Topside — Restaurant in Baltimore

Topside is by far the most posh, eclectic restaurant I have experienced in a good while. It is situated in a hotel 🏨 which also screams "retro" updated to fit into the Baltimore City, Maryland flow of life. Once inside the "retro" hotel you will be guided to proceed down the hall to catch the elevator to the 3rd floor. Timid souls might turn back thinking they were being summoned to Hotel California; where as by the lyrics in the song say "beware because you can check-in, but never leave." Once on the elevator 🛗 and on your to where or who knows what?; you will rest easy when the elevator doors open up to a nice and breezy landing where the host/hostess welcomes you into the Topside Restaurant. You will feel instantly refreshed and relaxed as you enter into an exclusive area reserved for Topsides' clientele. Once the host/ hostess takes you to your seat which will either be 1 of many tables strategically planted directly against the outer walls of this jazzy restaurant. All tables, no matter where you are taken to be seated, will have a 360 degree view of the Baltimore city highlights of this area; which I have been told, in earlier days was called Park Place. The bar is situated in the complete center of the restaurant pushed back against the center back of the restaurant's seating area. Even while a patron of the bar, you will be privy to a 360 view of the beautiful Baltimire City skyline 🌇. No table or area in this restaurant is a "bad" seat per the Creme de la Creme design of this eclectic restaurant. The service provided by the highly trained wait staff is impeccable. All staff were very well informed of not only the menu offerings, but also the way each meal was prepared including what temperature is best preparation for your intended meal choice; to what ingredients are in the selected menu choice. The food comes out pipping HOT 🔥 and all selections from the Beet Salad which I selected for my appetizer were very artfully displayed on the plate. So much so that the food on the plate screamed, "Don't eat me," as if in some strange Alice In Wonderland food movie. I selected the Monday evening Burger selection, which comes with your choice of Beer. The burger selection looked and tasted like a +5 star selection at a stuffy upscale restaurant. But, with none of that feel of upscale nastiness and pompous attitude. Clearly the most interesting part of your whole experience will be the fact that you cannot believe the pure joy view you get from all seating areas in the wonderful environment you are seated in at this restaurant. I guess whoever choose Topside as the name of this restaurant was not kidding. And, if you are lucky enough to be seated when dusk falls on the city's landscape, you have another treat awaiting you as the night view at Topside Restaurant is like no other I have seen in Baltimore city. You will be more than impressed if you happen upon this eclectic restaurant where the staff is ready and engaged to please their clientele. Don 't miss visiting and dining at Topside. You will NOT be...

Overall: 5/10 Moments of refined atmosphere and cuisine clouded by lackluster service and overall experience. I would recommend checking this place out 1 time because it’s cool- but would not suggest making it a staple.

I have been to Topside a handful of times. My experience has been fairly good, but on NYE, it was hands down one of the most frustrating experiences I have had. There seemed to be a disconnect between the restaurant the staff and the patrons.

The NYE menu was all prefixe. Meaning there were select options and dedicated courses.

They failed to mention reserving tables for NYE dinner meant you should stick around after dinner for the ball drop which was not our plan, so sitting and waiting on a few dishes for OVER 3 hours was beyond us.

The Food: 4/10 Underwhelming.

The first course was a soup or a salad. This course took so long to come out that we eventually started to keep track of it on our phones as a laughable game within our table. It was 1 hour and 10 minutes for the first course to come out to us….for soups and salads….The soup was okay the salad was pretty good.

The second course followed the first’s trajectory. Slow to come out but this one was tasty. The ribeye was to die for. Approximately 1 hour 40 mins after we sat down (30 mins after the first course)

The third course/ mains were disappointing. First off they informed us that the lamb cannot be cooked longer than medium rare due to the prefix menu- weird but ok. Same timing issue. Here come the mains, over 2.5 hours after sitting down. Boring, bland, and dry but beautifully plated (the only thing not making it a 2/10).

The desserts weren't even asked about so to avoid another hour of waiting we asked those to be packed up so we could leave and make it to our next plans. At this point, we were already late.

The ambiance: 8.5/10 It’s nice. You have a view over a historic part of Baltimore, on the top floor of the Revival Hotel. It’s all gold and wood and ceramic. It’s a great vibe for sure. Feels like you time-traveled back to the roaring 20s for dinner.

The drinks: 7/10 Good but pricey. For NYE the selection was limited, nothing fantastic or worth noting. Typically, on a normal night, the drinks here are above average.

The Service: 3/10 Prefixe menu- a waiter's dream. She was nice but didn't come around much. 2 of the members of our party got up to grab glasses of wine from the bar because the waiter just never came back. She avoided asking us much of anything. She did bring over water at the end once she could feel our eagerness to leave. Then it all made sense- BOOM! 20% auto gratuity….ahhh I would not take care of us either. Why take care of us at all when the $1,000 tab will include that right? It would’ve probably been higher if we were given more attention though! We were happy to spend, we just wish the service reflected the price. We were all wait staff...

I may have just had the best meal I have ever had in Baltimore. This is a gem that deserves all the flowers. I was very surprised that a restaurant above a hotel could be so good.

We had a reservation and were promptly seated by a window. The whole place has great views but being right by a window was lovely.

The menu was filled with options that appealed to both me and my partner. After several moments of indecision our server suggested the burrata which came with "compressed watermelon". I had never heard of such a thing but it was amazing, all the sweetness of a melon but less watery than regular watermelon but nonetheless juicy. The crushed croutons added a salty kick to the savory burrata, and the sweetness of the melon, plum, and even the more subtly sweet tomato complimented the peppery arugula well. All the flavors melded perfectly, effortlessly. I've never been so pleased by an app. Me and my fiance demolished it, and that's rare for us two.

For mains we got the chicken and the short rib. The chicken was served with butternut squash puree, brussel sprouts, and mushrooms. I don't know how they season, brine, or marinate that chicken but it was perfect. Soft, juicy, with a hint of sweetness about it. Every bite a pleasure. The sweetness of the butternut puree, the brussel sprouts were indescribable but some of my favorite ever. And those mushrooms? I'd give up meat for them. And the short rib, again a perfect pairing of umami and sweet flavors that were consistently delightful and never overwhelming. The short rib sauce/gravy tasted red wine based with maybe tomato paste? Whatever it was, I loved it and over the the cloud of mash potatoes? A dream. They were so soft you might have thought they were instant but they lacked the subtle gumminess I dislike about instant mashed potatoes. And the flavor was superb, garlicy but not too much, creamy without the heavy dairy feel, it didn't need the short rib sauce but was delightful with it. And the carrots! Simple yet delicious. The had a good firm texture, sweet taste, and still maintained that quintessential carrot flavor that sometimes gets lost if you overseason or overcook them. The entire meal was a trifecta of umami, sweet, and texture that was rewarding to the last bite. It is RARE to see my fiance finish an entire meal when we go out and his plate was clean.

The cocktails were good as well but I was so blown away by the food that the words I have for them don't compare. Definitely one of the best sangrias I've ever had but the food was the star for me.

Amazing view, amazing food, and the wait staff was delightful as well. Sue was warm, friendly, attentive, and I'm so glad she recommended the burrata to us.

Absolutely no notes. Loved it from...