Charleston
Superb service from the moment you arrive. Excellent food and wine selections. And you can relax and enjoy a delicious meal that continues to surprise your pallet.
First....be prepared....this is going to be an EXTREMELY expensive evening. But it is well worth it. The service is 5+ star....truly professional. Michelin star professional.
Second...you have the choice of 3-6 plates (plus dessert which is included) with or without wine pairing. 4 is sufficient for most diners for a full dinner. Menu changes daily....choices from salads through beef tartare and fois gras to fish/steak/poultry. Three of us chose 11 different dishes with some sharing....everything from pumpkin soup to tuna and steak tartare through squab. On any given night there may be specials not on the menu....squab was one the early Nov night we dined there.
Exquisite wine, liquor options. Staff has detailed knowledge. Let them help you find the right match but watch the price if you are sensitive to paying over $100/bottle for wine or a significant amount for a single serving of cognac/armagnac. Bourbon choices truly unusual.
Go enjoy and then eat at home for a month to help your budget recover.
We don't live in Baltimore, but each time we return, we must always have an evening at Charleston. We've now been here three times, over the course of say 10 years (last one 3 years ago) and the consistently high quality in food, wine pairing and service are just right.
My mum had the 3 course and I the 4 course, but both of us insisted we have our own Halibut entrees, which paired equally well with a Lanson Champagne as a Mercurey (and the suggest pairing of a Oregon white Rhone ranger. Of course, the rich lobster soup was has we have remembered it paired beautifully with a dry sherry. The escargot mushroom puff pastry was divine as was the tarte tartin. Compliments to Chef Cindy Wolff. If there was a least favourite, it would be the beef which was a bit bland.
We were extremely impressed with the maitre d' as he welcomed us as we were slightly early and the personalization of hospitality was exceptional. He paid such attention to detail that he turned up the lights in the lounge area while we waited because my mum mentioned she could not see so well the menu in the dark, being 87 years old.
Charleston is a Baltimore gem. The food is divine, the wine pairings (which even in top restaurants often don't work) on point, the service impeccable and the consistency throughout the years impressive. We shall certainly return on our next trip to Baltimore which we hope would be sooner than another 3 years.
We get to Charleston about once a year and are never disappointed. It's an elegant experience with amazing food and wonderful service.
Best 5 hours I ever spent on a meal - beautifully paced and unobtrusive for conversation. Went for an anniversary reunion with 3 sisters during the World Fantasy Convention in Baltimore. We enjoyed 4 courses from the tasting menu and dessert. Covered most of the menu between us, sent photos to friends, and shared bites of everything. Wine pairings were lovely and customized to our tastes by our fantabulous servers. Requested copies of the menus for one sister and she was presented with menus rolled up like diplomas tied with red ribbon! Definitely going back next time I'm in Baltimore.
Cindy Wolf is a great example of a masterful culinary professional. Food, service, wine pairings, and ambiance were all beyond expectations to say the least. It simply does not get any better than this and although it is quite expensive - this investment is one that continually and reliably pays off great dividends each and every time. J
As good as it gets. Attention to every detail, with each course totally on point. Wine pairings were spot on. Expensive, but worth every penny. Definitely best of Baltimore.
The quality and creativity of the cuisine is second to none. The service is impeccable.
The experience is memorable.
We sat in the bar before dinner and waited too long for the bartender to take our drink orders.
Ew. So pretentious. Repeating the menu item you ordered when they bring the food. Everyone has to greet you. But valet was nice.
About half the dishes we got (16 total four courses for four people) were horrific. Even the goat cheese salad was badly executed. The meat options were much better. Well cooked and so forth. The risotto and fried oysters were near inedible. 500 bucks including wine plus tip.
I cannot see how it can be justified
Charleston continues to excel in food quality and creativity, superb service and ambience. Everything was delicious. The staff is extremely knowledgable, courteous and professional.
The Charleston has to be one of the most outstanding restaurants on the Eastern Seaboard. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an elegant meal especially if you happen to be in the Baltimore Area.
Cindy and Tony are still on top of their game. Yes, it is expensive, yes, it is worth it. Amazing creative multi course meal with many options. Wine list is incredible even though it is pricey.
It was a superb meal
This was our second time in the past 3 years. One anniversary and one birthday. Food and service is exceptional. Wine prices are steep. We had a 2014 Dehlinger Altamount Pinor Noir which was marked up 150%. As you are already paying top dollar for great food, it would be nice if the mark up on wine were a bit less. I could stomach 100% but 3X?
Impeccable food with large price fix options. Food was fantastic. Looking forward to a return dining experience .
Amazing place. Pricy obviously, but for sure worth it for a special occasion. Especially impressed with the beer list at a restaurant like this. It is better than most very fancy restaurants.
I love this restaurant. Living in Los Angeles, my professional career brings me to Baltimore 3 to 6 times per year. I always try to make sure I can fit Charleston into my schedule. I'll stay in town an extra night just to be able to enjoy this experience. If you're in Philly or DC it's worth the trip.
