Mad River Bar & Grille

Attended the all-​inclusive New Year’s Eve event… Had the best time ever! I would go back in a heartbeat and bring along more friends. Wonderful staff, great food, and strong drinks.

Typical bar food. We ordred crab dip with veggies, wings which were honey chiptole and a burger as the meal. The food was delicious and the wings were just the right sauciness with a bit of a kick.
I would definitely return. It was early on a Friday night so the band was setting up to play and asking for request, which was cool.
I would definitely return. 4 stars because despite not being all that busy, the waitress was slow with drink refills, napkins and the check…

Left Ropewalk tavern to meet friends for a cab ride home in 45 degree weather and at 1:30 exactly I was yelled at by the bouncer saying I couldn’t enter the bar to meet my friends who were my ride home and was forced to walk across the street to mothers while they closed their tabs in order to reconcile our group for our cab ride home. Even after letting the bouncer know I wasn’t interested in ordering a drink I was refused entrance to meet up with a ride and he put my own safety at risk. I won’t be bringing my business to this establishment.

Went with some coworkers for lunch. We all ordered wings. But, me and another coworker received the wrong order of wings. Drinks came out quickly. But, our food took a very long time. So long that we thought that we cut it close getting back to work within an hour of our lunch break. On the bright side, the wings were good.
I’m anxious to visit again for Crab Mondays. I’ve heard that you have to get there early or they’ll run out.

Came here over the weekend with some friends during preakness. The place was empty except for a few bro’s jumping up and down and chest bumping each other. Onto the food/​drinks. First off, all beers were 2 for 1 which was awesome! The menu looked pretty decent. I went with crab dip and chicken fingers. The girlfriend went with a jalepeno burger. I was actually really impressed, the food was great. I always say you can judge a restaurant by their chicken fingers, and these were on point. The crab dip was really good, too. It actually had crab! So if you find yourself walking by and it doesn’t look to crowded it’s worth a try.

First time coming here and the food is great. The waitress made sure we were taking care of from the time we arrived to the time we left. Lia is the name of the bar tender. Ask for her you will not regret it!

DO NOT SCHEDULE A FUNDRAISER. I attempted to schedule a fundraiser here for a non-​profit organization and my experience was horrible. The event-​planner is incompetent and unhelpful. They could not type an email response without contradicting the prices or taking the time to spell words correctly. I tried calling to speak directly with the event planner and they never returned my call. They took days to respond to my email. The information online is outdated and useless. I would ask to speak to a manager if you are seriously trying to plan an event.

Very skillful bartenders. Extensive drink selection. They prepare you anything you want. The only dowside are the restrooms. Good night out with nice interiors.

I was here for once on a Saturday night just to go out and have some drinks and dance. The EDM (electronic dance music) was killer! I loved it. However! I had to wait 30 minutes to get in, and then when I was finally in, it was packed, beyond belief. I could barely move. Plus the music was so loud, I doubt the bartender could barely hear me. I would recommend coming if you’re not claustrophobic and don’t mind extremely loud music.

Ordered crab dip and lettuce wraps. Both were disappointing and not worth eating. The crab dip was served on top of tater tots and them smothered in cheese. Pretty gross. The lettuce wraps? Side of spicy rice and diced chicken, corn salsa and some sauce. I didn’t bother after the first bite.

EXTREMELY loud music. You can hear it a block away. Beer selection is decent and bartenders quick if not very friendly. Perhaps that is because it is nearly impossible to have a conversation and ordering requires screaming to be heard.

The first time I ever walked into this gem of a place it was a Sunday and the Ravens were about 10 minutes into the first quarter. LMFAO’s «Shots» was ringing throughout the bar and every patron was on their feet dancing and throwing their hands in the air. Needless to say I knew I was in for an experience and way, way, way too sober to be inside these walls.
Mad River is mainly a single room with high ceilings, an upstairs balcony, and a large bar. Despite the high number of people who squeezed into this place, the bartenders were very attentive and very easy on the eyes. I believe my longest wait for a beer was all of one minute. The prices are typical college sports bar prices at $ 3 a beer. I would have preferred an even $ 2 beer, but then the crowd might have been ever sloppier. There are an enormous amount of tvs in the room. There is absolutely no bad place to stand and watch the game.
Hilarious fact. Whenever there is the slightest pause in football the bar would play dance/​Top 40 music; the whole bar would begin bumping and grinding, and as soon as play began the music was dead silent and everyone refocused on football. I would definitely be back to mad river.

This is a NIGHTLIFE review.
During the summer, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are normally packed to the point where it’s difficult to move through the bar. If you can find some space to dance, you’ll have a great time though. The weekend DJs are usually playing some great electronic/​Top40 mixes that you won’t hear in other Federal Hill bars.

