Latest Reviews
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Great Clam Chowder and everything else. My wife and I just moved to Rockville 2 months ago and have already been to Olney Ale House at least 6 times. …
J Schmoove
Olney Ale House
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Woefully disappointing.... DH and I moved from MOCO several years ago. We were invited to watch a friend's child play soccer at Farquhar, and thought …
Habitual Eaterouter
Olney Ale House
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Crappy dive bar that serves gross food. I went there for the first time in my life, and the last time. I've lived in Olney for nearly a decade and fin…
J-dizzle
Olney Ale House
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Olney Ale House serves American, Burger and Vegetarian. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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8 Reviews on “Olney Ale House”
Woefully disappointing…. DH and I moved from MOCO several years ago. We were invited to watch a friend’s child play soccer at Farquhar, and thought we would stop at Olney Ale house for dinner on the way back home to Frederick. We had eaten here before while living in the area, and were happy. Upon entrance, we were escorted to a table outside, per our request. Our server was busy talking to, what I figured to be regulars, so we waited. Finally, our order was taken by someone else. I asked about a beer to go along with my dinner, and I got a wrinkled, irritated face, with no suggestion. Finally, our dinner was brought out. No salt on the table, no butter for the (what I remembered to be delicious) molasses bread, and our server never showed back up again to ask how our meals were…until our check came. All in all, the beef, barley, and mushroom soup tasted like doctored Campell’s, the beef stew was like river sludge, the molasses bread was not crusty or dense like I remembered. DH’s chicken pot pie wasn’t bad, but we were disappointed enough not to go back. The nicest thing about Olney Ale House, was that it was different than some of the other places to eat in Olney. Like many older restaurants, they have rested on their laurels. We thought it would be a nice half-way point when we wanted to spend time with our friends that remained in the county, but this won’t be it.
Crappy dive bar that serves gross food. I went there for the first time in my life, and the last time. I’ve lived in Olney for nearly a decade and finally wanted to see what I was missing. The answer is absolutely nothing.
Olney Ale House – Worst service possible and mediocre food. I couldn’t let a day pass to not describe probably the worst restaurant service I’ve ever had. I’ve always heard good things about the Olney Ale House, but had never been there. I’m glad I hadn’t been there before. We waited 40 minutes for a party of five to get seated. We waited another 20 minutes for the waiter to take food orders. We waited another 30 minutes for the food to actually show,up. We had to ask the fellow who brought out the food to ask the waiter to show up to order another round of drinks. I could go on re: the missing in action waiter.The food was mediocre. The service was horrible. The food is over-priced. When the waiter asked my wife how our meal had been, she told him it was one of the worst restaurant experiences of her life. Our waiter laughed. He did not get a good tip. Never again.
Bad day in the kitchen. My daughter and I, along with 2 two friends, went to Only Ale House Saturday Dec 7, 2013. It was the first time for 3 out of the 4 of us. My 2 friends and I ordered the rib special and my daughter ordered the seafood stew. The ribs were so dry and over cooked the I sent mine back but the other 2 tired to eat them. They each threw away over half of their ribs. My daughter did not like her seafood stew which seemed more like extra thick spaghetti sauce with seafood. She did not like it and sent it back. We decided to try something else. I ordered the chicken pot pie and she ordered the shrimp and ginger salad. The manager came to the table to see what the problem was and to inform me that they were out of the pot pie. I then ordered the shrimp and ginger salad. The salad was good but the shrimp were not deveined Yuck!. My daughter would not eat any of her shrimp and I only ate a few. When the manager came out to check on us once again and was informed about the shrimp he acted as though we were just being a pain. I will not be returning and I don’t think anyone at our table will.
It’s OK and family-friendly. (08/30/2013) Happened to be in the area and the only thing I remember about Olney is the Olney Ale House (after having driven by but never stopping for 12 years). Had a late lunch, place was still pretty full. We got seated next to a very rambunctious table of 8 kids; place is family-friendly, especially and surprisingly for a bar. Menu was standard bar fare, looked like some house specials. Had the New England Clam Chowder (soup of the day); it was chock full of large clam chunks, fresh celery and onion, a little potato, rather thick, somewhat mildly seasoned. The Fried Oyster appetizer was six hand-breaded in a thick cornmeal and flour based crust, way more breading than oyster (which were rather small and slightly overdone). Fish and Chips (special of the day for $11) was a steal; the 2 pollock filets were large, somewhat fishy smelling, battered and deep-fried, and laid over a smattering of battered fries (the frozen SYSCO kind).Place is quaint, looks like a renovated house with an extended covered patio for outdoor seating. Interior, while I like the original look, could use a little updating, if just for cleanliness sake (like the ground-in dining room carpet and please! some ventilation in the bathrooms). Service was friendly, but not a pro (some kid for the summer I bet) and a little absent. I wouldn’t make another special trip there, but might stop in for a beer, nice draft selection, but light on the locals.
Used To Be Wonderful, But…. In the late 80s, early 90s, this was the perfect funky retreat: consistently excellent beef stew, chili, molasses oatmeal bread, and beer/ale selection, in an old converted house that felt welcome year round. We moved out of state, but were recently back in the area. We were thrilled to see it’s still there, and stopped in for lunch. The building is the same, but almost everything else has devolved. Our server was great, but the food wasn’t. The signature beef stew looked and tasted like Sysco No. 3, and it was accompanied by 2 thin very stale sandwich-type slicesof oatmeal molasses bread. Very sad, given the iconic status this eatery used to enjoy. We have wonderful memories of enjoying Ale House beef stew, a small loaf of bread, and a few pints of Guinness. How sad that new patrons won’t be so fortunate. It’s highly unlikely we’ll be back.
Ignore the naysayer reviewers here –the burgers are still the best I’ve had in the area, and the beer selection is amazing. Sit in the back dining room on a chilly fall day to enjoy the fireplace, or the outdoor patio in warmer weather. Two thumbs up from this reviewer!