Latest reviews from State College

“Big parking lot. On restaurant side and has bar in it. One bartender. 18 taps here and can beer to go. Hotel next door just in case. Got here late and only appetizers between 8-9 pm. Close at 9. Dim lighting and pop music on radio. Beer is good here. Cheers!“

unclefrito62 665 days ago

“So glad to have this place in our town! It has a nice modern feel, with an upstairs sitting area and lovely bar area. Fantastic beer and kombucha on tap. It's a great place!“

can8ianben 692 days ago

“Located in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Robin Hood Brewing has two side to the building. I was on the bar side. Other side has just tables. Big parking lot. Just off I-80. Dimmed light and classic rock on the radio. Got growlers and t shirts for sale. 15 beers on tap. One bar maid who was pretty busy. Beer was good and I had fish which was good also. Enjoyable stop on my trip. Cheers“

unclefrito62 722 days ago

“Dark basement spot on the main street in State College. Great line up of beer, including a Bullfrog Grrrz variant and some more of their stuff when I visited. Friendly service. Prices a bit high for the rest of State College but not out of line with what those beers cost in D.C. or New York. Live music on a Friday when I was in, fairly loud, but lively atmosphere. No flights. The best place in town as far as my investigations showed.“

solidfunk 1689 days ago

“Cool place on the outskirts of State College. Nice vibe inside, and friendly service. Beers were OK, kind of an old school type place. They unfortunately didn't have a single one of their dark beers when I was in, so missed out on their better stuff. Prices decent. Flights available.“

solidfunk 1693 days ago

“Located on a side road that leads into State College, it's located next to some sort of stream/outlook kind of thing which makes for a nice view. parking is kinds of the stingy side so you want to get there early. For some odd reason, they claim it has to do with their license but I've never seen it anywhere else in PA, they only sell beer in plastic to-go cups and they insist on individual transactions. The plastic cups aren't helping the beers which range from decent to pretty good. State College isn't exactly a beer mecca but I still don't I'd go out of my way to come back very soon.“

DiarmaidBHK 1735 days ago

“Located along a road filled with shopping centers and fast food places. This place had kind of a 80’s chain restaurant feel to with bars on each side of the restaurant. They had something like 12-14 of theirs on tap and some BMC/crafty craft type brews as well though they didn’t seem to have many of those actually in stock. The beers were mediocre at best with a couple so old they were practically flat. The cheese pizza I had was awful which is saying something considering how bad the pizza is in this town. It’s really hard to screw up cheese pizza but the one I had was undercooked and used super cheap ingredients. The pizza was so bad I lost my will to live for about 20 minutes. If that sounds like you’re kind of place then enjoy.“

DiarmaidBHK 1756 days ago

“Happy to have this place in State College - an outpost from the actual brewery - at a unique location in an old barn beside another local brewery. The prices seemed high - $7.50 for a pint in a plastic cup? - but the beer was excellent.“

can8ianben 1793 days ago

“Perhaps the best sports bar in State College, it also has a pretty solid tap list. This place is downtown so it can be insanely busy on Friday and Saturday night. Street parking is limited but there a number of parking garages within half a mile of here.“

DiarmaidBHK 1838 days ago

“Located on Fraser Street in the same building that houses a target, an H & M, and a Hyatt Place hotel, it’s a great place to get a beer before you start your State College pub crawl. They have a ton of local and national craft taps and though their are fewer whales here than you would find at their other locations it’s still a larger collection than most in the area.“

DiarmaidBHK 1838 days ago

“Have been here a few times but mostly before it was allowed into the RB database. Seems like there's something for everyone inside the food section, but probably only a dozen or so worthy bottles for me on each visit to the beer and wine side. Oppressive, antiquated blue laws certainly in play here: go ahead and buy two carriers from the build-a-six, but try to buy any more bottles and you'll have to split your order, take some out to the car, come back, re-scan ID and pay again; if you've finished and bring your purchases through the main (food) part of the store, know that the 17-year-old at the cash register not only can't ring you up, he isn't even allowed to touch your bottles to move them from the conveyor to the bagging area. Still love the store, always make it a point to visit when in the area. [2018.07.79: 64]“

ganache 2172 days ago

“In a strip of Wegman’s-Starbucks-Bank-Tire Store/Body Shop-Bank-etc., and a bit far away from the real action of the town. Hop trellises outside (which are indeed used on premises). I usually order nachos at new brewpubs and the nachos here are sub-par. Cheerful vibe with 70s-80s music, mixed group of babies, college students, and septuagenarians. Deco is a little generic and generically sterile, save for the old malt bags hanging on the wall and the occasional local beer coaster from the 30s. Beer, however, is good and varied, and every offering seems to have more than a bit of class in reserve. Recommended! [2009.08.19: 80]

