General Lafayette Inn & Brewery
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
Phone: (610) 941-0600
- Price:
- $$
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 10am-2am
Editorial Review for General Lafayette Inn & Brewery – by Michael Alarcon
In Short
Once called Barren Hill, the site originally hosted a tavern as early as 1732. Nowadays, the Inn has a brewery in its cellar--probably not for the first time n history--where brewmaster Chris Leonard concocts mighty, award-winning beers in English, Belgian and German veins. Once prohibitively expensive, the menu is now twofold: American favorites at the bar, and comfort food inspired by the tavern fare of Colonial America.
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Insider Tips
The ExtrasThe tavern's name comes from a famous French mercenary, who staged a cunning retreat in 1778 after the British caught wind of his position there.
User Reviews for General Lafayette Inn & Brewery
06/29/2008 Posted by pjj16
The food and beer are okay but the service at this establishment is one of the worst I've experienced. First, you walk in and are met with an abandoned hostess stand. Good luck finding anyone to steer you to a seat. You're completely on your own. Once you do find a seat and clean it off (avoid the choking smoke of the bar), expect to do a few laps to find someone to serve you. Bartenders, when you can find one, are aloof and uninformed. This place might as well be self-serve.
Pros: Decent beer, some of the food choices are palatable
Cons: Service is nothing short of abysmmal, choking smoke, filth
08/21/2006 Posted by frankieboy
I really like the Lafayette, and I have seen a number of its incarnations, from expensive restaurant in the eighties to present restaurant/brewpub. The ambiance is unmatched, from the old building itself, to the private numbered mugs hanging in the rafters. Parking is fine & there is a bed & breakfast in back. The staff is generally friendly & I know a few of them by name. Now, all that having been stated, there have been changes in the last few years which I would prefer to see changed, primarily with regard to the menu. One of the charms is the unusual food & presentation.The more exotic dishes have gone & the appetizers have lost some of their touches.The "jalapeno fries used to come served with several full, batterless, fried jalapenos, but now they come with just a few jalapeno slices. The mandarin orange, fried calamari was unbelievable, but now its cornmeal encrusted & unremarkable. As of August 2006, the food [while still very good & unique] has lost some of its specialness. Sometimes during the day the barwhile very clean and extraordinarily well keptcan get a little gamey with beer saturation. These days, DO NOT sit in the dining room. It is nice It is kind of romantic but it is EXPENSIVE. You can get the same menu for a lesser tab at the bar. Do NOT expect to get yourself a bottled beer The only beer is homebrew. You can buy growlers for take-out beer. Hard liquor [including top-shelf] is not the cheapest. Single rocks drinks tend to be the most expensive & the glasses arent big. It gets busy in the bar area on weekends. Ive encountered all ages here & have even brought our kids in from time to time. The usual demographic on a weekend night is late 20's to early 40's, men women pretty much equally mixed & usually coupled. If youve never been to the Lafayette Inn, I would recommend it more then just about any other restaurant. I consider it one of my favorite places.
Pros: When I lived out-of-town for a while, I would often pine for going to the General Lafayette for lunch, dinner or drinks. Best Wings and Burgers Around.
Cons: Food presentation has gone down [but you probably wouldn't know it, if you have never been there before]
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