Motte Restaurant & Bar

Motte offers an elevated take on a variety of Korean dishes. Since we got to go here with a large group of people, we did get an opportunity to try most of their menu items. I would say my personal favorite was the tangsuyuk, which is fried pieces of pork in a sweet-and-sour sauce and their pizzas. We got to order two types of their pizzas, the motte pizza and the sweet and hot shrimp. The texture of the pizza crust was also something I really liked as I personally love chewy textures, but if you’re someone who likes a more crispy texture, I would ask them to cook it a little bit longer. Some dishes that we ordered that were not my personal favorites were the whole chicken as this is typically served unseasoned and comes with a side of salt for your own tasting and the tteokbokki. For me, the rice cakes were a little overcooked, making it a little mushy, and I didn’t think it was really that much more elevated than the original aside from the added pieces of chicken. The white kimchi is also something I would not recommend as it was super bitter. Drink wise, the bitter fall drink which had a great balance of banana and cognac was delicious! My least favorite was their take on Mai Tai. We ordered several rounds but the flavor of mine versus my friends was very different as it was too strong on the lime flavor. I do also think that the price point for each of these items were a bit high, except maybe the pizzas which I thought were the best deal for your money. If you’re looking for a more traditional take on these dishes I think there are plenty of other places that can do a really great job and I just don’t think that besides from the fancy interior and drinks the food itself doesn’t offer that elevated price point. Where I think this restaurant earned it stars was for their excellent service from the looks of it. It did not look like they were fully staffed as there was one waitress serving two large parties of 10+ people. She did an amazing job keeping up with both tables and checking on us periodically because she was managing two tables. There were only a couple of times I had to flag down another wait staff.

Restaurant and bar in an exposed brick building with a wacky layout. Classic Baltimore vibes done up in a modern aesthetic. The mix of Korean food and American fare seemed odd but is done fairly well. The Spicy Chicken Ttekbokki was great. The spicy has a great kick and the noodles(technically a rice cake) are tasty and unique. Wifey ordered the short rib sliders and they were fine and the fries are a bit thicker cut than shoe strong fries which makes for a good balance of soft inside and crispy outside. Had a fun time here and I really liked the Korean food. They have a park lot and I loved that as well.

TLDR: Great space, easy parking, and excellent cocktails. The pizzas were the surprise stars. Korean dishes felt toned down for Western palates and lacked some depth and punch. For the price, we hoped for bolder flavors and more refined execution. A good experience, just not quite what we were hoping for. Motte Restaurant & Bar in Baltimore was a place we really wanted to love. My wife and I are both of Korean descent, and when we saw a modern Korean fusion concept open in the city, it instantly went on our must visit list. We made reservations a few weeks in advance for a birthday lunch for a group of 15, and to their credit, Motte was able to accommodate us without issue. Located in the same business park as Monument Brewing, the shared private parking lot is a huge plus, especially for guests coming in from outside the city. Upon arrival, we waited about 10 minutes for our table to be fully set up, which is completely reasonable for a party of that size. The layout of the restaurant is well suited for both small and large groups. They pushed several tables together so we could all sit as one long party, which made for a great communal dining experience. About 70 percent of our group was Korean, so we were very familiar with the Korean side of the menu and excited to see Motte’s modern takes on classics. We ended up ordering nearly the entire menu, multiple times over, to feed everyone. From a Korean perspective, the food felt like Korean inspired dishes tailored heavily toward a Western palate. You get hints of bold Korean flavors, but softened and presented in very familiar forms. We knew going in that this was fusion, but we were hoping for a bit more risk taking and depth in the flavor profiles. Ironically, the standout items of the meal were the pizzas. The bulgogi pizza and the sweet shrimp pizza were both crowd favorites and genuinely excellent. They were the most memorable bites of the afternoon. Some of the Korean dishes, however, fell short of expectations. The whole Korean fried chicken could benefit from better seasoning and being pre cut into chunks, which is how it is typically served in Seoul and makes for a much better group dining experience. The spicy chicken tteokbokki was skimpy on rice cakes and lacked the punch we were hoping for. We also found it odd that only young white kimchi was offered instead of a traditional aged kimchi. The galbi sliders were another miss, as the galbi patty was dry. The cocktail program was a bright spot. Our group worked through much of the menu, and the S’mores Old Fashioned was the runaway favorite. There was also a banana infused whiskey old fashioned on special that was very enjoyable. By the end of the meal, our bill was north of $1,200, so this is by no means an inexpensive restaurant. It is more of a special occasion spot. At that price point, we were hoping for Korean dishes that felt a bit more refined and bold, especially considering how many excellent Korean restaurants exist in the Baltimore area. Motte has a great space, strong service, and a solid bar program. With a little more fine tuning on the Korean dishes and perhaps more generous portions, this could be a standout. Right now, it feels like a place with a lot of potential that has not quite found its full voice yet.

