Henninger’s Tavern

Great service, amazing food. Less personal space that I would prefer, but you forget about that once drinks and food stop coming. Friendly staff, friendly neighbors. Attentive without being annoying.

Love this place so much. Not crowded, unhipsterized and intimate. Great, simple seafood cooked perfectly.

FOOD: We were happy with all our selections. The special coconut cream soup was light and flavorful. The steak was perfectly done along with sides and toppings. Our crab cake was great, in that it was not overly spiced and not full of breading. Our desserts (key lime pie and pistachio gelato) were definitely just standard/​store bought. There were many other items on the menu we wish we could have tried. The food was delivered in standard time and was well portioned. The menu is pricier than standard Fells, but the ingredients are fresh/​good and the meal was very tasty.
SERVICE: The waitress knew her menu well and was attentive. The venue is very tiny so she pretty much had to walk past us several times.
AMBIENCE: It is an older Fells crowd definitely. The bar is a pretty standard Fells Point local place. Off to the side if a very small restaurant space. It is cozy and cute, a bit more upscale than standard Fells.
RETURN: definitely, 100%
RECOMMEND: I would recommend everyone try this place as the food was quite good. Since the restaurant space is so small, I don’t know if after some time it might get harder to be seated. Parking will be an issue because of the location of course.

This place is super cute very personal. I enjoyed every minute of it!
The food was super fresh not to mention delicious oh and I almost for about the great service from Ms. Zanora

The décor didn’t really do it for me, but I had an excellent meal here. While overall a little expensive, the seafood pasta was delicious and the portion was huge. The yellow curry was also very good and the beer list was decent. I wouldn’t consider it romantic, as I had been told, but definitely a good place for a nice dinner.

Updated review on my used to be favorite spot in Bmore…
Two stars for our server and the pies. Negative star for the incredibly rude owner and one star for food.
We had brought our two dear friends visiting from Bethesda to a ‘Baltimore’ dinner and wanted them so badly to experience Henningers. I have had only delightful experiences here and have been here numerous times since I’ve lived in this neighborhood for now almost 10 years.
I had called into make a reservation, but was told it was first come first serve, which was okay. When we got to the restaurant last night, there weren’t any tables available for our party, so we proceeded to get some drinks and wait at the bar.
One of the servers told us a reservation had canceled and that we got a table and seated us. The owner then came up to us in an almost threatening way, got very upset and said that he had made reservations for his friends and that since he is the owner/​has been for 30 years/​etc/​etc that he could ‘do whatever’ he wanted to in his own restaurant.
Man, I hear you. We were GLAD to wait for another dining table to open up, but he then awkwardly insisted on us sitting there. Our friends had been really excited about this place, so we stayed, but if it had been just the two of us, we woulda BOUNCED.
What incredibly rude service. I’ve never encountered such emotional upset from an owner. Sure, we all have bad days, but don’t take it out on your loyal customers.
For food, this time, meh. Everything was too salty or too sweet. Bread cold.
We left sad and disappointed.

Don’t let the «neighborhood hole in the wall» vibe sway you! This is the best food in Baltimore… Really amazing cuisine and great staff! I can’t say more…

I’m so torn about how to go about a rating for this place. I keep hopping back and forth between a 3* and a 2*, so I have decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and give 3 stars. I always feel a little bad about giving less than 3… But here’s the explanation:
I went with my fiancé after work for dinner. We were starving, and our fridge was empty. It was close by to work, it was open, and it had great reviews on Unilocal… it was a no-​brainer. We were both pleasantly surprised by how warm and friendly the service was. We sat down immediately and jumped to looking at the menu.
They recommended the fried oysters, and they were good, but we personally prefer less batter on our fried foods. The oysters tasted delicious and the batter was well seasoned and cooked through. For our entrees, I got the pork chops which were delicious! It was a giant sized portion (had enough left over for a whole second meal). He ordered whole fish — I can’t remember what kind. But it was also very delicious.
Here’s the killer for the night, and the reason that I’m not sure that I’ll go back. We were near the end of our meal, and I had drank about ¾ of my glass of wine. But I picked up my glass to take another sip and I found a fly swimming in it! I swear it wasn’t there at the beginning, and I don’t know exactly when it got in there. But I immediately lost any appetite and wanted to vomit.
Next time they came by to check on us, I told them they can clear that glass because there’s a fly swimming in it. They took the glass, and saw the insect, but walked away and didn’t offer an apology, didn’t offer to comp the glass of wine, and didn’t bring me a replacement pour either. Actually, while writing this review, I re-​lived the desire to vomit… I don’t think I’ll be back. I lied… I’m down-​grading the review to 2 stars.
— — — — — — — — — — — –
Explanation of my rating system —
5*: Epitome of something, the best I’ve had, would LOVE to go back
4*: Great food and happy to go back regularly, but not the best of the category
3*: Food is fine. I may spontaneously decide to go there based on convenience. But no need to go back either.
2*: If you insist, I guess I’ll come along. I’ll find something to eat. But I wouldn’t have picked it.
1*: No plans to come back. I’ll try to talk companions out of going.

