Brendali

We came here for dinner with another couple as first timers. I’m glad I read it was BYOB, we brought wine and our friend’s had beer. They give you an ice bucket to keep it nice and chilled too! We ordered the calamari app and I liked that it was lightly breaded.
The dinner portions were really big. I got the fettuccine blanco and my husband got the rigatoni black and blue (blackened chicken over a Cajun style sauce and huge pile of blue cheese) He LOVED it. Mine was pretty tasty as well. The shrimp and scallops were well portioned.
We got the tiramisu to split and that was pretty good. I want to try their cannoli for next time.
Overall we will be back at some point. The service was great!
**we brought our daughter who is 9 months and our friends have an 18 month old… the place is really small so if your kid is being loud everyone takes notice. **
**Maybe because we are new to this area we didn’t know but the parking in federal hill is atrocious. Leave yourself plenty of time!**

Hands down, the best Italian food ever. A group of us decided to stop here on New Year’s Eve for dinner, and were seated immediately. It’s byob, so we were able to bring in our favorite beers as well. Everything we ordered, including the appetizers, pastas, desserts, was outstanding. Service was prompt and friendly as well. We had a great time here and will definitely return.

Brendali is a tiny place — seats probably 40 or fewer comfortably. It was a two-​person show the night we were there as well: just a chef and a waitress. Even so, it was a great experience.
Everything at Brendali is made fresh, and the food quality reflects that. The bread was great, and the grilled calamari we enjoyed as an appetizer got «wow» reactions from everybody at the table.
Dinner portions were substantial and reasonably priced. I had the Orioles Seafood, which was a heaping pile of shellfish and I loved it. My mom had fettuccine alfredo, which she ranked among the best she’d ever had. My sister had the capellini mercedes, my dad the tortellini tre salsa, both of which were delicious as well.
Dessert closed out strong. The tres leches cake was a HUGE slice that disappeared as soon as it hit the table. The cannoli were stellar.
Two thoughts for improvement: the door didn’t shut all the way, which was tough on a chilly night. As an out-​of-​towner, I wasn’t sure where to go for some wine to bring to this BYOB and some quick recommendations would have helped. Otherwise, great stuff!

Great place for a mom’s night out! Food is amazing, affordable and the service was friendly and attentive! And the cozy atmosphere enabled us to all hear each other and really talk (and laugh!). BYOB with no corkage fee also means you can drink your own great wine and keep the cost down. My favorite? The eggplant parm!

I’m not from around the area, so I of course searched places to eat while I stayed in Baltimore for a conference. A colleague of mine and I walked Pratt Street trying to find somewhere to eat but for a busy street it’s quite surprising that there aren’t very many appetizing options. After about 20 minutes of walking, I did a quick Unilocal search and Brendali popped up.
We ended up taking a cab as its south from the inner harbor area we were in. The cab dropped us in front of an unassuming, kind of run down looking place. We walked in and we both were hesitant to even take a table. The restaurant itself is very small, maybe 10 or so 2-​person tables and was only occupied by two other groups. The lighting was dim and there was no design whatsoever. We ended up getting seated and I’m so glad we didn’t turn around and leave!
Our waitress Mattie was awesome! She was very helpful and attentive. Great customer service!
She brought out fresh and warm bread. They were so hot that I cut into one and you can see the heat coming off of it and the butter melted instantly.
I ordered the tortellini tre salsa which has their fresh tortellini with a mixture of pesto, Alfredo and their tomato sauce. Best decision ever. I highly recommend this place. In fact, I plan on coming back before I fly back home!

I ordered the Fettuccine Bolognase and my BF got shrimp Alfredo…
1^st off… They only gave him 5 shrimp. Lol other than that he said it was ok.
My dish was ok as well… Kinda tasted like hamburger helper. (Not that that’s a bad thing…) I do like that it was a nice serving of food and the staff was friendly.

