The Owl Bar
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
14 Reviews for The Owl Bar
It was the last Sunday before the new year of 2008. There were a handful of games which no one cared about because week 17 was a lock and key. My wife and I wanted to return to The Brewer's Art and enjoy some Resurrections.
Too bad we were one hour too early.
We panicked and walked around. Suzi called her friend Cam and he suggested "The Owl Bar."
What?
We walked there and had trouble finding the place. When we did, it seemed spooky. Stained glass windows and dim lighting. I was put off by the smoking (I forget I'm not in New York), but there were two televisions showing games. Baltimore was crushing Pittsburgh, but again, nobody cared.
We ordered beers and tried a seafood medley/sampler, which contained oysters, mussels and shrimp. I wasn't fond of it. However, speaking with the bartender about New Years plans at the 13 floor bar was fun. We also complained about Kyle Boller. This place in general is nice if you come with a friend; you'll have undivided attention and a place where no one will bother you. If you fly solo, I would probably feel depressed quickly.
Looking at our watches, our time was up. On to The Brewer's Art.
I will return to the Owl, if a situation like this happens again.
IFHTP 1
Great Great place. Old time, prohibition-era bar on the bottom of the Belvedere Hotel with distinct architecture. Happy hours begin at 10pm. Sometimes the bartender disappears so it makes getting drinks awkward.
One time, a few of us went across the bar to fill our beers after we were sick of waiting. When the bartender returned, the hall monitor, who's all grown up, ratted on us. Bartender was very cool and didn't seem to mind. He understood, we were thirsty. It was late. It was happy hour. How can you beat that?
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Uber-high ceilings and a commanding bar, owls with glowing eyes (ask the bartenders what the lights mean) and enjoy respectable cut-above-just-bar-food bar food. The menu is a little pedestrian, but hey, some folks like the familiar. Nothing wrong with that.
Enjoy the poem on the walls--can you find the last stanza?
"A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he heard the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard........."
Go for the ambiance of a hotel lobby bar--blow that ambiance by doing a yard of beer at the bar (make sure you have a partner). Save dinner for another place as the Owl bar is notorious for being 'out of' everything. Head upstairs to the 13th floor for more drinks, spectacular views of the city and if you're lucky, some fun live music.
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Pick up a pamphlet of The Owl Bar's "Story and Glory" as you walk in... it's a fine read about the hotel and restaurant's role in the prohibition era.
Mosaics of owls are illuminated above the bar giving this place a dim, intimate feel. There is music playing but it's not too loud which is nice because you don't have to raise your voice at all while you're chatting. Maybe it was just because it was Friday night, but they were playing some real mellow 90's rock deep cuts. Oasis, Collective Soul, Soundgarden, etc. Haha, I have to point it out since it is my favorite era of music in my life so far.
They serve their beer in these glasses called half-yarns which are these tall bong-like glasses (couldn't think of any other way to describe them) which are pretty to look at and will generate a 'wow', but wait until you get to the bottom and you'll find it gets pretty difficult to drink. Beware.
My pizza was good. Crispy 12'' pie with the crust brushed with olive oil as soon it comes out of the brick oven. They use canned jalapenos though. Yikes.
I heard at least five dishes/glasses breaking in the dining room. Hmm...
For such a nice restaurant, I expected a little more. I'm still trying to figure out what would have made my experience more memorable...
I miss this place...
Spacious, mysterious, elegant and historic are choice adjectives to describe the Owl bar. Mingle with a diverse cross section of Baltimore peeps under the watchful eyes of the owls.
Great place anytime, the drinks were always good and the chili was realllly tasty. Fun times at the 13th Floor as well for a change of pace. :)
The Owl Bar has some pretty architectural elements, like the stained glass and woodwork. That's pretty much where my appreciation ends. The furniture isn't very attractive or comfortable. The lighting is weird and yellowish. The menu items aren't very interesting. The food served isn't as tasty as it could be, even for boring things such as the cobb salad. The bathroom is pretty tough to find for a first timer, as it's outside of the restaurant in the lobby of the Belvedere. The service isn't anything to write home about, either. Although I have a lot of complaints, the place honestly isn't horrible, or I'd only give it one star. I just feel there are lots of ways they could improve, and there are many other more deserving places to get a meal in the city. If you want to go for the sake of going, I would suggest getting a drink at the bar before heading to another spot for dinner, or if it's later, before heading up to the 13th floor for some dancing.
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I love this place! Its my favorite so far. On the weekend the best time to go is Sunday mid afternoon. It is empty and relaxing...less noise and smoke. They have a great goat salad. The beers I have been told by my husband are great... I go for the Pinot Grigio though...great place to relax. The environment is great to. You have to check it out!
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If the atmosphere of a bar doesn't really matter to you, then go to this bar.
Very cool prohibition era bar. The owls perched on either end of the bar had their eyes open when they were serving booze and closed when they weren't. Decent food and drink but it's the history of the place that makes you want to go back.
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I first visited Owl Bar this past weekend and it was a pretty fun place. It's nice for first or second dates because the bar doesn't play really intrusive music so you can hear what your date is saying. Owl bar is very classy and has a great past so those are two major reasons to go, but the bar staff can be a little dotty. It took my date 15 min to get the bartenders attention so I could order and the bar wasn't even that full. But the ambiance and the quality of the food more than made up for not so stellar staff.
The classic classy hotel lounge with a touch of rustic. Good grinks, great raw bar, and excellent pizza. The crowd is older and often mostly people from some sort of event - weddings, balls, etc. V nice for happy hour, good for dinner too.
I dig it. It's not a place that I frequent but I don't know that any one really does. The bartenders are always on point...mixing skills and speed are key. THINK MARTINI. The food is pretty good..the brick oven pizzas are the real draw on the food side. The crowd is always changing usually a little older. It's not the least expensive place to hang but it's reasonable.. I'd say check it out...show up hungry and eat some of that freakin pizza!
I usually go to the Owl Bar when I'm in the neighborhood and want to go somewhere that's hardly ever crowded, or don't feel like shuffling through the local bars. The food is awesome, but the bartenders seem to be hit or miss when I go there. I hit either extreme, either polite and professional, or rude and unknowledgable. To their credit though, the last 2 or 3 times in a row I've had awesome service.
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