After reading the reviews, I couldn’t wait to try this place. However, it was highly disappointing. First of all, it smells like MOLD! Not even just a hint of, it REEKS of mold. The pictures were entertaining, but quite creepy and faded. The place was rather dirty and had been dusted approximately never. They won awards back in 1990 (none since) which are still hanging and very faded. The service was slow and unfriendly. The food was actually not bad. It was priced well, and actually tasted decent. Maybe if we had sat outside the experience would have been better.

Sure, the food is tasty, but the main reason to visit Henninger’s is the amazing ambiance. It’s a fantastic date spot; quiet, warmly-​lit, and lined with sexy-​but-​classy photos of ladies in various states of undress. Henninger’s is the bar version of a dress strap that’s just barely falling off your shoulder: sultry, inviting, full of promise.

I can’t even begin to tell how fun this place is. Think of the show «Diners, Drive-​ins & Dives» this is the upscale version of that show! We started off with a crab cake app (per everyone’s Unilocal review) and the escargot mushroom caps. Both were amazing. I can honestly say this is by far one of the best crab cakes in Baltimore. For our entrees we got the filet mignon and mahi mahi. Holy flavor batman! Perfectly cooked and seasoned.
We loved sitting outside, the wine list was small but perfect, and of course the hilarious staff sealed the deal. The staff here, down to the owner/​chef are legit locals with the heart of gold. They all introduced themselves to us, yapped for a little, even shared a good laugh about ones ridic paisley suite (and open fly) while I looking for the restroom.
Basically,
If you’re a snooty foodie. Please stay away. This place is way too good for your pretentious kind. This place is for the good ol’ food loving, Baltimore appreciating, awesome sense of humor kind of person.

Great feel to this restaurant, narrow rooms of an old brownstone and walls hung with captivating photos and art.
Fabulous food. Fried Oysters in a pernod cream sauce with wilted spinach and rabbit sausage with polenta and apple/​onion reduction. The crab cake served with a red cabbage slaw was one of the best we’ve ever had.
We also really enjoyed the Mahi dinner served over a crab and potato hash with a creamy dill sauce.
Dessert was a house made peanut butter pie, good not great.
Friendly staff, great service. Very happy to have eaten here.

This out of the way place is somewhere you really want to like, unfortunately the food and service couldn’t deliver. The food I had was stale bread and packaged butter that came out to start the meal, a mediocre crab small cake on another giant stale roll, accompanied by fingerling potatoes that were way overcooked (likely over microwaved). Then it took forever to get a second glass of wine, which I needed to get through the food. The prices are way too high for food and service at this level. I won’t be back.

We’ve been going to Henningers on and off since 1989. After we moved from Baltimore in 2000, we don’t get back so often. We did eat there last Friday with a big party at 2 tables. It was as wonderful as ever. The swordfish special was ordered in bulk and everyone was happy with how it was cooked. Wine and beer list is simple but every item is great. No crummy beers clogging the list. Service has always been great mainly because the wait staff turns over very slowly. Obviously it’s a good work place. We had a big group but Henningers is even better for a intimate or romantic meal. Go. Enjoy.

Loved it. The torture to find a parking spot was worth the aggravation. The leek and potato soup special was great, and the Mahi Mahi with crab and potato hash was delightful. Lots of dill. Very cozy. Very good. Not the biggest crab cakes I ever had but they were accompanied by the most eye appealing coleslaw with a tasty apple zest to compliment its great looks.

