I had a challenge before me : Find a comfortable, mid-range, great food place for NYE late dinner after an early hockey game...in between Reading PA and Exton. Impossible, I sighed. That was, until I consulted my dear Yelp community, who pointed me to Beaver Creek Tavern. Yelpers FTW people. This place was perfect.
We called ahead and made a reservation because NYE is popular. We did our best to gauge the approximate arrival time given that games can go long. As it turned out, the game ended about a half hour earlier than anticipated, so we headed to Beaver Creek, figuring we could probably just have drinks at the bar while waiting for our table.
This is an old inn, and They have a parking lot which was decently lit. My only feedback there would be to perhaps invest in some of those parking stops/blocks for the spots along the drop-off, I was a bit nervous Lion would pull in too far and we'd take a header over the embankment. He thought I was amusing. I still think blocks would be nice.
The grounds are meticulously maintained, with the pavers being in perfect condition, no dips or gaps or growing things. There are two outdoor dining areas, one on their covered porch and one in a rear area. Both were clean and well put away, given that it was December and cold, no need for outdoor space.
The interior as a whole was clean and kept in style with the old inn/building that it is, with modern amenities. I like that, it feels true to the historical nature of the place. There are two distinct rooms - the bar with tables, TV, signs, and tile flooring, and then the adjacent dining room, connected by a doorway. It's carpeted (this is important), with curtains, art, chair rails, etc. It's, classier, without being overdone.
We arrive a full half hour before our reservation, and once we found the host (that's a little tricky, there are two entrances and no clear host stand) we were told sure, no problem, here's a two seater - and then we spot OUR TABLE with a little 'reserved for ....." sign with our name on it, just waiting for us. LOVE IT. We would not have had to wait for our table at our appointed time because they had cleared it at least a half hour before. This is old-style, usually restaurants just try to time front-of-house-dining and bet that your table will be ready roughly when you had reserved it.
What we noticed was that in this very full, cozier dining room, with a few 6-8 groups, with everyone talking and laughing and enjoying, it was quite pleasant. Lion and I were able to converse ourselves in perfectly normal tones, not straining to hear ourselves or the waiter. Further, we barely heard the full and joyously noisy bar in the next room. That, my friends, is excellent acoustic management, and that thick carpet is a big player.
We both could not resist the bison burger, and we both loved it. Juicy, good flavor, nicely done. Fries were great, as was our homemade soft pretzel appetizer. Dessert was lovely, a warm brownie with ice cream and a good amount of whipped cream decorations.
Service was spot on, even for a very busy night everything was managed well, prepared well and served with a flair. The best part is that it's not terribly far from Lion's place in Exton so you bet your sweet bison burgers we will be back. If they execute that well on a super busy night, you can expect they'll be just as good on any day. read more