Explorers, an American Gastropub

I made a reservation on OpenTable for a business lunch. I was flying in to town to meet a client staying at the hotel. When I arrived, I was informed they weren’t serving lunch that day. I’m not sure if they ever serve lunch or if it was just that day. I asked why I was able to make a reservation. They indicated they tried to call, but couldn’t reach me. I was on a plane flying in that morning. Since I made the reservation on Sunday and flew in on Tuesday, I would have thought it would have not been that last minute. I was short with the staff because I had to scramble to find another place for lunch without knowing the area. However, I will say the staff was friendly under the circumstances. It was not their fault & I would imagine they would have been great service providers had I actually eaten there. Just check with the hotel before making reservations here.

Unexpectedly great dinner.

We were staying at the Sonesta (which is charming and very hospitable) so we decided to try their restaurant. Explorers wasn’t crowded when we arrived but quickly filled up. We were given menus and ordered water and the Brussels sprout appetizer. Both arrived promptly, the appetizer was tasty but would have benefited from being cooked a little longer. After that the waitress had little interest in assisting us. After multiple tries we were finally able to make eye contact so she could no longer avoid taking our order. Our food came correctly and in a reasonable amount of time. The burgers were good as was the crab flatbread (a topping of arugula would be delicious). We tried to order drinks both from the waitress and the bar and that also proved difficult. Hoping that the waitress was just having a bad day. Would try Explorers again.

Requested table by the window. Did not get it. Waited over an hour for food - did not arrive. We left without eating. Terrible service.

Explorers is a hotel restaurant that seems to exist because hotels are supposed to have restaurants. We were staying in the hotel on July 4th so we had dinner there because we didn’t want to battle the Inner Harbor crowds. The food was okay, but it took about 40 minutes for it to come out. Our waiter also appeared to be the only server in the entire restaurant and, at times, seemed to also be the host, bartender, and bus boy. We witnessed a number of groups walk into the restaurant and stand there not knowing what to do because there was no one there to greet them or seat them.

Felt like we were at an IHOP course the gentleman waiting on us was working by himself took forever to take her order or give us a glass of water just not very good but OK for probably a hotel breakfast was very disappointed

The space was light-filled and comfortable. The food was mediocre and it took an incredibly long time for it to arrive. Shayla, our server, was responsive and very nice.

Very overpriced for mediocrity. $28 for a single crab cake with a flavorless plating. Other item included a turkey BLT with turkey shaped like the container it came from.

We were seated right away, party of 8 with a reservation. We had 3 small children under 3 years old with us that was very hungry. It was over an hour before our food arrived!! There was only one other table seated. We never saw our server except for 3 times. My sister ordered the turkey club and was very surprised to be served a lunch meat sandwich that could have been made at home. I ordered the spinach goat cheese beet salad, I went looking for the goat cheese to find only 2 small globs hidden at the bottom. Overall a very disappointing experience

Very hard to find. The GPS brought us to a side street and we ended up parking in a lot when we wanted to valet. It was like going through a maze trying to find the restaurant from the parking lot. Better signage would have been appreciated. No complaints once we got into the restaurant.

The food was fantastic, especially the awesome Moroccan vegetable stew. The only negative was the extremely slow service, uninformed waitress, and the fact that she forgot our drink order. In spite of this we would go back for the food. Just make sure you don't have theater or sports tickets after going there. Took over two hours to complete dinner.

The stale biscuit was so hard that a knife could not cut through it. The service , as at every meal there, was very slow. Servers are pleasant but poorly trained. Frittata was fine but should be better at this price point.

This was an awful, awful experience. The service was horrendous. It took forever and a day to get a server to the table, and when they did come, they got everything wrong and were out of everything. When the food finally came, it was tasteless, and the salads were plain nasty. It took over an hour to get the server to come back for the check and after at least 45 minutes, they finally came back. Run, do not walk, from this place.

The only complaint was the dark room we were sitting in.

They reserved the private room for my celebration. It was serene, intimate and the service was impeccable. The meal was played beautifully and was cooked to perfection! Highly recommend!!!

The Explorers Lounge inside the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court is a great place to have a business lunch. The Explorers Burger and Rueben Sandwich were terrific. The Columbia Crest Cabernet went well with the lunch entree's. The Explorers Lounge is the perfect restaurant for a business or casual lunch. They have a splendid view of the Inner Harbor and the Harbor East skyline. Very highly recommended.

We arrived and there was no one at the hostess stand. I had to go to the bartender to ask to be seated. He said to sit anywhere. After 10 minutes and no waiter I went back to the bar. He left the restaurant and went down the hall to find someone. When she finally showed up she didn’t come to our table to give us menus or even to greet us. We left because it was clear things weren’t going to get any better.

