Clock Restoration Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant in Baltimore

My aunt gave me a gift card here, and I was very excited to come check out the restaurant, especially based on all of the great reviews. I made a 7:30 reservation on a weeknight.

An hour or so prior to my reservation, the restaurant texted me to say that they would have a limited food menu (seems to be a recurring issue if you check out the other lower-rated reviews on Google and Yelp). We are not picky eaters and would have been happy just with fries or whatever else they had, so we decided to keep the reservation.

Upon entering the restaurant, no one greeted us, and we ultimately just sat ourselves. The whole restaurant was having a lively trivia night, which wasn't exactly the vibe we were looking for, but we had failed to check online, so that's on us. (FYI: Teams seemed to be Googling answers freely, so fair warning if you're a trivia fan who likes to play by the rules.)

Then, a server came by and informed us that they, in fact, had NO food. Pretty unpleasant surprise after the information we had received prior. It was even worse, because other tables had mounds of food on them, so it seemed more like they had dismissed the kitchen staff early, despite knowing that there was a 7:30 reservation about to arrive.

We ordered a couple of cocktails, which were fine. We weren't particularly in the mood for a second round, but since we had the gift card, we decided to use its full value in case we didn't ever return. Unfortunately, when we went to pay, the server informed us that the restaurant couldn't process gift cards. Only the lower floors could, which means that gift cards have to be used before 6 p.m. It would have been nice if someone had informed my aunt of this very important detail when they told her about other aspects of the restaurant, like the "secret" elevator code.

No genuine apologies were offered by the server for this scenario. We ended up spending around $80 on four average cocktails and had to go to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. It's possible they had an off night, but again, many of the bad reviews also mention a lack of food, and there's no excuse for how the gift card situation was handled. And there is a significant difference between a limited food menu and absolutely no...

Update: End of an era for me. 💔 I'm not sure if Peaches left, but the cheese steak here is a ghost of what it was. The bread is still good (they order it in, so makes sense), but our sandwiches were kinda pitiful (mine was half filled 🤦‍♀️) with scrawny meat that looked like the break apart blocks you buy for cheap.

Fries happened to be out, so no clue if those dropped in quality as well, but the broccolini was completely unseasoned + the brussel sprouts were served in spicy sauce, but no real texture.

Also, didn't help our meal that the 6th floor was sweltering + the beer lines don't seem to have the insulation to maintain chill to make them crisp. 😕 Suffice to say, I think CR is off my list of reliable hideaways for killer food. RIP to the cheese steak of my dreams. I'll never forget you. 🕯️😔

The servers are pleasant as always. If you just want to drink, the vibe here is still chill. I've been meaning to leave a review for a while, but seem to pass out in a euphoric food coma every time I come home from a meal here.

I am not usually a burger person, but the smash burger here is out of this world! Their cheesesteak (my fav) is on par (if not 10x BETTER) than the places I've had in Philly. The atomic fried chicken sandwich is likewise crazy good. My husband loved the ribeye plate, which was a steal at ~$23. And don't even get me started on their fries. 👁👄👁👌

The most memorable thing abput this restaurant is the staff. The BOH are magicians and the FOH are as charming and hospitable as you will ever find. (Thanks for making my birthday so memorable, Katie! 💕)

An open pool table and pristine shuffleboard will keep you entertained all night. They also validate parking for $7 at the lot nearby.

I cannot recommend Clock Restoration MORE! This place is a hidden gem that deserves to be filled to the brim...

A small but cute speakeasy style establishment. Located on the 6th floor of the QG, open for both members and nonmembers (members have a separate more private area with a few games and i heard them playing trivia night when i was there). There's a 'secret code's you have to punch in before you can press the 6th floor ok the elevator (the clue to the code is on their website if you want to have a little fun, otherwise you can just go there and they'll tell you). The restaurant area for the nonmembers are on the small side, also has a bar area. You kinda just choose your own table and the waitress will come to you. The food is pretty decent although the choices are limited. The drinks are good. Prices are pretty reasonable. Food came out reasonably fast although it wasn't a super busy night. You can even bring your kids, as long as they're relatively well behaved, as this place is frequented mostly by professionals. Bottomline, if you're looking for gourmet food, go elsewhere. But if you're looking for a little fun night with good drinks, some comfort food, with reasonable prices in a unique setting,...