Mr. Rain’s Fun House Restaurant

The reviews of this spot in the American Visionary Art Museum have been spot on and quite consistent; it is overlooked. And based on the evening we just had, that could be the only reason that they are closing.
I was lucky enough to score a great table for four with some new friends on their finale night. They were serving a 4 course meal for $ 48. They did have a limited choice on the wine and the scotch, but we had two really great bottles. A very crisp and citrus forward Rousette de Savoie (2010 Jean Vullien) which was difficult to pronounce — and because of the v and d sounds in the name — we cheekily called in the Vin Diesal wine. Upon recommendations from the bartender, we switched to a Gamay for the main course. It was smooth, easy palatable with hints of cherry.
Let me tell you about the little bread pretzelly dough goodness that they started us with. I think we had about 3 or 4 baskets.
Next, I had the melon and prosciutto salad. The spicy arugula and the sweet sweet watermelon went perfectly with the salty cured ham. I loved this salad. I almost considered licking the bowl. It was fantastic. The other starters — spicy heirloom tomato gazpacho (although, they might want to reconsider their spoon choice) and the sesame tuna were a hit as well.
Next, we had a great charcuterie board with venison sausage, head cheese, and a bunch of tantalizing meats.
For the third course, I had the pan seared salmon — flaky and perfectly cooked, served with a warm potato and spicy fennel salad. It was great. The root beer spare rib was the perfect amount of tender and sweet and came with an exquisite buttery potato side. The winner of the evening was actually the one dish most of us steered away from. The adobo pork belly. Let me tell ya, this girl loves pork belly, but the server didn’t quite sell it and it came with coconut rice and collards, which did not excite me. Holy crap! The meet was fork tender, a little sweet and a little spicy.
Last, but not least was the carrot cake — succulent, creamy icing. It might be the best carrot cake I have ever had.
I am so sorry that this was my first and last time here and hope that the team tries another venture, as I will become a regular.

Was not impressed. Small pretentious menu and the museum wasn’t included with meal. Cheese and meat plate was terrible. Mac and cheese cakes tasted like red pepper. Grass garnish in specialty drink. Too trendy not enough tasty in my opinion.

Came here on a Friday night a few weeks ago.
I was sad to see the restaurant had many open tables. I feel like the time when this was a scene is over (not that I am into scenes… I just like to see places do well)
Our waiter was amazing and so nice, of course I can’t remember his name.
The pretzel rolls were amazing!
the app we shared: Tuna Poke Avocado, sesame & soy sauce was amazing… I wanted to lick the plate.
I had trout (Ruby Red Trout Fingerling potatoes & fennel, parsley vinegar coulis) (which was a huge portion and looked like salmon) It was amazing… and here is the thing… I usually HATE fennel! The way the chef made it, it did not taste like licorice.
the bf had one of the specials… he really liked it I don’t remember what it was.
for dessert we had the cinnamon donut, it was just enough and yummy!
come here for a quiet, romantic dinner!!!
(and go early for the museum, and the gift shop, it is a blast!!)

Wow what a revelation! Advertised as Restaurant week yet all the good stuff on the menu was plus $ 5 had to reconsider if that was in fact a deal or not bad advertisement. Not to mention $ 13 martinis which wouldnt be so bad if the glasses weren“t half full. Unsure what the bread was but it was stale bread if you are going to do
Restaurant Week dont sacrifice quality

Cool, fun restaurant. Very artisty and witty, loved that.
Allow for another 30 minutes or so to explore the museum and gift shop.
The food was okay. The four of us shared with each other and so I got to try a bit of everything but it’s more of an atmosphere place than a food place.
Good Bloody Mary’s though!

WHAT?! How have I not written a review for Mr. Rain’s yet?
Mr. Rain’s ranks up with Woodberry and Ebenezer in my TOP BALTIMORE restaurants. The décor is super fun and funky, the service is always PHENOMENAL, and every meal there is an ADVENTURE. The cocktail menu is outrageous, with many things I have never seen or tried. whenever I’ve hesitated on making a choice, the servers have reassured me: don’t worry, if you don’t like it, on to the next adventure!
FAVORITES:
Cocktail: Success from Scandal — lemony gin delight with this crisp of arugula… excellent balance of sweet and herbal!
FOOD:
PICKLE PLATE. An assortment of house pickled items… truly a must. Each time there are new items — my favorite was the pickled strawberries — who knew?
The Moroccan chicken is wonderfully moist and flavorful.
The black eyed pea cakes are FABULOUS, kind of a spin on falafel meets roasted red pepper & baba ganoush.
Overall, a real gem in Baltimore.

Have dined at Mr. Rains for both lunch and dinner. Seasonal yet always eccentric offerings. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of food served. Excellent array of high end cocktails, playing with non conventional ingredients. Lunch service used to provide a 2 course prix fixe for $ 25 which was the best deal in Fed Hill for lunch, but have since then done away. Menu is always changing so the menu online is not always accurate.

