Joshua K.

My wife and I recently went to Wye Oak Tavern for a weekend dinner with high hopes for a delicious dinner, but were very disappointed. We received fantastic service from start to finish, from being seated right at our reservation time to our server answering our dietary needs questions to our dishes coming out in a timely and well-paced manner. Wye Oak's ambiance being set in a former church/religious institution is unique, providing an interesting ambiance. However, the food left much to be desired. While the presentation on every dish ranged from good to amazing, out of the seven dishes we shared only 1.5 of them were delicious. Some of the dishes were bland and one note; others were overcooked or overseasoned. We shared the following dishes: Coddies: While the cod was perfectly cooked and breaded, it had no flavor. The cauliflower tartar sauce added nothing to the dish; the cauliflower giardiniera at least added some nice crunch and acid. Savory Parmesan Cheesecake: The cheesecake had no flavor; the acid and freshness of the cherry tomatoes of the arugula pesto could not elevate or salvage this dish. Cheese Ravioli: By far the best dish of the evening. The ravioli tasted fresh, were nicely cooked, and the cheeses and sauce were delicious. Smoked Beet Pastrami: The beets were well-cooked and fantastically seasoned, complemented perfectly by the dressing. However, there needed to be more beets and a better beet-to-funnel cake ratio; while the funnel cake added some nice crunch, there was way too much of it and did not do much for the dish. Brussels Sprouts: Well-seasoned, although very greasy and overcooked. Broccoli di Ciccio: Perfectly cooked, but very salty. It did have good heat. House Rolls with butter: Warm and fine, but nothing distinct. I would try elsewhere if you are looking to dine out in Frederick, especially given Wye Oak Tavern's prices.

Ryan V.

My girlfriend and I made a 6:30 reservation for the main dining room floor. We were promptly seated after walking into the hotel. The main dining room is absolutely gorgeous with the stonework and architecture. The bar area was very busy as we were on the tail end of their happy hour. Our server walked us through the menu. We started with the ravioli appetizer. It had shaved truffles on top and egg yolk covered in Parmesan cheese. They almost had a little crunch to them and the inside was filled with ricotta cheese. The sides are à la carte as is most of the menu. I ordered the tavern burger. It came with beef fat glaze among other spreads and was very well seasoned. The side of beef fat fries were also well seasoned and crispy. The best dish was the pot roast. It was so tender and the gravy was so flavorful. This paired perfect with their creamy mashed potatoes. The service was decent but the food and atmosphere was absolutely amazing. They have a huge variety of cocktails and wine. It's a bit more formal Dining. It doesn't require a jacket or anything.

Meghan W.

Wye Oak Tavern is a lovely new restaurant from chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio located in the Visitation Hotel in downtown Frederick. The dark wood furniture, cream walls and low lighting give the restaurant and warm and cozy feel. You can still see remnants of the venue's former life as a church in the pipe organ in the balcony and the stained glass windows at the bar. Even some of the seating looks like pews. The service is excellent. The staff is very attentive and willing to answer all of your questions. I was happy with my food selections. Everything arrived relatively quickly and was very flavorful. Like all Voltaggio restaurants, the drink menu is extensive with a wide array of wines, beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic mocktails. You can easily find inexpensive parking in the nearby parking garage on Church Street. I strongly encourage making reservations since the restaurant is new and popular. If you don't make reservations, you can hang out in the bar and small lounge areas while you wait for a table. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Wye Oak Tavern and look forward to visiting again soon!

Vikki V.

The restaurant has been beautifully repurposed from a 19th-century Catholic convent and girls' school chapel, and the atmosphere is unmatched. The culinary experience completely lived up to the ambiance. We tried the cocktail recommendations from Chaz, and he hit it out of the park. What really sets this place apart is the team. Chaz was incredibly attentive, knowledgeable, and accommodating throughout our meal. A special shout-out to Joe, the GM, who went out of his way to show us true hospitality and make us feel welcome. We are visiting from Nashville for the first time, and my twin sister lives here locally. She is a loyal patron of Wye Oak Tavern, and after tonight, we completely understand why this is her go-to spot. We cannot wait to return the next time we are in town! Follow me on Instagram - @thecannyadventurist for a deeper dive into my reviews.

