The Rex

I was a little nervous about this place after reading the Unilocal reviews about service. However, when I arrived, we were greeted with smiles and friendly, fast service. I greatly enjoyed my food and the experience was great. Based on conversations with friends who have been there, it is much better when it is less crowded. I hope you all have good luck here!

Really casual and yummy. I had the turkey on a ciabatta and asked to have the cilantro aioli sauce substituted with the chiplote bbq sauce instead. Not a problem– as I am one of those people who can’t stand cilantro. The side if the day was fresh deviled eggs – amazing. I sat towards the front near the open doors for the breeze on a warm summer day. Very friendly staff too.

Stopped here on our way to Tall Timbers, MD on a whim. Atmosphere is great, loved the outdoor seating. But we waited a long time for the food and it was at best mediocre. Not sure if they were short handed in the kitchen but we were hungry and ordered their fish tacos and make your own pizza. We were told it was the pizza that was holding up the lines. The pizza order was wrong but we didn’t care we were so hungry. My fish tacos were not great. I wish they could maybe fry the shrimp and use less inside the tacos. It was like a shrimp soup wrapped inside a soft taco. Too much sauce and guac and sour cream. Would we come back? Probably not, but if we do maybe we can just enjoy some apps and drinks.

This is my favorite place to eat in Leonardtown. The daily specials are always amazing! I love when they have crab or lamb on the menu.

The Rex is where my daughter who works on PAX NAS ended up taking us for dinner after a fun filled day driving around Southern Maryland. We walked in and we’re greeted immediately by a friendly and attentive staff. Our waitress, Emily, whom I found out through pleasant banter was the manager, made the experience memorable.
I opted for the special and was astonished by the plethora of flavorful experiences making my mouth sing. Steak Del Monico topped with crab, accompanied by asparagus, polenta, and cheese topped waffle fries. Simply put, AWESOME!
Washington Street Tacos got rave reviews from the wife and the St Mary’s Stuffed Ham was well received and thoroughly consumed. Mac n Cheese with ham and pineapple??? Who comes up with this stuff? A hero according to my table, that’s who!
Don’t miss this treasure of Southern Maryland creativity!

Not gonna lie, I almost didn’t go to this place because I noticed it had gotten some 1-​star reviews recently, but I am so glad I didn’t let that change my mind, because it was awesome. It can be pretty rough finding decent places to eat in Southern MD, but my significant other was in town from Philly for the weekend and I was determined not to go to a chain restaurant. We went Friday night and actually liked it so much that we went back Saturday as well.
On Friday we were served by Diana, who was enthusiastic and delightful, she gave us great food advice and strategized with us on how we should best flirt with Dylan Galvin, the attractive and talented guitarist. We did not flirt with him, ultimately, he was intimidatingly attractive, but she was such a great sport. I got a sandwich that had chicken, brie, and raspberry sauce, which was delicious, and Andy got seafood pizza, which I tried, and it was also excellent. They make their own chips and they’re nice and thick and salty, I took a bunch home for later.
On Saturday we were served by Victoria, who helped us settle a debate over who had a weirder nose, Owen Wilson or JJ Abrams (I won, it was JJ Abrams). I got shrimp tacos and Andy got chicken and waffles, both of which were absolutely stellar. We also got a ton more of those chips.
All in all, I was 100% impressed, and will be back for sure.

