The smoked fried chicken was delicious, tender, and crispy, but the chicken was lacking in the smoked flavor. So, for fried chicken it was pretty tasty smothered with gravy. Fried brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes were standard fare, but paired nicely with the fried chicken. My dining partner wanted to order the steak frites, but sadly, they were out. She ended up with a short ribs with fries and brussels sprouts. Sadly, we didn’t have the chance to partake in the charcuterie or desserts. Large bar area with a small, intimate dining room with several small tables. Parking in this area can get tricky depending on the time of day with zone stipulations, so plan ahead.
Amanda W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Washington, DC
Southern food with presentation and a nice spark of inventiveness. We came for brunch and were sat immediately(reservations recommended). There’s a small dining room past the bar area with five or so tables. A check-in on Unilocal yielded us a free plate of beignets, which came warm from the oven with a side of caramel for drizzling. $ 5 bloodies were on point. They had $ 8 bloodies with grey goose as an option. We were given a carafe of cold water for the table as well. Let me just say, we all cleaned our plates. We had the biscuits with gravy and two fried eggs, the Philly cheesesteak omelette with potatoes, and the arugula salad with chicken. Everything tasted fresh and the salad was particularly yummy. Service was prompt and friendly. The server was able to answer our questions about shellfish content in the bloodies(none fyi) and the substitution requests were all accounted for.
Kevin P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Silver Spring, MD
It was good! My table all ordered different kinds of pizzas and they were really flavourful from the center all the way to the crust. It was personal sized and got me just a little below full. The atmosphere is great and they have complimentary valet parking. The bar was really nice to. I could get lose at the beauty of it.
Erica K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Troy, NY
I’ve only been here for brunch and I can’t complain. their crawfish hushpuppies are worth whatever drive/walk/bus ride/you have to take to get here. The house made bloody mary’s are the best in show and are the perfect way to start your day.
Nina H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Baltimore, MD
Really awesome place if you get that urge for southern comfort food. Everything was absolutely delicious!
Juana G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Washington, DC
Went for brunch today with 2 others. We’d made a reservation and were seated right away upstairs. Initial service was prompt. Food was very good. We started with the beignets. Excellent. One person had the Jerk Chicken & waffles and thought the chicken was pretty spicy, but appropriately so. Another had the cheesesteak omelette and liked it a lot. Grits were particularly tasty. I had the southern scramble and loved everything, except the biscuit which was very dry. Clearly it would stand up to gravy, but it failed as a stand alone. When I requested butter I was brought a meager amount after a very LONG wait, by which time I was no longer willing to give the biscuit a second chance. My friends agreed that if it were warm with lots of butter and honey it may have been okay. Service was good – food was hot and she noticed we needed refills – but by the time we got the cream we needed the coffee was totally cold. Our server was making drinks for the room, so that may have been the problem. We would go back, however, because the food was satisfying.
S C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Gambrills, MD
So we arrived at 5pm, right at opening. Lackluster service. But as we were the only table there for a bit I will leave out the details. Smoked fried chicken was good, brussel sprouts that came with were awesome. Dark meat chicken if that matters to anyone. Gumbo was a miss. Burger was very good. Sweet potato cornbread was not worth the pricetag. But no bread served so it was a unnecessary gouging. Went to check it out, not special enough to want to go back. One page menu is restrictive but maybe we just went when the weekly offerings were lackluster.
Shannon B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Baltimore, MD
Every time we come, the food and drinks are outstanding. We’ve eaten casually in the bar and had date nights in the dining room. The brunch is delicious as well. The staff is always friendly and very knowledgeable! One of our favorites!
Min K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Baltimore, MD
Given prior reviews by others, I came here with very high expectations. To summarize, the food here is good. But it didn’t quite live upto the high expectation(ie: best fried chicken I’ve ever had). I ordered the smoked fried chicken, which was pretty solid gourmet fried chicken. The sauce was well flavored, the chicken was crisply fried. The mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts served as decent side. My bf had the crawfish mac and cheese, which was quite delicious and cheesy as well. The service wasn’t as slow and terrible as some other reviewers made it out to be. Overall, people were friendly, food came out in a timely manner. It’s a fairly intimate place– great for a quiet dinner or a date night. It’s good, but don’t go with TOOHIGH of an expectation.
