The Walrus Oyster & Ale House

BLUF: Satisfying seafood and great service located outside the Mall at Columbia.The Walrus is probably my favorite sit down restaurant at the Columbia Mall. The Walrus is located just outside the Mall but it's a quick walk down the sidewalk from the main part of the Mall. My husband and I went for an indulgent weekend lunch since I was craving a lobster roll and fries. In addition to that sandwich we also had the hot skillet cornbread, salmon over salad and perfectly carbonated sodas. We skipped the raw bar and ale on our most recent visit but I've dabbled in both previously with satisfaction. During our recent visit we had an issue with our meal but the server and manager went over and above to make it right which was much appreciated! Also appreciate was how attentive our server was and that she noticed our food wasn't cooked properly. We visited during lunch on a Saturday and the restaurant was surprising calm and quiet which was nice.

Best thing about this place was our server Sylvin!!! The grilled asparagus was top food wise. Then the scallops. Lobster roll got it to go for mom. She said it was good. She picked out the lobster meat mostly. My nieces liked the fries. Do NOT order the rib eye $53. It was like a select grade meat. Cooked medium, very chewy like gum. They cook the temperature well but just the quality of the steak we thought maybe it was just a bad one so they brought out a new one but nope! Burrata was decent, but not enough greens. Hush puppies and crab cakes were okay. Went to get seafood tower cause the jonah crab but they didn't have it anymore.Our bill with tip was about $275 did I think it was worth it. Not really.

It was surprisingly quiet during Saturday brunch so I hope they are doing ok. We started with the skillet cornbread, piping hot in the cutest little cast iron with melted butter on top. It was sweet which is the only way cornbread should be, but that's just my opinion. Flavor was yummy but it was overmixed and dense. We also had a few oysters which were clean, fresh and perfect. Then we had the salmon toast, cinnamon rolls, and crab benedict. I hate to say it but everything was just okayyyyy. Nothing was bad but nothing was amazing either. If you're at the mall, this is the best brunch option when you're surrounded by megachains, but I wouldn't make a dedicated trip here. Maybe brunch is just not where they shine and that's ok. I'd try it again for lunch or dinner. A day of shopping then oysters and wine for happy hour sounds like a dream.I wish I had the name of our server. He was enthusiastic, memorized the entire menu, and was really attentive.

The food tasted pretty good but the portion size and even the ratio was way off.The hush puppies were yummy. The deviled eggs with fried shrimp was also very good. But, my main entree left me wanting.I ordered the fish and chips. Well, it's not really fish and chips. It's fried cod and potato wedges. The potato wedges were descent but there were too many compared to the amount of fish. I'm not saying give me fewer wedges. I'm saying give me more than the two little pieces of fish.

I've heard of this place from friends & have seen it time to time whenever we go to the Columbia mall. I went for happy hour with my friend & I enjoyed it! We did have to sit at the bar the whole time which I thought was strange since most places I've gone for happy hour, we can sit anywhere. We got oysters, Rockefeller oysters, deviled eggs, & hushpuppies off the happy hour menu & tuna tartare. I enjoyed everything. It was delicious though the hushpuppies were a bit sweet for my taste. I would come back to try the regular menu though! Our server was nice as well. Good atmosphere for a happy hour or a nice dinner after shopping.

Ok let's start with I like this place BUT the service is not what I expected. The atmosphere is a little dry during happy hour but if you want somewhere quiet to go after work this may be your spot. They usually give you cornbread but it's not a menu option. I don't see this place lasting too long. The crowd has died down tremendously. I hope they make some changes and stick around the oyster Rockefeller is sooooo good. Parking is ok. It's a mall so you'll find a spot you may just need to walk a short distance.

This business advertised a New Year's Day brunch on social media but fell grossly short in terms of service. Our sweet but badly overmatched waitress had many too many stations assigned to her, and management either was unaware or uncaring of this predicament, so took no action. This manifested in slow ordering, very slow food preparation, slow table clearing and slow appearance of the check. Food was tasty enough (saving one star) but pricey even for the Columbia Mall. Many tables were served before ours, even though we ordered straight from the menu with nothing special. We'll never be back. Why should we tempt this abysmal experience again?

If I had to count, I would say I've been to Walrus at least 15 times. Probably time I write a review! This is a great restaurant. The food is always tasty. The drinks are always good. But most of all, the staff is always great! We've been going for a while now. It's not necessarily an upscale restaurant, but the food never misses. They have a honey cornbread that they used to give complimentary, but now you have to ask for it. The mussels used to be the best thing on the menu, but some time ago, they started using different ones that had a weird smell -- I'm not a fan of it anymore. The ambiance can be family friendly during the day, but it can also become bar appropriate after dark. It's also in a great post shopping location by the Columbia Mall.

Located between the AMC theater and Columbia mall, Walrus Oyster and Ale House offers a lot of American/seafood options. It's usually busy and noisy inside. Deviled Eggs 10/10- creamy, smooth, and delicious! Loved the sauce it's paired with Tusker Basket 8/10- Alaskan cod, oysters, and cornmeal crusted whole shrimp with crispy fries- lots and lots of fries!Pan Seared Scallops 9/10- perfectly seared outside and soft inside Service was okay and food was a bit slow to come out.

Went for the first time and realized that Chef Ashish Alfred is there. I realized that DDG was closed (great food loved them!) but had not realized he stepped away for a completely new venture with The Walrus Oyster and Ale House.. Congratulations! Anyway, the oysters were perfectly labeled. I've gone to a few places and the labels have thrown me off compared to their true taste, but this place has raw oysters categorized by sweet, briny, and salty. I decided to get the Sweet Jesus, Local Wilds, and Salt Shakers--all MD oysters. No grit, no dirt, just clean fresh taste. Just as described. I went ahead and ordered more of the Local Wilds and Salt Shakers as they were amazing. I then ordered the Oysters Rockefeller which had creamed spinach and pankobread crumbs. Delicious! My date got the fish and chips. The fish was good. He mentioned loving the taste but wished the chips weren't larger than the fish because one only gets two pieces of fish and three large chip wedges. I also ordered the potatoes au gratin. The restaurant, I'm assuming has a heavier French influence as the potatoes felt a bit under cooked and overly creamed. And so to did the Oysters Rockefeller....had a bit of an overly creamy approach. For many they will love this, I had a personal aversion to it but it did not detract from the taste at all, just affected my textual experience with the food. The Winter Punch was great by the way.We went during the small lul right before dinner time so it was about to get busy as we left but the restaurant looked well staffed to handle the enslaught of customers arriving. Great lighting, nothing toi dim or too harsh and spacious seating.The waiting staff was attentive and were efficient and prompt. Definitely will return as I loved the oysters. Give the place a try!