Zander's

I didn't even see the reviews before deciding to eat here before a concert at CFG. Zander's is located downtown and I personally don't have a lot of reason to be in the area except for shows. I'd been following their social media account since they opened and it always intrigued me. This is a 4 star for the cocktails and bartender but 3 for the food. The ambiance is amazing - it feels very Harry Potter Gringotts. The ceilings are high the menu says giggling water. You're definitely transported when you come here. Since it was a last minute decision we sat at the bar (all the tables were booked) and got drinks until the kitchen opened at 5:30. The bone marrow the bits that was cooked (I'd never been served raw bits of marrow before) was good. Salty and buttery. The steak was mediocre at best, but the pasta was surprising. A simple lemony cacio e pepe. We also ordered bread service bc the food was taking a while and it was fine. The presentation of being wrapped in napkin was interesting. The gin martini was spectacular and not pictured French 75 was refreshing and well balanced. I can see why the reviews are so negative. It's a large space and they are very short staffed and don't have the basic things like extra plates or condiments. But it's honestly a great cocktail bar and a place to grab a decent meal that's not chicken fingers before a show.

My visit to Zander's for restaurant week was a complete fail on Zander's part. I made my reservation online for February 2, at 7:15pm. I arrived at 7:10 and was told there would be a 10 minute wait for my table to be cleared. I wasn't seated until after 7:30.Once at the table, the hostess told me right away my waitress was super busy and would be a while. And boy, was she right. Took the waitress about 30 minutes to get around to my table (thankfully the hostess had provided water). I ordered a beer, then attempted to order the meatball appetizer. I was informed that they only had the scallop appetizer available (out of the 3 listed on the menu). Ok then. I went with the steak et frites for my entree, and the chocolate mousse for dessert.Maybe 10 minutes later the bartender approached the table and told me they are out of the beer I wanted. Does this restaurant have ANY items from their menus???The waitress was the worst, rarely stopping by the table and checking in. I might get eye contact as she sailed by, but that was rare.The scallops took some time to come out, shocker, and they were just ok. I wanted the meatballs and you can't replace a meatballs jones with scallops. It took perhaps another 30 mins for the steak to arrive. It was tough to cut through, lightly seasoned, and just...just ok. The fries were cold, dry, and underseasoned. Finally, dessert took entirely too long to show up. And again, just ok, like all the rest of the food had been.The waitress was quick to bring the check, so payment and leaving were easy enough. But the total visit was trash. Even the very cool building I was in couldn't save it.

It's Baltimore Winter Restaurant week. I saw Zander's before but heard they just started their brunch so I figured I'd give it a try. They're located in the heart of downtown right on Baltimore Street. There's street parking and garage parking a short distance away. When you first walk in you immediately notice the history in the building... the marble, the domed stained glass ceiling... all so beautiful. I had a reservation and was sat immediately. Because it's restaurant week they only had the prix fixe menu available. I ordered the Deviled Eggs, The Flat Jacks and the orange cinnamon roll. The flapjacks and hash browns that came with it were the high light of the meal. They were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The roll was ok but I didn't really taste any orange zest. The cocktail I tried was the Corpse Reviver #2 which was really tasty. Think an elevated lemon drop. The only downside side was the wait for the food. Everything was good it just took a really long time for the food to come out. But it was the first brunch so I had to give grace.

Things they were out of or said they were out of: Paper Plane cocktail, shrimp cocktail, oysters, 16 oz ribeye, 36oz ribeye, a red wine selection.Drinks took SO long to come out. Silverware and plates not replaced. Apps were good other than the scallop crudo which was not. Entrees were AWFUL. Lobster fra diavolo was spaghetti not linguine, and smelled extremely fishy/tasted worse. Ordered 2 of the $130+ porterhouse steaks and the quality was awful - all gristle and blue rare inside even though ordered medium rare. Worst of all, when brought up, we were told that "doneness doesn't align with color it's based on temp" as if I'm stupid, while I'm looking at a practically purple steak. Then, to top it off when explaining the complaints about the whole experience, the "manager" tells us we should come back during happy hour as if the reason for the complaints was being cheap. Overall an unreal, otherworldly bizarre experience that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Avoid.

I can't remember the last time I've had such an amazing experience. Shy was truly a gem of server. She never missed a beat. Our group was so thoroughly impressed with every part of our experience. First, at the bar, then when we were seated in the dining room. We had a memorable meal and we will definitely return.

Really great spot to grab food and a nice cocktail before seeing a show at the CFG arena. We went early and got a seat at the bar before 5p. The bartender was quick to ask us for our drink order and made them beautifully! It took awhile to get food started as the kitchen doesn't open until 5:30p-which seemed kind of strange. We had the bone marrow appetizer- it was perfectly seasoned-maybe slightly undercooked-but still really delicious. We also had the steak frites and the Cacio e Pepe. The steak was just okay, slightly overdone and needed some salt. The Cacio e Pepe was the real star! Really, really excellent dish that I couldn't stop eating! Finished the meal off with a delicious and strong espresso martini before the show that gave me the pep I needed to dance the night away. I probably wouldn't drive out of my way to eat here but would come back if I ever catch a show at the arena again.

Such a beautiful setting, such a shame the service and steaks were so awful. I hope they get it together.

Went for restaurant week. Reserved for 7pm, was told there would be a 5 minute wait, ended up being seated around 725 and was notified that the server would take some time. That was another 15Minute wait only to find out that for the appetizer there was only one out of 3items available. How can a restaurant be sold out of appetizers at 7pm? The scallop crudo was good, main entree took another 30 minutes, inside of one of the 3 scallops was cold ie: from the freezer? Desert was not impressive, one of the worst chocolate mousse I've had. Cocktails were decent. Overall very poor service despite the nice ambiance, not worth the $55 pre-fixe dinner.

Fantastic steakhouse in a gorgeous space, will definitely be back! I recommend the dry-aged Porterhouse!

We had a lovely date night experience at Zander's this past Saturday! Knew about the historic building and beautiful architecture, but the restaurant has added a modern and romantic ambiance. We were warmly greeted by the host (who may also have been the manager and a bartender that night as well?), promptly seated, and well attended to throughout our dinner. We ordered a bottle of excellent and very reasonable priced red, a few of the appetizers and a porterhouse to share. Everything came out promptly, was delicious and well prepared. Only strange part was the only bathroom was an elevator ride away, downstairs, but that was also part of the quaintness of the historic building. We're looking forward to going back again!