Expectations drive a review, traditionally. Therefore my expectations were blown away positively on a recent Saturday lunch. Seated immediately in a very large restaurant, deceivingly so, and had a server quickly. The special soup that day was sausage and white bean and it was fantastic and piping hot. My spinach salad was fresh and fantastic. In fact everything was great. I'll be back. read more

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Fantastic dinner with my wife for our 22 year anniversary. Fast and friendly service. We did go in May when Spring session was over so it was easy to get in. Very generous portions for the scallops no pork shank. I will be back read more

The Tavern - Scallops - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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Our meals were yummy! Great atmosphere and Hunter did a great job taking care of us!

I like the history and location. Not much to expect from a restaurant but was quite okay for a small town destination. Mom celebrated birthday here. read more

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Went with a group of five on a Thursday night and quickly got a table. We shared the crab dip for an app. That was very good as was the bread. I had the bolognese which was also very good. Other members of our group had the salmon, chicken and tuna salad which we were a bit underwhelming especially for the price. Our server was very friendly, funny and nice which we enjoyed but I think for the upscale vibe the service could've been elevated a little like having servers box leftover meals up. All and all a good meal but I wouldn't have to go back. read more

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Came during game wknd. Got a table in bar area just in time. Our waiter/bartender gave us excellent service. He made sure all the food was cooked to our asking and kept checking on us. We had the hummus, scallops as starters and for our main meals, we had the sea bass and prime rib and both were cooked perfectly. For dessert we had the dubai torte. read more

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My wife and I were there for dinner. I had the shrimp and grits, she had the pork shank oso bucco. Both were excellent. The bar makes an excellent margarita. Also the service from Andy was excellent. He was friendly and had quick service. read more

Love the menu options and drinks ! Hard to get into but well worth it! Reasonable amd service staff is great! Would highly recommended to all family and friends! My waitress was so nice shout out to kiyley was super sweet!! read more

I paid this time-honored restaurant a visit, and it was well worth the trip. I was greeted warmly and seated quickly. Ambiance is very much from another time with prints and physical items from long ago in the history of the school (and even farther back in time to the area) paint a picture all to itself. All my food items were Tavern speciality dishes and did not disappoint. The surf and turn egg rolls were interesting, unique and chock full of flavor. My Pasta Bolognese was also full of flavor on over pasta (mostly elbows, a few rotini were thrown in and if I had one issue, I'd go all rotini). I finished my meal with their cheese cake which has a distinctive flavor, different than most standards cheese cakes and that was excellent. Lauren C. was outstanding as my wait person and represents the best of this establishment. This is "really nice" dining experience (not inexpensive) in a college town, but when in town you should take advantage of it. read more

The Tavern - Interior and windows that look out at College Avenue. - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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Very nice restaurant in the hardest State college. Food is quite good although slightly pricey. Weight staff is excellent.

The food at the Tavern was very good however the service was extremely poor. To start we never received our bread that every other table seamed to receive. Then, one of our party members did not receive their sides and we had to ask multiple people about them.... For a total of two hours that we were there we never once had our waters refilled and were empty and thirsty by the end of our meal. To make matters even worse the 20% tip was included in our bill and tax was then added to the bill AND tip. read more

Finally had a chance to stop by after the Tavern underwent a major remodel during Covid. We made reservations online for an early New Year's Eve dinner at 5pm. We headed down around 4:45 to see a few other couples waiting outside. They take opening at 5pm on the dot seriously. There were a few elderly people waiting in front of us and luckily it wasn't too cold out. They had asked to go in and just sit early in a waiting area but were told "We're not open, we cant let anyone in." I'd hate to think of them having to wait outside if it was any colder as when we did go in I didn't see a seating/waiting area inside. The remodel was worth the wait inside! Very sleek and modern while still maintaining that classic colonial feel we loved about the original. We were seated promptly at 5pm and our waiter Timothy was awesome. They had a special menu for New Years Eve which my husband and I both ordered and came with a complimentary Waygu pate appetizer for the evening. I've never had pate before but it was delicious! Lobster bisque was the soup that night and had large chunks of lobster meat in it. The special was a filet with lobster claw on top over au gratin potatoes and roasted broccolini. For dessert we chose the lemon cake which was light and refreshing after such a rich meal. Timothy checked in often but wasn't over bearing making sure we were happy with everything. Hoping we can keep coming back each New Years to enjoy the Tavern. The remodel was worth the wait and the staff were all very courteous and welcoming, aside from the one rude host who refused to let the older guests in early to sit. As long as you're on time and not a minute early, you should be fine. read more

