Backbone Tavern

Stopped by for a Tuesday night dinner.  It was located about 25 minutes from where were staying in Oakland, Maryland.  It is on route 50 and appears to be in the middle of nowhere.  It was fairly busy and has bar seating area, high top tables, some family style tables which seat 8-10 people, and a small stage area for a band.  It had quite a bit of parking as well.  There was one waitress/bartender caring for the who place and she was very efficient. We were not sure if we would ever be in the area again so we tried a few different things: Butter Garlic Wings, Steak and Cheese Tortilla chips, Backbone pepperoni sandwich, Backbone hot dog with chili sauce.  Butter Garlic Wings (15.45/dozen):  These were well cooked without any breading.  We wanted the Triple B Honey Garlic flavor but they were out so we opted for the Butter Garlic.  The sauce was exactly what it sounded like, melted butter with garlic bits in it.  They tasted fine but wished we had gotten a different flavor.  Steak and Cheese Tortilla chips ($9.95): They fry their own tortilla chips for this dish.  The chip is thick and has a good taste. Toppings on this are basically what you might find on a Philly steak sandwich with mozzarella cheese on top.  This was a pretty good dish with good taste.  It was also good size. Backbone Pepperoni Sandwich ($6.95):  When I saw this on the menu, I thought of another place I have eaten from who serves something called a PLT (Pepperoni, lettuce, tomato sandwich).  Therefore, I had certain expectations.  I was expecting crispy pepperoni as they serve pepperoni chips as an appetizer.  Unfortunately, the pepperoni on this sandwich was not crispy and there wasn’t much pepperoni on it to begin with. Overall, the sandwich didn’t really have much flavor.  This is not something I can recommend. Backbone Hot Dog ($2.95): We paid the extra 50 cents and got the chili sauce on it.  The hot dog was okay but the sauce was sweet with a different flavor which I couldn’t quite figure out.  It was okay but nothing I would recommend.  We spent about an hour here.  Final bill was around $38 w/tax.  Would I go again? Yes.  How long would I travel to get there? 30 minutes. They do offer a discount to first responders on Tuesday as well. Thought that was nice of them.

Nice tavern on Backbone Mountain. We went on a Tuesday evening in June when it was not too busy. My cheesesteak sandwich was yummy and my wife’s salad consisted of generous portions of crispy chicken, vegetables and croutons. We ordered some fresh made pork rinds with a side of mesquite bbq seasoning. They came out cracking and consisted of a very generous serving. They were delicious. Our waitress was also very attentive and friendly. We hope to return at a later date when they have live music.

We heard about this tavern/restaurant from friends and drove 45 minutes to get there. The food was great and the atmosphere was the perfect 'tavern' experience. It definitely earned the recommendations and met the time in travel expenditure with more returns planned for future.

Stopped here on a whim. Owner was super nice. All the workers were amazing. Let me tell you though, I’ve ate wings in 7 countries and THESE wings are the best I’ve ever had. I highly recommend at least 1 dozen Italian Stallion wings.

Enjoyed my late birthday dinner last minute here. Enjoyed the drinks and wings. Very good service and food.