We had one of our favorite meals of the year at The Kitchen at Brown Dog Catering to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday! When you first walk in, the atmosphere is just perfect and you just want to walk around and look at all of the beautiful and interesting artwork (and the pastry case!). The menu items for July/August are so enticing that it's almost impossible to pick but we ended up getting the tomato tart (one of our favorite bites of the night), the zucchini fritters and caprese gnocchi soup to start. For our main course we selected the lemon ricotta pasta, the chimichurri steak tips and the sea bass skewers (you don't see sea bass on menus often and this one shouldn't be missed- it's incredible) . We were all so happy with all of our delicious meals (I even took bread to get every bite on my sea bass entree). We were shocked when we saw our check- surely they had missed an item or two- it was such a low price. What a bargain. I'm not a great photographer but enjoy some pictures from our evening. Bravo Chef Kristin Rigby DeBoer and William C DeBoer read more

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Brown Dog catered my son's wedding rehearsal dinner. People raved about the food and the beautiful presentation. Brown Dog was on time, ended with pristine clean up, and Erica was the consummate professional. Highly recommend for any event! read more

I loved this experience. The food was great. I love that it's local. Nice Valentines splurge without having to drive somewhere! My husband and I enjoyed it! read more

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Last update: The owner's response encouraged me to give it another shot. I've since returned TWICE and have still not eaten. Once, during the week. I was one of two patrons and there was a business meeting happening in the corner. Staff walked back and forth but I was not greeted and I'd sat for over 5 minutes without being attended to. One of the people in the business meeting kindly suggested I sit somewhere else since I had books that he assumed I wanted to read in their establishment. I kindly left. No one had come to my table to greet me, ask what I'd like to drink, or take my order. The second time was on Sunday morning with many other patrons. I seated myself and although staff was walking around tending to multiple tables, two staff members walked past my table and I was never greeted. After several minutes of being CLEARLY SEEN but not acknowledged, I began to watch the clock for how long it would take someone to acknowledge my presence. After about 4 minutes of sitting, patrons at another table got the attention of staff to take my order. At that point, I chose to leave instead of pay money to get poor service. I will not return. I wish nothing but the best things for this establishment but the customer service is severely lacking. Simply greeting customers upon arrival should be standard--as it is in all other parts of the country. I don't want to make this about race, but I was the only person of color in each instance of interaction at this establishment. All other patrons seemed to be attended to and happy. Update: The owner's response makes me feel like I should give this place another try! And I will. Original review: The ambiance is incredible! The hostess at the door could be a little friendlier. I was seated immediately and handed a menu from the cash register. After observing the menu (which looks amazing), and considering how I felt about my interaction with the hostess, I decided to leave before ordering. I don't want to spend my money where I don't feel welcomed and where I feel customer service is lacking. I can cook my own food or go somewhere else with a better experience. I would probably give it another try if someone invited me to go. The decor and the menu look amazing. read more

The food is outstanding abd not your run of the mill menu. Sunday Brunch is outstanding as well

service was wonderful. The food was fantastic. We had a breakfast sandwich and stuffed grilled cheese sandwich. As you walk in the baked goods looked delicious. We also had a chocolate muffin stuffed with a cream cheese frosting. delicious. We were traveling but I would come back just to have their food read more

Stopped by there this evening to enjoy some ethnic Polish food. The place looks amazing and the staff is warm and friendly. The food was exceptional. Portions were plenty for dinner and possibly some to take home. The entrees were well seasoned and quite tasty. Each came with a salad, which was crisp and chilled, and bread that was fantastic. This is the best place in the county for a nice sit down dinner. Don't forget to bring your own favorite bottle of wine. It is BYOB. read more

Thank you to Bill the owner and his crew. A job well done. My sister and I held a memorial for our Mom in her backyard. The food arrived promptly and the set up was done efficiently. And the food was excellent. Bill made us an excellent artichoke dip, chimichurri chicken skewers, mozzarella, tomato, basil skewers, flank steak with feta toast points, and smoked salmon with capers, egg, and onions. Everything was top shelf. Excellent service to boot. read more

