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Fine Dining at Old Line



In late October of 2024 I received this message from a dear friend of our family: 

If you want to support a local small business in Columbia, this is a restaurant owned by niece of one of my Mount de Sales former students.  Grand Opening is tomorrow!

I am here this morning to say that, on the evening on January 6th, 2026 I finally succeeded in honoring her request. The restaurant: Old Line Kitchen & Wine Bar. 


Image property of Old Line Kitchen Wine Bar


We went for an early dinner, to avoid the “peopley” aspect. The bulk of patrons were grouped companionably at the bar area. I snapped a view pics of the dining room. It was both elegant and cozy.





As I awaited the arrival of my lovely companion I splurged on a rare gin and tonic. Dry January? Well, it’s complicated. The last cocktail I had was probably more than a year ago so I’m going to cut myself some slack. I probably should have memorialized this occasion before I drank most of it. 



What can I say? It was a treat. And this morning I feel one hundred years old.

This is not a traditional restaurant review. I did not photograph my food. I can tell you I enjoyed everything and I will definitely go back. A few notes:



The menu will give you an idea of the kind of food they serve as well as their prices. I can’t accurately tell you if this is expensive or not because I pretty much haven’t eaten in restaurants since the Before Times. So, almost all restaurants look expensive to me now.

If you look closely you will see that they offer an impressive number of Gluten Free items plus ones that can be modified to become Gluten Free. I asked if they have a separate dedicated fryer and they do, which indicates to me that they understand the concept of cross contamination and have established protocols to avoid it.

Our server was excellent. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and even fixed our wobbly table. 

I didn’t photograph the beverage menu but I was pleased to see a healthy offering of mocktails and alcohol-free beer. So, if you are doing Dry January you might want to put Old Line on your “try in January” list. 

I often see laments about the almost complete disappearance of mom and pop restaurants in Howard County. Old Line Restaurant is the real deal. It’s in Gateway so you will need to make a point to go there. If you don’t it won’t survive. Period. So maybe pay them a visit if you can. 


Old Line Kitchen and Wine Bar, Amanda Mallonee and Corey Laub
6741 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia Maryland 21046
443-979-7683








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  1. Julia A. McCreadyJanuary 7, 2026 at 5:17 AM

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