Old Anglers Inn

Such a charming restaurant, exuding quaint appeal. The outdoor ambiance just oozes with charm. The setting and everything about it is lovely. However, the food falls short. We ordered Salmon, Steak, and Blackened Grouper, alongside Calamari and Bread Pudding. My Blackened Grouper turned out to be fried, which was disappointing as it wasn't mentioned on the menu. The other dishes were mediocre and bland, and overall, the prices felt unjustifiably high. This place could be fun if you come here for drinks and some basic appetizers maybe.

Criminally overpriced. Average food. Subpar service. We got seated in a very sunny corner of this mostly outdoor establishment and the umbrella barely covered our table. It wasn't busy at all yet they chose this table for us and didn't help us move the umbrella lol. They asked how I wanted my burger and I said rare. It came out looking completely well. A lot of the other dishes were hit and miss where some are enjoyable and others are disappointing and questionably made. Service was abysmal and it's like amateur hour over here. I've gotten better service from fast food restaurants. Food: 4/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Service: 4/10 Value: 3/10

Disappointing Experience After a Long Wait. After eagerly anticipating our visit to Old Anglers Inn for three months, our experience fell far short of expectations, leaving us deeply disappointed. **Service:** From the moment we arrived, it was evident that the service at Old Anglers Inn was lacking. Despite a mishap with a broken bowl during our meal, neither our server nor the manager made any effort to address the issue or offer an apology. Their lack of attentiveness was particularly frustrating, especially considering the special occasion we had been eagerly awaiting. **Food Quality:** Although I was unable to fully enjoy my French onion soup due to the unfortunate incident with the broken bowl, I can attest to the fact that the food quality was satisfactory and enjoyed my Chicken Piccata. However, the overall dining experience was marred by the poor service we received. **Atmosphere:** The ambiance of Old Anglers Inn was pleasant enough, but unfortunately, it was overshadowed by the disappointment of the subpar service we encountered. **Value for Money:** Given the lackluster service and the abbreviated nature of our meal, it's difficult to justify the cost of dining at Old Angeles Inn While the food may be of decent quality, the overall experience did not live up to the price tag. **Suggestions for Improvement:** I would strongly urge Old Anglers Inn to prioritize training their staff in customer service and attentiveness and not to judge customers by apperance since I had $10k in cash on me at the moment. Additionally, addressing mishaps such as broken dishes promptly and offering sincere apologies can go a long way in mitigating the impact of such incidents on the overall dining experience. In conclusion, our long-awaited visit to Old Anglers Inn was a disappointment. I sincerely hope that they take steps to improve their service standards so that future guests do not have to endure a similarly unsatisfactory experience.

This is one of our go to restaurants when we have family visit or want to go out for a nice meal. The food and service are always great. The place is pleasant and cozy as long as you're not expecting a more modern decor. This is an old building and looks like a well maintained old building and for us, that's a good thing. We've always been more attracted to wood and antiques than soulless modern design. In the winter the outdoor seating is mostly near a huge fire pit. I'm the summer it's a fountain. TL:DR great restaurant with cozy old fashioned decor that never disappoints in service or food.

Great for the atmosphere! Food is good but expensive - still worth it thought to go after a trip to the bully goat trail!

Such an iconic restaurant that has kept her charm and delicious food. We went after a long and beautiful hike and had grilled cheese and tomato soup… mmm perfect for the cold weather. The créame brûlée was exceptional. The cocktail’s list is impressive.

Food delicious and staff was great. Atmosphere was quaintly aged but outside spaces very nice. The gazpacho was the best we have had. Food was very expensive from a New England perspective (about $120 for two without drinks) but seemingly in line in the DMV area. Although a very nice restaurant, they welcome people off the hiking trails who are casually, but appropriately, dressed. We will be back.

Old Anglers Inn is an institution with a nice setting, conveniently next to the parking for popular hikes on the C&O Canal and more challenging Billy Goat trail sections. IMO, best stick to the burgers and less expensive menu items as the rest is unimaginative as are most of the legacy restaurants in the Potomac area. As it's a historic inn, the interior rooms are 'intimate' (small), and most will prefer the tables on the patio in-season. Still a great place to visit when recreating nearby and the only restaurant within 4 or 5 miles. The somewhat hidden back patio area is the preferred place to hang out, much less formal and they often have live music.

