sharing small plates tapas style with my family so we can try several things without overeating. We enjoy the fried calamari and shrimp and crab tostadas. I am disappointed with fish taco. The fish was too dry. The green paste on top is not so appetizing. I expect more vegetable and pico de gallo. The Creme brûlée is the best. I wish they offer a more selection of wine and serve it in a nice glass like my fav iron bridge down the road. I like the jazz music. It is a nice place to come after a round of golf at Fairway hills or Hobbit's Glenn golf courses. read more

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They use can crab meat and sell you a $40 crab cake ... disgusting

Was placed on hold for almost 15 min and then told they could not complete my order in 20 min which wasn't acceptable for my schedule. Called ahead to make sure I could get to my destination in time but had to make other arrangements read more

Great place to go and sit outdoors. Food is great. Love Sunday brunch! Nice happy hour menu. Dinner was so well prepared. Best crab cakes! Our server on all occasions were personable, friendly yet not intrusive. It has become our "go to" spot! read more

Happy hour drink specials were great, wish there was more food options, the Crab Cake is awesome, Crab soup and dip was just average but not bad, service was good as always, great atmosphere and reasonably priced read more

Leelynn's - Crab Dip - Lounges Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Remember that scene in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" where he steps off the cliff with his eyes closed in order to find the secret bridge? You pretty much have to do that to find this place. Leelynn's is the very definition of "hidden gem". It was a nice day so we did a search for "outdoor seating in Columbia area" and this was the only place we had never heard of. It can't be seen from the street at all, and GPS takes you to a liquor store in the parking lot of a business park and that seems to be all that is there. But if you have faith and just walk around the liquor store towards the trees, you will discover a lovely café hidden away. The trees, vines, plants, stonework, and phony pillars all add to the air of an Italian villa of sorts and just makes for an absolutely gorgeous area. It is right next to Rt. 108, so you will have a steady stream of white noise from the traffic, but at least the restaurant is completely hidden from view of the road. The food is really good there. We shared a Braised Rib Quesadilla which came with a fantastic dipping sauce. I enjoyed my swordfish catch of the day, while my wife really liked her salmon, even though she ordered it medium rare and it came well done it was still a great piece of fish. The menu is full of hidden gems like that. Standard fare is mixed in with really good dishes prepared in interesting ways. They have a rather pedestrian winelist by the glass, but they have several interesting finds by the bottle. The inside dining room is as pretty as the outside, but they also have a bar area complete with happy hour and lottery machine. With their great draft selection, there is really something for everyone here. When we left, we accused our local friends from keeping this place from us so they could have it to themselves. I can see why they would. read more

My partner and I were visiting from out of town and Leelynn's happened to be the closet place to us. It was conveniently a block away and boy did we luck out. I got the ahi tuna which was cooked and seasoned to perfection, the seaweed was tasty, and the pickled ginger was.... well it was pickled ginger. My date just got a hamburger but just like the ahi was perfectly cooked to temp. We got take out due to the pandemic and we were even able to pickup a bottle of wine curbside. You can't find that in my home state! Thank you Leelynn's! read more

Love this hidden away gem! They have a beautiful patio to eat outside, nice dining room and bar if you prefer inside. Their chicken quesadillas are excellent. I've driven out of my way for them! Their chipotle ranch sauce with them is delicious !! Shrimp salad is great and they have a wide variety of salads to choose from. Twin chicken breasts with basil risotto is excellent! You can't go wrong here. read more

Went their recently with a friend. The ham sandwich was OK, not great. We were at a safe distance from other tables but the waiter insisted that we share one menu (during Covid). My friend had brought hand-sanitizer, so she saved the day. I hope they change and offer Xerox throw-away menus. I would also have appreciated a paper placemat to know that things were clean from Covid. read more

We had lunch at Leelynn's and I'm glad we had reservations. All the tables outside and inside were full. The food was great and the crab cakes were the best I've had in Maryland. The owner Lee is so nice and stopped over to say hello. read more

Have eaten in restaurant and more recently used door dash on the regular. The recent trend is forgetting items and blaming others. We called and wasted our time with no resolution. Twice in a row a salad where the protein is forgotten which means one person has no meal. Not acceptable. In the good ole days of actual customer service a manager would've brought the missing items to our house. Nope. Had to fight to ask them to credit the DoorDash items. They should've credited the entire meal. Also accusing us of being angry because we are hungry is dismissive. We were calm. We were professional. We expect the items we order to be actually delivered as order. The trend is wrong as quality is going down. Also the issue with delivery services is ownership. If the order is wrong, whose fault is it? I say the restaurants for not packing the order properly. DD crediting is isn't a fix, it's a bandaid. Meanwhile folks missed their meal. Oh well. Not the restaurants problem. Will buy elsewhere. What a shame. read more

