The Milton Inn — Restaurant in Maryland

“What makes a good bar a great bar? Culture.” I wrote this in January 2023 and my less than complimentary review has been wiped from both Google and Trip Advisor. That phrase still applies in August 2025. This review is written after attending multiple Happy Hours there, and after wondering if I’d caught them on an off-evening or if there was a pattern. There’s a pattern.

In short, don’t expect a social experience, management frowns on standing bar patrons so only arrive with as many friends as there are empty bar stools. (Obviously, an impossible prediction.)

If you’re looking for a special occasion or destination restaurant, this restaurant continues to fire on all cylinders to deliver fine dining, but if you’re looking to find a neighborhood pub, move on. Read on for specifics on my experience over multiple Happy Hour visits:

WELCOME Greetings are not always friendly, the tone seems to depend on how many empty bar stools there are.

My first time encountering the begrudging welcome was when our group started at the bar but soon grew too large for the limited space, so the hostess escorted us to the long couch next to the fireplace in the adjoining Hearth Room-- with the admonishment to be gone by 7pm due to dinner reservations. In all fairness, the hostess asked us to call ahead so they could accommodate a large group, but Happy Hour with friends is often organic and you don’t know who or how many are coming.

The single time I arrived after my friends did I was met by an unsmiling hostess who informed me that standing at the bar is not allowed, even in the corner where there’s an empty nook by the window. That time the 4 of us played a version of musical chairs with 3 barstools. Another time, a friend simply left without ordering after being called out sharply for standing at the bar.

Another time a couple recognized one of my friends and stopped at our stools, introductions were made, but before we could chat they were hustled off to a table in the fireplace lounge—because, well, there is no standing at the bar. So don’t expect to expand your social circle here.

Despite my past history, I was persuaded to return to the Milton Inn bar to join friends for a weekday Happy Hour last week. At 4:15pm when our group grew to 5 people, we were ushered to the couches by the fireplace, as long as we were out by 6:30pm. Jen was our server and she was charming, efficient and professional. When the 7th friend showed up, he was reprimanded by a passing manager for taking one of the chairs from the adjoining empty tables. Again, don’t expect to get the warm and fuzzies from this establishment.

SERVICE Happy Hour food comes quickly. It's delicious. It's a great value.

BEVERAGE There’s a great selection of specials on wines by the glass and cocktails on the Happy Hour menu.

FOOD The small plates come quickly, they’re delicious, presentation is stellar, and did I mention it’s a great value? On this past visit I enjoyed the Mussels ($18) with a wine and tomato sauce with the Cremant d’Alsace ($6 p/ glass)

DÉCOR I understand that space continues to be a problem when refurbishing a historic structure built in the 18th C. The whitewashed and uncluttered bar area is very nice but it’s cramped, hence the “no standing” regulation. However, there are work-arounds to this militant directive. What if another space were opened up to make for a more social Happy Hour?

In conclusion, the Foreman-Wolf reboot as an “Auberge de Chasse” has brightened up the previous management’s darkly moody hunting lodge vibes. The Milton Inn remains a stellar special occasion/destination dinner choice, but if you’re looking to find a welcoming neighborhood pub, you’re out of luck. If you want to commune with your glass and a bartender, then by all means, be sitting on that barstool at 4pm...

TLDR: A+ French fine dining experience in a picturesque atmosphere. Also has one of the best happy hours in all of Baltimore.

Vibe: 5/5. Situated in the rolling hills of Sparks, MD, The Milton Inn has always been an landmark restaurant for Baltimore County. With the new ownership under the Cindy Wolf/Tony Foreman restaurant group, they have managed to not only preserve the iconic facade, but elevate it into an immersive French countryside experience. Each room within the century old restaurant is thoughtfully decorated to portray a cozy hunting lodge. There is also a bar area located towards the back of the restaurant (also has a separate entrance from the outside clearly marked), perfect for those after work drinks. During our visit, they had a guitar and cello duo setup in the bar, which was a nice addition to the ambiance.