Wonderful, interesting and unusually pleasant setting. We ate outdoors on a perfect evening. Service was 10 out of 10 friendly lovely waitresses, paying attention and having fun while they did it. The menu was extensive the food was tasty with large portions.The calamari was the best I've ever had. The only negative was music that at times was very loud and continued at various volumes throughout the meal. It was distracting, and the waitresses seemed unable to change it. All in all, a terrific experience and much better than we had a few years back. Hope to go again soon. If you are drinking wine and driving home on MacArthur Boulevard after dark be very very careful; it's a very winding dark road with some surprises.

Criminally overpriced. Average food. Subpar service. We got seated in a very sunny corner of this mostly outdoor establishment and the umbrella barely covered our table. It wasn't busy at all yet they chose this table for us and didn't help us move the umbrella lol. They asked how I wanted my burger and I said rare. It came out looking completely well. A lot of the other dishes were hit and miss where some are enjoyable and others are disappointing and questionably made. Service was abysmal and it's like amateur hour over here. I've gotten better service from fast food restaurants. Food: 4/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Service: 4/10 Value: 3/10

Very cute venue with a fountain and gardens in the front. The back area is more casual dining with picnic tables and at times has live music. The servers are attentive. We sat with the band and had light bites. The crab and spinach dips are very good. The margarita pizza had plenty of cheese but was lacking in flavor. A slight garlic, Italian seasoning or something would probably enhance it.

7/27/2024 7:00 PM dined outside on patio enjoyed Grilled hanger steak, red wine sauce, french fries. Wife had the Wedge Salad and enjoyed some extremely fresh deserts creme brûlée along with a Tiramisu absolutely perfect way to finish the night . We then spent time with a folk band in the beer garden . Service was also outstanding !

Every single bite of what ever you order is Absolutely delicious every single time. Ambiance is charming, quaint and relaxing. Staff are very attentive.

I visited here recently for the first time during Father's day. I am not sure how parking is normally but they asked if we had a reservation and they only allowed us to park in the lot by the restaurant after confirming that we did. The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice. It sits by the wood area and it is serene and at night with the lights on, it was very pretty. However, when you are paying a hefty price for food, you're not only there for ambiance. And considering, some of the other aspects of this dining experience fell below my expectations. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait for them to clear and set our table. When we were seated, it took nearly 10 minutes before anyone came to ask or check on us. It also seemed like they had a good amount of staff but there was clearly some miscommunication/language barrier between some of the servers. Throughout the meal, we had to often ask for our server since other servers could not attend to us since it was not their table. Now, let's talk food. The prices are steep but given the location I suppose that comes as no surprise. Our total bill came out to about $400. The bread service costs money and it was good but I am not sure if it was worth it. We also requested a cup of hot water and charged us as it was tea. The server was kind enough to take it off the bill and $5 for hot water just does not make sense. We ordered calamari, wedge salad, octopus (shareable) and all were good. The octopus dish was mainly vegetables (which I thought tasted better than the octopus itself). The calamari I would say is the best bang for your buck. Nicely fried and the sweet and sour sauce pairs nicely. Moving on the mains... We ordered the filet mignon, seafood pasta, and the bowl w/ hanger steak. First, the serve said he did not know how to add on the steak (as indicated on the menu) so he was going to charge us the bowl + hanger steak as it was a main entree. We had to tell him that's not how it's stated on the menu... for a place like this, provide some better training. The seafood pasta portion was also ok.. for $38, they could offer a bigger portion of it. The desserts however, was the best. We ordered gelato, creme brulee and tiramisu. All were fantastic! To sum it up, nice ambiance for sure but be ready to pay for it for not a lot in return.

