Ryleigh’s Oyster

«Shore Night» is a new-​ish Tuesday happy hour thing, with $ 3 crabs and $ 1 oysters. We had the $ 15 for 5 crabs which was probably a better idea ‘cos they gave us 2 huge female crabs and 3 medium-​small ones. Dollar oysters were local oysters, service was good although we were there around 6:30pm and it wasn’t crowded. Nice ambience and décor, cheaper than Fells Point, easy parking and this is a place for locals since there’s nothing else on that avenue. Great for happy hour and after work drinks, especially if you want to entertain out-​of-​town visitors.

After 5 or 6 visits where I leave disappointed each time, a review is warranted. Location and bones of the venue are fantastic! Also a great (theoretical) happy/​oyster hour — but the service is consistently bad, the food mediocre. Would be one star if not for the brussel sprouts

So, let me start by saying that the wings and fries that we got were awesome. The service that we had while sitting at the bar was ok too. However the «pound» of wings was 7 and they were not that big, and cost $ 11. The bowl of fries was $ 6 and only worth abouy $ 3.
So if you want good food but pay a lot for very small portions this is the place for you.

Love their raw oysters! Monday’s they have half off certain oysters.
I know this sounds redundant but their crab soup mixed with cream of crab is delicious.
Usually I go just to have a few of my favorite beers.
The Bartenders are pretty cool easy going. During happy hour it can be congested because the bar area is small. It can be very quaint when the crowd dies down.

I’ve eaten here in the past and the food was delicious. However, tonight was a different story. The food wasn’t up to par at all! I ordered the catfish bites. They had no flavor besides grease and oil. They came with a cinnamon tasting dipping sauce, which tasted so weird! For dinner, it was the fried oyster roll. The best part were the chips! The oysters tasted extra fishy. Overall I was disappointed with tonight’s food. Not sure I’ll be returning anytime soon.

Great happy hour food and drinks. Unfortunately I tend to forget about this great spot, but I really must come here more often. With so much seating, and 2 great bars, you can always find a comfortable, uncrowded seat and enjoy time with friends. Literally, everything on their happy hour menu is perfect, I can’t even choose favorites, so I just order one of each.

I joined Unilocal today, the 23^rd of April, in the year of 2016, for the sole purpose of saying how absolutely brilliant Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar is.
I work less than two blocks away and I’ve walked by Ryleigh’s every morning, and curiously watched fresh food get unloaded from trucks. After a long tiring day on my feet, I shuffle back down Cathedral, toward the parking garage, seeking to speak to no one. And somehow, a scent wafts out of the open doors of Ryleigh’s beautifully lit bar, that leaves its door open in the early evenings… as if beckoning to me.
Only until today have I set foot inside. I called ahead, thinking that on a Saturday afternoon with gorgeous weather, the outdoor seating would be packed. I was assured that if I came to Ryleigh’s, they would make sure I was taken care of.
And taken care of, I was.
What I was craving, and have craved for months, was oysters. Fresh, salty, briny oysters snatched from the ocean and placed on a bed of ice with a wedge of brought yellow lemon. My husband wanted them fries. The menu was so expanive that we settled on raw oysters as a starter and a fried oyster po’ boy. I was expecting high prices, tiny plates of mircoscoptic, «reimagined» meals better fit for an episode of Top Chef than a hungry pair of Baltimoreans with Baltimore appetites.
I was oh so pleasantly surprised. The oysters were amazing. I’m naming my firstborn Avery Pearl in honor of them. The po’ boy was TOO GOOD. The wings were crispy and remarkably juicy without being pink in the middle. Nothing that passed my lips at Ryleigh’s was less than superb. The staff was gelpful and courteous when the wind picked up, and we had to haul tail inside. Shawn/​Sean/​Shaun was personable and friendly and encouraged us to come back.
As if they could keep us away.

Slow service, we were never asked for a drink order, and we had to explain that we needed to be done in a set amount of time. Food was ok, way over priced for the service.

