After a 2019 kitchen fire led to Olney Ale House closing for six years, the landmark restaurant is reopening its doors Tuesday.
The century-old building underwent an extensive restoration, but the owners said they remain committed to the same menu that made their neighborhood spot a community favorite. Ahead of Tuesday’s long-anticipated opening, MCM attended a ribbon-cutting and soft opening at the restaurant, located at 2000 Olney Sandy Spring Road.
“This is, from what I see, one of the biggest things for this community,” said Selim Kantar, co-owner of Olney Ale House with his brother. “Just from all the support, this is humongous,” he said.
“We were able to save the building, so they were able to rebuild it and get back open,” said Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brendan Bonita. “We’re very fortunate to still have them in our community to help serve many people who enjoy coming out here,” he said.
Residents of the community, like Carolyn Xander, have long been known to gather at Olney Ale House for informal reunions. Xander said she has been reuniting with former classmates there from Wheaton High School for decades.
