Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub

Ok, heard about, saw it on TV, friends swear by it, read lots of Unilocal,time to go.
And we did with about 10 friends.
They’ve been here before, but for me and my wife, first timers.
When: Saturday Feb 6, 2016
Time: Noon
Why: group of friends convinced us to go (really wasn’t that hard) and I’m always looking for a good burger.
Here goes…
As said, arrived at noon, seated at 1:15
No reservations btw.
Downstairs basement kind of feel, but in a good way.
Newly updated we’re told but I have no idea being our first time.
Nice bar though.
So, being we’re a party of 10ish, you’d think they would accommodate our group by placing us at one large table, of which, I am to understand they have plenty.
Nope, squeezed us into 2 tables (separated) where fellow diners had to part their way through us to access the bathrooms.
Ok, I’m over it. Maybe.
Now for the food.
I had the «Pounder» w/​fries.
It was big, no question and it was good, not great but good, as were their fries.
Service was prompt, friendly and attentive right to the end.
My wife had the Kobe burger, she says it was great and would get it again.
Alert: No Substitutions, No Reservations, No choice of meat temperatures. You get what they give you.
Not faulting them as these rules are clearly stated so we knew ahead of time.
Bottom Line? — flavor good, service very good, selections plenty, portions huge, seating arrangement not good at all but we survived.
This is a fun place with fun food and great drinks.
We will go back but I hope they work on their seating-​large-​groups plan.
Update 7 days later
Gave another star.
Why? Denny wrote me and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. For that, which as we all know, is extremely rare.
Oh, and no, none of us tried a challenge.
Wanted to, perhaps next time.

I come here for the craft beer selection. I just ‘deal’ with the food. If you’re a craft beer enthusiast, this is probably your best bet. They even have Founders kbs when it’s in season (except they let single custom buy the entire case. Sigh)
Anyway, the food:
Burgers: just don’t. I can’t believe they’re known for these. They are consistently dry, overcooked, the meat is obviously overworked, and they do not season the burger. Additionally, you can make NO substitutes — not even if you have an allergy. That’s absurd. They have the ‘custom burger’ option, but it’s overpriced and doesn’t come with fries like the regular burgers do.
Steak: again, don’t. I ordered a steak, medium rare. I think the price was around 15 dollars. The waitress brought the steak out, and I was taken aback by its appearance alone. It looked like it had been pre chewed. The cut of the steak was not recognizable, and it was less than a quarter inch thick. I cut into it, and obviously it wasn’t cooked right. There was also no sear whatsoever. I sent it back immediately, and I asked the waitress to ask the kitchen if the steaks normally look like that. They said they do. So I said ‘alright, no big deal.’ thankfully, the waitress was gracious and polite. The other customers had apparently noticed that I sent back my steak. They were staring daggers at me the entire meal. Really? I’m not paying fifteen dollars for a steak that looked pre chewed and was improperly cooked. Never order a steak from here. Do yourself a favor and drive seven miles to curwensville, go to the Central hotel and order yourself a steak dinner. You get a giant steak cooked properly, a side, and a salad. Twenty bucks!
Wraps: this is my go-​to. I love the wraps. I recommend the wraps. The only thing wrong with the wraps is they tend to get soggy. You know how when you cook beef and there’s typically juice leftover in the pan? Well, it’s like they just dump the entire pan onto the wrap. Watery juice flow out of the wrap like a river. Come on, guys. At least add arrowroot powder, corn starch or flour if you can’t be bothered not to dump juices in there. And if it’s supposed to be a sauce, then make it a sauce, not some watery soggy mess.
I still come here. But I never recommend the food. I want to like this place. I really do.

Got as far as the «please wait to be seated» sign and waited 10 minutes. Then we left. Nobody was waiting in front of us. It took 5 minutes for a waitress to acknowledge that we were there.

Nice enough spot though décor is dated. Wait staff very friendly. Decent tap list for the middle of very rural PA. My biggest gripe is, for a place supposedly know for burgers, the burgers we had were very plain. Nothing memorable about the whole experience.