Food had great flavor and tasted like it was made with high quality ingredients. We had two fantastic cocktails, the shrimp balls, bibimbap, the Motte pizza, and blueberry bread pudding. The pizza crust was a bit dense and flavorless but the toppings were great. The blueberry bread pudding was fine, but I wouldn’t order it again. I would definitely order the bibimbap and shrimp balls again. Service was very slow. The restaurant wasn’t very busy, but we still had to wave down the waitress a few times to put in orders and get the check. She was very nice though. It was also a bit drafty. All in all a good experience and I will return for date nights in the future.

The internet raved about the food and I wasExcited to find the hype is real and worth it. Everything was flavorful. I wish the shrimp balls came with just a bit more sauce and a bit less pepper but that's personalI loooved the pork dumplings, they weremore like small empanadas from how stuffed they are with meat and veggies flavored to perfection. I also enjoyed the bulgogi, perfect portioning, the meat was soft and sweat but still savory too. I had the chocolate bread pudding and it was a marvelous way to indulge in the end of a filling meal, satisfying my tummy and my soul very deeply. I will happily return when in the area.

Amazing food and great portions! My family and I tried out the Motte Restaurant for the first time and we had a wonderful experience. All the dishes were delicious and seasoned to perfection. For our starters, we got the Motte wings, fried squid, and brussels sprout. They were a great combination of savory flavor and crispy texture. We ordered the Hot N Sweet Shrimp pizza and spicy chicken tteokbokki for the main, both of which highlighted the freshness of the ingredients. I would absolutely recommend the pizza. The flavors were on point and deliciously topped with high quality toppings. To finish our meal, we had the banana milk ice cream, a 10/10 dessert unlike anything I’ve ever tried. Its smooth consistency and perfectly balanced sweetness made it a memorable ending to the meal. The atmosphere of the restaurant was wonderful; the interior design and the lighting fixtures particularly stood out. The service was amazing, and we had a very pleasant experience thanks to the friendly and attentive staff. The service was not only warm but also efficient, with our dishes arriving promptly. The owners were incredibly welcoming, adding a personal touch that made the dining experience feel even more inviting. We will definitely be back and I highly recommend for those in the area!

Was treated to dinner, adorable ambiance. The food was good, but I had to wait 15+ minutes for my plate while my friend was already served his dish. And being served our drinks before hand, the fluidity of the dinner felt thrown off. Our server was probably busy but only waited on us maybe 3x out of the whole 1.5 hour that we were there 😕 Besides that, the food was decent and the live music really set the vibe.

I only tried brussle sprouts so I do not feel I have tried enough food to give a true rating on the food but they were really good brussel sprouts. The atmosphere was perfect to kick off our date night. We were undecided about food so, we just ordered the Brussel sprouts from the appetizer and an old fashioned. The Brussels sprouts were crunchy but soft, seasoned well, they were hot to order, they came with sauce drizzled on top and that was delicious. I would get them again. It was enough to share, the cost was $15, the old fashioned was the same cost with additional alcohol tax, it was one of the best old fashions I've ever had and I am a whiskey drinker and there are not a lot mixed whiskey drinks but that one is my fave and they got it right. The server was well versed in the dishes they had on the menu, he was patient with us as we didn't know what we wanted and ultimately we decided to order 1 appetizer and 1 drink, he told us about some of his favorite dishes there because I asked, he was friendly, kept a smile on his face, the restaurant is nice. We will be back to try and entree.