We had a lovely evening eating on the outside patio by the water feature. There were a couple of large fans blowing though there was very low humidity this night with only 80 degrees in May. At least the fans are good at getting rid of mosquitoes. We started with a fried calamari appetizer. It came with a very large half lemon. We usually get a quarter size in other places. The appetizer also had a sweet chili sauce. Calamari was fine but the batter was too light and soft that it just fell off. Our entrees consisted of the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and green beans and steak frites with french fries. I wanted to substitute the mashed potatoes with asparagus. I didn't think it would be a problem because on the menu all the sides of mashed potatoes, asparagus, and green beans were all priced at $10. I was told by the waiter that it would be an additional charge of $6. I was disappointed to hear that and kept the mashed potatoes. I think the short ribs was good, very tender and soft. It was a good portion and the fresh green beans were great. The steak frites was too chewy. You have to have very good teeth to eat this. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with this dish. The fries were also not hot, more room temperature. Though service was impeccable, it did take some time for our main entrees to come out. There were definitely enough servers on the floor but that doesn't mean there were enough kitchen staff. I do not know but I did notice that many of the tables waited some time. I made reservations for 6:30 but we made it there early at 6:00 and they easily accommodated us without problems. We had a bottle of sparkling water and with all the condensation, the label started to slip off the bottle. When I grabbed it to pour, the bottle slipped out of my hand because of the peeling label and I dropped the bottle on the table. I made such a noise that a server came by to see if I needed any help. Luckily it was just a little spilled water. Throughout the rest of the night, a server would come by our table to pour the water for me. Parking may be an issue. They have a small lot.

Wow, another great dinner at Old Anglers Inn tonight! Calamari is a must try and the new sandwiches on the spring menu are outstanding. We always get fantastic service and are treated like family. Another must try is the crème brûlée. Thanks for an another great date night with my wife.

Came here on Juneteenth. The area was so crowded with hikers from the parking lot across the street, yet the restaurant was absolutely dead at 12:30 p.m. I quickly found out why once I got a look at their outrageous prices. This place needs to learn about supply and demand. I know they have a beer garden with more reasonable prices, but apparently only open on weekends. I realize this is a rich neighborhood with plenty of people who can afford to eat there, but I got the idea they would rather have an empty restaurant then a patio packed with dirty sweaty hikers. 40 bucks for a burger and a beer. No thanks!

Great food, awful service. The waiters seem to not have peripheral vision. We were seated and we ordered our starters with one waiter, who was never to been seen again. Our entree order was taken by someone else, also never to be seen again. It took 20 minutes and being ignored by two other waiters to finally get the check and a to-go box. I have no idea where the staff disappears to but the service is awful for a $200 lunch check. The food, however was absolutely delicious! I certainly recommend the french onion soup, the calamari, and the duck breast. Sadly I do not think I will be back to dine here. The patio does have a statement piece of a fire pit that is worth mentioning.

Old Anglers Inn My wife and I stopped by the Old Anglers Inn for lunch on an unreasonably warm December Friday afternoon. We were greeted by an outdoor eating space around a fire pit, in front of the restaurant. As the temperature was in the 60s, we decided to eat outside. We started with an Irish coffee and a Hot Toddy. Both drinks were amazing. The hot lemon and honey of the Hot Toddy felt soothing on my throat that had just gotten over a cold. The Irish coffee started with great coffee, so it was great. For dinner, my wife had the crab cake. She's a bit of a crab cake connoisseur, and she very much enjoyed her lunch. She said that the crab cake was mostly crab, and not just filler with a bit of crab for taste. She also said that it had a tarragon flavor, which was unexpected but no less enjoyable. The crab cake was served on a bed of corn in a nice sauce. I had the Lentil Burger. It was served with goat cheese on the burger, lettuce, tomato, and a delightful cucumber sauce. The service was fine. We did wait a bit for our check, but that was fine because we were enjoying the warm weather. After lunch we walked around the grounds and saw two different outdoor areas for private parties. All in all, though the Old Anglers Inn is not cheap, it is well worth what you pay, and we will be back.

The good: beautiful atmosphere and location. The bad: bad/rude service, expensive mediocre food. Go for the convenience and location after a hike. Don't expect much and you'll have a good time.

This review is for the restaurant - not the beer garden. Food and service here are still excellent. Favorites are the scallops, lamb, wedge salad, salmon appetizer. Cocktails are also always well made. I will say that the restaurant has added a few strange charges to the bill since Covid. The "cleaning fee" is gone, but we did get charged a $10 heating fee for dining outside on a temperate Late October night. I will say the fire pit in the patio is excellent and well supplemented by propane heaters. But still... a fine dining restaurant shouldn't be pricing like this. Also, a $2 split fee because my wife and I shared a wedge salad appetizer? Just price the food accordingly and don't risk the nickel and dime reputation. Overall, this is still a nice fine dining evening and the patio is lovely!