So disappointed. Went last night with work friends who had never been and was excited to have them try it. Hostess was lovely. Went to bar to wait until table was ready. Good service in bar. Once we moved to dinning room it all went downhill. Service was awful. Each of our four meals arrived separately so one of us had to wait for the other three to be served while his food got cold. My entree salad arrived third. By then I was pretty hungry but my salad had a LIVE BUG in it. I returned it. Ordered some soup which I thought would be quick. Wrong, I had to wait at least 15 minutes with the fourth member of our party. Waitress did not check back, had to ask several times about order, water etc. Overall a very disappointing experience, poor service, bug in food. Also disappointed that manager couldn't be bothered to stop at table after bug incident. Will likely take my business elsewhere in the future read more

After enjoying the food, creative menu and atmosphere for quite a few meals, tonight's evening was a series of disappointment witj service problems. We were seated by hostess with menus. After 15-20 minutes, we interrupted a waiter to advise of our situation. The hostess appeared asking to get us drinks. We ordered water and a glass of wine. There was not an offer for a complimentary glass of wine or anything. She only brought waters, no wine. Our entrees were received. My husband asked for a large spoon. After awhile, he got up to get one himself. The waiter barely beat the waiter back to our table with a spoon. I accidentally spilled my glass of wine. The waiter did not seem to notice our drenched napkins until we asked for replacements. The table was not wiped down. There was not an offer to replace my wine as a courtesy. The food was just ok. It was not worth the price. read more

We enjoyed a great lunch yesterday--perfect burgers and tasty chips. But, more importantly, we were impressed with the manager who was friendly and helpful. The owners are fortunate to have this fine young man working for them. read more

My husband had called and made a reservation for 4 and requested a table; not a booth. We arrived and I told the hostess our name and that we had a reservation for 4. She took us to the dining room and to a booth. We were not off to a good start. I had to ask to change to a table. Karen, our server, salvaged the lunch for us. She was welcoming, friendly and attentive. Our friends arrived, and we ordered. The guys started off with a cup of the Cream of Crab soup - that was very creamy and loaded with lump crabmeat and sprinkles of Old Bay. Two of us enjoyed the Leelynn's Burger - an 8oz, fire-grilled burger, Applewood smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato and crispy onion straws on a Kaiser roll. My husband enjoyed a Shack's Burger - an 8oz, fire-grilled burger with lettuce, tomato, Cheddar cheese on a Kaiser roll. The last sandwich was a Big Kid Grilled Cheese with brie, white cheddar, and apples with sweet & spicy mustard on 12 grain bread. All of the sandwiches came with house made chips - an interesting combination of herbs, coarse salt seasoning and chipotle ranch seasoning. read more

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I'm amazed how consistent Leelynns manages to be even in these times. Staffing, food prices, the pandemic all seem to be conspiring against restaurants and small businesses. Our party of 7 arrived at different times, but even though we trickled in our server took great care of each guest as they arrived. The food is always fabulous. My sons have long since left the nest, but they still request a meal at leelynns whenever they're in town. We had the tuna, salads, soup of the day, and sonme apps. The only dish that didn't get rave reviews was the veg tempura. Our server was happy to accommodate our large party by splitting the bill 7 ways. Sitting on the patio in beautiful weather was so nice. Thank you Leelynns for thriving after the pandemic. You provide the best place for friends to meet. read more

This place is top notch . Great quality staff inside and out and well cooked healthy food

Decent salad for dinner... Haven't tried anything else. It'd be nice to have more vegetarian options.