S S H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Federal Way, WA
I enjoyed eating here. It was fun to see everyone here wearing Halloween costumes :) I will definitely be back!
Sarah Z.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Newark, DE
Went for brunch — food was outstanding, service was a bit slow. Everything on the menu looked fantastic. Our table checked in on Unilocal,which got us a free order of beignets, which are served with an amazing caramel dipping sauce. A nice bite as we looked through the menu. Most of the group ordered $ 5 bloody marys which everyone loved for their pickled briny goodness. The table ordered poutin — very good, though, probably not necessary to order if fries come with your main dish. This place knows how to do great sauces! The gravy was super flavorful. I ordered the smokefried chicken sandwich and my husband got the hotfried sandwich to compare. We asked the difference and they just said that the hotfried is «very very spicy.» The waiter didn’t look like he was messing around about the heat factor, so I opted for less spicy. Verdict? Both were delicious. The hotfried is indeed spicy, but not unpleasantly so – so if you dig spicy, don’t be afraid of it. Another at our table ordered biscuits and gravy over grits(everyone agreed the grits are *not to miss*), with crawfish gravy. This dish was probably the table’s favorite. The order of eggs benedict looked on point — again, the grits in that one were a highlight for sure. Unfortunately this dish came out about half way through the rest of our meal due to something breaking in the kitchen(we appreciated their honesty about it). The dinner menu looks amazing. Might have to go back to check out the shrimp + grits!
Grace G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Roseville, CA
I am tempted to give this place 5 stars. The food was amazing! Yep, I used that word… amazing. So we Unilocaled this place and after careful consideration, we decided to come here. First most, there are negative reviews on here based on some real stupid sh*t. Lol. Like, they didn’t like how they were not allowed to bring outside food into the establishment… lol. Really? Or, they don’t have a big vegetarian menu… lol. You should have Unilocaled a vegetarian spot, dumb ass. lol. Stuff like that. Smh This place is legit. It’s a bar, that serves really good food. The cons… takes a little longer than normal to get food and drinks. But, we knew that before coming from reading other reviews. So, I just flagged them down and they were cool with that and so was I. They tried to sit us in the back in between other people and squeeze us in when it wasn’t that busy… I wasn’t feeling that, so they happily moved us to a bar top in which we were happy with. So after you get over that stuff… the food finally comes out. Wow! Really good. So much flavor in every bite on every dish. I ordered the smoked fried chicken which was stupid good. Tender chicken, nice and crusty, packed with spice and flavor. Delicious! The mashed potatoes had amazing taste too. The Brussels sprouts might have been my favorite and I hate Brussels sprouts. Lol. And another good thing, the gravy was super tasty and not overwhelming to the dish. Perfect. And then yes, we also had the Mac n cheese which was really good and the hush puppies that were also perfectly cooked! The chef can COOK. So like another Unilocaler said, don’t come to this place starving… it takes too damn long to get served, but the food is worth the wait. And, also, ask about parking… the meter chick is constantly giving out tickets. Don’t park across the street. The drinks are simple too. Like I said,‘it’s a bar… and their collection consists mostly of bourbons and whiskeys. So, if ur a big vodka drinker, a vodka and cran is about the best ur gonna get… heads up. But anyhow, we will definitely have this on our list of places to go the next time we are in the area. Good food. Decent drinks. And good prices.
Lauren S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Baltimore, MD
I just came to Blue Grass for a drink and I got a very nice Malbec. We took a seat at the bar and it took a little while for the bartender to take our order, it wasn’t terribly busy… but that’s why I took off one star. Other than the initial slow start, service was attentive. I was able to take a glance at the menu and I definitely think I want to come back for dinner at some point to try the Shrimp and Grits. Again, this review is just based on bar service. I would recommend you give it a shot!
