The food is delicious, the selection of craft brews is outstanding, and the patio is a great place to enjoy some live music during the warmer months. The staff is always very friendly and helpful as well. This place is one of my new favorites. read more

First time going and got the currywurst. New spot with a great beer selection. Everything was clean and spacious and I'll definitely be returning. read more

Black Forest Tap House - German Near Me - Fallston, Maryland

Stopped in for the first time. Staff at host stand was helpful in explaining layout and amenities of bar, dining area and patio. Wait staff was prompt, friendly and attentive. Nice beer selection and menu offerings. Started with the pretzel which came with mustard and warm cheese-very tasty. I had the lamb chops along with the perogies and onions, both were delicious. My spouse had the burger which was also good. We will be back to try again. read more

I had such high hopes for this place. As I drove by daily and watched the exterior renovation, my mouth watered as I thought about the menu... my stomach growled as I imagined the possibilities of having a fresh new place so close to my home. Sadly, my first (and possibly my only) visit to the Black Forest Tap House left me sorely disappointed. Let me begin from the beginning. First off, I love the logo. I love the wrought iron black metal tree mounted on a stone pillar out front, but the green up lighting literally only illuminates the lower portion of the pillar, leaving the absolute coolness of the metal tree completely unseen. ...a horrible fail, in my opinion. Figure out a way to light the "tree" sign from the top of the pillar and change the color of the light to white asap! It's clear there was pride involved in the design of the logo and sign. Why not show it off properly? Next, the lot is just a little too small. I'm not sure how to remedy this, but something needs to be done. Let's make this a positive experience for everyone. I know I would probably think twice about going there in the future just simply because it may be hard to find a parking space in the lot. Host/hostess station: Clearly, this place suffers from the same malady as almost all of the other local restaurants in the area. The hostess/host kids are polite, but have never been properly trained. Upon our arrival, the bar area was full, so we were offered a table in the dining room. The host and hostess then debated which table to send us to (right in front of us). Why? Why were they never trained to have a "next table" seating plan ready for the next customers entering the restaurant? No one wants to stand around and listen to these two youths decide where to take us. Were they too busy playing with their cell phones to have done their jobs? Let's have all of that planned out (or use the computer software which should do it for them) to have that next table ready for the next incoming customer, so the seating process is smooth and easy and in no way controversial. The dining room: This room is visually appealing, and although it did smell strongly of wood stain or lacquer, it was very nice. The tables and chairs were nice, but the lighting was horrible! Somehow, the bulbs that were chosen for the recessed canister lights were ALL WRONG! They seemed to be that white light that has a unique wave frequency. It almost flickers in your periphery. It's hard to describe, but after sitting there for an hour, both of us had sore eyes and we were both on the verge of having a headache. ...don't know what I'm saying? Go there, and sit in the dining room, and YOU tell me what you think. The good news here is that a box of soft white LEDs to replace the CFLs could change everything in that dining room! DO THIS TODAY! Call me in to help you decide which type of light bulb is best, and I will gladly help. Finally, the food: This is tough because again, I wanted this place to do so well, and maybe what I experienced was just growing pains, but I think there may be a bigger problem in the kitchen than just opening and start-up issues. We ordered the filet and the crab cake. We only drank iced tea and water. My steak was cooked a little too much for the medium rare I ordered. The cut was perfect, and it had a good beef flavor, but I expected more seasoning from a place like this. ...it was just plain. The crab cake recipe was pretty good, but not great. There was a bit too much filler, but the seasoning thankfully was what you'd expect from a place with close ties to Fallston Seafood. However, the bottom was burned to a crisp from the broiler. This thick burned crust severely detracted from the overall dining experience, and that in a nut shell is what soured our experience. All they need to do is make a few easy changes to the exterior, parking, hostess station training, and kick the chef in the ass, and this place could be a gem! However, until then, this stomach says steer clear of this place! read more