I have no idea how The Tavern only has three stars. I have come here twice now for dinner. The second time was tonight to celebrate my son's 19th birthday. The service was wonderful and everyone loved their entrees, especially me. I had the scallops that came over purple potatoes and they were seared perfectly. My hubby loved his steak and my son the bday boy had the miso salmon which he loved and the strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Cannot wait to come back to visit and go here again. It's pretty pricey but worth the splurge. I also love the ambiance. read more

I'm not sure how The Tavern gets such mediocre ratings. The food was wonderful. The service was amazing and I like the look and feel there, too. Prices were reasonable for what you got and the vibe was good. Not sure what else I could ask for in a restaurant. I'd definitely return. read more

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Service - The host greeted us promptly. Not sure what was up with the other reviewer today, but the host was great. She promptly had us seated and had staff ready. We were led through the labyrinthian maze to our table and promptly seated. Service by Timothy was great and he was always just the right amount of attentive and cordial. The rest of the staff followed up with great support and brought cohesion to the entire experience. I did need to ask for horseradish for my prime rib, and Timothy correctly observed I had no steak knife for it. The ambiance was of an upscale tavern dining room. The last I ate at the Tavern years ago was near abysmal, and this post-renovation Tavern was modern/elegant, yet stuck to the roots of the establishment of an old tavern. Very well done and balanced. The food was good. We were provided some dinner rolls and butter shortly before the mains arrived. I had the prime rib and my spouse had the Tavern Chicken. Both were great dishes. My prime rib wasn't the most tender cut, but it was earlier in the day maybe not quite fully "slow and low" cooked. Very flavorful however. The mashed potatoes and green beans were both very well done and made great sides. Overall a much better experience of the last time and definitely will consider again. No reservations - for a football game weekend it is first-come, first-serve so plan accordingly. read more

The Tavern - Prime rib with mashed potatoes and green beans. - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Had a great time chatting with the bartender and the wait staff. They were very nice and hospitable. It's a perfect place for a nice dinner and top shelf drinks. read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I made reservations here for my boyfriend and his family for his graduation under the assumption that it would be a quality meal with good service. The reviews were wonderful and the photos of the food looked great. Unfortunately, the service was mediocre and the food was even worse. The prices hardly reflected the quality of food you will receive here. The lamp chops were dry and the salad lettuce was warm and limp. The salmon tasted like walmart, farm- raised slop that I could've made better in an air fryer. The worst part of the night was that the $60 filets gave half of our dinner party horrible food poisoning that resulted in a disastrous and ruined night that should've consisted of continued celebration. Due to the size of our party, we had to pay an automatic gratuity on a $400 meal that almost led to a hospital visit. Please rethink your dinner options before entering this dressed up dump. read more

Probably as close to "fine dining" as you can get in State College. Lovely table on a football weekend for a friends engagement celebration. Our waiter was awesome - very friendly and funny. We started with the chicken corn soup and it was out of this world delicious. Perfect after being out in the cold! I got the greek chicken and it was HUGE. 3 large chicken thighs - who could possibly eat all of that. The orzo had no flavor so it was a bit disappointing. my husband got the fried chicken dish and it was amazing. Spicy sauce below with fresh cheese and arugula on top. I would definitely order that next visit. The drinks here were mediocre - my french 75 was served in a water glass (weird?) and it was more like a spritzer than a true F75. Later on in the weekend we stopped by upstairs in their new area overlooking college ave & the campus. It was cold so they had the fires on. We wanted drinks only so we went to the bar but the bartender didn't acknowledge us so we went outside and sat at the firepits. A waitress came over and gave us menus and then came back and basically scolded us because those seats are for dining - not drinks only. She said we could go to the bar and get drinks and bring back to the firepit. Very weird and really rude.. read more

