Crofts Tavern

well folks, this place is no more. also the person who never got a gift card, good luck.

No surprise here — this place is CLOSED.

I love this place!
They always have a great selection of craft beers and their food is fabulous! Everyone who works there is also so friendly and accommodating!
Visit Crofts if you’re looking for a local place with great beer and amazing food!

sorry folks. gonna state facts here and make it public. If you don’t like just let me know and I will send you a hurt feelings report
Creig,
I don’t need a gift certificate from you, I will pay for your food, nor do I need to explain myself in a message– but you asked. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings and can sense your frustration as maybe business is not going as you planned, the restaurant business is thankless, but it is a public facing business and can be brutal to hear straight facts, and I do it because I want you to succeed. I have no allegiance or monetary interest in any restaurant in the area.
You make many assumptions in your reply so let me set the record straight.
1. you don’t know me, I have never seen you in the front of the house. Dinner rush? there were 2 tables with guests and the place was empty. Do you have a 100% show up rate on resi’s?
2. make a reservation? You are a TAVERN. not a high-​end steak house with 5 star reviews and a line out the door. until then, I suggest you take walkins and fill the tables so you dont fold. I’m not thinking about eating at Crofts tavern until the moment I make my decision. its not a destination place… YET. I hope you get there.
whats your definition of a couple of minutes? 60? 75?
3. Dining out? again you assume– and I;m glad I amazed you. I review bad places so they get better, but here is a personal review board just for you. I hope I don’t hurt any of the proprietors feelings, my bar is higher than fast food and lower than the French Laundry in California.
Quality Meats-(NYC) — 5 star
Abe and Louies (Boston) 5 Star
5 Guys (anywhere) 5 star
Joes Pub (Kimberton) was 2 star, now 4 star. they cleaned it up with food and service. its a PUB !!!
Ruth’s Chris (anywhere) 2 Star
Seasons 52 (KOP) 4 star no reservations needed, and busy
Champps (Collegeville) 2 star
Firebirds (anywhere) 2 stars
Kimberton Inn (Kimberton) 4 star
7 stars INN (spring city) 1 star
The Bistro (kimberton) 2 star
The Sly Fox (kimberton) 1 star
Molly Maguires (Phonenixeville) 2 stars
The Berwyn Tavern (Berwyn) 4 star
White Dog Café (Wayne) 4 star
Ludwigs Oyster House (Chester springs) 3 Star — no reservation ever needed and they are busy
Iron Hilll Brewery (phonexiville) 3 star
Legal Seafoods (anywhere) 3 star
The Fat Cat (Quincy MA) 4 Star
The Casino (Falmouth Ma) 2 star
The QuarterDeck (Falmouth Ma) 3 star
White Elephant (Nantucket) 4 star
The Tavern (Nantucket) 3 star
Bellas (Hingham MA) 4 star
Cru (nantucket) 4 star *I know investors here so I might be a bit biased
I’m tired of typing but I could go on and on and on… hope I cleared anything up and that you now have the right information to make an informed decision about one of your customers. Know your customer base and market toward them. if you want granny and grampy then you should market to them. The bar is beautiful !! I will give you that.

We have been back to Croft’s a few times since our last review and I hate to say it, but I think the food and service is going downhill. The staff is still very friendly and polite, I just think they are short staffed and spread a little too thin. Last time we went they didn’t even have any specials which was a big disappointment. Since they didn’t have any specials I ordered the Turkey Pot Pie which I have gotten before and has been very good. It is less of a «pie» and more of a Turkey Stromboli with the pot pie filling. Again I have gotten them before and they were great, so I knew (or thought I knew) what to expect. This time around the turkey was dark meat and very dry. It tasted like it was frozen at some point which I have never questioned here before. The prices aren’t the cheapest, but I have no problem paying fresh food and quality ingredients.
Hopefully business picks up and the chef is able to invest money into the staff and ingredients.

We’ve been here a few times and our last visit was, by far, the best.
The interior is really inviting. Our family of five was seated next to the fireplace — always a plus!
The beer list is quite good. We opted for Bell’s White, Goose Island Pere Jacques and Deschutes Jubilale.
Kids meals are the usual suspects (chicken fingers, burgers, pasta, mac and cheese) and our younger kids were happy with their choices — our oldest opted for the mussels instead. She was not disappointed.
I ordered soup and the «Grand Platter» which I split with the table — a combination of pickled vegetables, cheeses and meats. It was awesome. Kids could not get enough of the pickled vegetables (esp the cauliflower) and we had to order extra caper berries to keep everyone happy. Cheeses were terrific. Meats had smoked trout — yum. All local, which I appreciate.
Service was terrific. Extremely attentive, waters, etc. kept filled. Fresh brewed coffee at the end for me (since our server noted that what was in pot was not up to snuff).
A little pricier than our usual haunts for kids meals and drinks (otherwise, fairly comparable) but I am happy to pay more for excellent service and to support a local business.
We’ll definitely keep coming back!