New place is seemingly larger and much brighter, a little more kitsch inside if my memory is to be trusted, and it really isn’t, as I barely noticed this was a new physical location on the same street. Great service, great new (large, full) gift shop, plenty of parking, no smoking inside, nice single bike-like bike rack outside. Some hearty bistro-style entree and apps but also several fun beery accompaniments (Scotch eggs, poutine, steamed broccoli, etc.). Didn’t have direct half-pints but supplied a nice 10 oz glass upon request. Yet another significant positive experience, I’ll return yet again! [2018.07.09: 86] “

ganache 2172 days ago

“Came here a few years back when my wife had a work thing at the University. It was a cool winter’s evening and the place was decently crowded. Wasn’t expecting the cover charge, though maybe that’s a thing still in college town bars. Beer list was good, but nothing really stood out. I guess if there’s a tap takeover event maybe it’s better, but I don’t remember anything unusual. Service was fine. Just feels like a college bar with decent beer. Have been back to State College a number of times since, but haven’t been back here. Make of that what you will.“

j12601 2550 days ago

“A place we always stop when driving through PA, been here probably half a dozen or so times over the last few years. Big open barn sort of building with a bar downstairs as well. We usually opt for seating in the upstairs portion as it’s got a nice open feeling which is just a bit more enjoyable for a meal and a drink when we’re likely passing through. Beers are generally pretty good, not necessarily anything to write home about, although a few years back they had an amazing coffee stout. Food is solid, lots of variety and everything is well made. Service staff is always super friendly. Everyone already goes to Otto’s. But everyone should also be going here. Worth a visit.“

j12601 2550 days ago

“Large spot. Inside is cool from the look of the barn with a large bar, but it’s pretty dark. Beer was pretty good; their higher ABV beers were too sweet for me but they have a good and diverse range of options. Food came in huge portions and was pretty good. Nachos were a tad burnt. Service was friendly but slow and forgetful.“

Msdrbeat 2764 days ago

“Stopped in for lunch, big place lots of seating areas and bar area with typical exposed glass to see brewing equipment and lots of TV’s .... bartender was very friendly and staff answered a lot of questions on their beers and food ... selection had a wide variety of styles .... food was awesome had a bbq chicken pizza that was fresh and had great ingredients .... not a bad price ... overall i’d definitely repeat and would probably get my pizza from here all the time if I lived in the area ... no beer I had a pint of was a world beater, but overall it was a good place to hit“

italianjohn 3181 days ago

“By chance we came by and there was a Bullfrog sour event happening. It was totally packed in here but managed to grab a wobbly table and order a couple of flights after some time. Dark and divey vibe here and I’m not sure how it is most nights but it gets noisy here with the low ceiling and such. No frills college drinking den with interesting beers available, although I feel like you would need to be at least buzzed here to really enjoy yourself.“

nate2g 3362 days ago

“Huge place and the first brewpub that I have visited this trip that has a gift shop at the entrance. We grabbed a spot at the bar with no issues during lunch service. Beers were okay as was the service. Bottles of some of their experimental brews are sold at the bar to be consumed on-site only.“

nate2g 3362 days ago

“This was a nice spot with large bar and plenty of seating. There’s upstairs seating as well but we didn’t take a look so no idea how roomy it is up there. One gripe was a lack of lighting so prepare to bring your own flashlight :) The beers were fine and with a moderate range of styles. Flights available but on the pricey side. Service was slow to begin with as there was only one bartender working behind the bar but smoothed out once another staff member came to help out. We didn’t eat on our visit.“

nate2g 3362 days ago

“This is an interesting old building on the outskirts of town. The restaurant is in the basement, allowing you a look at the underworks holding the building up. But that also makes it a bit dark. Large U-shaped bar on one side, restaurant tables on the other. Service was slow, as one guy was covering a massive bar by himself. Beers were fine.Worth a peek.“

