The Hamlets at South River Colony

Pros

• Always Ice Cream is delicious.
• The shopping arcade is fantastic, with something for everyone and well-maintained facilities with plenty of outdoor seating.
• Chris's restaurant is a great place for Greek food.
• The shopping center has awesome restaurants, a brand-new Giant, and great stores; you can find everything you need in one place.
• Taty's Chicken is a newly added restaurant worth checking out.
• There is a good variety of stores and adequate parking.
• Vape Loft is great.

Cons

• The wrap did not match the menu image and contained no visible chicken, leaving the diner disappointed and vowing never to return.
• The cajun fries were lukewarm, contributing to a disappointing dining experience.
• The parking lot was described as a shambles due to after-school activities, making the center not worth visiting.
• The area is sketchy, with many vacancies and trash piled up, indicating poor maintenance of the shopping center.
• Electrical outlets were installed incorrectly and not maintained, creating a potential shock or fire hazard.
• The shopping center is dated and struggles to keep anchor stores, suggesting overall decline.
• The service experience was poor because the waiter was new and failed to record the order, repeatedly asking for dressing and drinks.

Review

People who visit this shopping center often come away with mixed feelings that touch every corner of the experience, from meals and storefronts to the overall vibe of the area. Some diners describe a disappointing food moment that sticks in the memory longer than the rest: a wrap that looked nothing like the menu picture, with no chicken showing and the ingredients seemingly crammed into the middle before being squeezed into a tight roll. The same voice notes that the cajun fries were only lukewarm at best, a small detail but one that colors the entire visit. The takeaway is that even when other aspects of a trip are decent, a stumble in a core item like a wrap can sour the whole outing and leave a lasting impression of inconsistency.

On the other hand, even those who were frustrated by a single meal often acknowledge the center's appeal and the draws that keep people coming back. UPS and a steakhouse are frequently cited as main attractions, anchors that bring foot traffic and a sense of purpose to the plaza. Yet the surrounding storefronts and activities - especially the after-school programs and youth-oriented clubs - render the place as a busy, sometimes chaotic corridor, with parking lot activity and congestion that make the center feel crowded rather than serene. Some viewers see an opportunity to rethink the layout: a proposal to carve the center into two sections, one focusing on stores and restaurants and the other on youth sports and clubs, which could help reduce the hodgepodge feel and improve flow.

Still, the sentiment about the shopping center isn't uniformly negative. Several comments highlight a lively, varied array of options and a certain charm that comes with a place that tries to be a little of everything for everyone. The phrase "Fantastic shopping arcade" appears, paired with observations that there's "a little for everyone." In many reviews, this translates into a sense of well-maintained facilities, ample outdoor seating, and a general feeling that the center is capable of delivering pleasant days out with friends and family. The presence of a large Giant grocery anchor is repeatedly praised, and there are nods to new restaurant additions - like Taty's Chicken - seen as fresh energy on the scene, subtly signaling that the center is still evolving and trying to keep up with taste and demand.

Smaller, more personal notes about individual stores and experiences punctuate the collective sentiment. One reviewer mentions specific local favorites such as Chris's Restaurant for Greek food, while another points to a handful of smaller spots that add character: Body Wellness Salon, Black Market Bakers, the M Thai Kitchen, and Tidewater Family Eye Care, all described as part of a clean, welcoming small-strip-mall ecosystem with easy parking. There are also quick, practical references to amenities - an ATM conveniently located at the First National Bank of Pennsylvania - along with appreciation for the mix of services that make the center feel convenient and user-friendly for everyday errands.

With regard to maintenance and safety, there is a recurring drumbeat of concerns that temper the otherwise cheerful roster of shops and eateries. Several reviewers flag electrical outlets that were not installed correctly and are not being maintained, raising practical worries about potential shocks or fire hazards. There are adjectives like "dated" used to contrast the center with the newer streetscape of the main thoroughfare, reinforcing a sense that some parts of the plaza look tired or out of step with more modern offerings. The presence of a seasonal Spirit Halloween store is cited as a blemish by some, with a suggestion that the space could be repurposed for a home improvement or garden store, something that could help diversify the draw and improve long-term appeal.

