Blue Sunday Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Laurel

• Automatic 18% gratuity added to all parties, which was not prominently featured on the menu *

Pros: amazing ambience/decor, definitely looks like an expensive restaurant

Cons: 18% gratuity added to parties of all sizes, which wasn't apparent from the menu. I had to ask the server to see the menu again as I was absolutely blindsided by the automatic charge when the check came for just a table of 2. It was listed on the last page of the (large) menu all the way at the bottom of the page. I thought the placement of that at the back of the menu was deceitful and misleading. I always tip 20% or more, but I definitely object to that choice being made for me and that information being buried at a place in the menu where they know most people won't reach. Also, the line item "gratuities for all", sounds like all tips are pooled, which as a former long time server, I object to. If you're going to add automatic gratuity to all checks, this should absolutely be more prominently featured. It should never be a surprise at the end of the meal. LOUD music. On a scale of 1-10 with 5 being a pleasant volume that allows you to have conversation, this place was at about an 8. My brother and I were frequently yelling at each other across the table or needing to repeat ourselves again and again. Not a pleasant match for such upscale visuals. Food was mid. I got the Scottish Salmon, which was an absolutely huge portion but with a very watery sauce and the salmon was overcooked and on the tough side. For $36 I would've preferred to have half the portion, but excellently prepared. When the server ID'd me, we talked about the fact that it was my birthday. She asked if I'd want a complimentary cake and I said I'd love that, but she never brought it and didn't bring it up again until we had already paid our check. My brother and I only ordered entrees (no appetizers, etc.) and had already been sitting around 2 hours by this time because the service was slow. Making the offer and not following through didn't leave the best impression, particularly on top of just realizing I'd been charged an extra 18% .

Beautiful place, but overall wouldn't go again based on loud restaurant, average food, and automatic gratuity policy. With so many other restaurants to choose from, you can get better food and an overall better experience at many...

We decided to come here because we saw that it was 15% off during the soft opening. However, what they failed to mention (anywhere or at any point until you get your full priced check) is that they only honor that 15% off if you leave a Google review. So this is that review.

I was looking forward to trying this place out as I live close by and have driven by many times. Visually, it’s a beautiful restaurant with a decent happy hour. The prices aren’t the best but the time frame is much more generous than many other happy hours in the area. It is impossible to find the happy hour on their website and I had to refer to another guest’s Google review to see what was included.

We were sat in the bar area at one of the high top tables. These are some of the smallest tables I have ever seen at a restaurant. Our party of two could had to treat the table like a jig saw puzzle in order to fit our total of 3 dishes: a salad, risotto, and sushi roll as well as two drinks and two waters. We witnessed multiple other guests drop things because the tables are so small. If you come to this restaurant, you should try to sit at a regular table or the bar if it’s available in order to have adequate room for your meal. If they seat you at one of these tables you’re in for an uncomfortable experience.

Our waitress was friendly though service was a bit slow, which is understandable during the soft opening phase. The salad was not worth the money even at happy hour price. The risotto was good and served hot. Sushi was decent at the happy hour price. Though we mentioned that we were done with our meal 15+ minutes ago, the plates still haven’t been cleared from the tiny table.

At the time of our visit, they did not have beer even though it was on the happy hour menu, as well as multiple other dishes that were outlined on their menu, so we can’t give a full picture. While the overall experience was okay, there is definitely room for improvement before doing a grand opening. I wouldn’t recommend coming here until they’ve had a chance to work out the kinks unless you also want to be forced to write a Google review to get less than the cost of the automatically added gratuity taken...

Great Potential, Just Needs a Few Tweaks I was excited to see this place open right in my neighborhood, and I really want to see it succeed—there’s so much potential here! What I loved: The upscale feel is spot on. The design and overall vibe are modern, cool, and inviting. The food? Absolutely amazing—seriously, kiss the chef. Everything we tried was flavorful and felt well worth the price. I also really appreciated the R&B music—it definitely adds to the atmosphere. Areas for improvement: • Noise level & layout: It gets really loud. Between the music and everyone having to raise their voices to talk, it felt more chaotic than energetic. Adding some kind of separation between tables (plants, partitions, etc.) could help reduce the noise and create a more comfortable dining experience? • Service: While our server was nice overall, there were a few moments that felt off. For example, when my out-of-town friend asked about Old Bay seasoning, the server laughed in a way that felt more mocking than friendly. It put a damper on the vibe, and unfortunately, my friend left saying he wouldn’t rush to come back. • Menu & drink service: In this day and age, it’s really important to call out gluten-friendly or allergen info clearly on the menu. Also, our drinks took a long time to arrive, and despite arriving during happy hour, we weren’t given the happy hour pricing on all our drinks. Lastly, when our food came out, it was delivered by someone who seemed more interested in whatever was happening at the door than in engaging with our table—they just kind of plopped the food down and walked off. Overall: I want to love this place—and I honestly think with just a bit more attention to detail, especially around service and layout, it could become a neighborhood gem. I’ll definitely give it another shot in hopes that things smooth out as...