Half Moon Restaurant & Saloon

ububru

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Hidden in "The Mushroom Capital of The World" is a gem of a restaurant. Upon entering, you'll notice a comfortable bar on the right and dining tables laid out towards the back. The menu has a gourmet lean with exotic veggies and wild game dishes to compliment the " normal " fare. The beer does not take a back seat. With 3 hand pumps and 14 taps, the beer geek can stay very busy choosing from Hopdevil, Abbey deLeffe , Jamaica Red , Young's Dbl.Choc. Stout ,etc.
The new addition , however, is what this review is about. The owner has opened a rooftop dining deck complete with bar. This wonderful idea has added quite a dimension! It is a roofed over, open sided deck with wrought iron tables and chairs. Dispite the hot weather that day, a cooling breeze made it quite comfortable.
There is a neat little 12 stool bar with 7 beers on tap. When i visited,there was 1 macro, 2 ales, 2 lagers, 1 weizen and a belgium ( Chimay White). A glass fronted cooler showcased about 20 Belgium bottles, along with other imports.
The Half Moon is an awesome establishment, and BA's would be wise to add this stop in their travels.

06-27-2003 10:18:15 | More by ububru

rotsaruch

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5

Located in the middle of Kennett Square in souther Chester County, the Half Moon probably represents the most fascinating collection of eclectic food, brews and live music that could be found anywhere in the suburban Philadelphia area. When you enter, there is a large, handsome English-style bar area. The bar and most of the construction of the restaurant was directed or performed by the owner and homebrewer, Scott Hammond. There are 14 beers on tap and 3 beer engines!! On tap, there are two or three of the ususal suspects, but the remainder are quality imports, including Belgians (at least two or three) and local or regional domestic micobrews. The cask-conditioned brews when I was there were Yards ESA, Victory HopDevil and Flying Fish ESB. There is a seating area in the bar and a larger dining area which extends to the remaining back portion of the building. The menu is unique with some tasty dishes. The crab nachos and the full moon buffalo burger are delicious. The service was the only negative; it could have been more attentive. On Thursdays and Saturday nites there is live music ranging from bluegrass, jazz, folk, etc. If you are driving down US 1 between Philly and Baltimore or near Wilmington, DE, its must stop for a casual lunch or a great dinner.

01-24-2003 09:37:21 | More by rotsaruch