Been going here for over 20 years . Always loved the food, the staff and the cool clientele.

Friendly servers with decent size portions but the food was mediocre at best. Also, wasn't the cleanest restaurant with food on the floor. Perhaps there were people with small kids dining before we arrived but the wait staff should be on top of that and sweep up as soon as that party leaves. read more

Stopped by The Trolley Stop yesterday for breakfast. We were greeted when we walked in. Service was great. Very rustic setting and clean. We both had 3eggs-home fries-bacon with a blue berry pancake.everything was excellent. They have the best breakfast. Will definitely comeback. read more

Highly recommend the Trolley #3 chicken sandwich!! Marinated grilled chicken with provolone, ranch, and bacon on grilled sourdough. The restaurant itself may look dated but don't let that fool you. The staff and food are AMAZING!! read more

Today was my first time here and I was so glad to stumble upon it! I was in and out in less than 30 min- was quick to be seated, get my order in, and the food was out in less than 10 min. I loved the art and old photos on the walls. I got the French toast and 2 scrambled eggs. The portions were large and I left fully satisfied! The eggs were cooked medium. My server came back to ask if I had wanted cheese but they were great as is. The French toast had powdered sugar on top and was presented beautifully. If I'm in the area again, I'll definitely stop by! read more

The Trolley Stop - Scrambled eggs (2) - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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The best sausage egg and cheese sandwich I've had...on wheat toast...Get that and thank me later! So happy to have found this hidden gem! Grits are solid... read more

We arrived around 7pm on a Friday, and found a space right in front. There's plenty more parking in the large well-lit lot 120-feet up Oella Av. The restaurant was pretty busy, and the bar was nearly full, but we were able to walk to one of a good number of available 2-seat and 4-seat tables. A number of people wound down dinner through 8pm, so more tables and front-door-parking kept opening up. It's a casual retro interior with dark wood and exposed brick, true to the building's 1833 origin. It's darkly lit and welcoming in a homey way. Nice people, many from nearby towns. The lunch-dinner menu is casual, from sandwiches to a variety of mains. It's average-priced, not expensive, and the servings are very generous. We had a hot Chicken Riggie linguini with artichokes, and a cold over-stuffed shrimp-salad sandwich on a hoagie roll with fries. They were both fresh and flavorful. The fries, since you asked, were piping hot, lightly crisp, and perfectly soft inside. We were served without a long wait, and the floor staff was constantly attentive. Throughout dinner, the crowd was mostly middle-age and older. The bar side nearest the door seemed like mostly regulars. But surprise, they have restarted their Friday 9pm karaoke, and by then a younger crowd really filled the place along with the regulars. This was "Christmas in July", with some fun decorating and several themed songs, some by decades-long regulars! You have to see nattily-dressed Mike, well-known for his spins and kicks! And you havent lived until you've heard Tim's bawdy version of The Night Before Christmas :-). Singers ranged from could-be-pros to I-just-love-to-sing. The best part was that the great crowd joined in boisterously with the singing, and applauded every performance. It's probably the most fun karaoke I've been to! We faded out around 11pm, and it was still going strong. It's a great casual restaurant, and a really fun Friday evening out! read more

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I found this cute little restaurant by using a featured photo. The outside odd cute and the inside is intimate. My daughter and I also enjoyed our food. Yum! read more

Highly recommend , cool neighborhood bar right on the heart of historic Ellicott city . The place is clean, the decor fits the overall vibe and service is great . Came in breakfast , sat at the bar was greeted and given great service . No complaints on breakfast (minus the fact the grits are absolutely water down and no matter how hard you try to season it still taste watery ) I definitely would be back . read more

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For good food this is your place. Nothing beats finding a restaurant that has a good selection and flavorful foods. The prices are good and you are served right away. It's the hometown place to be. The burgers are great, the Chicken Chesapeake is a delicious surprise, and the French fries are just like you asked, light, crisp and fluffy in the I sure. Stop by and enjoy the neighborhood! read more

The Trolley Stop is a place we're locals and visitors can come have a good meal and relax. Highlighted by a beautiful bar and amble seating, this historic building built in 1833 has served the community of Ellicott City for nearly 200 years including a stop on the #9 Trolley Line out of Baltimore (last run was in 1955). Lots of history and pictures throughout the restaurant showing the 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood of Ellicott City. Note: There is limited parking in front of the restaurant, but don't despair, go around the corner to the public lot or back across the river to another. read more