Terrible customer service, I walked in for a mocha and muffin and the waitress looked at me and said she would be right with me so I sat and waited. She comes out right as another customer comes in, she looks right at me and goes and helps him first! she knew I had been there waiting for several minutes. will never go back read more

I read that one of the most important things when choosing a caterer is how nice they are, and how easy they are to work with. Bill at Brown Dog was THE BEST!!! In fact, he was SO nice that I worried that his food wouldn't be as good as his kindness. No need to worry! His food was GREAT!!!! I booked him to cater my son's wedding, and he was wonderful from start to finish - and that's WITH all the craziness of the Coronavirus lock downs. His staff was professional and super friendly. They were the epitome of people going the extra mile. He grilled beef tenderloin steaks right there at the venue. They had a "to die for" mushroom sauce that I drenched my mashed potatoes in. The chicken pieces were massive and delicious. Would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone. read more

We had Bill and his team cater our wedding cocktail hour(s) and reception at C Barton McCann in October of 2017. We selected him because of recommendations by the previous McCann coordinator as well as his willingness to go outside the box. My husband and I both love food and we love almost all cuisines so it was difficult for us to pick any old caterer that had very structured options. We had a phone meeting with Bill and then met him in person (about a year out) to discuss ideas and price estimates. Bill does not do tastings or contracts (unless the customer wants one). The contract we got is very basic but we wanted to know we had a caterer so we did the contract. We agreed on a heavy appetizer type reception with multiple stations that represented a few of our favorite places and their respective dishes. In all of our discussions we were assured that there would be tons of food and we even discussed how leftovers would be taken care of since we wanted to donate them. Unfortunately, the day of did disappoint when it came to the quantity of food served. The food that I did try was fabulous and I have no doubt that Bill is a talented chef but I think our stations were not a good match with Bill's style and his team's expertise. We had empty, unstaffed stations after we were assured by Bill's main helper that they were ready to serve right after the dances. I was embarrassed when I heard the DJ announce to everyone to get up and get food and the two stations behind me had no one there and no food on them. My husband and I were given plates so we didn't experience the stations but I feared the whole night that there wasn't enough to eat. The soup ran out before I got my plate. The pierogis were gone with a whole line of people waiting for them. Bill's helper was also very rude to my mom when she asked how they ran out of pierogis already and she said that 'You guys eat a lot.' I have never experienced a caterer running out of food quite like this. Again, it was embarrassing and I never want to skimp on food for my family and friends who all traveled many hours to be at our wedding. Bill was also providing the water for our guests and that was also empty way before the evening concluded. We paid for and provided little wooden bowls for a pad Thai dish to be served in. We had discussed serving options multiple times with Bill and on the day of, the bowls were not used so that was a waste of money on our end. The cake cutting was also extremely unorganized. We didn't have plates or utensils for the bride or groom. At the end of the evening our leftover cake was left out in the kitchen. We had asked all the cake to be cut and placed in cake bags for our guests to take home (i provided the bags since this was something Bill had not heard of before). This was not done and we ended up tossing a sheet cake worth the next day. I guess I assumed this was something the caterers always took care of but be sure to discuss all these logistics and get it in writing. I guess I just expected more from Bill and his team and it is a shame because like I said the food was very good and he made us a special dish which we really appreciated. I'd recommend a Bill for any foodie out there with a smaller and maybe more conventional style event. Just be sure to provide lots of detail and discuss quantities so you know what they are providing and to be sure there is enough for everyone to eat. read more