TLDR: Beautiful location, but a criminally overpriced menu and disappointing service make Old Anglers a hard pass. Vibe: 4/5. Located in the scenic backwoods of Potomac Maryland, Old Anglers is a predominantly outdoor dining restaurant. The dining area is situated over several patios surrounding the historic Old Anglers Inn building which has a small bar and inside dining room. The outdoor space is well decorated, complete with a cascading waterfall, water fountain and mood lighting which makes for a lovely ambiance while having dinner. The outdoor tables are your standard metal patio tables, which can hold 4 people comfortably. Each table also has an umbrella for shade, a must for early afternoon summer dinners. Parking is also convenient, as they have a private parking lot directly in front of the dining area, with some additional auxiliary parking across the street. Service: 1/5. Unfortunately, the service we experienced during our dinner at Old Anglers left a lot to be desired. My party of 4 had a reservation at 6pm on Father's Day. We anticipated that the service would be a bit chaotic, however we didn't expect it to be downright disappointing. After we were seated, it took approximately 15-20 minutes for our waiter to stop by the table to introduce himself and take drink orders. We opted to order a bottle of wine, however they were out of our original choice. Instead of asking us what we wanted as an alternative, the waiter brought another random bottle to the table and said this is what we should order. We agreed, thinking it was a comparable bottle as that's what restaurants usually do, however we would later realize that it was a significantly more expensive bottle than the original we wanted ($50 more). We were able to order our appetizers at the same time as the wine, which was a wise idea, as it would take another 30 minutes to flag our waiter down to place our main entrees. When ordering our mains, our server didn't seem well versed on the menu. One of the entrees, the beet power bowl, had an option on the menu for a hanger steak add-on for $18. When this was ordered, the waiter said that they could only do it if they charged us for the entire steak frites meal ($38). We had to physically show him the menu to get the $18 add on price! At this point, we were hoping the worst was over, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Two of our diners asked for cups of hot water with a lemon wedge to drink with dinner. When the bill came, our waiter tried to charge us $5 EACH for said cups of hot water. Our bill was $400+ and we had to fight tooth and nail for him to remove the charges. This is totally unacceptable. Overall, the entire service felt super rushed, impersonal and a constant nickel and dime shakedown for an already overpriced menu. Food: 3/5. Old Anglers attempts to execute a modern American style menu with hints of Mediterranean flare. For our dinner service, we ordered the grilled octopus, fried calamari and wedge salad for the table. All the apps came out quickly and well prepared. The calamari was a clear winner, with perfectly crispy breading, pairing well with the Thai chili sauce. The octopus was also very tasty, but was skimpy on the octopus portion (less than 1 tentacle) for $35+. For mains, we ordered the seafood pasta, the filet mignon special and the beet power bowl with hanger steak. All mains came out together and hot. The seafood pasta had good taste, but seemed clumsily thrown together with the noodles and seafood appearing to be tossed around by another diner (sauce all over the top of the plate). The filet was passable, but could have been seasoned better. Finally, the power bowl had good flavor from the tahini and sweet beets. The hanger steak was perfectly cooked medium rare, so nothing to complain about here. We also opted for bread service, but with the additional $2 charge for a 1/4 of a baguette, I cannot recommend it. Overall, the food was passable with some hits and some misses, but from a value perspective, Old Anglers is a bonafide rip off. To put things into perspective, their house burger and fries is $28, the seafood pasta was $40 and an iceberg wedge salad is $18. For $400, you can go into DC proper and dine at Michelin guide recognized restaurants for about the same price.

So beautiful. Stunning garden atmosphere. Terrible service. Waiter was borderline disrespectful. Had absolutely no recommendations, didn't seem to know what a spiked seltzer was and curtly expressed such. No food recommendations. Rushed us to leave when we sat down at 7. As pretty as the ambiance is, I'm not sure I'd return for more than a drink... maybe :/

