Phillips Seafood

Four of us went here for dinner before the Garth Brooks concert. It was very busy and our waitress did her best considering she had the entire area of bar tables. She was friendly and pretty attentive. The food, however, was a different story… our crab dip tasted like just milk and cheese and was oddly served with potato chips. Who does that?! We each got the $ 34 special for restaurant week which included an appetizer, entrée and dessert to chose from on a special menu. I ordered the Caesar salad, steak and crab cake with asparagus, and cheesecake. The salad was ok. The steak was good. That’s where the complements end unfortunately! The crab cake was mushy and seemed raw. There was no color on the outside or crispness. The asparagus was way too hard and my cheesecake was frozen in the center. Our bar drinks to ok quite a long time to get also. Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend this place!

Service was great. Food okay. MD Crab Soup not much of any crab in it. Crab Dip App again missing crab. It was not until my entrée did I get crab in my delicious crab cakes. It was restaurant week so I was able to get Steak and Cake entrée. My wife’s entrée fried seafood platter was good also. Will be coming back.

Loved the hospitality at this place last night! Doug, our bartender, was very attentive and made awesome suggestions to my husband since he wanted to drink local lager or Pilsner beers.
I cannot drink, but I enjoyed the food lol! Sunday’s they have happy hour all day and bites at the bar for a very fair price. I had the crab dip and a ½ pound of shrimp. The shrimps were HUGE and delicious! I had them with slices of lemon & tabasco lol I just wanted that cajun taste, but I failed lol! I’m craving crawfish like crazy (I noticed a photo on their Unilocal which made my cravings worse lol), so I asked Doug if they had any in stock… He said that their season for crawfish is the summer time in the patio area (patio looked awesome!) I bet the harbor is a great place to visit in the summer time!
Anywho, the crab dip and the shrimp were both rather tasty and I would definitely have them again!

I came to Baltimore when the weather was in the 60s (like in Hairspray!)… in December. Do you know how rare that is?! I could’ve sworn I was strolling along Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. What’s always been the same though is my hunger. We looked to Phillips to quell my seafood cravings.
This place is truly a tourist trap, with its high prices and fairly basic menu. I knew I had to try one thing here, and that was the crab cakes. Feeling feisty, I went and ordered the Reuben with crab cakes smacked in-​between the slices of meat. We also ordered some calamari to start because why not?
Overall, super bummed that my first crab cakes of Baltimore came from Phillips. I mean, it wasn’t a complete mess, but the ones here just really failed to impress. I recognized that coming to eat at a tourist spot because of its location in the Inner Harbor shouldn’t have provided excellent results anyway, but it still bites. The actual meat in my sandwich was good, and it completely overpowered any flavor from the crab cakes. I’d order them separately next time.
Service was fine and the large TV screens were showing games that day. For your Baltimore seafood needs, there are definitely better places to go and try. However, Phillips can provide the quick fix if you’re already in the area.

Came here after a stroll around the harbor with a few friends. We were seated quickly and service was good. The food is just what you would expect from a Phillips.
If you are looking for a safe bet, then this is your place for seafood.

Total tourist trap, of course, but what restaurant isn’t on the Baltimore Inner Harbor. I do have a soft spot in my heart for Phillips though. It was a place we could all agree on after a long day in Baltimore when I was younger, and it’s got a lot of good standards. A little pricey, but again, goes w/​the territory of being on the harbor.
Back in the day, we had a Phillips sit down, Phillips buffet and Phillips to-​go stand at the Harborplace Mall area. Now there’s a Bubba Gump and a bunch of other stuff. So the take away stand is now an outdoor stand that looks to be open during warm weather season (I avoid the Inner Harbor like the plague in the summer though). So no crab pretzels there. Boooooo.
But the restaurant was funny. we went to eat dinner and rest after a football game. We had a table in like 35 seconds flat. By the time we left, there was a wait like a year long!
Can’t go wrong w/​the crab cakes and specialty drinks. But please, let’s get a crab pretzel on the menu!

My fiancé and I spent our first day of 2016 at the Baltimore Inner Harbor, primarily to visit the National Aquarium, but we also grabbed a seafood lunch at Phillips beforehand.
Service was excellent (our waitress was very friendly and helpful with menu items, and the food also didn’t take too long to come out). The atmosphere is classy, but more on the casual end rather than fine dining.
The food was decent, though a little on the pricey end for what you actually receive… I ordered the «Ultimate Crab Cake» (8 ounces, with jumbo lump crab meat, crab macaroni and cheese, and asparagus) and it was a whopping $ 47. Definitely didn’t taste like it was worth that much, but it was a nice lunch. My fiancé ordered the Crab-​stuffed Flounder (with flaky fresh flounder and a rich crab imperial stuffing). He said he really enjoyed his meal. I had a bite and thought his was fantastic.
We also ordered drinks — a beer for my fiancé and a Pina Colada Daquiri for me. Very tasty, albeit a little TOO sweet.
Phillips is located conveniently in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and right next to the National Aquarium. The harbor doesn’t have too many seafood options, but Phillips is a solid choice (even if it is a huge tourist attraction and some might consider it a «tourist trap»). I would certainly return again.

