Overall not a bad first visit. We were seated immediately on a Thursday before graduation weekend so that was a plus. Very clean inside and loved the open layout with many table types. Our server Jonah was very attentive and even had others asking if we were good during our visit. Food overall was ok. The house made chips were great! Burger was tasty but needed something else (tomato/lettuce maybe?). The pretzel appetizer was huge and that was very tasty. Overall I'd def come back and try something else! read more

Federal Taphouse - Pretzel and a Sour - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

See all

Great spot for a quick bite. Need better signage, not easy to find. You enter through an elevator in Target

We had a nice time at the Taphouse. They were the first stop after our long drive to State College, Pennsylvania. We checked into our hotel and headed over for dinner. This place is nice because it's attached to the Hyatt. Have a large selection of beer on draft and the food is solid. We visited on a Thursday night and we seated right away. Their menu has a lot of options. I went for the habanero burger and upgraded from fries to a house salad. The burger was done to my liking and the salad was the perfect side. We got great service and the place was clean and a bit on the upscale side for a brewery restaurant. My only complaint where the prices were just a little high, especially for state college, where you can get similar fare thank you so much thank you at lower prices elsewhere. read more

Federal Taphouse - Habanero Burger House Salad - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

If I could give this place ZERO STARS I would!!! My family and I waited 2 HOURS for our food to come out. This restaurant's staff and manager need to learn some hospitality skills. They made it seem like it was our issue and our complaint was invalid that our food wasn't coming out. The manager was EXTREMELY rude and nasty. He should not be working with people or in the service industry. Just an absolute horrible experience and so much negativity in that place. Don't even go to this restaurant. There are WAYYY better places and nicer staffs in state college than this hot mess of a restaurant. read more

Great location, friendly and fast service. Food was good but very salty (and I love salt). Would come back but try other dishes. read more

See all

Nice lunch spot with lots of tvs and lots of great beverages! Came here on a week day with a larger group for lunch, and the menu really was great. Our server made great recommendations and had a good knowledge of both the food and drink menu. My salmon filet over the greek salad was a great move. I also asked for extra olives, something they were very happy to oblige. There was almost too many olives, but there's no such thing right? My cut of salmon was very tasty, very tender, and had a great crisp skin on the outside. The greens were tasty and crunchy, and the dressing was quite tangy and delicious. My dining companions all enjoyed their meals as well, and a number of people all got similar salads with similar reviews. Great spot! read more

Federal Taphouse - Greek Salad with Salmon - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Waitress was very polite and attentive. Big beer list with a lot of craft options. Fried chicken had some really nice crunch to it. Pretzel was bigger than expected and sauces had some tang to it. Fries weren't crispy and were almost soggy. read more

See all

I've visited Federal Taphouse four times now, and each time was a nice, no nonsense, chill time. Their beer list is extensive, well kept up with online to be able to preview before visiting, and allows for half pours to make a flight at very reasonable prices. There's tons of seating, a pretty unique menu of bar food choices and special entrees, and lots of TVs for sports watching. The portion sizes are generous, which is good because the prices are a touch high sometimes if you didn't know that you'd be getting lots of what you order. The service is quick and friendly, and there does seem to be a fairly regular group of customers stopping by. The employees sometimes seem to be a bit distracted, but I'm just glad everyone there seems to be getting along. I'd rather my waiters not feel like robots. I didn't have to wait long for food or service, and all of it was extremely fresh. There are plenty of reasons to keep coming back. read more

See all

The first time I came, I ordered a burger and it was burnt to a crisp. I gave the benefit of the doubt knowing it was really busy. I came again on a much slower day and grabbed a seat at the bar. I asked the bartender for the dirty fries and then she asks me back what kind of fries I want. The dirty fries. I start eating and decide on ordering wings, again ask the bartender to put in an order of hot wings. Then asks me what kind of sauce I want. I didn't understand the question so she starts listing off all the sauces. I repeat, I want the hot wings, to which she responds, "the hot sauce?". Is that not what hot wings are?? I get some to go boxes and I'm waiting for my check. When she comes back, I ask for the check. Which she asks me if I paid for my to-go food already...they're my leftovers! Considering I was one of three people at the bar, it was not a good look. I tried to tip the man that brought out my food and asked her to grab him and she refused. Saying we tip out the staff anyway. I get the service industry but I got better service from them and wanted to tip directly. 0-2. I would recommend a champs or Buffalo Wild Wings before coming back here. read more

Beautiful place, spectacular staff, gorgeous views, scrumptious food, all around class-act establishment. Chefs kiss!!

