The Old Stein Inn

Good German food? Finally! It may a bit out of the way but you should make the trip. It feels like locals are the only customers. And they may be most of them. But they offer almost three restaurants. Inside in the front is a nice but casual lodge feel. Behind it is a hofbrauhaus setting that looks like it opens up during the warm weather.
And the food is good. The service is great. Very friendly servers. A place to go back to again and again. I WILL be back soon.

First of all, place is no where near our home in Frederick. Don’t care! We will be back soon!
Food is amazing! German, but cooked so delicately that it doesn’t sit «heavy» like typical German fare.
But honestly? What MADE our night was our server, Riley. He was precious. Chatty, outgoing, kind, and accommodating. He brought out a sample of his fave beers for my husband to try! We watched him deal with a table of grumpy adults who were nagging after their kids to behave (the kids were FINE, btw). We saw him get on his knees and have a full conversation with a toddler. It’s like he was sent directly to Earth from some alternate planet of only kickass waiters. He even popped his head out the front door to say goodbye again! This kid is a gem!
Such a pleasant experience — food AND service. We are looking forward to our next visit!

For authentic german food, this is the place to go. Consistently good. From the schnitzel to the beer. The waitresses are friendly and can explain the beers/​menu items if you have questions.
Around Ocktoberfest, they get really crowded, with people waiting. If you’re in the area, you can’t go wrong eating here.

My favorite restaurant for food and drink, especially for German food and drink. Mike has done a fantastic job over the last few years expanding the place. His latest addition, the Bier Bar, is an instant go-​to place for anyone who likes DC bars but doesn’t want to drive over an hour to get there. Did I mention the food is better than all those trendy places in DC. The best!

We always love going here. It is a little on the pricey side, but there are cheaper options for food if you aren’t looking nice to spend over 20 $ for a meal. The atmosphere is fun and it’s a great addition to the neighborhood we live in!!! Service always great and food always served hot. Food is delicious! Love their crab soup.

Just went back to Old Stein for the first time since the fire. Love the outdoor upgrades! Their cheese spatzle was amazing. I don’t usually love sausages, but theirs were pretty darn good. However pricier than I feel like they should be…

When you see a PACKED parking lot EVERY day that a restaurant is open, you have high expectations. The Old Stein does NOT disappoint. Amazing, authentic German food and brews! Wonderful staff, great atmosphere, and an awesome beer garden :) Pricey, but absolutely worth every penny!!!

The food here is aaaaamazing! And the beer selection is, as you would expect, on point. I have the sour beef and mmmmm it melted in my mouth! My friend whose German grandmother makes the stuff at home sang high praises of The Old Stein Inn’s version, which is enough endorsement for me. I look forward to my next visit with salivatory anticipation.

Disappointed they wouldn’t do separate checks for our party. When we initially asked about having separate checks before ordering drinks our waitress very rudely explained we should have known they «don’t do separate checks for parties» and how «we were told when we made the reservation we don’t separate checks for parties and should have known». Only one person makes the reservation so it was news to us. Thankfully that waitress never came back to serve our table and was replaced by a much friendlier server. Whom in the end helped us split our check for us. Overall the food was decent, atmosphere was nice. The servers apart from the from the waitress we had for five minutes were pleasant.

So much fun! We had a group of 6 and sat on the patio. I’m not an expert in German food, but enjoyed everything we had. The live musician was fun and she was super sweet! It made for a great experience. Friendly service too.

Terrible service. We arrived a few minutes ahead of our reservations but we were seated immediately because they weren’t busy; however, we sat at our table for 20 minutes waiting for someone to greet us and get our drink orders. No one ever came. Tried to flag someone down but there weren’t any servers in the dining room and the hostess was MIA.
On the way out, we told the manager (think he’s new) and he really couldn’t have cared less. Basically shrugged his shoulders and let us leave without trying to remedy the situation. The owner really should know about this.
We really used to love this spot and have always had great service, but it’s gone downhill. We won’t be returning.

I seriously don’t know how anyone could give this dining experience anything less than 5-​stars. The food is excellent and authentic, the beer fresh and delicious — pairing perfectly with the food. Each time we go, Sylvia saronades with her accordian. She’ll even yodal happy birthday to you — well she did for me. Prost!

Disappointed. We walked in and they were pretty busy for a Wednesday night. We requested a table for three adults and one child (high chair). The hostess asked if we had a reservation and we told her we didn’t make one. She sighed and looked around the restaurant. They had open tables, but I guess they were expecting a lot of people. Make a reservation to avoid the sighing hostess! :)
After being seated our waitress came right over and took our drinks. We ordered our drinks and a pretzel as an app. The pretzel came out fast with great mustard.
I was hoping the waitress would return half way through our app to take our order. She didn’t return until we finished the pretzel.
I ordered a fall harvest salad and the sampler. The salad was tasty but definitely need a crunch. It needed a nut to give it a little umph!
The bratwurst was good but nothing special. I was expecting more from the reviews. The potato salad was sour. Ugh! Not a fan. I ordered my daughter chicken and it was good. The seasonal fruit included apples and mandarin oranges. I was expecting something else.
My friend ordered a dish that came with a pork chop. It was bad. It was brunt, dry, and bite size.
I was expecting tasty German food because of the reviews. My expectations were too high. The hostess was not friendly and the service was slow. I won’t be returning.

Awesome authentic German fare, attentive servers and wonderful atmosphere. Definitely a great dinner spot.

Followed the reviews and was not disappointed at all. The experience started from the start with the hostess. Beer was great. Had the Über burger which was made to order. The price was a tad high but it was worth it when we got the food!

