Union Hotel Restaurant

We went out for our anniversary and got the prime rib. It was not good at all. The service was ok... but not at all what I expected for the quality of food. The owner walked through the dining room with a dog... if u want a great meal with great service try the belvedere in lancaster city. U will not be disappointed... ever.

I have never felt compelled to participate in any type of restaurant review; but my experience at the Union Hotel in Port Deposit, MD was such a nightmare, that I feel the need to tell as many people as possible what happened.

We were looking forward to our first dining experience at the well-known and "respected" Union Hotel, but boy were we in for a big disappointment.

I will start off by saying that I have alot of experience working in restaurants, and am very forgiving when things "go wrong", as they sometimes do. However, there is absolutely no excuse for the way that my friend and I were recently treated during our first (and last) experience dining at the Union Hotel.

The evening started off with our waitress dropping a tray of drinks all over us; we are super laid-back customers and understand that accidents happen. But it was a bit much when she proceeded to wipe our table with the same towel she was using to wipe up the floor. Yes, we were disgusted, but were determined to not let it bother us (we had really been looking forward to this evening!!).

Everything was going okay (drinks, apps, salad), more like mediocre, until our main course arrived. We both ordered the prime rib. Mine was over-cooked, but I was not complaining, it was my friend 's that was the problem. His "medium" prime rib was so well-done, it was like "eating a piece of charcoal". He took about two bites, and gave up, as he could barely swallow it.

By this time we had had enough and politely asked the waitress to take his prime rib back, and asked if she could remove it from the bill. She replied, "not a problem", but came back a minute later to tell us that the owner refused to discount it from our bill. At this point we asked to see the owner (no manager on duty). The waitress came back to our table at least THREE times telling us that the owner , "DIDN'T FEEL LIKE COMING OUT TO TALK TO US" !!!!!! We were not budging; we were not paying for something that we did not/could not eat!!!!

This is when the drama began. Out she flew from the kitchen, like a banchee from hell. Screaming, for all patrons to hear, "Where are they!?!!!". She stormed over to our table and proceeded to scream at us, like some sort of deranged lunatic. We simply said, "Mam, we are not paying for something we did not eat ." She then began to yell at the top of her lungs, "Get out and don't ever come back!!", and, "I'm calling the cops!!!" The other patrons in the restaurant were all staring, jaws dropped in disbelief!



She said to me, "I was upstairs relaxing, and I had to come down to deal with you people!!!"



I responded with, "You're a manager, it's your job to come talk to us."



She said, "I'm not a manager, I'm the owner!"



We made a point to tell her what a good job our waitress (who at this point, was crying) had done (despite the dirty towel incident, which we didn't reveal), and she replied with, "You don't know anything, she's terrible, she came from Denny's, which is where you guys belong!"



It was as if we were in a movie. It was such a dramatic, insane, and unecessary scene.It just seemed unreal. Other guests in the dining room began conversing loudly about how crazy she was, and they couldn't believe that this was happening.

She eventually took the prime rib off the bill, and we were out of there. (Did I mention the giant dog hanging out in the kitchen?)

Outside of the obviously beautiful historical building, and the accentric period themed waiting staff, the food is amazing! The prices are well worth the tastebud celebration you are sure to have after indulging in ANY of their dishes, from homemade bread and butters, to mouth watering soups and appetizers, to the beautifully prepared entrees! You will certainly enjoy your meal out no matter what you choose from the menu. The atmosphere is just the icing on the cake! My husband and I celebrate our anniversary there every year, and our favorite thing to do on the way there is think of what we will order. We always leave more than pleased! I am still daydreaming of the tomato bisque I had there this past weekend!