Birches Restaurant

As a local restaurant/tavern owner in Baltimore for almost nine years I take an incredible amount of pride in furthering the culinary scene of our city. Unfortunately from time to time we have to deal with people like Kelly. This was a table of three people who felt a right to self entitlement and therefore believed they could treat my staff, wife and me however rudely they wanted and then justify it by saying they are spending money. To sum things up, people who treat us with respect and kindness are treated in kind, and vice versa. I invite all of you who enjoy great food and friendly people to come check Birches out for yourself. Thank you, Brian Bruso Executive Chef/Owner Birches Restaurant more

Birch’s was one of the absolute worst dining experiences in my life. The incident occurred on March 14, 2009. We were rudely treated and insulted by not only the server, but the actually owner, Brian Bruso. I have never been so insulted by a human being, let alone a business to where I had just spent $200 for a meal. Not knowing the policy, and having split checks between multiple credit cards at many other restaurants, we (myself and two friends) innocently provided three separate credit cards. First, the server became very rude and barked, “if you’re going to pay this way we automatically include 20% gratuity”. We replied that that was fine. Next, she returns to let us know that she can now only accept one credit and that the policy is written on the menu. We were not only shocked at her tone and attitude; we were at a loss for why this was a policy. … especially in today’s day and age when most people use credit cards. That’s when a man with a dog (yes, in the restaurant!) called us "Assholes". If this is their policy, fine. But to treat us like we had just committed a hennas crime is unacceptable. I later found out that this is the owner of the restaurant. Can you believe this! He then went on to rant about how he “weeds out customers like us” and began making these comments that were flat out lies, such as my friend was rude when he asked for water. As God is my witness, this did not happen. I have never in my life posted a negative comment on a blog, sent a letter of disappoint about service, etc. However, this experience was horrible, completely out of line, and appears to be a regular occurrence at Birch’s. There are plenty of great restaurants in Baltimore that would gladly accept your business,especially in our current financial times. After reading about other bad experiences, and now having a similar experience myself, it appears that this is a common occurrence at Birch’s. I can't help but wonder how many other people have had a similar experience at Birch's but never shared. more

This is a funky little restaurant and bar in Canton. It's a little hard to find and parking in the neighborhood can be scarce. But don't let that scare you. YOU MUST GO! This is definitely the best kept secret in Baltimore. Everything is chef-prepared by the owner/chef. I have never had a bad meal here and can recommend everything on the menu. Custom-spiced butters! Grilled veggies on a chilled salad! Unique varieties of fries (pomme frites)! Linen! They have specials virtually every night of the week - check their website for current specials: www.birchesrestaurant.com. This is the restaurant I most miss from my years in Baltimore! more