The Ale House 1890 offers a variety of specialty cocktails and craft beers along with delicious food. The Duck, Duck, Pierogi is outstanding. Friendly and attentive service and reasonable prices. read more

Food was delicious and portions were perfectly sized. They had a band on the back deck that night that we wished we could have stayed longer to watch. We had the pecan crusted chicken, swordfish and shrimp. All of which we would recommend! read more

Ale House 1890 - Back patio - American Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

The food and drinks are always good! Never had a bad visit. It's not very kid friendly if you have kids. They don't have a kids menu. But sometimes it's nice to go to restaurants that aren't overloaded with kids if you're trying to have a date night!! their pecan crusted chicken is my favorite and I love their margarita pizza. Their beer cheese pretzel bites are also amazing. I think I get those three items every time or at least one of those three items. read more

Service is great and so is the food! Love the funky options and variety offered. Cozy place to eat!

It was good the first time. Not so much the second. Their food was not consistent?! And their service just didn't seem friendly. The restaurant is very nice on the inside. read more

Amazing food, drinks, atmosphere, and staff! We started off with drinks at the bar, blackberry mule and draft beer, served by Alec and Kara that were great. Matt, the owner, came by and introduced himself then took the time to suggest favorite menu items. For an appetizer we went with the gold pot which was basically a charcuterie board that was tasty and a perfect serving size for 2. We ordered the pork shank and duck pierogi for our main entrees. The pork fell off the bone and had a delicious glaze, the pierogi was incredible and would order again and again. Finally we ended with the salted Carmel brownie and it was a great sweet treat to end the night. Our server Alisha was very attentive and we look forward to returning for another memorable meal. read more

Food is always great! We have a favorite server Sky!!! She's amazing! I hope to continue to be able to have amazing service and food!

Everything is super good! The food is amazing! The service is great too! And the ambiance is nice and relaxing, even when busy

Took my wife here for our anniversary. Super excellent food and service. Small place but has a charm to it!

A clean, cozy, and familiar place with fresh, local, hearty fare. The menu is somehow elevated and simple simultaneously. The food is raised locally when possible and of very high quality. The decor walks a line between upscale and comfortable. The service staff is knowledgeable about their menu and attentive. Management is involved nightly, always welcoming patrons like long lost friends. Ale House is a pillar of the dining scene in Lancaster. Well done! read more

I have enjoyed calamari steak and fried calamari in so many vacation destinations such as Traverse City, NC, all East Coast, Caribbean and Hawaii...yet I haven't been so impressed as I was tonight with my appetizer! Such quality & friendly service too! read more

We had an awesome meal I had the scallops and my friend had the blackened salmon. McKenzie was our bartender made us an awesome drink which we told her to call the McKenzie. Great service, great food, highly recommend. read more

I had a cheeseburger and jalapeño cheese grits. The burger was kinda bland but the grits was amazing. It's super packed there at all times, I suggest calling ahead for seating. The servers/bartenders are so overwhelmed with the amount of people in there that they make you think that you are bothering them to ask for a refill. Overall it's a nice place just way to packed. read more

Great food and good prices. A super cute restaurant downtown. We were happily surprised by our dinner and will be back again!

Food, drinks and service were excellent. Our party of four all enjoyed our meal. Would highly recommend Ale House 1890.

delicious food- worth the drive! great service. we loved the chicken varenna was 10/10 highly recommend.

We had a nice visit. Service was great. The mussels were very good, and the drinks were spot on. The scallops were nice as an entree, but my ribeye was badly over cooked. To their credit, the manager came out and was super nice, and took the steak off the bill (I didn't ask for that, and still ate it). Based on overall experience, friendliness and professionalism I give it a 4, but would give a 4.5 if it was an option. Enjoyed the patio! Would definitely return. read more

The grilled cheese with egg is yum! Fast service and affordable! Love this place! Five stars!

