Reynolds Tavern

We’ve been doing tea regularly (weekly/​monthly) since 2001 around the DMV and beyond. We have always been a fan of Reynold’s afternoon and high teas. The service is top notch, the tea and food are always on point, a great value considering competitors, I’ve always been able to find parking within a block (surprisingly), and the scenic Annapolis waterfront is nice for a post-​tea stroll. Highly recommended.

Ambiance ¹⁰⁄₁₀. This place is straight out of the revolutionary war. I feel like Washington planned the storming of the Delaware river from here.
Noise ⁵⁄₁₀. Don’t bring your deaf father here. That being said on Wednesday nights they have Shakespeare night, that is a welcome noise.
Food ⁵⁄₁₀. Honestly this place seems as though they are going through the motions. French fries were the dark double fried versions. Yet, they were soggy in the center like they used to be frozen and weren’t fried long enough. Perhaps lower the fryer temp? Again, everything was ALMOST there. I guess this is a bar and I shouldn’t expect much out of the food.
Beer list ⁹⁄₁₀. They clearly think about what they have on tap. Not just an INBEV draft list.

Got tea here for my friends birthday and we got the afternoon tea which consisted of your choice of scone, three finger sandwiches, a small shepherd’s pie, a small mushroom truffle pie thing, and various sweet pastries and all were very tasty. It is a very cute tea room, there is great service, and like I said, the food is amazing. Would definitely recommend for a date or a special event.

I’ve eaten here twice: once inside the tea room, and once outside on the patio. Both experiences were very positive and the food was excellent. If you don’t have time to read the whole review, then just know that you can’t go wrong (food-​wise) with this place. I took one star off because of my first experience eating in the patio area. You can read more about my experience below.
My first visit here was with a friend and her family. We ate out on the patio because it was a nice day and easily accessible for my friend’s husband who was in a wheelchair. So, bonus points for having an outdoor area that is mostly wheelchair accessible! The patio area (I think) is technically the 1747 Pub, which has a different menu than the Tea Room inside. The beer selection was great and I appreciated having choices from local to national craft brews. I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich, and it was huge. I appreciated that it was mostly meat with little breading. It comes with hand-​cut fries, or you can upgrade to the 1747 Fries for $ 1.50 more. I personally didn’t like the 1747 Fries, and would rather have stuck with the regular fries. I take one star off because of the service. Our server checked in with us probably every 15 minutes or so. It took a lot of effort to get him to come to our table, and even then, he was generally not attentive. He was more interested in talking about his desire to move to Colorado than in our beer orders. But, the food and drink were good, so I can’t ding them too much on that.
I returned about a month later with some guests and decided to eat inside in the Tea Room. Our group ordered a Baked Brie to start with some Quiche and Sandwiches as our main dishes, and some tea to drink. The food was excellent and the tea was delicious. Again, food-​wise, this tavern is solid. The service this time around inside the tea room was excellent, and our server constantly checked in with us to refill waters. One thing to keep in mind is that the dining rooms can get a bit cramped if there are many customers. Our party ate at a table in the corner of one room and it felt a bit tight in there.
Overall, I really enjoyed Reynolds Tavern and would eat there again next time I’m in Annapolis.

We stopped into town for some lunch prior to heading over to a football game and were sadly disappointed. We originally sat at the bar in the back but after being ignored for 5 – 10 minutes we grabbed a table as others left.
Once again, after a 5 minute wait we finally had a waiter (or manager?) he offered to go get us a menu but we already knew what we wanted.
I ordered the fried chicken BLT which was really just a fried chicken sandwich with toppings on the side. It *looked* delicious but was a very disappointing sandwich. Chicken was chewy, not juicy, and lacked much flavor. Side of fries were good.
The only thing that gives them the extra star was that they had Samuel Smith Winter Welcome bottles to drink.