I ate delicious macaroni and cheese at LeeLyn's Dining Room in Ellicott City, but I wish that I had had something more. There is nothing more exciting or ephemeral than the trend of "small plate" restaurants. They're not just for tapas anymore, and little dishes -- with smaller prices and the chance for imagination, simplicity or surprise -- invite you to make your own magic dinner. LeeLyn's offers itself up as our local upscale "small plate" joint, and we started strong with mac and cheese was really delicious. Creamy and thick without grease. That's fun eating, but the magic never picked up again. We ate the crab dip. The pretzel bread was interesting. But we didn't finish the salad -- something that got lost when the greens acquired the Latin touch of corn, onions and beans, the almost-Asian topping of almost-crisp noodles (tortilla strips?), and a drench of creamy dressing. I had sat down with high hopes and really wanted to order something more. But we were $30 invested already, and Mrs. HowChow pointed out that the menu wasn't "small plates." It was appetizers. Good appetizers, maybe. But nothing more than wings, crab dip, tuna, tempura vegetables, and on. I almost split a crab cake because other folks seemed to be enjoying the special. Instead, we sat back and realized that no one goes home hungry after mac and cheese and crab dip. We paid and left. Some people really like LeeLyn's, which other Yelpers love and which made BillZ's well-reasoned "Nearly Best" list in the Live in Howard blog. But I have been to Woodberry Kitchen. Everyone can't match that place, but the "small plate" magic comes from freedom. If I'm picking a bunch of plates, the kitchen is free to offer dishes that are simple or seasonal or electrically unique. A roasted pear with salt and honey. A flat bread with blue cheese and mustard cream. I smile just writing out the names. Iron Bridge Wine Company pulls off that imagination. My wife still talks about a "burger, fries and shake" of bite-sized meat and the perfect burst of strawberry. LeeLyn's doesn't charge any less than Woodberry or Iron Bridge, and it serves up some good food like the salad's chicken topping -- somehow blackened, still juicy, and sliced beautifully thin. I'm just not sure why the menu had a dozen pub favorites, but nothing seasonal and nothing that I hadn't eaten somewhere else. Take my disappointment in context. I'm disappointed, in part, because LeeLyn's offers itself up as special and because it's a charming place with some cozy spots and a patio. There is an opportunity for places to serve small plates that aren't a huge investment. Creating an imaginative menu is certainly beyond my skills, but I hope that someone will come along and give it a try. read more

I don't dislike this restaurant but I don't love it either. I normally come here to meet and catch up with old co-workers. I love the unique menu and though I am not a picky eater I do know a few people who are and they don't offer anything on the menu for those kinds of people. They had a buffalo chicken salad that I fell in love with but the next time I went they said it was only a one time item. I understand that happens but I hate it was a restaurant does a special once in a blue moon and then you fall in love with it...oh well, I'll just have to hope it's back again the next time I meet up there. If it wasn't for my group, I don't think I would have picked this restaurant on my own. I enjoy the dishes but not enough that makes me want to come back. The staff is a little rude and non-existent at times. It took us 35 minutes one night to get our check after we had asked for it twice. read more

They have an excellent menu choices for lunch. The fish taco, hamburger and chicken wrap were very hot and tasty. We got the outdoor seating we requested. The service was wonderful! read more

Cuts corners, feeds you frozen & overpriced. Truly a disappointment. I started my meal off with their crab soup - lacking any depth, a bag of frozen veggies, the juice of canned tomatoes, the barest hint of spice and not Old Bay, topped with a clump of appealing, lump crabmeat; the star of this appetizer. Pork Schnitzel, at $11, arrived as three (varying in size, from small to smaller) barely there thin slices of a fried hard, crusted pork, served atop mushy, sickening sweet cabbage and tiny bits of apple. At about this time, I was thinking that a McDonald's cheese burger would taste real good right now. The homemade chips on the hubby's plate, were hard, crunchy& tasteless, curvy cardboard chips. This meal left me feeling gipped. read more

Best burger I've had from Ohio to Maryland to Georgia to Alabama etc. Sauteed mushrooms and onions and swiss cheese on the burger. Homemade chips and dip outstanding. Also had the hummus with pita and red peppers delicious! Service with a smile! Definitely make the trip back!! read more

Came for dinner with friends (they love the place), and they introduced us to this little place shoved into a random corner in ecity. Our friends ordered for us, since they were familiar with the menu, but it ended up being a very very rich/heavy meal. mac&cheese - fantastic. the chips... yummy. the crab dip - standard but good. the beef was ok, as was the tuna. nothing incredibly memorable, but good. great wine list, and we picked a great argentinian wine. the ambience was great, and the waitress knew exactly how much to interact with us. we ended up spending 3 hours talking and eating and drinking, and i never felt like we were waiting for the waitress, but she was always there when we needed her. I kept my expectations pretty low coming in after reading the reviews, but besides everything being way too heavy, i left very satisfied. 3 for food, +1 for ambience and service. read more