Zeno's Pub

slvrmon82

Delaware

4.7/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

This is a small underground pub in the center of downtown state college or Penn State as most people know it as. The quality and the service are amazing. The selection is beyond anything I have ever seen. The book of choices actually ways about 5 pounds. The food is good from the restaurant upstairs. The value is good and check out there happy hour from 10-12. Pitchers and pints are discounted with such delights as Nugget Necter, Hopdevil, Otto's Mt. Nittany. They have live music every night except Monday and Tuesday. Definitely a must stop in state college.

02-19-2008 20:39:37 | More by slvrmon82

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

It's a dark, stony basement bar with an excellent selection and a good rotation. I can usually find hard to get beers there. It's a must-stop place on St. Patty's and during Arts Fest. We usually meet up with some friends there, shoot some pool, play some pinball, and enjoy a lot of beer.

05-07-2013 13:08:17 | More by pcsnyder

Ixian

3.1/5  rDev -30.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$

Have been happy with Zeno's in the past, with my usual being to get 2 pitchers of beer followed by 2-3 shots of Southern Comfort, but tonight I was just told basically to piss off by the employee behind the counter after only two beers and can say that after the way I was dealt with they will never get my money again. It really is a shame because they are the only place in town that carries some of my favorite beers, but after tonight I'm just going to deal with the Wine and Spirit shops and probably stop drinking beer entirely since nowhere else in town gets the things I like to drink. Sucks for them too since I generally spend about $70-$100 per night out not counting tips.
Also I would like to note that the first employee I dealt with was helpful and introduced me to a new beer I enjoyed a lot, but thanks to the second guy Zeno's has lost a customer forever.

12-02-2012 04:17:35 | More by Ixian

Darkmagus82

Montana

5/5  rDev +12.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This place is by far one of the best out there. It is a classic bar focused on really great beer. Dimly lit, great music and all about the beer. They have 30 + beers on tap, most of which rotate with a high level of frequency. You can try a wide variety of beers from week to week without breaking the bank, as their prices are always reasonable -hey they want to give people access to great beer, and one way to do that is offer great beers at a great price; which they definitely do.
On tap they have plenty of locals, but plenty of international and nationals as well. Most all the bartenders know quite a bit about the beers they serve and are all fantastic to look for advice as to what to drink for the mood you are in as well as just sit back and chat with. The bottle selection is amazing for this rather little place; with a bottle list that puts most bottle shops to shame. While they don't cook food at the bar itself and I haven't actually had any food there, you can order food from the restaurant above the bar and they will bring it to you. From I have heard from fellow bar goers it is very good.
If you are in the State College area and looking for a relaxing and great place to have a beer you must come here. It is great!!!!

02-11-2012 01:48:41 | More by Darkmagus82

merc7186

New York

3.74/5  rDev -15.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I came here after several BAs recommended this place for a decent beer bar.

The place is across from the Penn State campus, located in the basement of a corner building. The place is dimly lit, packed with college kids and the bathrooms are a mess. Thankfully, I am not here to make out with college kids or the urinals. They have about 30 taps of a mixed bag of PA beers and national craft beer, and 3 casks of local. They also have a decent laundry list of bottles for sale from 12oz to bombers that are decently priced. The bartenders are attentive and decently knowledgeable in the beers they carry. The selection is decent as gthey carry a wide array of different beers and they bouncers proof everybody. I will come back for the beer and the freakery.

09-14-2011 01:38:53 | More by merc7186

jifigz

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

Okay, so this is a pretty cool place. It is a dungeon like setting in downtown State College. They have a wonderful selection of beers to choose from. They might not have everything you are searching for, but if they don't have what you are looking for I am sure they have a reasonable substitute. They do have brews that I have never seen anywhere else and that is a cool thing. The bartenders and employees can be okay for conversation, but it can seem as if you are unaccepted if you are not part of their clique. Well, maybe not unaccepted, but they are just not overly nice, they do their job and that is that. I am there for the beer anyways and on that mark they always deliver. They have great local brews like Victory and Troeg's, but also wonderful Trappist ales and everything in between. I would highly recommend this place.

