Hornets Nest Grille — Restaurant in Maryland

We were in Damascus last week and we found a hidden gem - Tom and Ray’s, which was a pleasant surprise. So today we returned to Damascus and tried the Hornets Nest, which has a high rating. From the moment we walked in, we felt like we entered a hornet’s nest. The dining room was empty and the hostess wanted to seat us at a small 2 person table in Siberia near the bathrooms and pick-up station by the kitchen. We asked if we could sit at the 4 person table in front of the 2-top and the hostess agreed. Little did I know that my chair when I went to sit down would be so wobbly I felt like I was on a boat in stormy weather. It took several minutes before the bartender brought us menus and asked us what we wanted to drink. The bartender was pleasant but the service went downhill from there. There were several people milling around but we had no specific server assigned to our table. Therefore we relied on the bartender to be our point of contact in the restaurant. When our appetizer order for the Ultimate Nachos and Sizzling Calamari were brought to us they looked great. The calamari was nice and hot and crispy. However, the nachos were a different story. We would have liked to have had dynamite to assist us in pulling the nachos from the waxed paper so we could eat them. The nachos felt like they had been sitting under the heat lamp for the past 3 hours causing the cheese to glue them to the waxed paper and to dry out the chips. I have never experienced this before in a real bar. 7 Eleven’s nachos are even better. Our entrees were passable. The Greek Salad was fresh and tasty. However, for the Hornet’s Nest Parmesan with Eggplant, the penne pasta was over cooked. I even heard someone in the kitchen ask a server to bring us our entrees. It took several minutes from that request to actually receive our meal. The server probably had to travel over Siberia to get to us. Service is definitely lacking and the food quality is not worth talking about. There seemed to be a lot of confusion for an empty dining room. Before we left and the dining room was still empty, the hostess successfully seated a couple at the 2 person table in the back of the dining room near the bathrooms and kitchen pick-up area. Is this where they seat the international couples? I was hoping to give you more stars but you really don’t deserve it. Regrettably I will not be back. I don’t like...

I chose the Hornets Nest Grille based on its rating, and because I thought the drive from Adelphi to Damascus would be a pleasant way for my wife and I to enjoy Sunday's beautiful weather. We were seated outside, and our server (Alyssa) was quick to take our orders (both food and drink). While we waited for our entrées, I noticed the onion rings another patron was eating, and asked if it was too late to switch the French fries that came with my shrimp to onion rings instead; Alyssa assured that it could be done, and it was. When our dinners arrived, we noticed that we had not been provided silverware; rather than wait for our server, and risk our food getting cold, I went to the hostess station and got us some. The hostess apologized for the oversight. Our meals were neither good nor bad; my wife and I agreed that "mediocre" is the word that is best used to describe them. Since this was our first visit there, I can say that our expectations were not met. Sadly, the milkshake I ordered was the greatest disappointment; the Hornets Nest Grille only offers vanilla and chocolate. The only thing vanilla about the milkshake that I ordered was the scent. The first sip, and those that followed, held no hint of ice cream. What I got was a 7.00 cup of milk. I have included a video to demonstrate its thin consistency. Perhaps this was an "off" afternoon for the establishment. First impressions, however, tend to be lasting ones; the one left by the Hornets Nest Grille leaves no incentive for us to return. UPDATE: After a very pleasant telephone conversation with the manager of the Hornets Nest Grille, my wife and I went back for another try, and were not disappointed. We dined inside, and our server was very attentive. We had their steak sub, fries and, of course, their delicious onion rings. I can say, with confidence, that the Hornets Nest Grille...

The Hornets Smith Grill is a cozy restaurant in Damascus right off Main Street. The restaurant definitely has a hometown field and is decorated with Damascus high school jerseys and team pictures.

I went there for lunch on a weekday and had a very nice experience. The food and service were both very good!

I ordered the cream of crab soup, it is a pretty generous portion, even for the small size and it’s topped with real crab. It was delicious, maybe one of the best cream of crab soups I’ve eaten in a very long time.

I also had the fish and chips, the portions were generous, enough for two meals.

My friend ordered the Reuben sandwich which I sampled. This is what I’ll get next time! That bread was grilled perfectly so that you had a nice crunch when bite into it and the meat was very flavorful! And, it was a huge sandwich!

The service was just right and I will definitely be back to this restaurant. Every town needs a restaurant like this!

(One note about parking, there is a sign on the side of the building that says parking only for an address and certain suites or be towed. It does not match the address of the restaurant, but apparently you can park there. I had to call the restaurant to be sure. The signage should be clear as to who is allowed to park...