Jazzy’s

Jazzy used to be Sassafras — same location, same décor. What’s different is the quality of food and the presentation. I recently went there for a private baby shower brunch and the meal was fantastic — everything from omelettes made to order to crispy wings to waffles. DELICIOUS! Wait staff was courteous and helpful and made sure to go out of their wait to make sure all the guests were taken care of. If you have a need for a private event, definitely check Jazzy out. If not, stop by for a Sunday mimosa brunch or date night when the spot turns into a lounge. Either way, you are in for a nice time.

On the recommendation of a friend, I went on Sunday and I am glad that I did. .great music from Jeff and the Jazz Update. .great service… very nice ambiance and the food was also good… try it for yourself.

I’m writing this review as I sit in Jazzy’s. I arrived at 6:48. We didn’t see a waitress until 7:15. We asked for a menu and was told she would bring us one as soon as one was available??? We received our 1^st drink at 7:30, the waitress disappeared. Ordered food and another drink at 8:00 (chicken wings, chicken loins and calamari). Received 2^nd drink at 8:30. I asked about our food. With attitude she said «I put it in.» It is now 8:51 and the waitress just came to our table and asked what we ordered! Every one in the place has received food except us. When we asked for the manager, the host came to our table and instead of apologizing for the delay, he made excuses about how there were problems in the front and problems in the back and he was trying to do everyone’s job. I’m sorry, how does that help resolve my situation?
Around 9:10 the cook came to our table, asked what we ordered, said the food’s been ready and started bringing it out. I tasted my grilled wings and they were cold. He took them back, heated them up (probably in the microwave) and brought the same wings back to me. It was at that moment I realized we had no silverware or napkins on the table so I stopped a waitress and asked if we could have some napkins. She brought one (we had a table of four). I pointed that out to her so she did bring three more (still no silverware, I had wings so it didn’t matter to me, but my sister had to eat her calamari with her fingers). The cook did keep coming back to check on us to make sure we were okay but our waitress totally disappeared until the end of the evening when she came to bring us our checks.
The spot was pretty nice, normal limited lounge menu, a little overpriced ($ 32.00 for wings, fries and two SoCos, plus door cover charge if there is live entertainment that night), but I wouldn’t mind that if the service was spot on. The place was packed, There were too many tables but I’m thinking they added extra tables because of the Jazz Fest, so the owners knew well in advance that the show (Lake Arbor Pre-​Jazz Festival) was sold out so they had plenty of time to add another waitress and bartender to make sure the customers were taken care of and would want to return. The extra bartender would’ve paid for itself because people would be able to order and actually receive a drink. I love supporting local business (I hate chain restaurants) but they have to do better at customer service.
It’s a good thing I’m enjoying the music, so for that two stars.

It’s a shame to see yet another local PG County establishment with great entertainment and less than stellar service.
I went last night for a saxaphone tribute to the 80s & 90s. I ordered a drink called a bee sting (Honey jack and tea) and the salmon croquettes. They were just okay. I ordered another drink, and the bartender/​server brings me the drink in the SAME cup, with the SAME melted ice and the SAME lemons that I squeezed into my glass. I walked it back to the bar to enquire about it and she had the nerve to get an attitude with me! I didn’t approach her with one, so I don’t expect one in return. And she was TOTALLY wrong! Total turn off! If she was going to use the same glass, she could have at least rinsed it and replaced the ice and lemons! I asked to speak to a manager, but they just had one person come pretending to be such. My drink was removed from the bill, and was offered a complimentary glass of wine as compensation. I declined because I didn’t want anything else from that place.
I was really looking forward to making that a regular hang out because it’s close to home. My expectations were totally soured and I would NOT recommend this place to anyone!

