This was a recommended stop on our annual trip to Hershey. Typically, we would have lunch at…read moreanother brewery in the area, but we were up for something different. There are two of these in the area, we weren't quite sure which one to hit, so we opted for the one closer to our hotel in Hershey. We arrived just as they were opening at 11:00 am for lunch.
We walked in and were immediately greeted by the bartender and the server. They were the only two working up front, but it was fine; our entire time there, only one other table came in (this was on a Friday). The inside was nice, and we were seated by a fire. The only gripe I have is that the chairs seemed to be the wrong size/height for the tables. But other than that, the place looked good.
My wife ordered a beer flight with an assortment of sours and a wheat. I went for the Annville IPA Bold Cask. It was a really, really good beer. Smooth, fully-bodied, and with a good amount of hops. Plus, it's 9.8%, so if you ask me, that's a great way to start off a lunch! The beer flight was decent, but more my wife's thing.
Now onto the food. There were a lot of great choices, and we were starving, so of course, everything looked good. We always order for our six-year-old first so they can eat while we relax. We ordered him the hot dog and tots. For our apps, we ordered the Tator Tot Nachos: house cheese sauce, fresh pico, scallions, jalapenos, cilantro lime sour cream, and chicken. And also the smoked wings with hot sauce.
I'm always a fan of tator tots, maybe it's because I never had them as a kid, or they really are that good. But these were perfect on a cold day in central PA when you're hungry. The right amount of salt on the tots, crispy exterior and creamy inside, plus the toppings (I love fresh jalapeño). The wings were okay, but this was to be expected. They're smoked, and as much as I love smoked food, you never get the skin crispy (especially on wings). They had a slight smoke flavor and a good sauce, but I'm a "well done" wing guy, so these I would pass on next time.
By the time we were going to order lunch, my wife realized she was already full, and we still had a decent amount of food left. So she just picked at the appetizers. I was getting there myself, but I wanted to try a burger. I ordered the Pub Burger: 8 oz, Cooper Sharp, red pepper-bacon jam, dill pickle aioli, lettuce, brioche, and fries (because who can resist more fried potatoes). It came out perfectly medium rare as I ordered and seasoned well. I was apprehensive about the red pepper-bacon jam; I'm not a fan of sweet, but in this case, it worked. It was a great burger (although I only ate a quarter of it).
The service was good, and she was very personable and polite. But one thing that was strange. She was on the phone almost the entire time we were there with whom she said was the owner (or maybe a manager). We heard her discussing the reservations and large parties coming in. This was a long call, and while I know there wasn't a lot going on in the restaurant, we felt at times we needed something, and she was busy talking. I'm not blaming her; if it were the owner or manager, they should certainly know better and keep it short. But when she was there, she was great.
All in all, a great recommendation from a friend that we are happy we stopped to try. We will be back again, maybe sooner than our annual trip to Hershey!