I want to start this review by saying, I love oysters, I love sitting around the table with friends eating them and enjoying a beer, I love it more when the oysters are a buck! I have been trying to get friends to this place for so long as was really excited when I saw that they were doing opening day «specials» which was just an extended happy hour. My excitement quickly turned into frustration followed by anger and disappointment. I was meeting a group of friends here after work, 2 of us showed up first at 5pm. we started off with a drink a order of oysters and fried calamari. We got our drinks within a timely manner, no problem there. It took us about 20 minutes to get our oysters; I was an oyster shucker in high school at a very busy famous seafood restaurant in Canton, so I do understand that its taxing and hard but when its not busy, it definitely shouldn’t take 20 minutes to get a dozen. We finally get our oysters but did not get our calamari. We enjoy the oysters and our drinks and finish them, still no calamari. at this point its been 40 minutes since we ordered the calamari and the Manager comes over and ask how are things, and we say «we ordered some calamari but haven’t received it» he says I’ll go check on it, the bartender comes over and ask did you order fried or grilled calamari? He obviously forgot to put it in, which as a p/​t server I know it happens however he should have but didnt apologize for the screw up, hejust said «ok» it will be out.
The evening continued to go downhill from there… The rest of my friends show up it becomes a table of 6. All there to enjoy some drinks and watch the game. It took the bartender about 20 minutes to come over and acknowledge the group and when he finally did, he took drink orders from all but one of my friends and just walked away. She was kind of annoyed but decided I’ll just wait for him to come back and put my order in. It took him about ²⁰⁄₃₀ mins to come back with the drink order, we finally put in her drink and put in an appetizer (crab pretzel) after 20 minutes he hadn’t returned with her drink or our appetizer, so my friend gets up to walk to the bar and the bartender says «okay have a seat, and I’ll be over» after another 15 minutes of not getting her beer or our appetizer, I get really annoyed and walk over to the bar to get her drink and ask about our appetizer (a damn crab pretzel). The bartender says I will bring it over, the only response I could have was «no, just pour it now and hand it to me» and I asked about our crab pretzel and he says I’ll check on it. I take my friend her drink and we continue to lament about our service while waiting on this damn pretzel. We decide to get our check while waiting.
We get our check from the bartender and pre-​split the check, some folks only had drinks some had drinks and food. We wrote on the check the card name and the amounts. As a server I understand doing this isnt ideal but in no way is it a hassle. We gave the check back to the bartender with everyone’s card. the bartender split the check equally, which is an innocent mistake but when the same guy goes back to the bartender and explains «hey, we already split the check its on the back» his response was shocking, instead of saying «oh, my bad» he lies and «I asked the guy who turned it in to me» Blatant lie as the same person returned the check. Oh and still no Crab pretzel. He corrects the receipts and we finally get our pretzel. This pretzel is awful!!! its 3 small HARD pretzels with COLD crab dip slapped on top and a little sprinkle of cheese.
Back to the check fiasco. Once he runs the checks again My card gets declined, I assume its becasue I have high security and he ran it twice. Totally fine, my boyfriend covered my check. The Bartender comes over and makes a point to say «Usually for tables over 5 we add 20% gratuity but I didnt do it this time» As if he was doing us a favor. Cut to a few days later, I check my account and my card was declined not becasue the bartender charged me twice within minutes, but becasue he charged me 5 different times.
I love the location of this place, and I love Ryleighs in Fed hill but this place needs a complete overhaul and competent staff. If I could give it less than one star I totally would.

We’ve been going here for over a year. Initially great, good food and service but over the last few months the service has gone downhill. Last night, wrong food, over an hour to get food and frankly the last straw in a downhill trend. Shame as we enjoyed the vibe.

