Seibel's, Multi-Generational American Restaurant in Burtonsville since 1939

[HowChowBlog]

If you live near Burtonsville, then it's worth making a summer drive over to Seibel's on Rte 198 for homemade ice cream.

Seibel's is a family-style restaurant at Rte 198 and Rte 29 where they have been mixing up their own ice cream since 1939. From the outside, it doesn't look like a place with inspired food, but I had heard raves from people had visited. As it turns out, the ice cream was pretty good. Both the banana and the lemon ice creams were creamy and full of flavor. The lemon violated our ice cream rules -- coming in a yellow tint that sure doesn't look like lemon juice. But the flavors were real fruit, and they came in big waffle cones that we enjoyed in our car.

I don't know anywhere in Columbia that makes its own ice cream, so a drive down to Seibel's is a sweet adventure for a summer night.

[dwt]

Now sporting the name "Seibel's Restaurant and UpTown Pub." It's been about 30 years since I'd visited. My SO and I lived close by all those years ago, back when she commuted to Baltimore and I to Bethesda. We ate dinner at Seibel's many times. A friend was car shopping at a dealership on Briggs Chaney last Saturday and wanted to meet for lunch, so we headed to Seibel's. Nothing much as changed, except for the addition of a bar at the rear of the large dining room (Uptown Pub). They had an OK selection of 6-8 drafts (Loose Cannon for me). The Maryland crab soup, crab cake sandwich, and fries I had were all decent. I wouldn't go out of my way to dine here, but it's a good, relaxing option if you are in the area. If the place is still in the same family, they must be into the 3rd generation. It was good to see they are still going strong.

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, dwt said:

Now sporting the name "Seibel's Restaurant and UpTown Pub." It's been about 30 years since I'd visited. 

I suspect when you last visited, it was called "Seibel's Dairy Bar," and in the old location, although this might have even been before 1986 - I first went to Seibel's in the 1960s.

"Uptown Pub" ... that's rich.

[dwt]

16 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I suspect when you last visited, it was called "Seibel's Dairy Bar," and in the old location, although this might have even been before 1986 - I first went to Seibel's in the 1960s.

"Uptown Pub" ... that's rich.

I don't recall the formal name back when we were regular patrons in the mid 80s. We just always referred to it as "Seibels." Back then it was in its current location. As for "Uptown" I find it hard to think of Burtonsville as a town at all, even given all the development it has seen in the past 3 decades.

[DonRocks]

12 hours ago, dwt said:

I don't recall the formal name back when we were regular patrons in the mid 80s. We just always referred to it as "Seibels." Back then it was in its current location. As for "Uptown" I find it hard to think of Burtonsville as a town at all, even given all the development it has seen in the past 3 decades.

A little research showed me it was named Seibel's Dairy Bar up until 1971.

You know what's pretty sobering? When I first went to Seibel's, it was probably about 25 years old. That's the equivalent of a restaurant today having opened in 1991.

That's all fine and dandy, until you remember that Seibel's opened in 1939.