Plates - Baltimore

I drove around the block a few times before finally deciding to try entering the gym, where I spotted a tiny unlit sign outside. Fine, I found it—let's head inside. Upon entering, I immediately saw Plates, which was a relief since it looked perfect. However, the restaurant was nearly deserted. The only other patrons were a group of five ladies with takeout containers in front of them. It was a large space, and I assumed that when it's crowded, it might have a lively atmosphere. But tonight was not one of those nights. No worries—everyone has slow periods. Being the only remaining customer, I thought, great! I’ll get excellent service and be out of here quickly, right? I approached the bar to place my order. I decided on one salmon burger and two mushroom tacos, and I also ordered a pineapple juice while I waited. The young lady behind the bar seemed incredibly annoyed that I wanted to place an order, as it interrupted her intense texting battle with what I can only assume was her fiercest rival. But frankly, I didn't care! I just wanted her to do her job. So, I placed my order and asked for an extra side of chipotle aioli and pico de gallo. You should have seen the barely contained eye rolls that followed each of my simple requests for pre-packaged sides. It was clear that this was not going to go well, but I was hungry, so I pushed through (bad decision). Below is what was promised on the menu versus what I actually received. 1. **Mushroom Taco**: Description - Topped with pico de gallo and chipotle aioli. Served with black beans and Spanish rice. **What I received**: Chicken and shrimp tacos! Seriously? I came here for MUSHROOMS! What part of 'mushroom' sounds like 'chicken and shrimp'? By the way, those ingredients aren't even ON the menu! Clearly, they made this taco combo up. Of course, I didn’t check it before leaving (my bad!). When I opened it and found no mushrooms, I was furious, knowing they would be closed by the time I returned. Since I had already paid for it, I figured I might as well taste this 'concoction' of leftover tacos. To say it was disgusting would be an understatement. They reeked of spoiled fish, which was more revolting than appetizing. I ended up throwing it away. Next dish... 2. **Salmon Burger**: Description - Topped with avocado and homemade slaw, served on a brioche roll, with Plates fries. **What I received**: A burned brioche roll. An overcooked salmon filet. A waterlogged, almost translucent slice of tomato. Wilted, brown romaine lettuce. Tiny bits of oxidized brown avocado on top (as if they were using the leftover ends of an avocado). And absolutely ZERO coleslaw for my sandwich. Thankfully, I opened this one while still there and saw the lack of avocado, so I asked for more. Once again, I was met with eye rolls from the bartender/server. She threw her hands up and went into the kitchen, undoubtedly complaining about me. I had paid $30 for this disastrous meal! If it says 'avocado,' give me some avocado! As I mentioned, I had a pineapple juice that I chugged down almost immediately (and she saw me do it). Not once did she ask if I wanted anything else or even offered me water. Every time I tried to get her attention away from her phone, I was ignored. To put it bluntly, I disliked her and Plates deeply. They owe me a refund! Final assessment: If customer service and a good meal matter to you, do yourself a favor and go ANYWHERE but here.

I ordered the salmon BLT, and my friend got the same. It was really large—so large that we could have easily shared it! But I didn't mind the leftovers, so it worked out fine, haha. We also tried the jerk wings, which were baked. They were a bit greasy and seemed undercooked; I probably should have sent them back, but I'll give them another chance. It might have just been an off day for the chef. I appreciate that they offer baked wings instead of just fried ones, as a lot of places don't provide that option. We didn’t get any drinks this time, but the happy hour for both food and drinks looks promising. The portion sizes for the sandwiches are impressive, especially considering the prices—I think it was around $12-13. The restaurant's location is a bit unusual, but I’m looking forward to returning, especially because they have a lamb cheesesteak on the menu that sounds delicious.

We visited this restaurant for a work-related happy hour, and it turned out to be the perfect venue. We ordered a variety of appetizers, including spanakopita, coconut shrimp, wings, fried calamari, jumbo lump crab dip with crispy pita wedges, bacon-wrapped dates, and a meat tray. Each one was delicious. The drinks were great too; I enjoyed the mango margarita—it was both refreshing and delightful. I really like this place; it’s spacious, the staff is friendly, and the food is excellent. They even allowed us to use their TV for our PowerPoint presentation. Overall, it was a fantastic setting for our work meeting.

Maybe it was the fact that I had high expectations based on some of the Yelp reviews, but I thought Plates was just okay. My friend and I were confused how to actually enter the restaurant turns out you have to enter Merritt's main doors and the entrance is on the right. We started off with the spanikopita and it was delicious! But our entrees were meh. I think Plates suffers from having too many types of food on their menu, but doesn't execute them that well. Their menu has American, Greek, and Mexican food options, which is a strange mix. I ordered the buffalo burger and my friend ordered the salmon burger. My burger was pretty standard, but the fries were oily and undercooked. And my friend said her salmon was kind of dry and she wished there was some kind of sauce on it. Maybe it's safer to stick with the Greek options since our spanikopita was so tasty.

I really wanted to like this place, but service fell short by a lot. I came as part of a large group for a birthday dinner celebration. Ask it turns out, we were the only people eating dinner there for the entire 2 hours we occupied the place. And since that was the case, why did our drinks take 20 minutes to come out? Why did the food take 30+ minutes? It took our waitress 20 minutes to tell one of our members that her request for ginger beer could not fulfilled. During that time, our person had already forgotten she ordered the ginger beer. Perhaps this could all have been forgiven if the good was actually good. But it was below average. I ordered the lamb burger and encountered a bland tasting burger. Not even the tzatziki sauce was flavorful. I was thoroughly disappointed. My mango margarita didn't even have a hint of mango flavor. The only good quality was the decor. The vibe was a very cool, hip place that just happens to be adjacent to the Merritt downtown gym. I wouldn't come back. And for the price, I wish I hadn't even tried it.