good bar to hang out at and a spacious place. my friend had a great time here on her 21st!read more

I LOVE their drinkssss!! Great atmosphere as well! Lots of places to sit, and they have food!read more

This review is for take-out as I was TAPPED out after freshman orientation and the heat. Let's…read morestart with why it is 5 stars when I'm going to make some critical comments....the reason? The burger was that good. Because I want to end on a positive, let me start with negatives: the fries were okay. Normally these are a side dish not worth mentioning but this restaurant makes them a star with a fry menu. ( I humbling suggest they try frying in beef tallow to make it a whole other fry experience). The other critical comment is my French onion soup (on take out) was really cold and we weren't late nor (but for the fries) anything else cold. To give you reference, I microwaved for 1 minute and was still cold and did another 1:30. But it was delicious. Now, why 5 stars? The burgers. My son and I both got the Lancaster burger with horseradish mayo on the side and substituting wagyu. It was heaven. It was perfection. We still think and talk about that burger and any food that makes you miss is worth 5 stars!

5 Star. 10/10…read more Highly Recommend. Best burgers in State College. Add in the experience with the Table Fries (everything fries taste like a Middleswarth Chip) the food here is top notch. One of our favorite stops in State College to meet up with family. Service is quick, the staff and waitress were helpful on suggestions and keep it real with you regarding what they like/don't like. The setting with the fireplace and views of the golf course and lake are beautiful. Love this spot. If you are heading to State College, give it a go!

We stopped by on our way to a tour of PSU. I had a salad and my daughter had a Cesar salad both…read morewere good. My wife and son also enjoyed their lunch. Our waitress was new and very nice. She was a lot of fun. So a cool place the whole vibe is very nice. If you are in the state college area check it out

I just finished a football camp with my son at Penn State University or State College. We were both…read morecrazy hungry so we decided to give this place a try. The staff are very friendly and attentive. Our server Christen was very helpful with navigating the beer and food menu. We order the Louisiana Dry Rub Wings, very good. Jr got the Rodeo smash burger and I went with their signature burger. Both come with chips but you can upgrade to fries. The atmosphere here is chill, very laid back and the entire place had a farmhouse fee

Try the Pit Boss Platter and sit on the outside patio to enjoy a great culinary and people watching…read moreexperience. Bree provided us with awesome service and was constantly checking on us. We were super disappointed that they were out of bacon collards and would love to have tried them, but the coleslaw was good. Pet friendly and they offer a pup menu!

We've been to Pickles many times while in State College, but this time we came for barbecue and…read moretrivia which is on Wednesday nights. We loved The Pitt Boss Platter which had a 1/4 brisket, pulled pork, and pulled chicken. Pickles and honey buttered cornbread accompanied the dish. Sides were inexpensive and delicious. I loved the green chili corn pudding, and their mac and cheese was creamy and delicious too. We wound up sharing the plate which we realized was not quite enough for two. We probably should have ordered another side. Service was efficient. Will say, though, the trivia was competitive especially as we were playing against PSU professors. However, it was still a good time. Our only critique was that it took slightly over two hours to play all 7 rounds. It was also difficult to hear and understand the MC in a somewhat loud environment.

Stopped in for the second time in my life while nearby at a conference. Last time I gave them four…read morestars because the bartender was vacant. This time, the bartender was sooooo much better than that previous experience. Extremely pleasant and attentive. Got the Cajun Chicken Cheesesteak which was delicious. Fries were good, especially dipped in their new Camp Raystown wing sauce which I ordered on the side. If in the area, this will be a must visit again.

Have now visited twice and tonight was a lot less crowded then my first visit and a bit more…read morememorable. Our waitress was great, gave suggestions and kept checking in. We ordered calamari, wings and pizza... it was all cooked well and tasty. The calamari was a huge portion! Wings were cooked well and flavorful. Pizza was good, thick crust and lots of cheese. Sports bar atmosphere with tvs and some games for kids. Definitely a place to visit when in the area.

One of my favorite cocktail bars in State College! They can get crowded, and in the summer, they…read moreslide the windows open so the other side of the bar on the street side is open to the outside. They used to have a huge drink menu but still offer plenty of unique options. I got the Pornstar Martini made with vanilla vodka. It came with a chaser of Prosecco. My husband asked the bartender for a suggestion, so he made him a vodka gimlet. We loved them both! I enjoy the vibes and decor at Central Reservation. It's not a student handout although it is connected to Local Whiskey (same owners). There are cool photos on the walls (lots of pop culture references) and the bar stools have painted celebrities on the back. We've not eaten anything here, but they do have a menu. Cheers!

We had a great afternoon at Central Reservation. We were able to sit at the bar with all the garage…read moredoors open, and it was so much fun people watching! We just had drinks and appetizers but the bartenders were friendly and helpful throughout our time. The hummus and veggies were perfect and we loved the decor of the restaurant...especially the backs of the bar chairs...gotta love Miss Piggy!

A trip back in time...looking for a cold beer and appetizer but did not want a long wait, stumbled…read moreupon the Arena. Gave it a try and we walked in like a scene from a movie, the handful of locals at the bar gave us a once over. Found our way to a table, fella came from behind the bar and took it appetizer and drinks order. Cheese fries of sorts were very yummy. The Arena is connected to a bowling alley and does have a stage of sorts, looks like either live music or karaoke might take place. TVs are available to watch sporting events but the TVs might be 10+ year old, not the highest resolution by any means. Looking for a beer and opportunity to do some people watching be sure to visit the Arena.

Just went to The Arena Bar and Grill (attached to the bowling alley in State College). WOW! This…read moreplace is seriously underrated. The food was incredible. Our table got cheesy garlic bread, a hot honey pepperoni pizza, and a sweet bourbon BBQ and bacon pulled chicken sandwich and fries and all the food was to die for. Everything was so fresh. Possibly my new favorite restaurant in town. We spoke with the manager that says they do karaoke nights, poker nights, paint nights, murder mystery dinners, etc there all the time. Not to mention the darts, pool tables, and bowling. If you have never been here or haven't been here lately, I highly recommend it.

A classic American lunch special that made me feel guilty for paying so little for such a good…read moremeal. Preface: This is only about the burger lunch special. I don't drink alcohol so I can't speak to their bar or other food. 5/5 Food: where to start with the burger- its thick patty has a great crisp outside and medium inside and is graced by nicely cooked bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and a proper amount of sauce. The fries are classic, semi mush-semi crisp fries with coarse grained salt. The meal with a delicious burger that outdoes any other I've had in state college, even those that cost close to $20. Walking out the door, the meal (fries, burger, drink) cost 8.05, and I was happy to leave a larger than 20% tip to make it $10 even. I challenge you to find a better burger in state college, regardless of price. Honestly, my MBA-trained senses obsessed over what their business model might be and I'm hoping that it was providing enough for the owners and staff. 3.5/5 Service: Friendly. It was really busy when we were there and it was a tad slow, but we also had a group that came in at different times. 4/5 Ambiance: nice-ish college bar inside, clean bathrooms. Only complaint is that the booth table was too tall for the chairs, I felt like I would have been better suited to kneel to eat my burger than sit (I had one friend who did kneel to meet the height of the table) Tl;DR Excellent burger; confusingly great value.

Second time here and I'm more practical with expectations. The sandwiches are as expected…read more I had fried chicken sandwich. For $3.50 you can get a million broken fries ( no fork) and for us the ketchups were all empty. It was funny watching other patrons track down ketchup. Seating is Lord of the Rings style, but you know that going in. Solid and expectations met, as 9 pm approaches, groups start coming as a changeover to a bar happens.