Rafael’s Restaurant

32 W Main St, Westminster, MD 21157, USA

About Rafael’s Restaurant

4.3 / 5

from reviews

    Kelly Orndorff
    -
    October 14, 2024

    I strongly believe that the ONE server (Kirsten) and the ONE bartender (Tonya) who worked yesterday deserve better support. It was incredibly busy with a full bar during a Ravens away game and 15 tables in the dining room. Despite the challenging circumstances, they maintained a great attitude and provided excellent service. It's imperative to adequately staff your restaurant/bar to ensure the best possible experience for both customers and employees.

    Earl Ross
    -
    October 06, 2023

    So I'll start with the atmosphere! The interior renovations look great. I came during lunch hour, but from the initial appearance, I could tell from the lighting that it would look great at night. I would say it's a mixture of classy elegance. I chose to sit at the "Tiki" deck (four finger air quotes). Although the reggae music and wood decking was a good attempt at creating a tropical bar feel, I think a few palm plants strategically placed would make the Tiki bar more "Tiki'ey" (I struggle trying to make up that word)! I did notice outdoor deck lights strung throughout, so I would think the night time ambiance may redeem the poor effort to create an authentic beach like environment. (Then again this is downtown Westminter Maryland, not Ocean City Maryland. Service Todd was a nice guy with a very casual beachbum'ish attire but I must say his attire added a little authenticity to the tiki deck experience. He was attentive and bought out my fries first because he didn't want them to get cold while waiting for the rest of my meal. Truly I would have preferred all my food together because either way it was going to get cold while I wait for the remainder of my order, but I went ahead and ate them because I was starving. Food came after I was done with my fries. The plus side is at least I had my Root bear with my fries. Food I ordered the seared Aki Tuna! It left a lot to be desired. First off the tuna didn't taste fresh at all! Didn't taste like I would end up with a bad flesh eating bacterial infection (Knock on wood. The day is still young), but I've had enough Aki tuna to know this wasn't the freshest. Now I must say the presentation was very impressive. It was pretty, but when I get seared tuna I expect to see some signs of searing on the surface layer. A little bit more of a sear and it would have improved the dish. Don't get me wrong I love sashimi but this was in between sashami and seared. (How does that happen?) The flavor just didn't do it for me, one because the lack of fresh taste but two because it was overwhelmed with sesame seeds to the point that all I could focus on was the crunchy seeds. But even worse was the overwhelming mayo that drowned out the remainder of any flavor that existed. My last gripe with the tuna is that it was tough! How do uncooked tuna turn out tough? I mean I had to chew it much more than I should have to. So the fries that i devoured were plentiful for the price. Summary So I will give them a little bit of a pass for the taste of the food because my taste buds weren't fully engaged since most of my hunger was satisfied by the fries before hand. But I don't think I'll be trying the tuna again. I like to give a restaurant a couple times to wow me before totally writing them off (sometimes you just have a bad day) so I'll give them 3 stars for atmosphere alone and a cool waiter. I'll be back in the evening when the ambiance is in full display.

    Sarah Walsh
    -
    June 01, 2023

    I haven’t been this disappointed in a restaurant in a long time. My husband and I went to dinner on a Wednesday evening. I ordered the $16 Rafael’s Salad and he ordered the $16 shrimp tacos. When the food came out I couldn’t believe the $16 “salad” that was placed in front of me. 5 leaves of uncut romaine, 6 shrimp that were barely cooked, a few slivers of avacado and 4 cherry tomatoes. I was noticeably upset. I made a comment to to waiter about the lack of shrimp and the way it was plated and he said “yes, I’ve heard that before”. This is a common complaint and it is still served like that?! Meanwhile, my husbands $16 tacos came with 12 shrimp. I’m still trying to figure out how both of these meals were the same price. The waiter seemed completely unfazed by my complaint and offered no solution besides a knife to cut the salad. At that point I should have just sent it back. At the end of our meal I spoke with a female manager about the salad. She offered us a generous refund of $1.60. The only reason I gave 2 stars was because the shrimp tacos were good. My salad was awful and the service was insulating. It is safe to say I will never be back.

    MANDY COLLINS
    -
    February 18, 2022

    I would give 10 Stars if I could! You have to go and see the new renovations. The place looks amazing and the food is so good. I recently had the Hot Italian and my husband had the Salmon BLT. Both were great and the hand cut fries were off the chart. We had an order of the Bang Bang Shrimp to start and they were BANGING! They also have a raw bar attached to the main bar, so if you are into Raw Oysters this is the place for you. The staff really makes you feel welcomed and our server couldn't have been any nicer. During our meal the owner came by to make sure we were happy with everything. All around great experience from start to finish. So excited to go back!

    Brianna Lloyd Anger
    -
    September 07, 2024

    I had a private party on the deck on the same day as their official opening as Serra. My party planning was very last-minute, and I was in a bit of a pinch. However, Brittany was fantastic to work with and accommodated me in a large way. And I was not the easiest to work with (not intentionally) because I kept forgetting things she had already explained. But she was patient with me and the event was a huge success. I would recommend the deck for private party to anyone- was a beautiful night had by all, and all my guests told me how good their food was.

    Rafael’s Restaurant

    Our Address

    32 W Main St, Westminster, MD 21157, USA

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