Angelina's Restaurant

On a Friday evening in early January 2008, four of us had a great dinner. Two close friends was with my wife and I. My wife had a steak dinner. I chose the crab cake dinner with vegetables and apple sauce. Both of our friends had a seafood dinner. We all had the crab soup. Our server was nice lady who talked with a Baltimore accent. She was not very formal with the way she spoke; however, she was extremely polite. The restaurant atmosphere was awesome. The table setting was formal. Our dinning area well lighted. I enjoyed the light colored new looking walls. The floor was beautiful. Soup was brought out first. It had plenty of crab meat with the vegetables. The soup?s broth had a good consistency. I thought the soup was great. Our meals arrived soon there after. No one in my party had to wait. My crab cake was large and full. It contained a good amount of lump crab meat. It tasted awesome. My wife steak was perfect. She always shares her meal with me. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, our friends, said their food was excellent. The meal?s sides were very good also. I plan on returning very soon. It was a great time. Pros: food, ambience, service. Cons: no chairs for dogs or cats more

Decided out of the blue to treat my wife to her favorite: crab cakes. We have lived near Angelina's for 5 years, and seen "For Sale"; "For Public Auction" but never much in the way of people going in and out. Inspired by these encouraging signs, I chose Angelina's, buoyed by the history of their crab cakes. The interior of the restaurant is clean and quite cheerful. The night we were there it was chilly inside, and half of the guests were eating with their jackets on. The waitress eventually fiddled with the thermostat, and after that it was reasonable. The waitress was polite and affable, but did not offer to take our coats, which, given the chill was not such a bad thing. The menu is sensibly limited, given some places' affinity for putting 150 dishes on it. A frayed basket of cheap supermarket bread did nothing to spark our taste buds and went untouched. We both ordered a cup of cream of crab soup which was good: very hot and contained plenty of crab. Unfortunately both cups had plenty of the soup running down the side which was messy and careless. The crab cakes arrived, and were delicious (we had ours broiled, not fried): almost no filler, nicely seasoned and worth the trip. We did not have dessert. The check for two sodas; 2 soups; a single 5oz crabcake platter (with 2 sides); a single 8oz platter and 2 coffees came to $70 with tip. While there were some cheaper entrees, plenty of other items on the menu ran well into the upper $30 range. Not bad if you're used to New York or Chicago prices, but in Baltimore $35 will put you in a similar pricepoint to powerhouses like Black Olive; Kali's Court or Pazo, and above quality and service like Helmand, all reachable without the grim trek up Harford Road. 2 last quibbles. Guests paying $70 for dinner should have clean, well-stocked bathrooms and not salvage from a Hopkins-area rehabber's dumpster, and Baltimore nightmares like apple rings and mac'n'cheese are not, and never will be vegetables. Pros: Crabcakes are worth the hype Cons: Bleak, expensive, bad parking, 1920's bathrooms, nasty bread more

I recently dined at Angelina's of Baltimore on Harford Rd after a disastrous visit last summer and things have completely turned around. I was informed by the staff (Jennifer and Tonya) that it was recently bought by new owners and revived/remodeled by its on staff and family. The decor inside is a huge step up from what I last remembered. There is a completely different vibe and the food is astounding. Everything was delicious and I wish them well. This is a restaurant I am proud to say represents Baltimore. Congrats to the new owner, management and staff on a job well done and I wish you all the business you can handle. Pros: The Staff Cons: Parking was odd more

Even though i must admit the last two years for Angelinas has been nothing short of a disaster I must say that it seems that it is finally coming back. Very recently they had a management change and the place is wonderful i would definitly suggest that the old angelinas is coming back Pros: food Cons: parking more

