Vin 909 Winecafe' — Restaurant in Annapolis

To summarize, Vin 909 is a wonderful, quality farm-to-table restaurant featuring seasonal menus with fresh ingredients and a comforting, yet classy atmosphere. You can expect unique, creative culinary riffs on all sorts of foods, ranging from classics to standard Maryland staples, to cuisines from across the world. For the specifics of our visit:

We came with a pretty huge group, and while the wait was pretty long, it was highly worth it for the quality of the food alone.

For our food, we ordered a Spinach Jalapeño Corn soup topped with crabmeat, their special for the day, which wasn’t spicy, but rather rich and creamy, with a hint of sweetness and sourness from the corn and jalapeño. My tablemates loved it, though, making short work of it.

The Corn and Spinach Crab Dip was noticeably thinner than other crab dips, loaded with vegetables, but was still pretty good.

The Skirt Steak was soft and tender, seated upon a sweet reduction and garnished with green onion.

Additionally, we ordered the Feeling Crabby and Mole Pizza, which were both tasty.

However, the Shawarma Sliders took the cake for us - it felt more like a “lamb burger” than shawarma, but was absolutely delicious. A little gamey, a little smokey, cooked just right, and the cucumber raita and other accoutrement finished out the dish wonderfully.

And all of this is without mentioning the desserts: we ordered a Pistachio ice cream, the Chocolate pot de crème, which was very thick, rich, and bittersweet; and honestly, was strangely even better when paired with our final dessert, the Butterscotch Pudding, which was surprisingly the tables favorite...

Long story short I was at horseshoe casino earlier this year and sparked convo with a lady in line and we exchanged restaurant recommendations and Vin 909 made it to the list. Let me start off by saying that this quaint cottage like wine café is thee cutest thing on its block. From the outside seating areas for waiting patrons (order wine while you wait) to the bar seating that'll have you up close and personal with the bartender and owner. Seems like a neighborhood place where everyone knows your name like cheers but cuter.

Lets get into the food. Now I ordered a salad and their special bbq chicken pizza with jalapenos. It was PHENOMENAL. The salad was super flavorful and tasted so fresh... The PIZZA was just (insert chefs kiss) DELICIOUS. I tried a few different wines and they were all pretty good. Not a huge selection but perfect for pairing with anything on the menu. The prices are also super reasonable. Now, I almost forgot that ordered the steak which I thought was a specialty( turns out its the pizza) and i dint care for it too much. The flavors were good but the texture was very very chewy. Although I wouldn't order the steak again I wouldn't hesitate to try any and everything else on the menu. I love this place and felt so welcomed being as though it wasn't a diverse crowd and I want to personally thank the owner for that and a few of his regulars that knew him by name. I'm looking forward to coming back soon. I live 40 min away but will be taking that drive again very soon.

Viv 909 is an incredible place to dine, wine and socialize. Please give them a try... Tell them Diamond...

Vin 909 has a lot of things going for it. Great food. Great wine. Excellent service. Reasonable prices.

Now all they need is about twice the capacity.

Walk in the front door (on a weekend, claw your way in) and, after getting on the wait list for a table, you’re faced with a bar serving several dozen red and white wines by the glass, ranging from $6 to $12 per glass. The selections change with availability, but there’s always something to suit any palate. Not a wine person? The six taps always feature a range of interesting craft beers.

Once you get seated, you’ll be presented with a menu featuring salads, pizzas, small plates and entrees, with specials using locally or seasonally-available ingredients. There’s something for every taste. I’m personally a big fan of the pizzas. Skirt steaks are done well here, with a vibrant Moroccan spice blend.

Service here is just the way I like it, attentive but not hovering. The job description for the hostess much focus on being unflappable, because she’s generally dealing with a bunch of people waiting, some not too patiently, an hour or more for a table. Not so bad in Spring or Autumn, where you can hang outside and enjoy a glass of wine, but not much of an option in the Winter.

I’ve eaten here many times, and I’ll be back many times more. It’s an Annapolis landmark and a popular hangout for locals. Good for a group, but I’d go elsewhere if you want a cozy, romantic...