Dogfish Head Alehouse

Dogfish Head AlehouseDogfish Head Alehouse
Dogfish Head AlehouseDogfish Head Alehouse
Bar, Eatery

800 W Diamond Ave
Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20878-1413
United States

(301) 963-4847 | map
dogfish.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.26
Reviews:
71
Ratings:
102
pDev:
8.45%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by GuttaMane138:
Photo of GuttaMane138
Rated by GuttaMane138 from Florida

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

Jul 28, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

4.61/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Love the DFH Alehouses. They’re a combo of sports bar, casual sit and sip spot, pub grum and fine dine restaurant, with unique and interesting food options. Plenty of parking. Family friendly. Outdoor activities and regular celebrations and events. Themed dinner & beer pairings.
Attentive and quick service.
The run of DFH brews on tap is unmatched, offering usual and familiar to unique and outrageous. (Wait till you try ‘Heaven & Hell’ - a black & tan made with 120 Min IPA & World Wide Stout!)
It’s also one stop shopping for apparel, glassware and swag.
Excellent.
Dec 07, 2023
Photo of andypeters1971
Reviewed by andypeters1971 from Georgia

4.09/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3.75
It's a place with loads of Dogfish products on tap so what more could you want and in fact what difference does it make what the rest of the place is like? The food was actually pretty decent and while the building and vibe are not memorable, again, it's a Dogfish brewpub so there's not really a need for anything else to be outstanding
Dec 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Feb 11, 2019
 
Rated: 3.96 by Boone757 from Virginia

Oct 28, 2017
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
I live right down the road but only got there for the for the first time on Friday night. My sister flew in from Oakland so it seemed like a good time to try it out. The selection was solid but mostly familiar but we were impressed with the portion sizes on our apps, and the nacho and spinach artichoke quality was solid. It wasn't as crowded as I would have expected for Friday happy hour and I will definitely be back.
Mar 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by StoutLover14 from Illinois

Dec 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

Sep 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by bigred89 from Maryland

Aug 28, 2016
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -14.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.75
I like Dogfish Head. I said I like them, not love them so calm yourself as I explain my mediocre review of my first and likely only DFH Alehouse experience.

The place is decked with swag and DFH history/memorabilia all along the walls. Its a neat atmosphere looking at the DFH bottles and stuff of yesteryear. I sat at the bar, there was plenty of overflow seating all around.

We ordered a couple pints, an appetizer (reuben egg rolls - awesome) a burger and the cuban special. The food was tasty as expected and adequate in its portion/pricing.

Service I had mixed feelings about. There were 2 male bartenders and a female taking care of the (15 at most? sorry didnt count exactly how many) patrons at the bar. 1 bartender per 3-4 people seems excessive but at least they would give you plenty of attention...right? Nope. The female must have been in charge of keeping the chalk boards up to date with what was currently on tap. She did so several times during our ~45 minute visit. The one male bartender took care of our side of the bar while the other male paced back and forth on the other half. You can tell this place caters to the regulars and they go out of their way to do so. Our bartender extended greetings and lengthy jokes/stories without paying much attention to the fact that my friend was without a beer and asked him several times to try something different (though he didnt hear him or even stop to check in.)

The selection of food was decent, the selection of beer...well I guess it was average compared to most places. I think there were 10 things on tap and 10 or more bottles to pick from. However, everything on tap were staple or seasonal DFH selections, there wasnt anything special or unique except for them pouring you a black and tan of 90 minute and chickory stout - that was the "exclusive" beer they had which you can honestly do at home. I got what I thought was a fresh new offering - a fruited ipa. It didnt seem that fresh, the fruit was hardly noticeable and the base hoppy beer wasnt that hoppy. The menu described it as "intense" this was not by any means, let alone DFH standards. Maybe they poured me the wrong beer? Thats the only assumption I can make.