We went here because we got a Groupon as a gift as we had no idea about this place and by the looks of the Yelp reviews, we might not have ever tried it and that's kinda sad... because we really enjoyed it and not because of the Groupon deal either, this place has a great ambiance, great drinks/food and to top it off it's like a hidden historic gem and I hope they keep it up to get more great reviews. Our service was great, from the host who took us to our great seats (up top thru the cool twisty staircase) to the waitress and waiter staff who served us along all the courses and helped us with recommendations per our torn choices and they weren't wrong. I had the Lobster Bisque Soup which was excellent, a nice amount of lobster in the middle (not a ton, but just enough) and the flavor was divine. My wife enjoyed the Arugula salad (can't remember the name but it had Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans and something else) but she enjoyed it very much. Now down to the main course, as you can see from the pics, I had the scallops with couscous which was pretty freakin yummy and a perfect amount of food and my wife had the salmon and she really loved how they cooked it with the glaze and she really enjoyed the flavor of the parsnip purée. We didn't do desert, partially because we ate too much and drank our dessert with a couple of cocktails, which were also great by the way, our favorites were the Bourbon Sidecar and Vesper. The fact that this place is in such a nice quaint location and between the service and food, it was excellent overall. I might add we aren't fancy people so this place I would consider a special occasion place with a little extra $$ to consider but if you are fancy and like to spend extra money then this place should still be high enough quality for you folks too. The fact that they have a beer garden with a different menu and is a little less expensive will make us come back during the nice weather to try that part out. We'll be back for sure.

How do they do it? Yes another wonderful special memorable dinner at Old Angler's. Thank you.

Troy was fabulous! He was so helpful for our event and really made the evening. He was ready to help with anything, and so personable! We had a great evening with yummy food and a cheery atmosphere. Would definitely come back!

Charming setting, mediocre service, average food at extravagantly high prices. There's something askew when a place charges customers for bread when paying almost $100 a person for dinner. These guys can do much better and need to improve their service and food quality.

Good ambience, friendly server , relaxing atmosphere, savory foods. Greatly recommended.

5 stars for the ambiance ! Crab cake sandwich was the standout. Wedge salad also tasty. Definitely go during the day or early evening and eat outside. Felt like we were in the Black Forest.

We have a party of 5 to celebrate my friend's birthday. Food is very tasty and arranged nicely in plates. Service is also excellent. One thing I have to mention is the staff are very considerate to give us more food to share. That is really touching. A free crème brûlée with candle lighted is another heartwarming. Thank you, Old Anglers Inn treat us like valuable customers.

Food is below average to any restaurant, and completely unacceptable for the top price they charge. Service is slow and not friendly. The only thing going on for this aging restaurant it the location and the charm, period.

What a horrible rating for such an absolute GEM of a restaurant!!! This is why I Yelp!!! It's our 17th anniversary today and while we have a reservation at a fancy restaurant in Georgetown tonight, we wanted to do something special for lunch as well. And how special it was!!! We have lived closer by (25 minutes) for a long time and have heard only great things about OAI from friends. So we thought we would give it a try! Very easy to get to, ample parking and it looks just magical walking up to it from the gravelly parking lot below- a beautiful little chalet with heaters and tables and chairs around a huge fire pit and happy doggos basking in the sun next to their owners happily drinking wine and beer. The inside is so quaint and cozy! The decor is rustic with little whimsical touches for the Easter season that's upon us- we particularly loved the oversized Mackenzie and Childs bunny :) Without a reservation, we were warmly welcomed and seated by the fireplace. Our server, A, was just the best- she was so sweet and kind, knew what to recommend, how to pace our meal well and clearly loves working there. The food was divine! French onion soup can just be that- or it can be elevated by a rich, flavorful and carefully made stock and patiently made to perfection- I was peeling off the cheese from the crock itself. Warm, chewy-on-the-inside and satisfyingly crusty-on-the-outside half-petite baguettes are served to each guest with a pot of salted butter to share and served as a perfect "mop" for what we fought for at the end of our soup experience. The beet salad with roasted yellow and red beets, arugula, candied walnuts and lightly crumbled goat cheese in a wonderfully balanced fig-balsamic vinaigrette was the perfect compliment and companion to the soup to start our meal. And the hamburger we split was the very best medium rare you could ask for with a perfect char. The fries were my husband's favorite kind- thicker, skinless and more of a colossal crunch fry than a shoestring type- just delicious and very, very clean fry oil we could tell (so important and underrated). A couple of cocktails to start (the Sara Says is so fun and a perfectly made Aperol Spritz), a glass of Malbec for him and a glass of Bordeaux for me to end our meal which paired so well with the char on that lovely burger that we will most certainly remember it and come back for more (among other, new things we are excited to try...) Thank you, thank you OAI for such a special lunch in our area- we didn't need to fly anywhere to be treated to excellent service, food and ambiance and were lucky enough to be able to skip out to our car and say, when are we coming back?! And who are we bringing with us next time?!!!