I’ve been at restaurants where the service was bad; sometimes the server is rude, sometimes the server is inattentive, sometimes the order is wrong. But this is bad service on an entirely different level. This was a joke.
So my girlfriend and I go to sit in the courtyard, but the tables are taken. There’s a little bar there with some stools, so we took a seat there. As we sat, we saw a waitress through the glass inside fixing a check or something on the computer. I didn’t catch her name for obvious reasons, so if the management happens to be reading this, she was working happy hour on March 9, African American, about 5’5. I waved politely to grab her attention. She didn’t gesture back and continued on the computer for five more minutes. At that point, she left and went to do something else somewhere elsewhere in the building.
So we figured we might have to just order inside. I go to the upstairs bar inside and ask the bartender. He says «if there is a spot outside, take a seat and I’ll be out in a minute.» Okay, cool. So I was doing it right. Eventually, we have been sitting outside for a good 20 minutes without anyone saying anything to us or giving us so much as a wave.
Here’s the best part. The waitress walks outside to check on her tables. To get out, she has to walk down the ramp that my girlfriend and I are facing. It’s literally right in front of us. So she steps down the ramp and stops at our faces, completely avoids eye contact, and glances around our faces to look at her tables. She then walks away.
Even if the bartender was wrong and we should have ordered inside, she could have realized we didn’t have any drinks or food. I guess they would be fine with a homeless guy chilling in the courtyard, not buying anything. Even if she wasn’t a waitress and instead the bus boy, she should have said something to us. Clearly we were seeking her help.
We waited about 30 minutes total and then went home. Never going back.

Standard restaurant/​pub. Pros for me are the location and that’s it’s usually not crowded. However, it does take a bit to get the staff’s attention given that they were spread thin when I went. Good for a chill meetup for food and drink. Nothing really special that I could tell.

It wasn’t crowded! which is good because the service is just AWESOME…
I called 10 minute before arrival to ensure a table, and when we got there… the table is set for us!!! Our server is so attentive and make sure whatever we need is there… extra water was brought to our table, and frequently refilled! awesome!!! Decoration is nice. there’s a bar area where people sat and watch football, and there is dining area also… they even ask if there’s any channel we want to watch beside what’s already on the tv… aww…
we have a party of 9, and we get a lot of different variety of food… we got char-​grilled oyster, to lobster roll, lobster mac and cheese, cream of crab, fried oyster po boy, crab dip, ahi tuna burger, etc… all the food looks good… some of them tasted a bit salty for me, but overall it’s good. Too bad we didn’t get a chance to eat the $ 1 oyster this time! Street parking in a pretty nice area, so you don’t have to worry about safety…

Came here last night before a show at the Meyerhoff.
The bartender was wonderful and we ordered delicious happy hour oysters. Love the Averys Pearls, VA ones
We ordered an oyster po boy and a gigantic crab cake to share. The po boy was delicious but I thought the bread overwhelmed the sandwich. Being a MD girl I was disappointed by the crab cake. Hubby liked it though.
Great place to come before a show at the Meyerhoff. Super convenient.

Went here before going to the Baltimore Symphony for drinks and a quick bite to eat. It was crowded and a bit of a wait for a table so we decided to sit at the bar. It was happy hour and they had several drink and appetizer specials. The bartender was very helpful and pleasant. As an appetizer I got the cream of crab soup. It was good but a little salty.
Shrimp and grits was ordered for the main course. The shrimp tasted fresh and the dish was flavorful. Portions were also generous. Prices were reasonable and being as though it was directly across from the symphony hall it is the perfect location if you are attending the symphony. Overall a good experience.

We came in just as the crowd was heading over to a concert at the Symphony Hall. We let the bartender know we were not in a hurry, it was our anniversary. He thanked us, went and took care of the folks trying to tab out, and then gave us fantastic service. The chef sent out dessert to help us celebrate, gratias… very nice!
The grilled oysters and the mussels in a white wine garlic sauce were amazing… definitely coming back soon.