I really hope that this is opening month problems because I will give them only one more chance to improve on the disaster of an evening we just had at the Black Forest Tap House. Arrived at approximate 7:15PM tonight (Saturday) and was told there was a 30-minute wait. Okay. There is a foyer about the size of a coat closet, so you are forced to step into the bar area. Which in and of itself wouldn't be too bad, except that there are dining tables also around all the edges except for one small space. So, you feel as if you are breathing down peoples' necks who are trying to eat their meal. (There was no space at the bar to actually belly up to it), We were seated at around 7:40PM and our waiter did pretty promptly appear to get our drink order and, when he came back a few minutes later with our beers, he also took our appetizer and entree orders. We had the fried mushrooms as the appetizer. If they weren't Cisco brand, they were close. They also came with a side of either some sort of horseradish sauce or perhaps it was a sauce made with Dijon mustard. It was just okay. My SO ordered the classic burger medium rare and I ordered weisswurst on the pretzel roll with pommes frites and curry ketchup. Let me preface the next part of my review with two points: 1. my daughter texted me just as we finished eating our appetizers, so I did have a time frame to reference, and 2. I lived in Germany for 10 years. In Munich. I know weisswurst. I have Binkerts weisswursts in my freezer at this very moment. (shout out to Binkerts--they are AMAZING) and I cook them--alot! It took 29 minutes from the time we finished eating our appetizers for our food to be delivered. Now, remember, we had actually placed our dinner order when the appetizer order was taken! The app cook clearly forgot to tell the lead cook to start that order! But forget even the time problem. The real problem was my wurst. It was the worst wurst I have had in years. It was NOT a weisswurst. To make matters worse, it was served overcooked and barely warm. The pommes frites were barely warm and they were like thin little potato pretzels - hard and crunchy and not in a good way. And even the pretzel roll was fairly dry. When the waiter finally came back to our table to inquire as to how we liked the food, I told him the problems. He assured me that it was a weisswurst--while I assured him it was not. Another young man stopped by to clear my husbands plate and I told him that this was not the correct wurst and that I would like to see a manager. No response. I told our waiter again when he came back to our table that this wasn't the correct wurst, and that I wasn't eating it. He left and came back with our check. During this entire time, I did not see anyone who looked as if they were a manager. We paid our check and left. At the station on the way out, the two young ladies were chatting and did not inquire as to our meal, nor was there a manager type anywhere up in the foyer area. I literally went home and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To the management at the Tap House: take a stroll down to McFaul's Tavern to see how food and service is done right. Walk two doors down and see how Acapella has used the feedback from customers in their early days to evolve and address problems. Heck, just do something! read more

First time I've been there, looking forward to the next. Enjoyed the meal with my sisters and we all agreed that it was a great place. I had the chopped salad with the black forest dressing. It was large enough to have a second meal. The presentation was pretty, with all fresh crisp toppings. The potato pancakes tasted great, just like the ones I had as a child. The applesauce was better then any other I have ever had before. Kudos to the chef! The location was safe with easy parking. The restaurant itself is lovely and the service was professional and offered warmly. I was only in the patio area but was very comfortable with a fan overhead. I can't critique the inside until my next visit. I did take my remaining salad home and my husband is very interested in going back after eating what I brought home. read more

Go! The food and service was far better than some reviews here. We were told that the previous chef was gone and the new chef was doing a fabulous job of upping the ante on flavor. The food was delicious and not the average sports bar standard. Just go! Went with a friend on a Saturday night. No reservations accepted and were told there was an hour wait. Fortunately, we decided to get a drink at the bar and in 15 minutes a couple of guys said they were finished eating and gave us their seats. Bartenders were quick, attentive and helpful in explaining different beers and wines. We decided to sit at the bar and order food. After several recommendations from people sitting around us, we ordered the fried oysters, reuben potato skins and pork schnitzel. We shared every dish - everything was well prepared. The fried oysters were moist and tasty, with a great sauce on the side. The Reuben potato skins? Amazing! And although I haven't had pork for a while, this was moist, flavorful and really delicious. Quite a few people recommend the burgers, saying they were the best they've ever tasted. That will have to be a next time order. It is a bit noisy at the bar, but manageable. Service was great and bar neighbors friendly and fun. read more

