Deciding where to eat in an area where there are many appetizing and inviting options can be a foodie’s greatest challenge. For now, The Mall in Columbia is helping us narrow down the choices with their Dine & Delight promotion! Spend $50 or more at one of the qualifying restaurants between now and March 31, 2021 and get a $20 Visa gift card to use at the mall!

I was invited to check out this promotion a little over a week ago, but which restaurant would I choose? As a part-time food blogger going on 4 years, I am both proud and a bit embarrassed to say I’ve tried all of the places on the list (ALL!). Therefore, I decided to revisit one of my favorites, The Walrus Oyster & Ale House!

The Walrus Oyster & Ale House is one of my favorites at The Mall in Columbia because they offer good seafood, good cocktails, and a great happy hour! See? My favorite things. On this visit, I showed up at the beginning of happy hour and started with a frozen cactus-pear margarita, a half dozen oysters (salty, please!), and a mini mussels pot. The drink was well balanced. Even with the added cactus-pear flavor, it wasn’t too sweet. The oysters were fresh and perfectly salty, and the mussels dripping in that basil broth were just…YUM!

For my entrée, I had the Lobster Roll &fries. I have been to The Walrus Oyster & Ale House a few times now and always get the lobster roll; sometimes in a to-go box for later. To me, it is one of the best in Maryland. My fiancé tried their Double Crab Cake entrée with macaroni and cheese and spinach. The mac was a hit! As someone who is picky about her mac & cheese, I was surprised how much I loved it. Had a bite or two of the crab cakes, but was way too into my lobster roll to get into his plate, this time :). Fiancé really enjoyed his entrée, and we shared an ice cream sandwich for dessert. A wonderful experience as usual from The Walrus Oyster & Ale House. Service was fast and friendly, food was delish, and COVID-19 precautions were in place (staff masked up, contactless payments, outdoor seating, and socially distanced indoor seating). I was especially impressed with the contactless payment. By scanning a QR code on the receipt, you can pay and leave a tip online without having to hand over your credit card.

Now that we’ve eaten and spent the $50, it’s time to redeem our $20 gift card. Honestly, easy stuff! To redeem:

1. Take a photo of the receipt (include the restaurant’s info and date of purchase)
2. Upload on dinedelights.com
3. Finish filling out the requested information

That’s it! The gift card is digital and will be emailed to the email address provided.

The Dine & Delight offer is valid for takeout, delivery, or dine-in, and includes food court options and many of the restaurants surrounding the mall. Eat and earn $$$? Can’t beat that.