Travlr 3364 days ago

“Strip mall location, and very generic looking from the outside. Weird entrance - if you miss the turn off, you’re screwed. Large parking lot, once we actually found the entrance. You enter the place through a gift shop - points off for that un-subtle trick. Inside is a lot more creative than the outside, large bar in the center surrounded by tables. The beers were decent. Service was friendly college students. Oddly, they had corked and caged bottled, some of which seemed a bit bizarre, but you can’t take them off the premises. You can take their other bottles away from the gift shop, though. Overall an odd experience.“

Travlr 3364 days ago

“This is the cellar portion of a building with three rateable places in it - the consequence of PA state liquor licensing laws and those who exploit it (owner has one license for all three places). After lucking out and finding street parking we stumbled into Zeno’s when a Bullfrog sour "festival" was in full swing - ten total beers, I think. Jam packed, very high noise levels, especially since this is a relatively cramped divey place to begin with. Low light levels didn’t help. Servers were working their butts off, but it still took half an hour to get a beer. Nonetheless, it was great to see such a good list. Food going by looked like college pub grub. Worth visiting, but not for everyone.“

Travlr 3364 days ago

“Really tasty pizza, and from the limited sample I tried, solid beer selection. Some decent happy hour specials, and plenty of seating mean that it is a nice stop. Feels more like a large restaurant than a brewpub, but still fun.“

can8ianben 3373 days ago

“Nice pub with 30+ taps, including 3 casks, with proper temp control. 5oz pours also available for flights. 200+ bottles in various styles. Drafts are PA-heavy, but craft focused. Good food menu, sandwiches and flatbreads, and nice charcuterie options. Had Sunday lunch here, prompt and courteous/knowledgeable service. Average price points for the area.“

Nate 3405 days ago

“Great little bottle shop that I have stopped at many times. Big cooler full of eclectic bombers including specially stuff like anniversary beers. Lots of PA micros. Prices are decent. Since they cater to college kids too, about half the store full of macro stuff. Help is usually watching TV and not overly helpful.“

jb 3481 days ago

“Upscale brewpub in an old (and very beautifully refurbished) dairy barn. Lots of windows to the outside, as well as in on the brewroom floor. Pub-style downstairs, and nice dining room upstairs. Beer and food are both really solid, but it is pricy - $12 for a 6 beer sampler??? Ouch.“

can8ianben 3515 days ago

“Big dining area and a noisy bar. Stone baked pizzas and a full menu. Big beer selection and a reasonable sampler price (5 4oz samples for $5). Small gift shop and to-go beer cooler.“

can8ianben 3525 days ago

“2014-08-16. Arrived for lunch and saw a bunch of our fellow Campground Brewdowners heading in, but then didn’t see them when we got inside. It wasn’t until later that I clued into the fact that there is an upstairs, which is apparently "fancier" than the downstairs where we were sitting. The bottom floor is large on it’s own so if the top floor is similarly sized there is plenty of seating capacity. The downstairs had a lounge meets barn meets bar feel too it that feels a bit odd, but is pretty cool. They need a few more lights since reading the menu and identifying the colour of our beers were both challenging :) Servers were friendly and efficient, we didn’t really test their beer knowledge. One waitress accurately gauged the mood of the group and brought out crayons to one of the guys who had been joking about it! They do flights of six beers, which Mabel and I shared since we weren’t feeling up for more today. We similarly opted to order "light" on the food with an onion soup, and short rib nachos, both of which were twice the size we expected. The nachos were delicious, with sort of a philly cheese steak like cheese sauce on them. The soup was similarly good. I’m curious what the portion sizes are like for the fancier looking entrees since we split two appetizers and left super full! The option for a small and a large for those items would have been nice. The entrees are not expensive per se, but are on the fancy side for brewpub fare and seem to be priced accordingly. Beers were all pretty decent but only one or two really caught my attention today. Location by the highway is handy if you are just passing through. Definitely worth a stop, and we would come back again. “