Very cute place and I am sure the afternoon tea is fun however, if you are gluten free stay away there are really no good gluten free options. Unfortunately it was the only place open. The gluten free version of the meal I got was not good. Also our waiter was horrible, I had to ask 3 times for water and waited 15 mins before it came with no refills. He was dismissive and never check on is to see if we needed anything. Clearly I will not be going back and until they step up their service and their food I don’t recommend it.

Went to afternoon tea with a friend and we had a great time! Reynold’s Tavern is cute and quaint! We had a reservation and were seated immediately. Our server was pleasant and attentive. She assisted us in picking out teas that we would like. I choose one tea that I ended up not liking and I was able to select a different tea. I really enjoyed the peach tea. Sugar cubes were on the table and we were able to request milk for our tea.
The food was great! We choose to do the Colonial Tea, which came with a soup, salad, or a quiche. We both choose the soup. I got the cream of crab and my friend got the cream of broccoli.
Next, we were served our afternoon tea. We each picked a scone of our choice, that were delicious, and it came with cream and strawberries. On the next tray, there were sandwiches. We were given egg salad, ham, and cucumber. The ham and cucumber sandwiches were excellent! There were also some mini pies, one was mushroom and the other were shepherds pie. Both were great! On the third tray, there was an assortment of desserts and sweets, which were also great!
We had such a great time and great service!

Love Reynolds Tavern! Have been to tea several times and saw the Annapolis Shakespeare Poe production with dinner on October 28 — amazing food. Desserts were beyond fabulous and the whole meal and experience were wonderful. The teas are always amazing and such a great selection. Thank you!

This place was great. We just were walking in the area and saw the outside garden and decided to check it out. The prices looked very good for Annapolis. The goat salad was fantastic. The waiter was great and very helpful. The shrimp and grits were very good. We will definitely return soon.

We (almost literally) stumbled upon this place after seeing Ann Wilson at Rams Head (we had had a gin martini at the show). This place is a 3-​minute walk from Rams Head. The outdoor patio (guitarist playing there) was packed but it was a little chilly and we had already heard Ann so we went to the downstairs bar.
Great service, great Blue Coat gin martini, great Caesar salad, and more-​than-​acceptable mussels.
Great find!

The two stars for the nice waiters. The food (I had lunch) is below average. Everything is under seasoned. The risotto was undercooked and nothing near creamy. Also, it’s not cheap by any means. Waste of money.

My friend and I decided to do the Colonial High Tea on a Saturday at around 3:30pm. The dining room was not super crowded and we got an adorable spot in the corner by the window. We had a beautiful view of the church across the street and a lovely wedding letting out. It was very pretty.
We ordered and got our starters first. I got the curry chicken soup and my friend got the bacon quiche. Both were very good. When our tea came it was in a lovely tea pot and of course loose tea is the best. Some tea houses don’t use good pots and the tea leaves get in the tea. (I hate that!!!) But this was not the case. The only mistake that happened was our server put my friends tea next to me and mine next to her. So we go to try each others teas. An unexpected surprise. I got the Buckingham Garden Party and my friend got a peach tea. Both were good even though I’m not a fan of peach. They provided us with sugar cubes which is a pet peeve on mine. If you are doing a packet of sugar you shouldn’t be allowed to call it a proper tea! Oh and the tea pots held at least 4 cups of tea. Just the perfect amount for a nice long afternoon chat fest with my bestie.
They brought out the savory and sweet high tea. Which was a variety of treats. We had egg salad sandwiches, ham and cheese, and cucumber with dill (our favorite). We both got the orange and cranberry scone with cream. The sweets we took home because we were full. But there was chocolate covered strawberries, lemon squares (SOOO GOOD), shortbread cookies, pound cake, and one other kind of cake.
I only had a few small issues. 1. The tea mix up (small but it happened) 2. The sandwiches were good but the bread just a little stale around the ends. (picky I know) 3. I wanted to buy one of the teas I had to take home. But they either didn’t sell it or the gentleman I asked was confused. Either way nothing big happened but enough to not get a 5 star. =)
The atmosphere at Reynold’s was lovely. I have been to many tea houses and this is by far one of my favorites. Plus my friend told me the back is an outside lounge/​bar area at night and they have trivia and movie night. Very cool! I will go again and highly recommend.

