Old Stein Inn — Restaurant in Maryland

My partner and I came for Valentine’s Day. We both used to love eating here, but not anymore. First of all the post they made online showing a picture of their Valentines exclusive menu did not reflect reality when we came, which was unfortunate because we both had already knew what we were going to order and was the reason why we made a reservation two weeks in advance. And drove over an hour to get there. Much to our chagrin, after not being greeted by the hostess and rushed through our entire dining experience we found out that in fact, they did not have the wild boar buffalo schnitzel that they said that they were going to have that night. They went as far as to tell us that they special it out beforehand and 86 it Before Valentine’s Day. That’s very odd.. Oh well, we both selected an alternative entrée that was yummy. But before we ordered that, we got the potato croquettes for an appetizer which turned out to just be Deep fried cross utilized potato salad. The whole experience felt very rushed because no sooner than we asked for our appetizer. They asked us if we wanted to put in for our entrée so that they could fire them. The restaurant was not super busy that night. However , you had the feeling that they were trying to roll up early so they could bus tables and get Out of there very early. We wanted to have a fun and a quiet intimate dinner, oh well. Schnitzel Cordon Bleu was yummy, but lacked hydration. Could’ve doubled down on the Cordon Bleu aspect by adding a béchamel or some sort of sauce that would of gave more hydration.The restaurant at this point was still open for over an hour left When we placed our order for the Apple strudel, Was told by the server that we had to put in our desserts soon as they were trying to clean up, we checked our watches and restaurant was still supposed to be open for over an hour. Why the rush? Outside in the beer garden Seems to be their meat and potatoes because I’m sure selling alcohol is more profitable than schnitzel. But if you did like us and dress up nice and make a reservation to sit inside, you get treated like it’s the early bird special. I gave the restaurant a private message after the fact to give them some feedback as I wanted to be able to come back to the restaurant and enjoy it and thought that maybe it was just an off night. They asked if it was OK if they could call me the next day so that they could get a better description of what happened I obliged. After telling him what I have already Stated here he offered to give me a $50 gift card after not admitting any of the observations that I had were legitimate and only stating that they typically only get good feed back. So we came back two weeks later to see that the same valentines menu which at this point was half sold out they were still trying to run as if to try to get rid of the leftovers from them over purchasing. I think it’s despicable to sell food that’s been sitting around for two weeks to a customer for the same amount of price that they would’ve paid for it had they bought it brand new on valentines. also for the price point, the place is too rich for my blood. We traveled over an hour to go there only to be greeted by front of house, members ln T-shirts, who slap food down in front of you and barely know anything about their menu or drink list all while un relevant pop music plays in the background. I get that Annapolis prices are pretty crazy but come on. If you Treat eating at their restaurant like it’s a special occasion and dress up like we did You’ll be disappointed to find out that if you choose to sit inside instead of the beer garden, they treat you like it’s the early bird special and by the time you’re done eating, they are trying to bus everything and mop the floor While the restaurant is still open for plenty longer, and the outside, beer garden is full. Goes to show you where their true concern is which must be selling alcohol as I’m sure it has a higher profit margin.. Another classic example of a restaurant trying to ride off of the coattails of its...

I was invited to Old Stein in, by a friend of mine who suggested it knowing, after living in Germany for 15 plus years, I adore German food. I've gone to various German restaurants since returning, including the Brauhaus in Linthicum . However, the last one i lended a review was the GerstHouse in Nashville, Tennessee which I found.less than favorable, and praises, it has since closed. Here, at Old Stein Inn, it was a very, very different surprise. The menu definitely contains German beers as a restaurant of this authenticity should. We had choices from weizen beers, and fruity ales, to doppelbock! The menu contained everything from sauerbraten, to these delicious smoked sausages served with spaetzle. I opted for the sauerbraten. Again, I must say here, as I've found in other U.S. based German restaurants, the flavor is different from what I actually enjoyed in Germany. Instead of the balance of mild vinegar and wine marinate, the vinegar can be over powering. I found this confirmed from a recipe given me by a 78 year old German woman from Bernkastel-Kues whose saurbraten, made from beef, gave the finest restaurants along the Mosel river fits! Nevertheless, with the exception of a little bite of the vinegar to contend with, though derived from pork, and a tad bit fatty, it was nonetheless deliciously tolerable. My friend ordered the pork sausage I spoke of previously. With my sauerbraten I ordered the German potato salad, and the red cabbage which was also a tiny bit high in vinegar content. However, the German potato salad created a nice balance which I anticipated would counter the vinegar in the rest For dessert we ordered the apple strudel. This was a very uniquely made strudel in that it was void of the typical lattice design. It was a lightly crusted, apple filled mound, slightly dusted with confectioners sugar. We dug in to enjoy a bite with the hand whipped cream on the side. It was a very tasty delight of a bite, until we went for the second which was unfortunately, and slightly, burned. The waitress was very kind, and she was more than helpful in her quest to make this right by offering another. We felt it best to have her take away the disappointment of what would have surely been a delightful treat. The flavors could certainly be ascertained, though burned. This place was very friendly as well as authentic in facade. There was even a woman there rocking an accordion, loudly, but with good fun. She mingled through all of us in that large, basement area. She too was very kind and very personable with her friendly conversation. In summation, after all the German restaurants I've been to in my travels, and this includes the German restaurant which once was in the Highlandtown area of Baltimore, the Eichenkranz, now defunct, the Old Stein Inn is still a jewel. Now that I've been here, I want to try something different than the sauerbraten. For me, the saurbraten tends to be the dish to mark. Now that I have, it's time for the schnitzel! :-) Between this place, and the Bauhaus, one can definitely find some satisfactory German treats. If you're looking for authenticity in decor, , Old Stein Inn is the place. Great beers at that! I shall return and give it another try. Even with some problems with our meal, I still gave it 4 stars. Though there were some rough spots, the promise of a fabulous meal certainly exists and rang through. I'll give...

It's been a couple of years since we were here and we were looking forward to our dinner, but we left disappointed.

When you first walk in, you're greeted by glaring locals seated at the bar. Turn to your right and a welcoming host waits to assist you, but is surrounded by Old Stein and German merchandise.

We were seated directly behind the host stand so I started Googling the phrases to find out their meaning. I don't speak German and I know Google isn't the best translator, but some of the spellings were off on their merch. I'm not going to correct them though.

Our waiter, who was also the bartender, was friendly but you could obviously tell he was overworked. I ordered a Reissdorf kolsch and my wife had the Spaten lager. They were just "eh". A long time ago, I had a draft pilsner here that a waitress recommended that I absolutely loved but I don't remember what it was. I've tried Bitburger elsewhere and I know that's not it.

We got the fried pickles app that were a heavy, soggy mess. I got the venison schnitzel special and asked for red cabbage. The schnitzel was good though soggy, the cabbage was way too picklely and the spatzel was good. My wife had the wurst with potato salad and sauerkraut. It was a hot dog, the potato salad was heavy and the sauerkraut was inedible. We had a lot left on our plates and had no interest in taking any of it home.

Overall, it was a disappointing meal that left us feeling ill for the rest of the night. We don't remember the food being a greasy mess in the past so this was a surprise. It's quite the drive to make and, honestly, we can go to Gordon Biersch for similar offerings for about...