Red House Tavern

Stopped in for Trivia night last night. They have great specials, especially the $ 1 tacos. The drinks are cheap. For only having 1 bartender and 1 cook, they seemed to keep up pretty well with the crowd. The fried pickles were really good. The pretzel wasn’t anything special, but it was still good. We had a great time and would definitely go back!

I’ve walked by this bar many times, but never went in. We finally tried Red House Tavern for trivia and I would go back. We spent about $ 30 dollars for 12 tacos, 6 beers, and pretzels. Can’t get much better than that! The tacos were nothing to write home about, but they were only $ 1! The pretzel bites were comparable to your standard movie theatre pretzel bites. The service was a little slow, but they were pretty understaffed.
I’d recommend coming here for Trivia — it’s a lot of fun and an inexpensive night out.

I stopped in to Red House Tavern with a friend on a Monday night which also happens to be open mic night. It was low key, seemed like everyone was a regular, and the guy on the mic had a good voice and was taking requests. I took a seat at the bar with my friend and and we ordered drinks and asked for a menu. The bartender told us the specials and explained that the menu wasn’t fully up to date because they have been updating it and trying things out, which was nice to know. The specials sounded great and I wish I had the appetite that night, but hadn’t been feeling well that day so I went with the chicken pot pie… for me its a go to comfort food to make one feel better. I’m pretty sure chicken pot pie isn’t that popular on a Monday night cause it took awhile for it to be served, but I didn’t mind because the guy on the mic was entertaining and it gave me time to look over the menu to see what I’d like to eat the next time I stop in. One thing I noticed was they have fried pickle chips… for me a place that has fried pickle chips means that I give them props. Not many places in Bmore have pickle chips so I take note when I see it on the menu and order it when I have the chance so I will be back to try them. My chicken pot pie eventually came out and it looked amazing. Instead of a flakey fully covered crust the cook sculpted the pie dough to look like a old fashion braided pie, I liked it and it made my happy to see something different. I had to wait to eat it because it was fresh out of the oven I literally could see the steam rising and heard it sizzle when I first stuck my fork into it. Once it cooled down and got the first bite it I was in comfort food heaven, my feeling of being ill earlier vanished. The inside of the pot pie wasn’t as creamy and runny as I’m use to, it had more filler in it which means lots of veggies and chicken cut up which soaked up most of the liquid. It was de-​lish.

Great place to see live local comedy. Dave Shofer puts on a pretty good show.
I also believe they do live music as well. Quiet little spot to have a beer and enjoy a game.

I will never again go back to this bar. I went with 6 friends last night, and everyone except for the drivers (myself and one other person) ordered drinks. After a little while, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, our entire party was told we had to leave, because we hadn’t ordered the two drink minimum. We hadn’t been informed of this when we arrived, there were no signs stating it, and several people had been planning on ordering another drink. I’ve never heard of being forced to order two drinks within 20 minutes at a bar. I was also shocked that, as the designated driver, I was not allowed to remain in the bar unless I ordered two alcoholic drinks. There were only 3 other patrons in the bar, so we weren’t taking up space that other customers who were spending more money needed. After this rude treatment, I will never return, especially since this bar has nothing special or appealing about it, as evidenced by there being 3 customers at 10pm on a Saturday night. I recommend taking your business elsewhere.

I went to Red House last night as part of a bar crawl with friends. It was also part of my birthday celebration. We had planned to go to a different bar, but ended up exchanging it for Red House so that we could do some karaōke. At first, we were welcomed in and encouraged to enter some songs for karaōke. Several of us ordered shots, but we also asked for some water as some of us were driving and this was later in the bar crawl. We sang two songs for karaōke, but after being there for no more than half an hour, the manager (I’m guessing) told us that if we were not going to order at least 2 drinks each that we needed to leave. I had never heard of this before and it was extremely surprising with only three other patrons in the bar and we were enjoying ourselves. We were not incredibly drunk or loud, as I would assume would be a typical reason why patrons would be asked to leave. I’ve never experienced this kind of treatment before and felt as though it was very uncalled for. Red House lost a lot of our business and we had enjoyed going to it in the past. I guess they’re not looking for people who just want to have fun and buy a drink or two.

Red House was the perfect spot to watch game 7 of the ’11 world series. It felt like we were in our living room, except we could throw peanut shells on the floor. The burger is one of the top ten in Baltimore, seriously. It is Monkton grassfed beef. It was blackened and blued. It was cooked perfectly. It was on the level of Alewife’s and not even close to the price. The greatest thing about Red House, though, is Alex, the bartender. He is knowledgeable, courteous, excited, and dedicated to creating a perfect experience for every customer. He crafted us hot buttered rums and old fashioned bourbons for dessert. We enjoyed our drinks, watched the Rangers blow it, and walked home happy that we found another cool place in Fells.

My boyfriend and I went to Red House Tavern on a Saturday afternoon, and there was only one other couple there at the time. We chose to sit at the bar, where we ordered food and drinks. They have $ 1.50 Natty Bohs, so that works for me. I ordered a shrimp sandwich and fries — the fries were very good, the sandwich was mediocre at best. My boyfriend had the Tavern Burger which he enjoyed.
What I didn’t like was the obviously inexperienced bartender who hovered over us nearly the whole time we were there and insisted on driving the conversation. I like an attentive server, but I also like to be able to have a conversation with my dining mate without the server constantly interjecting. If I go back, I will make sure to sit at a table rather than at the bar.

