Maria's - Annapolis

Maria and Joe Preola, along with their son Charlie, create a wonderfully welcoming atmosphere that makes every visit enjoyable. The food is exquisite and offers an authentic taste of Sicily. We often travel from South Philly to Annapolis for special occasions just to dine here. Whenever we’re in DC with friends, we always make a point to stop by for dinner at Maria's. I give it 5 stars. Thank you, everyone!

I went there on Mothers' Day with my husband and 2 month old son. Before we even sat down I could tell they did not want us there. The staff did nothing overy, just hemmed and hauled a bit about the difficulty of seating us, but eventually did. Of course, by this time, my son had started crying a bit. My husband took him out of the stroller and attempted to soothe him. We soon realized that we would not be able to fully enjoy our meal as one of us would have to hold our son at all times if we didn't want him to cry. As a result, we had to order finger food off the appetizer menu to eat with one hand. Because of the since quieted baby or our perceived cheapness, the staff discriminated against us. I'm not sure how to say it without sounding petty. They didn't make rude comments or spit in our food, but they made us feel unwelcome and treated us in a way unlike the way I saw them treat other families.

As we settled in, it became apparent that we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our meal fully. One of us would need to be with our son at all times to prevent any fussing. We ended up ordering finger foods from the appetizer menu so we could eat with one hand. Throughout our time there, it felt like the staff was somewhat dismissive towards us, possibly due to our baby’s needs. While they didn’t make any overtly rude remarks or anything of that nature, their indifference was clear and made us feel less valued compared to other families dining in the restaurant. Overall, our experience was disappointing, and I couldn’t help but feel that we were treated differently.

Maria and Joe Preola, along with their son Charlie, create a welcoming atmosphere that is truly worth it. The food is exceptional and captures the authentic flavors of Sicily. We often travel from South Philly to Annapolis for special occasions at their restaurant. Whenever we visit DC with friends, we always make a stop at Maria's. Five stars! Thank you all!