I really like this place! Went twice and was happy both times! So many great crafted beers available! Also interesting spirits, just up my husbands and my alley! Moved from Philly and were excited to find a place with good drinks and food and an extra added bonus, the beautiful building! Gorgeous, photos cannot capture the beauty and feeling here! The second time here we had some sandwiches and were really happy! The fried chicken Sammy with gravy was delicious and my crofts dip was so full of flavor, I was fighting with my daughter for the last bite, also the ff were hand cut and that’s my fav way! The only thing I really didn’t dig were the pickles, I think this must be a style I just don’t have a taste for, sorry! Everyone was super nice both the staff and owner and even the patrons. I am really excited to live so close and will bring all my family and friends here whenever I have the chance! Keep up the good work Creig! Can’t wait to have a nice dinner there when we have more $$!!

Nice people, good service, inconsistent food. The app was called «The Kennett» with plenty of wild mushrooms in a wonderful thick sauce over Boursin on black bread toast points. Excellent.
Sadly down hill from there. Someone should tell the cook (clearly not a Chef) that a little dressing on a Caesar Salad is ok, and you can’t expect a slab of cold meatloaf to be warmed up with hot gravy.
Sadly this is the first restaurant in 20+ years that I have opted to NOT take home my leftovers

I don’t write reviews, but I felt I needed to after another wonderful experience there tonight! I love the ambiance, food (all of the fish dishes Ive had are delicious!,) beer (Kolsch,) and most of all the customer service. What stood out to me the most was the owner going up to everyone to say hello and see how everything was. There aren’t many personable people like that anymore and it was so refreshing to see that! I highly recommend this place and hope your experience will be as good as mine have been!

Decent service, average rating on the food. I was waiting for the wow-​factor, but it never came. Solid comfort food. We’d go back to give it another shot.

Nice linner (3pm open) with the wife. Appetizer was the corned beef and cabbage spring rolls. Nice but slightly greasy still. Tells you they were freshly fried. Wish they had corned beef and cabbage on the menu as an entrée. Wife’s steak was just right. Medium portion sized. Fries were decent. A little soggy but seasoned perfectly. My fried chicken sandwich was delicious. The dipping sauce was cream gravy. Wife and I split bread pudding for dessert and she got a coffee. Fresh ground beans. Nice way to end a very good meal. Creig the proprietor took the time to stop by and thank us for coming in.
Décor and atmosphere were relaxed. A couple of big screens near the bar but it didn’t feel overtly like a sport bar. Slower than usual service but I didn’t find it excessively slow. We were pleased not to be rushed and able to enjoy our meal without being pushed to the door.
I reserve five stars for knock me down special restaurants but Crofts does a great job at what it is.

We had an excellent brunch for Mother’s Day. Out of 12 of us, only 3 ordered the same thing so we got to sample quite a variety of menu items.
They started out with two complimentary baskets of pastries they brought to the table — very nice touch. They are temporarily without a liquor license so they had complimentary mimosas and Bloody Mary’s — even nicer touch.
Everything was hot and delicious — we especially liked the tomato soup (poured tableside over fried cheese), the quiche, mussels, Belgian waffles with Chantilly crème, burgers, macaroni and cheese (we were all stealing forkfuls from my nephew!), meatloaf… well there was actually nothing we didn’t enjoy!
Sometimes when eating out with a group of 12, the service suffers but this was not the case here at all — our server was great and took good care of us!
One small suggestion — it would be nice if there was a less expensive dessert option for children. We had 4 kids in our party and $ 6 ice cream is a little much. Maybe a small children’s Sundae?
Overall we loved the unique atmosphere, food, and service, and it was nice meeting Creig the owner as well. We will be back!

I had just had dinner at this new restaurant, and totally rocks!!!. This is the second time I have eaten there, I took my in-​laws last time and we were all very impressed with the meal and service, so for my birthday I said that this is where I wanted to go, I called for reservations and we were received with a warm welcome and for a group of 8 the waitress was very friendly and very professional. the food was awesome my parents and wife could not stop raving about the fish and chips. and that’s a HUGE accomplishment!!! kudos to the chef and the staff… I look forward to our next visit