Great place to stop in for a snack or meal when you need a break from looking at the exhibits at the American Visionary Arts Museum. It’s at the top floor of the museum. The crab and mango tartare was delicious. Our server was very friendly and gave us great service. Desserts sounded delicious, though we didn’t try it. Maybe next time.

Awesome homemade pickles, BBQ pulled pork, BBQ loaf and heirloom tomatoes with in house ricotta. This is an amazing Sunday brunch location and truly under rated by the locals, likely for economic reasons as it isn’t economical but it is well worth it.
This is a true hidden secret and I’m sure the locals know how amazing the food is and the environment. If you don’t have time to do the museum then at least hit the dining options and the gift shop. You won’t be disappointed!

The meal itself was ok. I’ve had much better around Baltimore, and at a way better price, but I wasn’t disappointed.
They seemed to be out of everything we wanted to order, so we ended up with the steak… which was GINORMOUS. Ridiculously huge. Gordon Ramsey would have a fit, guaranteed! The flavour of the main course was good but the sides fell flat. The brussel spouts were undercooked and the carrots did not look appetizing (some were black, which I know is a type of carrot… but really off-​putting looking).
What I really want to say is that the pretzel bites (instead of the typical bread slices with butter before the meal) were out of this world. I would have much rather eaten an insanely huge basket of those for dinner. My mouth is slightly drooling just thinking about them.
All in all, the meal wasn’t regrettable, although pricier than the quality deserves.
But seriously guys. Just go for some drinks and pretzel bites. That’s where it’s at.

Overall: Quite disappointing throughout, the atmosphere definitely the best part of the whole experience.
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Ambience: (³⁄₅) In sync with the museum, bright and quirky colors, clean decorations, and the bar’s hanging «fractured» mirror is something to behold. The restaurant remained half full throughout dinner, though the bar did not have a seat. One large elliptical window harbor-​side lets in ample lighting, but a poor view.
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Service: (¹⁄₅) Told by phone that we could use our groupon at the bar, which was non-​reservable. We were first denied entrance to the restaurant upon arrival and by the manager because all tables were reserved for the night. We pointed out the two seats at the bar, and after hmm-​hahs and uncertainty about whether those were reserved, our mentioning of the previous phone-​promise got us in. Whew. Expect we noted throughout dinner that the restaurant was never more than half-​full? Bartenders took a long time to warm up (even smile), and the manager gave us a cold goodbye with no eye-​contact as we lift. Poor job Mr. Rain’s.
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Drinks: (³⁄₅) We enjoyed a nice, balanced rye cocktail. «Round Midnight» was peppery and with substantial fruit sweetness. The sangria was overly sweet. The list looked bland so we didn’t try anything else.
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Food: (²⁄₅) Severely under-​seasoned and questionable quality hindered any great enjoyment of the meal. Plating for small dishes was dull, though otherwise at least balanced and colorful.
Pretzel Bites — nice whole-​grain mustard, very pleasant opener and unique replacement for bread. The rest of the meal should have followed this unique path to reflect the atmosphere and museum.
Sauteed Mushrooms — Plain but nicely oily. A winner by comparison to the other small plates but no better than «could be done more successfully at home.»
Tuna Choke — Chewy and lightly dry, the avocado created a better texture. The spicy horseradish sauce helped the blandness, but overall forgettable.
Crab-​mango Tartare — More flavorful than the tuna, but dubious quality. The pale, shredded white crab meat could have been canned. The mango added some balance, but the sweetness became singular by the end.
Pickled Vegetables — Dull, no jalapenos as promised. Finished out of hunger, the group nearby did not.
Brussel Sprouts — Boiled, correctly. And that’s it. No dressing, cheese, spice. Had to ask for salt and pepper. Serving this at any price is a large oversight.

I think the food at Mr. Rain’s Fun House is overall really tasty. I sampled almost everything on the menu and although I wasn’t completely blown away, there also wasn’t anything I didn’t like. There are definitely superior dishes on the menu that overshadow some of the more mediocre ones, but rest assured, whatever you order will be GOOD.
The highlight of my experience however, was in the in cocktails. Each one has incredible ingredients and is balanced so well. You can tell that the bartender has taken a lot of time to craft each one and perfect it. A little symphony of flavors in its own right.
All in all, this is a fabulous date night or special occasion spot. The décor and the atmosphere are fun, colorful, unique and lively and the food and drinks are great.

