Federal Taphouse

Worst dining experience I have ever had in my life. Used to be a great spot to go to and I was a frequenter with my friends before my last and will be last trip there. I entrusted them to take care of a large group of friends (15+) for dinner reservations and service. We were misinformed from the start about how billing works for large groups, the server was rude and almost harassing to my party, unfortunately we were not celebrating but getting together after a personal loss to us, and the demeanor and approach by the server made it regretting to have gone there at all. Key point stick to small groups.
I will say I was impressed by the owner stopping in on his day off to make sure everything was going alright, and he seems like an exceptional responsible individual and I wouldn’t imagine that this service would be something he would want his establishment to be represented by.

Came here to enjoy a couple beers and was I surprised. They had 100 beers on tap and they were neatly organized and described well.
While I did not eat here, I had the pleasure of sitting in front of the brick oven where the cooked most of the food and it looks/​smelled delicious.
Cannot wait to visit again when I am in the area. Definitely recommended.

Great atmosphere. If you’re there on the day when they are serving the venison chili — definitely get a bowl or two. Vast beer selection. Cool place to host a party or corporate event.

The food was great, and the female bartenders staff adequate despite apparently being hindered by management. The main reason for the low score was 1: bar staff could have hustled more, or at least not chatted each other up in the corner while patrons waited for drinks and 2: more importantly the bar manager (?) was more concerned with hitting on groups of single females vs. serving paying customers. He also made jokes as to the drinking capacity of the owners wife. From what I understand great beer selection /​awesome food is hindered by terrible service on the regular.

The Federal Taphouse is a favorite of mine when I’m back home in Lancaster and want to meet up with friends. It’s a huge space (both the bar and dining area) so it’s a good option for larger groups.
The beers! With 100 beers on tap, it’s no problem finding something appealing. If anything it’s a little overwhelming, but the beer list includes helpful descriptions and the bartenders are also knowledgeable.
I’ve had a few of the wood-​fired pizzas and they were delicious. I loved the BBQ chicken which was also topped with pickled jalapeño, avocado, sour cream, and a few types of cheese.
Beer and pizza, you really can’t go wrong. Pair that with solid service and a unique space, and you get a great place to spend an evening with family or friends.

Not very vegetarian/​vegan friendly. I just wanted normal fries, but apparently they’re only capable of making fries with «duck fat»… which is gross. Black bean burger was not that tasty, they ran out of Angry Orchard cider… not too impressed and would not return.

Really great service and nice enough environment. The duck fat fries were amazing, so crispy! The beer list is ridiculous, they have at least 100 options on there.
The execution of the food is quite good though some of the ingredient choices miss the mark. We had the mortadella pizza and the rendered fat made the crust far too soggy. The flavored were good but we’re missing something to bring it all together.

What a pleasant surprise we found in the Federal Taphouse! In Lancaster for a wedding and stayed at the Lancaster Hotel. No bar there! So we ventured to the nearest place which happened to be the Federal Taphouse. It’s big, it’s open, it’s got an amazing beer selection, great pizza, and they make their own beef jerky!
The building itself is notable. 2 stories, very open, high ceilings, and some cool artwork on display upstairs. Only downside was the bathrooms were upstairs, so you need to take a bit of a walk to get to the boys room.
We came in around 11:30 Saturday night and got a good spot at the bar, it was busy, but not crowded. We had 3 bartenders helping us out, the only name I recall is Jake and he was fantastic! Attentive and helpful is how I would describe all 3 of the bartenders. We also got some «leftover» shots, which was fun, because it’s been years since I’ve had a Kamikaze, dirty girlscout, or a red headed slut! The beer list is extensive, check it out!
We were all hungry at 11:30…fortunately they had some of their homeade beef jerky available, AND, the pizza ovens are open till 1! We had a margherita pizza and it was delicious! Nice crisp crust with good sauce and cheese, we devoured this thing and ordered another!
Somehow, we were one of 3 wedding parties at the Taphouse this night. According to the bartenders they have wedding parties in there regularly, but it was a little odd to have 3 at once!

Updated review my first review of the food still stands but I have to give credit where credit is due. Jason, the AGM handled my concerns and rectified the situation. Major kudos to Jason!

No, just no.
Waiting around at an almost empty bar with no acknowledgement at all while bartenders, waitstaff, and the like all blatantly ignore you is not ok. Then you speak with a manager and it all makes sense why his staff are incompetent because he clearly is too and allows for this behavior is reason enough to never ever return.
This is by far the worst place I have been to in my short but sweet time in Lancaster.

The owner contacted me and offered a free meal to revisit my review.
Well, I went back and they haven’t changed anything and I also never received that free meal.