Great ambiance, felt like we we eating at a countryside restaurant in Europe! The setting really relaxes you, we loved the care they took in developing the Inn over such a long period of time. We ate on the front patio and it was lovely, but there seems to be no bad places to eat here. The food was very nice, great quality. My 9 year old liked the kids menu very much. Wish it was closer to us! It was a tad expensive, but we will be back!

The ground floor and outdoor space are beautiful and inviting. Unfortunately we were seated upstairs where upgrades are desperately needed. It was like a juxtaposition between the two. The main course was delicious and the servers were attentive. The desert choices we selected were not homemade, and for the price one would expect this to be the case. The price overall for the food was on the higher end and likely not worth the overall experience for us to return regularly.

Completely in disbelief over the absolutely atrocious customer experience I had over the phone calling this restaurant for a reservation. A woman answered the phone, I stated what I was calling for and she yawned loudly and hung up. She did this two separate times. I'm appalled that this is the service that they provide for their clients. What a shameful display of etiquette on this restaurant. I received a call the next day from an associate at this restaurant responding back to one of the emails I had left inquiring about the reservation. I explained what had occurred with the interaction the day prior. The woman on the phone had a monotone voice the entire call, did not explain the behavior of the employee or offer an apology. She only responded curtly with, "So do you want to make a reservation?". Their customer service is almost comical. Even reading through reviews it's clear that customer service is something they lack deeply in even at the bare minimum. This industry is focused on service and management should be embarrassed of the deplorable behavior of their staff. No averagely rated food is even remotely worth the experience of dealing with such a low class work ethic.

Beautiful place for a romantic dinner! The service was amazing! Polite servers! Perfect atmosphere for love

This is a very charming restaurant! The pictures do not do it justice. The outdoor dining area is very warm and inviting with all the lights and heated lamps. The food was very fresh and of good quality. We ordered the scallops with Israeli couscous and branzino with grilled veggies, both were delicious but especially the branzino. They made my Hendricks dirty martini shaken with olives perfectly and they have a decent wine list. Price point is on the higher-end but appropriate as you are also paying for ambience and quality. Service was very friendly and attentive. I think it's a great option for a lovely date, special occasion, or nice dinner away from the city. I would recommend and definitely come back.

Perfect definition of mediocre. It took over 20 minutes just to get waters for our table, every table surrounding us got their meals at least 10 minutes before our table. The only point in our meal when we saw any sense of urgency was paying and clearing the table (they were definitely rushing our departure). I got the eggs benedict, which I was under the impression that the eggs were supposed to be poached... they were closer to hard boiled. Food was decent but definitely overpriced for the seemingly classist ambiance. The servers definitely need to be retrained.

The food was just fine. Very expensive ordered 3 entrees (fried grouper sandwich, swordfish bowl and grilled chicken sandwich and everything was about 110 with tip. The food was not bad by any means but each dish was between 30-40 dollars and portions were meh and it tasted alright. The setting is very cute and sitting outside has fountains and comfortable seating. Service was great and server was very attentive. Would come back and try other dishes but did not seem worth the price today.

The low aggregate review is from disgruntled Tow Path hikers who cannot use the Inn's parking lot. This place is awesome in all respects (food, ambience, service): ignore the online haters!

Slow - I get we r at thanksgiving and help is slow but. Ridiculous slow to order slow to get check slow to charge card - like ridiculous

This is a beautiful setting. For both indoor and outdoor the ambiance is great. The food is good but overpriced. Everything is so expensive, and the food, though good, is not that extraordinary. The worst part of the experience is service! I have never been to a restaurant of this scale with such a bad service.