Bottom Line: The Old Stein Inn is a German experience that doesn’t disappoint — great food, amazing desserts, plenty of beer on tap and German charm.
On Saturday night I put on my best dirndl and headed into the depths of the Edgewater for a night of fun at The Old Stein Inn. I was expecting it to be an entertaining night with a delicious meal but I got so much more at this German gem.
I’ve never been to Germany so I can’t authentically speak to the authenticity of this place, but it felt very German inclusive of German accents from the staff, a lovely accordion player and lots of wurst.
When in German, do as the Germans do. .. so I started with bier and lots of it. A flight of light German beers, a flight of dark German beers and some Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic for good measure.
For food I had some of the soft pretzel complete with three sauces, potato pancakes complimented by applesauce and a smokey, porky, bauernwurst sandwich. All of that was five-​stars delicious The sandwich was actually served on a pretzel roll with sauerkraut (yum) and a side of fries which were awful. If I had been paying attention I would have requested some German Potato Salad or Spatzle instead because both of those potato dishes looked amazing.
Even if you don’t think you like German food or you are a vegetarian, don’t dismiss The Old Stein Inn. I would have been happy with the beer, potatoes pancakes, pretzels and aaaa-​mazing homemade desserts. Its a rare day I eat dessert after a dinner out but I could not resist it here. I had the Belgian waffle sundae — a fresh and perfectly crisp waffle, topped with ice cream, a nut brittle, chocolate sauce, butterscotch, and a cherry. So incredibly good and worth the calories.
Overall, service here was good. We made a reservation ahead of time and the restaurant was able to accommodate our party of six either inside the restaurant or out in the bier garten.
Sylvia, who plays the accordion is especially delightful.
I can’t wait to come back for some more German goodness and to try the fried pickles.

So we sat outside in the bier garten… Rachel gave us excellent suggestions from the beer to the appetizers to the entrees. We started with a soft pretzel with the three different toppings, it was delicious. The beer and wine were great and the dinner was awesome. Was really in the mood for something different and the German sausages and schnitzel, hit the spot. We chose the smoked and the regular pork sausages and the chicken cordon blue schnitzel. Both we good but the sausages, I would order again! The cordon blue was a bit bland. The sausages were served with Sauer kraut and German potato salad. Unfortunately the kitchen closed so we couldn’t try the desserts. Next time! If you want something different in the Annapolis Edgewater area, go here!

I put off writing this review because I’m not a fan of German food (I know, I know, so what was I doing here?). I decided to treat my fiancé to a meal here because he has been craving German food. Since I am not all that adventurous, I decided to just eat something small.
I ordered the Beer & Bacon Crab Dip. I must say, it was very hearty and I appreciated how many pretzel bites accompanied the dip.
Inside, the restaurant was very nice and clean. Next time, I’d love to sit in the bar area.
Two things that turned me off:
Our waiter was quite blunt and not very patient with us. While he seemed like an okay server, I just didn’t think his attitude meshed with his customer service role.
He also didn’t offer any suggestions or give us the opportunity (mainly me) to ask any questions about the food on the menu. If I went back, I’d have to rely on my fiancé’s knowledge of German food.
Needless to say, I’ll only return the next time my fiancé has a hankering for some German cuisine.

Awesome hidden gem in terms of german food
Excellent beer selection
Great presentation of food
Food taste excellent itself
Interior looks great. Clean
Relaxing… If you’re looking for a good time with your friends or spouse check it out you won’t be disappointed

German food, done right!
It’s hard to find a good German restaurant down here. Well, it’s hard to find ANY German places to be honest! The ones you do find are usually pretty good, at least to me, but I’m partial to the cuisine. However, great German grub is still an art form, and this place has it down to a tee.
Let me also state that we went here MANY years ago (way before the fire) when this place was little more than a dirty biker bar. My dad remembers a very unpleasant experience the last time he had been, where we were all still hungry after we left (we cleaned our plates) and paid an unusually high cost for said disappointing meal. Now, I hate to say good things about bad events, but maybe the fire was a silver lining in disguise.
The indoor dining area is very open now, with very high vaulted ceilings and warm inviting wooden benches and tables. They make up for the lost space with a comfortably big biergarten (Beer Garden, literally) out back. We were there in the mid-​chill of Fall, and they had plenty of heaters set up outside. The guests seemed very comfortable out there, too!
If I had to complain, and I’m not, it would be the noise level. It can still get a little loud inside, but not to a painful degree, and certainly not worth subtracting a star for. Still, thought I’d mention it (i.e. warn you if you’re sensitive to sound).
The food, though… oh man the food! I find it hard not to order the jaegerschnitzel every single time. The perfectly cooked cutlet is draped lovingly in a smoky, earthy, hearty, savory bacon-​mushroom gravy, just the right amount. As with all of their schnitzels, you can choose between chicken, pork or veal, a nice feature on the schnitzel menu. They have a wurst menu, too, and their sausages are fresh, flavorful, and filling! The sides… perfectly done. Authentic, delicious, mouth-​watering…
They have great beer here, too. Mostly German, naturally, but how can you not like German beer?! Their selection is actually pretty varied, and they have a rotating 10^th tap of a seasonal item. Usually really delicious, as well. Try the German Root Beer cocktail! It’s one of the only ways I’ve enjoyed Jaegermeister, seriously.
This is a great restaurant, and well worth the trip. I sincerely hope they keep up this level of commitment to the food, the beverages, and the service. This kind of quality will keep us as regular customers for many years to come. True Phoenix story, rising from the ashes bigger and better than before. Please please PLEASE keep it up, everyone!