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Amazing meal ! And in a beautiful front window of the house ! Real family time to visit our Nittany Lion for her Birthday! We had the Seafood Pasta, which was rich, decadent sauce , plenty of seafood and the steak, medium that was char broiled but still red and juicy on the inside. (Meaning it was cooked right in a high heat oven ) . We will definitely be back here through the years! read more

报吃 每个菜品都非常报吃 服务鸡奔上木又（五） 也布来给天饮料 打煲給women盒子让women自己打服务员布榜芒 环境非常不错，这点没得说！ 价格挺贵的，两个人吃了二百多刀 prime rib50一份，真贵，但是报吃 read more

Classic! I have been coming here for 40 years. They recently upgraded the place and it looks amazing! Upstairs there is a great bar and seating outside, a fire pit is out side to keep you warm on a cool evening. The fine dinning food is very good and the service was also very good! read more

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I went here yesterday with my family and something were great other things were lesser than We first try to come in for drinks and maybe an appetizer we were told we could not sit at a table unless we were getting dinner. This took us by surprise cause we were like what waiter went on the tables that were empty on the balcony to be used by people even if they weren't getting a meal they would still get a tip for drinks and possibly an appetizer. Instead, we went to the Adams apple bar, which is downstairs and found success for drinks there which saved the day for the tavern or else. This would be a lower rating. The bar keeps. They are very good and the aroma was very desirable so if you were looking for a place to take a family with people under 21 to possibly get a snack and beverages Tavern, a great place to try read more

Been in twice; both times I had good food and drinks. The service was friendly, the drinks were strong, and the food came out fast. The osso bucco was tender, and the mashed potatoes were smooth, creamy, and flavorful. This is a very rich dish, and while it was good, I was left wishing it came with broccolini, sprouts, or some other pop of color/ acid/ texture. The Tavern Chicken was good, but similarly left something to be desired. Bread maybe? Or other carbs? The flavors are there, and the preserved lemon is a wonderful addition, but the dish felt somewhat incomplete. Also, keep in mind that the Tavern Chicken is a smaller entree. Both the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned were delicious, as was the tiramisu for dessert. Overall, the Tavern is a good place to go for special occasions, even though the dinners are slightly overpriced. read more

The Tavern - Tavern chicken - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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We have been Eating at the Tavern for probably 17 years with work along with trips to State College. We have Never Been disappointed even though there are some Negative reviews. The Food is always done to our liking, the place is always spotless including the Bathrooms which are some of the Cleanest I've ever been in. The last time in our Server Melissa was very attentive and polite. The Prime Rib was Perfect, out of a 16oz Cut 15 was Meat, not 8 ounces of Chunky Fat like most places Post Covid. For Dessert we the Chocolate Tort which was amazing!! First Class every Time!!!!!!! read more

The Tavern - Prime Rib Dinner at the Tavern - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

The restaurant itself is beautiful and the ambiance welcoming. The staff were nice enough and the drinks were fine, however the service and food were less than stellar. It took nearly an hour for the entree portion of our meal to come out after the appetizer and I had to request a bread basket from the waitress as she failed to deliver one to our table. From there, the food was just plain bland. The sauces lacked depth and were, in my opinion, grossly under seasoned. Burger was over cooked by miles. Considering the price point of this restaurant I was expecting a lot more than they delivered. I will not be returning. read more

I got the pretzel pub burger, it was pretty good ngl. I really liked the new sauce, the "Goûter au Meurtre", tasted like a mix of horseradish and ketchup. The service was nice and quick, and they had some bangers playing as ambiance. read more

The Tavern - Menu - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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A beautiful ambiance with lots of interior and exterior seating. The food options are excellent. We ordered the scallops, filet mignon and chicken Caesar salad and all were excellent. The staff was very attentive and friendly. The Tavern is a State College Classic. read more

Food is good the view is fantastic. It is on the pricey side. A hamburger with NO SIDES was like 25.00 Carrot Cake not so good. As a matter of fact if you love carrot cake. Do Not get it. read more

By far the best restaurant, I've been to in this town. The atmosphere inside is classy and gives a great vibe of sophistication. The place was busy and I can see why. Staff was fantastic. Got pork OSSO it was amazing. I'm definitely coming back. There was a lot of locals there. I believe there's two separate entrances. One entrances for the restaurant, and another entrance for the tavern part of this business. read more