Jon S.

Overall this was a fun experience! They have valet parking but street and garage parking is readily available and cheaper than valet. The place is HUGE (a converted church) and it's attached to a hotel but there's signs all over to help you find the dining space! The interior is beautiful, they kept a decent amount of the church aspects that make the place still historic but functional for a restaurant. I wasn't sure if there was a kids menu (couldn't find it on-line or other photos, so I posted one up for y'all). The kids menu has a good section and good price for what you get! Kids loved the Mac and cheese (made from scratch and real cheese) and the kids burgers were good! Let's start off by what was good, the fries! Wow the beef fat fries were great, good crunch and flavor just not enough!!! Wish the portions were larger for something as small and cheap like fries! But 5/5! The crab cake was so good! I wish that there was more than one for the price but wow, the sauce and the crab were fantastic, nice sear on the top and didn't skimp on the crab meat!! 5/5 just wish it came with two as most places do. The bone-in pork chop was....okay, probably wouldn't order again tbh. - little tough, decent flavor but a tad on the salty side. 3/5 The prime rib. Man I really wanted to like this a bit more. I had asked the server if I could get it seasoned and seared but she didn't understand my question and only explained about how a prime rib is cooked (which I know and not a newb...but alas) I tried to explain what I meant but she didn't get it. Unfortunately, my ribeye cut had very small rib cap to it (honestly that's the best part of the ribeye so I kind of missed out on the tastiest part) it's an 80/20 cut with the 20% fat. The ribeye was good not the best I've had but good....could be better3.5/5 Overall, good with the kids and was accommodating for our kids allergies. The server was a bit lacking and slow (couldn't find her most of the time). Half of our food was just okay but others amazing, still willing to go back and try more dishes. Just not the pork chop or prime rib

Maitina M.

I swear, we kept saying "it's so good" every time we took a bite of our meals to include the desserts. Service was top notch, the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and the food was A++. This was a former Catholic Church that has since been converted to a restaurant. The altar and the original organ remain in place. Chef Bryan Voltaggio truly shows his passion for food and service at The Visitation.

Emily W.

Wye Oak is a relatively new steakhouse from Bryan Voltaggio inside the Visitation Hotel in Frederick. You can entire from the front on East Second street or the back at the hotel entrance off of Church Street. They do have valet parking which is off the Church St entrance but there is also street parking and garages nearby. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, with stained glass windows and an old organ upstairs. The service is excellent - the drinks are well made, even basic drinks like a margarita or mojito. The appetizers and fun and inventive and delicious. The chicken liver pate is my favorite thus far - served in the shape of a chicken leg with waffles and topped with a bacon jam. Each element compliments the others and it is an excellent bite. The shrimp and grits cocktail is also excellent, with large shrimp and a play on shrimp toast made with grits. The steaks are each served with your choice of sauce as well as a popover. The tiger sauce is excellent as well as the chimichurri and brown butter béarnaise. The swordfish picatta was a stunner as well. For desserts, the lemon meringue dish was incredible as well as the cheesecake. Overall, this was an excellent meal with wonderful service!

Felicia C.

