Racist bar. I've been here multiple times with friends who are Caucasian and it's at this bar where I've felt uncomfortable by the staff's service at me, specifically. Way to be All-American because a racist attitude is totally what being All-American means. Happy MLK day.
They do have a nice pool table but the staff seems to think it's okay to take the pool triangle away despite the fact that you've placed quarters on the table. Oh and this was at least 40 min before closing so what's up with that?
The skeller is a classic State College/Penn State establishment. Â My buddies and I frequent trivia night on Thursdays and it's always a good time. Â They also have great food specials like wing night,burger madness, and jambalaya days. Â They sell $2 Budweiser bottles all day everyday which is probably the best deal in town.
Review Source:This is simply a great dive bar in a great college town. Â I love State College, I love visiting Penn State, and I love when I can hit the Rathskeller. Â Beers are cheap, mixed drinks are cheap, but as someone else said- don't expect top shelf stuff. Â You never really know what the crowd is going to be like when you get here, but at some point it WILL be filled with the younger crowd...all having a blast.
Seriously, this is a great bar-and anyone visiting Penn State needs to wait in line for a few minutes or get here early, because it's a good time!
Definitely one of the cooler bars in State College. Pretty much everything I wanted in a post-game venue. Lots of taps and a friendly crowd with good service. Enjoyed the small patio. I can't vouch for the food, as I didn't try it, but thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. This place clearly has a lot of stories to go along with its age and charm.
Review Source:I had a head's up on this place thanks to a fellow Yelper, who said you could drink/eat in the Rathskellar while enjoying the food prepared for the more up-scale Spats upstairs. Â On a busy Saturday night in July, we Walked into Spats after reading good Cajun food reviews, but there were a lot of kids, crowded, and boring. Â Went downstairs, made it through an annual pub crawl crowd, to the nostalgic/atmospheric bar. Â Michael, an 8 year veteran bartender, made us feel like regulars. Â I asked if I could order from the "upstairs menu" rather than the bar menu. Â He happily obliged and gave us the menu, cautioning that the prices upstairs were higher. Â After the Yelpers talked up the almond crusted chicken (upstairs/Spats menu only) I had to have it. Â Very good, with red rice and asparagus. Â Had a beer soaked shrimp over grits appetizer. Nice. Â Buddy had jambalaya. Good. Â Food was not over the top, but it was good. Feel good food in a feel good place.
Review Source:Looking for a dive bar in State College? In that case you have TONS of choices, and Rathskeller is one of them. Rathskeller is quite the divey choice. It's "underground" and is divided into two parts. When you first get in, it's pretty much a normal bar. You have your counter and some TVs to watch whatever game is on. Go towards the back into the other room and then you have a pool table and a "dance" area.
Drinks here are pretty cheap, but don't think you're going to be ordering any top shelf alcohol. It definitely has that dingy college feel to it. On the plus side, the prices here are dirt cheap, as with every other spot in State College. Unlike most of the other spots around, Rathskeller doesn't get  a horribly intense crowd. If you don't want to wait 30 minutes to grab a beer, then look no further.
Oh boy, not sure what was going on the night that we were there but it definitely seemed like some kind of convention or alumni reunion was happening. Â Second stop on our bar tour on a visit to Penn State and we somehow wound up being the youngest people at the place.
Another little dive bar that has a good vibe (I guess all bars are dive bars in State College, really). Â Some tables for groups and some bar seats, but mainly people are standing around inside or just outside of the entrance. Â
During my visits as a student as well as this last visit, the bar always seemed like a sausage-fest. Â Not sure if I went on the wrong nights or what. Â Guess if you're a single girl that could work out in your favor?
Another solid place to hang out with friends, another fun bar to get a drink.
I hadn't been in the Skeller for *years* until March 10, 2011. I remember it being a place to get really drunk and stumbling out of there with at least a few cigarette burns in my clothes and smelling like potpourri of skank and ashtray. I think........
But oh times have changed. Raquel's S's review opening is a superb way of describing it now: the food does not fit the decor. And quite frankly, I don't care - the food is now *outstanding*. Maybe it was before, but I sure don't remember.
I had a pulled pork sandwich - bread that was re-donk-u-lously fresh, tender pork, just overall awesome. And the potato salad for a side...... very impressive, with a touch of vinegar. Food is made to order, so there's a bit of a wait but it is definitely worth it. The others at our table were equally pleased about their food as well.
Go early, get a table if you can (or a seat at the bar) to start your night terrorizing Downtown. From a food quality standpoint, this bar smokes all the others Downtown - and it should since the food prep is done upstairs in Spat's Speakeasy kitchen.
Eat like a king, pay like a pauper, and drink like a fish - it doesn't hurt their drink specials are still hella cheap to help you forget you're most likely sitting in dried beer.
Sometimes in life you have to compromise. It's what makes nations great and marriages long.
Dining at the Rathskeller is no different. The Skeller has the same kitchen as Spats, for half the price. (Woo Hoo!!!) But here's where the compromise comes in-- you have to eat in the basement bar setting. But honestly, that's the solitary tradeoff. The quality of service and food were much greater than anticipated fromjudging this book by its old, dingy cover. Â Honestly, after a $5 SoCo and Cranberry, with some motown playing (on repeat.) it really didn't bother me to much more, anyway.
