Permanently Closed - The French Kitchen - Lord Baltimore Hotel

My family and I visited The French Kitchen for Mother’s Day and it was fantastic. The food was great, although it could’ve been a bit warmer. They had a lot of great attendees, but our tables waitress wasn’t the most attentive to us which left us with just a tad bit of discouragement, but definitely not enough to make us not visit again. I truly recommend this beautiful restaurant for any occasion.

The staff was great. They ensured that my table was taken care, refills were given quickly. The food was awesome. The live music was not too loud, but loud enough for the patrons to hear it.

I really enjoyed the Gospel Brunch. The music was good although they sang each selections to death. The staff at this restaurant was exceptional. Although we had a waiter, everyone in the place would help and not complain. The receptionist was also very nice and let me enter a little early because my guest were elderly and not able to stand for a long period of time. I will b back and hope others had as good a time.

We meet here each year to see the Holiday Couture Tree display in the lobby and have lunch at The French Kitchen. The menu is always so interesting and delicious. They started us with a lovely warm loaf of bread. We both had shrimp bisque. I had a fall salad and my friend had salmon. Perfect amount of food, rich chocolate cake dessert. The restaurant is gorgeous. Free valet parking. Love this place!

Great food, service, and grand dining room. Limited menu selection but this allows the chef to focus efforts on making a smaller selection great than a lot of averages choices. Definitely will be returning again and this wasn't my first visit. Must stop in the LB Speakeasy for a cocktail after dinner as well.

Staffing below par. There was only one waitress on a Saturday night and the hostess stepped into help. Hostess stand unattended and we waited 15 minutes to be seated

We went for brunch and did not like offerings on buffet. Menu had 4 selections only. Ordered drinks which we waited for about 10 min. then left. Restaurant was not busy. Who did the decor? An elegant dining room to which someone added fake grass or hedge and ugly modern room divider. Bar was white and also did not fit the style of room.

it was a strange night. the place was virtually empty. the server did not want to be there. he/she lightened up after a while, but was initially very off-putting (first words out of her mouth: "can i take your order?". no "hello". no "would you care for a beverage". and absolutely NO smile or attempt at engagement at all. maybe the behind-the-scenes situation was toxic and wasn't the server's fault, but even a semi-professional server has to not bring that to the table.
a check was brought without any follow-up from the server, and my very non-confrontational spouse was motivated to ask "do you have a dessert menu". Answer, "yes, would you like to see it?" "no, i just wondered if you had one". it was that poorly handled.
i gave them a generous tip nonetheless, b/c we all have our bad days, and i thought they could use a bright spot in their life.
oh, the food? not too bad. but the menu was so limited (mostly meat dishes and a crab cake; if you're vegetarian, forget it), we wound up ordering a salad each, a soup each, and splitting the crab cake. there were a grand total of 5 or 6 entrees, and a very limited wine list.
when we asked about specials (there were none listed in the menu), the answer: "shrimp bisque". "that's it?". "that's it".
as i said, totally weird experience. never going back.

Asked the waitress to tell me about the $98 bottle of wine on the menu. She said "I don't know, I really don't drink that much"

Attractive and convenient hotel dining, especially during inclement weather. We ate breakfast once and two successive dinners there during a weekend stay at the Lord Baltimore Hotel. Friendliness and service was quite good on both occasions. Menu was interesting and inviting although much different than current online version. Our primary complaint is that "French Kitchen" is substantially misleading terminology. Escargot, bouillabaisse, vegetable cous cous and "french" onion soup (featuring chicken pieces and broth) were all generally bland and not properly or appropriately seasoned. I can't remember the last time either of us returned a dish back to the kitchen but my wife sent that soup back. A short while later the chef made his rounds, carefully avoiding our table instead of professionally inquiring about our concerns.

All 3 of us ordered the same French onion soup and Trout almandine for Restaurant week.
This restaurant was a good choice for lunch.
We could have filled up with hot bread and French Onion soup. Lots of onions and cheese in the soup.
When the Trout Almandine arrived, we ate slowly. Wonderful flavor!

Food is amazing. Attended Bastille day festivities, Great fun!

The setting is lovely in a Historic Hotel of America, and close to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, theaters, and sports complexes. Our server was friendly, attentive, and made great recommendations. Every aspect of our meal was perfection; we cannot rate it highly enough.

Very friendly helpful staff, very good food in a wonderful atmosphere!

Beautiful dining room in a classy, restored historic hotel. Excellent presentation and preparation. I would prefer the wine list to be a little deeper. Most people dining at a restaurant named "The French Kitchen " will want to go beyond Cote du Rhone and Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux. I coordinated a large party and wasn't thrilled about the plastic event chairs. But, that's a minor detail. I would absolutely return.

Old hotel in a city in need of a serious clean up. Providing a restaurant for hotel patrons is a necessity and that pretty much is the effort put forward. Food was ok. Service was awful. Took forever to get our food.

Breakfast was decent, nothing to really rave over. Standard, simple plates served, which is good when dining with a 3-yr old. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit, etc. Waiter was accommodating and provided paper and crayons. I only wish he wouldn't have put the check on the table before we had finished eating. As a matter of fact, the bill arrived as soon as he put our plates down. Big no-no.

Great new spot in beautifully renovated turn of the century ballroom. Staff a little overwhelmed by the last minute reservations but food was great when it arrived. White bar is pretty cool

I should have known better,
Lots of mixed reviews.
Arrived at 6:30, people at only 4 or 5 tables place was 80% empty.
We order drinks and dinner all at the same time I ordered a salad before dinner salad didn't come for over an hour and I'm not exaggerating, never saw our meal, we left.
1 waitress for the whole restaurant on a Saturday night. What were they thinking.

