Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar — Restaurant in Bailey's Crossroads

Hear me out, Im from baltimore but me and my boyfriend was in pentagon city back in March and he knows I like seafood, so he found this close by and we went. Before visiting this place, we had been to a few crab boil places in baltimore BUT something about this was stuck out to me. I thought it was just the vibes on that day. Despite it only being one worker, she was so nice, the wait wasn’t long and she was attentive. Not to mention he surprised me with this date knowing I love seafood. At the end of my visit I was sooo happy. Everything was so good and the day was so perfect. I even started trying to chase that same satisfaction again and I promise you NO OTHER LOCATION, or even brand was competing with this! Then I realize it’s their seasoning!!! Yes the bartender also help elevate my experience but NO, the seasoningggg is literally the BEST! So I had been craving to come back to this place and I did not care howww far it was. I knew this hook&reel was THEEE BEST ONE! I even made my boyfriend try out other locations with me to prove my findings and he agree that we could go back this Monday in September. Well we got into an argument and decided to cancel our date. Mind you, I’m from baltimore and currently not driving. BUT I did not let that stop me! I knew I wanted no other place but this one and made my mind up. So I caught an Uber to the train station in baltimore, then caught the MARC train to union station in DC and then caught the red line to the yellow line and got off at pentagon city. From there I Ubered straight to the restaurant. You may think that’s a bit much but no one can take the little joys I have in this world from me but me so I made a way!!! Baby listen…. I was right. Omgee! I was righttt. The seasoning is something you can’t find anyyyyy where (yes I even bought some to take home… and NOT sharing with my soon to be ex! IDC) but regardless I was RIGHT!!! My food was so good and the seasonings was so right. My onlyyyy reason I’m writing this is because I kind of want to speak up a little. This my second time here and the food is always great butttt a few things threw me off (or tried to) this day. Why is is alwayssss just ONE worker? Last time I think it was a manager so she could handle it. But this time the worker was fairly new. (Still a good server, but you could tell she was still trying to get comfortable)& that’s not fair to her! HIRE PEOPLE!!! Also, not to complain buttt the frozen drinks I ordered was kind of annoying bc you really couldn’t drink it and it was nothing to do with the server but more so something to do with the machine. My drink was grittttty as ever. (I’ll add pictures) Also I added an egg (I’ll also insert a picture) but the egg was BAD. Legit green almost all the way through. For a place this good, PLEASE DONT RUIN IT! Hire more people, bc with the new worker and her being the only one, it’s truly not fair to me or her that she was still trying to get comfortable with trying her best to serve the ENTIRE restaurant. Also eggs are not that much compared to what the food cost. The profit should be there and we shouldn’t have to serve bad eggs. What if I ate it and couldn’t make it back home without seriously having to use the bathroom? Yes I caught all them kinds of transportation back home with a smile on my face but that egg could’ve messed me up in a bad way!

So overall 10/10 for foood Service 10/10 BUT management needs a 0. Quality control should be better and properly staffing this place can also be better.

Please. Just please. I know I bought some seasoning to make my own but I really want to come back again and again so pleaseee let’s fix this.

Especially the drink machine. I literally had to enjoy it with a spoon and as you can see, it eventually just became shaved ice. And the egg…. Ummm why is it not yellow? Was it not fresh?? Nonetheless, I recommend this place because it’s the BEST TASTE!!! But there are some things that need fixing so bare with them. They will get it but you also will not get another Hook&Reel like this so try it! And...

I always try to address my concerns with any business directly first, but did not receive any response to my email on 8/23/20 so I am now sharing my review here. On Saturday (8/22/20), my friend and I both ordered the small catch with Dungeness crab and scallops in garlic butter to go. When we got home and opened the bags, my immediate reaction to the crab was that it did not look like Dungeness crab. The leg shell was very soft and easy to open without any utensils, which has never been the case with Dungeness crabs. The meat of Dungeness crabs comes out in plump, sweet and juicy large clumps – what we received tasted like scarce, snow crab meat, in addition to it being over salted. Dungeness crabs are the only type we look for due to their unique, outstanding characteristics and know that few places offer it, so we were excited to try it here. I don’t know if it was a mistake that somebody did not know the difference and gave us the wrong crab type or if there wasn’t any that day and they tried to substitute a different type, or if Hook & Reel doesn’t really have Dungeness crabs and it should not be listed on the menu. I emailed the business (2) photos from Saturday’s order as well as (4) photos of Dungeness crab from various other places for comparison, but will only post the 2 photos from Hook & Reel since I can't label the other photos. Unfortunately, you can’t positively tell the hardness of the shells or the size/consistency of the crab meat from the photos, but these photos were never taken specifically for those purposes.

The garlic butter sauce was just butter – no chunks of garlic or any hint of garlic in either of our orders. The photos on Yelp from the owner show chunks of garlic in the sauce and on the crabs so we at least know that’s how it should be and you will not see any garlic in Saturday’s photo.

These last 2 things are not as big, but will mention for improvement. Another limitation besides no curbside pick-up is that coupons can only be used for in-store purchase, not online ordering.

While I was paying, I was occupied chatting with my friend and gave the wrong coupon (my fault). I used the 10% off coupon on a $30 order and $2.90 was discounted. My friend paid next and did the same thing but was told they made an exception for me and the 10% could only be applied to orders of $50 or more. After we realized what we had done, he used the correct $5 coupon (off $25 or more). They just chuckled over fact that had I handed the correct coupon, I would’ve saved more, but nobody attempted to correct the transaction. The employee saw us tearing off the coupons, so I felt he should’ve been more informed on the rules of the coupons and asked for the correct coupon from me. They were all nice, but all the above factors did not leave a positive experience for...

Today, January 6 around 3:30 I went into Hook and Reel to pick up a personal order. As I entered, there were no staff present whatsoever, but three guests at the bar. Being that today was snowy, I understood why the restaurant was relatively empty. Again, as I entered I seen no staff to help me obtain my food. I waited a while then returned. There were two workers, a Black man, and an Asian man I recognized the last time I had visited. The workers both stood toward the back, staring at me. The sign in the front of the restaurant says “wait here for server” or something along those lines that emphasized to wait in the front. As I am waiting, the workers continue to stare at me, not saying a word or asking me if I needed anything. I waited for a while, then walked back to the two people I seen. I asked the black man if he worked here, as he nor the other man said nothing to me which would make one assume they are not a worker. As I ask this question, he says nothing. I repeat myself “Do you work here?” to which he subtly nods his head. I tell him I’m here for a pickup order and he grabs it and gives it to me. I am someone who believes that service workers do not owe you everything. I am a Black woman who never looks to be a Karen, and did not in this instance. I understand it could be a day where you’re feeling down or not social. I am not asking to even be politely greeted, this stuff I don’t care about at all. Service workers are human so I intend to always treat them with respect, even on their bad days. My problem however lies in not being assisted whatsoever, and the complete lack of any respect or acknowledgement. A simple hand wave to the back of the restaurant where they were standing or a “how can I help you” was all I needed to get out of their hair. However, they seen a person walk in and just ignored me. Again, their pickup is in the back of the restaurant with no signs indicating the pick up spot that you cannot see from the front so I did not know where to pick up from, and the sign in the front where I entered said wait in the front. These individuals seen me, chose to let me wait until I had to walk around to get help, rather than just asking me if I needed anything. This service just completely turned me off from this establishment....