Ranazul — Restaurant in Maryland

31 Dec 2024 the new years' eve dinner was very, very good. Appetizers were served hot and were delicious. My lamb had some very interesting flavor and my wife's steak was leagues above what we can grill at home. The usual excellent experience.

The only issue is the delapidated shopping center. The east/ lower entrance route presents a number of heaved concrete sections that are tripping hazards. The west/ upper entrance route has sunken concrete that held a big lake of water. There are also sections of the overhead facia that need to be replaced.

21 Aug 2024 they are back!!! The same wonderful food and staff. Jeremy is has usual brilliant self. We had all of the favorites the salmon medallions, frito mixto, chicken and it was uniformly excellent

The new shopping center is shabby. Horribly worn, upheaved cement walkways, (watch your step!), leaky caved- through ceilings, yellow feature panels that are broken and moldy. Restaurant management need to insist on reasonable maintenance.

09 mar 2023: We had our first lunch at Ranazul and it was excellent! The grilled chicken was delicious with their spicy salsa, my wife's ciabatta bun was very soft and had a great taste. I tried their spicy tomatoe soup and its so good! Our waitress was efficient and sweet. We are coming back for lunch!

Update: Home run for restaurant week! They feature tapas plates like barbacoa beef tacos, pork stroganoff, and salmon medallions. DELICIOUS! what a great way to sample their beautifully prepared tapas plates

The food and experience were still wonderful. We had wine, a multi course meal and everything was delicious. We appreciated all of the care they had in wearing masks and gloves and sanitizing everything. I felt very comfortable...

This is labeled as a tapas bar, but is unlike other tapas places I've been to. The word tapas makes me think of tiny plates with three or so bites of food. The concept of a meal comprised entirely of that requires patience and deep pockets. It could require one eat a dozen or so before declaring defeat and heading elsewhere for pizza.

However, Ranazul is NOT at all like that. The food is generously served and delicious. I got a crispy duck arugula salad, fried manchego cheese in almonds and a champagne honey sauce, then a six ounce ribeye served with potatoes and wilted spinach, followed by what they call a magma cake, but you probably know as a lava cake. As for size, the spinach that came with my steak was as large as other plates of tapas I have had elsewhere. The steak was definitely larger than six ounces, and came on an entree size plate. The amount of manchego I was served would have made a cardiologist cringe. It was all quite delicious. The steak was cooked as I requested. The waiter was always very friendly and attentive.

This is a very nice place with great food and service. It might call its offerings tapas, but they would be tricky to fit atop a glass. They are small enough that you can get a few, but you will leave...

A surprise winner! Small plates and cocktails have been excellent across 3 visits. Each dish well-executed for what it was. Craft cocktails are well-balanced and not weak.

I also tried happy hour. Drink discounts were welcome, but the HH portions of food were less satisfying / less good. I'd recommend ordering small plates off the regular menu instead.

Full disclosure, I expected this place would be mediocre and hadn't bothered checking it out though it's been open for some time. Suburban restaurants around here all seem be made from a few molds: crowd-pleasing chains, over-hyped but mediocre white tablecloth dining, casual "exotic" cuisines, fast food, or sports bars. Ranazul's sort of cuisine-forward "adult" dining is surprisingly rare despite the county's affluence (and that kind of dining being the norm in the city).

This is located in the "downtown" part of Maple Lawn, with street parking right outside, and large parking lots nearby. Very roomy, airy dining room with lots of natural light.

Only real quibble: these are small plates (more appetizer-sized) rather than mediterranean style tapas one would expect from the description (which would be much smaller and cheaper). Just keep that in mind...