My wife's and my first time at this place. Food was okay. My vegetables were cold, but the steak was very good. Service was a bit spotty: I could tell they were trying to be attentive, but I got the sense they were short on staff. Also, it took too long to get served. Very attractive setting and the bar area is quite classy. Would probably give these folks another chance.

Very nice place, excellent food, friendly staff, tasty entrees

in town for a show across the street at the royal farms arena. food was fabulous. loved the charm in the old hotel. def recommend if you are in the area and looking for french food.

I had a difficult time rating this restaurant. Its absolutely beautiful inside, but we were seated outside of the restaurant on the interior balcony overlooking the hotel lobby, so we didn't get to enjoy the ambiance at all. I would suggest requesting an inside table. Our server was very friendly and attentive, and while the menu was not extensive, the dishes we had were all very good (crab fondue, crabcakes, lentil salad). We came for dinner at 6:15, plenty of time to make an 8 o'clock show at the Hippodrome, and we told the waiter our time constraints at the beginning. But as time passed and it became clear we would have to choose between inhaling our $30 entrees or miss the shows start, we were less than thrilled. Our food arrived just after 7:30, giving us not much time to eat and enjoy. However, the waiter assured us right away, and without us asking, that our entire bill would be comped due to this. That made a world of difference and is why I will definitely be giving French Kitchen another chance.

On a cold afternoon, the sun pouring in through the elegant two-story windows made this a great place for lunch. It's been restored to its 1920s elegance, but the service is anything but stuffy--very warm and friendly in fact. The rockfish special of the day made a meatless Friday in Lent no penance whatsoever. The lunch menu has all the basics plus a few very imaginative choices. The three of us loved it and will definitely be back.

We made a reservation for 8:30 on same afternoon-Friday. When we arrived on time we were told that the kitchen closes at 8:30 and they couldn't serve us. The reservation was confirmed and we received no notice that it couldn't be honored. No explanation or apology.

We enjoyed our dinner very much. Good food, good service. Great for a special occasion.

Great restaurant for a pre-show dinner and drinks near the Baltimore theatre district.

would have liked to have French food for lunch. The waitress with excellent plus because I had a disability and she respected it . She read me the menu planned and very attentive

The French Kitchen is a beautiful restaurant with excellent food at good prices. We were there on a Saturday evening, a party of 9, and the place was empty. With 9, we had a great time. If there had been 2 of us, it would have been terribly awkward. There is a beautiful white bar adjacent to the dining room where we wanted to have a drink, but it was closed. We were told it was closed due to the fact that the hotel was not full. We were disappointed that we had to use the lobby bar instead.
The décor and caliber of the restaurant calls for more than a typical, dark lobby bar for a before or after dinner drink. TFK and/or the Lord Baltimore Hotel needs to up its marketing so that the white bar becomes a revenue generator and a feeder for the lovely dining room. SO many people have never heard of TFK and that is a shame.
The service was attentive but the food was slow coming out of the kitchen which was surprising since there were literally 5 other tables of 2 and 3 the entire time we were there.

We went to the French Kitchen with high hopes. Our pre-dinner cocktails were lovely and well made. Our appetizers were good also. Then came the wait. Our entrees came almost an hour later. Mine was very good and the correct temperature. My husband's was cold. The waiter, who was lovely and knowledgeable, disappeared for large chunks of time. In the end, he said we could have dessert on the house. We chose strawberries and crepe which turned to be more like strawberry cheesecake. This restaurant has great potential but is not there yet.

The food was fantastic but the service was painfully slow. The staff was very friendly. If they moved a little quicker, bringing the drinks, the food, the check etc, then it would be a 5.

Our meal was delicious, but the acoustics are terrible.

Great ambience and location. Food portion size was good and tasted delicious. Parking was included.

Great food, fantastic service, beautiful dining room, two bars, and a speak easy room, all located in a beautiful, historic hotel. Who could ask for more? Ours was a party of 10, and everyone agreed, The French Kitchen is on our list for another visit. We had a fantastic time!

Excellent Service - Excellent Menu - Excellent Food - Good Prices - Great Surroundings

We had a wonderful girls' lunch, I had salmon and my friend had rockfish. Both meals excellent with warm bread on the side. The restaurant is beautiful and the hotel had a lovely holiday tree display. Free valet parking makes it easy to do a weekday lunch. Love this place!

6 friends gathered for lunch and our experience exceeded expectations. Our 2 soups were interesting and delicious. The Caesar salad and our sandwiches were way above average. And bring your appetite because the servings were generous.

Very good food, ambiance and service. A delicious crab cake that the out of townerx really enjoyed. Our server, Isis, was terrific.

It is a beautiful restaurant, but empty the night we went. The food from the limited menu was very good. It is now only open on Friday and Saturday nights. Sadly, I suspect that this restaurant will close or be reorganized very soon.

The atmosphere at the French kitchen was great, the entire dining experience however, was lacking. Our server was unable to answer simple questions about the menu. Her standard of professionalism for a restaurant of such caliber (or should I say a restaurant trying to pull off such caliber) was grossly lacking. My $36 filet & lump crab was very tasty...but I wouldn't pay that much for it again. My friend ordered the rockfish entree- the fish was slightly overdone. It could have been good with a sauce of some type. Everything could have been hotter. We also had a very long wait from the time our order was placed until we received our meal-about 25-30 minutes (we did not order apps or salad). The portion sizes were reasonable.
This is such a neat hotel and dinning room. If they had better service I would not have minded paying such high prices for the food... too bad it could be a very hang out.