First visit to Croft’s, last Saturday night. Arrived at 8 to a half-​full dining room and bar, and the band was just starting to set up. Loved the look of the building inside and out. Lots of character, and it looked even more nostalgic with the snow falling outside.
Seated for our reservation promptly, the waitress came over to see if we needed drinks, but this was after nearly 10 minutes (she did apologize). I noticed that the beer list on the menu was missing many things that I had read that Croft’s had tapped, on their Facebook page. She replied that yes, they have a bunch more than what is on the menu. So, why did I have to have prior knowledge and ask about that? Otherwise I would have never known that they had 4 – 5 great craft selections on tap, rather than just the more standard beers printed on the menu. Either print up inserts with the current tap list, or at least do a chalk board (or have your staff trained to tell customers what’s actually on).
After a long wait and several requests for water, the drinks arrived and we placed our order (French onion soup, shepherd’s pie and the meatloaf on the specials list). The soup and then the food arrived timely, and all were very good to great. Halfway through dinner, I had been staring at an empty pint glass for a while. I literally had to set the food aside and let it get cold while I waited 10 minutes to track down the waitress and beg for another beer and have it brought over. My wife was in the same situation with her water. I was just short of jumping up to ask another server for some help.
Throughout dinner, the band in the bar was playing. The volume was spot on, and they were fantastic sounding with good song selection.
Desert was a malted bread pudding, and was honestly the only forgettable food of the night. It wasn’t bad, but just not great.
Overall, the food, atmosphere, music, and beer selection were enough to make the dinner a great experience, and I will venture out to Croft’s again in the future. Hopefully my staff experience was not the norm, and at least I know to ask for the «secret» beer list in the future, if I’m not told.

Such a beautiful place. Too bad the service is terrible and the food is just OK. We will go back to the Craft Ale House.
We waited 18 minutes for our first round of drinks. Our waitress seemed really out of it and looked disheveled. Burger was OK but needed seasoning. Fries were really soggy, probably from being served in a metal cup? Live music in the bar was way too loud.
Waitstaff really needs better guidance and training by management.

We tried Crofts twice. first time was so so and the second time was a disaster! Went with another couple to celebrate his birthday and found the waitress to be totally rude! Food was just okay… will never go back… this place stinks!

I use to wonder about this beautiful but empty building as I rounded the corner on route 100. It has been updated and is now a pub-​style restaurant. The dining room is strangely bright, but the bar is warm and inviting, decorated in a modern Colonial style with a fireplace. The dining room has a fireplace too. The elegant young hostess in her long dress added to the aesthetics.
Menu is heavy on English interpretations: fish and chips, scotch eggs and so on, but there are handcut fries that are tasty.
They seem to only be using one side of the building. Wonder what is on the other half.
The parking lot is still gravel, which is better for avoiding erosion but hell on women’s high heels.

Been in several times, food has been consistently good to great. Solid execution on dinner and brunch items. It’s great to have a place like this in my backyard!

Stopped in here literally the first week they opened. Good vibe in the bar, decent drinks, scotch egg was huge, decided to return for dinner with friends.
I think they’re on the right track, but not a game changer in my opinion. Service needs a little attention. Menu had decent range-​imagination but execution was not consistent. For example the charcuterie plate was well imagined but tiny for the price. We ordered a wide range of entrees — in general they were good but not «great» .
For now they’ll do ok. New places enjoy a special honeymoon particularly if they show promise– and crofts does. But they are going to have to step up their game on execution wise if they are going to stay in there for a while.
Oh yea– they changed the scotch eggs back to normal size. Too bad– the marketing value alone of dinosaur sized scotch eggs was worth it’s weight in gold.

Finally, a game changer in Chester county. Right from the outset you know this rustic restaurant is different. Fun and lively crowd with none of the pretenses that a few other gastro pubs have in the area. Nice selection of domestic and imported ales that match up perfectly with the food. Now on to the food!
Tomato soup with cheese curd
Eating with your eyes take on new meaning here. The bowl comes out with fried cheese curds in an empty bowl until the server pours your soup out from a tea pot. Very clever indeed. Great combination of salty, cheesy and tomato. tomato soup and grilled cheese for adults YUM
Scotch eggs
Fabulous addition to the menu. Now these are different than any that I have had in the area. Not a monstrous single portion that others offer but rather two appetizer sized eggs that satisfy without filling you up like an entrée. The Cumberland sausage married well with Coleman’s mustard crema. My only regret was no HP was served but the did have a bottle at the ready.
Fish and chips
A true pub favorite. Lightly battered cod fried to golden perfection served with two sauces. I don’t know what they were because it seasoned so Properly there was no need. The presentation was innovative as well. Served in individual pieces rather than a large slab, it lends itself well for abandoning the fork and knife and using your hand.
Pan seared trout. Truly amazing! A whole trout filet (no head in case you were wondering) gently sautéed over fingerling potatoes and wilted spinach. Talk about an entrée that is light and refreshing. It worth the drive just for that. It take a steady experienced hand with trout to let the flavor of the fish shine though. Just lovely!
I also recommend the pub steak, turkey pot pie and the lamb shepards pie
Here is the bottom line. You could go to other gastro pubs in the area and be dissappointed with the same tired menus and pretenses or you can enjoy fresh and innovative food cooked and served with passion that shows.
Recommend reservations.