The Main Ingredient Cafe

What happened, Main Ingredient? I swear something has changed in the last six months. This used to be one of favorite spots – 2 for $ 30 Tuesdays, brunch, lunch takeout… but the food has gone down hill, especially dinner! The dinner bread isn’t the same, smaller side salad portions, and just mediocre food! Did they change hands? Cost saving/​cheaper ingredients? What’s up?! Sadly we probably won’t be back anytime soon.

Food was ok. I think they would be better as a catering company. Idk. It’s kind of weird lol

First time trying this place & it did not disappoint! Quaint little ‘Mom & Pop’ restaurant that has clearly established itself with locals as well as made a name for itself, with catering. The menu was impressive & well thought out…& the waitstaff was cheerful & accommodating.
I came for breakfast, but just missed it. Decided on a sandwich for lunch: Rubeun (made w/​Panko!) And sweet potato fries (the waitress suggested some sweet «pepper relish» ((kinda like an Amish jelly)) to dip the fries; I hadn’t heard of it before, but it worked and had a zingy punch.
On Sunday, they have a limited lunch menu; more wraps, sandwich & salad geared vs. Sunday brunch offerings, however– 4 dollar mimosas! So yeah…
Think of it as a small version of Tom’s Dinner, without the characters.

Catering and wedding cake review: Pick up for a dinner catering event was flawless, everything was perfectly wrapped, labeled, and ready to go. Brunch delivery was right on time and the staff was super nice and helpful in prepping everything. Wedding cake was beautiful and just as we envisioned. All this goes by saying the food was right on point. They provide healthy portions which has left us with plenty of leftovers. Will be coming back for future catering needs.

Good food. Usually good staff. Great desserts. Love ordering to go! Service good, staff pretty friendly usually. Salads are a bit pricey, but good none the less.

The place is nice and the servers are too. The coffee is also nice but the food had absolutely no taste.
Not worth it!

Excellent service, but the food was just … meh. Maybe we caught them on an off night. My pad thai was a soggy, inedible mess with just 3 small shrimp. I sent it back. The brisket that replaced (our waitress was gracious about swapping my entre) was much better but too reliant on the sweet sauce that covered it. Other members of our party had chicken — good — and a pasta dish — OK not great. One dish exceeded our expectations — Maryland style crab soup. I should’ve had two cups.

«BEST food I’ve ever had at a wedding“said so many of our wedding guests for our wedding that was catered by Main Ingredient. Phenomenal service and manager (Jessica)! Can’t say enough good things about how amazing Main Ingredient was and how they made our wedding day so so special!

One of my favorite restaurants in Annapolis; I have yet to find something on the menu that I don’t like. Their Hungarian Mushroom soup is one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Their wraps and salads are full of fresh ingredients and delicious. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, and the service is friendly and helpful – yes, Sue Garcia, I’m talking about you.

We stopped here for a small lunch on the way home from visiting my boytoy’s mama in Eastport. We were headed out to Parts & Labor later that evening, and were hungry but didn’t want to spoil our appetite. We decided to split a wrap from here since the menu looked like it had a lot of healthy, light options. We had the «mexi wrap,» which had grilled chicken, avocado, cheddar jack cheese, fresh pico de gallo, romaine lettuce and lime cilantro sauce in a chipotle tortilla. It came with a big portion of homemade kettle chips and was perfect for two.
The rest of the menu looked delicious (and the dessert case… oh my gahhh), the café was adorable, the service was friendly, and the coffee was great. We’ll definately be back when we’re in that part of town!

This place is my all time favorite for breakfast. I have lived in Annapolis all my life and love coming here for breakfast. They will prepare an omelette anyway you like and the hashbrowns are the best in town. If you are going on a Saturday or Sunday, I suggest you go early because otherwise you will have to wait. It’s a hot spot in Annapolis.
One of my favorite reasons I enjoy coming to this place is the service. The waitresses are wonderful and service is quick! Definitely a place you must try.

Excellent place for breakfast. Lunch and dinner is solid too. Kind of a snobby overpriced diner but with quality well prepared food. Would have given it 3.5 stars if I could but gave it 4 to help bring up the average.

Friendly, quick service. Popular local place with a variety of breakfast and lunch options.
We enjoyed the shrimp and grits benedict. Poached eggs were delicious, but we would have like them a tiny bit runnier. They sat on a sort-​of fried grits cake; unique and tasty way to prepare them. Little bay shrimp were poured over it all. The hash browns side was little cubes of fried potato; cooked perfectly and seasoned well. We added a pancake and a side of strawberries and bananas, too.
Iced tea was brewed fresh and plentiful. A little pricey, but probably worth it every now and then.