Cool place for an afternoon tea service, especially if you haven’t done it before.
Service can be kind of slow but it is very restaurant in an old home, which may make logistics a bit challenging. The afternoon tea and colonial tea service have a fair amount of food but not too much if you already ate lunch.

Went there for dinner after an exhausting day walking around Annapolis.
We arrived early but was seated with no trouble. Curtious service.
The food was just ok. But the ambience of a historic tavern made it special.
We ordered mussles and fried green tomato as appalizers. The mussels were tiny, but the broth was nice. Fried green tomato was a little short on flavor.
Main courses were Crab cakes and Rock fish.
Crabcakes again are not undet seasoned. We are Marylanders, so we know what good Maryland crab cakes should taste like. A bit disappointing, Annapolis being the seat of Maryland govetnment and all.
Rock fish was fine, but it wad served with red sauce that tasted like BBQ sauce! The sauce definitely didn’t compliment the fish, but rathet a distraction. The fish was ok by itself.
Dessert menu looked good but we didn’t have room for it.
Recommend arriving after dusk so you get thefull ambience of the candle lit dining room.

My son was married here in April and while the waitress (Ebony) was fantastic, the room was lovely, and food was quite good… I was shocked by how rude one the Managers/​Owners was to me. Marilyn was curt, short, and unapologetic. One example: When it was pointed out that our group was on a time schedule (due to the photographer’s booked time) and that it took an hour between the appetizer and salad courses, I was given salty looks and even ruder responses. Considering all that was paid, considering we were there before the doors opened to the public on a weekday (read: not yet busy), considering we had a small group for the event (less than 15), I was really at a loss as to her why her attitude towards me was so bad.
Word of advice, a meal there might be fine but planning an event with this woman being in charge, not so fine. I suppose there is the chance that we caught her on a particularly bad day/​time, but there was no follow-​up change in attitude or apology for her curtness. It was a happy day of celebration for us and she was a real thorn on the rose. I didn’t let it ruin our day, but wow… just wow. What a miserable person.
Had it not been for Marilyn, my review would have been a solid 5-​star review full of raves. Sad when the Owner is the ONE PERSON responsible for bringing down a score.

I FOUND CHARDS OF GLASS IN MY DRINK.
I was pumped to go here as a history major– I’m very adept in the world of culinary analysis– the food was moderate at best and their cocktails left much to be desired for.
Instead Go to:
LEVEL
Iron Rooster
Cantlers (if you’re looking for the best crab cakes, hush puppies etc– any local will vouch for it)

ANNAPOLIS RESTAURANT WEEK (Dinner)
We love restaurant week, not because we are cheap but it brings us to new places or places that at an earlier time failed us.
It’s a great opportunity for restaurants to see new faces and make new fans. Unfortunately, there are some that do not take advantage of this.
The Gumbo was painful, thiner than water with perhaps a teaspoon of rice and one lone dime sized shrimp. The crab soup more successful neither warmer than the Victorian room. Dinners were passable, the Hunter Chicken and Meatloaf. Dessert, edible. Our accommodating server was sincere but as his table load grew from 1 then 3 then 7 tables, was AOL.
Everyone was nice, the setting historic and lovely but a painful experience all in all. They were kind to give us a gratis glass of wine, but really a better experience would have been preferred.