I was told by a few prople that this place wasnt worth checking out. I figured they were just being snobby about it. Nope, they were right. If you want to have a proper DFH experience, skip this place and go to the Rehoboth location.
Mar 08, 2016
Photo of KYGunner
Reviewed by KYGunner from Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I attended the New Years Eve pairing dinner and was so impressed. The food was amazing. The beers were full pours for all five courses, including 18% Fort. All this for $65 in the DC area and that's a hell of a deal.
Jan 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Iamjeff6 from Virginia

Dec 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.09 by wmbiii from Maryland

Jul 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.53 by 46woody from Maryland

May 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by ConradKenney from Maryland

May 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.61 by misternebbie from Pennsylvania

Jan 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.53 by Capsfan90 from Maryland

Jan 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.55 by jasonmmccormick from Pennsylvania

Dec 29, 2014
Photo of JamieDuncan
Reviewed by JamieDuncan from Maryland

4.9/5  rDev +15%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Blown away, we took my cousin there for his birthday to get some quality beers. That was of course the easy part and expected. What was unexpected was the food. The Jambalaya was top shelf which was very surprising. My favorite dish and this was as good as it gets. The waiter was very attentive and we talked a lot of beer which is always good. Outstanding and a place that I will attend whenever possible.
Dec 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by SicEmChris from Maryland

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by oskinker from Maryland

Nov 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by mattjcrawford from Pennsylvania

Oct 31, 2014
Photo of srletend
Rated by srletend from Texas

3.5/5  rDev -17.8%
Great selection of Dogfish Head (obviously), but no 120 minute IPA... Food ok, but nothing special.
Aug 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4.6 by BigRizz62 from Maryland

Aug 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by reebtaerG from Maryland

Aug 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by wrightst from Maryland

Jul 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Dougish from Maryland

Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by RedBane from Maryland

Jun 25, 2014
Photo of Seanem44
Reviewed by Seanem44 from Virginia

4.19/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Great atmosphere in this two story building. Rustic look with nice Dogfish Head posters hung all over. A bit plain, but in a good way. Not cluttered like some places.

Quality is excellent. Both in beer and food. The food compliments the beer wonderfully. Try the crab dip!

Selection is good. For me I consider it great, and I love DFH beer. The Chicory Stout was out, which I was disappointed about. Can't fault them though. A good beer goes quick.

The food was really good as well. My parents enjoyed it which is a compliment as my Mom can be hard to please.

Value was great as well. Not to high priced, and there were both cheap and expensive beer choices.

My only knock is on the service which was a little slow. Really it was our server. She wasn't bad, just not fast or attentive.

I will be going back to this place for sure!
Jun 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by spark3148857 from Ohio

Jun 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by JakeDebus from Maryland

May 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by CorgiDad from Mississippi

May 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by wildwm from Pennsylvania

May 05, 2014
Photo of gfiumara
Reviewed by gfiumara from Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.75
In my experience, restaurants with good beer have bad food, and restaurants with bad beer have great food. DFH has both good beer and good food. I do feel that the DFH beers are a bit overpriced (some 8oz pours can be $10.50), but I bet a lot of that has to do with the location. I've seen people drinking Miller bottles, so I guess they serve that too. Be sure to snag their $10 off $29 coupon to make your stay a bit more reasonable. Also be warned that because this place is so popular, it can take a while to be seated during dinner and be a little loud. Reservations aren't allowed unless you have 8 or more people.
Apr 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by REVZEB from Illinois

Mar 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Beer4MyBrajs from Maryland

Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jaltland from Pennsylvania

Jan 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by March_of_99 from Maryland

Nov 12, 2013
Photo of stephenjmoore
Reviewed by stephenjmoore from Maryland

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
The dogfish head alehouse is a cool place to go and grab a few beers and some food. The menu is somewhat similar to the brewpub in rehoboth, but the prices are much higher due to the area. They usually have about a dozen dogfish head beers on tap, with around 8-10 bottles available. The beer selection is solid, the food is very good with a nice selection of offerings. They even had an entire page of gluten-free options, along with an extensive kids menu. Worth a stop, just a bit pricey. Try to go during their happy hour if you can (6 days a week).
Oct 27, 2013
Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, MD
Place rating: 4.26 out of 5 with 102 ratings