Angelina's was a proud part of my family's history. Everything that my family is has in some way come from that restaurant. Angelina's was a fantastic restaurant through the Tadduni's and the Conigliaros to the Reilly's then the Buffano's. It was a family establishment. There has NEVER been a stigma against African Americans in that restaurant, and if you think that there is discrimination you obviously don't understand what it was like for a first generation sicilian family to open a restaurant when there were still prejudice alive in 1952 the day the door first opened, the food always had excellent reviews and people still came. Now, the new owners have run it into the ground. They have lost vendors, turned Carroll's bread bakery into a pool room, and even I wasn't allowed in when I tried one friday night several months ago and I am well over 21. Now that Angelina's is for sale once again, I beg and plead for any potential buyers to understand that it has not been completely destroyed.... and even if the menu has been changed, Angelina is still alive and I've seen her recipe book floating around... (it's a family thing) I'm sure with a little work it could be restored to it's previous state. I am deeply saddened by how things have gone since the last sale and, honestly, am nearly brought to tears everytime I see it. YES the crabcakes are still available by mail... but I will always miss the family dinners in the Shabeen (where my dad meet my mom). So in conclusion, please don't give up on it just yet. It could be, once again, one of those few places to go where you can expect great food that isn't a chain, and isn't that what Baltimore was about... It is a landmark in Baltimore... and like so many of those today.... it just might need a little bit of a face lift... the magic is still in that building it just needs the right person to revive it. more

The worst dining experience of my life. The server looked like she just got out of prison. Three patrons needed to go to the kitchen to find the server to get a bill. The antipasto consisted of a plate of lettuce with four pieces of cheese and four pieces of lunch meat for $9.00. What a joke. My server brought the wrong entre and when the rest of my party finished their dinner, my entre was brought out. There is a night and day difference between the old Angelinas and new. I would suggest that the new owner close the restaurant. It is shameful what they have done to such a fine old institution. Pros: Not a single one Cons: Read my reveiw more

The food was great! I read the other reviews and simply DO NOT AGREE I think that most people writing those reviews have a problem with the new owners being afro-american. The atmosphere was great the place seemed to me to be remodeled, Much better than before. The food was very good and the service was also good. We received our food in a timley manner, some delay, which was expected, The restaurant was half way full, and I heard no complaints what so ever, so everyone stop hating and give the new owners the benifit of the doubt. The restaurant business is tough enough... Pros: good food, award winning crab cakes Cons: parking more

We recently had a gathering of 9 to celebrate a birthday and to say the very least it was a total disaster. When we arrived we entered an empty rest. Little did we know we were about to find out why. After an hour and 40 min. wait for 9 dinners (and we were the only 9 people in this place) we were dismayed that only half of us had food to eat. They were short 2 filets and failed to let us know until most of our party had what was now cold and partially correct orders to eat. We also had to return a crabcake dinner twice. It was served to us cold and partially cooked. Those of us who did have food were upset that the menu descriptions did not match the cold slop we had in front of us and by the time we found the waitstaff to ask for side dishes that we never received we were all so mad we decided to cut our losses. We shared what we did have. Our steaks were not cooked to the desired temps. the food was cold, bland and sitting on plates of oil and butter. Side dishes were scarce and out of 9 people 4 of us ate what we had not because it was appetizing or hot but because we were starving.Our bill actually had the gratuity on the check. I could have gotten better food and much better service at any Denny's or McDonalds in town and sadly that is where we all ended up an hour later. When a manager finally made an appearence, with a half assed attempt at an apology while telling us that the cook never showed up for work that was the icing on my birthday cake. Point being Angelinas was more than a disapointment, it was a resturant disgrace. The staff should be given lessons in everything from proper English to professional dress and attitude. The atmosphere was grim and we should have been tipped off when we heard our own voices echoing through the place. As far as food, the only sweet treat you will find will be the mints you grab as you run for the exit. One last note don't order a mixed drink you will get a fancy glass of juice stick with the flat soda's. STAY AWAY! more

