Explorers, an American Gastropub

Ate here while staying at the royal sonesta and the service was good, the waiters were attentive. But the drinks and food left a lot to be desired. The crab cake on my wife's salad was burnt and mushy (inexcusable for Maryland). My crab soup was Luke warm. The shishito peppers were nothing special, and bland. And my branzino was unseasoned along with the sides. Lack of seasoning throughout the whole dinner made the food just sub par. There are restaurants next door, I'd recommend eating there first, if possible.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

We ate breakfast here.
Our food took a while to come, but not a problem, nobody's fault. Just a bit longer than expected, since there were very few people there.
Good service, otherwise, everyone was very nice.
Food was good. Nothing special, normal breakfast food. The pancakes were very good though.
Overall good hotel breakfast, and would recommend if you are staying here.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Staff is very attentive and tries hard to please, but the food is just meh. We had the crab soup, Caesar salad and the burger. Bar drink prep was mediocre (had a Manhattan and a Gin Gimlet). Nice dining area with reasonable street view.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

We stayed at the Royal Sonesta and saw there was the Explorers restaurant inside the hotel. We were a bit unsure of to try the restaurant due to the lower reviews, but glad we did.

We had the Salmon and the Mediterranean Chicken. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the chicken was juicy and done just right.

We had the Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream for desert. The Apple Tart was fresh, warm and very tasteful.

We recommend giving this little gem a try.

The view was fantastic as well, you can look out and see in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pan Fried Salmon, Fried Chicken Wings, Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream

Delicious food. Big and tasty dishes and great service. We'll be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fried Chicken Wings

I'm not sure why this is not rated higher. Had crab cakes and steak, and my wife had the chicken. Great food and services were amazing.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We almost didn't come because of the 3.7 stars but very glad we did. I'm not big on seafood but the crab cakes were delicious. The Mediterranean chicken was tender, juicy and so full of flavor I kept saying "wow." Staff was attentive and pleasant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We only had drinks, but the staff was pleasant and the atmosphere was nice.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Cool decor, reasonable food, nice staff. Pretty standard hotel restaurant, and not really a destination of any sort. They are open late so I would say definitely an above average later dinner option.The buffalo cauliflower was a bit salty but tasty. Hummus was normal. My partner had an above average burger. The drinks are strong.

Frozen food, microwaved, no crab in the crab soup, I’m sure the bar is fine…don’t eat here!

Great bartenders, nice atmosphere! The hours on Google are wrong. Was here at 6pm on Tuesday.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Everything delivered was a vague approximation of what was ordered, chicken was tougher than a hockey puck, appetizers arrived at same time as entrees. Missing elements on every dish. Finished eating before a 2 bite check back even occurred. Incredibly disappointing for the price point. Only went because we were staying in the hotel. Spend your money on delivery instead.

Food was ok but service abysmal.

The "gastropub" did not live up to its name on any level. The espresso machine was not working the 4 days we were there, so it was plain ol' bitter coffee. The sumptuous pastries advertised were plastic-wrapped donuts, sad-looking apple fritters, and slabs of flavorless banana bread, among other baked goods. They did sell an impressively large bacon, egg & cheese on a croissant, but the bacon was limp & undercooked. Explorers' seemed like the coffee shop you'd find in your dentist's office building. Disappointing!

Crab flatbread was on point!