The dining was great. All the staff members were professional and courteous. Most importantly, they were mindful of their customers, which all the more improved the dining experience. Certainly, I’ll be back sometime again for this pleasant experience.
Simply wonderful! It’s a special treat to dine here where every detail is just so. Creative and delicious food, great service start to finish, and fun to watch Chef work her magic.
From the moment we arrived we were greeted by friendly and courteous people. We were shown to our table promptly and greeted by our server. Never rushed everything explained to us explicitly from the first course to dessert everything was perfect. Thank you for a great evening
Service was phenomenal!
The Charleston is supposed to be rated as a 3 or 4 star restaurant. This rating is definitely not accurate and the entire wait staff needs to be seriously educated on proper protocol. The highlight of this failing is when an entire glass of water spilled across our table. NOBODY from the wait staff stopped to assist even after some saw it occur. We finally had to use our own dinner napkins to place over the spill. Our "most experienced" waiter saw we had placed napkins over the spill and said nothing along with the other staff as they continued to wait on our table. This is 3 or 4 star service?? We are very experienced diners and dine out at true 4 star restaurants often. I have never seen this type of service failure happen and this episode should be highly embarrassing for the Charleston. When we pointed this out to the manager, he apologized and said he was very surprised this had happened. He asked several at our table for our eMail addresses to follow-up. We have heard nothing after over a week. This whole service 101 fiasco is beyond comprehension for their supposed rating and cost of the dinner. I would never dine at this restaurant again and would give it 5 negative stars for service. Save your money and dine elsewhere!
Another outstanding meal, wine and service at Charleston!
Our first time diner here. overall a great meal and service! Many of the dishes were fantastic, subtle and delicious flavors. I had the tasting menu which was excellent. My wife and I had the lamb for our last course and felt it was a bit over seasoned. The wine pairing didn't work for me though our waitress was quick to suggest another offering that worked very well. They certainly aimed to please and hit that mark repeatedly. A special place in Baltimore.
Lovely restaurant for a fancy meal. Food was amazing and service is attentive.
The greeting for our party was as if we were old, faithful customers (we were first-timers). Lots of staff kept our meal humming along at OUR pace but not rushed. Ambiance was good for a “white tablecloth place”, quiet but not stiffly formal. Staff never interrupted but were always attentive and available. Before dinner drinks were good and chef-pairing assured wine was perfect with our entrees. The pairings also took a lot of indecision out of the process. The food was absolutely the best we have ever eaten on the Inner Harbor or anywhere else in Baltimore!!! Fresh ingredients, perfectly spiced without use of a lot of salt. Flavors “melted “ perfectly within each dish. Lobster soup with a tiny drip of basil and curry oils was my favorite dish but the Halibut was awesome, also. My husband has an allergy which the chef managed without having the dish stripped of presentation or intent of flavors. We were a party of three and because portions were perfectly-sized and food was so good, each plate (12 dishes) was bare at the end of our meal. I don’t think I have ever seen that before! Charleston is expensive but worth every penny. They definitely have scored the best chef in Baltimore! Our compliments to all the staff...
Amazing experience celebrating our anniversary at Charleston. Staff are super attentive and food/wine is incredible.
Best meal ever
Our new favorite restaurant! We will go back.
AMAZING EXPERIENCE - simply wonderful! We went to celebrate my son's birthday and this restaurant was definitely the best choice. FANTASTIC attention to our needs, service, exquisite food!
A MUST FOR ONE AND ALL in BALTIMORE!
Amazing experience. Highly recommended from start to finish.
Very enjoyable, as usual. Great variety of choices. Very pleasant staff. I like the wine pairings.
Food was rather bland throughout 4 courses. Nothing really special. Could hear all the conversations around us which was distracting. Excellent service provided by Jocylene.
Charleston is one of the best in the country! It’s a unique spot and a great, memorable, place to celebrate special occasions. While it’s not inexpensive, you get what you pay for - excellent cuisine, service, and wine list. Moreover, it’s a beautiful setting.
Perfect as always service was exceptional as was the food
We have been to The Charleston many times and this may have been our best meal yet. We chose a 6 course meal with wine pairings and let the chef and sommelier chose all courses except we wanted one fois gras course and one beef course. They simply knocked this out of the park. Each course and wine pairing was simply delicious.
Four of us, who have fall birthdays, agreed to celebrate by dining at the most exquisite restaurant in Baltimore. We were not disappointed. We enjoyed the rabbit, the venison, the sweetbreads, the chef's special pasta, the unbelievably rich and velvety lobster bisque, the lamb, the rockfish, and more, which we shared with one another. It was a totally delightful evening, savoring each dish. Chef's presentations and culinary skills produced a magical evening with friends. The service was attentive and likewise exquisite.
Yes, we all are huge fans and will happily return in the future.
Perfect in every way!
The food and service are fantastic but the prices don’t reflect the food. It is very over priced for what you get.