In the past, I very much enjoyed coming to this restaurant they are known for their pizza and beverages. It's not huge, but they have a lot of seats a nice size bar and it's just next to the Hyatt typically their food is good and a great place to go for a snack, a drink or a meal but today was not the same after going to a few other restaurants that were very satisfactory. We picked this place because our guests were staying at the Hyatt and some of my older relatives. May have wanted to stop there. It just would've made it easier but when we were trying to get a table, the hostess was very sorry. The host was very rude saying that the 14th of us couldn't have a table. OK then when we said that we wouldn't have to all be at the same table. They still said no and then when we said we could just sit at the bar he said no to that as well, so we took our business elsewhere. I will say, though the one thing that makes it slightly better is that the bartender was friendly and I think he felt bad for us as no one else in there was in the restaurant no one it just baffles me that there's 14 of us. No one else is at the restaurant. Why can't we eat there? Shame on you federal taphouse I will really have to think about if I would ever come back to this establishment. If you're in state College, you have been warned that if you come to this restaurant, you may be quickly turned away. Do not get your hopes up. The sad part is this used to be a good restaurant. I hope it hasn't turned bad, but it isn't looking good. read more

The manager needs to take an anger management class or just some damn Xanax when you are the front of house your expected to at least listen to ur paying patron, even if you don't agree heck I gotta do that at my job. but what I experienced last night was completely uncalled for our food took more than two hours to come out and for parents weekend we expected a wait of course! but not that long our waitress said the kitchen bumped our ticket I get mistakes happen but half our table had to still drive back home (which is 3 hours away) afterward speaking with the waitress our food still was taking a bit so we decided to have it be boxed for Togo and just pay our bill before even reviving anything I went up to the host stand to speak with someone just to explain the situation and the manager was so rude I wasn't even asking for anything to be comped mind you we already paid and tipped our server i was just informing them of the situation so it hopefully won't happen again... the hostesses are so sweet and deserve to work for kinder people that respect them! To that awful man thanks for my cold chicken sandwich and making me feel belittled read more

Federal Taphouse - proof we were sat at 7pm and as you can see in the corner of the phone it's 9:10 and still didn't receive our food - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Wow... what a disaster. As someone who's worked in the restaurant industry for over 8 years, this place needs a refresher BAD. Most of the FOH are young students, so I really don't have much blame for them, but they're definitely undertrained to handle the level of volume that comes in on major nights like parents' weekend. Only encountered one professional manager, and she was behind the bar most of the night. Would've loved to see her out on the floor instead of the man in green who was working... Unbelievably disrespectful behavior towards a younger girl I saw, and she left sobbing. He was treating parties coming in or asking questions as the biggest annoyance, throwing his hands around and speaking in a disrespectful tone. Food was eh. Really don't see the value in coming back here or giving this place money after seeing the type of people they put in powerful positions. If you're not level-headed and can't work under pressure, work in the finance department. You should not be in the service industry. Also, shout out to the bartender with a beard and glasses, didn't get his name, but what a great worker would love to see someone like him take over that man's place. He was the only reason our night was even moderately enjoyable. read more

After checking on why we did not receive our food after 2 hours of sitting at our table, the manager threw his arms in the air and walked away. He said various rude comments that I will not put in this post. Very confused with the manager's inability to regulate his emotions in appropriate ways. He should not be working in the service industry or with other human beings. read more

Went as a group with some friends, and our service was slow, inattentive, and then when we were ready for checks we received one single check because the server had not split the checks when putting in our orders and put them in as one check/order. Both the manager and the server blamed us for the mistake for not telling the server ahead of time we wanted separate checks, then made us figure it out ourselves. After 20 minutes, we gave up and just paid cash, with some people covering for others in the group who didn't have enough cash to pay for their meal. The food here is decent and there's a good variety on tap, but it's not worth the bad service, so we won't be coming back. read more