This review is a long time coming. It also happens to be a very long review. We used Brown Dog Catering for our wedding back in November 2013. We didn't want to waste any time, and set our wedding date for only 99 days after our engagement. While most caterers we contacted were available, only one didn't comment about the short time frame - Bill, at Brown Dog Catering. My now-husband and I drove to State College to meet him and he immediately understood our vision of having a rustic-elegant menu to match our Fall wedding. He made wonderful suggestions and within 30 minutes we had what we felt was a perfect menu. The per-person price that he quoted us was extremely reasonable. Even more impressive - HE STUCK TO IT! At the time, Bill was really just getting started, so there were a lot of items he didn't have in stock. That didn't stop him from giving us everything we wanted. For example, he ordered the color napkins we wanted and charged us a reduced rate for the rental since we were essentially helping him to build his inventory. We felt that was more than fair - he easily could have charged us the full price. Bill was amazing to work with. He understood that we were busy and that the best way to communicate was via email or facebook, and he totally respected that. He also was ever-so-patient with my mother, who was losing her mind in those 99 days and contacted him more than I'm willing to admit. On the day of the wedding we hit a major bump when the company I rented plates, glasses, and flatwear from neglected to deliver the flatware and wasn't answering Brown Dog's phone calls. I got a call from one of Bill's employees letting me know; she said that they were prepared to have premium disposable (you know...that stuff that looks real until you lift it up) flatware there for me. When I voiced that I wasn't thrilled at the thought of it she told me not to worry about it, that she would take care of it. Within the hour she had found another company who had flatware available (this was about 2 hours before the wedding). This employee left my venue, drove out to where this woman was, and picked up the new flatware. As the bride I never once had to worry about it. It was amazing. Now the most important part - the food. Let's just say that over a year later, my guests still compliment me on it. It was absolutely delicious. I really couldn't have asked for anything more from Bill and his staff. We were so impressed with their professionalism, grace under pressure, integrity, attention to detail....the list goes on and on. I live several hours away but have friends in the area and have recommended him to everyone I know. If we ever need a caterer in the State College area again, we will be using them again. read more

I have been meaning to write this review for 6 months. Bill did an incredible job for our wedding on 10/17/15. It was a freezing day in October (it even snowed!) and Bill managed to make sure the food was hot and knocked the menu items out of the park! He knew what our vision was and executed it perfectly! For appetizers, the mini grilled cheese bites with the tomato soup in a shot glass was a hit! We did a family style meal with a variety of sides along with pulled pork that was incredible! We even had corn bread muffins for the tables as well. We wanted to embrace using local food from PA. The menu was so great for our barn wedding. The presentation was beautiful! Bill was an absolute joy to work with and I would highly recommend him for any event! He was professional and super responsive! Thank YOU Bill! read more

My friend's wedding was catered by this place and it was amazing! Buffet food can sometimes be mediocre but this was on point and I am hard to please. Another friend of mine had her baby shower catered by Brown Dog and it was equally amazing. Highly recommend! PS I have been a banquet manager for almost 10 years in a busy downtown state college hotel. read more

Wow! Bill and his staff did an outstanding job for a rehersal dinner on October 19, 2018. The dinner was so delicious that everyone gave rave reviews. We had crab stuffed sole, stuffed pork loin, roasted red potatoes, brussel sprouts with bacon and olive oil and salad. The meal was served hot and fresh on beautiful trays. I do not live nearby and based my booking on reviews. I was so grateful for the perfect dinner that I needed to pass this information on to anyone else looking for a wonderful meal. read more

Brown Dog Catering did such an incredible job catering my father's 80th birthday party. Both the food and the service was excellent! We can't wait to hire them again! read more

I booked Brown Dog largely on the basis of the two previous reviews (and a few others on other sites), and boy, am I glad I did. Bill is everything the other reviewers say -- responsive, easy to work with, and my goodness, that man knows what he's doing in the kitchen. He took on our memorial-service reception for a Saturday afternoon in June, even after he was already booked with two weddings. The food was absolutely delicious (and I've planned a lot of catered events over the years) -- people were talking about it all afternoon. The server that helped us was talented, friendly and hardworking, and made the day so much easier for all of us. I would recommend Brown Dog to anyone, anytime. read more

We used Brown Dog catering for an outdoor wedding reception with 150 guest and a brunch the following morning for 100 guests from a recommendation of a Chamber of Commerce employee. We were very please with the food preparation and presentation. The prices are fair, staff is polite, and Bill is willing to work with you with special food requests. (gluten-free, vegetarian) I suggest you be specific with what you want. Example: there was no coffee at the wedding reception with the dessert table. Not sure if it was our overlook or theirs. Also, gratuity was not automatically added to the invoice.We will use Brown Dog again. read more