It’s a whole vibe at MaryLou’s! I ended up here because I great friend of the family picked this place for dinner to catch up. The staff was really nice. The food I had was really good. I ordered the lamb chops with a salad. Delicious in my book 👏🏿👏🏿 I was also able to try some of their greens which were good as well. The DJ kept things interesting with a Trivia Game for shots of Don Julio. I would definitely recommend and I will definitely be returning
Kaya Anderson
I recently visited this restaurant with a group of friends, and I have to say, it was a deeply frustrating experience. As soon as we arrived, there was no host at the door. We stood there for a solid 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged us. This was just the beginning of a very long and disappointing evening.
We had a party of six, but were seated at a table meant for four. After asking several times, we were finally moved to a larger table, but the issues didn’t end there. We requested drinks from no less than four different people, and it took over an hour for them to arrive. If we’d at least had our drinks to pass the time, maybe it would’ve been a little more bearable. But no, after waiting for over an hour for drinks, we then waited another hour for our food. That’s two hours of waiting for food and drinks—absolutely unacceptable.
To make matters worse, when we asked our server about the delay, they assured us that we'd be getting some money off the bill for the inconvenience. However, when the manager came by, we were told they don’t do that, leaving us feeling completely disregarded after such a long wait.
Speaking of the manager, they were walking around in casual dress, looking like just another guest. This is not the level of professionalism you expect from someone in charge. If you're running a restaurant, the manager should be easily identifiable and have some authority to make decisions, especially when things go wrong.
Clearly, the restaurant is understaffed. There needs to be a host at the door to greet customers, and the service would improve with more servers, particularly on busy nights. I can’t even imagine how much smoother things would run with at least two to four servers on busy nights, a dedicated bartender, and maybe an extra pair of hands during peak hours.
I know several people who’ve applied here, and they’ve never gotten a call back. It’s obvious that the restaurant needs staff, and badly. The kitchen is also understaffed, and it shows.
I’ve always loved the food and drinks here, but the service is absolutely horrible. This place has so much potential, but the lack of proper staff, poor management, and long waits are ruining it. I really hope they get their act together because I’d love to keep coming back, but it’s hard to recommend this place until they fix these issues. Stop biting off more than you can chew, and start investing in the right staff to make this place run smoothly.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Chris Thompson
I had mixed feelings about my first visit to Marylous. The atmosphere was welcoming and the service was attentive. Enjoyed the lively trivia night – definitely a fun addition to the dining experience.
Unfortunately, the food fell short of expectations, especially given the prices. The salmon ( dry and not seasoned well at all) was disappointing, and my son's chicken tenders were overcooked to the point of being inedible (hes a eater and for a 4 year old, he took one bite and shook his head- No!). For what they're charging, the food quality needs significant improvement.
While I'm committed to supporting black-owned businesses and appreciate what Marylous is trying to do in Fort Washington, the kitchen needs to step up their game to justify their prices. The friendly vibe and entertainment factor earn them points, and I'm willing to give them another chance with different menu items. But right now, there's a clear disconnect between price and quality.
⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cajun Pasta, Lemon Drop
Jahan Raza
Not staffed properly whatsoever. Only one server for ALL tables. Drinks were strong but they come in extremely small glasses that are filled with ice. So while a happy hour drink is $8, it is not a deal. It’s $10 normally. Service took a long time and food was forgotten at one point. Good music, and I believe that if staffing were at 100, this would be the spot.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Angel Rose
Great Hostess, Server, and Management. The band on Thursday night was rockin.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Janet Conteh
I love coming here especially during happy hour! Our bartender Ashlee is great! She gets me right all the time!! I also came here when the band was there and had a good time!! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephanie B
I visited here 2 days ago for the 1st time and I had the lamb chops, mac and cheese and collar greens and everything was so delicious and the service was great. The lamb chops were meaty and cooked to perfection. Everything was so good and tasted even better the next day after reheating. I will definitely be visiting here again to try more dishes but the meal I had gets 5 stars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Prissy
Mari is great waiter. He was very kind and attentive to me and my sister . Great food and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stacie Cofield
If your in Fort Washington MD check Marylou's out. The service was fast customer service was great and our waitress was very attentive.The atmosphere was nice with live DJ and band.The owner Stephanie checked in on us asked how service was. She was so glad to hear everyone smile and say "The food was great"! See the pictures below from the salad, the Whiting fish and salmon BLT, fried shrimp, mac cheese, greens.yummy....The Margaritas were on point.We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cajun Pasta, Salmon blt, Chicken Wings 6, Lamb Chops, Honey Old Bay Wings, Lemon Drop, Fried Fish Platter, Skillet Cornbread
Meryl Solomon
First time service was okay the Lamb chops & gumbo were good. The pasta was too lemony if you know what I’m trying to say. Second time I found out that the kitchen closes at 8 even though the hours say 10pm just a heads up
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Chicken Gumbo, Lamb Chops, Lemon Drop
The food and customer service was great. The wings and fish platter was worth the wait. I don’t mind waiting for good food it’s not a fast food restaurant so since the food is cooked to order it may take time. Enjoy the atmosphere and a drink while you wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Murray
I recently tried Mary Lou's Restaurant for lunch, and it was a great experience! The Cajun pasta was delicious and packed with flavor, plus the portion was huge—perfect if you're really hungry. I also had the fish sandwich, which was just as impressive. The fish was perfectly cooked, and the sandwich was massive.
The staff were super friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. If you're looking for a new spot with tasty food and great service, definitely check out Mary Lou's! Don't let the dark windows fool you they are definitely open.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish Sandwich, Cajun Pasta
Stephanie Marshall
The Old....Game Room!?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
BobbY Butler III
Love it HERE! A local spot that has area wide appeal. There's something different every night of the week. The brunch gets crowded so get there early. The food is ALWAYS on point, when I've gone. Staff is always friendly and attentive. DEFINITELY A VIBE!
Went for karaoke,very nice atmosphere,had margaritas and shrimp tacos both very good. The waiters were a little mixed up but the owner fixed it,very nice young lady
It’s a whole vibe at MaryLou’s! I ended up here because I great friend of the family picked this place for dinner to catch up. The staff was really nice. The food I had was really good. I ordered the lamb chops with a salad. Delicious in my book 👏🏿👏🏿 I was also able to try some of their greens which were good as well. The DJ kept things interesting with a Trivia Game for shots of Don Julio. I would definitely recommend and I will definitely be returning
I recently visited this restaurant with a group of friends, and I have to say, it was a deeply frustrating experience. As soon as we arrived, there was no host at the door. We stood there for a solid 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged us. This was just the beginning of a very long and disappointing evening.
We had a party of six, but were seated at a table meant for four. After asking several times, we were finally moved to a larger table, but the issues didn’t end there. We requested drinks from no less than four different people, and it took over an hour for them to arrive. If we’d at least had our drinks to pass the time, maybe it would’ve been a little more bearable. But no, after waiting for over an hour for drinks, we then waited another hour for our food. That’s two hours of waiting for food and drinks—absolutely unacceptable.
To make matters worse, when we asked our server about the delay, they assured us that we'd be getting some money off the bill for the inconvenience. However, when the manager came by, we were told they don’t do that, leaving us feeling completely disregarded after such a long wait.
Speaking of the manager, they were walking around in casual dress, looking like just another guest. This is not the level of professionalism you expect from someone in charge. If you're running a restaurant, the manager should be easily identifiable and have some authority to make decisions, especially when things go wrong.
Clearly, the restaurant is understaffed. There needs to be a host at the door to greet customers, and the service would improve with more servers, particularly on busy nights. I can’t even imagine how much smoother things would run with at least two to four servers on busy nights, a dedicated bartender, and maybe an extra pair of hands during peak hours.
I know several people who’ve applied here, and they’ve never gotten a call back. It’s obvious that the restaurant needs staff, and badly. The kitchen is also understaffed, and it shows.