Service: 5/5. As with all fine dining restaurants by Wolf/Foreman, service expectations are held at a very high standard, and The Milton Inn delivered. My party of 2 visited for an early dinner on a Tuesday afternoon. We originally had made reservations for the main dining room, however we also wanted to take advantage of the happy hour specials, so we opted to sit in the bar area. The staff was more than happy to accommodate this last minute request, and we were promptly given a 4 top in the bar lounge. Our waiter, who I believe was also serving the main dining room, did an excellent job in keeping tabs on us in the bar. Food pacing and silverware change outs we're done with the precision and promptness that I have come to expect from fine dining. In addition, I had noted on the reservation that this was an anniversary meal, which the entire staff congratulated us on upon interaction which was a nice touch.

Food: 5/5. Truly an amazing experience from start to finish. As mentioned, we came early and sat in the bar area to take advantage of their amazing happy hour. This includes several of their main menu items but in smaller tapa style portions. This is perfect for those who are trying to sample several menu items without commiting to a full portion. At $8 a plate, this may be the best happy hour deal in all of Baltimore County. With this being our first time at the Milton Inn, we ordered the entire happy hour menu to start. This included a creamy mushroom gnocchi, oysters Rockefeller, battered shrimp, mushroom roasts and lamb skewers. All of the happy hour dishes were perfectly cooked and paired excellent with the $6 glasses of wine and cocktails that also are available during happy hour. For many, this would be more than enough to satisfy as a meal, however we had fasted all day for this epic meal, so we decided to overindulge and order a full service from the main menu as well. We opted for the onion soup, steak tartar, the venison burger and the Roseda NY Strip steak frites. Both the steak tartar and onion soup starters were excellent, making them must haves when visiting. Both the venison and Roseda NY strip were cooked perfectly to desired doneness (med rare on the burger and medium on the steak) and the frites were a shining example of what French fries should strive to be. And finally, we concluded the feast with a decadent slice of scratch made Opera cake. Overall, both the happy hour menu and main dinner menu are both worthwhile experiences at The Milton Inn. Whether it's catching after work drinks and bites with some colleagues, to a full fledged multi course dinner experience while basking in a French hunting Lodge, the Milton Inn has both...

TL;DR: If you're not white and rich, don't come here. You'll be treated with disdain and disrespect.

The full review: If you want to feel like Michelle Yeoh getting turned away from the hotel in "Crazy Rich Asians" with a side of Julia Roberts getting snubbed while shopping in "Pretty Woman," Milton Inn is the place for you.

My fiancé and I came here to celebrate my birthday. The hostess acknowledged the occasion and was very smiley, but it all went downhill from there. They led us to the back, to a small, cramped, windowless addition that was cold and drafty. The two other tables back there were a young Asian couple and a young white couple dressed very casually. I'm Asian and my fiancé is white. It was clear they were hiding all of us.

Here's why I say that: My fiancé and I had accidentally walked in through their side door when we first got there. So we had walked through most of the main rooms and saw the diners were all white, older, and clearly well-to-do.

My fiancé asked for another table, citing the cold. The waiter said he would bring a heater. My fiancé insisted on another table and we were moved to a main room, where there were more than enough empty tables.

Our new waiter didn't smile or give his name. What he did offer: bare minimum service, like doing a drive-by to brusquely ask if the dish was OK. But he had plenty of time and energy to yuk it up with all the white, moneyed diners around us, including flirting with an older married woman. Ew.

The waiter kept trying to clear our table before we were finished. He also tried to take away the drink menu while I was still on the first drink. He later disappeared after giving us the dessert menu. My fiancé had to get up to find him. Dessert arrived with no candle to mark my birthday, yet a table next to us got a candle earlier. My fiancé expressed disappointment to the waiter, who claimed he wasn't told it was my birthday. But when we first came in, everyone knew, from the hostess to the staffers who kept refilling our water. My fiancé made clear his service was awful besides the birthday stuff. The waiter scurried off without apologizing. As we were finishing dessert, a guy in a black suit who I guess was the manager (I don't know because he didn't introduce himself) came over to offer two glasses of rosé on the house, with a lit candle stuck to my glass. But he didn't apologize for or even acknowledge the crappy service. The suit came back when he noticed we barely touched our cheap, pity rosé (at least someone is capable of attentive service, I guess) and offered a glass of something else but I declined. Our waiter dipped so my fiancé had to get up again to tell someone to bring our check. The waiter eventually did, in silence.

We're hella disappointed this is a Foreman Wolf restaurant because our experience at the Charleston was stellar. Needless to say, we're never coming back and telling everyone we know to avoid this place. Wish I could...