The food is fantastic and the service couldn't have been more thoughtful or attentive. In fact, my waitress even had a waitress from upstairs come down to explain something to me. :-) Granted, she did tell me that the consisteny of grits or mashed potatoes makes her want to throw up, repeatedly, but she was generally trying to help. And for her helpfulness, I will not scrutinize her eloquence. Also, everytime she came back to the table, she reminded me that she forgot my lemons. Every single time. Between these two things, I am honestly surprised I ate here, and am proud of myself for staying.
I've never ordered meatloaf out before. And this one time has set the bar impossibly high. I didn't even like meatloaf before, but something told me this was going to be great-- Bacon wrapped meatloaf, filled with chunky peppers and onions overtop of the cheesegrits of my dreams. I first came into contact with cheese grits at the gamble mill in bellefonte and have done my fair share of comparison tasting since. I have finally found better.
Companion had the chicken on cornbread stuffing. It was a big bowl filled with an uncut chicken breast, corn, cornbread, andouille sausage and collard greens with a creamy white creole sauce smothering it all. Positively delicious.
Not only did I eat here, but I did not have anything left to bring as leftovers. This may be the only time this has happened to me in State College. Â Since every dish is made to order there is not really any problem with adding or subtracting an ingredient, if you like. Also, they have gluten free pasta, which surprised me.
Unlikely after considering my dietary preferences, but this was one of the best meals I've had in State College by far. The low prices and excellent food make it worth the atmosphere.
Excellent, cheap food for lunch and dinner.
Good drink specials, a very cheap place to drink in State College.
I don't think they have ever cleaned the beer lines and the beer tastes pretty marginal because of it. So only buy the cheap pitchers after you get a few in you so it won't matter that it tastes off.
I have a lot of my mis-spent college years lost to this place, all good memories.
The quintessential college dive bar. Â Always great on a Saturday morning before a big game or any other time actually. Â Food is excellent and most folks don't know they have a menu. Â The decor is awful but thats part of the charm. Â But most of all you go here to drink or see a band in a college town.
Review Source:We were traveling to the East Coast and decided to stop in town for a night. It was graduation-time for Penn St. and that was pretty cool, lots of people out having a great time. Started here at the Rathskeller and met up with a friend who managed to get us shirts to some random bar crawl group.
So the really epic thing about this was that one of the people in the bar crawl group was raised in the same town in Michigan, same year that I grew up in, maybe 5 miles from my house - enough to separate us from being at the same schools. I mean, what are the odds of that? Such a small world it seems.
Food is good bar food and the crowd was excited. Stirred it up a little bit with the local students... drinks were actually a little bit more than I'd expected, but not a lot. Maybe I just had really low expectations for a college town renowned to be a great party school. Still, Rathskeller was a fantastic (re)introduction to the Penn St. college bar scene.
Imagine this: a city girl, used to paying at least $5 for a bottle of Bud Light, wanders into a mysterious basement bar with a fellow grad school colleague. Thirsty, the pair order pints--Yuengling, Killian's--and then a second round. Some time goes by, the beers long emptied, and eventually the students realize it's time to go. The girl flags her server for the bill, expecting to spend at least $10 for her share alone before tip, then opens the fold. $7. For four beers. Barely able to contain her excitement, the girl throws down a ten, grandly adding: "keep the change."
Oh, and trivia's great here too!
Three words--buck seventy-five drafts.
They had the usual suspects, plus some surprises (for a dive place) such as Guinness, Bass, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon, et al. Â But what immediately caught my eye were two signs advertising $1.75 drafts and $5 pitchers of Killian's and Moose Head. Â Now, Killian's and Moose Head are no Guinness or Sam Adams, but they are decent beers and a huge step above Bud Light and Coors Light. Â What a deal!
It's too bad that we were only stopping for an afternoon refresher. Â I really would have enjoyed getting sloshed on an entire pitcher for the same price that a pint would cost me back home in Chicago.
After downing a Killian's, I did order a second beer, but the Moose Head keg ran out as he was pouring it, so the bartender gave me the half-glass for free.
I loved this place. Â Besides the laid-back atmosphere, I really dug the interior--nothing but stone, brick, huge wooden beams and pillars, and wood everywhere. Â I'm sure that I would like it less on a Friday night in September when it's packed with students, but it was perfect for an early-August Thursday afternoon. Â We came here because my sister's first choice, the Black Horse Tavern, was closed until evening. Â So kudos to the Rathskeller for being open in the afternoon. Â I will definitely be back on my next visit to central PA.
This is the place all of the old-time alumni will talk about...and talk about. Its not a bad place, and has a lot of character. But nobody ever really wanted to go there, mostly because it was full of drunken alumni, who would tell you about all the fun they used have. Sunrise, sunset.
Review Source:i guess there aren't too many yelpers in state college...
after spending many years at penn state, the skeller became my go-to place for a good time. cheap beer, great history, good bands, and amazing food. a lot of people don't even know they serve food...it is PHENOMENAL. i highly suggest the black and bleu burger and the chopped salad with mango vinaigrette...it's a shame they got rid of the curly fries b/c those were delic.
after being away for a year, it was great to come back and see it hasn't changed at all, except for the new, much needed, jukebox. we let some old men cut in front of us in line...they paid our cover and bought us a few pitchers. my friends and i had a great time as usual.
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