We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton and planned to dine at Cindy Lou’s Fish House on Saturday, July 26 at 8:45 PM for my son’s birthday. The manager, Virginia, told us they were fully booked. I accepted it and planned to order room service — until I saw a walk-in couple seated with no reservation just moments later.
When I questioned it, she claimed they had a reservation, which didn’t seem accurate based on what I observed.
It left us feeling incredibly disappointed. My husband suspected we were turned away because we had a toddler — or possibly because we are an interracial family. Regardless, we felt unwelcome and unfairly treated.
We expected a more inclusive and respectful experience from a restaurant of this caliber.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Amber
Waited 20 mins for a server to come over to our table. Several workers walked passed without acknowledging our table. Food, ok if lack of seasonings is your thing. Fries were good. Drinks weren't good. Noticed our server behind the bar when leaving. I'm assuming this place was short staffed. Workers looked miserable. You'll go here for the view, that's it that's all.
Greg
For a Baltimore restaurant with “fish house” in its title, it was disappointing. The location and view were very nice and the dining area was nice and not too noisy but it was just under half filled. Service was fine. Cocktails were well made and the bartender delivered the drinks to our table. Food was below meh. Ordered the cream of crab soup. It was so over seasoned that it was impossible to taste the generous amount of crab in the soup. It didn't help that the croutons that were on top were teeny tiny, there were way too many of them, and they had a very overpowering flavor that might have been appropriate for a salad, but not for a soup that needs delicate seasoning. My wife ordered the crab cake sandwich and I ordered the crab cake dinner. Crab cakes were also very disappointing. Mine had a high bread-like texture so there was definitely a lot of filler and there was no jumbo lump meat in either of them and they were way over seasoned as well. There were 5 large fried green tomatoes that dominated the plate. I felt like I ordered that with crab cakes on the side. The fries that came with the crab cake sandwich were good. Brought one crab cake home... will probably feed it to the cat. Half way through the experience it dawned on me that this was nothing more than just another hotel bar/restaurant and my expectations immediately dropped and I enjoyed my cocktail and my company and we most likely won't go back.
Karen Hardy
The crab cake was full of filler and the fries were cold.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Marianne
Our Tuesday night table was in the corner overlooking the harbor and the domino Sugar sign. Just beautiful! What a perfect spot to enjoy a meal. The staff was really friendly and very welcoming. Our waiter's eager attitude and friendliness made up for what seemed to be inexperience. The food was not great: the mussels were gritty, the shrimp was overcooked, and the pork chop was dry.  One of the folks at our table ordered the hamburger and ask for it to be cooked rare. There was no pink at all in that burger. The staff apologized and brought him another which was even more overcooked. There was no issue, it was taken off the bill. I go back to have a drink at the bar and maybe a small plate. But I will not take the chance on a full meal again. And for a fish house, there was a dearth of fish options on the menu.: crab cakes, salmon, and the seafood combo (I forget the name and it's not on the online menu for me to check today!)
Donnell Peterson
Great place to hangout with friends and family! The food was excellent and affordable ($15 a pound for Snow Crab Legs)! Yummy! The service was great and the atmosphere (inside or outside) promotes engagement and fun!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Danielle Griffin
Nice atmosphere if you choose outside dining, food ok just not a lot of options
Latonya
This experience would have been better had the hostess been more pleasant and accommodating. We booked this reservation specifically to enjoy the firework show. We added it to the notes and made the appropriate request yet we were denied seating. And the hostess was very sarcastic about it. We witnessed this same interaction with additional guests. One couple who left the restaurant. Also the temperature was very very cold inside. My husband enjoyed his meal but mine was less than par. Towards the end of dining we were offered outside seating after it was evident we were unhappy (as well as our neighbors) who had traveled all the at from New Jersey to enjoy the weekend and firework festivities. There food arrived over an hour later which added insult to injury. It's sad that we could not have given a better tasting however it's important to share our feedback with hopes of doing better for the next customers.
Patricia
The Maryland Crabs cakes more bread then crab! Had to search for the crab at market price thought it would be as advertised in menu. Fried green tomatoes very good Waited for a glass of wine waitress forgot
Jamal
We had a great time! We were wished Happy Anniversary immediately upon arrival. Our server, “Jiselle” ( unsure of spelling) was absolutely amazing. She was professional, friendly, and personable . The food and the drinks were excellent!! We had an amazing experience.