Adjacent to the Hyatt, this restaurant seems to have all it needs to be a strong player in a college town. A large seating area with various seating options and overall comfortable atmosphere. I found service was very attentive by Donnell who offered suggestions on adult beverages. My chicken and spinach pizza was just great and the espresso cheese cake was also right on target. Price is not unreasonable for quality or quantity. I plan on stopping in again soon, and in fact I did. One evening I had the Sausage and Shrimp Pasta dish and on another night a Hawaiian Pizza. Food quality was again very very good and I remain impressed that aspect of this restaurant. Now service was also good, albeit not as attentive as my first night but still good and in their defense the restaurant was much more crowed with seats taken in the front bar area all the way back to the glass window wall. Considering how many other local restaurants I had near me, to have dinner three of five nights here says a great deal, so I would highly recommend if you are staying at the Hyatt or just in town-pay them a visit. read more

I really enjoy this spot! It's a cool location up on the 2nd floor of the building that has the Target and Hyatt Hotel. The restaurant has nice seating options with a view of downtown, a good bar area, and a comfortable atmosphere. I've had the burger and the shrimp tacos. I really enjoyed the ingredients in the tacos. They use fine Mexican sauces and cheeses. The pretzel and wings are some of the best apps I've had too. Service here is nothing to write home about, but it's pretty good. 4 stars. read more

The Federal Taphouse is one of those sanitized establishments of the modern era for ambiance, marked by the location above the Target in State College, and part of the Hyatt Place downtown. It has the industrial loft appearance, and is a bit noisy, but not overwhelmingly so. The service was good, and attentive, but not aggressively so. The food was good. It was a mix of interesting concoctions, such as the pierogis that I had - which my Ukrainian grandmother would have disapproved of - and the rosemary fries that my spouse had which were amazing and highly recommend them. read more

Federal Taphouse - Mushroom/sauerkraut pierogies. - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

The place is very well kept and has a great vibe. Everyone who works here is also very attentive and polite, and the person who brought our food brought us an extra side of fries after they accidentally spilled my husband's on the table - very sweet of them. The food was phenomenal, and the chips and fries were great too (which some places seem to struggle with these days, for some reason). Needless to say, I was a big fan. read more

Federal Taphouse - Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

I was in town for just one night. I went with the $38 strip steak. I ordered it rare, it was not rare. I'd call it medium well. It had no pink. That's a shame because it's a decent piece of meat, 12oz. I was with people, the place was packed, I'm not one to send food back anyway so made do. On the bright side, bottles of wine and well priced. I'm usually in State College once or twice a year. I'll probably explore a different option next time I'm in town. read more

food: +/~. I've had the barbecue burger and chicken sandwich. They have a wide variety of pub foods and classic American fare that is good for most people, no great vegan options that can put a limit on wanting to go there with vegetarians. ambiance: +/~. Its entrance is less than desirable, it shares a complicated and worn down entrance to a Target. Inside the decor is interesting, but the TVs are very distracting from enjoying the meal and conversation. Service: +/~. The servers have been nice and taken photos for our groups. Sometimes seem like they are pushing for tips. Food has taken really long to get out when we've had large groups (even when we called ahead) such that some people leave before it comes out. Bike parking FYI: there are some bolted metal bike loops outside of the front door, not covered and minor space to squeeze in parking lot. 5 = I can't wait to keep coming back over and over, superb restaurant (emphasis on the food) 4 = I love going here, and dine here often. 3 = I will go back if a friend suggests 2 = It will take convincing, but I'd give it another try if a friend was insistent 1 = I will not go back. read more

I'll get to the point. It's loud and crowded. It's overpriced. The service is slow and poor. We almost never saw our waiter and soda refills never came unless we explicitly asked. When we did ask she took our glass away and got a refill. So for a while we just had no drink just waiting for the refill, but also I don't know why she would do a refill and risk contaminating the drink/equipment instead of just bringing a new coke. They have a no modifications policy. Our friend wanted to add basil to her pizza and was told no because they want to be "efficient." Or at least that's what the signs say - "to maximize efficiency, no substitutions. Ever" I was scared with a dairy allergy, but they had vegan options. My black bean quinoa burger fell apart when I looked at it and it was kind of inedible. It was weirdly spicy. No other flavor of note. They said it was vegan but the bun looked like brioche (so not vegan). Also they only offered me chips. The chips were SO SALTY. Like impossibly salty. $140 for a mediocre dinner for four. I read more