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This was my second time eating at The Tavern, and my first time since they remodeled. The general impression the first time I at there was that the food was fine, but over priced, and the restaurant was due for renovations. They have since renovated and there is a nice ambiance to the place, but the food is not worth the price they are charging. This time I sat at the bar for dinner and the staff was generally polite and professional, although there attention to detail needs some work. The American Pub Burger ($22) with bacon (+$3) and cheese (+$2) really wasn't worth the $27 total - even accounting for inflation it does seem to be a bit of a premium price compared to other places in State College that charge under $20 for a comparable burger. More concerningly is that while I asked for French fries (+$3) my receipt does not reflect that I ended up with the house made chips. On one hand, I was spared the upcharge, on the other hand, I've never been a fan of house made chips and these did not convert me (I thought they were bad fries, so maybe the worse of both worlds?) At least the burger was properly cooked whereas you can tell that the carrot cake recently came out of the freezer (and was dry). Bottom line, the local consensus of The Tavern being a "nice restaurant" that you go to for the service, ambiance, and location, but not the food continues to be accurate. read more

Pros: Food was good, although a bit on overpriced side for State College. I got the Peruvian Chicken. $30. It did come with 2 large pieces of chicken thighs, and it tasted great. We also got a Cesar salad and pasta with bolognese sauce. Both were very good. Service was great. The waitress always came over to make sure we had what we needed. CON: They had these smaller rooms, and we were sat in one of them. A large table of 7 were sat next to us later. They were the typical Americans whom we fear when we travel abroad. They talked so loudly, it's as if we were invisible. They also talked in the phone with speaker on. The ceiling was very low, so their sound echoed, making them sound even louder. (They were so loud that maybe sound absorbing ceiling wouldnt help?) We rushed through our lunch, so we could get out of there. Although it wasn't the restaurant's fault, the risk of not enjoying your food due to other abnoxious diners was high, bc of these smaller dining rooms. read more

We had dinner on Sunday evening. M's salad with lobster was incredible... she asked for the superfood salad and to add lobster (from their lobster Cobb). The citrus vinaigrette went beautifully it all. I had the Peruvian chicken. It too was delicious. Crispy skin with 3 delicious chicken thighs. The combination of black beans and Spanish rice went very well with it. The green sauce (think a somewhat bland Chimichurri) was the only part of the meal that could have been improved upon. The ambiance is nice- not a typical tavern. And Kylie did an excellent job. We will definitely return. read more

Visiting my favorite places from when I was a student here. My sister and brother-in-law and me went to The Tavern for dinner tonight, and we all had a great meal, great service (thank you Nathan!), and a really good time! I don't get the bad reviews that I see on Yelp. Yes, it's a little pricey but so is every nice restaurant in any area you live in. We had the vegan salad, spinach salad, salmon, burger and all were great! Highly recommend going to The Tavern :)) Will definitely go back when I return for the Art Festival! read more

We were in town visiting and were told that this was a great spot to catch dinner. The tavern is very charming with a beautiful atmosphere to dine in. We started off with the Mezza board full of delicious vegetables, olives, pita bread and two dips (beet hummus and baba ghanoush) The board was great and beautiful to look at with all of the colors. The beet hummus is good but missing something to make it great. I also felt that they could increase the quantity of vegetables on the board. I ultimately decided on the power salad for my meal. I added chicken for extra protein and it was grilled perfectly. It was a great meal after a long day of walking. The lemon agave dressing was awesome and I love that it was tossed lightly throughout my salad, not drenched. I don't drink but they do offer a nice variety of wines on the back of the menu. read more