The restaurant was recommended by local residents for excellent entries, and fare. It offers a view of harbor. We were not disappointed. Highly recommend...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Monica
One of my favorite restaurants on the water in Baltimore. Even on a warm evening, the outdoor seating is wonderful with plenty of breezes. Food is outstanding with beautiful presentations and yummy ingredients. Fresh shucked oysters are sweet and delicious.
Terri
Excellent service, great water views. Caesar salad and oysters very good. Crab cakes with fried green tomatoes were wonderful. Big disappointment was the most expensive entree—the filet mignon was a thin cut folded over and overcooked. Topped with dried up flakes of crab. Would not recommend the filet.
John
if you're going to charge somebody $110 for lunch, there are a few expectations I would have. First, it would be nice for the waiter to introduce himself so that we have his name. Second, it would be nice if the dishes were not in disrepair. Each of us had at least one dish that was chipped or cracked. Third while the presentation of the food was spectacular, nothing had any flavor.  the crab soup, while it had plenty of crab meat, was full of croutons such that all you could taste was toasted bread. The soup base itself had absolutely zero flavor. The lobster pot pie had an enormous amount of lobster meat in it, but it had zero flavor. All you could taste was mushrooms and peas. The base itself had no flavor and the biscuit while it looked beautiful it tasted like unflavored Filo dough. The shrimp po boy sandwich also had no flavor. Finally, if you're going to serve food that has no flavor, and you're not going to put salt and pepper on the tables, then the waiter should have asked us if we wanted salt and pepper. We had to ask for it. That said the signature cocktails were delicious. Very disappointing for $110 tab. Looking at the food I had high hopes, but once I tasted it, those hopes died with the flavor that was missing.
Keri
I had a reservation and no host was at the front to greet incoming guests. We waited maybe 25 mins at the front waiting to be seated. We arrived on time for our reservation. After that I ordered the salmon entree and it came out with a gnat on top. The waiter did replace it with no issue and apologized. But overall service was slow and just not what it needed to be. Only good part about this place is that it has a good view of the harbor
We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton and planned to dine at Cindy Lou’s Fish House on Saturday, July 26 at 8:45 PM for my son’s birthday. The manager, Virginia, told us they were fully booked. I accepted it and planned to order room service — until I saw a walk-in couple seated with no reservation just moments later.
When I questioned it, she claimed they had a reservation, which didn’t seem accurate based on what I observed.
It left us feeling incredibly disappointed. My husband suspected we were turned away because we had a toddler — or possibly because we are an interracial family. Regardless, we felt unwelcome and unfairly treated.
We expected a more inclusive and respectful experience from a restaurant of this caliber.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Waited 20 mins for a server to come over to our table. Several workers walked passed without acknowledging our table. Food, ok if lack of seasonings is your thing. Fries were good. Drinks weren't good. Noticed our server behind the bar when leaving. I'm assuming this place was short staffed. Workers looked miserable. You'll go here for the view, that's it that's all.
For a Baltimore restaurant with “fish house” in its title, it was disappointing. The location and view were very nice and the dining area was nice and not too noisy but it was just under half filled. Service was fine. Cocktails were well made and the bartender delivered the drinks to our table. Food was below meh. Ordered the cream of crab soup. It was so over seasoned that it was impossible to taste the generous amount of crab in the soup. It didn't help that the croutons that were on top were teeny tiny, there were way too many of them, and they had a very overpowering flavor that might have been appropriate for a salad, but not for a soup that needs delicate seasoning. My wife ordered the crab cake sandwich and I ordered the crab cake dinner. Crab cakes were also very disappointing. Mine had a high bread-like texture so there was definitely a lot of filler and there was no jumbo lump meat in either of them and they were way over seasoned as well. There were 5 large fried green tomatoes that dominated the plate. I felt like I ordered that with crab cakes on the side. The fries that came with the crab cake sandwich were good. Brought one crab cake home... will probably feed it to the cat. Half way through the experience it dawned on me that this was nothing more than just another hotel bar/restaurant and my expectations immediately dropped and I enjoyed my cocktail and my company and we most likely won't go back.
