Daniels Restaurant — Restaurant in Maryland

I went here on Sunday with 3 couples, this is my experience. First I ordered a margarita it was terrible, the sour mix they used had fermented and made the drink have bubbles like it was carbonated, it was disgusting. My friend who has bartended tasted it and agreed it was horrible. They took it away and I ordered a pineapple crush. When I picked it up to drink I saw something black and moving, there was a small spider swimming in it, we all gasped and she took it away and made me another one. It was terrible as well, the pineapple juice in it had that tinny taste at this point I gave up. We wanted shrimp salad which was on the menu, she told us they didn't have any. We ask if the crab cakes were good and made with lump crab meat we were told yes, so we ordered a platter of 2. Well folks these were by far the worst crab cakes I and my friends have ever had. First they didn't even look like crab cakes, they were very small and completely flat and very dark. When my friend and I bit into them they were so salty we gagged. They were the color of old bay thru and thru there was so much in them. No white lump crab meat at all, I believe it was claw meat. The potato salad and coleslaw were okay. Then we get the privilege of paying $33.00 for them. I've eaten a lot of crab cakes here in my 64 years of living in Maryland, these were unedible. My friend and I let others with us taste them and all agreed they were horrible. Including my husband who never complains and eats anything put in front of him. He said "What did they dump the whole can of Old Bay in them?" I will NEVER EVER go back there. Please if you want very good Maryland crab cakes go to Double T Diner on Mountain Road in Pasadena MD. All there seafood is very very good. I get a meal there that includes an absolutely delicious large crab cake, 4 large sweet sea scallops, and 3 large shrimp cooked to perfection. It also comes with a salad and homemade bread for $25.00, it's worth every penny. Stay away from Daniels restaurant, especially their disgusting crab...

To start, the good. The food was worth the cost, even though I asked for a medium burger and it was almost well done. My wife got a crabby patty, and it was excellent.

Downside... everything else.

The service was terrible. We had a group, and 2 people came almost 40 minutes before the rest of us. They were given a table, but not even allowed if they want a drink until everyone else got there, 40 min later.

When we arrived, we were told they were busy, but the back deck was almost completely open, as was 1 table and 2 stools. Using this excuse we were sitting for 20 more minutes before they took our order. As a note, the 2 people that came first were sitting for an hour at this point before being offered a drink.

The drinks took about 5 more minutes, they food probably 10 more after that. Not good not bad.

We had to flag down the waitress if we wanted anything (like a refill) and even then it was at least 5 minutes before she came back for clarification on what we wanted.

On leaving, they brought out a check they refused to split, included a 20% gratuity and a gratuity tax.

Our friend knew the owner and spoke to them and got some removed from it, if not that this would be a 2 star review.

Edited after response: I have no problems with non-splitting bills for large parties, but I'm accustomed to 15% or 18%, not 20%. If the service were anywhere near acceptable I wouldn't complain about a 20% (though I still consider it too high), but a difference in 5% on a $200+ bill starts to add up, especially when it appears it's being taxed as well.

The gratuity tax was listed as "gratuity tax" on the receipt, so if that is supposed to be the sales tax, then it's poorly labeled. According to research while we were sitting there (because I can't recall ever seeing that before) it is legal for a business to charge tax on mandatory gratuities so that they don't have to pay it themselves. I highly recommend you check your receipts and make sure that if it's a labeling issue, you correct it to prevent further...

This unassuming place popped up on Maps and gave us all of 30 seconds to decide whether or not to take the exit. Glad we did! As we drove closer and I read more, admittedly, the "biker bar" mentions gave my wife and I a slight pause, but the also often repeated mentions of friendly employees put us more at ease. Then, as we pulled intonthe parking lot, we saw the "Land of the Free" banner over the rear entrance and just knew we had to support such a place! We seemed to be the only customers when we arrived, but everyone was apparently sitting on the side patio. Honestly, I wish we had sat out there.

The staff were extremely friendly, as "advertised" in reviews, and quite attentive. We sat at the inside bar and I think we had at least 4 people take care of us or ask how things were. The Crabby Chicken Wrap may have been the best wrap I've ever had. The crab dip was over the top delicious and the chicken was juicy and tasty. This may be a combo I have to try and duplicate at home. While the potato salad was good, I thought there was far too much celery, making it not exactly worth the upcharge, but no big deal.

The Buffalo Chicken Wrap was also quite good, with the breaded chicken, thankfully, not being dry at all. Depending on your spice tolerance, it might be too much, but even my wife was able to finish it... once she added some ranch to each bite. The chips could've used a bit of seasoning, though. My wife was quite happy that they even had sweet tea, excitedly saying, "Honey, we're back in The South!"

I hope we're passing through the state when the place is a bit busier next time, as I suspect it's a...