The Trolley Stop - Bar area at The Trolley Stop - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

The vibes of this place is amazing! It's a restaurant for regulars for sure with quality decently priced drinks! Service is great and they are super nice! read more

The Trolley Stop - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

A find recommended to me by a local a few blocks from the main shopping area in Historic Ellicott City and across the street from a pleasant little garden with benches in the shade as well as a nice walking trail. Clearly a local eatery where folks meet up. Good sandwiches, excellent, low key, non-intrusive service. I was taken by the details-- I dug the clock over the bar, the children's books in front of the fireplace, pictures that evoked good memories, and good quality crunchy pickles. Not a lot of parking here but a couple of lots are in walking distance. The world needs more places like the Trolley Stop. read more

If you want simple American/Maryland/pub fare, The Trolley Stop has you covered! There's a decent amount of seating but they're usually pretty busy. There's also seating at the bar. Service can be slow to get you seated but after that you are well taken care of. I've had the Trolly Burger #2 both times just because it's so dang delish. Tastes like it came right off the outdoor grill with good shrooms, cheese and plenty of bacon. We each had fries so it was good some of crab dip was left over to dip the fries into. The crab dip was a nice balance of crabbiness and cheesiness. Haven't tried the breakfast menu yet but lunch and dinner have plenty of options with salads, wraps, hot and cold sammiches, pastas and more! Next time you're enjoying EC, patronize these good folks! read more

Good food, large portions, waiter was very nice. Ambiance is a mix of a sit down restaurant and a bar. The steak and cheese sub was excellent. Our only issue was that our food came right after the salads arrived. By the time we started eating the food it was getting cold. Our waiter should have spaced the food apart some. read more

I like to support local small businesses and prefer restaurants that aren't part of a National chain and the Trolley Stop is a perfect fit. The portions are large and fairly priced and the service we had was friendly and attentive. Once I said I can never have enough coffee the server made sure my scup was never empty. I had the Philly cheesesteak and it was okay. There was a spice missing and I still cannot figure it out. The sandwich was huge and the fries were piping hot and a perfect accompaniment to the sandwich. My wife had the pancakes and they were great. We will be back. read more

The Trolley Stop - The cheesesteak is huge! - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

My wife and I have been coming to The Trolly Stop for a few years, it's a great bar filled with very friendly people and staff. We have eatten lunch and dinner here often. Today we came in for the first time for breakfast. The menu was ok. Kinda of limited but you can probably get anything you want. My wife ordered a Western Omelet which she said was good but had no cheese on it at all, isnt a Western Omelet supposed to have cheese on it? I had the Cream Chip Beef (pictured) which came with potatoes on the side which I asked to add onions. The potatoes and onions could have been cooked longer. The Chipped beef was good but I like the Gravey a little thinner as it was very, very thick like spackle. Bottom line: great place for lunch, dinner and a few drinks but breakfast was just eh. read more

The Trolley Stop - Creamed Chip Beef - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Stumbled upon this place when walking around old Ellicott City on a Sunday afternoon. We were nervous when we walked in because it was almost empty aside from some locals hanging at the bar drinking and two tables being occupied. We were starving so we figured we'd give this place a chance and I'm so glad we did. We started with the potato skins which came out pipin hot with plenty of cheese and bacon. The menu is huge so it was hard to choose what to order but we settled for the New York strip, trolley chicken #3, and Cajun chicken wrap. Sandwiches and wraps are HUGE. My brother and I only finished half of our meals and took the rest home. My mom enjoyed her steak and potato. The only complaint was that her side salad could have been served on a larger plate. Our server was so bubbly and sweet, I wish I remembered her name. Definitely recommend stopping here while in the area! read more

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Bartender Hannah was the best part of my visit. #13 chicken sandwich was pretty good also

A great place to stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Large portions and everything is full of flavor. If you are in Ole' Ellicott City, stop by! read more

This one of my favorite places to come to, the service is always wonderful no matter who is working , the chicken Chesapeake is one of my favorite dishes and I recommend getting it blackened I will definitely stop by again when I'm in area. read more

