The Chapter House

I'm not sure what this place is like during the school year--I was here for the summer, and I imagine that gives me a somewhat skewed view of how busy it gets. That having been said, I love Chapter House. From the beat-up wood to the great beer selection to the free popcorn to the music, it's all exactly what I want from a "Let's get some beers after work" bar.

Honestly, I find myself having difficulty writing a review of the bar because it's so ideal. If you close your eyes and imagine a dark, well-loved scholars' bar, The Chapter House is what you'll conjure. I've heard some complaints about the staff, but with me they've been nothing but professional and reasonably speedy, even when somewhat overwhelmed. I like the big tables; I like the split space, which lends an air of intimacy. The only complaint my friends and I had, I think, is that we end up going so frequently that it seems like the only game in town.

Alright, I'm sure my review will get filtered bc I don't review often, but it's still worth sharing.

The Pros: I love Chapter House's grad school/more mature environment, mellow atmosphere, popcorn!, and amazing beer selection at good prices.

The Cons: Customer service.  This could be a non-issue for you, but for me it was an issue because I'm a klutz.  I had half a beer and accidentally knocked it over.  I went right over to the bar and told them- also letting them know I'm happy to clean it up if they'd give me a few washcloths (I was a waitress for years in college, including at a brewhouse), and they obliged -- although somewhat oddly, the bartender sternly told me to PLEASE RETURN the washcloths.  Ok, I wasn't on a mission to steal bar rags... so I cleaned up the offending scene and returned them right back.  I then asked the bartender if I could get a replacement for my half a beer that I spilled, thinking no harm no foul if he said no.  He said no -- they couldn't replace spilled beers because of the unique "chemicals" in beers (wtf?) and "adult nature" of alcoholic beverages, and he was noticeably condescending about it.  I understand this policy, it's not insane reasoning or anything, but I've also been to plenty of bars that would replace spilt drinks.  He called the manager (or who I presume was the manager) over, and that manager, who was not even remotely present in my conversation with the first bartender, claimed to have overhead everything and backed up the bartender.  Myself and the two other people I was with were shocked.  I, personally, was shocked because of my time waitressing and bartending -- customers can suck, but you always know that making peace is optimal.  These guys clearly were more concerned with backing each other up than calming the situation.  In this case, I felt like I was a sober client being reasonable, and they were ganging up against me as if I was some drunk girl complaining.  The whole experience completely ruined my night so I promptly left the bar in an awful mood.

Needless to say, I personally won't be going back.  Bottom line is - go for the drinks, ignore any lapse you may experience in customer service (if it happens to you), and do NOT spill a drink.

A nice place to have a conversation and a beer in a laid back atmosphere (except Friday or Saturday nights which is more of a rowdier bar like scene). During weekday evenings this is a great place to grade papers with a beer in hand, I don't particularly like coffee. It takes the edge off of the grading process - but don't get carried away with this recommendation and grade drunk kids.

The beer selection is quite good, but the taps are often dirty. I'm not sure if they are switching up beers as they run out and swapping them with each other or what, but its not tasty. I love it when the carry Bellwether hard cider though. Unfortunately it seems like most of the time they have that cruddy Strongbow or original sin stuff.

Saturday has a cover, which is usually just annoying, but I do understand that it is partially to support local live music (quality is very patchy at best).