I returned to brunch for the second time on 6÷8÷2014 since I haven’t had the opportunity to do so until now. I came with a friend who is versed in the culinary arts. I was more displeased this time. We tried the brunch buffet. I will just share what I asked the waitress to convey to the chef and the owner. The salmon was overcooked. I should have just left it since it was hard to slice. The greens, upon looking at them, one can tell were canned. The jerk wings were the only items I was okay with eating. However, the seasoning was lacking. It appeared to be imitation jerk seasoning… or something I can pull off a grocery store shelf. Maybe they were pre-​made and delivered frozen. The omelets contain egg beaters. If someone is paying over $ 20 for a buffet, why am I eating powdered eggs? Egg whites are not an option. There is not a lick of fruit on the line for those who like to eat light or even dress their plate with fruit. My friend’s omelet was runny. I asked the gentleman if the sausage links were turkey. He stated they were. When I bit into it, it tasted like pork. I asked my friend and she agreed. It was either pork or the sausage had run its course. Considering I don’t eat pork, the little that I has made me sick. Since I’m preparing for a competition, I am highly upset that this may result in me missing a few days of training. Never again! There is a slim chance I will grab a drink or maybe catch a show but I definitely will not be consuming food here. It was so bad, we asked the pizza guy across the courtyard to deliver a pizza to our table.

First off I am huge supporter of local talent and Marcus has made Washingtonians very proud over the years. Now to review his latest endeavor, the Jazz restaurant business. I usually hold off negative reviews until at least visit number #2 but that may take a while if ever so I better get it in Now! I love the concept of a jazz restaurant in an area thirsty for more live music. After reading the previous reviews I truly expected to be standing in line to enter this place on a Saturday night in April. WRONG! What in the HELL happened to the crowd that everybody was talking about? Uh Ohh! This is a HORRIBLE sign for a young business. We arrived at 9:30 and had our choice of tables. I’m debating if I should do the «pros/​cons» theme with this review. Hmmm, it may be the most effective way of getting my point across.
PROS: Ample parking, nice décor, local, food reasonably priced, intimate setting.
CONS: Paid a $ 10 cover per person for a one man band with prerecorded background music, the appetizer portions were a bit small, service was slow and the waitress had zero personality, and the drinks were mediocre in taste at best.
The last lounge restaurant that occupied this space «Sassafras» did not survive and unfortunately if changes aren’t made fast and I mean REALLY fast, I’m sad to report that this one won’t either!
I would suggest that Marcus visits Olde Towne Inne in Upper Marlboro and make friends with Darnell the owner and pick his brain. His place is always packed, has live free music and the food is ALWAYS on point! I want Jazzy’s to survive but with Half Note right down the street, it’s gonna be tough. Good luck!

I’m going to get right to the point. If Jazzy’s does not replace or highly retrain their wait staff they will fail as a business. Pleasant customer service is fully absent. I’ve now been there twice, once for a crowded evening event and once for brunch in which the place was empty except for our group and for both events the common weakest link was the service. They are inattentive, bad attitude and spent way too much time socializing among themselves instead of attending to customers.
I was there yesterday for brunch. The $ 30.00 price is too high for the very limited options and mediocre food. The salmon was extremely good but the few other items were merely average. The jazz band was good so that helped to save the event.
During the evening event I attended the hostess found our names on guest list but tried to charge entry fee, then said no seats were available. We had to get the organizer to come talk to them to get entry and yes there were seats on hold for us.
I would love to see the business thrive but changes are needed for that to occur, especially in service.

We had a group of 7 for Sunday Brunch with unlimited mimosas for $ 29 per person.
The mimosa’s were mostly OJ. Pre-​mixed and VERY LITTLE champagne.
The food was very good. They had snow crab legs, but they don’t put them out for the brunch, you have to ask for them as they are made to order. You would not know that unless you asked… the only reason we knew is because we saw other patrons with snow crab legs.
Jazz music was a one man band, not very good but okay.
Nice spot… service is okay, food is good… Sunday Brunch… NOT WORTH $ 29…at all!!!

My friends and I are regular patrons of Jazzy’s. The space is cozy, the prices are decent, and the live jazz band is ON POINT.
Whenever I visit Jazzy’s, the wait staff and bartenders are extremely attentive and offer great recommendations. I really like the grilled wings, the crispy chicken loins w/​house cut fries, and the cornbread muffins.
Looking forward to going back very soon!

