Blue Dog Pub

PopeDX

Pennsylvania

2.15/5  rDev -37.5%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 3

Dropped the old crap, the place has deteriorated since. Sandwiches are good, about 7 good beers on tap, not taken care of at all. The atmosphere sucks, it's trying to be a beer bar, a sports bar, a family restaurant and a local club sort of place all at once. Any place with a tequila-chilling machine and weed sprayers for spraying shots probably isn't the best beer bar. You may get looked at funny for ordering a decent beer, and don't even bother asking the waitress or bartender what a particular tap is.

Recent edit - last time I was there I had the crab claws, which were stone crab claws served cold, cooked with no seasoning whatsoever. Not good. From my experience and the reviews of others I'd stick with sandwiches and wings.

Even more recent edit: Ug, every time I stop in this place it makes me desire less and less to go back. This time I stopped in to look for some takeout for Decemberween presents and decided to have a pint while I was there. I ordered a Petrus and there was this black crap floating in it. Absolutely disgusting. The bartender gave me a new one, which tasted nothing like Petrus at all. I don't know if they've ever cleaned the lines there, the beer never tastes anything like what it's supposed to. It's an absolute waste of good beer, and if I had a local brewery I would 100% refuse to have my beer on tap there. I can't remember the last time I was there and had a beer that tasted how it was actually supposed to taste. Hey, there's plenty of Heineken and Bud Light specials during the week though :P

Still, not a bad takeout at prices par for the PA singles course, with a particularly good selection of Stone, Rogue and DFH. Just stay out of the bar/restaurant area, or stick with bottles when you're there. Just get ready for weird looks and apathetic service.

I really want to like this place, since I live about 5 minutes away and there's nothing else near it, but every time I go there I leave with an increasingly sour taste in my mouth, both from the spoiled beer and my bad experience.

12-29-2004 03:34:40 | More by PopeDX

TomDecapolis

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -23%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5 | $$$

I work right around the corner from the Blue Dog Pub and live about 10 minutes away. I have been here on numerous occasions both for dinner, Happy Hour and beer to go.

The take out section is basically the only reason I still go here. They have about 3 full coolers of craft beer in addition to your standard swill. They make a decent effort to get in the more "rare" craft beer in. But tend to charge a bit too much. For instance they were charging over $20 for Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu, which is just uncalled for when Capones is selling it for close to $10.

They don't take care of their taps at all. I would not suggest draft beer from here at all. A year or two ago things seemed to be ok. But the past three times I was in there the beer was just off. Clean your lines!

Food is below average bar food.

For the most part the staff knows nothing about the beer they serve. At least the bar tenders I have had experience with. They tried to tell me that the "house beer" they brewed (I later found out it was brewed by Legacy Brewing in Reading). On three occasions I have made the suggestion to either provide a tap beer menu, or if things change too quickly to at least keep a beer board in which you can list the current tap selections. Either that or educate your staff on what you have on tap.

They do have various brewery nights featuring Legacy, Dogfish Head, Victory, Rock Art, Weyerbacher among others. Bottom line is they are a good place to stop in to see what they have in the coolers for take out. If they get their act together with keeping their lines clean, educating their staff and providing some sort of list of what they have on tap the Blud Dog could be a great craft beer location. Right now they are a confused bar that doesn't know if they want to be the local smoke shack, college frat party, corporate America Happy Hour bar or craft beer heaven.

01-01-2007 04:22:21 | More by TomDecapolis

BitterBrian

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -18.6%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5 | $$

The only reason to go to the Blue Dog Lansdale is for the singles in the cooler in the front. A decent selection for the area. My first exposure to Southern Tier (I'm a new fan) was here. Nick Stafford English Porter, Avery, Stones, Fuller's, a few belgians and lambics to name some. Recently found Supplication there.
The food - Pub Grub
The Staff - Arrogant and not too concerned about the customers. they tend to socialize with the regulars and treat others as distractions.
Come for the BOTTLED BEER. Not only because the dirty lines, but also so you won't have to wait and be ignored by the staff.

