Lib's Grill

Always Phenomenal Quality and Service! Every time we come here the quality and service is top notch! For example, the oysters are always so fresh and well cleaned, even compared to seafood places around here. Sunday brunch is usually chaos at other places, but our server, Mary, was constantly on top of it, and great with our kid too. The food is excellent as well. There's other places that try to be fancy and unique but the execution just kind of falls flat; here they nail it every time. The downside is everyone at the table wants to try bites off your plate.

My husband and I decided to give Lib's Grill a second chance, after a bad experience a couple of years ago. It was worse this time around. Bad service, horrible food.We were seated immediately and had a bit of a wait for a server, but the restaurant was crowded so we didn't expect instant service. However, after placing our order, it took over 20 minutes for the food to arrive. A couple sitting next to us gave up and left. We waited, hoping at least the food would be good, and we were so hungry at that point. I ordered Cinnamon Toast Crunch pancakes and an egg. Mistake. The pancakes were completely hidden under a thick, brown mud that was gritty with sugar. Both the cupcakes and my egg were room temperature. My husband said his burger was "fine," but not worth the wait. I ate half my meal because I was starving, but couldn't wait to get home and have a sandwich. Never again.

We went to see the Christmas setup and really liked it- they have super cute decorations! I made reservations for a Friday evening and when we arrived, was told we would need to wait over 20 minutes. I said that seemed long for having a reservation. The hostess said that previous parties were staying longer than the expected time. The manager came over a couple minutes later and immediately found us a table, which we found interesting. I got both the Señor Claus and the Elf'd Up. Both were good but I liked the Señor Claus a little more. My friend got 2 It's Lits but the first one didn't come in an ornament, while the second did. For food, I for the tuna nachos and MD crab soup. I loved the nachos- so much flavor. I want to try the scallops and crab dip next time I come!

Aliyah was amazing that could be the review! The food was pretty ok but we did have to send the steak back because it was not properly cooked. The manager resolved our problemwithout any issues. I've gone to plenty of live locations so they can be cool to grab lunch with friends or a romantic date.

In Oct. my girlfriend suggested Lib's for her birthday, I said we should taste test. For our Oct visit, I was more enthusiastic & would be 5-stars based on that. Dec overall good but a few small complaints.Friday, 10/25, we both got the same thing as I had looked over the menu, read prior reviews, & asked the host his recommendations while I was waiting for her. All which lead me to the crab cake sandwich. It was excellent & thankfully a big size because sometimes it's just not quite enough. French fries were well seasoned & delicious as well. Server was very attentive & friendly getting refills on water quickly. After this, it confirmed she wanted to do this for her birthday.Saturday, 12/7 we arrived 15 minutes early to greet anyone early. They were about 20 minutes late for our 7 PM reservation, so the 13 were awkwardly waiting in small & narrow waiting area (mainly 9, 4 of them were pretty late themselves), & 2 more arrived after we were seated. In spite negative of extra waiting, they told us we'd get charcuterie boards free. Within about a minute after seating, they put out 3 boards in various parts of tables. It wasn't a traditional charcuterie board simply cheese & various processed pig. Thankfully, it was cheese cubes, Brussel sprouts, DEVILED eggs, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, etc. which I liked better. I especially enjoyed Brussel sprouts, my 1 friend said that's all me...haha, meaning he's not a fan of them. Deviled eggs were great too. All other items on board were good too, but Brussel sprouts were well seasoned & delicious.As for food decisions, my girlfriend opted to get exact same crab cake sandwich we both knew were excellent. However, I refused to get the same thing as last time as I wanted to try something different. I was looking at the entrees. I felt 6-8 oz meat for like $35-40 was not worth it. I'm like I can make steak or salmon at home for a lot less & get more meat, & yeah it'd probably be better at Lib's, but still not worth the price differential. They had some chicken schnitzel bowl for like $26, but I wasn't sure I'd like that all that well. I didn't want a burger or any sandwich. So, I opted for the pasta, even though I had pasta Wed, 12/4 (3 days earlier) & still had leftover that I planned on eating on Mon, 12/9 for lunch. I'm having this $29 beef pasta dish too, which was a little steep. I'll be honest, it was just good for me but not great & compared with less expensive place in Odenton we had on Wed & some other excellent places (including Galiano walking distance from Lib's), this was subpar & more expensive. It was also not that big amount although did have a good beef quantity in. My appetite wasn't all there as I had a ton of food, beer, wine from an industry holiday party Thurs, & my weight inflated 3-4 lbs for several days after. In spite only a somewhat modest portion of pasta, I still saved half as a leftover, which I'm planning eating for lunch Wed, 12/11. I tried my friend's carbonara, which was better & looked like more food for only $25. A few people got pasta, there was also a $31 with scallops, which I might've considered but it clearly says bacon (I don't eat pork). Also, I'm realizing that the carbonara which I tried as proscuitto (which is a dried pork, like what you'd find in a regular charcuterie board).Next time I go to Lib's, I'll just stick with the crab cake sandwich or ask if they can make carbornara w/o proscuitto & to put something else in it to make up for the loss of a normal ingredient. Several people on my half the table got pasta, so it was a popular choice for folks.Many got alcohol too. My girlfriend & I each got a holiday cocktail. Neither of us are big drinkers, & if we get a drink, we often will split, but this time we got our own. She got Milk n'Cookies (vodka, amaretto, etc.) & I got a Santa-gria red wine blend, brown sugar, apple pie moonshine, etc. I liked mine better as she liked hers better. But hers was good too. Both had adequate alcohol content.Service was just ok. Water refills were slow. Some water was done, & I was looking out for my friend as I called server over to get him more water. My g/f & I split creme brulee. She loved it; it was just ok for me. I think I would've liked the key lime pie more & she might've liked as much. Server came around showing example tray display of desserts. I actually find it to be off-putting as a ploy to get people to buy overpriced desserts people don't need. But my g/f said days earlier we would split a dessert, so I was ok with it. I also am against forced gratuity even on large party; I probably was going to tip around 18-22%, but this is almost universal for large parties at restaurants.A friend got steak & greens top making fries soggy. He liked beef juices soaking fries. We agreed to disagree; I'd want those items separate & would've been annoyed with that.Staff was cordial, overall pretty good.

