Catherine's Restaurant — Restaurant in Laurel

I made a reservation for 2:30 on a Sunday. We were greeted at the door with a red carpet and staff opening the door, which was a nice touch. We were seated promptly at a high-top table. The space itself is beautiful, and there was live music playing, which added to the atmosphere. Our server initially came by to pour water, but only had a little left in her carafe and said she’d return after refilling. Unfortunately, she never brought it back, and we had to ask another server for water. The restaurant had a steady flow of patrons, which may explain some of the lapses. We ordered from the brunch menu, which felt very limited in entrées. I hope they consider adding more variety from the dinner menu (such as snapper or lamb chops). It also felt odd that there were no fish options for brunch. On the positive side, our smoked old fashioneds were excellent. The food arrived in a reasonable time. I ordered steak and eggs with jerk potatoes. The steak was great—well-seasoned and flavorful, the eggs were fluffy and light, and the potatoes were tasty. My boyfriend ordered jerk chicken with rice and plantains, which was a major disappointment. The chicken was dry and simply drizzled with a sweet sauce that didn’t taste like jerk seasoning. The rice and peas were dry and bland as well. When he mentioned it, the waitress offered to replace it with dark meat, but the second serving was just as dry, if not worse. This was especially disheartening since jerk chicken should be a signature dish at a Caribbean-themed restaurant. We ordered a salad once it became clear the chicken wasn’t going to be good, but it never came. Our server, who was also the bartender, seemed overwhelmed and never returned to our table. As a result, our bottomless Sorel sangria was never refilled—not once. After waiting over an hour, I had to go to the bar myself to ask her to remove the bottomless drink from our check. Overall, my first visit was a disappointment. I loved the space and see a lot of potential, but the service and the jerk chicken were both very underwhelming. I truly wanted to love this place, and I might give it one more chance for dinner since it was still during the soft opening. That said, with so many similar spots that consistently deliver on both food and service, this place can’t afford to miss the mark. If they don’t get it right by the grand opening, it won’t be...

With the understanding that this place is new, there’s definitely room for improvement. Visited 8/30/25. Not sure what was going on with the ventilation but it was visibly smoky in the restaurant, like food was burning. I wanted to sit at the bar but they apparently ordered counter height stools to go at a bar height counter, which made me feel like a toddler sitting at the bar. They definitely need to switch the stools. I moved to a high top. Ordered the chicken wings (lemon pepper) and a spicy shrimp appetizer. Not really impressed with the wings. Slightly overcooked. I’m not really a fan of fighting tough meat. The shrimp appetizer came out hot and fresh. Loved the spices. For the entree I ordered the ox tail lasagna. Figured it should be perfection since it’s popular. I just wasn’t impressed. It looked stale. Old, like it was sitting on the plate for a while. The lasagna was dry. The oxtail lacked flavor and was crunchy, not moist. I couldn’t tolerate it. Switched to the inferno spaghetti. That came out hot and fresh. Loved the spice on that. The crostini was tasty as well. Also had to return a drink. The drinks I ordered were really sweet. Not liquor forward at all. I had to wait for someone to catch my eye so I could ask for a fork to eat. The tables weren’t properly set. Another woman near my table also didn’t have a fork. Not sure how you forget forks. While I don’t recall the menu saying anything about auto gratuity for all parties, I was charged 18% automatically (I went by myself). It is what it is with that. I’m used to it with black establishments. They had a dj and a live singer. That was fun. Overall, everyone was nice and willing to help. No bad attitudes. Maybe I’ll give them time to get the bar stools together and I’ll go back once they have their...

It’s taken me a few days to write this review because I wanted to be fair, honest, and kind at the same time. I visited Cathrine’s Restaurant on my birthday (9/2) during their soft opening. While I understand they are still working out the flow, the prices are set at regular rates, so I wanted to share my full experience.

First, the aesthetic of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful—I truly loved all the thoughtful details.

When it comes to customer service and communication, however, there’s room for improvement. My party of six placed our orders together, but the food arrived at very different times. Some of us had food while others were still waiting, and our appetizer came out alongside the entrées instead of before. Another party that arrived after us received all their food at once, which was a bit frustrating to see.

As for the food itself, it was a mix of highs and lows. The Rasta Pasta was very watery and lacked flavor. The Cod Fish Fritters tasted good but felt overpriced for the portion size. On the positive side, the Stuffed Chicken and Lamb were excellent—I would absolutely order them again. The Jerk Bruschetta was amazing, the Cream of Crab Soup was flavorful, and the Copper Calypso cocktail was outstanding.

Overall, my visit was okay. There are definitely some strong dishes and a beautiful atmosphere, but a few adjustments in timing, service, and consistency would make the experience run much...