Our group was in Leonardtown for their annual Earth Day Celebration. In previous years we’ve dined at the now closed Mexican restaurant always had good food, good service, & perfect outside seating to enjoy the celebration. Unfortunately now the only option was The Rex which I had heard mixed reviews on… we decided to give them a shot and grabbed one of their outside patio tables they had set up for the event.
After about 10 minutes our waitress finally came over to take our drink orders she wasn’t very friendly and you could tell she seemed irritated & annoyed. We asked for menus and she said she’d be right back with them…15 minutes later she finally showed up with them and proceeded to go through a laundry list of things they DIDN’T have… they were out of pizza, they were out of fries, they were out of ciabatta bread, they were out of ham so any sandwiches that had ham it would be substituted, blah blah blah… it was only 1:30 pm (the event started at 12:30) so I asked how in the world could they be out of so much stuff an hour in to the event??? She didn’t really have a response and said she’d be back to take our orders in «a minute» because she didn’t have a pen or anything to write on (I was beginning to wonder if this was literally her first day of being a waitress) Turns out she is actually the restaurant manager. WOW I can’t imagine if she was this bad what the other waitresses must be like if she’s the one managing, training, & leading them. I get that she was busy and probably overwhelmed at times but she just came off as rude & condescending the entire time.
By this time we’d been at the restaurant roughly 30 minutes when all of the sudden this man who we all thought was homeless (he looked dirty and disheveled) came up to our table and asked how we were doing we just kind of looked at him said fine and he walked away… later on we saw him cleaning off a table and found out he is actually the owner of the restaurant. Oddly enough for how busy this place was being the ONLY restaurant open for the event he never once seemed to have any urgency. I would have never thought he owned the restaurant not only because of his appearance but he literally moved at snail speed. He never once (in the 2 ½ hours we were there) helped to bring out food or drinks or take orders. He wiped down a table or two here and there otherwise he was just milling around outside at the event itself. It was insane… but explains why the service was horrendous and why they were out of so many items. If you are the only restaurant that will be open for a large event as this you should expect it to be busier than your typical Sunday and plan/​prepare accordingly. Some of the items they were out of like French fries/​potatoes, the Ciabatta bread, ham, etc… these are all items he could have drove to the store which was right down the street to replenish. It was just bizarre to see how lackadaisical he was.
When we finally got our food (which no lie was 2 hours after we sat down) some of the items were very good others were downright terrible. We had an appetizer of wings w/​sauce on the side they were nice & crispy and very meaty. The blue cheese they were served with which I was told was house made was very watery but did have good flavor. The mac & cheese was a big disappointment. It had no flavor at all. It tasted like plain buttered noodles so not sure how they managed that w/​a cheese sauce. The shrimp street tacos were tasty & full of plump shrimp. Their version of the Rueben was ok, on the menu it says it’s irresistibly crispy however ours was soggy.
I definitely think this place has potential food wise… but based on service we’d probably never go back again. If the owner himself doesn’t seem it’s important to take care of the customers or have the smarts to realize helping his staff get orders placed, filled, etc… would’ve helped take the pressure off them and the kitchen staff… why would the staff care about that sort of thing?

I had previously posted a review and deleted it but after so many visits to The Rex with mediocre at best service I thought I would update my review. The food is great and the potential is there. But the service is always lacking. Tonight our server brought drinks and left the menus. She came back 15 minutes later. Apologizing for being busy. Friends joined us and it took 15 minutes (at least) for the server to notice. Another friend joined a half hour later, waited about 15 minutes and finally bought her own drink at the bar. After a while we all needed refills. I looked around for the server, she was sitting in a booth with some guests — where she apparently had been all night!
We went and asked her to wait on us. This is just not acceptable.
This has happened to me before at the bar at the Rex, too. The servers are always involved in personal conversations, meals and not acting attentive to the customers.. I have been a server. You only sit in your own break area.
Don’t eat it in the dining area and don’t sit with customers! The servers all need serious training. And need to pay attention to the customers more attentively. I like the food but am going to think twice about going back.

I am visiting the area from California. I stopped by the Rex for lunch. The special was a spring salad with shrimp and scallops. I chose this along with a glass of Chardonnay recommended by my waitress. Lunch was absolutely magnificent with the presentation being photo worthy. The wine that was recommended was also quite outstanding and not one that I was accustomed to. The staff was well-​trained, cheerful and quite helpful in my selections. This was a memorable moment and one that will keep St. Mary’s County in mind for a long time

Decent place. The food was mediocre, the beer selection was ok, but the real issue was the subpar service. We went on a Friday evening before the nightlife crowd so there wasn’t anything too pressing to warrant the service received. The overall atmosphere is nice, the remodeling from when it was a movie theatre was done right. We will go back at some point in the future, so our first experience wasn’t a deal breaker.

Have been a few times. Food is fine, not outstanding. Servers really need training. They seldom come back to check on guest. Great potential, but falls short.

