Atwater's Catonsville — Restaurant in Catonsville

My husband and I came in today at 11am to eat before driving to NC. I was given a hint that the experience might not go so well when the person who greeted us asked us to wait while she goes to "find the hostess". The final ignored hint we got, was when the Hostess arrived, she asked us to wait "5ish minutes" while the manager gets a table for 2 ready upstairs. I didn't take the hints, and we were seated...and we sat...and sat...and sat. My observation would describe the place as clean, most tables were full, with at least a third at the end of their dining experience. About 15 minutes after being seated, a lady came to take our drink order, but we were ready to order the food as well. As soon as I mentioned a sandwich I was interested in, she said she needs to check to see if they have it, and she'd be right back. She never returned to our table, although she went to several others, and we sat...and sat...and sat. Another 15 minutes go by and a guy brings us our drinks. Then another 10 minutes goes by and the same guy comes over to offer to put our food in. They did have the sandwich, so I ordered it, husband ordered breakfast, and I asked for a to-go chicken salad on croissant. Then we sat... and sat.....you get the point. Another 15 minutes go by and a food runner brought the bag with the to-go chicken salad sandwich, but after he left it, I looked in the bag, and it was on wheat, not a croissant. Another 15 minutes go by, and I stopped the original lady to ask who was waiting on us at this point, to which she said they all share, but she thinks the one in the blue shirt (the guy who took the order) was our waiter, and she walked away. Now, obviously, we're extremely patient people, especially with the service industry, so with every food runner who came up the stairs, we were hopeful. And then, just a she walked away, a food runner brought food ...to the table for 2 next to us... who were seated a half hour after us...and yes, the lady was their waitress. We left the wrongly breaded. chicken sandwich on the table with the untouched drinks, and left. On the way out, we passed the lady waitress on the stairwell, and she actually asked us if everything is OK. Really...? Where was the awareness when we were sitting there being ignored and neglected, by the entire staff, for over an hour? I have her a quick few sentences of our overall disappointment with the neglectful service and asked how to pay for the drinks (I know, I know...) She apologized and said don't worry about paying for them. We went right around the corner to Doozys, where we normally go, and we are in and out in less than an hour with the usual great service and food. So much for trying to patronize somewhere else, but...

Long time customer, first time reviewer. I buy Atwater’s every week, sometimes multiple times a week, for at least the past four years. I have deep respect for the management and staff; I personally have not had a sour experience with any one person. I write this review to offer feedback on their lack of consistency, especially with to-go orders. One time I got avocado “toast” on bread that was not toasted, something that I did not realize until I was already home. This was a stand-alone incident that I found more comical than anything but thought it was worth sharing. More regularly I will to-go order the same latte I’ve been ordering for years— sometimes it will have cinnamon in it, sometimes not. I don’t care for cinnamon, and when I told this to the person taking my order, they replied, “It just depends on who’s making your latte.” Not a helpful response, especially when 1) for the first three years I ordered this drink it was never made with cinnamon, and 2) the name of the latte does not denote “spiced” or anything to suggest cinnamon would be appropriate for the drink. More glaringly, sometimes I’ll order a 16 ounce latte to-go (and I know I definitely paid the price of an 16oz latte) and instead get a 12 ounce latte. I usually don’t correct them because I don’t want to wait another ten minutes for my order to be taken to the back of the queue and re-made. Again, this isn’t any single person consistently making these mistakes. I’m also aware that since I go here so often, I am probably more likely to encounter these mishaps. Catonsville’s Atwater’s has a expectation of excellency that, for the most part, they live up to. However, with Charlsie’s Bakehouse soon closing, Atwater’s will likely become THE local brunch spot; with that, standards will also rise. My support for Atwater’s is unwavering, and I’m loving the recent changes including the dinner hour, the bar space upstairs, and live music. My review is critical and thorough because I so badly want to see them continue to excel to new heights. Much love to the management and staff who always treat me with kindness, grace, and respect. I will be in your corner supporting you...

Oh my goodness! Stop the Press... Stop the darn press!!

I haven't visited location in almost a year and a half, and I visited today to an entirely different restaurant! Initially when you walked in, the cash register would be two steps and then you really could not walk further back besides a small Tea wall that was on the left now, you walk all the way through, its wide-open, they have tables provided for seating and they've expanded their menu to match the other Atwater locations! Definitely a great renovation and I agree it needed to be done, but did not know that the task was initiated & completed!

This place is such a neighborhood gem that I'm very happy for them. When I would come in before, they will be a few customers coming and going at a time, now it was almost standing-room-only! Instead of just seeing people run in to grab quick bites, I now see families sitting down feasting!

The staff are so young, energetic, respectful, and kind. They have expanded their beverage menus as well as added a lot to the food menus. Previously you only can come and get a Danish or two, now you can get hot food, cold food and special orders! I am definitely going to spend more time visiting this location!

Now you know this review wouldn't be a review without my personal thoughts regarding the parking situation... Metered parking on the street, but I noticed a sign for parking behind establishment. I am not a fan of parking behind anywhere... Safety First and I'm scared of my own shadow so I'll probably never venture back there, but it was good to see that it's available. Parking on the street, isn't too expensive. It's I paid $0.10 for 12 minutes. Not too shabby. There's always someone coming and going although the parking is shared with other food establishments.

Overall, this place is a fantastic place to visit and I would never let parking be a barrier to keep me away! Good job...