Visited Ale House twice while in Lancaster on business. Owners showed respect for the 1800's origin of the building while bringing in new elements. Great drink selection and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Food was awesome. Wish I'd found them earlier in my trip. Would have eaten there every night and not had to repeat a selection. Not sure I'll ever be back in Lancaster, but if you're there you have to try it. You will be glad you did. read more

This place is unfortunate. The kitchen is fairly on point. But the service especially at the bar is pretty well pathetic. Lancaster Ohio bartenders act like their movie stars instead of craftsman . It makes it impossible to enjoy sending upwards of 80-120 dollars . read more

Wow, Minute Bar...you've grown up, got your degree and made something of yourself! Not that there was anything wrong with the place before the renovation, but this has transformed downtown Lancaster! Having grown up in this town, I've become used to go going to Columbus for a decent non-chain restaurant. I can stop that now. The Ale House is everything a good restaurant should be. Nice big comfortable bar with friendly professional bartenders who know what they are doing, and a big open dining room. With all the space, there aren't as many tables as you would think, so on busy nights, there's a wait. Since Lancaster has been needing a place like this for a while, I'm sure the waits will continue. That's what the bar is for! However, if waiting for a table, I'm not a fan of patrons standing in the bar and not ordering...just a pet peeve of the loitering feel. I ordered a perfect manhattan, and they actually knew how to make it...perfectly! (Don't try this just anywhere in this town!) Our server was friendly, yet busy - she managed the combo well. She gave us a history of the place, as I never paid much attention to the details before and it was interesting to hear the history of the building. But back to the food! I ordered the fish and chips and was pleased. Light and flaky cod, with a crisp golden finish - like it should be. I'll be back on my next trip home! read more

I'm torn as I write this review. Been here twice and once was meh and the second was OK. First visit I had the fish and chips. The fish was heavily breaded which in itself isn't bad but it wasn't cooked properly and had some doughy spots which made it not the greatest. Second time I had the burger and it was excellent!! The barnyard burger The cow, the chicken, the pig & the garden. Our Ale House angus burger over garlic aioli then topped with onion marmalade, prosciutto ham, an over easy egg and finished with micro greens. The onion marmalade is to die for.  My dining partner on first visit had the 7 pepper burger and it was delicious and the second time had the pecan crusted chicken. True to our experience the burger was top notch. The pecan crusted chicken left lots to be desired. First it was a single chicken breast and a huge gob of sweet cinnamon butter. Not a great portion for the price. The chicken was crusted with a paste more so rather than a nice crispy pecan crust.  The deciding factor for overall rating was the service that was consistent on both visits. Not very attentive and slow. At one point the server set the water pitcher on our table while she went off to tend to other tables.  To sum it up if you want a kick ass burger you'll probably have a good experience here. If you want to try a different dish you can take your chances. read more

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Ale House is usually an easy 4 or 5 star dining experience. Today that wasn't the case. I ordered the Duck, Duck Pierogi dish which I have been intrigued by for many visits. It was a complete miss. Description is "Crispy seared pierogies topped with a house-made mushroom marsala sauce, caramelized onions, spinach and pulled sous vide duck leg". What I received was microwaved Mrs. T's pierogis (clearly frozen variety, not handmade or chef made and not crisply at all) and about 1 ounce (that may be generous) of duck meat smothered in Marsala sauce. The food was lukewarm and not a bit enjoyable. When the server checked on us I told her it wasn't hot and she commented "they must be having a problem with the microwave because that table (gesturing to another table) also had an issue." Hmmm. So it was simply microwaved vs actually cooked for me. She took it back to reheat (what did I have to lose); only to have it still not be hot. At this point I gave up. Brought the leftovers home but will probably toss them. My daughter's meal was excellent in contrast (chicken varenna). read more

Best calamari around. Love the atmosphere, great service, full bar. Upscale compared to other options in town but prices are reasonable and menu has a great selection. read more