The Tavern - Bars Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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If you are a Penn Sate alumnus visiting for a football game, do not go to this restaurant, as it will make you very sad and somewhat angry. Our suggestion is to go have a few good drinks at the expanded Adam's Apple bar area, soak in the memorabilia and ambiance and then go get dinner at any of other other reputable restaurants within a 2-3 block walk. The Good: The renovation was largely great. The new and expanded bar area is kinda awesome in that they successfully expanded the space, added a beautiful new bar yet retained the old "bones" and local ambiance of the original Tavern. The dining room has also been nicely upgraded, except for a very weird row of booths that (a) do not fit with the rest of the place and (b) look like they would fit better in the dining room of the Indianapolis Sheraton (see photo). The BAR WAS GREAT, the bartenders were awesome and it felt good to be there. The Bad: Well, everything else. First, if you review the menu on their website you will quickly see that much has changed, most of the long-time favorites are gone, etc. But, show up on a game weekend and you will get a menu that is not even that size - it's limited just 4 appetizers, 4 mains, a few steaks, 4 side items, etc. This is a place where you look a the menu and have a hard time finding anything that you really want. The food was not good. It was more like what you'd see on the menu at a local Mom-and-Pop restaurant in 1992 that was trying to be trendy, not a serious restaurant. Lots of frozen foods, fried foods, etc. No fresh fish (too perishable, I guess?), etc. Easy to mass-prepare, commissary food. The food is overpriced. My 8oz. filet mignon was fine but no better than what I could source at a local supermarket. It was served with frozen french fries (the kind with that crunchy coating that you can buy in a bag at the supermarket) and green beans, which were definitely fresh but incredibly oily and salty. The price for this meal was $42. Seriously. Our server was mostly competent, but amateurish. Our sever referred to "chorizo" as "choruzu," twice (I asked again because I thought I heard her incorrectly). She also asked us every 2-3 minutes if we were ready to place an order, beginning 2-3 minutes after we sat down. Felt like they really were trying to turn tables as fast as possible, which is not good in the absolute (at these prices) and worse, give the dining room never seemed more that 1/2 full. What was worse is that I remember how "on it" the prior staff consistently was - smart, friendly, well-trained, etc. Overall, dinner at The Tavern was he saddest part of our trip. The old Tavern never had the finest cuisine, but was priced fairly and made up for the rest in the experience (and unlimited sides). It was what it was and exuded honesty and a fun time. The new Tavern manages the perfect storm of being a subpar restaurant that knows it and has no problem taking advantage of a somewhat captive audience who is in town for a football game. read more

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Way too price for paper napkin style ambience.,, but seriously I have three Boulud restaurants in my building and THEIR food is amazing and less expensive by far. You're in nowhere Pennsylvania?? read more

Last time we ate at The Tavern was lunch, outside, and the building was pretty decrepit. Dinner tonight was in a beautifully remodelled restaurant. Everything was excellent, including the food and wine list, reception, and service. There is little more to ask, except a reduction in the crowds, which haunt even the worst of the town's restaurants. Dinner was a very enjoyable experience. read more

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SO GOOD! place has seriously upped their game over the past few years. the lobster cobb salad was like something i never had before. Huge salad, we were able to split it between 4 people and still had some left over. huge portion of lobster on the salad! the burger was delicious. Not all meals were pictured but nobody was disappointed. finally, the desserts were amazing. all of the staff were super friendly and professional. read more

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Our favorite restaurant in State College. In tonight for wife's birthday. Beet salad with Ahi Tuna was great till the last bite. My Thyme Trout was delicious. Great drinks made for a great meal. read more

This is my first time coming here despite having been in State College for a couple years now. They remodeled the place and the design is really nice. It's a modern American design with some old, classy touches. I was here with a large party and the service was nothing special. The girl was sweet but our water wasn't poured until we'd been sitting there for 20 minutes. I decided to order the bolognese pasta which came with three different types of meat, Wagyu, veal, and pork incorporated into the sauce. They claimed the pasta was "imported" but it appeared to be Barilla corkscrew pasta, which was not appealing to me. The sauce was heavy on the cream which was a surprise as classic bolognese isn't usually this pink. The texture was a bit unappealing and square; I didn't end up finishing the dish. Everyone else's food looked good and was presented nicely. I decided to try their baklava croissant for dessert and it was delicious. The pastry was flaky although it wasn't filled with the pistachio. The pistachio was dropped on top in between the two pieces along with a huge dollop of definitely homemade whipped cream. The dessert was definitely the highlight of the meal. I'm glad I tried this place. I walked around it for so long and finally know what it's all about. It's a nice atmosphere and the food is decent, but maybe not for the price. read more