Overall, the food is good. We have only had breakfasts from there. I love the sausages they serve. Not your typical breakfast sausage. We went on. Saturday morning, so they were crowded. Still, service was good and our waitress was friendly, attentive, and fast. Not so much for my son and his partner. They went later and were seated at the bar. The waiter took their order, gave them drinks, then put them on "ignore" while he talked to his friends, seated at the end of the bar. They trued to get one of the wait staff to help them but were told it all had to go through the bar tender who was do engrossed in his own conversation that he couldn't be bothered. So, food is good, but service not good at the bar. read more

Very nice place and people that work there very nice and helpful very clean too for such a very old place! Food is delicious next time gonna sit at the bar seemed very fun we had a delicious Rum Punch the bartender actually delivered to our table! Our server was was very nice too! We were stuffed after we had to walk trail again lol we walked before going there and then couldn't see going back to car! Lol prices were good and if in area you have to stop by! See ya soon! Walk trail first you be glad you did lol read more

Overall Trolley Stop Restaurant is a pleasant place to dine, the staff are very professional and courteous, to name a few, Wilma, Hanna, Carrie, Tish and Chris are so nice and a pleasure to have them as my Bartender or server. The Trolley Stop could use a little atmosphere improvements like more modern lighting, as opposed to the current Christmas lights that hang year round and the Men's Restroom's Urinal has been not working for weeks and the Bathroom itself could use an updated remodel as it is very outdated and unpleasant to use. The food is great at Trolley stop. As someone who buys and sells Restaurants for my Clients this Critique of Trolley Stop is meant in good faith. I feel as a Consultant/Customer that these improvements I state could only draw back lost customers, whereby increasing sales income for the owners as well as the staff will benefit. I have had many regular customers state the same feelings to myself, although they may not comment their opinions as openly as I do. I do hope that my constructive Critique will ever be seen by the Owners in a positive way. read more

The burgers are amazing! Stopped in for lunch and each picked a burger. Cooked to how we ordered, juicy, and delicious!

Me and my husband were visiting some family in Maryland and they took us to this really cool placed in Ellicott city it's a beautiful place we don't have anything remotely like this where I'm from we decided to grab a bite and decided to try this place. I'm confused by some of the other reviews on this place because I didn't experience any slow wait time for a table or food and we went right around lunch time and it was pretty packed we got a table right away and our server was very polite and very attentive. I got the shrimp toast and y'all look at that portion size can you believe that this is an appetizer? I needed a to go box because I couldn't even finish all of it lol. And what else I got that isn't pictured is the French onion soup and yalllll they did the damn thing! 10/10 best French onion soup I've ever had I'm really upset that I didn't order to go when I visit my aunt and uncle again I'm hoping that they will bring me back because I'm hooked read more

The Trolley Stop - Shrimp Toast - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

What a dirty trick. This sunny Saturday afternoon, we toured the quaint shops of Ellicott city and thought we would cap off the visit with a meal at the trolley stop. We were quickly greeted by friendly staff upon walking through the door. Drinks were on the table in short order and our late lunch of 2 sandwiches arrived in no time at all. Nice. It was at this point the wheels fell off the trolley. No one came back to check on the meal, refresh the drinks...nothing. I finally was able to flag down a server who brought napkins, refilled the drinks, and brought us boxes. It was honestly quite disappointing as the food was good enough, but the service was poor. I guess it was the steady stream of regulars coming and going at the bar that impacted service. If you can put up with spotty service, give the trolley stop a try. I'm a little lukewarm, but your experience may be different. *cucumber salad and potato salad are both very good. read more

I visited The Trolley stop today for the first time, and I was amazed by the décor and the location. It had a rustic tavern feel as I entered. The staff and the other customers made me feel welcome right away. The coffee was delicious, and the food was outstanding for breakfast. I had the Western Omelet with a side of bacon, and it was a very large portion of eggs, home fries, and bacon. Did I mention large portions? Great service, great food, and great company made for a wonderful meal. I will definitely return! read more

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What a fun and local establishment in the old Ellicott city area! Plenty of parking at the end of the trail and a super cozy atmosphere in the old trolley stop of Catonsville! Came here for breakfast one morning when everything else was packed and was NOT disappointed! Hubs got the cream chipped beef and I got the veggie omelet. Both came out quickly and hot! Service was fast and friendly. The overall quality of the food was great! Very fresh with a homemade feel. The taste was a little bland but picture this as grandmas kitchen. not anything fancy but you know you'll have a homey hearty meal read more

Great food great service I like to take friends and family to dinner and have enjoyed it

Solid diner food. No more, no less. Enthusiastic service! Trolley Chicken Sandwich. Family run spot.