Adrienne D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Baltimore, MD
Delicious. I’m from the south so it was amazing to find this place! Had my birthday dinner here with about 6 other people and they had plenty of room for us! Everything we had was delicious, the chicken and macaroni and cheese were definitely my favorites. I’m pretty sure I could eat my body weight in their mashed potatoes. And I don’t even like Brussels sprouts, but I loved theirs! Their bar was awesome too, fully stocked, very knowledgeable. Nice valet, too!
Gloribel L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Silver Spring, MD
The mac and cheese and sweet potato cornbread made all of my dreams come true. They no longer offer mac and cheese as a side, but our waiter was able to put in an order for us! The angus burger was exceptional. Highly recommend it. The fried chicken was also so juicy inside and crispy on the outside. My boyfriend and I loved our food and the beautiful atmosphere of the dining room. It was a great date night spot. All of our food came out promptly and hot & delicious. Only big downside is parking. They don’t do valet and street parking is nearly impossible after 6pm unless you are a resident of the neighborhood.
Liz J.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Baltimore, MD
When I walked in and saw the huge selection of bourbon and whiskey, and a southern-inspired menu to match, I thought I was back in the South. The atmosphere made me feel like I was back home in Richmond, and I was so excited to get some of the delicious southern comfort food I had been missing. I was so disappointed. Now, if you’re not from the South, the food here is just fine. But if you’re coming here expecting a little slice of Southern Heaven, you’ll be sad on your way out. Let’s talk about what we actually consumed. I started with a Southern Belle cocktail, which was much too strong for my taste, but I drank it anyway because it was $ 10 and my fiancé was still 20 minutes away. But while I was sipping away at the bar, I was able to take a look around at what others were eating. It seemed that the«Brussel Sprouts» were the way to go. The first clue that this was a poor choice was the fact that the menu reads«Brussel» sprouts, not«Brussels.» So the chef here doesn’t seem to be well versed in the actual food he is cooking. But everyone had them, and I love good Brussels sprouts, so we had to get them as our appetizer. Do you like vinegar? Great! Order the«Brussel» sprouts and every other vegetable on the menu. I knew that the veggies that came with my meal would be pickled, but there is a difference between pickled veggies and vinegar overload. A little too much on everything here. The ribs pretty much fell of the bone and were pretty good, but the cole slaw wasn’t quite right. And don’t be fooled by the«Sweet» Adobo short ribs. There is nothing sweet there — all spicy! It was so hot I could barely eat any of it, and I know it wasn’t just me being sensitive to it, because the people at the table next to us were also commenting about how it was too hot, and even asked for milk to cool down their mouths.(I almost did, but milk doesn’t mix well with bourbon and beer.) If you’re looking for a little taste of Southern and you don’t know what you’re missing, you may enjoy it here. Just be wary of the spicy meat and vinegary vegetables if that’s not your thing.
Jessica R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Baltimore, MD
Bluegrass offers complimentary beignets with a caramel dipping sauce during brunch and they were AMAZING! I thought the caramel sauce would be too sweet but it went perfectly with the beignet. As for entrees, the first time I came, my friend and I both ordered the chicken and waffles which came with four small waffles topped with chicken and a drizzle of honey mustard maple syrup. This tasted great! The syrup added a nice tangy flavor to the fried chicken that made it more savory rather than sweet. I’ve also had the seared salmon and it was a nice healthy brunch item. It was served with hollandaise sauce and lobster on top and over a sweet potato hash with tomatoes. Definitely would order again! As for dinner, the last time I came I had the shrimp and grits which is served with the hogs head red eye trotter gravy. It was okay, not particularly good or bad. We also ordered a side of their mac and cheese, which was delicious! I think I prefer the brunch menu to the dinner menu. Service has been slow each time I’ve come, so don’t come if you’re already starving. One time my friend and I came to brunch and everyone else’s food came out before ours. We actually didn’t notice since we were so busy catching up, but the manager came over and apologized and then gave us gift cards for our next visit. So although service is slow, the management really cares about its customers. Tip: Thursdays are neighborhood night — show your license and if you live in the 21230 zip code then you get 10% off your check.