jercraigs 3590 days ago

“It may not be the most fancy or exclusive brewpub, but going from a pizza pub to now brewing their own beers over the last year, it is definitely a far better place to stop for a beer than when I lived here from 06-09. Decent range and variety of beers, from blueberry wheat to a porter. Some beers may not blow you away but I’d gladly order anything they offer on tap before one of the major brand beers (or the associated "craft brands"). I don’t know what the other reviewers encountered, but a nice young lady bartender was more than happy to serve us a flight on a Sunday night followed by a second flight! It was a welcome stop after 2.5 hours on the road. Did not get to try food, and it’s been many years since I actually ate there so, maybe I’ll update the food next time!“

brettj22 3615 days ago

“The new location is a little far from campus but well worth the drive! Huge bar area with plenty of surrounding tables all in viewing range of some massive HDTVs. Fair amount of outdoor dining as well. Food menu has tons of options and everything was quite tasty. I think they had about twelve taps available with a nice range of flavors. All the beers were rock-solid. Prices were very reasonable. There aren’t many craft beer spots in State College so Otto’s is well worth a visit.“

jmm635 3620 days ago

“A frequent stop from my days in State College. Good brews on tap, decent prices and food. Laid back.“

charule 3622 days ago

“Pretty decent brewpub. Use to go here when visiting my gf and sis at PSU. Helped introduce me to craft brews. Decent prices and selection. Good food and times.“

charule 3622 days ago

“Blah. Inside looked like any regular chain store (Applebees, etc). Beers were blah, service was blah. Didn’t try the food. Guy seemed upset when we asked to try all their beers. Weird.“

JHeath99 3671 days ago

“Large brewpub that offered plenty of barspace and seating, but lacked much personality. Service was okay; bartender seemed upset that we wanted to sample each of their beers despite flights being part of their standard offering. Didn’t eat nor did we see others eating in the bar area where we sat. Large number of house beers along with some guest taps. House beers were mostly disappointing and lacked much flavor. Good place to stop if you want 10+ ratings, but not a place I’d go back to.“

sonnycheeba 3671 days ago

“Ambiance - very much a college crowd. Service - nothing exceptional, but not rude Selection - a few fringe craft beers Food - pretty standard pub fair Value - the prices are pretty standard and fair“

DandyWolfFloyd 3693 days ago

“Ambiance - nice place, but 2 things that I though was a little bizarre. Busy outside, but dead inside - no one at the bar. Plus it smelled like someone ripped a spicy meat and cheese blasphemy fart at the bar, only when they opened the door to what I feel was the kitchen. Yikes! Service - bartender was nice, but didn’t say much at all. Selection - blah! Food - was pretty good, definitely would recommend dinner while your in town. Value - fair pricing all around.“

DandyWolfFloyd 3697 days ago

“Ambiance - it is truly a dive, truly. It’s a shit hole. There are CBGB like bathroom’s, missing ceiling tiles, and ... picture a gratuitous college campus dive. That’s it. Service - knowledgeable beer and drink hipster, who is really coooooool! Selection - pretty good considering. Food - I don’t think they had any, if they did I would avoid. Value - pretty fair pricing.“

DandyWolfFloyd 3697 days ago

“Ambiance - beautiful place in a college town. I picture this is more of a visitor, professors, graduation party type of venue. Service - bartender was very friendly, made me feel comfortable, shared likewise pains and pleasures of the business. Selection - was nice, but not exceptional. Food - was expensive, but very good. Value - food was pricey, but the beers were close to the mark. Highly recommended for dinner.“

DandyWolfFloyd 3697 days ago

“Ambiance - Like a Hooter’s! T&A is why you come here. Service - Busy, but pleasant as can be. Selection - there are some nice choices, but nothing really rare. Food - was typical Irish faire pub food. Pretty tasty. Value - pretty favorable prices.“

DandyWolfFloyd 3697 days ago

“Ambiance - It’s on PSU’s main campus, so you get a mix of everyone from Bros, Babes, conference attendees. It’s a real mix-up. Bar isn’t sexy, but it’s got music and a sort of beer hall tables type of set-up. Really dug it. Service - sort of just basic, they were busy, so it was hard to really tell. There was a sort of hipster blasé feel, but can say for certain. Selection - caught them on a Founder’s KBS and tasting night. Lots of Belgian stuff, and other fun items. Solid for sure. Food - I didn’t notice any. Value - $20 for a tasting of 4 beers, kind of turned me off, but I guess it’s the only way of doing it at a busy college crowd, otherwise you’d have a lot of drunk maniacs. Prices otherwise were normal.“