I was there on Saturday, feb 22^nd, I wassnt happy with customer service, I had to get my own menu at the bar and waited 20 mins before someone took my order. At the end I order a cheesecake but they brought me a red velvet cake but they kept telling me it was a red velvet cheescake, which it wasn’t! On the menu the price was $ 7 but they charge me $ 9, the manager informed me that the“red velvet cheescake” was a special, well where is the special menu? it was my first time and last time there. They also charge $ 10 for entertainment which is fine but the band started at 9 and played for 1hr than took a whole hour break! Really? !! I have been to restaurant/​lounges with live entertainment and the break isnt a whole hour!
Really disappointed with the service, false advertisement of prices on the menu …

What a huge disappointment! Went there on V Day expecting a wonderful romantic upscale evening, but this was an epic fail. We were met at the door with «there is a cover charge tonight to pay for the band». Very tacky, and how and why would give your dining guests with reservations an extra $ 20 charge to pay for your ambience?
The service was GOD awful, the absolute worse I’ve had in a very long time, and I seldom complain. They had young adults, definitely not seasoned waiters basically food runners serving as their wait staff. They were clueless about the valentine drink specials. I asked for one thing and they bought out another. MY boyfriend asked for a certain tequila and he waited eons for his drink. We ordered the chicken medallion appetizer, and it never came. The restaurant was not full, and i watched similar chaos happening with other tables. The table beside us got their entrees and the woman asked whatever happened to my salad? The kids just kept saying, «I’m so sorry, the kitchen is backed up…»
When I watched the young lady at the front door walk up to the couples beside us asking them to pay their 10 dollar cover charge while they were dining (apparently they had gotten by her initially) that was the final straw for me. They were in the middle of eating and talking and she is sweating them to reach in their wallets for the money to cover for the band? I thought it was awful, and awkwardly uncomfortable and super tacky.
Mind you, they were not charging greasy spoon prices! We are talking scallops, lobster; 28 $ 32 $, fine dining prices, but the experience was anything but that. Save your money and go elsewhere. I suspect this one will be closing soon, like Sassafras and the old Wow Wingery.
We left, wasting money on bad service and drinks.
NIghtmare city.

2÷2÷2014
I called to get basic information about the establishment and Laura the General manager answered the phone. She was a breath of fresh air. She gave me a breif overview of the history of the business and what could be expected. I needed a reservation for 8 – 10 people, she was fabulous at accommodating my request. Although the list ended up being considerably smaller we just called and they still met the need. We arrived at 7:30 and was promptly seated next to the fireplace whic was awesome if you are always cold. The venue is small but well designed in style and layout. Our waitress was Breanna she was very pleasant and helpful. The service is VERY slow but the food and drinks were great. We ordered a minimum of about 8 things off the menu from appetizer to dessert. Jerk wings, gumbo, calamari, chicken Alfredo and bread pudding just to name a few were all delicious. The band was really good as well. The played from 9−10pm it seemed like the took an hour break and resumed at 11. It was crowded, almost every table was full. There were no people standing though. If you are looking for a quaint romantic place to relax have dinner and listen to some Jazz I would definitely recommend this place.

We visited Jazzy’s last evening around 4:30. The restaurant was completely empty with exception of us and the staff. The décor and ambience was nice as well as the hostess and waiter. The appetizer and food ordered was NOT good. It all appeared to come from a box and was served cold. We grew very frustrated and decided to leave. The appetizer and dinner was taken off the bill but we were charged for the non-​alcoholic beverage we had waiting over an hour for editable food which we never received. Although the restuarant has a nice décor for an intimate jazz show, I strongly suggest that dinner arrangements be made elsewhere!!!

I called Jazzy’s to inquire about late night table reservations for a group of friends after a dinner party at my house. I was very quickly put in contact with Laura, the new general manager, and she was very pleasant and helpful. She immediately went over the available options and explained that there would be a difference in cover charge depending upon the time of my arrival and the band performing. Laura followed up throughout the week to update me on the details for the evening and even called me within and hour of my anticipated arrival to alert me of possible changes in the performance schedule.
When my party arrived, I was greeted at the door, by name, and Laura came over to greet my party and show us to our table. Tramaine, our server, was great. She was very attentive, pleasant, and genuinely wanted to make sure that we had a good time. It was an all around pleasant evening. The icing on the cake for the whole evening is that we were surprised to find out, once we got our checks, that we’d walked into their late night happy hour!
I never visited this space when it was Sassafras, but a number of us have plans to return to Jazzy, over and over again. My only suggestion would be to play a wider variety of music when live music isn’t playing. Once the band stopped, it almost felt like the night was over, because the mood changed so significantly. Several of my party started to ask for their checks, thinking we’d reached last call. Other than that, I’m really happy to have this spot in the neighborhood.

