xs baltimore

good, but..... service has always been a negative point for xs. sometimes good, most of the time mediocre to lousy. but i always enjoyed the food and atmosphere enough to tolerate the less than stellar wait staff. after moving away and not being here for a couple of years, it was disappointing to see that the service had not improved. i was also less than thrilled with the "baltimore omelet" (with crab meat and asparagus). it was okay, but needed a bit more seasoning. i will probably go back again when i'm in town ....well, maybe i will. i guess the bottom line is that i want to like xs more than i actually do

xs has eclectic food and atmosphere. the atmosphere adds to the originality of menu- exposed brick, steel and modern lighting with eccentric glass. the feel was very modern and hip. i started with the cran-apple salad ($6.95)-mixed greens, sliced apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and maple vinaigrette. the salad was crisp and refreshing except they did over do the dressing a bit. since it was a vinaigrette is did flow to the bottom of the salad and was not drowning in it. one of the sushi rolls we split was the crazy salmon roll ($11.95)-8 piece spicy salmon and tempura flakes inside, outside torched salmon and masago with eel sauce and sweet and spicy sauce. beware this one is spicy and it sticks with you- trust me it lingers! the second roll was crunchie fire ($11.50)- 8 piece shrimp tempura and avocado inside; spicy tuna, tempura flake, and spicy sauce outside. this one had a kick to it but in no way lingered like the crazy salmon roll. both rolls were fresh and flavorful. besides the heat (i would still order it again) we enjoyed both rolls extremely.

i was heading out for a night with a friend and our first stop was to have dinner. driving up charles st. we decided to stop at xs baltimore for dinner. i loved the atmosphere as soon as we walked in.

great food, subpar service. i love xs and eat there frequently. lots of vegetarian options and the staff is usually respectful of vegetarian and vegan requests. they also have great coffee and espresso drinks. however, the service is spotty, there are some nice employees, but when a certain manager is working (at night usually) expect to be treated poorly and wait longer for your meal. the most annoying part of xs, besides the occasional rude service, is that checks will not be split. if you dare even ask for a check to be split, you will feel as if you've caused a crisis situation.

really tasty. i had not been here in a while however this was great! the tuna tartar, tempura vegetables + seafood and a mesculin green salad with avocado. sampled the drunken noodles--wonderful. this place was just like i remembered it. service was good, however it was on a slow night. i always love the ambiance and the music was awesome...90's r&b anthem all night, really good dj!!


-----22 jan, 2015-----

tuna tatar. loved it

oh and today they did not make tea and the gelato machine was broken


-----28 dec, 2014-----

not wonderful if you pick and choose it might turn out ok calamari was good, desserts are large enough to share but not terribly fresh coffee was good but lukewarm by the time it made its way to the table sushi way enjoyed pad thai ok stupidly expensive 200 for 6 people?

previously, i’ve reviewed the brunch at xs and had an amazing experience. since then i decided to go back and try some of the other things they offer. their menu has a little bit of everything like sushi, asian food and american food. on this visit, my friends and i were interested in trying a few different items to really get a feel of their menu.

horrible service again and the same i don't care attitude because i'm going to add the gratuity to the check. i will not be going back to this place again. i use to frequent this place years ago and after not going for 2 yrs the service and quality is still poor.

buggers. i just watched the guy who took my order at the carry out counter pick his nose....best part...when my sushi was ready...he was the one to put it in the bag, throw in my chopsticks, napkins (ironic- they obviously exist in the restaurant use it), and finally soy sauce.

veggie mondays!. i've been to xs a couple times before moved to the mt. vernon area with mixed feelings. one time when it was packed and our food took about a year to come out (caused us to be late for a play we were seeing), and one time when it was almost empty and i really enjoyed myself. both times the food was good (not great) and the service was ok (not quite good). since i've moved to the area it's become a routine for me to eat there on mondays. all veggie items are 1/2 off. i usually get the spring rolls (excellent), the veggie sushi roll (pretty good) and a noodle dish (very good) and share it with my gf. add two kirin's and it's a perfect meal on a monday for about $20 plus tip. we've actually got desserts a couple times, but it's not a must, as i don't think they were stellar. overall, it's one of my favorite spots to hit up (on mondays).

the food was great. the servings were good and more importantly the food was well spiced. the atmosphere is very nice. the waitress was great. she was attentive and i'd have lived to have slept with her.
but who breeds these people that lack enough wit to say "seat yourself". if you're not gonna have a sign that says it then let's train the employees about what to do when a customer walks in the door.
otherwise, great experience. but keep disrespecting me and then i stop going.

horrible customer service. i purchased a google offer for xs with every intention to use it for breakfast. i live in white marsh which is not remotely close to the area, but i've heard great things about it. i get there, pay $2 for parking only to get inside and be told there are no seats! doh! what do you mean? i was annoyed and just left. i mean, how do you tell a potential customer you don't have any seats. they refused to open the upstairs to customers at that time. i will not be back. when an establishment doesn't even have a seat to offer me and my family, 3 of us in total, i want nothing to do with it.

love the sushi. i've only had coffee and sushi here, so can't comment on their other dishes, but the sushi is the best i've had in this part of town. they certainly have some unique sushi. it can be pricey though, depending on what you get, but the cheaper sushi i've tried at nearby restaurants has been so awful that i keep returning to xs. service is up and down - it's been consistently good this past year, but i've also been there when it's been dreadful. the coffee's pretty good too.

cool place. had the teriyaki chicken...yum. the most fragrant vanilla bean tea. can't wait to come back here again.

ok in my book. went there after always walking past. i ended up just ordering some food to go, but was able to get an overal feel of the place none the less. ended up getting the crunchy fire roll.. yumm, i love a little crunch in my roll. and also got a monster roll, and it was ok, although the sliced mango on top tasted like anything but slice mango... maybe cheese..? but it was good sushi. i'll be interested in actually sitting down and dining.