Truthfully — the food isn’t amazing. The bar staff seem to lack in knowledge (I asked the bartender what the soup de jour was — he didn’t know. Asked him if they had whistle pig — he asked me what it was. It’s a whiskey. Finally ordered a old fashioned — it wasn’t tasty at all).
But the ambiance is casual. Good spot to relax and watch a game. Never too crowded. But not really worth the price for that level of quality.

Always a good time, Ryleigh’s is the best at what they do!
I came to the Mt. Vernon location recently with my coworkers for an after staff retreat bit of bonding.
We ordered a ton of the buck a shuck oysters which included my faves, Avery Pearls. We also ordered the crab pretezels, mussels, the lobster roll and the beef carpaccio salad. All of it soooooooooooo good.
Not surprising at all since I always get great service and good food at the Federal Hill location.
This location has plenty of seating and lots of space.
If you’re in Mt. Vernon and craving seafood be sure to check them out on Shore Night! It features the buck a shuck oysters and large 3 buck crabs! enjoy!

Two words. Happy Hour!!! I heard that this location is the newest out of the three and I really didn’t know what to expect. My friend and husband set up my birthday party there on a whim because they knew that I loved raw oysters and heard about the great deals that they have during hh. We rolled in there more than 20 people deep and basically took over the entire bar located in the back haha. The bartender was all alone, poor thing, but in great spirits and was really great all night.
Okay, let’s get to the important part which is obviously the food. We were ordering oysters and happy hour apps left and right and everything was delicious. I loved the mussels in the marinara sauce, the calamari which was perfectly crispy and the oysters were great. Obviously the happy hour portions are smaller, but they did not skimp out on taste or quality with the happy hour specials and I was really impressed. My cousin and his girlfriend got the lobster mac n cheese and chicken sandwich and there was not a drop of food left when they were finished. Needless to say, everyone really enjoyed their experience there.
I don’t know much about beer, but they had a decent selection and I had the one which had a little lemony flavor to it (it resembled Blue Moon) which wasn’t bad at all. A little heavier than I had expected and I couldn’t finish it all, but I left that job to another willing party patron. We will be back for sure!

Fresh out of ideas for lunch. A co-​worker and I found ourselves at the location that is super close to the job. I must a disclaimer… here goes while i attended the Unilocal Undercover secret agent soirée I learned something new about myself… wait for it… I love fried oysters. Before that event you could not get me to taste or touch an oyster. But now bring them on! The cat is out the bag now!!!
Ryleigh’s oysters has daily lunch specials. Reasonably priced and quick to the table. But reviewing the menu it was hard to pick any one item till my eyes rolled over Fried Oyster Po’Boy. I was debating myself. Is it too soon to try other’s fried oysters? How would it taste on bread? Would I like tartar sauce on it? I had to tone out all my thoughts. And almost yelled it out. Fried Oyster Po’Boy PLEASE. But of course those others thoughts came out as well. Will it be deep fried? Like not wet? Mean can you make sure like deep fried. The server just smiled and said it will be fine a Fried Oyster Po’Boy coming up.
I was able to relax my mind while listening to the lite music playing in the background. They have several flatscreen to keep up with the sports. As I looked around I could picture myself with family dining here or a group of friends catching up after work.
I was pulled from my thoughts as the server place my plate in front of me. Yes, I was pleased by my plated Fried Oyster Po’Boy sandwich. It was huge, not sure who else they were trying to feed but I step up to the challenge. The Fried Oyster Po’Boy sandwich is served with bacon (YES BACON), lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce and side order of fries. My coworker had several menu items crispy wonton jumbo shrimp, pound of federal hill old bay wings and the beer batter onion rings. I tried the onion ring sauce and was in love. So much so I asked for some to dip my fried oyster Po’Boy in. That combination together was everything. I pray no one heard my moan though that first bite. Bar has now been set high for my next visit.
Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and eager to serve. Their somewhat new to the area but will be the go to for good food and drinks. Yes Yes they have happy hour M-​F 3 – 7 great hours… oh opens 11am.