08-20-2011 22:57:23 | More by jifigz

wdeck9

Colorado

4.36/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Zeno's is a State College institution and if you are only visiting the town once or twice you must stop in for a couple beers. Once you head downstairs, you enter the basement bar filled with old Penn State sports and university collectibles on the walls. The ceiling is low and the lights are dim but it makes for a nice, intimate atmosphere to enjoy their beer selection. They often have 30ish beers on tap ranging from Yuengling products to high end beers hard to find anywhere else in Centre County. Their bottle list is very extensive and whenever they get new bottles in they are listed on the back of the tap list. Prices are fair but can be expensive when buying bottles. They get a great selection of local bands, especially on Wednesday for their Clem's bbq and bluegrass night....very worth it. The music can get loud though given how small the place is. Either way, you cannot go wrong with a stop into Zeno's.

06-16-2011 13:49:33 | More by wdeck9

PittRooney

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

i have been to zeno's a few times now and must say i really enjoy the place. the manager spends a lot of time getting in beers, and it shows. there isn't a place that i can think of outside of philly that has a similar selection. staff is always friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere has improved significantly since they went nonsmoking. also always enjoy the bathroom reading ha ha. i have never eaten there, but everything i have seen come out of the kitchen always looks good. its also impressive that a bar like that in state college has never had a violation. it also doesn't have the "college" feel and atmosphere that most of the other bars in the area have. would definitely recommend and will be back every time i am in town.

05-10-2011 22:26:57 | More by PittRooney

TheBCrew

New York

1.69/5  rDev -61.9%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I had the unfortunate experience of visiting Zeno's on St. Patrick's Day. After spending most of the week in southwestern PA on a business trip I looked forward to being able to settle in for a couple of pints at this very well-reviewed bar. The doorman who gave me a hard time for having a NY driver's license was the first sign of trouble to come. (I understand that this is a college town and you need to be strict with IDs, but at least have knowledge of IDs of neighboring states.)

The atmosphere isn't so much "basement" as it is dungeon. After walking down the stairs and in the door there is a small, dimly lit bar area immediately to the left and a deep open room to the right. The room has several wooden tables of various sizes and there is room for maybe 8 people or so to sit at the bar. There were about a dozen taps or so of fairly standard offerings, three beer engines (Tröegs Hopback Amber, Victory Hop Devil and a third one which escapes me) and what appeared to be an extensive bottle offering in coolers (Lost Abbey stood out). There was a duo playing music in the back and they were far too loud. Everyone was crammed as far away from them as possible, and I still had to yell to be able to make any conversation with the person next to me. I wouldn't have minded so much if the band weren't so terrible. From what my friends I was with told me, loud terrible music is standard here.

The bartender seemed completely disinterested when I ordered a Hop Devil cask, and in fact poured a Hopback Amber. While normally a solid beer, this cask was stale, bordering on having soured. Clearly Zeno's does not move enough cask beer to justify having 3 offerings, and either does not know enough to take stale beers off the engine or does not care about the quality of the product as long as they make money. Either way, the combination of terrible atmosphere, quality and service is enough for me to never come back again. After reading all the praise in other reviews I was severely let down. We left after one drink and headed to The Deli on Heister Street which was a much more enjoyable experience. Don't waste your time on this sorry excuse for a beer bar.

04-06-2011 19:29:22 | More by TheBCrew

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This place is a real gem.

It feels like you are in a basement and is certainly not a place for pretentious people, but it is just full of character.

The bartenders are very knowledgeable and friendly and the other customers at the bar were very friendly too.

The selection was great - about 20 taps with various styles and breweries represented. The bottle selection was also ridiculously good with a number of breweries that aren't even available in the are on hand. There must have been 200 different bottles. Maybe more.

This place is one of the best beer bars I have visited and I hope to return some day.

Prices are fair.

01-15-2011 02:39:32 | More by TheSevenDuffs