Cork floating on the dirty fountain. Rude waiters- the first one did not introduce himself just stated the fish&soup of the day, asked us twice if the pineapple-ginger drink we wanted was real so we pointed it out on the crappy paper menu, joked with the bartender inside at the odd drink/basically what a pain it was we ordered it (i overheard them as i left the restroom, which had hand towels overflowing from the floor baskets) then made a rudely said "well our bartenders are used to making drinks with ice" after we reminded him we wanted no ice & to please remove it. ok? I responded we asked for no ice. He never came back to our table. The drink came back & it barely filled half the glass without the ice- cheap serving amounts. the second waiter got offended that two people did not like the steak AT ALL, said something about it being cooked that way for 5 years (ok so?) & he never returned, the third waiter was kind & asked for feedback- we explained it was chewy, not warm, tasted like nothing but raw-ish meat, sauce (he called it gravy) was odd too, then he said it was pittsburg-style which is not traditional & its not labeled in the menu as such (french side of family had an entrecôte restaurant, this was not steak frites & i have never heard of pittsburg steak frites mix before today) they asked if we wanted something else & we said no- by this point after the bad service interactions, the push back to us pointing out food quality inconsistencies & the so-so apps, we knew anything else would be just as bad if not worse for steep prices (mussels were ok, fried calamari breading was falling apart, soggy & the thai sauce seemed store bought as im sure a lot of the ingredients were/nothing seemed really fresh- my lemonade also tasted like fountain or Minute maid lemonade, the steak plate was hot/warm (found out for myself, no warning from waiters) while the meat was room temp so it mightve been left under a heater, fries were ok/boyfriend said his were greasy, we wanted to sub for veggies but did not want to pay $6 each, yet the fish of the day came with the wrong sides per whats printed on menu) i was looking forward to dessert & coffee after our 3.6mile hike but we did not want to stay there a second longer. Truly a shame the meat went to waste, and we lost our appetite for hours after trying to go over the entire experience wondering if we were crazy but after reading other similar reviews it seems this place coasts by due to their former success, overcharges for non-fresh ingredients & cannot take criticism. Also there was a live band playing in the back while the speakers were also playing music in the front, so just a weird experience overall. They took off both steaks from our bill without us asking- but we wouldve asked if they didnt because we literally only took one bite each & it was not edible. Dont waste your money, i wouldnt come back for even one beer.

It is hard not to be terrified of all the bad reviews on Yelp and online: "It is OLD, overpriced, super expensive, very slow service, one star, two stars..." Something in me said, lets go and see for ourselves. Those are the best moments of expectation management in the group and everyone being super pleasantly surprised. I do have to caveat a few things, though: We sat outside. The weather was still balmy, and they had heaters on at every table. At dinner time, the fairy lights in the garden and the smoky wood smell really gave it a magical ambiance. Everyone was quite happy with the food, and the highlights were the onion soup (really rich flavor, good cheese), the burger, and the stew bowl. I would recommend going in a season where you can sit outside. Be prepared that over the weekend, parking will be packed. Finally, your meal will not be rushed.

Solid 3 stars mostly due to location and ambience. This review is for the beer garden. 1. Reservation: needed for formal dining, but first come first serve for outdoor beer garden. 2. Food: BAD for beer garden. You stand in line, order your food, find a seat and eat. Takes quite a while although it is a very simple menu with burgers, sandwiches and fries. Tastes edible, but even the cheap Dominoes pizza taste better than their $15 pizza/burger. 3. Service: Can't tell since you self serve mostly. 4. Ambience/location: Great spot to stop by location wise on the way from the hike at the Great falls in Maryland side. They have live music, which is not good, but hey, it is live music! They also have an open fire pit, which is nice, however, when the wind blows, you will smell like a roasted pig yourself and covered with ashes. I think this place may be nicer in the actual indoor dining area. It was still a nice experience. Some improvements and better organization needed to make the outdoor seating more pleasant experience.

Went there today for a sunday brunch with a friend. They have indoor and outdoor seating. It was rather cold today so we chose to sit inside. I ordered the steak & eggs. The steak was perfectly cooked. I liked the touch of having a waiter provide freshly ground pepper. The food was delicious. Afterwards I had the key lime cheesecake. The sauces they put on the desert made it all the better. Afterwards we went outside to enjoy the fire. Its located in Potomac and of course is pricey, but the restaurant has a great staff and the food is delicious.

We went to Old Anglers Inn tonight and they had a Surf and turf special ( Steak and Lobster tail ) with mashed potatoes and green beans, we substituted for asparagus. Both our dinners were outstanding! The hanger steak was tender and covered with a rich gravy. The lobster tail was juicy with drawn butter on the side. The magnificent fire pit was roaring and patrons were seated outside, we chose the cozy indoors. We will be back again soon for my favorite steak and eggs brunch!

Endive salad with blue cheese, nicely presented. Fried calamari, nicely tender. Salmon dish, very nicely crispy skin Chocolate mousse cake, nicely moist and not disturbingly large. Service, polite and attentive. Atmosphere, lovely. Only thing missing was bread.

Tea was tepid, fit for being dumped in the Boston Harbor. The slice of tiramisu I had was not very sweet but too small . Service was poor. No one came to refill my teacup. The bill was presented without itemized detail. Excellent ambiance outdoors.