The wings were good. We got the dry rub ones and they had good flavor. The baked Philly cheesesteak was not special. It was okay, but the meat and extras were not really good. The boogey burger had a thick patty of sausage on it, that was fairly bland. I had expected more flavor and maybe a little spice, but nothing. Too much meat and not enough flavor. It needs a little more work. The beer selection was good.

I have been wanting to try Denny’s for a very long time. My family raves about it all the time and somewhat brags about being here on multiple occasions. They live somewhat close to here and it is easy for them to visit, so when I finally got my chance on one of my vacation stretches, I took it. Full disclosure here, I did not come here because Denny’s has been featured on so many shows.
We were fortunate enough to show up toward the end of lunchtime rush and had minimal wait for a table to accommodate us. There were ten of us, but that didn’t bother them one bit.
Once seated our drink orders were taken and we all settled on the menus. Their menu is, as you can guess, burger heavy. I have no need to complain about this, especially since I am a huge burger fan and an even bigger fan of hands on foods. It seriously took me a good ten minutes at least to field the selection and decide on the perfect burger for me. I went with the classic bacon cheeseburger with fries. The burger was meaty, choke full of flavor, and juicy all at once. The bacon was the type that melts in your mouth, hardly any chewing involved, but the flavor was amazing. Crisp lettuce and fresh tomato, all amazing. Served with some fresh cut fries and a pickle spear.
Oh, I almost forgot my appetizer. This was definitely the star to me. I decided on an order of their fried pickle chips. Thin chip slices, battered in house and then friend up to a golden brown. Served with a side of their house made ranch dressing. Each bite was a salty bliss of pickle flavor and when dipped that cool tang as well. I have dreams about these fried pickles, happy dreams… I want more.
Definitely worth the venture to this diamond in the rough establishment.
**Note: You can buy beer to go here, separate entrance for that.

Was in town for a funeral. Got in late. Stopped here, was originally worried by the exterior. Walked in, eyed the tap list (30 handles, ¾ craft and local), decided that I should stay. Glad I did. Burgers were nice — has the Pub Inferno and it was fairly spicy. Best option in town for a beer and a meal that I saw

My mom and I were looking for somewhere to eat, outside of the normal stops in DuBois, and ended up deciding on Denny’s Beer Barrel.
We’ve both been there several times before, and it’s always been a good experience. A lot of the time I end up trying one of the challenge burgers and failing miserably. Although we sat in the vicinity of the newly hung, never engraved hot burger challenge board (I can’t remember it’s name) I was able to talk myself into a normal menu item (The ground pounder) and we split a Guinness shrimp meal I mistook for an appetizer and talked her into (Score!). She ordered wings, something else and a pizza to go.
Victoria was our waitress, and an excellent one at that. Sometimes I’ll feel pressured from wait staff, like I’m not moving quickly enough with my order, or we’d been taking a table for too long. None of that from her. She was talkative and friendly, she answered a couple questions about the beer, and the menu, and seemed to be in a good mood.
There wasn’t a wait at the door either, which sometimes we’ve encountered. The combination overall made for a night with no complaints from anyone.

Was here last night and it was probably the best burger I had my entire life service was great too only complaint was it was my mom’s birthday she asked for no mayo and her burger came with mayo (she hates mayo) other than that everything was awesome!
I really loved my burger tho the Paterno burger! It was great!
Been driving by this place for 30 years it’s always packed which says a lot! Never went in before bc they serve alcohol which I don’t mind but my family does. glad I finally did!
Can’t believe this place only has 3 stars!

Stopped here on the way home. (Missouri to NEPA) always looking for different place to eat besides fast food chain places. Burgers were big and good. if you like greasy burgers. Atmosphere fun bar like. Service so so but nothing rude or neglect. Beer selection good. I had the house beer and hubby had a couple of craft brews.

