The Gem and Keystone Brewpub

Stopped here after a kayaking trip that ended at Smithfield Beach. A short jaunt and we were there, hungry and thirsty. Shawnee Craft beers were very good. Buffalo wings were awesome; we had to order a second helping. My black bean burger was moist and amazing and the kettle chips were yum. Friends did not care for the naan with mozzarella or the goat cheese appetizer (lots of breading, not any cheese flavor). So hit or miss, but I enjoyed my meal and the setting. Service was slow but waitress was flying solo. Enjoyed eating on the downstairs patio.

I wanted so badly to give you 5 stars...

We were here this weekend.  Stopped for a beer Friday night and had the cheddar ale sauce pretzel app and were super impressed, so we decided to come for dinner on Saturday after a kayaking trip.

Beer- overall was a 3 it was average...but this is coming from beer snobs.  Bourbon Barrel Porter was a 4 though...definitely give it a shot if your there.

We ordered the Philly cheese steak and honey mustard chicken sandwich.  The Philly cheese steak was just a mess.  Cheese steak sandwiches are generally a mess to begin with but this was just inedible meat just wasn't right..who splits both sides of the bun??  Chicken sandwich was pretty standard but alittle dry.  The way their menu describes their food hypes it up, but when it gets to the table you will feel a little disappointed.

But on the plus-  Shannon our waitress was top notch and totally on top of the sandwich not being up to par and brought out Tom the manager.  Who asked us what was wrong and how to fix it....which was totally a stand up move in our book.  2 thumbs up to Shannon and Tom.  Without even expecting it the sandwich was removed from our bill.

Just a few little adjustments and I would totally give this place 5 stars...hoping to visit again and update this review.

***Restock your growlers and T-shirts...we really wanted to bring some home with us, but they were completely out of stock.

This place is really weird.  The facade is nice, the menus are professional, and what is offered looks great, but when it comes down to it, the food is not great!  I don't think I can blame this all on being from an area with so many great restaurants, as you can tell by the taste that there is something rotten in the state of Gem & Keystone's kitchen.  The buffalo wings tasted like they were microwaved, I had a beer battered sausage type thing that was dry.  We had a subpar appetizer, and I was hearing general complaints all around my table.  We tried this place as a post-hike retreat, and while it basically gave us nutrients to continue the day, I wouldn't come back here.  One thing I heard by a person at the table is that the beer is pretty good, I think he tried something that was special to the pub.  If you want an alcoholic drink, come here, but other than that, try somewhere else!