Glory Days Offers Great Taste In A Fun Environment

Diverse Menu Provides Variety Of Gluten Free Options

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As a Pasadena native, I’ve always known that Glory Days Grill on Ritchie Highway is a local favorite for sports fans. I didn’t realize what a great choice it is when you want to catch up with friends, enjoy dinner with family, or even sneak away for a date night.

I visited Glory Days with my family of five on a Sunday evening around 7:30pm. The restaurant was busy but not slammed. We were quickly greeted and seated in a roomy wooden booth. There is a huge bar for those more interested in drinking and lots of seating for larger groups coming for meals. Televisions abound, mostly turned to sports channels. A couple televisions also played cartoons (which kept my kids occupied while we perused the menus) and the news. Our server, Haley, showed up by our table with a warm smile and an impressive knowledge of the menu. She was able to provide suggestions upon request and fill us in on the fan favorites.

We started off with a half order of the “macho nachos” and a half order of the cheesy fries. Haley also suggested the knockout shrimp. I have heard friends gush about the excellent shrimp before and was interested in trying them. No one else in my family was interested, so I held off.

The macho nachos are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Home-cooked tortilla chips had a crispy texture (better than store-bought by far). They were coated in plenty of toppings. Nacho cheese sauce dripped down nearly every chip, which complimented the fresh diced tomato and lettuce – topped with a dollop of sour cream. There was no real spice here, but the nachos were flavorful.

The cheesy fries were good. The cheese is not a sauce, but rather melted shredded cheese. The fries are topped with perfectly cooked, chewy bacon and served with a side of ranch. Cheese, bacon and ranch create a flawless flavor combo. The temperature and texture of the fries (a little softer than I’d like) made me think these fries sat on the warmer for just a minute too long before they came out. They were still enjoyable, and my kids all but licked the plate when we finished.

We decided on a variety of Glory Days’ popular items for our entrees: chicken wings, a burger, a Cobb salad and cauliflower buffalo wings.

The chicken wings were practically perfect in every way. There was no downside. If you want great wings, head to Glory Days. The wings had moist, tender chicken on the inside and crunchy skin on the outside. There were plenty of both sauces we ordered (medium and hot), which packed a wallop of flavor. Sometimes flavor can be overshadowed when there is a lot of heat, but the balance here was superb. The wings were generously sized, very filling and absolutely delicious. It’s worth noting you can order bone-in (which is what we did), boneless or grilled boneless.

If you like wings but you’re not much of a meat-eater, you may enjoy the cauliflower wings. Plus, the cauliflower deducts the calories of the sauces, right? I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. Regardless, tender cauliflower is encased in a crispy, flavorful breading and smothered in sauce to create a chicken wing-like experience.

I tried the honey Old Bay and Korean No. 2 - sweeter choices to balance out the heat of the other wings. Lots of flavor! The honey Old Bay had that old Maryland favorite flavor mixed with a delicious, sweet sauce. As a lifelong Marylander, Old Bay runs in my veins. I can’t help but love it. The Korean No. 2 was similar to a teriyaki with a nice savory-sweet balance. Both are good choices if you’re not crazy about hot sauces.

I ordered a classic burger on a gluten-free bun for my young son with Celiac disease. Haley was understanding of the food limitation and promised that it would be handled separately. The staff brought it to the table separately while wearing gloves, so I believe they kept their promise. The burger had a classic chargrilled taste. It could have done with more seasoning. To be fair, it may have been missing some seasoning due to the gluten issue.

I have heard a lot of friends extol how fantastic the burgers are at Glory Days. You’ll have to visit and try a burger to make your own determination on that. They have lots of exciting options including burgers with ribs, burger with onion straws, and burgers with fried eggs.

The half-Cobb salad was everything you could want in this colorful combination. The lettuce was extremely fresh and well-chopped. The halved cherry tomatoes were sweet and tart. The bacon was crispy. The egg and cheese balanced it all out. Chunks of grilled white meat chicken were cooked well and seasoned with ranch dressing generously mixed in. No complaints here – a good salad.

Haley suggested the lava chocolate cake for dessert. She said it was the restaurant’s most popular dessert. The cake was good. It was super soft and filled with warm, gooey chocolate. A generous scoop of vanilla ice cream was added with drizzles of chocolate and raspberry across the whole plate. It was very sweet - more so than some other lava cakes I’ve had.

I would recommend the lava cake only if you’ve had a savory meal. I had just finished the cauliflower wings before this. I couldn’t take more than a bite or two of all that sweetness, but my kids demolished it and asked for more.

The bill for the half order of nachos, half order of fries, 12 wings, cauliflower wings, burger on a gluten-free bun, half Cobb salad, lava cake, an iced tea, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream came to $80 before tip.

It’s worth noting that the restaurant has a wide selection of beers and cocktails, but we didn’t drink that evening.

Two last thoughts:

  1. I love that the restaurant has half and full order options. This makes it easier to order multiple items when you can’t decide on what to get.
  2. This restaurant is known locally as a great place to go if you’re looking for gluten-free options. It has gluten-free menus on each of the tables and designated fryers for the fries. Even my son with a severe gluten intolerance could enjoy a great night out with kid-friendly options. The restaurant can’t guarantee that everything is gluten-free (no restaurant really can unless it’s a dedicated facility), but the staff is careful and I was impressed.

Glory Days is a great choice for dinner. You’ll enjoy it whether or not you’re a sports fan!

Where To Find Glory Days Grill

7939 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie

443-749-4376

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