The original Angelina's crab cake is still alive and well!! In May 2005 some old customers of Angelina's Restaurant purchased the crab cake shipping company before the restaurant went up for auction and purchased by new owners. Angelina's of Maryland owns the crab cake shipping company and is not affiliated at all with the current restarant. The shipping owners wanted to make sure that this Baltimore institution and its beloved crab cake would still be available for all to enjoy. Angelina's of Maryland was created in 2005 to keep the tradition of Baltimore's most famous crab cake from being exstinguished. To the credit of the new owners of the shipping company they continue to provide the original Angelina's crab cake recipe with 100% American Blue Crab and 100% jumbo lump. They are shipping these crab cakes fresh, overnight anywhere is the country. They even have stayed in contact with the last 2 owners of the original Restaurant dating back to the 1960's to make sure they do it right. Check them out at their website "crabcake dot com" or at 1-800-crabcake. more

Having been a regular for 30+ years of Angelina's we were totally disappointed with the new owners. Not wanting to write a toally negative review we waited several months between visits before having to say that this is not your old Angelina's. Everything is wrong! The kitchen staff should NEVER come into the restaurant. The table cloths are gone and the restaurant is DIRTY! the staff is about as unprofessional as any we have ever seen. The waitresses, if that's what you call them, look like they have been in a food fight - Ladies, you should always have several changes of clothes if one set get dirty - CHANGE! The old menu is gone, there is no quality! Food is terrible! Sorry but Angelina's is a restaurant you DO NOT want to visit. Pros: None Cons: Everything more

While in Baltimore a friend had recommended Angelina's, saying they had the best crab cakes he had ever had. What a disappointment, the service has terrible, we were the only ones in the place, that should have told me something, worse was the extremely high prices on food. The jumbo fried shrimp were the worst I have ever had, they definately were not jumbo, over fried and tasteless, the famous crab cakes were tasteless, lots of crab and bread crumbs but no flavor whatsoever, and over fried. The only edible meal was the stuff shrimp, 6 small shrimp with the crab cake topping and imperial sauce. Waiting time for food was extremely long, 45 minutes. Oh I forgot to mention there tasteless cocktail sauce, yuck. I did complain to the manager and all I got was a "sorry, no one else has ever complained before". NO THEIR JUST NOT GOING BACK TO ANGELINAS!!!! more

Don't think twice. Just don't go there. The place is the worst you can imagine. Overrated. Terrible service and the people there just don't care expecially the manager. Never received entree after 3 hours of waiting. The utensils were given to us to distribute from a basket in the kitchen. The environment is gloomy and ding. Pros: nothing Cons: everything more

Based on reputation and internet advertising we tried Angelina's and were supremely disappointed. Rustic is one thing, run-down is a better description. The ambiance was reminiscent of a (old) High School gymnasium. Surprising when you review their prices. Our small party on the second floor was provided with drinks and small appetizers. Our waitress was sharp and quick, but with no meals coming out of the kitchen, all she could provide was refills and apologies. Sadly the cowardly manager bilked what money he could from us and scampered off to hide in the kitchen. As we exited we found other angry patrons still waiting for overdue meals. All present exclaimed they were never coming back. Good advice to follow. Pros: Table service Cons: Management, Kitchen service, high prices more

This small but quint restuarant is a hit in all areas, The food was excellent, The service was impecible, I have been back several times and each time it got better. I would highly suggest and recommend this establishment to anyone, oh there is also a nice pub/bar in the lower level.. Pros: Great FOOD Cons: parking more

The crab cakes are huge and contain no filling. Pure crab eating with just the right spices Pros: Great food Cons: relatively small plac more

The service and decor are unreliable, but the food- especially any that combines seafood and pasta- is stellar and you can get a guiness from the pub downstairs to go with it! Pros: Good food, not crowded, unique Cons: unreliable service, not accessible more

I wanted to love this place, but it just didn't happen. Having heard raves about their crabcakes I dragged my brothers and their families to this dreary far flung eatery on a recent trip to Baltimore. I was expecting a tasty, affordable bit of local color and instead I got a tired rundown looking joint with average to poor service and unbelieveably high prices. The surly old bitty we had for a waitress didn't bring our entrees out at the same time, we weren't given any options in terms of condiments for our crabcakes and the "side of fries" that came w/ my entree consisted of literally four dried up french fries. The crabcakes were good, but the drab decor, lackluster service and high prices made it an affair to forget. more