Shocking how far this place has fallen since its opening when it was originally open till 2am, then stayed open till at least mid-night, now only open till 10pm. So much for us late night travelers. Very sad. read more

Great, almost overwhelming, selection of beers on tap. A large menue with solidly okay options. We have had times that the wait for our food was incredibly long, but the staff is always very attentive and does their best to accommodate all guests. read more

Always a solid option for bar food and drinks. The pizza, burgers and beer are always a great option. The Spinach & Artichoke Dip is fantastic! Great service, good ambiance, and a fun option for Friday or Saturday night in a town that closes at 9 pm. Parking is conveniently located across the street. Reasonable prices. read more

Federal Taphouse - people sitting at tables and watching tvs - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

See all

I was staying in town for work and this was close to the hotel. So I tried it out, twice. The first night, I got a pizza since that seemed to be the majority of the menu and probably their best item. I had the NY Strip Steak Pizza. It was ok. A little sweet for a steak pizza. The second night I tried the Crab Mac & Cheese which was lacking in crab. Both were over priced. I'm not sure if it's the times that are driving the prices up or the location (being in a well off University area). $17 for Mac and cheese that had barely any crab in it is outrageous. Especially for college students which is obviously the clientele in the area. Not sure I'd go back here in the future. read more

See all

Great restaurant with a good beer selection. Large menu and good size portions and food was quite tasty. It was adjacent to the Hyatt, so environment was clean and bright, but a little more commercial than some of the small restaurants in town. read more

Food service and ambiance were excellent. Really enjoyable meal, with a great view to accompany it!

Today's special. Braised beef tacos. These NEED TO be on the normal menu. The beef was tender and I loved the pickled onions. read more

Federal Taphouse - The special Braised beef tacos were to die for. You NEED THIS on the menu. - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Used to love this place so had to stop by during my visit at PSU. Was initially disappointed to see that they removed the Duck Pizza from the menu (used to be my favorite item!). Sadly, that wasn't the only disappointing part of my visit. Crab Mac & Cheese: Creamy but bland - there was strong Old Bay flavoring. Bison Burgers (sub Aioli Fries and Crab Fries): Ordered the burgers medium rare and medium however they came out medium and medium well done. - Aioli Fries: Aioli, which tasted sour (like vinegar) came as dipping sauce. - Crab Fries: Best item ordered. Similar flavoring to the Crab Mac & Cheese but the saltiness from the fries helped the sauce. Fish & Chips (sub Crab Fries): Only two small pieces of fish! Fish Tacos: Couldn't even taste the fish, which was dry. The only flavor came from the Cajun slaw. Although the slaw was pretty good, would prefer to eat it as an accent in the taco. IPA Buffalo Chicken: Drowning in oil. Bleu cheese was the only flavor. Margherita Pizza: Soggy. read more

See all

I've been here a few times and both experiences were good experiences. Parking garage across the street makes parking fairly easy. The drink selections are humongous and the food menu has a wide variety of options. We started with hummus plate and swapped out chips for pita..yum! The taphouse burger n fries was excellent. The service was impeccable. Thank You read more

Tasty Mushroom and Sourkraut Pierogies kielbasa, whole grain mustard crème, fraiche, caramelized onion $13 , fast friendly service for take out. What says comfort food on a rainy day, Pierogi does your welcome! kielbasa will hold you over till dinner. read more

See all

No food, just good service & ambiance. If you're on I80 & need a beer but feel you are in the middle of nowhere. Take the exit to State College. That's Nittany Lion Country, not sure if you've heard of Penn State. (I am from Spartan land.) Around the campus, they have a good taphouse, The Federal Taphouse, an impressive-looking place. It's accessible. The folks there are friendly & courteous. We were there on a windy cold spring day. It's spacious on the 2nd floor, nice looking bar. They have a good amount of beer. We were visiting my sister-in-law who is a Penn State grad. A go-to taphouse when you are in State College. read more

