Busy vibe on the inner harbor but food was solid. Two of us got the 8oz jumbo lump cakes and one got the shrimp/scallop combo. Shrimp a little spicy and scallops were excellent. All entrees were enjoyed. App of crispy calamari with spicy pineapple sauce was very good. Sauce was spicy but couldn't stop eating it lol. Aaron was quick, efficient and very helpful with selections. Desserts were great. Our favorite was the cinnamon bun bread pudding, followed by lemon tres leche, and coconut cake. Great option at the Inner Harbor.
Great selection of delicious seafood. Crispy calamari was delicious and the pineapple chili sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. We had the Captains Catch which was definitely enough for two people if you also get an appetizer.
Vinny
Food was delicious, but servers were a bit slow to the table and to check-in. We were in a larger room off the front that wasn't terribly busy, but it was hard to flag anyone down (ie asking a server for a steak knife for the steak they brought me took 10-mins). Also the main course and appetizers arrived at the same time.
DarrylS
Our server, Diamond, messed up several requests among our order and never acknowledged or apologized for them. Instead she seemed indifferent and defensive. She brought one member of our party his food and was gone a good ten minutes before she returned with anyone else's food but never explained there was a delay with the other food or apologizing for the delay. We asked for Old Bay seasoning and she brought us Phillip's Blackened seasoning instead without explaining that Old Bay is not available at Phillips. When we then asked another server about the Old Bay seasoning, Diamond then came over with an attitude telling us what she could have told us when we first asked.
finediningfoodie
This place was a major disappointment. We were seated 10 minutes after our reservation. The waitress seemed to be pleasant and a great waitress, but went downhill quickly. Looked like a great establishment but after our drink order things turned for the worst. 30 minutes after ordering our drinks and soups we received the drinks which were watered down because the waitress had them sitting at the bar for so long. The food came out an hour after we ordered it. And our soup never came out. We asked her to take it off the bill which she did but she still brought us the soup. The worst New England clam chowder I have ever had, I would've preferred canned soup. The food was barely edible, and the steamed crab was terrible. Not much meat inside, and the meat that was inside was overcooked. The potatoes were undercooked. When ordering we asked for old bay and was never told they don't carry old bay. They gave us a can of “blackening seasoning” not even seafood seasoning, which was the worst tasting seasoning I've ever had. Overall the place was a 0/10
DaliaA
I really enjoyed my experience at Phillips. The service was great, not only by Natasha who helped us at our table but even the ladies at the door were very hospitable and friendly on our way in and out! They also accommodated our reservation and moved it around when I called ahead as they found tables available that hadn't been available when I booked online. Natasha was wonderful and made sure to get us our every need as we requested it... I was hoping the catch of the day was something else but salmon.. which is usually already an item typically on the menu year round and also it would have been nice if there had been tables that had a water view just so that one could get the sense of actually being on the water while enjoying seafood. Otherwise all else was fine!
DarrinG
Big and flashy in a huge building on the Inner Harbor, Phillips is a tourist must-go for first-timers. That is to say, we found it very good and very focused on what they do well. It's pricey - not offensively so, like many famous name restaurants - but enough that might limit your visits to a couple times a year, and the menu, while featuring plenty of good seafood choices, is still just a single sheet, food on one side, drinks on the other. We are pleased that we tried Phillips on our trip, but might recommend a friend interested in B'more seafood ask a local for more options.
LeeH
Beautiful historic building plus a nice harborside view out on the patio. Service was good; our server had a good sense of humor and was very attentive. The meal itself was a bit disappointing. The crab cake was not as flavorful as I experienced the evening before at another restaurant, and my steak was a bit tough, stringy, and overcooked. Others at the table enjoyed their seafoood trios, though. The Blue Crab Margarita was outstanding! Overall, a pleasant experience, but not quite what I expected for the price.