I just happened to catch a blurb in the Sun last week or so about the reopening of Red House on Essex St. Since I’ve lived in the area the place has never been open. It’s been closed for the last 2 years but is not open under new ownership.
When I walked in I was greeted with the O’s game on and a sign for $ 1.50 Bohs. So far it’s win-​win. The place is beautiful in that old world bar sense. Gorgeous back bar, well worn bar, ceiling being redone to match the style. There’s even a fireplace with rocking chairs gathered around. Sorrounding the fireplace is a small take one-​leave one library complete with dog eared romance novels and old National Geographics. Nice touch. at the end of the bar is a small area for a band complete with piano and an organ under wraps. I see great potential here. Because, really. who doesn’t love a warm organ?
Now to the food. Had some pleasant conversation with Kate behind the bar and head chef, Tim and his philosophy and aspirations with the menu. The menu looked small yet well done but it didn’t take me more than 2 seconds to make up my mind because back when I first sat down a guy next to me at the bar took his eyes off the O’s game, looked over at me and said, «Wing night and $ 1.50 Bohs». He might as well have been Obi Wan with that statement.
Sold! I like it when people make things easy for me.
Wings were excellent. Different, but excellent nonetheless. You can tell that chef Tim has put a great deal of thought into his dishes. Even the bleu cheese that came with the wings was his own special dressing. It wasn’t that normal BC dressing but Tim had added fresh chunks of primo bleu cheese to the dressing making the bleu cheese part of my meal and not just a dippin’ sauce. Pulling out those huge chunks with a celery stalk was a necessity. Don’t leave the chunks behind! Foodwise this place has stepped up away from your local corner bar. Wings are great and burgers are most assuredly bangin’.
If you live in the area go check it out. It looks like a great addition to the neighborhood.

So we wandered into the Red House Tavern on a whim after just having spent most of the day moving into our new place and we’re damn glad we did. Having just moved into our new neighborhood a few days ago we don’t quiet have our bearings just yet. We weren’t really sure where to go and, more importantly, what’s good. We walked down the street from our new place and looked right. There at the end of the block is situated a relatively unassuming red-​fronted corner bar with a bright green awning. Scrolled across the awning the words Red House Tavern beckoned us closer. We didn’t know anything about this place and a quick web search wasn’t very helpful. Did they even serve food? The last thing we wanted was to open the doors to a seedy dive with no menu. Anyway, here’s the deal.
The Red House Tavern officially opened its doors on March 31^st. I’m not sure who or what was there before, maybe it was the Red House under a different owner, whatever. I guess that really doesn’t matter. The owner, Ron, also owns a bar in Mt Vernon so this isn’t his first rodeo either. When we walked in we were greeted by Ron, Chef Tim, bartendress Kate and another gentleman whose role I never picked up — he was busying himself with operational issues while we were there. There were no other patrons in the place. I gotta admit, it was kinda like accidentally walking into someone’s living room. For a split second I thought about slowly backing out of the room and quietly closing the door behind me. A bit awkward but Ron and the others quickly welcomed us in.
Not really sure if there’s a general theme to the place or not. There’s a nice polished wood bar to the right with a sick carved wood bar back complete with round mirrors and killer carving work. Ron told us he thinks it dates back to the late 1800’s. To continue the tour, digital juke on the wall, fireplace, a scattering of tables and even a small stage for eventual live acts of music, comedy and the like. Seems like your pretty standard corner bar. Oh yeah, and the upstairs apparently has a couple pool tables and some dart boards. We took a seat and Kate immediately greeted us. Not a huge beer selection, but well played nonetheless. Negra Modelo on tap alongside Magic Hat No 9 and Dogfish Head 90 min. Yeah, I know, 90 min on tap? Brilliant.
The menu is short and sweet as well. Glad to see that places are moving away from the giant menus. Do a few things and do them better than anybody else. Chef Tim, whose done stints in a few local establishments including Hamilton’s trendy Clementine, has a passion for his craft and it shows. Upon the recommendation of our bartender we went with the fried calamari app. Crispy golden rings served with a cilantro pesto and fresh veggie salsa. Seasoned well and cooked perfectly. For dinner I went with the Tavern Burger. The best way to test the mettle of a new place is to order the burger. If they nail the burger, chances are pretty good they’ve got the rest covered. And they do. The burger, cooked to order, was juicy, well-​seasoned and paired with a side of fries. The chef recommended I try it with garlic aioli instead of mayo so I did. Well played, Tim. My wife ordered the house salad and the steamed mussels. No complaints from her on either one.
It’s always great to see a new place pop up. I’m a firm believer in supporting local businesses so I hope Red House stays around. According to the staff there hasn’t been any advertising or press to promote their opening. I hope that this changes because the word should definitely get out. Like any new place, there are bound to be some bumps along the way (when we were there they couldn’t take credit cards yet and you could faintly make out the smell of fresh paint). It’s my hope that more people will give them a shot. If I could offer some suggestions they would be more taps (support those local craft brews, guys) and maybe a couch or two to warm up the place. Besides, what’s a fireplace without a couch? We’ll definitely be back.

This bar has pretty much everything you would be looking for when drinking in Baltimore City. Great service, amazing food, two bars (one upstairs and one downstairs) two pool tables and dart boards. Not to mention live music and a gorgeous wood bar. I would highly recommend this new tavern, the owner was more than hospitable and the patrons are wonderful.
Definitely a new bar on the Fells/​Canton scene, but more than worth checking out.