See all

DONT COME HERE TO EAT! We are two asian students went there for dinner. The guy at the front desk is so racist. He talked extremely rude. And kept pushing us off, asked us to wait one 40min and another and another. I clearly saw people waiting outside after us already came inside and got served. I went to check how much time we should keep waiting and he said he already told me just keep waiting or we can choose not to eat here... extremely rude and mean with a super impolite and condescending facial expression. read more

this brisket mac and cheese was a limited edition dish for restaurant week. it was $24 that is so much money!! i ate it pretty fast i mean it was good and creamy but it wasn't the best mac i've ever had. it tasted bland after a while. wouldn't get again unless it was at least 5$ cheaper read more

Federal Taphouse - brisket mac and cheese - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Cool looking restaurant in downtown Happy Valley. Got a cheeseburger here and it was pretty meh. Was lacking juiciness and flavor. Tasted very bland. The fries were alright too. I wouldnt say this place is good or bad. Very average read more

Came in with a large group last week for a work dinner (group was about 10 people). I was a little hesitant to go after reading some reviews, but we had a lovely time! Our server was very helpful and efficient, and did a great job refilling drinks, clearing used plates, and generally checking up on us. Our party tried a number of different beers and drinks, and the server did an excellent job keeping track of all the orders and promptly letting us know if a beer was unavailable. The beer I tried was fresh and hoppy, and the glasses were clean. As for the food, our party ordered several appetizers and pizzas to start, and they were all delicious. The Green Mountain pizza with kale, apples, bacon and maple drizzle was phenomenal. The flavors complemented each other wonderfully and the textures of the crunchy kale, crisp apple slices, and gooey cheese made for a perfect bite each time. The sausage pierogis, spinach and artichoke dip, and hummus were all also fan favorites. For an entree, I had the tap house burger. What a combination! Sharp cheddar with crispy potato pancakes and dijon apple chutney created complex and bold flavors atop a perfectly cooked, meaty burger. I swapped out the pretzel bun for a regular bun, and I'm glad I did because the burger was already quite salty from all of the toppings already-- so I'd keep that in mind as you're ordering. All in all, very good food and service, I would definitely go back during the week. As a final note, I should add that our group called ahead, ate at 6:45, and was there on a Thursday night. I can't speak to the weekend/ game day service, but I would definitely keep this place in mind for a mid-week or off season dinner! read more

So, so, so many beers. Maybe 100 or more on tap plus more in cans. Awesome! It's a great and semi hidden location above the Target, but the space is great, the selections are generous and the layout of the bar and the rest is fun. We had 6 of us in our party and after a heavy day of tailgating I needed a solid salad and I got to try a beer I've never had. Upon leaving my wife forgot her purse and we had to go back, our server had already given it to the manager much to our relief, thanks team! read more

Late dinner (around 8:30pm) with family after the PSU-UCLA game and everything was excellent. Great atmosphere and greatness service from our server Isabella. Will definitely eat here again! read more

Federal Taphouse - Venice, Italy - Pizza Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

The tall manager with gray/black hair and beard is rude/ disrespectful, unsavory, and threatens to call the police when you don't move fast enough to his liking. He conducted the interview with me and was nothing but gruff and disrespectful throughout the entire interview process. He never read my resume and kept questioning whether or not I had a degree despite me telling him several times. He was completely rude with every reply that I gave to his questions, He ended it abruptly and refused to give me my materials that I had come in with ( a copy of a resume) when he already had one from indeed. When I asked for it back he refused and said I could simply print off another. I'm not sure why he kept it, probably to harass other businesses that I've worked at and presently work at. He Continued to insult me as I was leaving In an effort to most likely further instigate things, and so I simply said that he was a joke in retaliation. Which is a fact, having him there as a manager is a complete joke in disservice to all those that work at this restaurant and all future patrons. I've talked with friends and they have had similar encounters with him when they came to dine. They described him in appearance and it is most certainly him. The tall manager with a salt and pepper, hair and beard. After speaking with my friend, she described a similar situation where he was rude and disrespectful with her guest and herself. After reading reviews, I have no doubt that he is the same manager that is rude with people and stares at them in silence when they have questions He should not be working at Federal tophouse because it is clear he disrespects people and threatens to call the police on them when people do not tolerate his disrespect. He has issues with is temper and anger, and I really hope the right people see these reviews and get rid of them. I would definitely like an apology from those above him, as this person should not be in charge of anyone and should certainly not be conducting interviews with people that actually want to bring proper leadership in a sense of family to all those that work at Federal Taphouse. read more