10-25-2005 03:15:07 | More by BitterBrian

tomthumbsblues

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -17.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5

Basically, the only reason to go to the Blue Dog Pub is because of the beer. The atmosphere of this drop-ceiling establishment is lacking and doesn't live up to its name of "Pub." Often I have been forced to sit at the bar on the stools of the right wall by the wall-length mirror because there aren't any other places to sit. It is usually crowded and noisy. There is always a few people playing at the pool table which makes trips to the bathroom interesting. The waitresses generally seemed annoyed and don't appreciate most of the beer they serve. However, with that being said, the beer selection is the best part of this place. They usually have Victory on tap and always have two lambics as well. The refrigerated case is always stocked with many fine selections and gift sets (I was lucky enough to snag the last St. Bernardus set complete with chalice). They are all fairly priced. This place is the closest where I can get good beer so I'll continue to go back, but mostly for take-home.

03-09-2005 21:59:34 | More by tomthumbsblues

AndreD

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -17.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Update - Like I say, we have limited beer buying opportunities here in PA, and this place is right next to the (state-run) liquor store, so I went in there again and the guy who served me was much more friendly than I've encountered here in quite a while. I went back again and the woman who rang up my beer was also friendly. No idea if management is trying to emphasize customer service or its just the luck of the draw, but I'll put this place back on my list.

Plus it looks like they are trying to expand their selection-- which is tough given their limited space.

---
First of all, keep in mind that we have weird liquor laws in PA so there are very few places to get more than a basic selection of beer.

That having been said, Blue Dog Pub in Lansdale has a relatively good selection of beers. The stock changes constantly (though some favorites are always available) and they usually have a few $1.99 craft bottles on sale for low cost experimentation. Usually a few more exotic items as well.

My problem is that the service is lousy. The wait staff who are servicing the bar and the tables also have to work the take out window. As a result they are a little stressed out and you have to wait. One time I commented that the beer I bought on a previous visit was bad (it had gone skunky even tho I opened it as soon as I got home); his reaction was basically "it sucks to be you."

As a result I have been exploring other locations nearby. Its hard to find them. If you are not as picky about service as I am, then you might like to visit Blue Dog pub for its take out. As for beer on tap and food, I havent eaten there in years, not since a bartender spilled beer on me and laughed about it (I should mention that the manager refunded my money).

04-29-2013 22:00:24 | More by AndreD

thefireman

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -14.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5

This place is right near my house, so I've been there many times. While being a strip mall sports bar setting, the trained eye can spot the benefits of having a bar like this around. First of all, the food is great. One of the best Philly cheese steaks I've had in a while. The service is fantastic. The best part, though, is the beer selection. I had Murphy's Stout, and a Chimay. Both were skillfully poured from the tap and tasted great. A large selection of domestics, micros, imports, and Belgians on tap as well as bottled. The trash beer is there to keep the bills paid. 19 taps, I think. Great bottled beer selection. The takeout selection offers anything you desire at reasonable prices. This is not a hangout for beer geeks. A great option, though, that I can get great Belgians and watch the Eagles and the Phillies.

Blue Dog Upate: 9-11-05

Having visited several times since I last reviewed. I must say that this place really needs someone to wake them up. The food is still ok, but the rest is surely lacking. The waitstaff is more interested in hanging out at the bar than hustling tips. Sort of like they're doing you a favor. The last time I was there, I stopped in for a beer and a little relaxation. I ordered a Murphy's on tap. OK, so during the pour, she starts, then leaves it under the tap to settle, then forgets about it. I had to wave another bartender to finish pouring my beer because she had gone on to other important tasks-like shooting the s*** with one of her cronies. In all my years of haning out in bars, this is a first. A real shame because they have some decent beers on tap. They just don't care to go the next level.

When in Lansdale, go for the takeout at the Blue Dog. Skip the rest.