The three stars is for the service and the beer. The food was terrible sadly. Asked for calamari crispy got burnt instead and the steak sliders were like rubber. read more

Went here with another couple on a Friday evening. Didn't call ahead but we're promptly seated as soon as we walked in. What needs to be fixed: The bar is LOUD. Really loud. It was hard to hold a conversation with our friends two feet across a small table. I am not a sound engineer but something should be done - maybe wall panels. No idea. The lighting is very odd. Bright white and apparently not dimmable. Change to warm white for a little ambience. What was good: everything else. The beer selection wasn't huge but had some real good ones in there like Maine Mo, independent Cereal Killer and Bells Kalamazoo Stout. The food didn't disappoint either. The lump crabcake was worthy of a Maryland establishment and the Brat Platter had three large wursts of various types. We also had a few appetizers all which were good. Will definitely return. read more

We went with a very large ladies group. Food was good, service was great. I really enjoyed the latkes and schnitzel.

Thoroughly impressed with everything we ordered, tried their beer and multiple items from appetizers to entrées. Great Food, Beer and atmosphere read more

This place is really good for all ages and there pretzels are really good and are VERY big! Would definitely come here again. Although the fried green tomatoes weren't the best they just fell apart and you couldn't keep it together when you put your fork in it, and also a little bland and should be a little more fried. But still nice place and very good funnel fries. read more

The food was on point, we tried their pretzel, steamed shrimp, oyster stew, and wings. We had been to Josef's a few years ago and this place looks nothing like it besides the outside appearance. Thoroughly enjoyed the wine on tap. read more

Black Forest Tap House - German Near Me - Fallston, Maryland

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The beat fish and chips around. Friendly owners and the beer is cold. I would recommend to anyone looking for a good meal. They also have the beat Md crab soup. read more

What an absolutely delicious meal! We went for an early dinner (5ish on a Saturday) so had no trouble getting a table. Pretty busy by the time we left though. Started with the Jumbo Bavarian Pretzel which was hot and delicious. We ordered the French onion soup and the cream of crab both of which were hot and delicious. We should of stopped there because we were both full but had already ordered our entrees. Boyfriend had the Pork Osso Bucco and I had the Pork Schnitzel Cordon Blue everything was outstanding, the meats were very tender and again delicious. I know I keep saying delicious but everything really was. Will definitely be eating here again soon!! read more

Wasn't too impressed with the food or service. An average experience but nothing to write home about. Probably won't go back

They have so many great options to get! The wings, Buffalo chicken sandwich and the Bavarian pretzel is definitely the best thing there. 9.5 out of 10 read more

Went here on Saturday with a group of friends. My wife and I got the Heidelberg steak. Cooked perfectly. All the food looked good. Our friends got the crab cakes and they said they were awesome...jumbo lump. We will definitely be back to explore the menu some more. Giving it 5 stars because the food was great, the atmosphere was great, and I don't think the experience could have been much better. read more

This was our first visit and we loved it!! The atmosphere is very nice, service good, food excellent!! I ordered a pork dish that came with potato pancakes and applesauce. It was perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned and reminded me of my childhood when my dad would make his famous potato pancakes! We will definitely be back!! read more

My wife and I've been here a few times. The food and beer are always good. If you're in a hurry to eat. Go elsewhere. It's a place to hang out and eat with friends. We are going back tonight with friends that haven't been yet. Looking forward to it. The bar area can be quiet or loud depends what time it is. It is a bar! Always enjoyable. read more

We loved this place! Large portions, great food and the service was excellent too. Not a single thing to complain about!

