MaGerk's Pub & Grill Bel Air — Restaurant in Bel Air

We've given this place a handful of tries and it's just not good. A restaurant experience starts at the host/hostess stand and every time I go there, they seem totally uninterested in being the first point of contact. I ain't lookin' for my butt to be kissed. I really just expect a warm welcome and maybe even a smile. Ultimately, that's a management issue. It's management's job to make sure their staff is properly trained but that doesn't seem to be the case there. The service is okay. No standouts. I've never left there saying "Wow! What an excellent server, awesome experience, etc." And the food, well, 'tis no bueno. The fried pickles are decent but that's pretty much where it ends. We've had wings, crab dip, salads, sandwiches, and other apps, and the pickles have been the only highlight. The cheesesteaks are laughably bad. I mean, what the hell even is that meat??! My wife and I thought the last one was a beef/chicken hybrid. lol. Bland and pulverized beyond recognition. Borderline burger meat. It's pretty sad that a place known for its cheesesteaks is 1.5hrs from the cheesesteak capital of the world and can't produce a decent cheesesteak. WILD. Caesar salad = submerged in dressing to the point of disgust. 2 times in a row. I guess my mistake was not learning my lesson the first time around re: ordering the dressing on the side. My wife got a salad with chicken added which they charge nine bucks for...nine bucks??!! For that lil' itty bitty piece of chicken??!! I've been to high end dining spots that charge $2-3 less so that was a bit shocking. Our last lunch was $55 dollars for fried pickles, a salad, and a cheesesteak with no booze (water and iced tea). That's frickin' absurd. We're done giving that place our money. Beyond...

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND MAGERKS!

I can't believe I've lived in Bel Air almost 30 years and I don't recall ever going to Magerks before today (though my wife has been here with her work friends several times).

I neglected to take a picture of the Crab Dip before eating it. It was absolutely delicious. Hot, cheesy, creamy, and a perfect amount of crab. I've had hot crab dip before, but I don't recall having any as good as Magerks. Hot, fresh, soft homemade bread and thick, crunchy, fresh carrot and celery sticks are served with it. The crock holds more dip than you might expect -- so be sure to ask for a 2nd loaf!

The French Onion Soup had a perfectly browned layer of cheese melting over what I presume is more homemade bread. The broth was well seasoned with big chunks of sweet onions.

My wife ordered the #1 Cheese Steak. She loved it. But, in my opinion, cheese steak should have lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo in addition to the basic steak and cheese. Magerks offers that (the #6) and that's what I would have ordered.

I had two different flavors of chicken wings: Thai Sweet Chili and Ravens Style (old bay and honey). The sauces were delicious, and the pieces of chicken were very large and cooked to prefection. The only slight criticism I would have is that they really need to fully cover the pieces with the sauce. I'm guessing the chicken is fried unseasoned, and therefore pieces that received little to no sauce can be bland. Maybe a little cup of sauce on the side?

Last comments...Nancy, our server, could not have been any friendlier or more attentive. She wrote the book on delivering great service. And the bar looked like I'd have a great time staying for drinks and appetizers...

Soooo this is the third time that my husband and I have been to Magerks tonight being the third time around 7pm. While we do keep coming back because the food is amazing…. All three times that we have been here we walk in and we are NOT greeted… we have to get the hosts attention because they stand there and are usually talking and not paying attention and not greeting customers when they walk in. Well I finally got the one hosts attention and I said two please… she just looks at me still doesn’t say anything and hands the other host menus and the girl just starts walking without saying a word so we followed her… she didn’t say enjoy your meal or anything. Honestly I wanna ask them what their issue is because everytime I have came here now they are not welcoming at all. If you don’t want to work in customer service than get a new job… I was a server for over 10 years with great customer service skills and this is honestly just unacceptable…

The last time we came was a few weeks ago during an Eagles game and we asked how long the wait was … the girl didn’t answer me for a minute or two then says oh we’re not seating anymore we’re at capacity. Sooo we just left.

We do love Magerks and glad we found this location but the Hosts need to be trained better or talked to about greeting customers. They don’t even smile at you 😅

Okay I’m done. I hope this changes...