Smashing Grapes - Columbia

Review summary

1. K

   Kareem

   Baltimore

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Loved the atmosphere we were the first customers there. The manager (Andy) was helpful and pleasant to talk to. Our waiter was knowledgeable and paired us with great wine with our meals. Won’t be our last visit. Worth every penny.
   

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2. J

   James

   Baltimore

   8 reviews

   5.0

   8 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Love Smashing Grapes!!! I've had an amazing experience each time I've visited, and the service is always delightful. Our sever Ayana greeted my lady and I with a wonderful smile, an abundance of joy, and she was very professional. The food was delicious, and the ambiance was spectacular! Can't wait to visit again to try something different on the menu.
   

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3. C

   Christina

   Baltimore

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Food and drinks were great. The room was expectedly loud on a Saturday night, no problem for conversation at your table but difficult to hear staff. The service was apologetic but incredibly slow. Our foursome finished a bottle before our entrees arrived, our server didn't check in when food arrived and it was half thru our meals before we could wave them down to get a second bottle, which arrived when we were finishing entrees. 2 of our party ordered dessert drinks, which were similarly slow. Espresso arriving with us holding onto the last bite of cake to have it with, and having a pile of grounds in it. The overall vibe was hard to read. Pricing and drink and food quality align with a higher end, but service and overall vibes felt much more casual wine bar. I'll go again as a casual nice glass of wine and snacks or happy hour, but for dinner and bottles I'd hope for more personalized experience than constantly trying to get a drink.
   

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4. c

   charles

   VIP

   Washington DC

   104 reviews

   3.0

   104 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Beautiful restaurant with great selection of wine and spirits. Menu has a very nice choice of snack or lite bites to accompany a glass of wine or dinner selections with wine pairings.
   

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5. K

   Karen

   Baltimore

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I took my husband there to celebrate his birthday. It was our first time there and we loved it. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the menu and offered us some great recommendations. We were not disappointed. We will definitely be back.
   

   Smashing Grapes - ColumbiaResponded 3 days ago

   Karen, thank you so much for your 5-star review! We are so pleased to learn you enjoyed a wonderful first dining experience with us, particularly on such a special occasion!, and we are so grateful to you for sharing your positive experience & offering your recommendation! Thank you, and we look forward to serving you again soon! With Gratitude, The Team at Smashing Grapes Columbia
   

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6. t

   tye

   Baltimore

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on 14 December 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Our reservation was honored promptly and we were seated in a very cozy booth for a 2 top that was surprisingly low to the ground yet very comfy. We were greeted promptly by a server who was covering her colleague who was running late for our shift. We received the abbreviated table talk as she knew she would be handing us to a colleague. The ranch water margarita type drinks were exquisite. The bread was warm, chewy and flavorful. The mussels appetizer was divine. The branzino was kicked up a notch with the grilled lemon. The sea bass paired well with the sexy scallions but the mushrooms and bok choy were mediocre. There were 2 disappointing notes to our experience. The white wine flight was significantly delayed and came to the table after my wife was full from her entree. The second and less egregious item was the French roast coffee being out of stock and I thought it would have paired well with the brûlée cheesecake. I’d definitely patronize the restaurant again. The ambience was cool, the servers attentive and the food was good. Definitely a spot to take the wine lover in your life.
   

   Smashing Grapes - ColumbiaResponded on 15 December 2024

   Tye, thank you for your review-while we are disappointed to learn that there were a couple of hiccups to your experience, we are very happy to hear that the majority of your time with us was excellent! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback so we can work hard to improve and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon to prove we can earn those 5 stars! With Gratitude, The Team at Smashing Grapes Columbia
   

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7. Y

   Yolanda

   Baltimore

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 December 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   We were in the restaurant for 3 hours… service too slow
   

   Smashing Grapes - ColumbiaResponded 7 days ago

   Yolanda, thank you for your review-we are disappointed to learn about this negative service experience and we appreciate you taking the time to let us know so we can address our team and improve. If you would kindly email us at columbia@smashinggrapes.c0m with a copy of your review, date dined & location, we will work hard to remedy this and prove we can do better. With Gratitude & Apologies, The Team at Smashing Grapes Columbia
   

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8. D

   Dovedale

   Baltimore

   16 reviews

   4.0

   16 reviews

   Dined on 10 December 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Two words... AMAZING ALEXIS! A bit of a busy night with a holiday private event on one side of the restaurant challenged the kitchen's timing for food execution and quality to a degree... however, my second visit here having Alexis as a server for the second time was the saving grace! She is just amazing.
   

   Smashing Grapes - ColumbiaResponded on 11 December 2024

   Thank you so much for your excellent review! We are so pleased to learn you enjoyed a wonderful dining experience with us and that our amazing team took such excellent care of you! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and offer your insight so we can improve, and we look forward to serving you again soon to prove we can earn those 5 stars! With Gratitude, The Team at Smashing Grapes Columbia
   

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9. T

   Tim

   Richmond

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 9 December 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   I recently visited Smashing Grapes and, while there were a few highlights, my experience was overall disappointing. The fresh pasta, made daily, was definitely a standout and very tasty. The wine selection was great as well, offering some nice pairings to the meal. Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. Our server seemed disinterested and inattentive, which made the dining experience less enjoyable. The bigger issue came with my main dish, which was supposed to come with chicken. When my meal arrived, it was missing the chicken entirely. I flagged down our server, and when she brought it out, it was a separate chicken breast, charred from the barbecue. Not only did it look out of place on the plate, but the flavor was off—it was dry and had a burnt taste that didn’t pair well with the rest of the dish. Overall, I had high hopes for Smashing Grapes, but the lackluster service and subpar chicken really affected my experience. While the pasta and wine were enjoyable, I’m not sure I’d return given the disappointing service and quality control issues.
   

   Smashing Grapes - ColumbiaResponded on 10 December 2024

   Tim, thank you for your review-while we are happy to hear that you enjoyed some aspects of your experience dining with us, we are disappointed to learn about some of these negative service issues, for which we can offer no excuse. Thank you for taking the time to let us know so we can address our team and ensure this doesn't happen again. If you would kindly email us at columbia@smashinggrapes.c0m with a copy of your review, date dined & location, we will work hard to remedy this and prove we can do better. With Gratitude & Apologies, The Team at Smashing Grapes Columbia
   

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10. T

    Tamara

    Washington DC

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 8 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    This was my first time and it was great! The food was delicious.
    

    Smashing Grapes - ColumbiaResponded on 9 December 2024

    Tamara, thank you so much for your 5-star review! We are delighted to hear that your first experience dining with us was top-notch and we are so grateful to you for taking the time to share your positive experience & offer your recommendation! Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming you back to our table again very soon! With Gratitude, The Team at Smashing Grapes Columbia
    

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