Restaurant Review: The Hall CP

If you didn’t know, I am an alumna of the University of Maryland, College Park. Naturally, the city of College Park is near and dear to my heart. Over the past year they have been closing some of the local gems to build more luxury apartments and generally gentrify a city in the Blackest county in the country. While the new buildings look nice, it is saddening that some of the College Park staples are being torn down.

One of the best new developments is The Hotel. It is an impressive 4-star hotel that offers discounted rates for students (call to make your reservation for that price). Right behind The Hotel they recently opened a new restaurant called The Hall CP. They offer a cafe, a pizzeria, a bar, a dining room, and event spaces. Finally, somewhere you can take a date so you all can stop getting Chik-fil-a at Stamp. 

My friend (and fellow alum) Yoseph and I wanted to give it a try but perhaps we went too soon. We sat unattended for about 30 minutes and there seemed to be a lot of confusion about what food went to what table. Once we were able to order we got: Old Bay Honey Butter wings, spaghetti and crab meatballs and a dish called TV Dinner. Instead of bread, they give you popcorn with Old Bay seasoning to tide you over. I thought it was a clever touch. The wings came out first and we really enjoyed them. They were very crunchy and the meat was juicy. I give them a 7.5/10 because they were good but a little too buttery for me.

My spaghetti and crab meatballs was an interesting dish. The spaghetti was al dente and overall average but the crab meatballs were divine. They were full of fresh large chunks of crab meat in a lightly fried ball. I could’ve eaten a bowlful of them. Unfortunately, Yoseph’s dinner was not as impressive as mine. He ordered a dish called TV Dinner which featured wagyu Salisbury steak, potatoes, mixed veggies and a brownie. I thought it was clever to do a high quality version of a traditional frozen TV dinner. The taste was not actually that different from the original frozen meal and everything could have used more seasoning. He enjoyed the Old Bay Honey Butter wings way more than his main course.

The Overall Tea

The Hall CP has promise. I think that the location and concept are spot-on. However, I think it was a little presumptuous to open a new restaurant with four different concepts inside all at one time. I will definitely be returning to The Hall CP to try their pizza and get some more of the wings. Just so you know, happy hour is only at the bar and only for drinks. Overall the pricing is higher than most College Park establishments so I hope that they can tweak the menu and improve their service to make it worth the price.