This place is absolutely gorgeous inside. It makes for a really lovely dining experience with the high ceilings and old fashion but modern look and feel. It's elegant, yet cozy. The service was amazing. Our server was incredibly friendly and attentive. Overall, I loved all the drinks and would love to try more. The oysters were fantastic and I loved the uniqueness of the cheese ravioli. The main dishes were okay to me, I still enjoyed them but for the price point, I'm unsure if it was worth it. Here is what we ordered: DRINKS: - The in crowd: tart and sweet like skittles, has egg foam. LOVE this drink. - Hype train: espresso martini. Amazing, I love it. There's a hint of spice to it and it bites you in the aftertaste. Slightly bitter bite with some tart acidity. Lovely unique take on the espresso martini. - Lady bug: ginger honey. sweet and sour. But not too sweet. Very delicious. Good drink for anyone that likes subtly sweet. FOOD: - Cheese ravioli: delicious! Not what you'd expect, but very very flavorful and unique. It's a cheese ravioli with cooked veggies. The flavor was amazing and the surprise of the dish were the earthy greens (Swiss chard, and arugula). It was all seasoned very well and a very well put together dish, but just don't expect it to be a super cheesy creamy one! - Ribeye with chimichuri: very delicious and cooked perfectly. Chimichuri wasn't too flavorful (have had better), it was light and fresh. - Popover: served with the ribeye. It was stale and cheesy. They missed on this one. - Rockfish: very delicious with the sauce! It was a tiny bit rubbery. Hush puppy with delicious with the sauce. - Mashed potatoes: perfectly smooth and creamy. - Lemon merengue: this was a deconstructed dessert with it was like tart gelatin and very light whip and some crunch. Also FYI, the still water costs money. Overall, I enjoyed my time here but i am giving four stars because this is a pricey and high end establishment and the food was good but wasn't on par with how much we paid. I would love to come back to the bar for some drinks!

Amy B.

We flew in just to try the Voltaggio brothers' new restaurant, so our expectations were high--and we were excited. We were seated immediately, which was great, but unfortunately at what was easily the worst table in the house: a cramped two-top right by the entrance, adjacent to the marble railing of the bar. Honestly, this shouldn't even be considered a dining table--more fitting as a bar table, if anything. Within minutes, we felt like we were stuck in the middle of rush hour. The table was right in the path of foot traffic from both guests entering the restaurant and servers coming out of the kitchen. Add to that the people seated at the bar and along the railing, and it felt chaotic and exposed. I asked to be moved right away, but our server came back saying no tables were available. Moments later, a group sat down on the railing, making for an awkward dining experience with people essentially having their butts at eye level to our table. I asked again to be moved, especially since we hadn't ordered yet and saw other two-tops being seated elsewhere, but was told again that nothing was available. At that point, I wanted to leave but since we flew in just to eat here I decided to suck it up and just said ok I guess I'll just write a yelp review later to the waitress. Was it snarky? Sure. Did I care? Not really. Lo and behold--right after I said that, a better table suddenly became available. Funny how that works. As for the space itself--it's visually interesting but not well designed. The acoustics are particularly bad, and even after being moved, we had to raise our voices all night just to hear each other. The bar area is the most striking design element, and I wish they had leaned into that aesthetic more. The candelabras are a nice touch too. The booths seem to be inspired by church pews, but paired with the modern square trellises above, it gives off a confusing vibe like you took them out of Retro in LV and it doesn't quite land. Stained glass might've added some charm or cohesion. The artwork is oddly small for the scale of the space and feels like something you'd pick up at HomeGoods--disconnected from the overall atmosphere. The lighting fixtures are attractive, but the overall lighting is far too bright, lending the space an unfortunate cafeteria feel. Dimmer lighting and darker wall treatments could not only improve the vibe but also help with the acoustics. I expected more from the Voltaggio brand. Now to the most important part: the food. Overall, it was solid. We had the fluke crudo, smoked beet pastrami, steak tartare, prime rib with tiger sauce, rigatoni, and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we tried the apple dumpling and lemon meringue. The beet dish, while delicious, came with barely any beets--just a couple slices. Everything else was enjoyable, but I hoped for a bit more creativity or boldness in flavor. The lemon meringue was a standout, though I would have loved some crispy meringue added for texture. Service-wise, things were hit or miss. Our first server wasn't particularly warm, and the second was better but hardly around. The food runners quickly dropped plates without much explanation--often mumbling what each dish was. A man who seemed like the manager made laps around the room but looked disengaged and uninterested in interacting with guests. A woman did speak to us about switching tables, but overall, the staff didn't seem especially friendly or welcoming. Long review, I know--but considering we made the trip specifically for this dining experience, I felt it deserved a full and honest breakdown. The food was good, but the service, atmosphere, and overall experience left a lot to be desired

Donna Y.