Three for the main dish. Phenomenal friendly, accurate service has most definitely earned a 3.5/3.75! The place has been a bar since 1890 - thus the name. Clean, modern design inside - simple. Absolutely ginormous patio out back. Newly remodeled second-floor patio, so if you enjoy being above the rest, by all means, head on up. They have a nice, spacious "banquet" room on the second floor of the restaurant. Great for weddings, family gatherings, birthdays, etc. Our Waitress, Alex, was a complete waste breathe of fresh air. So kind and thoughtful, ready to help at any point. She deceived and suggested. Wonderful, polite, suggestions if needed. Zucchini Verde Salmon. I love salmon. Only fish I'll willingly eat, if given an option. Came with A rice pilaf, steamed green beans, and what I thought was going to be a chunky green zucchini salsa. My heart sank a bit, after a few bites of the dish. Too much seasoning and butter. The salmon was perfectly cooked - moist on tender! But, too much pepper-cyan-Cajun seasoning, I could hardly taste the fish. I was bummed. The "Verde" was chopped zucchini with parsley? sprinkled; no salsa. In fact, no liquid or sauce to it. The rice was ok, but I thought it had too much Nature's Season, or the like. The green beans were cooked perfectly: crunchy, yet soft enough to give good flavor. But they must have been cooked in pure salt and butter. I almost couldn't finish them cause of over-seasoning. Double bummed. Because of the locally run aspect, and the great service, I definitely plan to try this restaurant again. Lancaster is trying to make a comeback, so supporting the efforts make the meal more worth the cause. There were a few other dishes that is love to try, so perhaps those better fit with the tastebuds. read more

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This business is a marvelous hometown gem. New to Lancaster's downtown scene it is nonetheless beloved by locals. The history of the building is preserved in very enjoyable, artistic ways everywhere you look. The feel is friendly, very inviting and casual- just come on in, nod to your neighbors, grab a beer! That's the atmosphere, now, the food- there's a good range of fairly basic, tried-and-true meals, each with a little Ale House 1890 flair, it seems. Some of the menu items are old favorites that Lancaster remembers from Billy Crickets- like the Pecan Crusted Chicken! It's not a large menu, though, and you won't find lots of extras or substitutions just because of the size of the menu. In my opinion it's a fair selection for the size of the establishment and leaves the focus on the bar, the environment, and the good company! read more

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1890 used to have the best calamari in town they have now switched to some kind of weird chicken finger calamari that tastes awful.

I received a gift card to the Ale House and used it the Friday after Thanksgiving. Though busy, we were seated immediately. They had nice holiday drink options including a holiday mule. We shared a wonderful appetizer of spinach artichoke dip, that was salty and buttery. For the main course I got Octopus. I have never had octopus and they have only served it a few times and the table next to us said that it was good. The octopus was served in a dish with carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic. It was not at all chewy and tasted delicious. Side note, if you're allergic to shellfish, your allergic to octopus. read more

Delicious food and nice atmosphere in Lancaster! I came here with a coworker and it was fun to see the beers and cocktails they had on tap. I got the mule, which was a blackberry mint flavor with homemade ginger beer. Very delicious! For dinner, I got the bruschetta and the French onion soup. The French onion soup was as good as any other. The bruschetta was delicious! The balsamic drizzle and goat cheese made all the difference! I don't usually like bruschetta but I cleaned my plate with this one. My coworker had the pecan crusted chicken and it looked really good! read more

Always great! The menu changes often enough to keep it interesting. The choice of bourbons and craft beers is wonderful! Would love more vegetarian/ vegan options. read more

Ale House does not look or eat like it is in downtown Lancaster, Ohio. Upon entering you are welcomed with exposed brick walls, high ceilings and an airy feel. We went for lunch and needed to be in and out quickly. We split the bruschetta and ahi tuna appetizers. The wait staff were nice and efficient. The food came out quickly which was a nice surprise. If we had to complain it would be that the toast would be a little too "toasted". We also wished that we could've ate on the deck outside to enjoy the weather. Would go back and recommend this spot for a meal or drink. read more

Ale House 1890 - Bruschetta appetizer - American Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

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This place literally only has sandwiches and salads. I can't give more then 3 starts to anyplace that doesn't offer anything lower in carbs and higher in proven except salad. I mean, a grilled chicken breast, a small steak, something!! * Edited to add 1 Star. The Steak Tostada special was delicious, and my waitress was great. But seriously...they need a couple protein + veggie lunch options. Maybe that delicious steak from the Tostada?? read more

