The Lighthouse Restaurant and Dockbar — Restaurant in Solomons

Overall, the place was mediocre.

Overall atmosphere: When I walked in, the place was very open. Tables were relatively close, but it wasn’t too loud at the time I went in (1:30 pm). My only complaint pertaining to the atmosphere is that it was extremely cold. My nose was running and I was shivering, but I normally bring a jacket so it isn’t that big of a deal.

Host/Hostess: There only seemed to be one of them at the time that I was seated. She smiled once at me, I think, but didn’t really say much. When she walked over to the host counter, she kind of just stared at me, not greeting me or asking how she could help me. Now, I could have started off by just saying that it was only me, but as an awkward individual I kind of just waved.

Wait Staff: This was my main problem area during my visit. It took my waitress 5 minutes to even appear and then another 2 for her to acknowledge I was there. I don’t remember her introducing herself either, but I could’ve forgotten, so let’s just say I forgot her name. She was very helpful with the couple of questions I had, but she didn’t really pay much attention to me after giving me my food. I had gone through my drink and another waitress offered me a refill, which was pleasant.

The Menu: I was given 2 menus; one was drinks from the bar, and the other was the lunch specials. One thing I did not like about the drink menu was that there were no non-alcoholic drinks listed, and there were no drinks listed on the food menu either. I felt bad for asking what non-alcoholic drinks they had, but I am under 21 and have to drive myself home and then to work later, so even if I was old enough, alcohol would not be an option. The second problem with not having any non-alcoholic beverages listed was that parents bring their children to the place, and from what I saw there were no kids menus either. Which could just mean the restaurant isn’t “kid friendly” but it would still have made sense to say what products were available. There also were no deserts listed anywhere on the lunch menu, and I was not given a desert menu. I did ask though, and decided on one (see image), but it would have been nice to see the prices of the deserts before choosing one.

The Food: I just wanted a crab cake, so I got the crab cake sandwich with no bread. The crab cake itself did not have much, if any, seasoning to it, but the table had salt, pepper, and old bay available, and the sandwich does come with tomato, lettuce, and tartar sauce, so the lack of seasoning didn’t bother me too much. I also decided to get the key lime pie for desert (see image). The plating was beautiful, and the pie itself was also good.

Pricing: For the quality of food and from what I saw other people getting, this place gives you a bang for your buck. But you need quite a bit of money if you intend on going to The Lighthouse. If you were to get the cheapest entrée on the menu, skip the appetizer, and skip dessert, you could get out of there under $20. Seafood is market price, so if you want to get the shrimp or the crab, be prepared to pay quite a bit. I got a drink, the crab cake sandwich, and a dessert, and my total came out to almost $47. The drink was $2.50, the slice of pie was $8, and the sandwich was $32. Sandwiches ranged between $12-21, everything else fitting into that same general price range, give or take.

Things to take away from this review: •staff isn’t very welcoming •wait staff is not attentive •it’s cold •the place is expensive

As I have heard so much about The Lighthouse, I was expecting to be blown away, but I was not. I do not plan on returning anytime soon, as I don’t have much money, but I would love to come back sometime and try the Ruben sometime when I...

I had such high hopes for this dining experience. The setting was drop-dead gorgeous, waterfront location. That is the ONLY 5⭐ aspect about this experience however. While the food can't be described as "bad" but more of a "preference" difference between other previous reviewers and myself, it still was not worth nearly $100 for one person, based on the quality and taste. The bacon wrapped scallops although not "bad" per se, weren't what I was expecting. Mojito was TOO sweet and not enough crushed mint—tasted like concentrated lime SYRUP, when a mojito is all about the power of subtlety shining through fine ingredients. The crab cake was a major FAIL. They have 2 options for their crab cakes: "original" or "angry". Inquiring about the difference, I was told the "angry" added Old Bay and black pepper. As a native Marylander, of course I ordered the "angry", which was a HUGE mistake. Once again subtlety eluded the proprietors here, b/c both Old Bay AND Black pepper COMPLETELY OVERPOWERED the entire dish, masking the most important ingredient—the crab meat! This abomination costs almost $40—and that's for ONE (and small) crab cake, friends! Trying to "make it work", I took like 4 or 5 sips of the mojito before I just couldn't anymore, sent it back for a Blue Lagoon that came in bucket. Watered down garbage @ $20.00 a pop. They have the audacity to charge a 3% credit card "processing fee" (receipt shown below)!! The nickel & diming of this institution is shameless and their food nor their lackluster service is worthy of the price tag, shown below in receipt (In all fairness they did not charge me for the mojito I sent back). I am not a "cheapskate". Look @ my previous reviews—but you have to EARN it. Great location w/ views worth a million bucks, but in the future I'll visit the COUNTLESS other options when I'm on historic downtown Solomons Island's waterfront that feature views just as...

Expect to change your watch to “island time”. I had to wait 5 minutes before being acknowledged at the Host Stand, stating “wait to be seated.” There was no one in front or behind me and the restaurant wasn’t even half full. The hostess was walking away as I entered and never turned around to see if she could help, even when the door made a loud noise as it shut behind me.

She finally creeps along like she’s sick or injured and when I think I’m going to be seated, a woman walks in behind me, looks at me, goes around me to hug the hostess and catch up with her. I ask if I can get a table, there’s no one else with me, and wants to know how many. I tell her just one. She wants to know if I’d like to sit inside or out. Outside sounds good. She says, I’ll follow you; you pick where you want to sit. I explained it’s my first time here and it may be better if I follow her.

The waitress finally shows up to take my drink order. I know what I want to eat but I have to listen to the specials of the day. I ordered two blackened shrimp tacos, a side of cucumber salad and hush puppies. I asked the food runner if I could get some butter for the hush puppies and she says, “sure!” No butter comes. My server appears and asks if I need anything, and I explained that I asked for butter. It’s now been 30 minutes or more since I ordered two tacos.

I’m finally eating and it feels like rain! No rain though. It’s the busboy on the deck above me, spraying the table he’s working on with disinfectant cleaner and now it’s all over my arms, my drink, and my lunch plate.

Lovely experience! I found the Manager behind the indoor bar chatting it up with another man. No customers. I gave him a $10 bill for the server’s tip and left after explaining my experience. I told him I hope he’ll be making some changes...