I’ve always loved the food and drinks here, but the service is absolutely horrible. This place has so much potential, but the lack of proper staff, poor management, and long waits are ruining it. I really hope they get their act together because I’d love to keep coming back, but it’s hard to recommend this place until they fix these issues. Stop biting off more than you can chew, and start investing in the right staff to make this place run smoothly.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
I had mixed feelings about my first visit to Marylous. The atmosphere was welcoming and the service was attentive. Enjoyed the lively trivia night – definitely a fun addition to the dining experience.
Unfortunately, the food fell short of expectations, especially given the prices. The salmon ( dry and not seasoned well at all) was disappointing, and my son's chicken tenders were overcooked to the point of being inedible (hes a eater and for a 4 year old, he took one bite and shook his head- No!). For what they're charging, the food quality needs significant improvement.
While I'm committed to supporting black-owned businesses and appreciate what Marylous is trying to do in Fort Washington, the kitchen needs to step up their game to justify their prices. The friendly vibe and entertainment factor earn them points, and I'm willing to give them another chance with different menu items. But right now, there's a clear disconnect between price and quality.
⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cajun Pasta, Lemon Drop
Not staffed properly whatsoever. Only one server for ALL tables. Drinks were strong but they come in extremely small glasses that are filled with ice. So while a happy hour drink is $8, it is not a deal. It’s $10 normally. Service took a long time and food was forgotten at one point. Good music, and I believe that if staffing were at 100, this would be the spot.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Great Hostess, Server, and Management. The band on Thursday night was rockin.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I love coming here especially during happy hour! Our bartender Ashlee is great! She gets me right all the time!! I also came here when the band was there and had a good time!! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visited here 2 days ago for the 1st time and I had the lamb chops, mac and cheese and collar greens and everything was so delicious and the service was great. The lamb chops were meaty and cooked to perfection. Everything was so good and tasted even better the next day after reheating. I will definitely be visiting here again to try more dishes but the meal I had gets 5 stars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mari is great waiter. He was very kind and attentive to me and my sister . Great food and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If your in Fort Washington MD check Marylou's out. The service was fast customer service was great and our waitress was very attentive.The atmosphere was nice with live DJ and band.The owner Stephanie checked in on us asked how service was. She was so glad to hear everyone smile and say "The food was great"! See the pictures below from the salad, the Whiting fish and salmon BLT, fried shrimp, mac cheese, greens.yummy....The Margaritas were on point.We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cajun Pasta, Salmon blt, Chicken Wings 6, Lamb Chops, Honey Old Bay Wings, Lemon Drop, Fried Fish Platter, Skillet Cornbread
First time service was okay the Lamb chops & gumbo were good. The pasta was too lemony if you know what I’m trying to say. Second time I found out that the kitchen closes at 8 even though the hours say 10pm just a heads up
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Chicken Gumbo, Lamb Chops, Lemon Drop
Restaurantji Recommends
The food and customer service was great. The wings and fish platter was worth the wait. I don’t mind waiting for good food it’s not a fast food restaurant so since the food is cooked to order it may take time. Enjoy the atmosphere and a drink while you wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I recently tried Mary Lou's Restaurant for lunch, and it was a great experience! The Cajun pasta was delicious and packed with flavor, plus the portion was huge—perfect if you're really hungry. I also had the fish sandwich, which was just as impressive. The fish was perfectly cooked, and the sandwich was massive.
The staff were super friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. If you're looking for a new spot with tasty food and great service, definitely check out Mary Lou's! Don't let the dark windows fool you they are definitely open.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish Sandwich, Cajun Pasta
The Old....Game Room!?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Love it HERE! A local spot that has area wide appeal. There's something different every night of the week. The brunch gets crowded so get there early. The food is ALWAYS on point, when I've gone. Staff is always friendly and attentive. DEFINITELY A VIBE!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fries, Chicken Wings 6, Swirl, Fried Fish Platter, Skillet Cornbread, Salmon Bites
Went for karaoke,very nice atmosphere,had margaritas and shrimp tacos both very good. The waiters were a little mixed up but the owner fixed it,very nice young lady
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
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