After reading the reviews for Main Ingredient Café and checking out their web page, my family decided to make reservations there for dinner honoring my son’s 18^th birthday, which coincided with Plebe Parent Weekend. I called MIC to verify they could handle a large party, and was told they could. However, the part of the name, «Café» should have clued me in to otherwise. I had reservations at another restaurant nearby that we cancelled because MIC had a better variety of food. Our initial reservation was for 13 people. A day before the date we had to increase it to 19. When I spoke with whomever answered the phone they assured me they could handle a party of 19.
When we arrived there were several small café style tables strung together with seating for 14. Like I previously stated I should have paid attention to the name. They set up a nearby booth for the additional 5 people in our party, however they were well removed from our party where we could not converse or interact with them. This was unacceptable since we were celebrating my son’s accomplishment and 18^th birthday. I spoke with the on duty manager, who was very nice, but she explained due to their size they couldn’t seat us all together. I wish the person I had spoken with had told me about the splitting up of our party because we would have kept our other reservation. Sorry about the pun but MIC bit off more than they could chew.
Now had the food been amazing, I would have given them another star, but alas it was not. The food was very average. I had the meatloaf and it was bland and lacked flavor. Family members had the seared tuna salad, good but not enough tuna, pork chop special was ok, lasagna was a runny mess, the Annapolitan was good and the salad with chicken looked very good.
As in my previous posts I will give MIC another shot, under normal circumstances (regular sized party), and try the salmon or crab cakes. I will say their portions are large and you could share. If their selections are better I will add stars. But on this visit I was not impressed, and sorely disappointed.

My experience at The Main Ingredient was fantastic! My water glass was always full, the good arrived in a timely fashion and I would’ve had a dessert if I hadn’t been so full! I ordered the burger and sweet potato fries, it was one of the most delicious burgers I’ve had (and I’ve had a lot). I look forward to trying out more of the menu on future visits!

This morning I went here for brunch with my fiancé and his parents. We’d been here before but only for dinner, which was also great. And I am pleased to say that I think I just had the best egg white omelette of my life!
I ordered the acapulco omelette, which comes with green chilies, pico de gallo and cheddar cheese. It also comes with a side of sour cream, which I didn’t get, and chorizo, which I swapped for turkey sausage. It’s a simple enough order, but a lot of places really miss the mark with things like this, especially when opting for egg whites only. Here the omelette had just the right amount of cheese (it wasn’t oozing out in really gluttonous amounts) and there were a TON of veggies. I’ve never had an omelette with so many veggies, and the pico de gallo was so, so fresh. It also came with a side of hash browns, which were like cubes of potato seasoned with paprika. For the first time in a long time I actually ate everything on my plate.
The only bummer? It’s still Passover. What does that mean? Snickerdoodle french toast, I’m comin for you!

Revised: Still awful & overpriced: I keep wanting to love this place because it’s around the corner from my house, alas, it’s not to be. People rave about the breakfasts but maybe I’m missing something.
The home fries are frozen (!!) not fresh. They taste like hot styrofoam chips. the omelettes are ok. Coffee is fine but nothing to brag about. My partner likes the pancakes but I have no opinion. The whole menu feels old and in need of refreshing. The prices seem high for what you get.
here’s a line on a Unilocal post that says this place is «similar to The Iron Rooster» in downtown Annapolis. The MI is unworthy to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Rooster.
Harsh but true.
Bottom line: Spend your money elsewhere.

Had a truly wonderful experience here on the night of 2÷12÷15
We had the hummus to start with which was delectable and then both had the MI Burger, which had an awesome onion jam to complete the burger.
Burger was done perfect, jam completed it and the service was impeccable. I am looking forward to dining at this local establishment again… love dining local better than fast food and chain restaurants!

We ate breakfast here this morning for the first time when our usual breakfast spot was full to overflowing.
They were busy with a lot of regulars meeting up. The service was ok but the waitress didn’t necessarily love what she was doing and it showed. I asked what the frittata of the day was and she forgot to check and didn’t get back to me right away. She didn’t ever ask if I needed more hot water or tea (they use Capital Teas which are excellent). I asked for hot sauce and I was nearly finished with my meal before she remembered to bring it.
My husband had the Captain Crunch French toast and I had the frittata of the day which was perfectly seasoned and tasty. The hash browns were meh.
The food was excellent and presentation lovely. I’m sure we’ll be back.

I can’t wait to come back here! I’m always on the lookout for great breakfast locations in my area, and this one seemed to be close to, if not on, the top of everyone’s list. I tried it out, and now I can see why!
I ordered some AMAZING french toast. The portions were huge, I couldn’t finish all mine. The side selection was wide, and the ability to customize is there and welcomed. The staff was great; I was seated quickly and my server’s performance was fantastic. My companion got an omelet that he was more than happy with, as he considers himself picky when it comes to them, which was a pleasant surprise because he customized it pretty heavily.
From an outside perspective, the place seems small (located in a shopping strip). The inside, though, is charming and simple.
I can’t speak for lunch and dinner, but if you’re looking for breakfast, I fully recommend Main Ingredient.