If I had to describe this place to an older person I’d say bring ear plugs. If I had to describe this place to a young person I’d say bring your ID and the best shoes that you’re prepared to get vomit on, or shoes that will somehow get that strange black bar-​related color on them that you won’t notice a few days later, maybe even when you’re at work.
I’ve been here many times during the night and it gets packed on the weekend nights. I’ve been here once or twice during the day, and it’s quiet and a completely different place. To prepare for a nighttime appearance I suggest coming with a buzz, because drinks can be fairly annoying to get. Maybe it’s better if you tip really hard, but who pays with cash these days? No one, I know, that was semi-​rhetorical.
Upstairs is where everyone goes to hang their coats, I haven’t had anything stolen from a coat up there but that is because Baltimore is the safest city in America (disclaimer: the clause about Baltimore is not true).
I don’t think that there’s a credit card minimum here.
I would not say it’s college-​oriented, because it’s kind of like, very far away from all of the schools. Mad River is more of the 20’s-30’s, multi-​racial, dance-​tolerant, beer-​and-​liquor drinking, collared-​shirt-​but-​open-​neck-​wearing, skirts-​and-​heels-​wearing, hair gelly, intoxicated & swervy, and current top 40 and late 90’s-00’s Hip-Hop/R&B/Dance lyrics-​knowing easy conversationalists type crowd. Lots of men standing around. .. if you’re into that.
What distinguishes it from the other drinking holes in Federal Hill? There are booths to place the tired or boring people. Also the designated-​drivers and purse-​watchers. It’s slightly (read: slightly) easier to ambulate within the bar when compared to the Cross St. bars. If you’re a creepy person or just someone who doesn’t like to dance, there is a lot of people-​watching along the upstairs mezzanine. Mad River is located just south of the typical sobriety/​you-​shall-​not-​pass checkpoint at Charles and Cross so cabs are easy to get. The bathroom situation is non-​problematic.
I’ll come here again to catch up on what the kids are listening to and dancing to these days.

Very cloud and college oriented. Loud and obnoxious and not for me. If you are 21 and wanna party this might be the place for you.

* On credit card’s there is a $ 20.00 minimum per transaction. I’ve ran into this several times if just buying a quick round and not wanting a tab here. Kinda a huge downside for the bar hopper.
What to do on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and happen to be in Fed Hill, Baltimore?
This is one place I would regulatory go to bar hoping with friends. Theres a projector with sports center generally playing, also multiple tv’s on the wall broadcasting what ever sports currently playing. The crowds are generally a mix of people standancing /​dancing on the upper level. Music here tends to mix from country to top 40. Mainly hear a lot of early 90’s hip hop and some obscure mixes.
Nothing too special, the occasional sports player might be there and there is often shot girls handing out test shots which might good if thats what you like on your night out; but pretty bland normally.
I have also based this rating on the night life not on it’s food offerings.

The only redeeming quality about this place is that it’s beautiful. It must have been «Ke$ha» night– 80% of the staff was dressed like her! The food’s decent, but as a server, being asked to close my check out before having my food delivered really bummed me out! :(
Been here for lunch before and it was much better.

I can’t comment on the food, but I came here on a Thursday night and it was pretty packed. They also have Natty Boh on tap, but not in a bottle, which really baffles me. But whatever Boh is Boh.
The place was *packed* full of creepy older guys, bro dudes, and young girls wearing tight clothing. The upstairs part that over looks the main bar is pretty chill. Very comfy couches, lots of room. Would I come back? Probably not.

Mad River gets a pretty bad rap for the frat-​like drunks, extremely packed sticky dance floor, and weekend lines. If you’re standing in line to get into a Baltimore bar, you’re at the wrong bar. But I was recently walking by on a Sunday and noticed they were serving brunch until 3 pm, whereas most Federal Hill places stop at 2 pm, so I decided to give it a shot.
The girl at the bar informed us right away that the kitchen was out of a lot of the ingredients for the brunch menu, but once we determined a few choices that were still available, we decided to grab a paper-​covered table and stay.
I ordered an omelet with feta, avocado and mushrooms which came with home fries and toast and my friend got the Cap’n Crunch French toast. We also ordered a couple of mimosas which were weak… surprising for a bar that’s so known for it’s drunken masses.
I was a little surprised about the omelet when it showed up because the veggies and cheese were neatly arranged on top of the egg, rather than folded in, which I thought was the point of an omelet. It was huge though, and I just mixed them in myself and was pretty pleased with the taste. Home fries were the kind that come with big chunks of chopped up peppers and onions and were greasy and satisfying. The French toast was a hit and came with fresh cream… I actually wish there was more of it in one serving because it disappeared before I had a chance to grab a second taste.
I might try Mad River for brunch again, at peak hours to be sure they aren’t out of things, and to give their $ 20 all you can drink bloody mary/​mimosa special a try.

Mad River exemplifies a very definite subset of the Federal Hill crowd, the frat-​ish mid 20’s set. The food is standard, the music is loud, the drink are fairly cheap.
They claim to be «upscale pub fare», which is giving the food a lot of credit. The fries were great, but our sandwiches (a burger and pit beef) were average. The spinach artichoke dip tasted like it was straight out of a Sysco tub though. Noticeably, it is absent from their current menu, so we’ll assume it didn’t meet the standard.
The specials are special, and there is one every day of the week. Wednesday is Trivia night, with prizes for the brainiest batch of know-​it-​alls. Sunday for $ 20 you can grab brunch and all you can drink Bloodies and Mimosas.