It became a tragic evening when I left my doggie bag of delicious Vegetable Primavera Pasta on the table as I left Brendali. Nooooooo! It still makes me cringe to think of it, even though I’m writing this review weeks after being there.
Alas, I shall just have to go back next time I’m in Fed! Because my pasta, my friend’s eggplant parm, our service, all fantastic! It’s definitely a gem in a neighborhood that I tend to associate with its nightlife instead of its restaurants.
Only reason for not giving it 5 stars, the inside aesthetic. Really drab, wobbly table, flies buzzing around. But at least that didn’t affect the quality of the food or customer service.

This restaurant is so great! I went with a few girl friends and we brought our own wine (it’s BYOB which is nice.) The service was awesome and the food was just as good. I got the Penne Vodka and while at some restaurants a pasta dish can be a bit too salty or heavy, this one was just right. We all had a great experience here!

This place was awesome. Me and my girlfriend were in town on a mini vacation and found this spot. Thankfully I didn’t walk right out because the sign is outdated and the interior design team has never showed up. If this place would update its sign and interior they could probably charge more because the taste is worth it.

There is a landslide of people who love this place. Tonight was Vivian’s and my first visit. We have officially joined the landslide. Eggplant parm was the best I have ever had. Vivian’s pasta bolognese yielded unrivaled superlatives. Garlic bread was wonderful. The service was also superb! I am so happy to have discovered this humble looking place. Little Italy? Federal Hill’s Italian response is all I need.

A group of friends and I went to Brendalis on Friday night. After hearing great reviews, we were looking forward to trying it out! We were seated immediately, yet waited a half hour for someone to take our order. Once our order was taken, it took another hour for us to receive our food. We arrived at 7:30, and did not eat until 9. We were very disappointed in the lack of communication from our server and the long wait for our food, especially since the place was not that crowded. We all took our food to go and paid immediately. Although the food was good, I will never go here again. I suggest ordering from this play rather than dining in.

If you’re craving real Italian food in the city, you’ve found it! This little place is my favorite in Fed Hill! The service is great, it’s BYOB w/​out a cork fee and the food is always delicious. I’ve tried the fried calamari, penne vodka, lasagna, everything is delicious! Even though it’s on busy Light Street, it’s a quiet little restaurant! They’re carry out is really fast too!

Momma always said, Don’t judge a book by its cover…
My friend and I were looking for a neighborhood joint for dinner. After reading reviews on Unilocal,I was super excited to go, byob, good food, convenient.
As we walked towards it, from across the street, my heart sank a bit. From the outside it looks more like a pizza by the slice joint. We went and got wine and decided to try it anyway. Thank goodness!
The food was so great! We split the bruschette — the tomatoes were impressive and super tasty. On to the salad, normal but good house salad. The entrees took on another level. I am picky about vodka sauces (lived in NYC for a while) and decided to take a chance. Ordered the Black and Blue, switching the chicken for crab. It was so amazing my friend actually kept stealing bites. Not that her shrimp scampi wasn’t great, mine was just addictive.
I wish we had saved room for dessert, but will just have to go back. I can’t believe I almost walked past it, that would have been a mistake.
Well done!
P. S. 2012 Alexander Valley Cab was a perfect pairing.

Perfect service and amazing food. Loved it

I can’t believe I gave this place 4 stars on my original visit when I’ve fallen so in love with it. Dollar for Dollar one of the best meals you can have in the city. While the décor is a work in progress, the food and service are absolutely amazing. My wife and I have been here numerous times, too many to count. We’ve eaten pretty much everything on the menu and even have «tested» out some new items before they hit the menu. I’ve never had a bad meal here… wait that can’t be right, I’ve eaten here like 50 times… yup I guess that’s right. So not only is it outstanding but it’s consistently outstanding.
Little has been said about the catering so let me be one of the first. We had Brendali’s cater our rehearsal dinner for about 50 people. We had salad, mozzarella sticks, Penne Christian, and Chicken Francese. People were raving about the food, and my parents enjoyed working with everyone at Brendali’s during the whole process. My wife and I wanted to pay an homage to one of our favorite places so we asked them to do our wedding cake, Tres Leches, our favorite.
Brendali’s is run by a wonderful family, has delicious food, and excellent service. Your business feels genuinely appreciated. To me, that’s what Italian food is all about. Great food, great friends, and great family… Andiamo!