What in the hell kind of restaurant is this? Completely too fancy for the type of museum it is located in. My boyfriend and I visited this restaurant on April 10 for our anniversary. We were very excited because the museum it is located in is absolutely amazing, but the restaurant is complete garbage.
1. The menu is super random
2. The water taste like tap water
3. THE TABLES OUTSIDE WERE DIRTY
4. There was hair in my boyfriend’s water
We ordered the crab and mango tartare for an app which was surprisingly tasty, but for dinner we both ordered burgers. The burgers were super dry and my burger bun was harder than a baseball. I attempted to take one bite and couldn’t even bite into my bread because it was so hard. The fries were even cold.
Then the waitress proceeded to ask us if we would like dessert. We ordered the cheesecake which was burnt on the bottom and the smallest piece of cheesecake I’d ever eaten.
The best thing about the restaurant was the pretzel bites.
I will never ever ever go to this restaurant again. Save your money.

How to have an amazing night in Baltimore:
1) visit Mr Rains Fun House, one of the most whimsically-​romantic dining settings in Baltimore. The centerpiece at my table was a curved feather in a vase. I loved it.
2) order the amazingly delicious white sangria with cucumber. It may taste light, but it’s strong!
3) taste the complimentary pretzel bites, hot and fresh out of the oven.
4) order any of the delicious entrees on the menu. They’re all very tender, flavorful and elegantly plated.
5) soak up the beautiful setting inside the American Visionary Art Museum (consider it «free admission» to one of the floors)
6) indulge your inner child and play with your reflection in the fun mirrors next to the bathroom — an added bonus!

My first time to Mr. Rain’s Funhouse was during a Unilocal Elite Members Event. Elsa invited myself and DJ partner to provide music for the night. The restaurant provided appetizers (teasers) throughout the night. I called the food teasers because they were so good, but the portions were so small. I wanted more, but since I was a +1 and not the actual elite member I held off and decided to make a trip back for dinner.
I went back with my daughter for dinner on a Friday night. There were a few people in the restaurant, but it wasn’t busy. We had the choice to either eat in the dining room or on the outside patio. We chose the patio. The patio had a nice view; front part faced key highway and back part faced a park. The restaurant is atop an Arts Museum so there was a very unique structure that is visible from the patio. It was cool to look at and was not out of place at all.
For our appetizers, we had:
Tuna Poke Avocado
Lumpia Chicken spring rolls
For our entrée, we had:
Black Eyed Pea Cakes Eggplant, tahini, mushrooms
Fried Chicken
The presentation of the food was very nice. This is the type of restaurant that you pay for the quality of the food, not the quantity. The poke was fresh and although looked small on the plate, it was fulfilling. The lumpia came in two. It did not come out soaked in oil so that was a plus. Eating the lumpia was just like a teaser plate. If anyone of y’all ever ate lumpia before you know you cannot just eat one (I had to share the other one with my daughter). The Black Eyed Peas Cake was really tasty and the eggplant, tahini, and mushrooms complimented it well. The fried chicken was something that you will not find at a fast food chicken restaurant. It is not even in the same category. Mr. Rain’s Funhouse is a lot better. It came out with two thigh pieces with a salad on top of it. The chicken was not oily and it was very moist and tasty.
The restaurant is very clean and the atmosphere was very elegant. My daughter and I were the only people in there that wasn’t on a date. There were a lot of couples so with that being said, I think it is a nice place to take your significant other for a dinner date.
Our waitress was very friendly. She made sure our drinks were topped off and our meals were good to go.
I will definitely be going back to the restaurant.

–3.75–
We loved the drinks. I could drink the Blue Angel every night and the server was so indulgent of me asking for the shiny martini glass.
So glad we bought a Groupon and forced ourselves to go here. The food, atmosphere and drinks were all worth it. Service was very good.
Loved the tuna poke and wish I’d mixed the tuna candy in with it earlier on, because it makes a great combo. I also had the Rohan duck and loved it. So crispy and tender. Just the way you want a duck breast. Would’ve liked some sort of green on the plate like some of the swiss chard from the shrimp and grits. The shrimp and the grits were good but the sauce was odd. It almost tasted like a chicken gravy and didn’t go well with the entire dish. Remove the sauce and it’s a delicious dish.
Definitely worth going back but we would be a bit more restrained in ordering without a groupon. I would say that everything was slightly pricier than it needed to be. Across the board I think $ 2 – 3 off the drinks and food, and the inventiveness, portion size, and yumminess matches better with the prices.
I would’ve loved to see some sort of schtick with the name of the restaurant. The decorations were awesome and unique. Maybe they figure it’s «enough» set with the quirkiness of the museum but even if there was some funny circus-​roadie lingo used or something, that would’ve taken the experience to the next level.
Oh, and I loved that despite having the window tables fully occupied by 2 parties, the noise level wasn’t an issue at all.