I had my little heart set on listening to some live jazz, sipping on some wine, and munching on a little food when I heard about Marcus Johnson’s new restaurant, «Jazzy» in Bowie, MD. After driving all the way out there, and it being a TOTAL BUST, still wanting to listen to live music, I drove to DC looking for a Plan B.
JAZZY IS A TOTAL FAIL!!!
AFTER I make the long trek to PG County, I arrive to find the place completely packed! Most of the patrons were standing. The band was just arriving.
I stood at the front desk waiting on a hostess. She finally appeared. She quickly informed me there were no tables. No ish, Shirlock (I thought to myself), as I could see the entire restaurant with one glance from where I stood.
She told me I could go to the bar. I glanced over there — it was insanely packed, too I asked if there was a waiting list. She looked at me like that was a foreign concept. She told me she’d come get me if something became available.
I scanned the restaurant. There were LOTS of empty pub tables along the right side of the restaurant, to include tables up front near the stage. I learned ALL of the pub tables were reserved, but later learned they don’t offer reservations.
GO FIGURE!!!
So I head back to the very packed bar section at the rear of the restaurant. It was so packed, I couldn’t even get to the bar from the left, so I walked around the entire restaurant up front to approach it from the right side because there’s no other way to navigate to the bar, as the seating is that tight.
I finally made eye contact with one of the very restless bar maids. I asked for a white wine — something sweet. I’m pretty sure she gave me a Barefoot Moscato. I sipped, thinking I’d try to make the best of it since I drove 45 miles. After walking the restaurant looking for a seat somewhere — anywhere where I could sit and order food, I headed up front where more people were coming in. The hostess said nothing. No update on the seating situation or anything, which gave me the impression she wasn’t even trying to get me seated. After looking at the very bland and small portions brought out for one of the seated guests, I decided to down my cheap wine, hit US 50 to go to DC where I’d have more options to sit down and listen to some live jazz music. Thank God I found JoJo’s on U Street.
I didn’t want to give this place a bad review until I tried again, because its black owned. But being a black entrepreneur doesn’t give you a pass for poor management. I called today to see if I could get reservations for a table since Marcus is scheduled to play. The older man who likely thinks customer service is some foreign concept answers the phone (again) and he quickly tells me they don’t do reservations — so HOW was the party the night before able to secure one third of the restaurant, I thought?
*sighs* Oh well… I tried!
I won’t be back. This place is not worth driving any distance from, to get to. If you don’t live in Bowie or within a 5-​mile drive, DO NOT… I repeat… DO NOT waste your time, because you may make the trek and find yourself standing the entire night. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for that.
Good luck, Jazzy’s! No… get it together!

Overvall, my girlfriend and I had a pretty disappointing experience, but this may be solely based on our waiter (who will go unnamed).
First of all, we’ve been looking for a jazzy place to eat for quite some time now and Jazzy seemed like the perfect spot. The night started off well as we were seated right next to the fire place very quickly, probably within 5 minutes; it was 8:40 when we got seated. The fire was a little too close so things got toasty very quick but after taking off our jackets and such your body adjusted to it. After about 5 – 7 mins our waiter asked us for our drinks… after about a 10 min wait my gf got her coke and after another 10 min wait I got my rum and was able to ask our waiter if he was ready to take our order for the appetizer. He took the order for the appetizer (calamari) and the two entrees at the same time. It was odd, but I figured he would come right back with our appetizer. He did not come back to our table until 9:40pm, by that time all of our drinks were empty and I had to tell him to refill them. The calamari was tiny, hardly even a snack for one person and my gf’s fries were cold to the touch. Other then that I had the chops and she had the burger, both of which were pretty decent. After waiting another 10 mins to get our refills my gf asks for mayonnaise for her burger since it was dry. That too took about 15 mins to get, that was the last time he came to our table. By the time 10:30pm rolled around we had finished our food and drinks and were just waiting to order dessert but the man never came back so I went to the front desk and told them to find our waiter so we could get our checks since he was so busy flirting with the table that had all the girls. The lady at the front desk brought us our check and we left disgusted.
With a good waiter I probably would have given this place a 3/​5, since the music was just way too loud to carry on a conversation (not first date friendly), with that said, the performers were very good though.