I can't believe I've lived in Howard County since 2007 and I've never been here before now! Stopped in for brunch on Sunday and was not disappointed. I was very happy to see how busy they were and I was even more impressed by the sense of urgency from the waitstaff. I'll be honest, ever since the pandemic occurred, service at a lot of places has been really bad. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case at the trolley stop. We sat at the bar, ordered 2 drinks and breakfast! I got the western omelet with a side of scrapple. I'm very picky about how my scrapple is cooked and they nailed it. My partner ordered the chipped beef and a side of bacon. Portions were huge and everything was great. Our bartender was very sweet and attentive. They also have keno which is so fun. Can't wait to go back! read more

The Trolley Stop - Chipped beef, western omelet, side of bacon and scrapple - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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This was a great little gem found at the bottom of old Ellicott city. It seems very unassuming from the outside but is rich with history. The locals eating and drinking at the bar added to the ambiance of a small mom and pop restaurant with delicious basic good food. We ordered the Philly cheese steaks which were to be expected, the French dip which was also to be expected, but we also got to try scrapple which was interesting in and of itself. The side dishes were delicious - especially the cucumber salad. But really what made it was the service. The server was knowledgeable, respectful, timely, funny, and an overall pleasure to work with. Highly recommend for a quick and easy lunch! read more

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and all I could think of was my corned beef & cabbage! Trolley Stop has had the best in town year after year! Something must have happened because my corned beef was tough like chewing rubberbands! I was so disappointed because it was not eatible! That doesn't stop me from telling everyone that the food is great and the portions are so large! I will go any time I have the opportunity. I don't believe anyone comes out of their place hungry or disappointed. It's wonderful place to go with friends and everyone is friendly and happy! Check it out, you won't be disappointed. read more

Came here on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. Parking can be tight, a few spots out front. When you walk in the bar is the first thing you see. The dining room is very dark and the dark wood doesn't help. The server was fine but a little sassy. The menu is an assortment of bar food, pasta, and diner meals. I ordered the open faced hot roast beef and mashed potatoes. The food came out fast and was huge! I enjoyed the dish but masjed potatoes were so so. Overall decent place but could use updating some. read more

The Trolley Stop - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

I grew up in Ellicott City and this was always a good choice when frequenting Main Street. I came here recently for some take out for lunch and was very pleased with the experience. We ordered the turkey club sandwich with fries and coleslaw. The sandwich is MASSIVE. It's easily two meals. The coleslaw was really nice and cool. My only suggestion would be to switch to different French fries. The fries are clearly frozen and while tasty and enjoyable, I expect a fresher home made French Fry when I go out to eat. The service is wonderful and friendly, prices are decent and location is perfect for a visit to Main Street. It's also nice to sit in the garden area right across the street next to the river. The trolley trail is also a great option for a nice after meal walk. read more

My husband and I have been coming here for years and they never disappoint! If you want good homemade food that's local, you gotta come here. The staff is always super nice and the quality of food is amazing. Super cool atmosphere also! read more

The Trolley Stop - Trolly Chicken #3 - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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I had the Chicken Florentine special and it was really good. The busboy was very helpful taking our drink orders to give the waitress so we didn't have to wait. Brandi was our waitress and she was extremely accommodating as we dined with 2 toddlers. She made sure that their food came out fast. They had a little area of books and toys for the children which was really nice. We will be back. read more

The Trolley Stop - Chicken Florentine - American Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Great laid back place to go for an awesome meal!

We've eaten here twice and don't plan to again. The food is just ok. Not bad but not great. Very overpriced for what you get. Our first visit was for breakfast and it was nothing special. Second visit was burgers for lunch. They looked/tasted like frozen patties and the fries were frozen crinkle cuts. For the same price you can get fabulous homemade burger and fries at a nearby restaurant in Old Ellicott City. The building and location are charming, but it was a little dark inside. Our waitress was nice and hard-working, but very loud and kept yelling across the restaurant to other customers and coworkers. Did not make for a pleasant lunch date. My advice is to try one of the other local spots that serve higher quality homemade food that is more worth the money. read more