Teneka W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Baltimore, MD
Been eyeing this place since I saw the deal on living social so I decided to go here for my birthday. Since my patience is so short and don’t like to wait I’m glad I did. I made reservations for 6 but when we got there I realized we didn’t really need reservations. It wasn’t totally empty but empty enough that a party of 6 can walk in and be seated right away. Anyway, I already knew what I wanted to order because my fellow Unilocalers suggested the smoked fried chicken. I wanted to try the garlic mashed potatoes as well but the sides with the entrée changes with the season. So I got the potato salad and I’m glad I did. The whole meal was definitely comfort/I don’t want to get off the couch/my boyfriend just dumped me food. You can definitely taste the smokiness of the chicken and it was fall of the bone good and well seasoned. Another friend ordered the salmon blackened catfish jambalaya and it was a little too on the spicy side for me, but it wasn’t my meal to judge. She said it was good though. The rest of my party got the cox farm burger and the only complaint they had was the house made ketchup. They weren’t fans of that. And because we mentioned it was my birthday the waiter gave me and the beau a shot. Not sure what it was but it was sweet and stronger than the $ 8 vodka and cranberry I ordered with my meal. The service here was exceptional. Im starting to notice that when I go to non-chain places and I immediately mention that I’m a Unilocaler, the service gets turned up a notch. Don’t know if that’s truly the case or just my imagination. However when we sat down and the waiter was giving us the rundown on the menu he kept prefacing with«we’re out of this or let me check if we have that.» Funny thing is, everything they didn’t have, we didn’t want anyway. So word of advice«don’t ask, don’t tell» because it makes the establishment appear to be careless in making sure they have a stock of what’s listed on the menu. I should also mention that I didn’t think the prices were as expensive as I originally thought. Our total bill for 6 was $ 116-$ 20 living social coupon=$ 96. Yes I used a coupon on my birthday even though I didn’t pay for my meal. The real bummer of the night was having to walk almost 2 blocks in 4″ heels because I was also led to believe they had valet parking which they don’t. At least they didn’t that night. And given the emptiness of the restaurant it wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t have it at all. Therefore, we parked on Hanover St and returned to a $ 102 parking ticket on all of our cars. Actually everyone on the block had one. Apparently you can’t park on the street during stadium events. How the hell am I supposed to know when the Orioles or the Ravens play?
Rachel L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Baltimore, MD
My friend and I were looking to mix it up a little for dinner without leaving Federal Hill. I had read about Blue Grass Tavern and that they serve delicious southern comfort food. I also had a dining card for Blue Grass which was an added incentive for me to head over there. After looking over the menu, my friend and I knew we had to start with an order of the Baked Mac N Cheese. This was incredibly creamy and cheesy with some nice crunchy bits from the cast iron skillet, we loved it. My friend decided to try something I would have never expected her to order, Smoked Fried Chicken. This dish came with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, crispy brussel sprouts, and country gravy. The chicken was off the bone, smoked and then fried and it was truly delicious. Smoking the chicken added another level of flavor and made it better than your typical fried chicken but inside the meat was still incredibly moist. I’ve been on a little burger kick lately and I’ve heard that Blue Grass has a pretty awesome burger. So I ordered the Cox Farms Dry Aged Burger. It was topped with applewood smoked cheddar, grilled red onion, spicy mayo, house cured bacon, lettuce, tomato, and slaw. This burger was delicious and juicy. Definitely one of the better ones I’ve had. If you’re looking for a great meal, head over to Blue Grass Tavern.