Summary: Blah food. Terrible service. ‘Eclectic’ atmosphere. = We won’t make it a point to come back.
Context: Arrived before dinner, no wait to be seated. The restaurant was fairly full, but not overly busy. The atmosphere was loud, but it’s a pub, so that’s to be expected.
Pros: decent drink selection, cool choice of meats for meat-​eaters, food is not bad, has potential, I suppose.
Cons:
— Time to be waited on: 25 minutes (+ by waited on, I mean even acknowledged by wait staff. At all.) Another 5 minutes to be served drinks (4 waters + bottle of beer).
— As far as my own choice of burger goes I have to say this… Most burger places are actually fairly accommodating, believe it or not, for vegetarians. There is usually an option to switch out a meat patty for a vegetarian patty (sometimes at extra cost, which is fine, I suppose). After looking over the menu, + realizing they had one bland option for a veggie burger. They do have a Build Your Own. This is usually quite time consuming, so at most burger joints, I just stick with a menu burger and swap out the patty. I was planning to do so, but realized the note at the top of the menu that said «No changes, amendments, or substitutions on any sandwiches or burgers.» WHAT? You’re not allowed to change anything? I thought that was a little odd, but decided to ask our waitress anyway, since it was just a patty swap. She instead flipped the page in my menu and began to explain the Build Your Own option to me in a fervent and exasperated manner. Sorry, but just because I’m a vegetarian doesn’t mean I can’t read. Her manner was rude, rushed, and made me feel inadequate. (Let me say, I can understand if the staff is in a rush, but it was really not that busy at the time. They had time to sweep the floors…) Instead of trying to play chef for a simple sandwich, I opted for a side of fries and nothing else. At this point, I was irritated enough that I didn’t want to support this restaurant with much money. If we hadn’t spent so much time and effort already to get to this point, we probably would have already left. (keep in mind this was about 40 minutes in) (Note: I get that my choice isn’t super popular in the area, but there are people that cannot eat meat for medical reasons. I’m not asking for a golden treatment, but a little respect would be nice. And in my opinion, there’s not really a need to have a no-​sub rule. But if you’re going to have that, train your staff to handle questions about it in a respectful, helpful, and understanding manner.)
— The actual turn-​around time from ordering to food on the table was not long!
— We had multiple mistakes in our order (wrong burger brought to table, completely wrong sandwich sent to kitchen) with no apology + a big stink when we mentioned it.
— We had to ask for silverware when it was clearly needed. We had to ask for a glass for the bottle of beer. We had to ask for refills on water.
— We had to ask for the bill. Took over 10 minutes to take the check+card to «close out» while waitresses swept the floor next to our table.
— While we were waiting, we noticed another table that had the wrong order as well. Again met with confusion and no apology that I heard of.
Suggestions:
I feel as though this establishment would do well revamping their menu. I would suggest to have fewer burgers on the menu, but put more emphasis on flavor profiles in each burger. Quantity over quality. It would be easier for the wait staff, the kitchen, and the customer. Make some signature burgers!
Train that staff! Decent food with good service? I’ll be back. Decent food with bad service
(like our experience here)? See ya never.
Sorry, Denny’s, but you didn’t meet my standards.

Decent food, very good beer, fun knotty pine décor. Given the competition around here, I don’t get the negative reviews. We’re on a road trip and a place like this off the highway is a rare gem.

This location has a lot of positive things going for it.
First, it’s unique in Clearfield. Had it been established in a larger city, the other Gastropubs would have blown it out of the water.
Second, it’s large and can accommodate a lot of people.
Third, the selections on the menu have something for everyone. The menu may take a bit of time to read.
Things I would change:
1. The waitress did not have complete knowledge of the draft list, nor did she know what styles the beers were when asked. If you’re going to boast crafts, your servers need to be educated. It’s a competitive world out there now. Also, when a draft kicks, tell the servers via a white board or something. The back and forth was exhausting for everyone.
2. I wasn’t asked what temperature my burger should be. You’re a burger joint. This is really important.
3. The wings were absolutely swimming in sauce, and it was really sweet for a savory sauce.
4. Chips. When I was told the burger is served with chips, I automatically thought «pub chips», which are usually house made real potato chips with some awesome spice. These chips were like Snyder’s BBQ. This is one area that could really up the game.
5. Waitress training in general. We asked a waitress what dessert people went there for. She could have said anything. Anything, and I would have believed her. Instead, she said people don’t really come here for desserts. Yikes! 101: all of your products are amazing. Pick something.
I’m all for Gastropubs opening in the smaller towns, and I applaud these owners for what they have begun.