Recently, I returned to Jazzy’s lounge for a special event.
Local jazz musician Marcus Johnson and his band were performing. They were also promoting Marcus Johnson’s new FLO brand wine line. Marcus Mitchell, gifted jazz saxophonist & owner of Jazzy, performed with the band. It was awesome!!! The crowd was captivated by the smooth sounds and we were enjoying every moment. After the show was over, Marcus M. came over to express his appreciation for the support. He was also interested in obtaining our feedback about his lounge. Marcus is very cool, but remains humble.
There were also more Cajun/​Creole menu offerings. I tried some of their new small plate items (salmon croquettes) and the soup of the day. They were good!
I encourage everyone to support this business! Quality jazz without going into the city and lots of free parking. This lounge has nice happy hours, jam sessions on Tuesdays, spoken word on Wednesdays, Scandal Thursdays, and occasional speed dating events too!

My husband and I visited Jazzy’s this past weekend. The venue is not perfect, but it has so much potential. We will continue to support and be regular patrons as long as Jazzy’s continues to improve and build their menu.
We arrived at Jazzy’s around 7:30 Saturday evening and immediately sat at the bar. I ordered the shrimp and grits and my husband ordered the calamari. The shrimp and grits were pretty tasty, but I was not prepared for the presentation. Instead of serving the grits in a bowl, there were about 4 small patties of grits on an appetizer plate with two pieces of shrimp on top of each patty. The presentation was actually done nicely, but the dish was listed as a dinner item for $ 17. I definitely thought I would get full from the dish, but it was more like an appetizer. The calamari was okay — could have been larger portions and fried a little harder. Also could give patrons the option of ordering marinara sauce, although the sauce they offered was also tasty. Speaking of marinara sauce, I ordered a side of french fries and it was served with ketchup made in-​house. The ketchup actually tasted like marinara sauce! I’m not a big ketchup person anyway, but my husband loved it. We actually ordered 3 orders of fries (again… small portions) between the two of us.
We had two friends come and join us at the bar and they ordered drinks and the sliders and loved it all. I see a reviewer earlier complained about the amount of cabernet shiraz she was served, but I had two glasses and the bartender definitely poured enough for me! It would be nice if they had different size glasses for red wine and white wine, but I’m not going to be picky over that. I would also suggest that they add some different dessert options.
A live band performed and they were playing some good music! We kind of had our own karaōke session at the bar as we were singing along to the music they played! Also, our bartenders Al and Lauren were attentive and very friendly. At first it seemed like an older crowd, but I saw some younger people arriving later in the night (around 11PM).
All in all, I’m glad that there is a place like this in my neighborhood. I never visited Sassafrass (the establishment this replaced), but I’m guessing it had a similar ambiance to this place. I also think Jazzy’s will give Half Note Lounge some competition. As long as Jazzy’s continues with the great customer service and upgrades it’s menu a bit, I’m sure it will stick around. It’s such a chill, cozy spot… I can’t wait to go back!

I like the feel of the place. Cozy, nice ambiance, mood lighting… We stopped by for dinner on a Friday night. There is a $ 10 cover charge if they have a band for the night. The music was good. However it was LOUD like we were yelling at each other to have a conversation. Our waiter had to get all up in our personal space to hear our order. It wasn’t as many people the night we went but it was raining out so that may be why… On a packed night i could see this being a really nice jazzy spot. Currently it feels like its new & they are still working out the kinks. Limited menu but really good food.

My husband and I went to check out Jazzy’s after a dinner &concert at Blue Dolphin on Friday 9−6−13. The jazz artist Marcus Miller was really good as was Claudette Monet. Jazzy is a very intimate place to have a glass of wine and enjoy the smooth sounds of jazz. I gave Jazzy three starts because I ordered a glass of cabernet –shiraz and when Teresa brought it to out table., I was astonished that i was paying $ 10 for a 2.5ounce glass of wine. I gave Teresa a good tip and now I am giving management their tip… please offer atleast 4.5 ounces of wine for the price.