Horrible, horrible experience! Our families meet here for lunch and received the worst service I have ever received. Our server "Jess" was rude, inattentive and completely unable to handle her job as a server. We repeatedly had to ask for items we had ordered and asked for the boxes and the bill several times. I had to track down management to pay for our food. The assistant Dana came out and apologized. But when Jess continued to ignore us and did not bring us back our slip to sign I asked for the Manager. The manager, who refused to provide his name, did not care about our deplorable service and the fact that we had just spent over $400 in his restaurant. Obviously, we won't be coming back and you should consider spending your money elsewhere as well. read more

We had a great meal here on our first visit! Great menu to choose from, so many options that we have to come back to try everything. Service was very friendly. Nice looking clean bar room. I got the charcuterie as my meal. I'll give it a solid B for presentation. It seems like it was pre-made. When I picked up one piece of the rather grayish looking meat, the piece under it was the correct pinkish color. It was a nice selection though. My husband got the osso bucco. It was beautiful but cold in the middle. The cheesy pomme frites were absolutely amazing! Fried pickles were fine, nothing extraordinary. read more

Black Forest Tap House - German Near Me - Fallston, Maryland

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Beer selection is really nice at times. Food is so so at best. I know it's Fallston, but overpriced for what you get. I am willing to pay for quality, but not just for the sake of paying more. read more

My first time there and really enjoyed it. Wanted to try the German food and was not disappointed. Tried the Pork Cordon Bleu and it was super tender and moist. Wide variety of beers as well. Super clean and very Covid aware. Will definitely go back. Looking forward to trying the fried oysters next time. Other patrons highly recommended them read more

Been there twice with a group of friends. We had a table on the patio. Both bands were awesome and played the music we grew up to- Yacht rock, classis rock and a few real old songs from the 60's. The beer list is very long and our servers quite knowledgeable. We tried the German lager and pilsner. Both were delicious. Food ranged from great bar food to well prepared entrees. Try the pork osso bucco and schnitzels. Burgers cooked to order were juicy and accompanied by pommes frites. Wings were well prepared with a choice of style. Give it a try and if you won't be disappointed. read more

Enjoyable experience. Loved the Brauts. It was all very good. The only thing I've ever had here that I didn't like was the Reuben braut. Wasn't a fan of that one. It's unique so price was towards the higher end of good but I still felt it was fair and the beer selection, well the beer selection is what makes this place great. read more

If your looking for German food, keep driving past here. It's clean and has a good staff but their food is horrible and expensive to boot.

Excellent staff. Bartender clearly knowledgeable about all the wonderful beers on tap and made great recommendations. Food was top notch and very filing. The only thing I can fault them for is being a German restaurant and not having strudel on the dessert menu. We will definitely be back over and over again. read more

Our experience was terrible. We waited several minutes to order dinner and then to reorder drinks. One person waited 12 minutes for their food while everyone else had their food. Food runner was rude when we asked about our missing food. No management on a Saturday night so there was no one to talk to about our experience. Good food but service was horrific so we won't be back. I would not recommend. read more

Black Forest was a real find for us. We were biking on the NCR / Torrey Brown biking trail and desperate for good food and good beer. Black Forest is about a 20 minute drive east from either the Monkton or Sparks trailheads and is well worth the drive. My husband and I shared the big pretzel appetizer and one order of the Overstuffed Reuben sandwich. Loved both. And both of these options are huge. There is PLENTY of outside dining, both in front and behind the restaurant. We'll be returning next time we're in the neighborhood. read more

Food was fabulous, and so was our server Taylor! All of the staff were so friendly, from the hostess, the young lady greeting you at the door, the busboy, and of course our server. Five of us had a combination of German and American food. First timers, on a Saturday evening around 530. My Mom is handicapped, they were wonderful to her. We had 2 kinds of Bratwurst, Osso Busco, chicken/crab eat sandwich, chopped salad with ahi tuna. Everyone loved their meal and we all were tasting each others. Fantastic! Nice portions, no room for dessert. Looked like a great outdoor patio, with entertainment as well. No reservations, but you can call 30 minahead. We arrived at 515, still quiet, by the time we left it was hopping! Only one negative- the acoustics are not good. Hard to hear, even before the big party arrived.excellent value. We will definitively we back! read more

Food was ok. When we went in the middle of the week there was no one there. Very quiet very friendly staff.