This is a great location, right on the corner with other restaurants in Maple Lawn. They recently updated the menu, and the first dish I tried (French Onion Grilled Cheese) was FANTASTIC!! Others were not as impressed with their meals, but I'm only writing with my experience.We've had spotty service in the past, but our latest visit was great. I did see some staff members hanging around, and there are the occasional leaners to be found. But, again, the last time we visited, we had no complaints with OUR server.The atmosphere is modern, a little chic, but slightly rustic as well. Wood, wrought iron, clean walls, incandescent lights... that kind of scene. It's conducive to good eating, though, I feel.The prices are okay, depending on what you get. The lighter fare like handhelds are generally much better than the entrées. It works for both lunch and dinner, though. We've been here several times already, and for the most part, everyone has generally enjoyed their meal. Again, the jury is still out on the new menu...Overall, it's a great location, generally great food, and typically great service. If they keep hitting on all these items, they should be here for a long time to come. Here's hoping!

Had a great group dinner here. Staff was very attentive and food was served fast. The restaurant was themed for the holidays which made it fun and full of color! Lots of Christmas lights and presents! I had the fish tacos and I tried to snap additional pictures of other meals.

(4.5 stars)Delicious. Travel-friendly packaging. Prices are....a bit weird?I got buffalo tenders, roasted beets and a side of gratin.The buffalo tenders were good and not dripping with a runny sauce, which I appreciated. It looks like they fried the tenders and then dipped them in a buffalo sauce/oil? Sort of how they make nashville hot chicken. The tenders were robust (3 was plenty), and the blue cheese was chunky and delicious.The roasted beets was gorgeous. Vibrant colors, and the travel home (just 1 miles) didn't mess with the presentation at all. The roasted beets lay on a bed of whipped goat cheese (worth the whole dish, in my opinion, but I love whipped cheeses), and it's sprinkled with slices of orange and shaved radish. I didn't see or taste any lavender, and I didn't see any evoo either, but the dish was still delicious.The caramelized shallot & gruyère potato gratin was disappointing to me. I didn't taste or see any caramelized shallots, and the whole dish needed salt because it was bland to me. Shocking since it was supposed to have the caramelized onion and gruyère--it really shouldn't have been bland, but it was.I thought the pricing was a bit weird. The $9 tenders made sense, but the $14 for the roasted beets felt really overpriced. Maybe beets are expensive right now? I dunno. The $8 gratin felt overpriced as well, especially since it was bland.Overall, I did enjoy the meal. I'm glad I tried Lib's, but it'll probably be a while before I order from there again.

Visited using reservations on a Friday night. Seated immediately. Brisk business with customers in the bar and restaurant. Our server Brian was attentive and provided water immediately. Frequent check ins while reviewed the menu. Music was a mix of 90s to present and not so loud that conversation was difficult. Everyone enjoyed their entrees, and most of us boxed up leftovers. Nice to see local beverages from nearby breweries. I enjoyed my pasta, which was fresh-tasting and hot. I prefer a little more spice, but still very good. Plenty of nearby parking!Thanks.

Libs Grill gets five stars, but let me be clear: it's only because of the clams. Those clams are next-level--perfectly cooked, bursting with flavor, and honestly some of the best I've ever had. If you're coming here, skip everything else on the menu and just order the clams. Twice, if you're smart.The rest of the menu? A total waste of time. The dishes are forgettable at best, and some felt like they belonged at a completely different restaurant. But who cares when the clams are this good?The service was solid, and the atmosphere is nice enough, but trust me: if you're not here for the clams, you're doing it wrong. Five stars for the one thing they've absolutely mastered!