Came in for lunch. I had heard good things The atmosphere was nice, decorated with today's style trend while giving a nod to the buildings history. Sat at the bar and the service was nice, though they were slow. The cheech and Chong burger is huge. Way to big for one person to tackle. The chorizo is a bit over powering the beef patty. But it was still good. I got the lasagna special and I was not disappointed. Came with garlic crustinis that could have been crisper but still good, small side salad was a nice touch. I will definitely come back for dinner service. read more

Ale House 1890 - American Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

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Great place for drinks and to meet people. The menu is very specific and unique. and might turn a lot of people off, but what they do have is good! read more

The server was very sweet and friendly but did not offer to fix issues with food. I should have been more direct when I announced my burger was black and burnt and hard on outside although pink on inside. Nearly inedible but I got some down. Sweet potato fries good but honey butter that was suggested for dipping dipping was hard and not able to use as dip without asking them to heat in microwave which took awhile. Fried avocado appetizer was ok. Won't go back. read more

We are new to the area and Ale House was recommended to us several times so we gave it a try. It was fantastic. Our server (Chris) was excellent and gave us great suggestions when we were ordering! My husband had the Cheech and Chong burger (one angus patty and one chorizo patty which he will probably have every time we go there he loved it so much!) and I had a steak cooked perfectly. Decent beer and wine selection for the area! Laid back atmosphere with an aged look! We highly recommend! read more

Ale House 1890 - Cheech & Chong burger at Ale House - American Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

Dinner was good. Ordered the steak, French onion soup, and a side of vegetables. None of it was out of this world for the price, but they did have a great selection of drinks and cooked my steak perfectly. Waiter was not very friendly and checked up on us maybe twice in the 2 hours we were there. Otherwise, good place. read more

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I can't say enough about how great our dining experience was last night. We decided to travel to Lancaster from Chillicothe with no real destination in mind. We stumbled across this gem in the downtown area and it will definitely be someplace we return to in the near future. The food offerings were unique, yet comforting and familiar. The pork belly appetizer was melt-in-your-mouth amazing and our entrees were equally, if not more delicious. Even better than the food, was the service. Robbie was an example of what all good servers should be...knowledgeable, friendly, attentive...he mentioned that he also works in the kitchen, and I am sure that helped in his recommendations, but, he is far too personable to only be back of house staff. We will definitely be asking for him upon our return! read more

We like to go to some of the towns around ours to disc golf and try local restaurants. I'm super glad we found this gem. My boyfriend and I went there twice and each had different dishes each time and all of them were amazing. The Spinach & Artichoke Dip is a must for us every time! This time I got the Chicken Varenna. I was pretty hesitant to get it because I'm typically not big on pesto. Honestly this is one of the first pestos I really liked. On top of the food being amazing the restaurant just has a really nice and classy feel on the inside. Both times we went our servers were nice and attentive. I was impressed by that because I know how hard of a time (especially smaller towns) are having keeping good servers right now. They don't do reservations, but they do 30 minute call ahead seating. Both times we went seating wasn't really an issue, but we've never been on a Friday or Saturday night. Really the only complaint I have is that they aren't open on Sundays. That's our day we typically like to travel around. I think if my biggest complaint is that I want them to be open more then they are doing pretty good! read more

Ale House 1890 - Chicken Varenna - American Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

Came here for my best friends wedding and reception. The place is just beautiful I loved the light fixtures upstairs. The brick is just beautiful! The hors d'euvres were fantastic! The stuffed mushrooms were out of this world. It's the perfect combination of perfect texture and savory. Must try and there was also little crostini type sandwiches. The Moscato was perfect with it. As if we couldn't get enough...post reception we went downstairs. Excellent choice in craft beers and cocktails. I had a pear cider...and pardon my language but it was fan-fucking-tastic! And the scallops....I know it's not fresh but damn they can cook hell out of it better than some places that ive been to that serve it fresh. The fries were cooked perfect. Maybe it was luck but I'm definitely coming back to little OH Lancaster soon. read more

Ale House 1890 - Love the light fixtures - American Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio