Isaac Newton's

cracker

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This place is pretty impressive in terms of selection and easilty compares with the top beer establishments in the great Philly area. They have about 16+ drafts of which most are micros and imports with very few macro swill. Recently had Goudin Carolus and Steelhead IPA which were both very nice. I didn't check out the bottle selection so can't comment there. Food selection seems on par with other good pubs/taverns.

BUT, be forewarned. Smoke is almost unbearable. Now that Philly has banned smoking in bars/restaurants, as a non-smoker I find it pretty nasty going from 'clean' smokeless air into a place like this. Perhaps in the summer/spring the outdoor patio is a reasonable escape. But in dead winter, fat chance. If you want to enjoy the taste and smell of your beer, good luck. I'm hard pressed to go here given the 'atmosphere'.

02-18-2007 01:25:38 | More by cracker

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4 | $$$

I used to live in Newtown, so I used to go to Isaac Newton's fairly regularly. I've been back several times since I moved out of the area, but I enjoy my time there less and less because the service has really gone down the tubes. The wait-staff seems to have this really arrogant attitude (based on half a dozen different waiters/waitresses/bartenders over half a dozen visits, spanning several months). Their selection is the only reason that I really go there. I can always find something I haven't tried before, which is a huge draw for me.

05-07-2013 23:09:59 | More by pcsnyder

olblueyes1915

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Been to this place quite a few times with a friend of mine who has been going there a long time and knows the people who work there simply from being a long time patron. The first few times I went was with my friend, and had a great experience. Beer selection is always good, and can be easily read on their chalk board. Food is not bad, but they try to go too fancy with their food instead of keeping it to a simple recipe, then put a big price tag on it. Wait time for food definitely needs improvement. I went twice without my friend who knows the staff, and it was a completely different experience. There was not much help when asking about the beer selections, and the service itself was much to be desired. I noticed through the times I had gone, that the regulars get ALL of their attention, and the "not so regulars" are almost ignored. Not a very good way to attract more "regulars" if you ask me. I did still give it a higher score based mainly on their beer selection and atmosphere. Also, forgot to mention the elbow room on a busy night is lacking.

12-17-2011 21:45:39 | More by olblueyes1915

mingo1968

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -27.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Ok been here a few times and enjoyed it. But the last two times i have to say i was let down not by the beer they still have an outstanding selection.The service was bad. The girl who waited on us ask us what we wanted to drink and we ask for their beer list that we know they have she went on tell us they didn't have one and that we would have to get up and go look at their chalk board down at the end of the dining room so up we got and went and looked at it. after we ordered we ask what happend to the beer menu she said they never had one. The food i had a chicken sandwich that was soaked through the roll with the pesto like it was sitting for awhile. my wife had the burger that was fine. We ordered a growler to go of southern tier pumpkin and asked the cost before she filled it she brings it back to the table filled and goes on to say that will be $ 32.00. i said i wanted to know the cost before you filled it. Im done with this place after two bad enconters with the service oh and the time before that was 15 min wait before they ever came back with our beers.

12-10-2011 16:25:22 | More by mingo1968

Umbra

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Went here twice the last weekend, as it appeared to be the best quality spot. My only real negative is that the place was hard to find. I had to ask three people to find it. Though it is listed as 18 State Street, it is actually located behind that address. There aren't any signs on State Street, so I guess one just has to know that you wander down the walkway between the two houses.

Atmosphere is cozy, warm and clean. The bartenders and waiters all knew the selections well and had great recommendations. Selection was nothing but quality local and international craft brews. Had a local pumpkin and many many others. Food is slightly upgraded pub grub. Fries were crispy and tasty. We stuck to sandwhiches and wraps and weren't let down.

Overall: Seems to be your best beer choice in Newtown. I'd recommend a cab, since the newtown police appear to have nothing to do but drive around all day looking for folks to harass.

11-21-2011 14:46:41 | More by Umbra

aflyershckyfan

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

Always a great beer selection, the bartenders are good always ready and friendly to answer any questions. All i have ever eaten here are the burgers and they have always been great. I do wish there were more bar seating but they do have several pub tables around the bar which kinda make up for it. They do have a restaurant seating but i have never experienced that area. I would be here more often if i didnt live 10-15 miles and didnt have to drive.It is in my opinion definitely a spot to try out. If i am in the area i make it a point to stop by to see what they have on tap.

07-25-2011 03:53:41 | More by aflyershckyfan

whrice

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

This is a good bar in my area. This is the place to go in Newtown, no doubt. The atmosphere is great. The bar has a lot of character and the usual crowd is pretty good. It could be a little bigger but that's nothing I'll complain about. They have a good selection and keep up with what's going on. There is always plenty of things on tap to try out. I will have to say that the key to this place is to go between 10-12 on weekdays, they have drafts for $2. Otherwise this place can get pricey, as would be expected for the area. The food I rememeber the one time I had it was decent but nothing great. The service has been mixed, some people there have been great, others have not. I feel like this place almost has a awe status to it with people in the area which I can see why, but there's other places I'll take over it no questions asked.

07-19-2011 20:31:37 | More by whrice

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Ive been here a handful of times. Every time they have offered a nice selection of beer on-tap as well as in bottles. Emphasis on Belgians, good crafts, Germans etc. Expect alot of top beers from the prior mentioned categories. They have recently upped their beer menu and providing better quality brews and more variety. Im pretty psyched they offer several Russian Rivers here. The bartenders are knowledgable and the servers seemed friendly. A very nice food menu with alot of selections and artisinal and flavorful dishes as well.

04-23-2011 00:23:55 | More by BeerForMuscle

trags15

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This place has truly changed - staff wise. John, behind the bar, is the best bartender I know. He is extremely friendly and knows everything there is to know about beer. The prices seem to have gone down, and in fact, they list the prices now of each bottle on the boards - a definite plus. I love this place and it's always my go to bar now. I want to apologize for bashing this place before hand - it seems that everytime I went there, I was unfortunate enough to not get the "good bartenders" and wasn't treated the way I am now. Here is more of a in depth description of this place.

Atmosphere: This place always has a great vibe with craft beer drinkers. You can tell that everyone either knows a lot about beer or wants to know a lot about beer, so they come here. It's a sweet set up, looking like a log cabin inside. It has a warmth to it that you can only get when you come here.

Selection: I realize that Tim is the beer manager and he is in charge of making the keg selections. So far, he is doing a perfect job. This is the best bar, BY FAR, when trying to find a good beer. You can find anything from the miller crap( although they dont have a lot, thank god ) all the way to beers from different countries. No joke, I have tried over 100 different beers here and that's definitely an understatement. They also do take out beer bottles, which is a cool feature for a bar.

Staff: Everyone I have came into contact with knows their stuff. John, behind the bar, stands out the most. He is the reason people come to this bar. I usually go to Isaacs on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and he always gives you a big welcome. He remembers everyone's name and knows what they drink. He always recommends great beers and tries to steer you away from beers that you won't like. Without him behind the bar, I can honestly say I wouldn't come here as much, probably at all.

Prices: Everything varies. If you want to get a phenomenal beer be ready to pay for it. They have prices ranging from 4 dollars all the way up to 30 dollars for a bottle. I have tried them all and boy are they good!

Thanks, John for making this place so warm and fun - you definitely are the highlight of Isaac Newtons

02-25-2011 15:39:13 | More by trags15

zoso1967

Michigan

3.89/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

This place can be a little bit hard to find, so I recommend checking out their website, which has pretty good directions.

The establishment is divided up into two sections, one is a restaurant seating area, and the other is a pretty large bar area with plenty of standing room and tables around the edge. One time when I was there it was pretty busy, but even though not everyone had a table, there was definitely personal space for all patrons in the bar.

It has a dark and worn in feeling, with the taps listed on a blackboard hung up on the wall. I do not have the best eyesight, and that combined with the darkness means sometimes I have to get kinda close to read the list, but that might just be more of my problem.

They have probably 25 taps, with maybe about 10 of them always seeming like they are the same thing. Still, they get some tasty beers in and seem to do a decent job of rotating stuff out. Glassware and lines have always been clean.

Service is where I find this place is kind of lacking. Usually the servers/bartenders are serviceable, but I have never been super impressed with their knowledge, and sometimes they are downright clueless. If you know what you want though, you should be fairly safe.

I have never tried the food here, but it looks and smells like it might be pretty decent.

Prices are a bit on the steep side, but what do you expect? This is Newtown after all.

11-13-2010 12:54:07 | More by zoso1967