This restaurant is located alongside the beautiful Inner Harbor and since the location is prime, so was the pricing of their menu. Baltimore is known for seafood, especially crab cakes. I took the risk to try their crab cake platter which came with two crab cakes. I was disappointed because it wasn’t all that great but that’s what you get for staying close to the harbor based on pure convenience and they know tourists would be easily captured by their big «Phillips» sign and it’s listed in all tour guide pamphlets as a must try!
My crab cakes were small. I felt like there wasn’t enough crab and it was filled with batter. I say this because I actually ventured out the next day to Lexington Market to try Faidley’s Seafood. OMG! Talk about a huge difference with taste, texture, sizing and pricing. If you could stay away from the Inner Harbor and have time in your schedule, I would recommend taking the Light Rail or walk by foot for about 20-​ish minutes to Lexington Market to get more bang for your buck and the true experience of tasting amazing crab cakes.

Nice, fancy restaurant in the inner harbor. Waiter was very attentive. Tried the fish tacos, they were really good. For dessert I had a very tasty bread pudding, which unfortunately since I ordered it to go was cold once I got to my hotel.
Prices are a little high, but the food is pretty good.

I got the fish and chips. It was alright. The fish was delicious. But the potatoes were obviously cooked in old oil. I liked the salt n vinegar season on the fries but it competed heavily with the bad old oil. The Coleslaw was bland and not very sweet. I felt like while their seafood was super fresh — they relied on that to make the food good. The truth is — the accompanying sides are mediocre at best. With such great seafood they could be doing so much more. Wouldn’t come Again.

Stopped by Phillips for a post-​conference happy hour and were seated on the patio. The weather was unseasonably warm so the patio being right on the inner harbor was absolutely perfect!
The happy hour specials were great, and we really enjoyed sampling different local beers. We also ordered the shrimp cocktail which was very fresh and delicious. This place looks great for dinner as well. I would recommend it to other friends visiting the area.

Impressive facility. Polite and handsome/​beautiful wait staff. We were seated outside on the patio after a short wait. Drinks were ordered and arrived. Likewise, appetizers. They were calamari (nothing to write home about-​underseasoned) and crab spread (with not much crab).
I thought their Bloody Mary was bloody magnificent. It was naturally spiced with Old Bay and came with a boiled shrimp, a slice of pepperoni, a stuffed olive, a pepperoncini, and a cheese cube on a giant toothpick. Bravo!
About now, after ordering our lunch salads and being told, «our orders would be out shortly» we put the press on and our food showed up a full 30 minutes after we finished the appetizers. There was no explanation so we don’t know what happened but it seems like we were forgotten.
So I can see why, with hundreds of reviews, they have yet to rise above 3-​star (average) status.

Went here for a Unilocal Elite event, so upfront disclosure, I was fed a pile of free seafood.
I’m not a huge fan of seafood. Don’t know that you can really do all that much with most «traditional» seafood besides cook it properly and maybe sprinkle some spices on at the end.
All in all I’d say their food was pretty good. Not like poop your pants amazing, but tasty nonetheless.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was absolutely wonderful. The blue crab margaritas (their signature drink) were delicious.
My favorite was the jumbo shrimp and sausage, though they served us mussels, clams, and crawfish as well
Crawfish is a weird seafood dish, and there is so little meat I don’t honestly think any restaurant should serve them. They’re all show.
Given the number of reviews they have and the current 3 star rating on Unilocal,it seems like Phillips is really trying to turn itself around. I applaud the effort.
Not sure about normal restaurant hours, but during this event the service was on point (Thanks Sean!) and we were fed all sorts of delicious food.
I’d recommend giving them a try next time you’re in the inner harbor.