The crab cake was full of filler and the fries were cold.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Our Tuesday night table was in the corner overlooking the harbor and the domino Sugar sign. Just beautiful! What a perfect spot to enjoy a meal. The staff was really friendly and very welcoming. Our waiter's eager attitude and friendliness made up for what seemed to be inexperience. The food was not great: the mussels were gritty, the shrimp was overcooked, and the pork chop was dry.  One of the folks at our table ordered the hamburger and ask for it to be cooked rare. There was no pink at all in that burger. The staff apologized and brought him another which was even more overcooked. There was no issue, it was taken off the bill. I go back to have a drink at the bar and maybe a small plate. But I will not take the chance on a full meal again. And for a fish house, there was a dearth of fish options on the menu.: crab cakes, salmon, and the seafood combo (I forget the name and it's not on the online menu for me to check today!)
Great place to hangout with friends and family! The food was excellent and affordable ($15 a pound for Snow Crab Legs)! Yummy! The service was great and the atmosphere (inside or outside) promotes engagement and fun!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice atmosphere if you choose outside dining, food ok just not a lot of options
This experience would have been better had the hostess been more pleasant and accommodating. We booked this reservation specifically to enjoy the firework show. We added it to the notes and made the appropriate request yet we were denied seating. And the hostess was very sarcastic about it. We witnessed this same interaction with additional guests. One couple who left the restaurant. Also the temperature was very very cold inside. My husband enjoyed his meal but mine was less than par. Towards the end of dining we were offered outside seating after it was evident we were unhappy (as well as our neighbors) who had traveled all the at from New Jersey to enjoy the weekend and firework festivities. There food arrived over an hour later which added insult to injury. It's sad that we could not have given a better tasting however it's important to share our feedback with hopes of doing better for the next customers.
The Maryland Crabs cakes more bread then crab! Had to search for the crab at market price thought it would be as advertised in menu. Fried green tomatoes very good Waited for a glass of wine waitress forgot
We had a great time! We were wished Happy Anniversary immediately upon arrival. Our server, “Jiselle” ( unsure of spelling) was absolutely amazing. She was professional, friendly, and personable . The food and the drinks were excellent!! We had an amazing experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
The restaurant was recommended by local residents for excellent entries, and fare. It offers a view of harbor. We were not disappointed. Highly recommend...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of my favorite restaurants on the water in Baltimore. Even on a warm evening, the outdoor seating is wonderful with plenty of breezes. Food is outstanding with beautiful presentations and yummy ingredients. Fresh shucked oysters are sweet and delicious.
Excellent service, great water views. Caesar salad and oysters very good. Crab cakes with fried green tomatoes were wonderful. Big disappointment was the most expensive entree—the filet mignon was a thin cut folded over and overcooked. Topped with dried up flakes of crab. Would not recommend the filet.
if you're going to charge somebody $110 for lunch, there are a few expectations I would have. First, it would be nice for the waiter to introduce himself so that we have his name. Second, it would be nice if the dishes were not in disrepair. Each of us had at least one dish that was chipped or cracked. Third while the presentation of the food was spectacular, nothing had any flavor.  the crab soup, while it had plenty of crab meat, was full of croutons such that all you could taste was toasted bread. The soup base itself had absolutely zero flavor. The lobster pot pie had an enormous amount of lobster meat in it, but it had zero flavor. All you could taste was mushrooms and peas. The base itself had no flavor and the biscuit while it looked beautiful it tasted like unflavored Filo dough. The shrimp po boy sandwich also had no flavor. Finally, if you're going to serve food that has no flavor, and you're not going to put salt and pepper on the tables, then the waiter should have asked us if we wanted salt and pepper. We had to ask for it. That said the signature cocktails were delicious. Very disappointing for $110 tab. Looking at the food I had high hopes, but once I tasted it, those hopes died with the flavor that was missing.
I had a reservation and no host was at the front to greet incoming guests. We waited maybe 25 mins at the front waiting to be seated. We arrived on time for our reservation. After that I ordered the salmon entree and it came out with a gnat on top. The waiter did replace it with no issue and apologized. But overall service was slow and just not what it needed to be. Only good part about this place is that it has a good view of the harbor
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