The Crow's Nest — Restaurant in Maplewood

This is one of those places you'll be glad you found for a few of reasons.

The food: Delicious and a different take on some classics. For example, fried pickles, which I enjoy, pretty much taste the same everywhere. Except they don't there. They're spicy, crunchy deliciousness served with a dipping sauce that takes it to the next level. Their version of pork poutine is one of my favorite dishes to order. If you're wanting the same food you get everywhere else, this is not the place for you.

The drinks: A great selection of craft beers, such as stouts, ales, sours, etc., mainstream beers, and mixed drinks/cocktails. The servers and bartenders are friendly and can guide you to what you like.

The ambiance and building: Older style design, like the tiled ceiling and beautiful woodwork. Music hits your ears the moment you walk in and the record cover menus are a good hint that it will continue the entire time you're there. The place has a great vibe and the variety of music played is enjoyable. They have high tables, booths, a bar, and a patio. Some of the booths are located near a more open area, so if you require wheelchair accessible space there is room for you to face the booth and be able to enjoy your meal or drinks. I'm not sure if the patio is wheelchair accessible.

The location: Located in an area that has a lot to offer. It's on the same block as other small, locally owned businesses. Want a book to enjoy on their patio while you're having a drink? It's a 1 minute walk away. Want dessert? Go grab some fresh waffles wrapped around ice cream at the corner. Need a manicure before meeting friends? It's across the street. The area also frequently has street festivals, including Taste of Maplewood. I like places where I can build a whole day out around a three block radius and this place fits perfectly into that...

I love the Maplewood area on Manchester where this location is located. As a farewell gathering for our beloved Doctor who serviced our office, we decided on this place for brunch. It was my first outing postpartum and I was interested in indulging in an alcoholic beverage. I looked over the menu which the waitress gave us ample time to make decisions on what we wanted to drink and eat, I decided on a drink that I thought had a peach punch to it. I ordered it under the impression that it would be like a peach lemonade. Well when the waitress brought my drink back, the mezcal overwhelmed the drink and. My group urged me to asked for some more peach liqueur. The waitress begrungedly took my drink back to the bar. after what seemed like a long time, the waitress returned to our table with everyone's drink but mine. okay, that's fine. But it was when she started serving other tables and my drink was still not back at the table. I waved her down and asked her to just make me a fresh drink and with an attitude, left for some time again before returning with my drink. Well eventually, I ordered the stuffed french toast, which was really good. But what threw me off was when I got my bill back. I was charged for two drinks. I let her know that I was not paying for one of those drinks because one never came back to the table. She went to get the manager and he said 'well there's descriptions on the menu' well, no Sh*t there's descriptions on the menu, I ordered the drink thinking it would taste like a peach lemonade. I let him know that while the drink did not meet my expectations and I don't even want to pay for one, I will pay for one, but I'm not paying for two drinks that I was very disappointed in. This interaction rubbed my whole group the wrong way, and it will probably be a while before we return. Congrats on the...

Had a very unusual experience with manager Eliza one visit here Nov '22.

We ordered carry out while on a walk in neighborhood (we live nearby), when we arrived we ordered a few drinks because it felt chill. Sat in the area of the patio labeled bar service only. While sitting down I cracked open one of my food containers and offered my 2 year old french fries. Manager approaches us and point blank asks us to leave the premises because we ordered carryout. Never mind that we had two drinks we had just paid for. I asked what can we do with our drinks? She said we could finish them quickly but we can't eat the food.

I understand if you want to have policies, but asking us to immediately leave when we had two drinks in hand and a toddler (who was well-behaved mind you) because we opened a little food for our child seems ridiculous and completely out of touch.

I wrote an email, complaining about my experience. Eliza called me, reiterating that the kitchen is small, that ordering too much carryout might overwhelm the kitchen. But they still accepted my order when I called it in? The place was not busy at all. The manager in question was visiting with some friends, made a point to stand up and kick us out because "reasons" aforementioned, then went back to sitting and smoking with her friends across the patio. Mind you, there was no warning, or please consider this for next time. Just straight up 86'ing us with full drinks in hand because we also had a carry out order. Absurd.

This was my go-to spot for years, dozens of happy hours and meals with friends, family and clients all on my own initiative. 2 years later I still feel slighted by my family's treatment. Haven't been back since. I prefer schlafly bottleworks, blue duck, or side project while staying in the...