We had a late lunch at Old Anglers after a long hike on the canal. It was chilly and we sat outside with our dog on a very nice patio with the world's greatest fire pit. My salad with salmon was delicious and my sisters burger and fries were awesome. Service was terrific, setting was lovely and food hit the spot. They even brought the dog a bowl of water without us even asking.

Love this local gem. Great ambiance, good food- it's a treasure in Potomac. Best time to go is when you can sit outdoors.

This used to be a great spot to come and I feel as though it has gone a little downhill. To start, I will say that the ambiance is stunning. From the surrounding landscape and nature to the beautiful outdoor seating, just amazing. However, I felt as though the food was SO overpriced. In addition to the rate of the food, they added on a $10 covid surcharge. I understand restaurants doing automatic gratuity and maybe $5, but this was excessive. The beet salad was fresh and tasty but it was a large plate of arugula with minimal beets, goat cheese and walnuts for a huge $17. Not worth it.... The mussels were great-- probably the freshest that I have had in a while. But not worth the price. The total for these TWO DISHES was around $60 when tip was added. No thank you, will not be back for those prices.

Food was delicious ambiance was beautiful!! Lovely lunch. The staff was very friendly even when it started to rain as everyone was seated on the patio.

We took a large group (48) to the Old Anglers Inn for lunch after a work retreat, and unfortunately I was extremely disappointed with the service and food. Even in planning, the staff were very difficult to get in touch with and really not helpful in getting everything set up. On the day of the retreat, they had a nice patio area set up for us, but right after we are all arrived and sat down, the hostess came over and asked that some of us move of our cars from their parking lot to public lot. The reason? Their regular customers didnt have anywhere to park. The public lot was full and several of our team had to drive around for 20 mins looking for another space. Of note, we were paying a substantial rental fee for the patio space. Food was delayed in being served buffet style, and half way through our people being served, they ran out of several entrees. It took them over 20 minutes to get more. The food (chicken sandwiches, burger sliders) was fair, and the pasta salad was very underdone. Overall, I found the service to be inexcusably bad and the food extremely mediocre, especially for the price charged. Truly the only thing this place has going for it is the location. I absolutely will not be returning the the Old Anglers and cannot recommend it.

Could be really nice but it's like they are lazy. The wine is not at all temp controlled, the grounds are not at all well kept, the service is snarky, albeit not in a rude way. Just all around lazy and inattentive and not making much of an effort. I want it to be better, would love to come here more often.

Absolutely loved the experience. Haven't been back since my university days but nothing has changed! Great service! Delicious food! Fabulous atmosphere! Highly recommend it!

Reading what other people have said on Yelp it's hard to think I ate at the same place. I've been coming for years and never had a bad experience. The place is very quaint. It's surrounded by hiking trails so the area is pretty, even if the traffic can get backed up. I'd say the food is more mode modern American than French, but I can see how one could make the argument for the later. I've never had a bad meal here, to include my latest. I went with the beef Burgoyne while my friends enjoyed a salad and French onion soup, respectively. Mine was yummy and they seemed equally complimentary about their selection. One of my favorite reasons for visiting is eating on the patio. They have a firepit so you can do it even in cooler weather, although I opted to be indoors today. But I've been known to visit in the evening and eat a burger at the bar, along with a glass of Malbec. The price point for the meal is on point. It's sorta fancy but not overly so; some patrons are hikers who are dressed down and others clearly prepared for a high class meal. I think you can find both experiences here.

On a 1-10 scale... The Ambience here was perfect! A ROARING FIRE that was stoked and cared for on behalf of all the patrons who were adamant about sitting outside on a cooool night, enjoying their beverages, food and the social-surround that filled the air with chatter, laughter and music. Actually...let's get back to the fire-pit Just for a hotminute! [*yea, pun intended] THIS was NOT your AVERAGE fire pit!! If the patio was a CIRCUS...the FIRE PIT was the Center Ring!! HUGE and VERY effective. We were sitting "ringside" and as the absolute last customers to leave, that night, we remained well fed, well taken care of and PERFECTLY toasty! On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 9. Prices are a bit steep and if you require a heater at your table it's an extra $10. ‍Since I was there twice that week I opted for a table around the pit, rather than pay. It's not the cost...it's a matter of principle. That said--I will return.