If I can give 0 stars, I would. My husband and I stumbled into this place because Salsa’s was close after the blizzard from yesterday. We walked in, and the woman said we can sit anywhere so we did. Our server came and no pleasantries were exchange. She took our drinks and came back and didn’t offer us menu. I had to call someone else’s attention to grab us menus in which she never did. Needless to say, we stood up and left. The servers lack etiquette. They were only focus on the people sitting in the bar. Perhaps they were regulars. Nevertheless, this place has horrible customer service. We wont be coming back!

Waited for ever for food that was improperly prepared. Perhaps an anomaly, but for a ‘typical’ weekend night crowd, very disappointing
Only draw is that it’s nearly the only choice in the area…

The Rex has a great environment on the Café Side of the restaurant/​bar! I had the privilege of visiting on Friday Night and enjoyed the sounds of Dylan Galvin. I had so much fun singing along and dancing that I find myself still thinking about Friday night this week. I hope he is performing at The Rex again soon. I look forward to bringing my group of girls who love a night like I experienced.
But seriously, when you can catch a live musician performing here, don’t miss it. The energy is awesome.

Had lunch many many months ago. It was pleasantly surprisingly absolutely fantastic. I forget what the order was.
Had the Bell Wrap for lunch late Oct. The overdose of artichoke etc was like dripping, well flowing, vomit from a sandwich. An absolute prolapse of a meal. Many many Negative stars.

Excellent~A must try… Food is exceptional… Specials regularly~Unique!

I have attended The Rex on several occasions. I have tried several items on the menu and I have always been very pleased with my meal. It’s satisfying without being too much. The night life is a lot of fun. I was the DD and they brought me a pitcher of water. Wait staff is always polite and fun. The owner is present and walking around making sure everyone is taken care of. As a life long resident, I was very happy when he bought this old movie theater, he made the décor in honor of the old theater. He also has plans of reviving the theater area.
Only 2 down sides, too many high stools. Being short, I hate high stools. If you’re in the front bar it gets really cold or hot because the door is constantly opened. If you’re in the back, it’s the opposite because there is only an emergency exit.

We went on a Wednesday night, pretty early. We sat outside and were immediately greeted by the only server. They were quite busy and she seemed stressed. She took our drink order. We both got beer and water. The drinks didn’t come out for quite a while, and the server was rushing around. We heard our neighbors griping about the service but she was clearly doing her best.
We ordered appetizers, and got the trio of dips. They were a mediocre cream cheese/​buffalo dip, good artichoke dip, and a ridiculously garlicky hummus. The hummus was different– basically just roasted garlic– but it was very good. The pita bread it came with was warm and delicious.
I got the avocado egg salad BLT for my entrée, without bacon (I’m a vegetarian). I got the side of the day which was cauliflower salad. It was excellent. This was an entrée that didn’t seem incomplete with the meat removed. It was hearty and filling. The bread was perfectly toasted.
My husband got the short ribs «on a biscuit» which were actually tacos. Oddly named. They were Asian themed, with slaw and sesame seeds. He really enjoyed them. His side was a small salad with a strange, thick vinaigrette. We also both got dessert. The molten cake was good, not great. The carrot cake came out hot, not sure it was done on purpose though because the frosting was in a puddle on the plate. Weird
The waitress really tried her best throughout the meal but she needed help. The owner came around to ask about our meal. He could have made some sort of effort to help out his poor employee. the waitress mentioned there should have been another person helping her (someone called out?). I didn’t get water until the very end of the meal, food came out at different times, check was slow to arrive.
I’d return because the food was interesting but the service needs to improve greatly for this to be somewhere I frequent.

Great different little place! Unique for the area with a diverse menu. Not a place for those looking for chicken tenders and fries —
But the staff was friendly, service was timely, and the food was good. Hoping they post a menu online soon! We enjoyed the experience. Beware — the honey mustard salad dressing is beyond spicy!!!

Love the vibe. Classic, Chill and perfect for the 20 something crowd.
The menu is definitely centered around appetizers (The three dip platter is fantastic!) but they don’t do to bad in their entrees.
I had the shrimp mac’n’cheese, never had anything quite like it. My fiancée had The REX Burger and loved it. He’s a big man and it filled him up. Perfect portions for price.
The service is good, not great, but good.
There was one reviewer here (Eric) that was there one of the same nights as I was. My experience was vastly different than his. (I think we have a cronic complainer here folks)