Not my favorite

For some reason they did not have my Open Table reservation. This is the second time this has happened here. Waitress said she did not have access to Open Table info. Seems strange. Obviously someone knew we were there. Other than that will return.

A nice evening with good food and fine service.

The food, service, and environment exceeded my expectations. Will return upon my next business trip to Baltimore. Especially was that my wife and I were seated at a table in a cozy corner of the restaurant. Made the event particularly memorable. Service was A+.

Terrible. They talk about romantic with a view neither! Fruit flies chased us out went elsewhere

As always, good food at reasonable prices. We love coming here. Love, Love, Love their hamburgers!
thanks!

It was pleasant. Wish the menu had just a little more to offer on the lighter side

Great service and wonderful food! Loved the atmosphere and seating arrangements.

We were staying in the hotel and had breakfast in the restaurant. Because we had a reservation we were given a cosy little room off the main dining room. Our server was SO friendly and helpful - really a lovely start to the day!

The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court never disappoints. I worked at the Harbor Court in its beginning days when Robert Taubman was the GM and Michael Rork was the Executive Chef. I was in Banquet Sales and enjoyed the many tastings we were asked to partake. This hotel is continued to keep up the tradition of Ambiance, Elegance, 5-Star Treatment, Superb Cuisine and Impeccable Service. This past Mother's Day Brunch was nothing short of amazing and palette-pleasing. There wasn't anything I could have wanted on the menu that the Explorer's Restaurant did not have. From Maryland's famous seafood creations of Snow Crab Legs and Crab Meat Benedict to carved delights of Turkey, Prime Rib and Ham, my guests and I were totally satisfied. Thank You !!!

George, the bartender makes the BEST Cosmo (real lime juice). The Crab flatbread is the Best ever and so is their Hamburger. Best kept secret. Try it some evening. :-)

Our waitress was friendly, accommodating and sweet. Perfect meal with two young children and she met every need. Would definitely go back again.

They seated us at a table for four in a cozy alcove overlooking the harbor--what could be better? My mother uses a large walker, which was easily accommodated, and the chairs were a good height so she didn't have to bend down. The staff was extremely helpful and pleasant. The food was carefully prepared and presented. This is a very pleasant place for a winter lunch.

Restaurant was empty on Jan 1. I know it's a bad day for restaurants but we were the only party there. Perhaps it was because the food was mediocre as was the service. The most positive thing was the view and the valet parking.

Although the food was excellent the wait was long for food to be brought out. The salad ordered was brought out with the main course and would have been better brought out earlier which would have bridged the gap between ordering and the meal.

We chose the Explorer Lounge based on the description of "harbor views", especially since our Colorado group is rarely near a large body of water. The "views" turned out to be false advertising. Open Table should not allow errors (a lie) in restaurant descriptions.

Well it was convenient and that is all. I booked it just because it was my husbands B-Day and I purchased tickets for the Spirit midnight cruise right across the street. So i was looking for a nice reasonable spot to have dinner before the cruise. The hotel is nice and quite and there were probably 3 other people in the restaurant. the service was ok and so was the food. Nothing to brag about. probably wouldnt go there again.

Worst food. Very bland, old and dry. Was not worth the $40 per person price tag for a buffet.

Best Hamburger in town! Also, if they have coconut cake that evening...get it!

7:45 reservation. Hotel was under construction. No one was around. Only 4 diners in entire place. Waited 10 minutes before even seeing a server/ host/ someone other than the customers. Left before we were even sat.

Really enjoying dining at Explorers. The prices are fair, our waiter was fantastic, and the food was amazing. Regrettably we were told that we needed to order by 9:30pm as the kitchen would close, and the entire lounge would be shut at 10:30pm! Not the end of the world, but instead of an evening at the lounge, it became a quick bite to eat and then an evening somewhere else.

Well, this was to be a memorable dinner before retiring to watch the midnight fireworks from our hotel suite.
We arrived at 7:30 to a near empty establishment (never a good indicator).
We were seated and attended to well; I had oysters and Diane had soup (which needed to be sent back as it was barely warm).
Diane had the Crab Cake, and I had the Salmon.
Both were nice enough, but certainly nothing to write home about.
We split a dessert and requested the check; paid and tipped up we went on our way.

A few days later I had reason to look into my bank account, to find that we had been "double dipped" for the tip (I had put it on my card, rather than get the cash out).
In calling the establishment to enquiry the two sets of charges I was told that they would get back to me.
Well, I wait their communication (some seven weeks later)
Average meal, reasonable service; poor management.

Although the location is nice the view from the restaurant was obscured. The decor was nice, but nothing great. The crab soup was not good at all. The main dish was just ok. Now the ice cream dor dessert was very good. Overall I would not recommed or revisit. There are better options.