01-11-2004 00:55:55 | More by thefireman

francisweizen

Australia

3.05/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5

I was not impressed with the blue dog pub. The atmosphere is not good. This place is in a strip mall, and the inside screams strip mall sports bar. The selection here is VERY good, the tap list of near-20 was peppered with a few macros, but mostly micros were filling up the bill. The service, however, was lame. It took a long time for the 1 bartender to take our order, and the place wasnt even full! I mean we were sittting at the bar! The quality of the brews was also not very good. My Dock Street Pils was sour, and wrong, and Ericas Mad Hatter was very buttery, and also not quite right. The food looked good, but we did not order any. I will not be back here again.

11-24-2004 00:09:31 | More by francisweizen

Jettanbass9

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Oh blue dog, you are the ol' neighborhood staple. First time goers beware, its your typical bar. Pool tables, cheap fakey juke box, smokey including 40-50% make up of the BMC crowd. However! Mike, the bartender there, gets some excellent beers that are rotated quite frequently. Brewers nights are done about once a month and the bottle selection usually has quite a few surprises in the cold case.

The service on the otherhand is quite poor... Unless you get Mike, or the chick with the blonde hair... you might be out of luck. My buddy asked for a Wit beer once with a lemon, the bartender laughed as he was about to hand it to him and said now thats a real mans beer.... bullshit if you ask me, cause i never asked for his opinion.... anyway...

The food is your normal pub grub... definitely endulge in the sweet potato fries... perfect snack food for beer drinkin.

Value? Not so bad for the area. I support them cause its the closest bottle shop and beer bar. They do a great job keeping new stuff on tap, so no matter when you go something new will be there.

05-31-2008 03:58:16 | More by Jettanbass9

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 2 | $$

Been coming here for a few years on and off but mostly for take out.

A- This place has a idenity crisis. I would say it's pretty much a sports bar with some good beer on tap as well as the swill. A locals kind a place, not a destination bar.

Q- I had a DFH Pangeea that tasted like str8 up ass once and a swore off the taps for a bit, it was horrid. Nowadays the beer is tasting somewhat better so I guess they are cleaning the lines on a more regular basis. Bot the cleanest looking estabishment here either, the bathrooms are well kept though.

S- It's either hit or miss but mostly the latter. The bartenders here really just dont know their beer and it shows. Some help does come with a smile but it's once in a blue moon. On one hand they have a lady who kinda knows her beer and on the other is a guy with a huge attitude and could care less about the beer, not to mention the customers.

S- I like the to go selection here, there is always something that i'm trying to pick up. I don't know what other people are saying but the prices here are kinda lower than other beer destinations in the area. It's true that some bottles are priced higher than regular but it's mostly lower. They have some nice tap selections mixed in with BMC, it just depends on what day you show up.

F- Truthfully, I think the food here is not all that great, I've never been impressed with anything I've had here, which is odd because I love bar food. A pretty extensive menu though.

All in all I like the Blue Dog Tavern leaps and bounds from the pub version.Come here and get some take out, but watch your tap choices because some will amaze you on how unkept they are.

07-04-2010 17:16:33 | More by onix1agr

haazer

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

The front entrance is littered with various beer brand signs and posters. When you walk in there selection is directly to the right of you. Theres a shelf about 6' high by about 3 1/2' wide with 4 shelves of different beer lined up. On the side wall is about 5 cooler doors worth of brews, some macros at the end but theres more craft and imports in there. Then in front of the cooler is another desk with various bottles displayed. Its not a very large area, but their selections is pretty damn good. Not too mention the times I've been in there the bottles have changed, so they seem to rotate frequently. Their tap selection is excellent also.

The bar itself has some booth seating along the left wall for eating. The bar is a large U shape and extends almost the length of the establishment. The food is standard pub grub, cheese steaks, mozzarella stix, fries, that stuff.

The atmosphere is that of a sportsbar. They've got about 5 flat screens in the place, all of them playing sports center or a game if theres one on. The jukebox always seems to be on and at a fairly audible level even if theres no one in the place. The service was ok, I asked for a beer menu and then was left alone for about 10 minutes. That could've been better. But hey, this place is all about the beer and I always take some home with me when I leave. I could drop tons of money in there just on their selection alone if I had a better job.

02-15-2011 18:57:12 | More by haazer