The atmosphere is amazing with a cozy comfy feel and plenty of great pics on the walls to look at!
The food was spectacular. I ruined the plating before some of the pics because I was so anxious to eat it, I completely forgot about pics!

We stepped in and felt like we popped into a cocktail party in someone’s house. The atmosphere is cozy, warm, and welcoming. We were immediately ushered to a small but comfortable table for two, and greeted by a server quickly. The menu was perfect. I hate menus that have too many options or too few. This menu gives just enough variety without being overwhelming.
We started with a bottle of wine, excellently priced, around $ 20. For an appetizer, we went with the Texas BBQ Shrimp. They were smoky and sweet, and totally delicious. They were cooked just right; the shrimp weren’t over, but the bacon was crispy, a tricky task. The crab cake was delightful, although I didn’t dig the slaw that accompanied it. The winner of the evening was the mustard dill sauce on the crab hash served under the mahi-​mahi. I couldn’t stop stealing bites of it from my husband’s plate. I would have licked the plate!!!
This place is a great hidden gem. Dudes, impress your dates by bringing them here. If you like Peter’s, you’ll LOVE Henningers!

Wow, this is the best meal we’ve had in Baltimore since we moved here 3 months ago. The rabbit sausage appetizer is a must-​get; the rabbit is interesting and flavorful without being gamey and the apple/​red onion glaze is deliciously tart and sweet with the perfect polenta cake that was crispy on the outside with a creamy center. For entrees we had the pork chop and Mahi. Both were excellently cooked and generously portioned. My wife’s Mahi had a delicious mustard dill cream sauce and my pork had tasty marinated onions and gravy. My wife had the flourless chocolate cake for dessert, which she said was divine and came with real whipped cream. An awesome atmosphere, great staff and excellent wine topped off the whole experience. At less than $ 90 for a bottle of red, app, two entrees and dessert, this is our new favorite spot.

A cozy hideaway in Fells, away from the main, noisy area. It has a diverse medley of kitschy pictures and posters on the walls (WWI, old burlesque ladies, Jesus?, pink elephants?). To many, these images would be fun and be great topics to talk about (*cough, first/​second date?), but for myself it was a tad overwhelming and made the restaurant a bit stuffy.
Waitress was cheerful and attentive and food came out quicker than expected.
Although not a seafood restaurant, the menu boasts many good seafood choices. Fried oysters and crab cakes were recommended, so of course I had to try:
— Fried oysters dashed with pernod/​fennel cream are very juicy bites that come with a mound of seasoned spinach, allowing you to feel a little more healthy and little less guilty.
–Crab cakes are large, fresh, non-​greasy, and moist, that can come with a clean slaw and strong aioli sauce. Very tasty.
Notes:
–Good alcohol selection (Found it funny to find 3 pages of alcohol, 2 pages of food on the menu!).
— Parking may be difficult to find during the evening, no valet. Smart to save some time for this.
— Only holds around 25 – 30 people, total.
— Does not take reservations, so try to arrive there earlier in the evening. I was lucky when I went on a Friday around 7:15 as I was seated right away.

I struggled with this rating, while I’m definitely «a fan» I’m not quite sure it’s «as good as it gets» but it’s pretty darned close!
Walking into Henninger’s is like walking into to your Grandma’s living room, it’s warm, comfortable and inviting, like that old sweater you’ve been wearing since college. The warm smells from the kitchen combined with the vibe and feel of the house blend and almost whisper «let’s stay awhile». The walls are covered with interesting memorabilia in a relevant meaningful, I’ved lived through this way rather than in a kitschy Appleby’s way
Then there’s the friendly greeting from the host (co-​owner) or server. They are friendly, there are many regulars here and they seem to be known by name. I want them to know me too, they are that nice. :)
Bottom line the food here is incredible. We started with the Rabbit Sausage which is an apple-​onion compote & polenta. It is delicious the sausage is well seasoned (not spicy) and blends perfectly with the apple and onion. It is a treat for the taste buds to be sure and could be a light dessert offering… seriously. I also had the mussels and my sister ordered the crabcakes both were perfection. Of course we enjoyed the desserts a tollhouse peanut butter pie and chocolate perfection and they were excellent top offs to our wonderful meal.
Henniger’s is the trifecta of food, service and ambiance!