First off, awesome taps with the biggest variety of beer in town. You’re here for the beer but the foods not bad either. The place is nice and I’ve never never had a problem with the wait staff.
Tuesday night is for trivia. Do not go there unless you like 2 things. Loud trivia and obnoxious comedians. This guy on Tuesday nights will either make you laugh or make you leave the place never to return on Tuesdays. I watched a table of 10, a table of 4 and another couple walk out after being insulted for not paying attention to him, regardless if they were playing trivia or not. Not counting the 4 of us who will never return on a Tuesday. I got his name so we can avoid any other gigs he has. But hey, if you like insulting comedian this is a good bet.

Went there for lunch a few times. We really wanted this place to be awesome. We thought it may get better after it had a chance to get adjusted to the Lancaster expectations of craft beer. Not only is the beer old, the food is awful! The prices are insane for the quality of all menu items. I do have to say that the service was pretty good. The bartender took very good care of us every time. Keep at the great service. It will be the only thing that brings people back!

Federal Tap House is one of the best places to go in Lancaster. Endless beer selection, great food, lots of specials, and spectacular atmosphere. But what really makes FTH the best is the amazing staff. Every time I go, Danielle goes out of her way to make everyone welcome. She provides awesome recommendations, let’s you take as long as you need to decide on a beer or food, and is an overall amazing server and person. Be sure to ask for her!
I recommend any and all of the pizzas. All made fresh and absolutely delicious. Make sure you save room for the Nutella pizza… I mean what can go wrong when you combine the words Nutella and pizza. Warning: once you go, you will keep coming back!

This is our go to sit down spot in Lancaster city. We love the food. We love the beer. We love the staff. We’re here about 4 times a month at this point. That’s really saying something. Don’t think too much just give it a go.
The beer selection is phenomenal. Equal parts local, popular and rotating, it never gets stagnant or dull. We’ve come to just depend that they’ll have something new and cool to try, which isn’t a far off assumption with 100 taps.
The food selection is also varied enough that anyone we never feel guilty bringing friends with us. I could only ask for a few more salads options and thus not a five star. While they do have a few which you can add a variety of meats to, one or two a bit more featured/​specialized would be awesome.

We met friends here on a Monday evening for an impromptu get together. We came into the city for the choice of 100 beers on tap but left raving about the fries. Relaxed atmosphere, attentive and knowledgeable staff, and food that tasted fresh and prepared thoughtfully. We enjoyed our visit and will definitely come back.

100 beers on tap, and the bar staff is incredibly knowledgeable… it’s like they each have a degree in beer. They know each beer by name and number, they can describe each beer with great detail and subtle nuance. For a true beer connoisseur this place is unmatched in selection and knowledge. The beers are not cheap, but for such a selection of specialty beers, I feel the cost is something I can deal with.
The food is hit or miss… The pizzas are unique and wood fired, I think they are very good. The calamari was over done and chewy. One of the very few places to get poutain, it is made with duck fat fries… surprisingly good for being so far from Montréal… They were quite salty, but I like that, not too soggy either, but the cheese curd was almost a liquid. super melted.
I didn’t care for the soft pretzel, sometimes you just have to stop when you are throwing spices on the dish. it’s not hot spicy, just too many spices that were not meant to go together.
A great place for specialty pizza and beer. The venue is loud… Very loud when filled. It is two floors with bathrooms on the second floor, there is an elevator.
Best part of this place is the many unique and diversified beers, with an incredibly knowledgeable bar staff. Try a sour beer.

Let me begin with saying that Lancaster really needs some late night food offerings. After calling around to be told that every kitchen in the fair city closes at 11pm, I found that the Federal Taphouse at least cooks their pizzas much later.
I come to learn that the bathrooms are upstairs (boo) and that certain parts of the bar just simply do not get service (what is up with that?) So we order the Margarita pizza (which was all this tomato sauce with four little pieces of mozzarella and basil) and the Four Cheese pizza (which was yummy with a hint of garlic). At the suggestion of my friend, we actually put the piece of one facing the other to make a pizza sandwich and it was comically good (see posted pic).

I visited this Restaurant because it was across the street from –The Hotel Lancaster — I reviewed this place as well. Let’s start with the good points first. Awesome beer selection. The staff appear knowledgeable about the selections, so if you need help in that area ask them. I love good IPA’s, so I tried the Green Flash Warrior — 10% ABV — it was a nice taste and that helped me through the rest of my night with the below average food offered. Although I read reviews prior to me and friends deciding to check it out — I saw many 3 stars and thought — why? Well — this is why — me and my friends all ordered different foods and we all had complaints about our meals. Mostly it seems that foods were undercooked and lacked seasoning.
I want to end on a positive vibe — it is a large spacious place and it has an upstairs. So, it would be ideal for larger groups.

100 beers on tap? Who cares. No one can drink that many anyway. A good bar thinks about its guests, what they want, and meets their tastes. A bar with a lot of space, and less creativity, just packs 100 beers onto a taplist and hopes it meets its guests’ tastes.
I did find two beers to enjoy (Uncle Teddy’s bitter and Stoudt’s Gold Lager).
Admittedly this bar is a good measure for what I consider to be the dismal state of craft beer and ingenuity in the U.S.A.