DandyWolfFloyd 3697 days ago

“Worst service of a bottle shop I’ve ever been to. I walked in to the one room hole in the wall. The man behind the counter didn’t say one word to me despite my repeated attempts to talk and say hello. Very uncomfortable vibe and I couldn’t wait to just get my beer and leave“

Cstrass 3742 days ago

“Really cool place to eat - an old barn refurbed as a brewpub. Great open areas and high ceilings, nice decor, and the basement bar was just beautiful. Had lunch on a Monday, and they were doing a good business. Three of seven beers on menu weren’t available, but they have a few guest taps, too. Solid offerings, particularly the Tailgater. Food was really good, and their pretzels are the best German-style soft pretzels I’ve had since living in Germany ... they make the Hofbrauhaus (Pitt) pretzels look like microwaveable cardboard. Good service. Lunch and dinner items are on the steep side for a brewpub, so not an every-day place to hang out, but the food is good.“

Nate 3824 days ago

“Visited: 11-22-11 I came to The Deli after a bartender at Zenos had stated that this bar may have landed VooDoo Brewings Headless Horseman previously. The atmosphere of the place seems to cater for more of the upscale people that visit the area. I am not knocking Zenos but it is a dark basement bar where The Deli was much nicer to drink in. The service was above average as the bartenders were attentive. The selection of beers was great as they featured over 40 taps and another 50+ bottles to purchase, which were spread out throughout the US and had great variety of type of beers. The food IMO was weak, i ordered two different appetizers to munch on while watching MNF and one tasted like it was frozen and the other was still frozen in the middle...for 7 and 9 dollars, please pretend like they were fresh. The value of the place seemed a bit higher than its local haunts as the beers were either higher in price or same price but small drink glass portions. Overall, a decent place to watch TV and drink good beer.“

merc7186 3868 days ago

“Visited: 9-14-11 The place is across from the Penn State campus, located in the basement of a corner building. The place is dimly lit, packed with college kids and the bathrooms are a mess. Thankfully, I am not here to make out with college kids or the urinals. They have about 30 taps of a mixed bag of PA beers and national craft beer, and 3 casks of local. They also have a decent laundry list of bottles for sale from 12oz to bombers that are decently priced. The bartenders are attentive and decently knowledgeable in the beers they carry. The selection is decent as gthey carry a wide array of different beers and they bouncers proof everybody. I will come back for the beer and the freakery.“

merc7186 3868 days ago

“Visited: 9-14-11 This was the first time I had been to Ottos since they had moved from their older, smaller location. When I was there previously, it was low noise, few people, same selection and service. The current location has a very big bar area that seats about 35 people at the bar and has at least 15 tables/booths in the bar area and they are all full (good for them). The place is decently lit, the atmposhere is up tempo, 3 big TVs in the bar area and the place is hopping. They have 8 taps of their beer, 1 cask of theirs, 1 guest cider and 1 guest tap. The bartenders are plentiful and attentive and the prices are reasonable (2.50 for 10oz or 4.00 for pints). The bestt (and only) micro brewery in State College.“

merc7186 3868 days ago

“Sports bar up in Happy Valley....they should get points for the better-than-average college food for the area. Still, it’s just a massive sports bar with regular Coors/Bud/Miller type of selection. One of my favorite college spots. “

jdb288 3879 days ago

“Boy, this place has really changed for the better since my days in State College! The Z Bar has 50+ quality taps with lots of locals and a really nice bottle list. Judging by the signs around the bar they have a decent number of beer themed dinners. They have a large food menu but the quality is so so. It’s a college town though so you can’t expect much in the food department. Surprisingly good option, though!“

jmm635 3990 days ago

“Nice layout. A lot of breweriana from the owner's collection. The food was excellent. The brisket cheesesteak is really wonderful. The beers are really top notch. There were 12 of them on tap the night I was there. Growler fills are available and the gift shop has bombers for sale in addition to the normal t-shirts and brewery knickknacks. Worth a detour.“

allfreej 4086 days ago

“I spent $34 here and got escorted out before i had my first sip of the night. When I asked why I was kick out the only explanation I received was, " I don’t know management wanted you out". From what I can tell from yelp and Google review this is not the first time this has happened to someone.“

scott91 4093 days ago