We stopped here for lunch today. We ordered wings, Rock Fish tenders, Hunar Jager Schnitzel, and a hamburger. The wings were overcooked and dry, the Rock Fish was saturated with frialator oil and overcooked, too. The Schniztel (chicken) was overcooked and hard. The burger was edible and descent. I'm not sure where the 4-stars came from, but the food we were served today was 1 star at best. Perhaps the 4-star rating is indicative of their ability to ruin food. read more

So I started working at Black Forest Tap house from day one. It's a mile from where I'm living. I only wanted to work two days a week, but I was immediately scheduled six days a week with two doubles. Fine. I have opened five restaurants. I get it. The urgency, the need to be over-staffed, the freaking out because you don't know what to expect. I get it. So I think that I can help. So I did. I worked every shift they wanted me to. They even called me back to work a second shift. Thankfully, they were kind enough to let me take my dogs out (they have dogs too). I am actually a second level sommelier, and almost a third. I am friends with several masters: Randa Warren, Fred Dexheimer, Tim Gaiser. I studied for, but did not take the Cicerone certification. I took the CSW instead. Nailed it. Highest in my class of 52. Here's what troubles me: I have been in the service industry for years. I live and breathe hospitality. I have been a wine/ beer buyer for Whole Foods South region. I have worked for three wine/ beer distributers. I have been an event planner. I have managed restaurants. The last one was a high-end steak house averaging two million dollars a year. I know my shit. Really, I do. And I'm actually a pretty nice person. So I was fired from Black Forest Tap House. Guess why? I tried to be nice. James was behind the bar. We had six customers there. They all had full drinks, and everyone who wanted to eat had eaten. So I walked up front. A couple was coming up the steps. I opened the door for them and welcomed them in. They decided to go to the patio. Great. It was a pretty day. They knew instantly what they wanted to drink. He wanted a house hefe (made by Independent Brewing Company). She wanted a glass of chardonnay. We had two. They were different styles. I'm pretty sure that no one but me could describe them accurately. I love wine and I am the "Anti-snob". I just really want you to drink wine and enjoy it. She was happy. So I told the server what I had poured. They sent in a "do not make." And then the owner, Alex, fired me. read more

Waited for an hour (was told 30 mins) with 2 hungry kids. Staff seated numerous groups before us and were indifferent to our predicament. Allowed multiple groups to loiter at tables indefinitely while we languished in a tiny waiting area. Food looked interesting but they obviously didn't want our business... read more

Food was mediocre and steak was over seasoned and over done. Burnt taste from the chargrilling. Avocado on my salad was bad. Server was not attentive. read more

Best snow crab legs EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's get this clear, I made a yelp account to review this place. I can cook a steak better for 1/3 the price.........worst place in town considering how it's hyped. Sorry!!?!?!? read more

To start with some perspective: this place is a bar. It has a huge bar in a large open room with tables around the perimeter. And since we don't drink, I can only give you a review for food and service. And in terms of service, I was ready to give this place a generous one star with the way things started. We had to wait far too long for our waiter so I went to the bartender to ask if they have Ginger Beer. She said yes that they had some they used for "Moscow Mules" but she was sure we could get them as soft drinks. So when the waiter (who turned out to be a very eager and amiable young man) finally took our order we were happy campers.....only to be disappointed when he returned to tell us that the manager said "no." Our second disappointment came when we asked about the chili and were told that it had no beans. For those of you out there who love authentic chili this is worthy of celebration as it is as rare as hen's teeth around here. Once again, the very sweet waiter returned with a sheepish smile on his face to tell us he was mistaken. What we ended up ordering was a mix of excellent and mediocre. Our beer battered onion rings were the best we've had (Michael's in Towson are not even this good) They came with a yummy dipping sauce-creamy and a bit spicy. (although Michael's dipping sauce is better) I ordered the fried chicken basket and was thrilled to taste the best version I've had in years. I would go back to this place for that alone. Strangely, my husband's brat was not very good considering this is a German themed menu. The fries were quite good-in between a shoestring size and regular. From this we decided that the kitchen excels in its deep fried items. We will definitely go back. They have a throw back spinach salad with hot bacon dressing that is calling to my 1960's self... read more