The Trolley Stop Restaurant Serves Up Hearty Homemade Dishes

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — With hearty, homemade food in hefty portions, a casual atmosphere and a gorgeous, charming historic building, it's no wonder that hungry Howard County residents flock to The Trolley Stop.

Built in 1833, The Trolley Stop's stone building got its start as a tavern and country inn. Eventually it became a general store and boarding house, then returned to being a tavern in the 1940s. When Tropical Storm Agnes hit Ellicott City in 1972, the lower floor was destroyed. Undeterred, the building's new owners stepped in, cleaned and rebuilt, then added a kitchen in 1985 that's been expanded three times.

Ten years later, the second floor was renovated into a dining area with seating for 60 diners and 12 at the bar on the first floor, and a private party room that can accommodate 60 guests on the second floor. The building also withstood the destructive floods in Ellicott City.

The Trolley Stop's name, however, stems from the fact that the Trolley #14 car stopped outside the second floor dining room from 1889 to 1927 when the route was used by the #9 car, which ran until 1955. The owner in the 1980s bestowed that name upon the building, which has stayed with it for 45 years.

The granite used to build the historic structure came from the Patapsco River right next door to it, while the brick came off clipper ships that sailed to the Baltimore port from Europe in the ballasts that were used for cargo to Europe, Catherine Fields, CFO of The Trolley Stop, told Patch.

Recently, The Trolley Stop received a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express to improve the exterior of the building, such as putting up new shutters, replacing doors, brick work and updating signage, Fields added.

"The Fields family purchased The Trolley Stop in 1998. We still own it and employ several family members from three generations," Fields told Patch. "The concept or vibe is definitely a place to have fun, relax and have a great meal. We serve superior food in large portions at a reasonable price in a casual atmosphere. Our historic building adds charm to the dining experience. One customer said it is like a capsule of history. It is a family restaurant plus we have open mic on Wednesday nights and karaoke on Friday nights and happy hour from Tuesday through Friday."

The menu features classic American fare and Maryland seafood such as crab cakes, prime beef, burgers and pasta. Breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes comprise the menu, and popular breakfast items include a variety of omelets, egg platters with a choice of meats served with home fries, pancakes and creamed chipped beef.

Popular lunch menu items include the half-pound sirloin burger with assorted toppings, the hot corned beef Reuben and the Trolley #3, which is a marinated chicken breast with crispy bacon, provolone cheese and ranch dressing on grilled sourdough bread.

High demand dinner menu items include crab cakes, chicken Chesapeake (chargrilled chicken breast topped with crab imperial); New York strip steak and pasta, plus the pasta primavera (spinach, artichokes, tomato, mushrooms and carrots sautéed with butter and Romano cheese over linguine pasta). Appetizers that dominate the menu include potato skins and crab dip.

It's not just Howard County residents, however, who frequent The Trolley Car. Tourists and others from far off have stopped by to try the food.

"We have been written up as one of the 10 places you need to visit in Maryland before you die," Fields said.

The Trolley Stop is located at 6 Oella Avenue in Ellicott City. It's closed Mondays, then breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekends. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Dinner is served 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday except on Fridays where it's served 4 to 10 p.m. The bar is open until 1 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and happy hour is from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.