Sal's Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Maryland

I’ve been here two nights in a row now and I cannot emphasize that while the food is good, the service is really terrible. Yesterday the restaurant was very crowded. The bartender was covering not only the bar, but also bringing drinks to tables, and taking care of the take-out register. But the issue wasn’t that he was overwhelmed, but that he wasn’t doing a good job with it. With a full bar, he never looks down to see if anyone needs to be served. It is nearly impossible to get his attention. My wife and I place our food and drink order, which he proceeded to forget to enter and which we had to get his attention again for, and then he still got it wrong. The people next to us had been waiting over an hour for their entree, and when it arrived it was wrong. In the intervening time, they had asked for more bread, which he forgot to bring. When he served a table their wine, he stayed and chatted with them for a significant period of time while everyone else is waiting. There is a waitress who seems to bring out food to the tables, but there are also three other guys who seem to do little to nothing. He spent a lot of the time talking about how tired and out of sorts he was. But today, the place was not full at all, and it was the same. It was impossible to get his attention, he never came by to clean plates or offer another drink, and he is too busy chatting with friends or regulars or whatever. I’m sure he was blissfully unaware of the guy who sat next to me and while for ten minutes we both tried to get his attention, he eventually muttered “what is this, self service” and eventually gave up and left.

It seems like the regulars will keep this place going, but it’s really shameful how bad...

My friend was sick, in the hospital, we thought he might not make it. My job was to clean his house, which was a formidable mess. He hadn’t gone out very much during Covid. When people came by he didn’t answer the door. All of his food and supplies were delivered to the door. It’s like the presence of the epidemic was wrapping him inside a dark cocoon.

So I came from out of town to clean my friend’s house while he’s hopefully recuperating in the hospital. I didn’t have a place to eat. I didn’t really have a place to go for a break, to get away from the inside of my friend’s cocoon house. Until I found Sal’s Italian Restaurant. That place was magic for me. I ate dinner there three nights in a row.

I felt like the people who work at Sal’s were helping me clean my friend’s house, like they were also my friends and I was part of the neighborhood. This is a rare thing, especially in these Covid times.

The food made me pound the concrete bar. ‘This chef must be protected! Somebody will try to steal him or her away.’ But then I realized they probably have things covered already.

If you are looking for a place to rest and eat excellent food among people who live in the neighborhood you should...

Went based off the amazing reviews and left feeling underwhelmed. Service was great, Chad’s awesome, but the food was just ok. Arancini was dry and the best part was the sauce, which tasted like it came from a can. The lasagna was a HUGE portion, we shared it and still took the leftovers home- adding meat sauce was the right call, but it came out warm, not hot. The table next to us got their food around when we did and you could tell their plates were steaming hot. The lasagna was also just ok, nothing mind blowing. Our table was terrible, right in front of the door and the constant moving in and out right next to us really detracted from the experience, this table should probably not exist. All in all, this is probably a good neighborhood staple for residents but if you’re looking for amazing italian food, this place isn’t it. Good for an ok meal if you’re starving. Again,...