It's easy to make reservations here. This place is nestled in the middle of a Marriott hotel. With a church feel to the place and the high ceilings this place is breathtaking. We were sat upstairs by the piano/organ with a top down view of the restaurant. We ordered the 45 day aged prime angus shell steak and the rockfish. The steak had a selection of sauces so we tried the tiger sauces and chimichurri sauce. Both were very mild sauces. I prefer my chimichurri to be on the punchier side but honestly the steak can standalone without any additional flavors. The rockfish - hands down- stole the show. The skin crispy. The fish moist. The sauce mouthwatering. The hushpuppies... omg. I'd be back just for the rockfish again and again.

Brian L.

I've been to Wye Oak Tavern three times now and have had a pretty mixed experience each time. First, the positives: the atmosphere is awesome. The restaurant sits inside the beautifully restored Visitation Hotel, which I believe was once a hospital. They've done a great job incorporating elements of the historic building into the decor. It's not white-tablecloth formal, but it definitely feels like an upscale, contemporary dining experience. The challenge is the inconsistency with the food and service. Each time I've visited, the meal has included a few things I loved and a few things I really didn't. On my first visit, the oysters were good and the savory cheesecake appetizer was excellent. The ribeye, however, was disappointing -- not a great cut and lacking a proper sear. I've also found that the menu descriptions sometimes miss key flavor components. For example, the spiced sweet potato side had an extremely strong curry flavor, but curry wasn't mentioned anywhere in the description. Curry is a dominant flavor, and diners should know it's there. That said, the spicy rigatoni was nearly perfect. The second visit was much better. I had the burger and fries, a pastrami beet appetizer, and the shells and cheese. The burger was phenomenal -- super meaty, juicy, cooked medium with a perfect pink center, and incredibly flavorful. Service was a bit slow that night, but the food made up for it. Tonight's visit was again a mix of hits and misses. The food took quite a while to come out. The savory pumpkin pie appetizer was unfortunately a miss -- bland overall, with the only noticeable flavor again being curry. The prime rib came out lukewarm, and the burger (which I know is supposed to be served medium) was cooked well done with no pink. On the positive side, the Brussels sprouts were excellent, the cheesecake was decent, and the cookies were fine. Overall, I'd describe Wye Oak as a place with a fantastic atmosphere and some standout dishes, but also a lot of inconsistency. At around $200 for two people (two apps, two entrees, one side, two desserts, no alcohol), I think it's simply too expensive to have this many shortcomings. It's honestly a shame, because some dishes -- especially the burger -- are truly outstanding. But overall, the experience has been too hit-or-miss to justify the price. I probably won't return, and if I do, it would likely be just for the burger (and I'll make sure to specify medium).

James P.

The ambiance is amazing and the service is impeccable. We sat on the mezzanine right beside the organ overlooking the main dining area. Now that that's out of the way let's get to the food. We split the Parmesan Cheesecake, Benton's Ham, Tavern Burger, shells & cheese, and the apple dumpling. It was the saltiest meal I've ever had in my life. The amount of salt on the fries, cheesecake, and pesto that was served with the cheesecake was unbearable. We were even getting salt from the apple dumpling. Never tasted anything like it. It's a shame because everything else was spectacular about the place. I would give it another shot to see if it was an off-night or a new chef or something of that nature.

Catelyn H.

Omg I died and was reborn when I dined here! Good thing the restaurant is based in an old church. The ambience is gorgeous and the restaurant kept the stained glass windows which aids in the warm environment. The restaurant was packed when I arrived, but I managed to snag a seat at the bar. I was immediately greeted by helpful bartenders. I enjoyed the yacht rock and a fresh aperol spritz for my beverages. Both were perfectly crafted. For my meal I got the smoked pork loin chop, grits, and a side of broccoli rabe. The pork chop was cooked and seasoned to perfection and the grits were divine (this is coming from a true southerner). The broccoli wasn't something I would order again. I also indulged in dessert- I got the strawberry sorbet cheesecake. It was good, but I would definitely venture to try something new next time.