3.5 stars
After checking out the aquarium nearby, my friend and I were hungry. So we hit up Phillips. Because the weather was nice, we decided to eat outside under their outdoor dining area. Great choice on our end.
My meal consisted of jumbo steamed shrimp, lobster rolls, and a side of UTZ potato chips. No drinks just water. The shrimps were so effin’ good; nicely seasoned and warm. I’ve had better lobster rolls but I appreciated how toasted the bread was. At first I was given the plain UTZ potato chips. I’m like, um, since we’re basically in a seafood restaurant shouldn’t the chips be flavored? So I asked what seafood flavored chips was available and our waitress said Old Bay. Instead I got Crab. All well.
All in all, it was good for what it was — a quick night meal. Our waitress was nice and helpful. The crowd was pretty tame despite a baseball game being shown on TV. Hey, maybe that was the reason. *shrugs*

This place was pretty basic but it seemed to be really busy. It took a while for me to get a seat so I waited at the bar for a drink. Drinks are served in a plastic cup so it definitely gave it a more casual fast dining feel.
I ordered the platter with two crabs, shrimp, sausage and corn. The seasoning on the crab was pretty good, no complaints here. The rest of the food was not bad but I just found it to be really expensive for one person considering it wasn’t upscale dining.

I was at Bronycon in Baltimore this weekend so the next few reviews will be about spots in Baltimore. We came here on a whim for lunch per my suggestion and it was a good choice. We were seated outside right away even though there were 8 of us. They put us at 2 tables right next to each other, which worked out fine.
I ordered the fish and chips which was delicious. The fish was fresh, flaky, flavorful and incredibly crispy in tasty batter. There were 2 pieces of fish and they were huge! The french fries were wonderful as well… Mine were more like steak fries and I normally prefer skinny fries, but these fries were made to still be quite crunchy and had a nice pure potato taste.
I also had a frozen hot chocolate for $ 2 from the children’s menu which was I definitely enjoyed… Icy sweet chocolate-​y goodness! And it came in a cute little cup so I could take it to go.
The service was wonderful here… The waitress was attentive, friendly and personable.

They did a great job for our convention group. We had the back dining room, and there were well over 150 people there.
Our buffet lunch included coconut shrimp, crab cakes, baked fish, pasta, veggies, fries, salad, and chicken. Everything was hot and great.
The shrimp were my favorite, they were addictively delicious.
Serving staff was very good, lots of water refills, check-​backs, and fast beverage service.
Great location on the inner harbor near the aquarium.
Phillips was totally solid in every department.

I absolutely, positively LOVED this place! The ambiance from the minute you walk in the door just hits you. I seen the seating areas outside that they have and although fun looking, it was insanely hot this weekend and I couldn’t bare it to sit outside. A man playing a piano while you eat is the touch that sets this place apart.
We were seated (quickly) even though they seemed to be quite busy on that Sunday afternoon. We started with drinks (of course), I got the mango sangria and my boyfriend a bloody mary. I got the pitcher since I was sharing and it was perfect I had 3 glasses from it. For appetizers, we ordered the crab mushrooms and the crab macaroni and cheese (its a side but we asked for it to come as an app). They were both as mouthwatering as they sound and I wanted more.
For dinner, we ordered the clam bake for two — the ultimate feast! I couldn’t even comprehend the massive buckets of food that was set on the table when it came, I was truly amazed and the freshest fish and crabs, and lobster and shrimp ALL of it was A+. We were so stuffed by the end of it, we could barely move and our lovely waitress asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu (they bring out a tray of ‘fake’ desserts and you order that way) and by seeing it I think it makes it harder to say no. But I couldn’t touch another thing so next time I will try and report back.
I had a great time and was filled with fresh seafood. The place is pricey but I guess its going to be if you want fresh seafood, I mean I can’t afford to go there everyday but its a once in awhile kinda place. I recommend and then go walk all that food off on the harbor!

They have a nice looking patio area on the harbor and a nice happy hour with good food and drink specials. The beer selection was good and we loved the Heavy Seas on tap for $ 4.
To start we had Crab Cake Mini’s, they were very nice, nothing special, but a decent little ball to get the seafood feast rollin’. We also had fresh oysters, which were delicious, fresh and had that great flavor of the ocean.
For dinner, we had the crab stuffed flounder — crab imperial a classic with crab meat combined with mayo, white sauce inside a split flounder and baked with Parmesan. I think perhaps the cheese and/​or mayo beat out the more delicate crab and flounder, so I wouldn’t probably get this again, but it was delicious. I highly recommend for someone looking for a less fishy taste experience. Others had the soft shell without comment — again a comment in itself.

I loved it.
We dined outside so had a different experience. My crab legs were so tasty. I also thought the prices were reasonable. I’m not a huge fan of having to hammer away at my food, but it definitely made my hard work seem worthwhile once i took a bite.
One thing people may not love is you sit at community picnic tables. Makes it interesting. If that’s not your style, grab a table indoors.