Mike
Always like going to Phillips but the food always is average to mediocre. Service by Kach was excellent. Greeting host nice. But we go for seafood and it really isn't very good. Had a shrimp dip. Flavor great but shrimp must have been in speedboats cause they sure weren't in the dip. Then I had stuffed shrimp with crabmeat. Also, not good with zero flavor. So for $100 plus for two people I think I have to do something different
DavidO
We were seated quickly in a corner of the restaurant. Our server did not approach our table for at least 15 minutes although she was taking care of another party next to ours. We placed our food and alcoholic beverages. About 20 minutes later our food was brought to our table but still no beer or wine. Was not offered any water until we requested it. Our server also did not bring us any bread.My beer was finally brought out but my wife's wine never came. Our server said the bar was backed up. We finished our entree and about 15 minutes later brought us the bill without even asking if we wanted dessert. Additionally, the restaurant did not appear to be super busy. We did complain to a manager as we left and she appeared horrified at the poor serve we received. We frequent Baltimore every 4-5 years and have enjoyed our previous visits to Philipps. We will never go back after receiving such poor service.
The bartender was not only rude and slow at her service she answered her phone and was having an unpleasant conversation on her phone while other guests and myself we’re waiting for her to say hello or hi how can I help you. Very unpleasant visit and it’s been 5 minutes and I haven’t been served so all of the guest walked out.
Service: 1
AlanZ
Crab soup was outstanding. Calamari appetizer was really good. Cheesecake desert was the best. Shrimp was under cooked and shells very hard to peel. The mussels were very good as were the clams. The lobster seemed boiled as it contained lots of water. I prefer steamed lobster. Katie, the server, was great. She was very attentive to us and offered more water several times. We requested bread and she brought very fresh bread with a garlic butter topping. Well worth the charge. The Phillips reputation goes back decades and we have been dining there since the 1970's. Unfortunately, the quality of the preparation has declined in recent years. It is still very good, but not what it used to be. The dinner was very good and Katie, the server, could not have been nicer or more helpful. We had a bad server experience the time before this and thought that was our last Phillips dinner. I am glad we came back. Katie made it worthwhile.
What a fun place for lunch! To begin with our server Seymon was fabulous. He impressed us with his enthusiasm and knowledge of the menu so much that we will go back. ? We had scallops and shrimp, pasta lobster, crab stuffed lobster tails along with our sides of asparagus and fries. I only wish we had left room for dessert. That dessert tray looked yummy! All very tasty and I believe the value and $ matched. Hope to be back in the area. Thanks Seymon!
Helene Johnson
The service was great while waiting at the airport before taking off.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crab & Shrimp Salad Sandwich, Premium Crab Cake Sandwich, Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Waffle Fries, Crab Balls and Waffle Fries
Busy vibe on the inner harbor but food was solid. Two of us got the 8oz jumbo lump cakes and one got the shrimp/scallop combo. Shrimp a little spicy and scallops were excellent. All entrees were enjoyed. App of crispy calamari with spicy pineapple sauce was very good. Sauce was spicy but couldn't stop eating it lol. Aaron was quick, efficient and very helpful with selections. Desserts were great. Our favorite was the cinnamon bun bread pudding, followed by lemon tres leche, and coconut cake. Great option at the Inner Harbor.
Great selection of delicious seafood. Crispy calamari was delicious and the pineapple chili sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. We had the Captains Catch which was definitely enough for two people if you also get an appetizer.
Food was delicious, but servers were a bit slow to the table and to check-in. We were in a larger room off the front that wasn't terribly busy, but it was hard to flag anyone down (ie asking a server for a steak knife for the steak they brought me took 10-mins). Also the main course and appetizers arrived at the same time.
Our server, Diamond, messed up several requests among our order and never acknowledged or apologized for them. Instead she seemed indifferent and defensive. She brought one member of our party his food and was gone a good ten minutes before she returned with anyone else's food but never explained there was a delay with the other food or apologizing for the delay. We asked for Old Bay seasoning and she brought us Phillip's Blackened seasoning instead without explaining that Old Bay is not available at Phillips. When we then asked another server about the Old Bay seasoning, Diamond then came over with an attitude telling us what she could have told us when we first asked.
This place was a major disappointment. We were seated 10 minutes after our reservation. The waitress seemed to be pleasant and a great waitress, but went downhill quickly. Looked like a great establishment but after our drink order things turned for the worst. 30 minutes after ordering our drinks and soups we received the drinks which were watered down because the waitress had them sitting at the bar for so long. The food came out an hour after we ordered it. And our soup never came out. We asked her to take it off the bill which she did but she still brought us the soup. The worst New England clam chowder I have ever had, I would've preferred canned soup. The food was barely edible, and the steamed crab was terrible. Not much meat inside, and the meat that was inside was overcooked. The potatoes were undercooked. When ordering we asked for old bay and was never told they don't carry old bay. They gave us a can of “blackening seasoning” not even seafood seasoning, which was the worst tasting seasoning I've ever had. Overall the place was a 0/10
I really enjoyed my experience at Phillips. The service was great, not only by Natasha who helped us at our table but even the ladies at the door were very hospitable and friendly on our way in and out! They also accommodated our reservation and moved it around when I called ahead as they found tables available that hadn't been available when I booked online. Natasha was wonderful and made sure to get us our every need as we requested it... I was hoping the catch of the day was something else but salmon.. which is usually already an item typically on the menu year round and also it would have been nice if there had been tables that had a water view just so that one could get the sense of actually being on the water while enjoying seafood. Otherwise all else was fine!