Mike G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Washington, DC
The food, GOOD. The service, maybe it was an off day. We stopped by here after searching for a nice little place to eat for the evening. The menu looked full of good items, but I chose the dry aged burger medium and my wife got the smoked fried chicken. The burger was cooked to perfection and the toppings fit perfectly. The handcut fries were good and nicely seasoned. Not overly salty or overly bland, but perfect. It came with a sauce that topped everything off. It truly tasted like a version of apple butter. Trust, I dipped everything in it. My wife loved the chicken. I stole a piece and you can tell they put in major work on the chicken. The waitress said the difference between the hot smoked chicken and the regular smoked chicken is the hot is dunked in a type of hot sauce. Instead of the potato salad, my wife opted to get brussel sprouts. We also got the peach cobbler for dessert. This was well worth it! The downside of my experience was the service. I ordered a Sprite that came out intermittently. The worst part was the Sprite was dead. I brought it to the waitresses attention, she took the glass. Fifteen minutes pass and I was without a Sprite. I asked to see if there was maybe a problem with the system and she mentioned the system was down where she gets the Sprite, but it worked at the bar area. I left it at that thinking she would have gotten it from the bar, but nope. I kept quiet(not sure why). I was getting upset every time she walked by my table without a Sprite or a valid reason when she couldn’t go to the bar to get me the darn sprite. Why!!! I got the check and to add insult to injury, she charged us full price for the brussel sprouts instead of charging it as a substitute. We paid the tab, not sure why at this point, but I was initially going to write it off, but nope. I couldn’t contain myself at this point. What made it a little better was I went to speak to a manager. I explained the situations of what happened and he genuinely apologized for the lack of Sprite and for being over charged for my substitution of sprouts. On top, he gave me a gift card for my next visit. Well played on his part to get me back. Ultimately I grew upset with the service. Maybe I expect too much because I dine out a lot or maybe this was a case of a new waitress still getting her feet wet. She didn’t even seem happy when she initially greeted us or when we had questions about the menu. For the sake of the food, give this place a try. I hope you have better service than I did.
Stephanie H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Trenton, NJ
Really positive dining experience here. Décor was rustic, lovely outdoor seating area, and attentive service. We shared the sweet potato corn bread with a molasses butter side. It was pretty tasty, I liked the sweetness of the butter. The smoked fried chicken though was phenomenal. There was so much chicken and it had a super delicious gravy on top. The chicken was boneless and the skin was crunchy and amazing. The mashed potatoes were really creamy, I just wish there was more of the gravy to go along with the potatoes. I don’t like Brussels sprouts so I switched the side for broccoli and even the broccoli had really good flavor. Whatever sauces they used for this dish made it so tasty. I would come back again and again to Bluegrass just for the fried chicken. A+
Annabelle L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Raleigh, NC
Came here last night with a friend for dinner! There was free valet parking(wooot! especially given the area) and service was attentive. We were seated upstairs by a window; the place had a very home-y feel to it, although it was a bit dark where we sat. The food came out a bit slowly, but we didn’t mind as we were catching up. We started with the crawfish hush puppies, which were good, but I wasn’t sure that I tasted the crawfish. Being a southern gal, I think I like regular hush puppies better, but it was a pretty interesting concept. For our entrees, I got the smoked fried chicken which was delicious! It came on a plate drizzled with gravy, with two sides of mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. The chicken was so tender, I couldn’t tell if it was dark or white meat! You could definitely taste the smokiness which was delicious. Mashed potatoes were perfectly smooth and buttery. Brussels were SO crispy, my friend and I were talking about how we can never get them so crispy at home. The dish was a tad on the saltier side, but all in all, I’d definitely recommend. My friend got the wild mushroom gnocchi which I had a taste of: creamy, savory with the mushrooms, and perfectly light gnocchi. I’d say it was better than the fried chicken!!!
Heidi F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Catonsville, MD
What a pleasant surprise! This restaurant is pretty stellar. From the beautiful building and décor to the amazing menu and food. What I loved about this place is the teamwork feel of the service. Everyone is checking on you and making you comfortable. The server actually read specials and described them in anyway that I thought about changing my main course option! We started with the crawfish hush puppies and they rocked. The flavors were excellent and the sauce it was served with was great. The crab and artichoke dip was really different but overall enjoyable. The star of the show was the dinner. The smoked fried chicken. The flavor was rich and smokey. The mashed potatoes and brussels were also fabulous. I am salt lover and never reached for a shaker nothing needed it! Can’t wait to return for a bourbon flight and the cheese plate! $ 5 valet is a must woohoo.