The Owl Bar — Restaurant in Baltimore

I was absolutely enamored of this bar. I’ve had a lot of great times there. I can’t say I’m a regular exactly, I don’t go often enough for that, but the one or two times a month when I am there, I am with folks who go every Friday, Saturday, and sometimes Sunday (plus all special occasion events) and thus far the bartenders and staff treated me like a regular, which was great.

However, this past Saturday I went, and was brought my typical drink, put in an order for my friend’s old fashioned, then I was asked for an up-front payment, which has never happened before. I handed my card over, but was concerned about the why. It was weird and different, so I texted one of the regulars (strangely enough none of them were there) and asked if everyone was doing up-front payments now. He said no. This shift in protocol bugged me so much, I asked the bartender about it, and she told me I had “walked out on a few tabs”. I must have reacted like she slapped me because a while later she came back to console me about it, telling me they weren’t mad, it was times I was in a group, etc. I took what she said at face value and apologized, but sat there and stewed about it. And continued stewing about it the rest of the weekend.

It didn’t add up. As I said, I’m not there often enough to have walked out on a few tabs without someone having said something before. When I am there in a group, I’m there with the other regulars. Furthermore, why didn’t they ask for up-front payment the last couple of times I was there? It was just all very suspect and didn’t sit right with me. I checked my checking account, and according to Bank of America, I paid my tab for all the dates I recalled being there and a few that I don’t (see screenshot).

Now, all that said, saying someone walked out on their tab is an accusation of theft and I hate that it was levied against me. It hurt to hear, and it’s particularly harmful because it’s untrue – my bank records prove that. I’m interested in the dates they’re claiming I didn’t pay, because chances are high I have a correlating payment on my bank statement. However, at this point, it doesn’t even matter, my bank account vindicated me. It’s unfortunate this happened because I no longer feel comfortable patronizing this establishment, nor spending my money there. I hold no grudges, I’m more hurt than anything, but this has left a bad taste in my...

Had a very disappointing experience at Owl Bar last night. I live in the neighborhood and visit frequently. A friend and I went in around 9pm after work. It was on the busy side, but we only had to wait 10min for a table. Our server did not greet us when he dropped water off to our table and it took a pretty long time for him to return and take our order. He also did not check on us after our food arrived, and didn’t return again until we had long finished our meal and first round of drinks. When he finally reappeared, we ordered a 2nd round - this was around 10:30pm. Shortly after, a wedding that was occurring in the ballroom had ended and a large group of the guests started trickling into the Owl Bar. By 11:30, our server had still not returned and we still did not have the second round of drinks we ordered. The couple sitting at the table next to us had also not been helped in almost an hour, and another guest who was at a table by himself was basically forced out by this wedding group and had to wait a very long time at the bar to try to close out. Another server (Julianna, whom we’ve had before and is very friendly and accommodating) noticed that we had been sitting with empty plates and glasses and came over to try and help us out. We explained the situation and she went behind the bar to alert our server. It still took him another 15-20 minutes after that to finally touch our table and pick up the check, where he had the audacity to offer a flimsy apology and say he hadn’t forgotten about us. If you haven’t visited my table in over an hour, it’s pretty obvious that you forgot I was there. We both work in the service industry and this total lack of attention to patrons would not be acceptable anywhere I’ve ever worked. We later learned that our server was the acting manager for the evening. It seems pretty clear that he decided a wedding party was more important than his other paying guests who were already seated. On top of that, several of the wedding guests were walking around the...

The Owl Bar has been a long time favorite of mine as I have been enjoying the great drinks and food there for many years . Not only is it the great food , drinks and great service that keeps bringing me back and drawn to The Owl Bar but the great atmosphere and ambience of this historic place. Located in the back of Baltimores historic Belvedere Hotel built in 1903 the Owl Bar when it opened in 1910 was simply called The Bar Room and didn't obtain the OWL Bar name until after WW 2. Located just down the street from Baltimore Penn Station it was a speakeasy during prohibition yrs of the 1930s. and according to legend during prohibition the two ornamental Owls on display in the establishment would have a password to warn the Bar patrons of an impending raid by the feds hoping to shut the place down serving liquor during prohibition or a sign from the OWLs everything was ok and to continue to drink up to your hearts content. If each OWL blinked once everything was OK and business as usual. These OWLs still roost proudly at The OWL watching over everyone. The Owl Bar is not your typical bar it is a bar with a still present old school charm and the food is definitely not your typical bar food . The menu offers a wide variety of selections of appetizers and entrees that are sure to please most palates. I have enjoyed the sweet potato fries, salads , soups all very good but my favorite Is The Fried Green Tomatoes topped with a delicious Roasted Corn Salsa. OMG they are amazing . Huge compliments to the Chef MO who has been at the OWL Bar for many years . They may have been an appetizer but I made a meal out of them and still had some to take home for a later snack . Always enjoy a couple of glasses of their Pinot Grigio . Before Covid they still served lunch and opened usually around noon and had a Happy Hour each day from 4pm to 7pm but no Happy Hour has resumed as of yet. OWL is a great place to unwind and...