The human element of service also enters the conversation in a fairly vivid way. One diner recounts a frustrating experience with a new waiter who seemed unreliable: after taking the order, the server returned twice to confirm dressing and drinks, and after serving the salad, the guest had to request cutlery and the ranch dressing again. The reaction is strongly worded and memorable - "OMGoodness! I hope he finds a different job!!" - and it underscores how a single service misstep can stand out when the rest of the environment is otherwise ordinary or pleasant. Yet alongside these leaning-to-critical anecdotes, many voices simply say "Good" or offer a thumbs up, suggesting that while service hiccups happen, there are still many positive moments and straightforwardly satisfying experiences to be found.

Beyond individual meals and service incidents, there is a clear sense that the shopping center is a community hub, a place where people come for convenience, socializing, and a broad spectrum of experiences. Some reviews celebrate the overall feel of the center, including its capacity to accommodate various moods and needs: casual dining with friends, quick errands, or a stroll through a cluster of specialty shops. The "beautiful colony" and phrases like "Very nice!" reflect a subset of attendees who see the area as a pleasant, approachable space that invites repeated visits. The presence of eclectic offerings - vape shops, bakeries, eye care, and Thai cuisine among others - adds texture to the grid of storefronts and helps explain why, even amid criticisms, many people still regard the center as a place worth a detour or a regular stop.

Taken together, the array of perspectives paints a complex portrait of a shopping center that is doing some things very well while showing visible cracks in others. The upcoming question for management and developers seems to revolve around balance: maintaining and elevating anchor stores and food options that reliably draw crowds, while revisiting and clarifying the layout to reduce traffic and confusion around the outdoor and parking areas. Maintenance and safety updates - particularly around electrical installations and general infrastructure - would also go a long way toward restoring confidence and extending the center's appeal to a broader audience.

In the end, the center embodies the real tension of many mixed-use hubs: it can be a place of convenient, satisfying discoveries on one visit and a string of small disappointments on another. Some readers find the variety refreshing and the atmosphere welcoming; others leave with a sense that the place is trying to do too much at once, leaving certain elements undercooked - be it food quality, service, or maintenance. The recurring calls for reorganization, targeted investments in infrastructure, and a clearer delineation between shopping/food and youth activity space all point to a path forward that could transform the current fragmentation into a more cohesive, dependable experience. Until then, visitors will likely continue to take each trip as it comes - appreciating the good moments and bracing for the occasional misstep, with a hope that the next visit reveals a little more of what this center can ultimately become.

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.2 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (0.3 miles)
• Five Guys Burgers & Fries (0.8 miles)
• Summerwood (2.2 miles)
• Ingrano Bistro Bakery (3.1 miles)
• Old Stein Inn (3.6 miles)
• Julep (3.6 miles)

Physicians

• South River Family Practice (0.2 miles)
• South River Pediatrics (0.3 miles)
• Azam Baig (0.3 miles)
• Capital Dermatology (3.3 miles)
• Anne Arundel Orthopaedics (3.4 miles)
• Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics (3.4 miles)
• Passport Health (3.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• Safeway Pharmacy (0.5 miles)
• Safeway Food & Drug (0.5 miles)
• Walgreens (0.7 miles)
• Giant Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Luminis Health Community Clinic Arundel Lodge (2.7 miles)
• Anne Arundel Medical Center (4.4 miles)

Parks

• Quiet Waters Park (3.3 miles)
• Galesville Park (5.8 miles)

Theaters

• Bow Tie Annapolis Mall 11 (4.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Mary's Church (5.1 miles)
• Naval Academy Chapel (5.4 miles)
• St Elizabeth Ann Seton Church (8.1 miles)