Rarely do I ever rate a restaurant ⁵⁄₅ stars — but Brendali is deserving of every star.
We wanted to celebrate our son’s first birthday. We searched for restaurants and with the help of Unilocal that were within walking distance of the Hyatt Regency (where we were staying), kid-​friendly, etc.
The interior decoration is a little off-​putting but don’t let that sway you. At all costs, ignore the interior. In this case, the mantra: «Don’t judge a book by its cover.» applies here.
After identifying that we were Deaf, the waiter, Mattie, was gracious as to write down every kids’ menu for us. We ordered the asparagus (appetizer, Mac & cheese, shrimp scampi, shrimp linguine (spicy), etc. Our children’s hot plates came out first — and my husband tried my daughter’s Mac & cheese and insisted I try it. It was MELTINMYMOUTHGOOD. I was tempted to ‘try’ the Mac & cheese a few more times — but was reminded of if it was that good, the rest of our food would be too. Our hot plates came out shortly after and I wasn’t disappointed. We left happily full with plenty of leftovers to bring back to our room.

I’ve now had three awesome experiences here so I had to give them a great review. The first time I went, I was with a group of 7 people. We made reservations without ever being there and I’ll admit, we were a bit reluctant with the bars on the windows and we walked in and there was nobody in there– but we decided to give it a shot and I’m so glad we did!
After eating here, I can say this is one of the best kept secrets in fed hill. The first time I went we had a few apps, the house salad and the minestrone. My second experience was ordering my birthday cake from them. The cake was exquisite. You could tell it was made from scratch with fresh berries and fruit on top. I ate a piece every night until it was gone, it was too good to waste!
The is my third time eating here and I went for the house salad again (the creamy Italian dressing is delicious) and the Cappellini Mercedes. I knew it would be good but it was even better than I anticipated! You can taste the freshness and that they take no shortcuts with their dishes.
Not to mention you get a huge serving for a very reasonable price. I highly recommend this place for authentic, fresh and quality Italian food.

I ordered through order up which was convenient. I was pretty happy with the bolognese! Food is good, portions are large, but probably not your cheapest option on order up.
Having later visited the actual location I would recommend ordering. The interior is a little cramped and outdated.

My new favorite place in federal hill. It’s BYOB and This place is amazing! Don’t let the lack of curb appeal scare you away. I’ve walked right by it for months and wish I had given it a chance way sooner.
I went here last night for dinner and was highly impressed. The server was amazing. She was the only one working for the whole dining room but you couldn’t tell as she was so kind and attentive. Excellent service.
The BEST calamari I have ever had. We got it grilled and loved it so much we ordered another after we ate our meals!
I split the crab ravioli with my boyfriend and she brought it out on two separate plates which was a nice surprise. The ravioli was delicious! I would get it again. My friends split the fettucinni Bianco and said it was perfect.
The dining room doesn’t have much of an atmosphere but it doesn’t matter because the service and the food are both glorious. I love that it’s BYOB. Plus they don’t charge a corking fee.
Definitely try this place out. The food speaks for itself!

My usual go to Italian restaurant is Sammy’s. But, we live close to Brendali and wanted to check it out. The space is small, just north of the Cross St. Market. Service is so good– friendly, informative and attentive. It’s a refreshing change from the typical Baltimore suckiness.
The complimentary rolls are delicious and warm. We shared the calamari, simply fried and lightly salted. We both got the fettuccine bianco. This was excellent. Creamy, hints of sweetness from the sauteed onions, hints of old bay and perfectly cooked shrimp and scallop. The portion isn’t huge but certainly filling. The coconut cake was moist and flavorful and a big piece. The tres leche cake is moist and a generous piece as well.
I’ll agree that Fed Hill needed a great Italian place and I think Brendali fills the void. Great food and great service will hopefully help them succeed.
We’ll be back.