Big and flashy in a huge building on the Inner Harbor, Phillips is a tourist must-go for first-timers. That is to say, we found it very good and very focused on what they do well. It's pricey - not offensively so, like many famous name restaurants - but enough that might limit your visits to a couple times a year, and the menu, while featuring plenty of good seafood choices, is still just a single sheet, food on one side, drinks on the other. We are pleased that we tried Phillips on our trip, but might recommend a friend interested in B'more seafood ask a local for more options.
Beautiful historic building plus a nice harborside view out on the patio. Service was good; our server had a good sense of humor and was very attentive. The meal itself was a bit disappointing. The crab cake was not as flavorful as I experienced the evening before at another restaurant, and my steak was a bit tough, stringy, and overcooked. Others at the table enjoyed their seafoood trios, though. The Blue Crab Margarita was outstanding! Overall, a pleasant experience, but not quite what I expected for the price.
Always like going to Phillips but the food always is average to mediocre. Service by Kach was excellent. Greeting host nice. But we go for seafood and it really isn't very good. Had a shrimp dip. Flavor great but shrimp must have been in speedboats cause they sure weren't in the dip. Then I had stuffed shrimp with crabmeat. Also, not good with zero flavor. So for $100 plus for two people I think I have to do something different
We were seated quickly in a corner of the restaurant. Our server did not approach our table for at least 15 minutes although she was taking care of another party next to ours. We placed our food and alcoholic beverages. About 20 minutes later our food was brought to our table but still no beer or wine. Was not offered any water until we requested it. Our server also did not bring us any bread.My beer was finally brought out but my wife's wine never came. Our server said the bar was backed up. We finished our entree and about 15 minutes later brought us the bill without even asking if we wanted dessert. Additionally, the restaurant did not appear to be super busy. We did complain to a manager as we left and she appeared horrified at the poor serve we received. We frequent Baltimore every 4-5 years and have enjoyed our previous visits to Philipps. We will never go back after receiving such poor service.
Restaurantji Recommends
The bartender was not only rude and slow at her service she answered her phone and was having an unpleasant conversation on her phone while other guests and myself we’re waiting for her to say hello or hi how can I help you. Very unpleasant visit and it’s been 5 minutes and I haven’t been served so all of the guest walked out.
Service: 1
Crab soup was outstanding. Calamari appetizer was really good. Cheesecake desert was the best. Shrimp was under cooked and shells very hard to peel. The mussels were very good as were the clams. The lobster seemed boiled as it contained lots of water. I prefer steamed lobster. Katie, the server, was great. She was very attentive to us and offered more water several times. We requested bread and she brought very fresh bread with a garlic butter topping. Well worth the charge. The Phillips reputation goes back decades and we have been dining there since the 1970's. Unfortunately, the quality of the preparation has declined in recent years. It is still very good, but not what it used to be. The dinner was very good and Katie, the server, could not have been nicer or more helpful. We had a bad server experience the time before this and thought that was our last Phillips dinner. I am glad we came back. Katie made it worthwhile.
What a fun place for lunch! To begin with our server Seymon was fabulous. He impressed us with his enthusiasm and knowledge of the menu so much that we will go back. ? We had scallops and shrimp, pasta lobster, crab stuffed lobster tails along with our sides of asparagus and fries. I only wish we had left room for dessert. That dessert tray looked yummy! All very tasty and I believe the value and $ matched. Hope to be back in the area. Thanks Seymon!
The service was great while waiting at the airport before taking off.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crab & Shrimp Salad Sandwich, Premium Crab Cake Sandwich, Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Waffle Fries, Crab Balls and Waffle Fries
Crab soup was inedible. Crab cake was barely OK.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cream of Crab Soup