I’ve been to Reynold’s twice now within the span of three months to experience the afternoon tea service. Each experience has been great. The environment is definitely an something special. When you walk in through the front entrance, you’re immediately aware that you’ve been transported back by two centuries. We were greeted and seated quite quickly. Our server was polite and knowledgeable.
The menu boasts two pages of teas from around the world. And since my last two experiences have been in winter, they also had a seasonal tea menu. My friend ordered the colonial peach tea while I opted for the peppermint rooiboos from the seasonal menu. Both were marvelous and went well with the food and sweets that followed.
In the afternoon tea section, we were presented with several options. Depending on how much you want to eat, we found out that it was surprisingly affordable. You can check out their menu here:
As we have not had lunch we opted to go with the Colonial High Tea for $ 22 a head. It was surprisingly filling with an option of a soup or quiche to start followed by a triple-​decker of goodies. I had the French onion soup which was excellent and so was the cream of crab that my friend had. Neither was too salty which can really ruin a soup in my opinion.
The traditional triple-​decker plates started with your choice of scone on the bottom served with whipped cream and strawberry jam. The next tier up were savories comprised of well cut mini sandwiches and little pies and finally the top were sweets such as lemon bars, poundcake, caramel and lavender butter cookies, chocolate truffle and the traditional Bakewell tart.
In conclusion, we left feeling quite fulfilled and stuffed. I think it is a unique experience since high tea was originally designed to foster friendship over good food and what better place than in a 200 year old establishment that keeps the tradition alive and well!

I am only commenting about the tea service that I took my sister to, and wow is it amazing tea service.
It pretty much screams classy with an ode to history, yet still very American — as in people can still understand the menu and the tea options rather than being a maze of making you feel like you need a PhD in English.
Oh and all the tea options (I picked Colonial High Tea) with food and all are completely delicious.
Oh and yes I did manage to pull this off by making a reservation only 15 minutes before I showed up (high tea is normally something you plan at least a week in advance for in other places). I am realistic in that I pulled this off on a Sunday, and on those super busy Annapolis weekends/​weeks it would not be the case.
Oh and compared to Boston, New York, and etc. the price is actually super super amazing, I was caught by surprise by how little damage it did.
So yes, the ultimate afternoon surprise is tea time here!

Thanks to a fellow Unilocaler’s response to my question about afternoon tea in the DC area, Reynold’s Tavern was on my radar. So when a friend decided to take me to Annapolis yesterday, I immediately thought to make a reservation. Do NOT just use Opentable for afternoon tea. Opentable made it look like no tables were available until after 5:30, which is past tea service time. So, luckily, I was so intent on tea that I called and got a reservation for 4:15. Yes!
We were running quite early and got to Annapolis about an hour and a half too early. We dropped by anyway to see if they could accommodate us and the host was so lovely and said we could wait on the patio while they got a table ready. Apparently, the women at the table still took longer than the 15 minutes and he was very apologetic for the wait. Hey, not a problem — we were the super early ones!
Oh, and the patio area is great anyway. Got some sun, got a cocktail. Anyway, once our table was ready, we sat in the cute tea room which was understated and oh-​so-​comfortable.
We opted for the Colonial Tea which a bargain at $ 22/​pp. It included a salad, soup, or quiche. We both opted for the crab soup. WOW. It had to be the best crab soup I’ve ever had. I can’t even explain how flavorful it was. If you like crab, do not miss this.
You have a choice of three scones and I chose the cranberry orange. OMG, the scone was the perfect texture and the flavor was amazing. It was served with cream and preserves. The cream was tasty but I didn’t try the preserves because I didn’t even need any more flavor on my scone.
The savory plate was just as fantastic which included finger sandwiches and the stars of the show: the mini shepherd’s pie and the mini mushroom tart. So cute and tiny with big flavor.
The dessert plate contained so many different bites, each one tasting wonderfully homemade. The bites included lemon tarts, truffles, rosemary cookies, hummingbird cake, and more. Each bite was followed by wows and mmms.
And the tea selection is quite extensive. I opted for the blueberry and it was fantastic. I tried my friend’s peach tea and it was great as well. I also loved the teacups, saucers, and the adorable spoons with tea cups or teapots on the handles. Also, loved that they had cubed sugar available. I don’t normally add sugar to my tea, but I like the cubes so much, I did it this time. HA
Oh, and let me say our server was the best! We asked about the history of the tavern and he was more than happy to explain it as well as answer any other questions about the area. He and the host made this tea that much more enjoyable. Both were just SO personable.
So there you have it. I had a perfect afternoon tea experience yesterday and would recommend afternoon tea here to anyone. Go!