Big build up that didn’t deliver. Was in the area so I figured I’d stop here since it was on TV. That’s the problem there. TV shows need to make episodes so they build a place up to be more than it is. Got burgers and wings and both regular and sweet potato fries. The regular cheese burger was ok to below average. My nephew got a black and blue and couldn’t eat half it was so bad. The regular fires were ok, nothing special, but the sweet potato fries were inedible. The honey wings were ok.
It would all just be what you’d expect from a road side bar stop but the hype makes you expect more. I got it to go but people were waiting around to sit and eat inside. Feel bad for them.
If you expect just low standard bar food you won’t be disappointed but don’t expect a really good burger to remember.

DBBP is a great spot in Clearfield for all sorts of good food, especially burgers! We stop in here every couple of weeks for a burger and a beer. They have a good selection of craft beers and they are very reasonably priced. There burgers live up to all the hype. They have tons of different kinds. I try to get a new burger every time, and so far, they’ve all been amazing. The rest of their food has been great too from what I’ve seen and «borrowed» off of friends’ plates.
*WATER ALERT*
The only thing I’ve noticed that is a bit off is how they will not give you a glass of water, but instead try to charge you for it. When you ask for water, they tell you they only have bottled water and is that ok? My friend said no, he would not pay for water. He explained that they clearly have cups, ice, and running water, and again requested a glass of water. They waitress refused, so he went out to his car and brought in his own bottle. She then told him he could not bring the bottle in because it could be vodka. He explained to the waitress that he was going to have a drink of water one way or the other, even if he had to go to the bathroom and fill his own glass out of the faucet. She then agreed to get him a glass of water. The fact that we have to repeat this every time we return, just to get a glass of water, is a bit ridiculous, but it’s not enough to keep us away.

This place is best known for their huge burgers and their burger challenges. They’ve been featured on various television shows for their burgers. However, the reality is that they have a huge menu with mediocre food.
On a recent trip into town a friend and I stopped in for an early dinner. The menu is huge and there are no substations allowed. There are NO gluten free options allowed unless you want plain veggies. Really disappointing when there are ten pages of food choices but not one includes a gluten free option.
The beer on tap was pretty impressive. No gluten free beer in bottles or on tap. Local wines featured which is pretty cool but they are not that great. The merlot was actually very sour.
The service was decent after we were eventually seated.
Definitely a tourist trap!

This is Central Pennsylvanian food and fun at its best. The place is huge! We ordered a small wing appetizer that was amazing. The wings were meaty and the buffalo hot sauce was one of the tastiest I’ve had.
But I’ve been saving myself for the burgers which are legendary. I ordered the elk burger which was fantastic.
One thing fir all you picky eaters– the menu clearly says that they do not want you to make substitutions. It’s best to order off the menu. While they will make some customizations. They really prefer not to.

Went to Denny’s based on the recommendation of the front desk gal who very quickly prefaced it with it’s not your ordinary Denny’s rather it’s locally owned and has appeared on various food and travel shows. Besides it was the only place opened at this late hour.
We were very pleasantly surprised. Even though they had started cleaning we were warmly welcome to take a seat and order whatever we wanted. My colleague ordered steak. I had a rowdy reuben burger. It was great with a healthy portion. They also had a wide selection of other pub grub as well as some huge gastronomic belly busters
The beer list was equally awesome. I had a tasty pint of southwick draft. All in all a memorable experience.
Would definitely return next business trip.

Not gonna lie, I was pumped to come and try this place out, but as far as normal sized burgers go, they were just OK. I got the 8oz dill burger and it was way over cooked (they didn’t ask how I’d like it cooked, either.)
I ended up just having a few bites and eating the pickle chips instead. Overall, might be fun for burger challenges but I’d pass on a long ride (we came from RI) just for this.

Elk burger is excellent. The lady at the bar name Ding is awesome and very friendly.
Didn’t see anyone try the challenge burger. This place highly recommended if you in Clearfield or Dubois.