What in the hell was this… I tell you this was a hot mess. Me and friend went here for dinner. As we had attended the museum months before. From entering the restaurant it was beautifully decorative. The waitress we had was pretty and very knowledgeable about the exotic drinks and the menu. the cocktails we had were good but nothing I’ll run back here to get… now for the food… the Rabbit pancetta w/​asparagus was just eh… not nothing to write home about. I did have a good cheddar soup but also canned cheddar soup is good too. I ordered the steak which came under cooked but they took it back to cook it some more. All in all for this to be an upscale restaurant it does not come up to par to that. Either they need to hire a new chief chef or drop their prices because the only thing that’s good is the cocktails since I’m not a big drinker this will not be a place I will return.

*****3.5 Stars*****
A group of 6 of us plus an infant and toddler ventured out for a Sunday birthday brunch for a good friend. She made reservations ahead of time and we have a great table out on the patio and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather! We got there right at 11, so it wasn’t busy at all.
Service: Extremely attentive and helpful with choosing dishes. Silverware was dropped on numerous occasions and we immediately had a replacement. Water glasses were kept filled and our waitress gave us a $ 10 gift cert when we shared with her how unflavorful one of the desserts tasted.
Food/​Drink: We ordered a carafe of sangria, which looked like it was going to be delicious, but it wasn’t very fruity, definitely a higher concentration of red wine. Food was hit or miss based on dish… the burger was nothing special, the crab eggs benedict lacked flavor in the herb hollandaise, but there was so much tasty crab and the eggs were poached perfectly, the serving of french toast was GINORMOUS, but tasty, the ribs were juicy and fell off the bone. A couple of desserts were ordered, but were verrrrry flavorless, thus the compensation to return.
Atmosphere: If the weather’s nice sit outside… it’s great!!! Love that it’s part of the museum because it allows for browsing afterwards!

Located in the American Visionary Museum, Mr. Rain’s Fun House has a strange yet charming atmosphere, that is definitely a plus.
I went here for a Saturday brunch, and I started out my meal with a Classic Mary. Complete with a house pickle, this was one of the better Mary’s that I have had. To follow I ordered the trout sandwich with a side of fries, and everything was fresh, and well-​prepared.
Finally, the museum itself was great, and a place that I’d definitely re-​visit. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t usually enjoy museums!

Hopped on the scooter and ventured over to Federal Hill on a Saturday morning to visit the AVAM. We decided to add a visit to Mr. Rain’s to our to-​do list. We made our way up to the top floor of the museum where the restaurant is located around 12:45. The place was almost empty, so we didn’t have a problem getting a table. Our hostess sat us at one of the tables by the big window and within minutes our server came over and offered to get us both glasses of water.
Here’s the low-​down and dirty:
The Atmosphere:
Think trendy and hip with a touch of artsy thrown in for good measure. The colors are bright and they work the visual art of the adjoining museum into the mix seamlessly.
Drinks:
Dark & Stormy ($ 10)
We had never had this concoction before so the intrigue pushed us to give it a try. We weren’t impressed. It tasted like watered down rum mixed with flat ginger ale. For us it was an expensive mistake.
Victory Prima Pils ($ 6)
This is one of the best examples of a Bohemian pilsener from an American craft brewery. It’s crystal clear, clean tasting and bitter. Spot on for the style. My only anal beer-​nerd comment, it should have been served in a pilsener glass not a Collins glass.
The Freebie:
House-​made soft pretzel bites. These weren’t really like pretzels, more like small golf-​ball sized mini bread balls. They were tasty and they came served with Dijon mustard. I should have asked for some butter. Actually, we should have asked for more.
Lunch:
Her
Honey wheat toast with butter and apricot jam ($ 4)
Yup. You guessed it. Four slices of toast with butter and apricot jam. The grill marks on the toast were a nice touch, the bread was hearty but the apricot jam was pretty bland and not very sweet.
Roasted summer veggie salad ($ 8)
This thing boiled down to $ 8 worth of arugula dressed in a vinaigrette that was a tad on the salty side. There were four sliver-​thin pieces of carrot and four green beans set off to the side, more of a garnish than anything else, and the pattypan squash grilled and served on top of the salad wasn’t all that thrilling. IMHO pattypan squash is a worthless thing.
Me
Wild boar sausage served hot-​dog style with German slaw and fries ($ 10)
This dish was a success. The wild boar was seasoned well with just the right amount of snap when I bit into it. The bun was soft and fresh and reminded me of the same kind you get in Chicago on one of their dogs. The «German style» slaw didn’t add that much to the experience. It was really just sliced cabbage; I couldn’t taste any dressing on it at all. The fries were crispy and had just enough salt. This is how fries should be done, Baltimore.
Overall our experience at Mr. Rain’s Funhouse was just OK. It’s a neat space and if you’re going through the trouble of doing the AVAM thing it’s a very convenient albeit expensive option for lunch. The service is friendly and not overly pretentious and the food is definitely adventurous. I doubt we’ll go back for lunch but we just might still be intrigued enough to give it another shot for dinner.